462 Body found in chopper crash in Alaska

2007-12-10T09:30:00.000-08:00

Searchers have found a body and wreckage from a medical helicopter missing since Monday, a spokesman for the rescue effort said.

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The body of John Stumpff, 47, a flight nurse, was discovered Saturday on the north shore of Passage Canal near Whittier in Prince William Sound, said McHugh Pierre, a spokesman for the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

Still missing are three other people aboard the Eurocopter BK 117: patient Gaye McDowell, 60, pilot Lance Brabham, 42, and paramedic Cameron Carter, 25. The search was to resume before dawn Sunday.

"We're going to assume there are survivors," Pierre said, citing warm weather as favorable conditions for survival.

Searchers on Saturday also found wreckage that has been identified as part of LifeGuard Alaska helicopter, including the left rear sliding door, Pierre said.

The aircraft was heading from Cordova to an Anchorage hospital when it disappeared in blowing snow Monday evening.

The helicopter crew last made contact with operators shortly after 5 p.m. Monday as they flew near Esther Island, about 75 miles southeast of Anchorage, according to officials with the Air National Guard, which was leading the search. The trip from Cordova to Anchorage is about 150 miles by air and usually takes about 90 minutes.

LifeGuard Alaska is operated by Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage

susan dey

2007-12-10T09:22:00.000-08:00

Honors for Ang Lee
PREV of NEXT

TOBY TALBOT / AP

A passer-by takes a photo of the S.T. Griswold & Co. concrete holiday truck in Montpelier, Vt. The cement mixer, covered in lights, makes stops all over Vermont during the holiday season. It takes about 60 hours to add the lights to the truck, and the cement drum still operates.

Ang Lee

Patti LaBelle
Taiwan showered native son Ang Lee with honors Saturday as his spy thriller "Lust, Caution" clinched seven prizes, including best film, director and actor at that nation's Golden Horse awards. The normally reserved director of "Hulk," "Brokeback Mountain" and other films wrapped up his acceptance speech by chanting "Go Taiwanese film!" The success of "Lust, Caution" at the awards came after the steamy film, an NC-17 movie in release in America, became a big hit in both Taiwan and China. It's about a World War II-era undercover activist.

Washington Christmas

The nation's capital rolled out the red carpet ― and holiday garlands ― Sunday for music stars like Alan Jackson and Katharine McPhee, who performed for President Bush and the first lady at the annual "Christmas in Washington" concert. TV host "Dr. Phil" McGraw and his wife, Robin, hosted the festivities for the fourth time. The event, which took place at the National Building Museum, benefited Children's National Medical Center. The concert will air Wednesday night on Turner Network Television.

Not a mean girl

Patti LaBelle says she was once offered Paula Abdul's job on "American Idol" but turned it down because she didn't want to be mean. "I didn't want to be someone giving bad news by saying 'You didn't make it,' " LaBelle tells Newsweek in the issue that hits stands Tuesday. Cutting singers was the hardest part of her new NBC reality show, "Clash of the Choirs." She does offer encouragement. "I did tell them, 'Because Patti LaBelle said no, it doesn't mean it's the end. Jennifer Hudson was told no, and she has an Oscar.' "

Gore calls for action

Nobel Peace Prize-winner Al Gore said on Sunday he was optimistic that a growing "people-power" movement would push the world's leaders to take action to stop global warming. The former vice president, who shared the 2007 peace prize with the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for raising awareness and advancing climate science, will receive the honor in Oslo today with the U.N. panel's chairman Rajendra Pachauri.

Words of wisdom

Don't say what I say

Sister Kathy Avery won't put up with swearing on the playground at her school, and she's not above repeating the offending language to make sure everyone understands which words she won't tolerate. The principal of St. Clare of Montefalco Catholic School in Grosse Point Park, Mich., had students stay after a Mass last month and informed the fifth- through eighth-graders that she has a zero-tolerance policy for cursing. Just in case anyone wasn't sure what she was talking about, Avery read off a list of the very words and phrases that she was banning.

Today in History

SIGNS MOON ALERT: Avoid shopping or making important decisions from 9:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. today. After that, the moon moves from Sagittarius into Capricorn.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): This is an exciting, jumpy way to start the week. Your mind is racing from topic to topic. People from different cultures and backgrounds are in your face. Unexpected ideas about religion and politics make you think. Surprise news in the media might raise your eyebrows. It ain't boring!

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You're not sure what to think about shared possessions or something to do with loans and mortgages and debt. Unexpected news could be positive or negative. Hard to say what's happening. It's interesting, but it's also beyond your control. Stay light on your feet.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You can't second-guess partners and close friends today. They could jump either way. Wear water wings and stay away from the deep end of the pool. Encounters with the public can be equally surprising. But people have interesting news to tell you. (Oh yeah.)

CANCER (June 21-July 22): This day will not go as planned. Interruptions in your workplace are highly likely. Computer crashes, power outages, fire drills, equipment breakdowns and staff shortages might throw a wrench into the works. Just be prepared for this. It's not a big deal. Or is it?

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Surprise flirtations or unexpected situations with children, sports, the arts and romance can catch you off guard today. Leo parents or teachers and caregivers should be extra vigilant because this is an accident-prone day for children under your care.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Minor breakages plus unreliable computers or small appliances might hassle you at home today. People on the home front are highly excitable for different reasons. Family squabbles could break out. Your home routine will be interrupted, perhaps with surprise company. Could be anything

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): This is definitely an accident-prone day. This applies to physical accidents as well as verbal accidents. Therefore, think before you speak or act. Slow down. Take your time. Do whatever you need to do to calm down and be more mellow about everything, especially discussions with others. Don't jump to conclusions.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Money and finances are unpredictable today. You might find money; you

wetm

2007-12-10T09:17:00.000-08:00

tracked through the WETM TV viewing area Sunday night, and continued into Monday morning. The icy mix prompted the The National Weather service to post a Winter Weather Advisory for the morning commute.

Ice accumulations remained thin enough not to cause any major damage to trees or power lines, but roadways did turn slippery. Most paved surfaces will remain slick until treated. Extra caution should be taken by pedestrians and motorists this morning.

Much of the patchy drizzle and mist will taper near midday today. The majority of the ice will melt during the early afternoon hours.

Horseheads family is mourning the loss of their son. The twenty one year old was killed Sunday morning after a fight at Alfred University. Right now police are still trying to figure out exactly how Thomas Argentieri died.

Police say a fight broke out at 57 North Main Street around 3 Sunday morning in Alfred. When emergency officials arrived they found Argentieri unconscious. He was later pronounced dead at Saint James Hospital in Hornell. WETM-TV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
WETM-TV

Elmira, New York
Branding WETM 18
Slogan Coverage You Can Count On
Channels Analog: 18 (UHF)
Digital: 2 (VHF)
Affiliations NBC
Owner Clear Channel Communications
(sale pending to Providence Equity Partners)
Founded September 10, 1956
Call letters meaning W Elmira Times Mirror (former owner)
Former callsigns WSYE-TV (1956-80)
Website www.wetmtv.com

WETM-TV (Channel 18) is the NBC affiliate for Elmira, New York. The station broadcasts on UHF channel 18 analog while its digital signal, WETM-DT, signed on in 2005 broadcasting on VHF channel 2.

Contents
1 History
2 News Team Line-Up
3 General Assignment Reporters
4 Meteorologists
5 Sports Anchors
6 WETM-2
7 References
8 External link

[edit] History
WETM debuted on September 18, 1956; as WSYE-TV. It was owned by Newhouse Communications, who also owned WSYR-TV in nearby Syracuse. It is Elmira's oldest surviving station; WTVE had signed on channel 24 a few years earlier, but went dark after a hurricane blew through the Elmira area in 1954 and took out the station's tower.

WSYE was largely a semi-satellite of WSYR-TV. However, it originated its own news programming at 6 and 11PM. The local news team consisted of anchors Bruce Flaherty and Carl Proper, anchor/weather reporter Rod Denson and others. Morning news cut-ins during "The Today Show" were originated from the Hawley Hill studio and a ladies informational show, "The Dana Near Show" was also broadcast from the station. Channel 18 began originating its own color programming in 1969 by adding color film capabilities with an RCA TK-27 and shortly thereafter from the studio with RCA TK-42's. Videotape rounded out the color upgrades and became a part of the station in 1972.

WETM has continually outrated WENY-TV, the market's ABC affiliate that signed on in 1969.

In 1980, WSYR-TV and WSYE owner Newhouse Communications sold the stations to the Times Mirror Company which changed the call letters to WSTM-TV and WETM respectively. Over the next several years, Times Mirror would cut the last ties between it and WSTM and would later sell the station to Smith Broadcasting in the late 1980's. Under Smith's ownership, a reversal of the station's origins would take place with the launch of partial-satellite WBGH in Binghamton in 1996. Set up in the wake of established NBC affiliate WICZ defecting to FOX, WBGH (originally called NBC 5 and seen only on Time Warner Cable in the Binghamton TV market) would soon split off on its own outside of simulcasting WETM's newscasts.

In 2000, Smith Broadcasting sold WETM, WBGH, and WWTI in Watertown to The Ackerley Group, which maintained a cluster of stations throughout New York state. With this purcase, the last ties between WETM and WBGH were cut given Ackerley's ownership of ABC affiliae WIVT in the Binghamton market. Ackerley itself would be bought out by Clear Channel Communications in late 2001.

On April 20, 2007, Clear Channel entered into an agreement to sell its entire television stations group to Providence Equity Partners.[1]

In 2007, WETM became one of four stations in upstate New York to stream its noon newscast live on an Internet video stream (the other three being WKBW-TV in Buffalo and sister stations WHAM-TV in Rochester and WSYR-TV in Syracuse).

[edit] News Team Line-Up
WETM-18 News Today Anchor: Ana Liss
WETM-18 News at Noon Anchor: Camille Williams
WETM 18 News at Five Anchor: Zach Wheeler
WETM 18 News at Six Anchor: Jeff Stone
WETM 18 News at Ten Anchor: Zach Wheeler
WETM 18 News at Eleven Anchor: Jeff Stone
WETM 18 News Weekends Anchor: Staci-Lyn Honda

[edit] General Assignment Reporters
Naveen Dhaliwal
Katie Graham
Reagan Medgie
Camille Williams

[edit] Meteorologists
Scott Mayer Chief Meteorologist, WETM 18 News at 5, 6, and 11
Joe Pasquarelli WETM-18 News Today and WETM-18 News at Noon
Matt Szwejbka Weekend Meteorologist

[edit] Sports Anchors
Steve Vesey Sports Director
Emerson Lotzia Weekend Sports Anchor
Chuck Brame substitute sports reporter

[edit] WETM-2
WETM also operates an independent station on digital channel 18.2, which identifies on-air as "WETM-2". The station airs local sports, movies, as well as a 10:00 p.m. newscast. Time Warner Cable carries WETM-2 on channel 11 in Elmira, Corning, and Watkins Glen.

Until September 2006, it was affiliated with UPN, and from September 2004 to July 2006, it was also available on an analog low-power station, WTTX-LP, which operated on UHF channel 30 (the former W30AA, a WSKG-TV translator), identifying on air as UPN 30. The station's launch gave the Elmira market its first 10:00 p.m. newscast.

With the merger of UPN and The WB into The CW, WTTX had been expected to compete for the affiliation as well as for the Fox-owned MyNetworkTV. However, the inability to get either affiliation (The CW affiliated with a cable-only station operated by WENY-TV; MyNetworkTV went to WJKP-LP) and WSKG's launch of a full-power digital-only satellite (WSKA) on channel 30 in Corning led Clear Channel to shut down the WTTX transmitter and take channel 18.2 independent. WETM-2 won a New York State Broadcasters Association Award for its coverage of high school sports in 2006.

No arrests have been made, but police say they've talked to the student who was involved in the fight with Argentieri. They're not releasing his name and say he's no longer in police custody.
"I don't believe this individual is a threat to the public at large. This is an unfortunate incident, obviously, but I don't think he's a threat to the general public," says Chief Tim O'Grady

The Monroe County Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy Monday. Argentieri graduated from Horseheads High School in 2004, where he played lacrosse and football. He's also the cousin of Steuben County Legislator Richard Argentieri.

A spokeswoman for Alfred University says they have no comment, but she says counselors will be made available for those students who need them.

school delays

2007-12-10T09:01:00.000-08:00

CONCORD, N.H.―Snowplows are out in New Hampshire as overnight snow has caused slick roads and many school delays.

more stories like thisIt's snowing over a wide area this morning. Forecasters expect the light snow may mix with sleet or freezing rain along the Massachusetts border.

Many school districts are delaying class this morning to give crews time to treat the roads.

December 10, 2007
Icy roads caused several spinouts and highway delays this morning. Slippery roads also forced several school delays in Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire as well.

more stories like thisA series of accidents on Interstate 93 north near Exit 45 at River Road in Andover have closed the right lane and delayed the morning commute.

The forecast calls for more rain this morning with the possibility of snow and sleet this afternoon, with little accumulation, according to the National Weather Service.

There is a winter weather advisory through 9 a.m. for all of

valley central school district

2007-12-10T08:55:00.000-08:00

group of parents from the Boulder Valley School District will ask the school board Tuesday to make sure planned school improvements are "green" enough.

In 2006, voters passed a massive bond issue that raised taxes to allow Boulder Valley to make $296.8 million worth of improvements to its aging schools. The language promised that the district would implement a "cost-effective, environmentally friendly and energy-efficient design and construction strategy."

"The school district is not making it a priority," said Bay Roberts, a Boulder Valley parent. "It's really frustrating as a taxpayer."

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The school district argues improvements are living up to the bond issue's language.

"We're in agreement with the parents ― it's the right thing to do," said Don Orr, director of bond planning, engineering and construction. "We've changed the culture to be more sensitive to green and sustainable features."

Language of the bond
Last year, voters in the Boulder Valley School District passed a $296.8 million bond issue ― the largest in the district's history ― for capital improvements to aging schools.

Money is scheduled for projects that include replacing boilers, adding classrooms, repairing roofs and upgrading science labs. The single biggest project is demolishing and rebuilding central Boulder's 1920s-era Casey Middle School for $31 million. Among other language, the issue specifically stated that a citizen's bond oversight committee would make sure that improvements were implemented with a "cost-effective, environmentally friendly and energy-efficient design and construction strategy."
Boulder Valley has a long list of measures it's implementing, including making sure that each school's architectural team has an experienced green builder on board, designing more daylight in the new construction and installing irrigation systems for sports fields that use 30 percent less water.

The question from the parents is whether that's enough.

"While all of the projects incorporate green elements," parent Jimmy McClements said in an e-mail, "reasonable trade-offs between necessary improvements such as classroom space, for example, and green elements such as high-performance windows ― as another example ― have meant that many green features have dropped from the schools' wish lists."

Though the bond issue was the largest ever passed in Boulder Valley's history, it was still more than $150 million shy of the amount the district assessed it would need to make all the necessary school improvements. That has left the district with a tight budget.

"We're trying to deliver this bond program," Orr said. "Some of what you're hearing we need to weigh against the budget."

The parents ― who have begun calling themselves the "Green School Initiative" ― are presenting a handful of options to bring down the costs, including grants through Xcel Energy and a program through the Governor's Energy Office that allows schools to pay for energy-efficient upgrades with future energy savings. District officials say they've looked into those options.

"The bond measure presents us with an opportunity that comes once in a generation," McClements said. "Coming at this particular moment, the opportunity requires us to go beyond business as usual and imagine ourselves two years from now, 10 years from now, and even 30 years from now, living with the choices we are making. There is little doubt that
Between helping students perform better in school and attracting more downtown businesses, parallel efforts are under way to map out a blueprint for Saucon Valley.

As the new year approaches, municipal and school officials are preparing two long-term plans for what Lower Saucon Township and Hellertown will be like down the road. Two meetings will be held this week as officials move forward with the separate projects.

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At 6:30 tonight, Saucon Valley School District officials will continue discussions about their six-year strategic plan.

At 7 p.m. Wednesday, the Saucon Valley Partnership will meet with consultants from Environmental Planning and Design Inc. to discuss the comprehensive plan for future growth in the two municipalities.

That plan is only meant to serve as a guide, but it could pave the way for joint zoning between the township and the borough, Hellertown Manager Charles Luthar said.

The partnership includes representatives from the two municipalities and the school district.

About two months after beginning their own process, the school district's Strategic Plan Committee is starting to establish the goals that will guide its work over the next several months, Assistant Superintendent Ira Hiberman said.

Some of the "discussion points" that have emerged include improved communication throughout the school environment; school/community partnerships and curriculum improvements, Hiberman said.

With modest growth in its student population over the years, the district is able to focus its strategic planning on instruction and equipment needs not constructing school buildings, Hiberman said.

Between September 1998 and June 2006, the total number of Saucon Valley students increased from 2,124 to 2,393, he said.

In terms of build-out, 8,600 additional homes are possible under existing zoning but a preliminary analysis presented by the consultants in October suggests 8,400 homes.

Both meetings will take place in the school district's administrative offices

prometa

2007-12-10T08:54:00.000-08:00

Prometa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Prometa is an integrated, physician-based treatment protocol for alcohol, cocaine or methamphetamine dependence licensed by Hythiam, Inc. The regimen "involves therapy and medications, both oral and intravenously injected," according to an article in the New York Times magazine.[1]

While current studies are underway, it has been hypothesized that the Prometa treatment works by to decreasing anxiety and craving by addressing imbalances of the brain's GABA receptors, a neurotransmitter.[1]

Contents
1 FDA approval status
2 Treatment steps
3 Controlled studies
4 Cultural references
5 References
6 External links

[edit] FDA approval status
Prometa has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of alcohol, cocaine or methamphetamine dependence nor has Hythiam requested approval.[2] According to CBS's investigative program 60 Minutes, the treatment is "being promoted by Terren Peizer, a former junk bond salesman whose business is business, not medicine. He skipped the usual medical research and government approvals to rush Prometa to market. Why the shortcuts? Peizer, who stands to make millions, says there's no way he can sit on Prometa when he believes it's the miracle treatment that millions are dying for."[2] However, some addiction scientists have criticized Hythiam for marketing it before it had been rigorously tested.[1]

[edit] Treatment steps
For alcohol dependence, the treatment consists of flumazenil (administered intravenously), hydroxyzine, and gabapentin. The treatment is similar for stimulant dependence, with additional flumazenil administrations. The dosing regimen of the drug combination is discussed in Urschel's recently published study. The initial intravenous administrations are followed up by orally prescribed medications and behavioral treatment.

[edit] Controlled studies
An October 2007 peer-reviewed study led by Dr. Harold C. Urschel, funded by Hythiam, and published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings medical journal, examined the pharmacological component of Prometa for methamphetamine dependence.[3]

The 50-patient study was an open-label trial, meaning it lacked a control group using a placebo, and both clinicians and patients knew that Prometa was being tested. This contrasts with double-blind studies which most researchers consider more dependable. The study found that "Substantial reductions in methamphetamine cravings and use were observed in all phases of treatment, and the retention rate of participants was high" and recommended that the protocol be tested in controlled, double-blind trials.[3]

60 Minutes reported that Dr. Urschel's addiction clinic sold the Prometa treatment. However Urschel denied this was a conflict of interest.[2]

Additionally, a number of controlled studies of Prometa are currently underway at various hospitals and universities, including:

-- Dr. Urschel has just completed a second study of Prometa, as a follow up to his published study. The second study was an 84-patient randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study of Prometa for the treatment of methamphetamine cravings. The study is awaiting publication.[4]

-- Dr. Jeffery Wilkins, vice chairman of Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health at Cedars-Sinai, is currently conducting an 80-patient randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study of Prometa for treatment of alcohol dependence.[5]

-- Dr. Walter Ling of UCLA is currently conducting a 90-patient randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study of Prometa for treatment of methamphetamine dependence.[4]

-- Dr. Raymond Anton of the Medical University of South Carolina, is currently conducting a 60-patient, randomized, double-blind,placebo controlled study of Prometa for treatment of alcohol dependence.[4]

-- Dr. Joseph Volpicelli and Dr. Jenny Sarosta of the Institute of Addiction Medicine are currently conducting a 60-patient randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study of Prometa for alcohol dependence.[4]

[edit] Cultural references
The treatment was featured on an episode of the MTV series True Life. A former methamphetamine addict named "Dustin" allowed the network to film his treatment with Prometa, for an episode called "I'm Going to Rehab", as well as his life before and after he quit using methamphetamine.[6]

[edit] References
CHICAGO ― A costly drug cocktail touted as the first pharmacological treatment for cocaine and methamphetamine addiction is at the center of a national debate.

The treatment, Prometa, is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an addiction therapy, nor has it undergone extensive scientific testing.

But officials at Hythiam, the Los Angeles company that sells the treatment protocol, said it can work miracles for people struggling to break their addiction.

David Smart, of Federal Way, turned to Prometa when he hit rock bottom eight months ago. Smart had lost everything: his wife, his family, his job and his home.

By his estimate, he had failed at least two dozen times to overcome his methamphetamine addiction.

"I had tried everything, and nothing worked for me," said Smart, 41. "But Prometa has."

Mario Acosta Jr. also tried Prometa but relapsed within days of completing treatment.

"They told me it would work for everything," said Acosta, 44, a San Pedro, Calif., longshoreman who was battling alcoholism and heroin addiction.

He took out a $5,000 loan to help pay for it. "What a waste of money that was," he said.

As many as 3,000 people have tried Prometa, up from about 1,000 a year ago, a Hythiam spokesman said. Prometa first was offered in 2003 as the HANDS Protocols.

In addition to the drug cocktail that is the focus of the therapy, the treatment includes nutritional supplements and counseling.

But some treatment professionals said the company rushed to treat patients with Prometa before it had undergone greater scrutiny.

"I don't think Prometa is a drug treatment for addiction; I think it's a marketing scheme," said Dr. Alex Stalcup, a California expert on methamphetamine addiction.

Some addiction experts said the treatment is reminiscent of controversial methods promoted in the past.

"There is an attempt to create hype before there is actual evidence, make a buck and move on," said Chicago addiction specialist Dr. David Ostrow, who attended a meeting here organized by Hythiam last month.

Hythiam officials said the company's attention-grabbing marketing shouldn't be confused with its treatment.

"People are dying [from drug abuse], and this [treatment] seems to be making a dramatic difference," said Dr. Matthew Torrington, medical director of the Prometa Center in Santa Monica, Calif., one of four such treatment centers.

Jim Pickett, chairman of the Chicago Crystal Meth Task Force, said Hythiam is pushing an untested treatment on people when they are at their lowest point. His outrage grew after he saw a full-page ad for Prometa in Gay Chicago Magazine.

"They are preying on vulnerable people," Pickett said. "People in the throes of crystal-meth addiction ― and their families ― are extremely vulnerable, and they are taking advantage of it."

Millions affected

Last year, an estimated 23 million Americans abused or were dependent on alcohol, illegal drugs or prescription medication, according to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. About 2.5 million sought help at specialty treatment facilities.

Experts agree controversy over Prometa has highlighted the need for effective medical treatments for addiction, especially for those hooked on meth, which has become a scourge in many rural areas. So far, the FDA has approved four drugs to treat alcoholism and three drugs to treat addiction to opiates.

It is Prometa's cocktail of three medications ― flumazenil, gabapentin and hydroxyzine ― that is generating controversy.

Flumazenil reverses the sedative effects of general anesthesia and is used to treat overdoses caused by benzodiazepines such as Valium. Gabapentin is an antiseizure medication. Hydroxyzine, an antihistamine, also is used to treat anxiety.

The drug cocktail is being used "off label," meaning the medications have been approved by the FDA to treat other disorders, but not addiction.

Hythiam doesn't own or manufacture the drugs but said it owns the treatment protocol.

The protocol has been studied in three company-funded clinical trials. Two open-label studies reported fewer days of meth use and reduced cravings. Open-label studies are considered preliminary research.

A third study reported reduced cravings among Prometa users at the end of 30 days of treatment, compared with those who took a placebo. That study of Prometa was its first randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, considered the gold standard of medical research.

Critics question focus

Critics said the results were unimpressive and scoffed at the focus on self-reported cravings instead of drug abstinence.

"Everyone wants to see abstinence," said Dr. Harold Urschel, chief executive of the Urschel Recovery Science Institute in Dallas, which conducted the research. Urschel also treats patients with Prometa under a licensing agreement with the company. "But that's just one factor in treatment success."

Company officials said additional studies under way will confirm the treatment's effectiveness. Results from a study being conducted at UCLA are expected as early as next year.

Hythiam has opened treatment centers in Santa Monica, San Francisco, New Jersey and Florida, with plans to open more. Alcoholism treatment costs $13,000; cocaine and meth treatment costs $15,000.

Private insurance doesn't cover Prometa, but Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in New York and New Jersey might do so, a Hythiam spokesman said.

The company also is seeking public funding to cover treatment of Medicaid patients, parolees and others. In the company's last annual report, Chief Executive Terren Peizer said the company could eventually treat up to 5 million people in criminal-justice programs.

Criticism of such programs has mounted in recent weeks.

Last month, the Pierce County Council in Tacoma voted to end its funding of a Prometa pilot project for drug offenders after a report by county auditors concluded that there was no evidence that it worked. The company said the report was politically motivated.

Also last month, the Federal Way City Council approved spending $20,000 for a trial of the Prometa program.

scott baio

2007-12-10T08:52:00.000-08:00

Former Charles in Charge star Scott Baio, who struggled with relationship woes on this year's VH1 show Scott Baio is 45 ... and Single, married longtime girlfriend Renee Sloan this past Saturday in Los Angeles.

The ceremony will air as part of a the second series of Scott Baio is 45 ... and Single. During the final episode of the first season of Single Sloan revealed that she was pregnant. Sloan' s 18-year-old daughter from a previous relationship and the couple's newborn daughter were both in attendance.

Scott Baio
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This article does not cite any references or sources. (September 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.
Scott Baio
Birth name Scott Vincent James Baio
Born September 22, 1961 (1961-09-22) (age 46)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Spouse(s) Renee Sloan (2007 - present)
Official site Official website
Scott Vincent James Baio (born September 22, 1961) is an American actor, who is perhaps best known for his work on the sitcoms Happy Days and Charles in Charge. He recently appeared in his own VH1 reality series titled Scott Baio Is 45...and Single.

Contents
1 Biography
1.1 Early life
1.2 Career
1.3 Personal life
2 References
3 External links

Biography

Early life
Baio was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Rose and Mario Baio, a personal manager.[1] His grandparents were immigrants from Italy. He attended Xaverian High School, and later graduated from North Hollywood High School. His other siblings as well as their cousin, Jimmy Baio, also act.

Career
In 1976, Baio played the title character Bugsy Malone in the cult kiddie gangster musical directed by Alan Parker, which also co-starred Jodie Foster. Baio and Foster later worked together again in the 1980 teen girl drama Foxes helmed by Adrian Lyne. When he was 16, Scott was then cast as The Fonz's cousin, Chachi Arcola, on Happy Days. During his Happy Days run, Baio earned two Emmy Award nominations for his lead performances in the TV movies Stoned (1981) and All The Kids Do It (1985). He also won two Young Artists Awards during the Third Annual Youth in Film Awards (1980-1981) as Best Young Actor in a Television Special for Stoned and Best Young Comedian in Television or Motion Pictures for Happy Days. He also starred in the made-for-television youth drama specials The Boy Who Drank Too Much with Lance Kerwin and Senior Trip with Mickey Rooney.

In 1982, Baio starred in a spin-off of Happy Days entitled Joanie Loves Chachi with Erin Moran, which lasted one season. His first sexual experience was with Erin Moran ― a claim he made on the first episode of VH1's Scott Baio is 45 ... and Single in the summer of 2007. That same year, he appeared opposite Willie Aames in the film Zapped!, and recorded an album for RCA. In 1984, Baio starred as a male nanny on the syndicated comedy series Charles in Charge until 1990.

During the decade of the 1990s, Scott appeared in various television programs, including the short-lived Look Who's Talking small screen spin-off Baby Talk. Between 1992 and 1995, he portrayed Dr. Jack Stewart in the medical mystery series Diagnosis: Murder starring Dick Van Dyke. Baio was a popular guest-star on Full House, Touched by an Angel, Veronica's Closet and The Nanny. He directed a number of TV series and commercials. He also starred in several telefilms and video releases such as Detonator, Bar-Hopping, Dumb Luck, Face Value and Danielle Steel's Mixed Blessings.

Baio's other movies include the independent films Very Mean Men, Face to Face and The Bread, My Sweet. Very Mean Men (2000) was a gangster comedy directed by Tony Vitale about a mob war between two syndicate families. Scott served as a co-producer with his older brother Steven on said film and even played the crucial role of impetuous crime scion Paulie Minnetti who unwittingly instigates the crime feud. Variety praised his performance: "A career-reviving turn by Scott Baio with hair dyed blonde and sporting a white goatee."

Face to Face (2001; renamed Italian Ties) was a comic drama directed by Ellie Kanner about three young men (Scott Baio as Richie, Thomas Calabro as Philly and Carlo Imperato as Al) who kidnap their emotionally distant fathers for a weekend of genuine male bonding. Baio co-wrote the screenplay with Jeffrey Gurian. The movie won the Audience Prize for Best Comedy at the Marco Island Film Festival, the Silver Screen Accolade in the Reno Film Festival and the 10 Degrees Hotter Best Feature Award during the Valley Film Festival.

The Bread, My Sweet (2001; retitled A Wedding For Bella) a romance film directed by Melissa Martin and produced by Adrienne Wehr. Baio portrayed Dominic Pyzola who's both a corporate raider in the daytime and a pastry chef at night. He earned three Best Lead Actor prizes in the Atlantic City Film Festival, the Kansas City Halfway To Hollywood Film Festival and the San Diego Film Festival. The movie itself collected top accolades from the Santa Monica, Stony Brook, Marco Island, Houston Worldfest and Iowa Hardacre Film Festivals.

More recently, Baio also had a recurring role on the Emmy award winning comedy series Arrested Development as the madcap Bluth family's serious but overpaid lawyer, Bob Loblaw. He took over the role of the clan's legal counselor from former Happy Days co-star Henry Winkler in four episodes: "Forget Me Now", "Notapusy", "Mr. F", and "Making a Stand". In August 2006, Baio was formally invited by the AIA Actors Studio to discuss his professional experiences as a working thespian and director in television and movies. He talked about his own lengthy acting career plus his recent forays into writing, directing and producing. In July 2007, Baio made his own foray into the genre of reality show programming with the VH1 reality series Scott Baio Is 45...and Single. The show averaged 1.3 million total viewers and 1 million adults from 18 to 49 years old, ranking it among the top ten basic cable programs in its 10:30 p.m. time slot. VH1 is currently preparing a second season of the reality series, composed of nine episodes (six half-hour and three hour long installments).

Personal life
Baio was a member of Young Americans for Freedom. He attended the historical ceremonies of the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan's widely-televised state funeral. The June 12, 2004, New York Daily News reported that Baio was seated near Margaret Thatcher and was quoted as saying: "President Reagan made me feel proud to be an American. Today, I feel sadness".[2]

Baio is also famous for dating several actresses, including Pamela Anderson, Erika Eleniak, Nicole Eggert, Natalie Raitano, Nicolette Sheridan, Denise Richards, Julie McCullough, and Heather Locklear. In his VH1 reality series Scott Baio Is 45...and Single, he admits to losing his virginity to Erin Moran. In July 2007, he told E!: Entertainment Television's Ted Casablanca that he and wife Renee Sloan are expecting a baby girl in December.[3]

On July 24, 2007, Scott appeared on the Howard Stern show on Sirius Satellite Radio and received a standing ovation from the staff. Not only did Howard ask to shake his hand but, in typical Stern fashion also asked if he could smell it. On the show Baio admitted that Playboy quietly banned him from the mansion for a period of time in the late '80s since he had dated each of that year's Playboy Playmates and then some, totaling 24. A spokeswoman from Playboy called Scott and told him that he needed to "slow down" and some of the Playmates he was with were also involved with Hugh Hefner. In the same interview he confessed that Heather Locklear was the greatest lover he has ever had, hands down. He rated some of his lovers on a scale of 1 to 10 - Denise Richards:3, Beverly D'Angelo:10, Liza Minnelli:7, Melissa Gilbert:10.[citation needed]

On December 8, 2007, Baio married his longtime girlfriend Renee Sloan.[4]

ted haggard

2007-12-10T08:47:00.000-08:00

Ted Haggard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Ted Arthur Haggard (June 27, 1956) is a former American evangelical preacher. Known as Pastor Ted to the congregations he has served, he is the founder and former pastor of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado; a founder of the Association of Life-Giving Churches; and was leader of the National Association of Evangelicals from 2003[1] until November 2006.

In November 2006, he resigned or was removed from all of his leadership positions after allegations of homosexual sex and drug abuse were made by Mike Jones, a former prostitute. Initially Haggard denied even knowing Mike Jones, but as a media investigation proceeded he acknowledged that some allegations, such as his purchase of methamphetamine, were true. He later added "sexual immorality" to his list of confessions.[2]

After the scandal was publicized, Haggard entered three weeks of intensive counseling, overseen by four ministers. On February 6, 2007 one of those ministers, Tim Ralph, stated that Haggard "is completely heterosexual."[3] Ralph later said he meant to say that therapy "gave Ted the tools to help to embrace his heterosexual side."[4]

Contents
1 Early life and work
2 Ideology
2.1 Theology
2.2 Politics
2.3 Teachings on homosexuality
3 Television and movie appearances
4 Sex and methamphetamine scandal
4.1 Allegations
4.2 Rumors prior to the Jones allegations
4.3 Response to allegations
4.4 Admission and removal from job
5 Claims of complete heterosexuality
6 Plea for money
7 Books
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
10.1 Official
10.2 News articles and interviews

[edit] Early life and work
Ted Haggard was born in Indiana.[5] His father, J. M. Haggard, a practicing veterinarian in Yorktown, Indiana, founded an international charismatic ministry, which was featured in a PBS Middletown documentary series.[6] In 1972, at age sixteen, Ted became a born-again Christian after hearing a sermon from the late evangelist Bill Bright in Dallas, Texas. As a co-editor of his high-school newspaper in 1974, he published remarkably frank articles which described services that were available to prevent and deal with increasingly prevalent pregnancies and STDs. These articles scandalized his small town, and embroiled him in a free-press lawsuit.[7]

Haggard subsequently attended Oral Roberts University, a Christian university in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

According to Haggard, in November 1984, when he was an associate pastor of Bethany World Prayer Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. his confidant and mentor Danny Ost, a missionary to Mexico City, had a vision of Haggard founding his church in Colorado Springs. Accordingly, Haggard moved to Colorado shortly afterwards, and founded New Life Church. Initially, the basement of Haggard's house formed his church, which then grew to rented spaces in strip malls.[8] At the time he was removed from his job for a sex and methamphetamine scandal, New Life Church operated from a campus in northern Colorado Springs, and reportedly had fourteen thousand members.[9]

In 1978, Haggard married Gayle Alcorn.[10] The couple have five children: Christy; Marcus (1984), (a pastor in Colorado Springs at the Boulder Street Church); Jonathan (1989); Alex (1992); and Elliot (1995).[11]

[edit] Ideology

[edit] Theology
Haggard has stated he believes in what is known as the Third Wave of the Holy Spirit and subscribes to the concept referred to as the Five-fold ministry � beliefs often associated with the charismatic movement. He has stated that he believes that there is one, all-knowing God, and that humans were created to be with him.[12]

[edit] Politics
In 2005, Haggard was listed by Time magazine as one of the top 25 most influential evangelicals in America.[13] Haggard is a firm supporter of President George W. Bush, and is sometimes credited with rallying evangelicals behind Bush during the 2004 election.[14] Author Jeff Sharlet reported in 2005 that Haggard "talks to… Bush or his advisers every Monday" and stated at that time that "no pastor in America holds more sway over the political direction of evangelicalism."[15] In a June 2005 Wall Street Journal article, "Ted Haggard, the head of the 30-million strong National Association of Evangelicals, joked that the only disagreement between himself and the leader of the Western world is automotive: Mr. Bush drives a Ford pickup, whereas he prefers a Chevy."[16]

Haggard has stated that fighting global warming is an important issue, a divisive issue among Evangelical leaders. Though he personally supported the Evangelical Climate Initiative, the NAE did not adopt a position.[17]

[edit] Teachings on homosexuality
Despite having homosexual relations with masseur Mike Jones, Haggard has condemned "homosexual activity." In the documentary Jesus Camp, one scene shows a sermon where he preaches, "we don't have to debate about what we should think about homosexual activity. It's written in the Bible."[18] Although Haggard opposes same-sex marriage, he has suggested that there should be civil unions for homosexual couples.[19]

Under Haggard's leadership, the NAE released "For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility" in late 2004,[20] "a document urging engagement in traditional culture war issues such as abortion and gay marriage but also poverty, education, taxes, welfare and immigration."[20] The NAE has stated that "homosexual activity, like adulterous relationships, is clearly con-demned in the Scriptures."[21]

Haggard developed ministry efforts towards homosexuals early in his Colorado Springs ministry. He frequented gay bars and invited men to his congregation. [22]

[edit] Television and movie appearances

Richard Dawkins and HaggardHaggard has appeared on several broadcast network programs, including Dateline NBC and ABC's 20/20. He also appears in the documentary Jesus Camp[23][24], the History Channel documentary The Antichrist, [25] as well as the HBO documentary Friends of God: A Road Trip with Alexandra Pelosi.[26]

Ted Haggard as featured in Jesus Camp.In early 2006, University of Oxford Professor Richard Dawkins interviewed Haggard as part of a British television documentary entitled The Root of All Evil?.[27] During this interview, Dawkins spoke with Haggard about contradictions between the cumulative knowledge produced by science, and a literal interpretation of the Bible (particularly its account of creation). In response, Haggard claimed to "fully embrace the scientific method." Haggard then stated that the conclusions of that method regarding the age of the earth and evolution were only the result of "some of the views that are accepted in some portions of the scientific community." When Dawkins sharply pointed out Haggard's misconception of the theory of evolution, he suggested Dawkins to be less arrogant about his learning.

As Dawkins and his film crew were packing up to leave, there was a brief altercation in the car parking lot. According to Dawkins, Haggard ordered Dawkins's crew off his land with the words, "You called my children animals," and threatened legal action and confiscation of their recording equipment. Later, Dawkins speculated that Haggard was upset because Dawkins had talked about evolution in the interview.

[edit] Sex and methamphetamine scandal
In November 2006, prostitute and masseur Mike Jones alleged that Haggard had paid Jones to engage in sex with him for three years and had also purchased and used crystal methamphetamine.[28] Jones said he had only recently learned of Haggard's true identity from Sheryl Hintzman, a dominatrix Haggard regularly visited, and explained his reasons for coming forward by saying, "It made me angry that here's someone preaching about gay marriage and going behind the scenes having gay sex."

Haggard acknowledged some, but not all, of the allegations, and was removed from all of his leadership positions in religious organizations, including the church he founded. [29] At first, however, he claimed he had never met his accuser and in a television interview said "I am steady with my wife. I'm faithful to my wife."[30] But on November 5, in a statement Haggard said, "I am a deceiver and a liar. The fact is I am guilty of sexual immorality...There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I've been warring against it all of my adult life. ... Please forgive my accuser ... actually thank God for him. He didn't violate you; I did."[31]

[edit] Allegations
Wikinews has related news:
Ted Haggard resigns pastorship due to gay sex scandalOn November 1, 2006, Mike Jones stated that Haggard (whom Jones knew as "Art"; Haggard's middle name is Arthur) had paid for sex with him on an almost monthly basis over the previous three years. Jones contends the relationship was strictly physical, not emotional, and that he was typically paid a "couple of hundred dollars" but sometimes Haggard would pay him extra. [32] Jones also stated "[Haggard] had told me he loved snorting meth before [he] has sex with his wife" and that Haggard had also revealed a fantasy he had of having an orgy with "about six young college guys ranging from 18 to 22 in age."[33]

Jones claims Haggard had often used drugs in front of him,[32] but he said he never actually sold drugs to Haggard but instead introduced him to someone he could purchase it from.

About two years ago he asked, "Hey, Mike, what do you know about meth? I don't do it personally, but I know people who do." I told him that some people think it enhances their sexual experience. He asked if I could help him get some. I located someone he could connect with. After that, he got it on his own. The last time he saw me, he was trying to get some and couldn't, which resulted in him sending me money through the mail in August, postmarked Colorado Springs. He wrote "Art" on the corner of the envelope. I just read that his middle name is Arthur....[34]
Jones said he made his outing allegations against Haggard in response to Haggard's political support for a Colorado Amendment 43 on the November 7, 2006 Colorado ballot that would ban same-sex marriage in that state. Jones told ABC News, "I had to expose the hypocrisy. He is in the position of influence of millions of followers, and he's preaching against gay marriage. But behind everybody's back [he's] doing what he's preached against."[33] Jones hoped that his statements would sway voters.[35]

Voice analysis expert Richard Sanders compared the voice of Haggard from a television interview to that of the voicemails released by Jones and announced preliminary results stating that the voice on the voicemail is most likely that of Haggard. According to an article from KUSA, "Sanders makes his decision by comparing the resonance of the voice, the play of one's tongue and the inflection of vowel sounds."[36]

Jones volunteered to take a polygraph test on a KHOW radio show hosted by Peter Boyles, where Jones first made the allegations. However, Jones's responses during the section of the polygraph test about whether he had engaged in sex with Haggard indicated deception. The test administrator, John Kresnik, discounted the test results because of Jones's stress and lack of eating or sleeping. Regardless, Haggard responded by saying "We're so grateful that he failed a polygraph test this morning, my accuser did." Jones was not asked questions about drug use. Jones expressed doubt that he would retake the test, saying "I've made my point. He's the one who has discredited himself. He should admit it and move on."[37]

[edit] Rumors prior to the Jones allegations
Greg Montoya, editor of Out Front Colorado, a Denver GLBT newspaper, told the Colorado Springs Gazette that "rumors about Haggard's love life have circulated through Denver's gay community for the past year. But we didn't know it involved Mike Jones.'"[38]

Montoya's disclosure was paralleled by Lou Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition and a self-proclaimed friend of Haggard, who told New York's The Jewish Week that he and "a lot" of other people had been aware of Pastor Haggard's same-sex behavior "for a while... but we weren't sure just how to deal with it.... Ted and I had a discussion. He said homosexuality is genetic. I said, no it isn't. But I just knew he was covering up. They need to say that."[39]

[edit] Response to allegations
Haggard initially claimed he had never heard of his accuser and denied having ever done drugs and stated "I have not, I have never had a gay relationship with anybody."[40] Many evangelical leaders initially showed support for Haggard and were critical of media reports. James Dobson issued a news release stating, "It is unconscionable that the legitimate news media would report a rumor like this based on nothing but one man's accusation. Ted Haggard is a friend of mine and it appears someone is trying to damage his reputation as a way of influencing the outcome of Tuesday's election―especially the vote on Colorado's marriage-protection amendment―which Ted strongly supports."[41]

Later however, Haggard resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals.[42] He went on administrative leave from his position as senior pastor of New Life Church, saying "I am voluntarily stepping aside from leadership so that the overseer process can be allowed to proceed with integrity. I hope to be able to discuss this matter in more detail at a later date. In the interim, I will seek both spiritual advice and guidance."[43]

On November 2, 2006, senior church officials told Colorado Springs television station KKTV that Haggard has admitted to some of the claims made by Jones.[44] In an e-mail to New Life Church parishioners sent on the evening of November 2, Acting Senior Pastor Ross Parsley wrote, "It is important for you to know that he [Haggard] confessed to the overseers that some of the accusations against him are true."[45]

Haggard admitted on November 3, 2006 that he had purchased methamphetamine and received a massage from Jones, but he denied using the drugs or having sex with Jones. "I called him to buy some meth, but I threw it away. I bought it for myself but never used it", Haggard claimed in a television interview, and added, "I was tempted, but I never used it".[46]

As it became apparent that some of the claims were true, some evangelical leaders such as Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell sought to downplay Haggard's influence on religious conservatives and downplay the importance of the NAE."[47] On his television show, "The 700 Club" Robertson said, "We're sad to see any evangelical leader fall" and also said the claim that the NAE represents thirty million people "just isn't true.... We can't get their financial data. I think it's because they have very little money and very little influence". During a CNN interview, Jerry Falwell went on record saying, "[Haggard] doesn't really lead the movement. He's president of an association that's very loose-knit... and no one has looked to them for leadership."[48] White House spokesman Tony Fratto sought to downplay Haggard's influence on the White House by saying that Haggard was only occasionally part of the weekly calls between evangelical leaders and the White House and had visited there only "a couple" of times.[49]

James Dobson issued another public statement saying he was "heartsick" of learning about Haggard's admissions and that "the possibility that an illicit relationship has occurred is alarming to us and to millions of others." He also stated that "[Haggard] will continue to be my friend, even if the worst allegations prove accurate" but "nevertheless, sexual sin, whether homosexual or heterosexual, has serious consequences."[50]

[edit] Admission and removal from job
On November 3, 2006, Haggard resigned his leadership of the National Association of Evangelicals.[51] The National Association of Evangelicals posted a statement accepting his resignation. Leith Anderson was appointed as the new president on November 7, 2006.[52]

The "Overseer Board of New Life Church" released a prepared statement on the afternoon of November 4, 2006 that stated: "Our investigation and Pastor Haggard's public statements have proven without a doubt that he has committed sexually immoral conduct." The board cited the bylaws of the megachurch and said his conduct compelled them to remove him from his job.

During a New Life Church service on Sunday, November 5, 2006 another pastor read a letter from Haggard that stated:

" I am so sorry for the circumstances that have caused shame and embarrassment for all of you.... The fact is I am guilty of sexual immorality, and I take responsibility for the entire problem. I am a deceiver and a liar. There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I've been warring against it all of my adult life.... The accusations that have been leveled against me are not all true, but enough of them are true that I have been appropriately and lovingly removed from ministry. "
― Ted Haggard, letter to New Life Church[53]

Haggard went on to say that his removal was permanent, and that until a new senior pastor could be found, Ross Parsley, the Associate Senior Pastor, would hold that position.

Haggard was counseled by a team including Jack Hayford and Tommy Barnett who stated their intention to "perform a thorough analysis of Haggard's mental, spiritual, emotional and physical life," including the use of polygraph tests.[54] The team was to include James Dobson, who later stepped aside, citing time constraints.[55]

In April 2007, Ted and Gayle Haggard moved to Phoenix, Arizona to start anew and continue the "restoration" process. They will attend Phoenix First Assembly of God, whose pastor, Tommy Barnett, was on his counseling team. Ted Haggard reached an agreement with New Life Church on a severance package which will pay him through 2007; one of the conditions was that he had to leave the Colorado Springs area.[56] His last reported income was $138,000 not including benefits.

Since the scandal broke attendance at New Life Church has been down about 20 percent with financial support falling 10 percent. As a consequence the church has laid off 44 employees representing about 12 percent of their workforce.[57]

Wikinews has related news:
Ted Haggard reaches financial settlement with New Life ChurchIn June of 2007, the scandal was recounted in Mike Jones' book I Had to Say Something: The Art of Ted Haggard's Fall. It is also satirized in the Nation Books release The Brotherhood of the Disappearing Pants: A Field Guide to Conservative Sex Scandals ISBN 978-1568583778.

[edit] Claims of complete heterosexuality
In February 2007, Haggard sent an e-mail to friends, in which he stated his intention to move away from Colorado Springs to suburban New Orleans and, along with his wife, earn a degree in psychology.[58] According to a report published by Associated Press, Tim Ralph of the counseling team stated that evidence suggested that Haggard is "completely heterosexual" and that his only extramarital sexual contacts have been with former prostitute Mike Jones. Ralph said, "It was the acting-out situations where things took place. It wasn't a constant thing."[59]

The claim has been satirised, most notably by Dan Savage in his Valentine's Day Savage Love column, and by the satirical singer-songwriter Roy Zimmerman, who wrote a song about the statement.

Jones responded to Ted Haggard's announcement: [60]

"Well, that's the quickest therapy I've ever heard of. It's hard for me to imagine someone who is performing oral sex and saying that he is 'straight.' That just doesn't jive. If you were to ask me 'Do I think is Ted Haggard gay?' I would have to say 'yes',"

Jones explained that he could only speak to the time he spent with Haggard, that he had an ongoing sexual relationship with the minister, and that their time together "indicated a gay man to me."

[edit] Plea for money
In August 2007, Haggard released a statement asking for monetary donations to help support his family while he and his wife attend classes at the University of Phoenix. The former pastor also said that his family was moving into the Dream Center, a Phoenix based halfway house which ministers to recovering convicts, drug addicts, prostitutes etc. Haggard is pursuing a degree in counseling while his wife Gayle is studying psychology.[61] [62]

Following Haggard's request for donations, a member of Haggard's restoration team said he should have consulted with them before releasing a statement. News media pointed to his reported income: in 2006, he received $115,000 for the 10 months he worked and also received an $85,000 anniversary bonus shortly before the scandal broke; after the scandal broke, the board of trustees of New Life Church agreed to give him an $138,000 severance. Additionally, the Haggards have a home in Colorado Springs, Colorado that is valued at more than $700,000 and Haggard still receives royalties from books he has authored. [63]

Questions also surfaced about the tax-exempt group Haggard asked that donations be sent to, on his behalf - Families With a Mission. According to Haggard, the group would use 10% of donations for administrative costs and forward 90% to Haggard. But the group was dissolved in February 2007, according to the Colorado Secretary of State.

A few days after Haggard's initial email statement, his restoration team stepped in to say his statement was "inappropriate" and that "Haggard was a little ahead of himself". They indicated that Haggard would not be working at the Dream Center or in ministry of any kind and that they advised Haggard to seek secular employment to support himself and his family. [64] [65] [66]

worked through the night Sunday to continue clearing side streets in preparation for Monday morning's commute. Still, several area schools decided to close or delay classes.

Multimedia Watch The Video Related ContentSnow Days: Then and Now
Plow Trucks Working Overtime To Clear Streets For Monday Morning Commute
Travel Quick Links
Dozens of trucks in Mishawaka, South Bend and St. Joseph County laid down a mixture of salt, sand and slag. But some streets, sidewalks and parking lots are still covered in a sheet of ice.

Even so, both the city and county are asking drivers to stay OFF roads until they've been cleared.

"Don't drive if you don't need to," said South Bend Public Works Director Gary Gilot. "And if you do go out, use caution, slow down -- especially in anticipation of intersections. Don't wait until you get there to hit the brakes."

According to the National Weather Service, another winter storm is expected to move into the area late Monday night.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (AFP) ― Four people were killed and six others were wounded in two separate shootings at religious establishments in the state of Colorado, local authorities said.

The first shooting occurred in Arvada, a suburb of Denver, in the early hours of Sunday when a young gunman opened fire at a Christian missionary center. Two staff members in their mid-20s were killed and two others wounded.

The gunman fled before authorities reached the scene.

About 12 hours later another two people were killed, including the suspected attacker, in a shooting near a church in Colorado Springs.

City Police Chief Richard Meyers said four people were wounded in the second rampage, some with "life-threatening injuries." The assailant was killed by a church security guard, Meyers said.

When police arrived on the scene after receiving an emergency call "they found that the active shooter had been shot by a security staff member of the church," Meyers said. "A courageous security staff member who probably saved many lives today."

Earlier reports had put the number killed in Colorado Springs at five.

It was unclear if the shootings were related, but Arvada Police Chief Don Wick said such a link was possible.

"Yes, there's a reason to believe that," Wick told reporters. He did not elaborate.

The two shootings took place 120 kilometers (75 miles) apart -- a one-and-a-half hour drive.

The shooting in Colorado Springs occurred near the New Life Church, an evangelical congregation of about 10,000 members.

"It's a sad day and a tragic day in Colorado Springs," said Mayor Lionel Rivera. "This is not the kind of things you expect in our community."

The church pastor, Brady Boyd, saw the shooting from his office. "What I experienced from my window was surreal," he said.

Congregants "came to church to worship, what happened today was a tragedy," said Boyd. "It's unfortunate that we live in a society where this happens, but it does."

The New Life Church made headlines in 2006 when its founder, Ted Haggard, resigned as a pastor after admitting to what he called "sexual immorality."

Haggard was a vocal supporter of President George W. Bush in 2004 and helped turn Colorado Springs into a major evangelical center.

However, Brady Boyd, Haggard's successor, has made it clear he was not interested in getting involved in national politics. He has said two of his major goals are to be more involved in local charitable works and in building bridges between area congregations.

It was not immediately clear if this change of direction had anything to do with Sunday's incident.

The Colorado shootings came just days after a teenager armed with a semi-automatic rifle opened fire on Christmas shoppers at an Omaha shopping mall in Nebraska on Wednesday, killing at least eight people before turning the gun on himself.

Last week's mall rampage in Nebraska had already revived debate about gun crime in the United States, which authorities say is home to more than
deputies say at least four people have been shot outside of a Colorado Springs church.

The conditions of the people shot outside the New Life Church were not known, El Paso county Sheriff's Lieutenant Lari Sevene said.

Lance Coles, a pastor at the church, told the Associated Press he received a report that a man was shooting at people in the church parking lot and that the gunman may have entered the church.

It was not immediately known whether the shootings were related to an earlier shooting about 70 miles away in the Denver suburb of Arvada.

There, two people died and two were wounded early on Sunday when a gunman opened fire in a dormitory at a missionary training center on the campus of Faith Bible Chapel.

New Life was founded by the Reverend Ted Haggard, who was fired last year after a former male prostitute alleged he had a three-year cash-for-sex relationship with him.

Haggard, then the president of the National

long eared jerboa

2007-12-10T08:41:00.000-08:00

The first known film of the long-eared jerboa, an endangered Mongolian rodent with legs like a kangaroo, was released today by the owners of London Zoo.

The gerbil-sized mammal with outsize ears was filmed hopping about in the Gobi desert by scientists from the Edge programme, run by the Zoological Society of London, which highlights the plight of animals which are "evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered".

The long-eared jerboa (Euchoreutes naso), found in the deserts of Mongolia and China, is classed as endangered on the World Conservation Union's red list.

The nature of the threat is not well understood, but it has been suggested that it is due to habitat disturbance from mining activities, overgrazing and agriculture, as well as possibly climate change.

The introduction of the domestic cat has put further pressure on the mammal.

It is one of 10 species selected in the first year of the scheme because it was receiving little conservation attention.

All the Edge programme species are highly distinct genetically, with few close relatives, but are extremely endangered and need immediate action to save them from becoming extinct.

"The long-eared jerboa is a bit like the Mickey Mouse of the desert, cute and comic in equal measure," said Jonathan Baillie, ZSL head of field conservation and leader of the expedition to Mongolia.

"Unfortunately, this is just one of many amazing and unusual animals that are highly threatened but receiving little or no conservation attention."

The long-eared jerboa is a jumping rodent whose legs are specially adapted for hopping like a kangaroo and is easily recognised by ears which are about a third bigger than its head.

It is primarily a nocturnal, insect-eating animal which spends its daylight hours in underground tunnels.

Also on the red list are African vultures, Banggai cardinalfish, Bornean orangutan, Galápagos corals, Gharial, the Mauritius Echo parakeet, Sumatran orangutan, Western Lowland gorilla and the Yangtze River dolphin
Jerboa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Jerboa
Fossil range: Middle Miocene - Recent

Jaculus jaculus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Rodentia

Superfamily: Dipodoidea

Family: Dipodidae
Fischer de Waldheim, 1817

Genera
10 genera in 5 subfamilies

Jerboas are the members of the family Dipodidae; they are small jumping desert rodents of Asia and northern Africa that resemble mice with a long tufted tail and very long hind legs. The small forelegs are not used for locomotion. In general, Asiatic jerboas have five toes on their hind feet and African jerboas have three; the shapes of their ears vary widely between species. Jerboa fur is long, soft and silky. Diet varies considerably: some are specialist seed, insect, or plant eaters, others are omnivores.

The English word jerboa may have been derived from the similar sounding Arabic word jerbu'a (جربوع) or the Hebrew word yarboa (יַרְבּוֹעַ) which denote this animal.

The ancestors of the modern jerboas probably separated from the more generalised rodents about 8 million years ago on the arid plains of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia, and then spread to Europe and northern Africa. With the exception of Europe, where they died out, this remains their current range.

Their ability to hop is presumed to be an adaptation to help them escape from predators, and perhaps to assist with the longer journeys a desert-living animal must make to find food. Although jerboas are not closely related to the hopping mice of Australia or the kangaroo rats of North America, all three groups have evolved a similar set of adaptations to life in the deep desert.

Jerboas are nocturnal. During the heat of the day, they shelter in burrows. They create four separate types of burrow: two temporary, and two permanent. The temporary burrows are plain tubes: those used to escape from predators during the night are just 10 to 20 cm deep, unsealed and not camouflaged; the permanent daytime burrows are well-hidden and sealed with a plug of sand to keep heat out and moisture in, and are 20 to 50 cm long.

Permanent burrows are also sealed and camouflaged, and often have multiple entrances. They are much more elaborate structures with a nesting chamber. The winter burrows have food storage chambers 40 to 70 cm below ground level, and a hibernation chamber an astonishing 1.5 to 2.5 metres down.

Perhaps the best-known species is the Lesser Egyptian Jerboa (Jaculus jaculus) which occupies some of the most hostile deserts on the planet. It does not drink at all, relying on its food to provide enough moisture for survival. Found in both the sandy and stony deserts of north Africa, Arabia and Iran, this small creature estivates (a form of hibernation) during the hottest summer months, and has the ability to leap a full metre to escape a predator.

Two species are considered threatened: the Five-toed Pygmy Jerboa and the Thick-tailed Pygmy Jerboa, which are both classified as vulnerable (VU). Many other species have been placed in a "lower risk" category, and one species (Thomas's Pygmy Jerboa) lacks the data for assessment.

[edit] Classification

ky3

2007-12-10T08:37:00.000-08:00

This is an exclusive weekend feature of KY3.com. We search the KY3 News archives to find stories that you may want to "rewind" and watch again.
----

A little bit of rattling and rolling hit southeast Missouri on Nov. 15 of this year. A magnitude 2.3 (that's tiny) earthquake lightly shook an area near Cairo , Ill. That's right along the New Madrid Fault.

The mention of the New Madrid Fault had us thinking about some crazy days in early December 1990, when New Madrid, Mo., rocked and rolled with attention from the entire nation (or at least the entire Midwest). A physicist from New Mexico said there was a 50 percent chance of an earthquake along the New Madrid Fault right then, and many reporters and news executives rounded his prediction up to 100 percent. Those who didn't believe it sent reporters and photographers anyway, just in case they were wrong.
----

This information is from a National Geographic article published in 2000:

"They closed the school for two days," said New Madrid schoolteacher Jill Glaus.

The object of concern was a predicted replay of a series of stupendously violent earthquakes that took place during the winter of 1811-1812 along the New Madrid Fault, an ancient 150-mile underground scar that runs from Arkansas to southern Illinois.

Estimated at least as high as 8.0 on the Richter scale, the quakes were felt all the way from the Rocky Mountains in the west to the eastern seaboard, and from Quebec to Cuba. They briefly reversed the flow of the Mississippi River, created a number of lakes, and rang church bells in Boston .

Experts say a somewhat smaller earthquake is a virtual certainty to go off at any time. And when it does, it's likely to cause far greater losses in life and property than did the mega-quakes 189 years ago.

"We don't anticipate a repeat of what happened in 1811-12 for a couple of centuries at least," said seismologist and author David Stewart, who has written extensively about the New Madrid fault. "It takes five to seven centuries to wind up that spring before it snaps like it did then. But a magnitude 6 earthquake is thought to be long overdue."

Such an earthquake would wreak havoc in large population centers that did not exist 189 years ago, including Memphis, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Paducah, Ky., and Evansville, Ind.
----

KY3 News was there for the madness in New Madrid. This is our report from Ozarks Today on Dec. 3, 1990. In it, reporter Lisa Eisenhart (now an executive at CoxHealth in Springfield) interviewed New Madrid's mayor. Anchor Tony Beason (now retired) reported on the atmosphere in the town, which was filled with reporters, photographers and satellite trucks. Lisa Richardson (now Lisa Rose) anchored the coverage that morning.
Good morning. Today will be a much quieter day across the Ozarks. We received officially .12" of rain and since temperatures were below freezing all day, it all fell as either freezing rain or sleet. Even though these were minor amounts it still led to very slippery conditions. Today temperatures will be relatively "warmer" ahead of the first weak low pressure center that will be moving toward the area. This is the day that you should finish up preparations for the possible ice storm.

The forecast over the next several days is amazingly complex! This is certainly not an ordinary setup we will be dealing with. There are several things that are big factors in our forecast and will play a very important role in deciding whether or not we receive ice or just plain old rain. I don't know about you, but after today's headaches with just a little bit of ice, I don't want any more.

I wish my thoughts counted because it continues to look like the Ozarks could see a major ice beginning early Sunday for some. I'll have a complete rundown of what we can expect and why with lots of new graphic in an update late this morning. Hopefully by then things will become a bit more clear and we'll be able to pinpoint even more some areas that are more likely see ice (see Kevin's graphic below) and venture on what our accumulations might be, although it still may be a bit early. We'll see how I am feeling :) I'll try to have that posted by 11 AM...just before our company Christmas Party!

This is an exclusive weekend feature of KY3.com. We search the KY3 News archives to find stories that you may want to "rewind" and watch again.
----
Anchor/reporter Tony Beason (now retired) reported in December 2003 that Riverbluff Cave is one of the great discoveries in America for studying prehistoric life. The cave is just south of Springfield.

A road crew blasting through rock for a new Greene County road found the cave on Sept. 11, 2001. It was sealed and its discovery wasn't publicly revealed until the next spring.

Beason reported Riverbluff Cave had become a second home for paleontologist Matt Forir. The cave is on land owned by Greene County and would soon be managed by the Springfield-Greene County Parks Department. The county also desired a new natural museum to house, process and display fossils and other findings from the cave.
----

Two years after this report, the Riverbluff Cave Field House opened. It's open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Saturdays by appointment only. It's closed on Sundays. It's at 2327 W. Farm Road 190, southwest of the intersection of Plainview Road at Cox Road . The cave is not open to the public.

In addition to displays from Riverbluff Cave, the Field House has other prehistoric finds. There's also book about the cave for children called "Cave Detectives, Unraveling the Mystery of an Ice Aged Cave," by David Harrison of Springfield. The book came out in early 2007.

ksdk

2007-12-10T08:31:00.000-08:00

Freezing rain advisories remain in effect for northern sections of the NewsChannel 5 viewing area Sunday.

A Freezing Rain Advisory for counties just north and west of St. Louis, including the city of St. Louis is in effect until noon today. An Ice Storm Warning for far western and northwestern counties until 6:00 p.m. Sunday.Advertisement

Latest Radar: Click here

Icy conditions have already created minor problems for drivers in the bi-state area. The Missouri Department of Transportation reopened the Discovery Bridge on Highway 370 just after 7:00 Saturday night. The bridge was closed due to an accident.

While responding to a car accident Saturday night, a Warrenton fire truck was involved in a crash on Highway M east of Warrenton. Chief Michael Owenby says a car traveling in the opposite direction lost control as the car approached the fire truck. Owenby says one firefighter and the driver of the car were transported to a hospital.

In Alton, the Illinois Department of Transportation closed the Lewis and Clark Bridge briefly this afternoon, when a car lost control because of the slick conditions. IDOT dispatched 50 trucks in the Metro East area Saturday evening.

Up to a quarter inch of ice is possible from St. Charles County northward into Iowa. Stay with NewsChannel 5, KSDK.com and WeatherPlus for the latest information.
KMOV Channel 4 and KSDK Channel 5 each claimed multiple ratings period titles during the November sweeps month, according to Nielsen Media Research.

KMOV took the top 10 p.m. newscast slot with a 14.3 rating compared to KSDK's rating of 13.0 and KTVI Channel 2's 4.3 rating. KTVI premiered its 10 p.m. newscast in September.

At noon, KMOV was also the No. 1 newscast in St. Louis. Its half-hour newscast drew a 6.7 rating. KSDK's full-hour noon to 1 p.m. newscast had a 6.6 rating. KTVI does not have a noon newscast. Its 11 a.m. to noon newscast drew a 3.3 rating.

KSDK was No. 1 in St. Louis for both the 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. newscasts. The station pulled in a 12.7 rating for its 5 p.m. newscast beating KMOV's 9.2 and KTVI's hour-long newscast rating of 6.4.

At 6 p.m., KSDK had a rating of 13.2 compared to KMOV's 8.7 and KTVI's 4.6.

KTVI's hour-long 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. newscast drew an 8.8 rating. The other local news competition during that period is CW 11, which had a 3.6 rating for its 9 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. newscast.

Regarding the morning newscasts, from 5 a.m. to 5:30 a.m., KSDK pulled in a 4.1 rating with KTVI's 2.3 rating in second. From 5:30 a.m. to 6 a.m., KSDK recorded a 4.7 rating compared to KTVI's 3.5. KMOV's hour-long broadcast from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. drew a 1.8 rating.

KSDK, KTVI and KMOV each have an hour-long newscast from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. During that period, KSDK was again No. 1 with a 7.5 rating followed by KTVI's 5.1 and KMOV's 3.8.

Each rating point represents 1 percent of viewers in the surveyed area. Ratings information from last year was not immediately available.

KSDK
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KSDK

St. Louis, Missouri
Branding NewsChannel5
Slogan Where the News Comes First; St. Louis' News Leader
Channels Analog: 5 (VHF)
Digital: 35 (UHF)
Affiliations NBC
NBC Weather Plus (DT2)

Owner Gannett
(Multimedia KSDK, Inc.)
Founded February 8, 1947
Call letters meaning K
S
D
K: to differenciate from KSD-AM/FM (AM now KTRS)
Former callsigns KSD-TV (1947-83)
Former affiliations DuMont (1947-56)[2]
CBS (secondary, 1947-55)
ABC (secondary, 1947-54)
Website www.ksdk.com

KSDK "NewsChannel 5" is the NBC television affiliate in St. Louis, Missouri. Owned and operated by Gannett, the station's transmitter is located in Shrewsbury, Missouri.

The station broadcasts in stereo and broadcasts a Secondary Audio Program (SAP) channel that is used mainly for Descriptive Video Service (DVS). KSDK operates on channel 5; KSDK-DT (KSDK's digital channel) operates on channel 35 with NBC Weather Plus on channel 5.2. The NBC Weather Plus broadcast appears on Charter Cable channel 127. KSDK produces and airs about 35 hours of local news and other local programming per week, all in high-definition and streamed live online on KSDK's website.

Contents
1 History
2 News operations
2.1 KSDK in the community
2.2 Awards
2.3 News/Station Presentation
2.3.1 News environments, graphics packages, and music
2.3.1.1 Newscast Titles
2.3.1.2 Station Slogans
2.4 Personalities
2.4.1 Current On-Air Talent
2.4.2 Former On-Air Talent
3 Other programming
4 References
5 External links
5.1 Affiliated Websites

[edit] History
Channel 5 first went on the air on February 8, 1947 as KSD-TV. It was owned by the Pulitzer Publishing Company along with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and KSD-AM 550 (now KTRS). It was the 7th television station in the United States, the first television station in Missouri, and the second west of the Mississippi River (after Los Angeles' KTLA-TV). Due to an FCC-imposed freeze, it was the only St. Louis television station until 1953 when KTVI signed on.

Channel 5 has always been an NBC affiliate, owing to KSD-AM's long affiliation with NBC radio. It is currently NBC's longest-tenured affiliate. However, it also carried secondary affiliations with CBS, DuMont and ABC at various times. KSD was also the first St. Louis television station to broadcast in color. KSD-TV was traded to Multimedia, Inc. for WFBC-TV in Greenville, South Carolina (now WYFF-TV) in 1983. It was a rare instance of one company's flagship station being traded for another. Multimedia changed the calls to the current KSDK.

KSD's first year on the air was also the beginning of a long association with the St. Louis Cardinals. On May 8, 1966, in the ceremony for the opening of Busch Stadium II, Bill Houska flew home plate from Sportsman's Park to the new stadium in "Chopper 5". After nearly forty years, KSDK lost the rights to KPLR in 1988, but regained them 19 years later (see below for details).

During the 80s and 90s, KSDK was the best-performing NBC affiliate in the country. To this day, KSDK is the highest-rated NBC affiliate in the top 30 markets. It is currently the longest-tenured affiliate of any network.

KSDK has had a long history of producing popular local TV programs, including the Wranglers Club, with Texas Bruce (1950-1963), Corky's Colorama, with Clif St. James playing Corky the Clown (1963-1980), Newsbeat, hosted by Dick Ford and John Auble (1976-1984) and Midday A.M. (c. 1979-1986).

During the mid-1980s, Sally Jessy Raphaël's talk show originated from St. Louis. In 1989, KSDK dropped the "Eyewitness News" branding to become "NewsChannel 5," and also began broadcasting 24 hours a day.

In 1995, Multimedia Inc. merged with Gannett and on September 5, 1995, KSDK began producing and airing Show Me St. Louis from 3–3:30pm each weekday. The multiple award-winning program highlights local attractions and events that are family oriented. In 1998, KSDK debuted the Window on St. Louis, a streetside studio located in the same downtown St. Louis building that also houses KSDK's other studios. Show Me St. Louis is aired from this studio that welcomes the public to take part in the broadcasts. The Window on St. Louis is modeled on Today's Window on the World.

In 2000, KSDK launched its website: www.ksdk.com

In an attempt to provide St. Louisans with local and national election results available during the 2004 elections, KSDK partnered with KETC, St. Louis' PBS affiliate, to simulcast election coverage. The partnership was first utilized to broadcast a gubernatorial debate between Missouri's then-Secretary of State Matt Blunt (R) and then-State Auditor Claire McCaskill (D). On election night, KSDK aired NBC's primetime election coverage with Tom Brokaw and Tim Russert as well as segments of local results; on KETC, Mike Bush and Karen Foss hosted three hours of all local election results. Viewers could also watch election results online at ksdk.com and ketc.org.

In 2004, KSDK sponsored and was the official media partner for "Celebrate 2004," a year-long event that commemorated the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (or, St. Louis World's Fair) and the 1904 Summer Olympics (The Games of the III Olympiad, which were the first Olympic Games held in the United States). Throughout 2004 there were special events held to honor the anniversaries.

Celebrate 2004 began on New Year's Eve 2003 with "'04 Eve," which was held in Forest Park. Beginning with '04 Eve, and throughout 2004, a giant Ferris wheel was constructed in Forest Park much like the one that existed for the 1904 World's Fair. River Splash were a series of concerts held on the St. Louis riverfront beneath the St. Louis Arch featuring a "waterwall" upon which there were laser shows and projections. The newly remodled St. Louis Eads Bridge was transformed into the "Eats Bridge" when local restaurants opened on it to serve customers. The Missouri History Museum opened a Lewis and Clark exhibit and the United States Postal Service issued a commorative bicentennial stamp. On its way to Athens, Greece, the Olympic Flame arrived for an overnight stop in Forest Park amid much fanfare in July (KSDK anchors Rene Knott and Kelly Jackson were among the torchbearers). St. Louis also hosted the U.S. Women's Marathon Trials in April as well as the U.S. Diving Trials. Celebrate 2004 came to a close on New Year's Eve 2004.

When NewsChannel 5 WeatherPLUS debuted in June of 2005, KSDK became the first local St. Louis television station to launch a secondary channel on cable. WeatherPlus forecasts are available on ksdk.com, on digital channel 5-2, the secondary channel within KSDK's digital transmission, and on Charter Cable channel 127 in the St. Louis area.

The KSDK/KETC partnership continued through September 2005 when, along with radio partners KYKY (Y98, 98.1FM) and KEZK (Soft Rock, 102.5FM), a telethon for Hurricane Katrina relief was simulcast that raised more than $5 million. The telethon featured an appearance by John Goodman, a native of Affton, Missouri who now calls New Orleans home and whose family was actually missing for a time during the storm's peak. Sheryl Crow, a native of Kennett, Missouri, and her then fiancé Lance Armstrong urged viewers to call when they were interviewed by phone from the region.

On September 12, 2005, KSDK began airing Today at Ten, an additional half-hour long weekday mid-morning news program. Beginning at 10am, Today at Ten, airs immediately following NBC's Today.

The first broadcast of any local program in St. Louis in high-definition was the St. Louis Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 24, 2005. Incidentally, the 2005 parade also marked the end of an era for KSDK; the parade, which had been a Thanksgiving Day tradition on KSDK, moved to KMOV for the 2006 edition.

On February 6, 2006, KSDK became the first St. Louis television station, and seventh station in the country, to broadcast all news and local programming in High-definition television, usually abbreviated as 'HD' (see also: high-definition). KSDK also became the first local St. Louis station to stream all of its news (including Show Me St. Louis) live on its web site www.ksdk.com — previously only breaking news and WeatherPLUS were available online.

On December 7, 2006, KSDK announced that, beginning with the 2007 season, it will once again be the flagship station of the Cardinals Television Network. KSDK signed a multi-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals that allows the station to broadcast some twenty regular season games per year (including a pre-game and post-game show), two pre-season games, and a weekly half-hour program with Cardinals' news and highlights. The twenty-one regular season games this season will all be broadcast in high-definition.[1]

On August 13, 2007, KSDK debuted Online @ 9, a 10-minute news-webcast tailored to an online audience and streamed exclusively on its website. Online @ 9 is anchored either by Deanne Lane or Mike Bush, and sometimes features live reports from KSDK's reporters.

In 2007, KSDK celebrated 60 years on air with special programming throughout the year.

[edit] News operations
Given its roots in the Post-Dispatch, KSDK has long been a leader in news. The quality news and reporting that has defined KSDK's history in St. Louis has resulted in numerous awards and consistently higher ratings. It has been the ratings leader in St. Louis for most of its history. While KMOX-TV (now KMOV) managed to displace channel 5 from the top spot from the late-1960s to the early-1980s, channel 5 has dominated the ratings since the 1980s.

Perhaps one of the reasons for KSDK's ratings success is consistency. All four of KSDK's main anchors (Jennifer Blome, Mike Bush, Art Holliday, Deanne Lane) have all been at KSDK for more than twenty years.

KSDK is the only local St. Louis television station that operates and maintains a bureau office on the Illinois side of the market. The Illinois Bureau is located in Collinsville, Illinois. For some time KSDK also operated a second bureau in Saint Charles, Missouri, but it was closed by KSDK for unknown reasons.

"Cover Story" has been a fixture on KSDK's NewsChannel 5 at 10 for many years. "Cover Story" features in-depth reports, often investigations, health-related, or consumer stories. Along with the story, KSDK sometimes opens a message board on its website or has phone operators ready to answer viewer questions.

Traditionally at least one newscast ends with local elementary schoolchildren flashing the hand signs for "5" and "1", signifying that, as a promo featuring the kids said, "Even a 2nd grader could tell you that Channel 5 is Number 1."

[edit] KSDK in the community
"A Place to Call Home" is a weekly Emmy Award-Winning segment that features one child who is in need of adoption. Since August 2003, 50% of the children who have appeared on KSDK have been adopted. A secondary program, "Little Wishes" allows viewers to are unable to adopt the child to add a little happiness to the life of a foster child by purchasing a gift for him/her.
"Friend to Friend" is a program that reminds viewers on the fifth of each month to perform a breast self-exam to catch breast cancer in its earliest, most treatable stages. Viewers can also contact KSDK for a packet that includes information and reminders on performing a breast self exam. KSDK is also a major sponsor and partner of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer foundation and the St. Louis Race for the Cure, which in 2006 overtook Denver as the largest in the country with more than 64,000 participants, and in 2007 raised more than $2.5 million with more than 65,000 participants.[2]
Volunteer 5 is a weekly, week-long program that features a local charity or other community organization in need of donations, but most importantly volunteers. KSDK's Volunteer 5 operates as a telethon, with phone operators taking calls between 4 and 7pm each weeknight from anyone wishing to donate time or money. Volunteer 5 has provided more than $5 million annually in services and hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours to local non-profit organizations. The program began in 1993 to help those affected by the Great Flood of 1993. Volunteer 5 has been absent on KSDK since November 2005, though it still appears on KSDK's website.
The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon airs each Labor Day on KSDK. Mike Bush hosts the local telethon that, in September 2007, raised $2 million, of which every penny stays in St. Louis.

[edit] Awards
Main article: List of awards won by KSDK

[edit] News/Station Presentation

[edit] News environments, graphics packages, and music
In 1997, a new news set was introduced, along with a new graphics package, which reinforced KSDK's 1989 rebranding from "Eyewitness News" to "NewsChannel 5." The new set had a backdrop of the newsroom during all newscasts except NewsChannel 5 at 6, during which a backdrop of the St. Louis skyline was inserted; a special backdrop was also used during the Olympics and various local and national elections. The graphics package introduced with the new set was replaced in 2001 with one almost identical as those found at sister station WUSA in Washington, D.C. (the only differences were the station logos and the images of various local buildings in the news opens).

Shortly before Rene Knott was hired to replace Mike Bush as Sports Director in early 2004, the SportsPlus set and graphics package were replaced. Though the logo stayed the same, the title officially changed from Mike Bush's SportsPlus to just SportsPlus. With the addition of Rene Knott to the sports department, SportsPlus became SportsPlus with Rene Knott & Frank Cusumano.

In May 2004, KSDK began broadcasting from a temporary news set while their main news desk and weather center underwent remodeling. There were no major changes besides a change in color scheme and the addition of several plasma screen monitors. The color scheme of the new set shifted from blue and brown to tan, silver, and red to match the colors in the "5" logo. A window with a semi-transparent NBC peacock partially blocked the view of the newsroom behind the anchors. The Volunteer 5 phone-banks were not updated but the rest of the set refreshment was complete in August 2004.

KSDK debuted a new graphic package, music (NBC Flagship), and news environment on February 6, 2006 (consisting of a sit-down interview set, a smaller reporting desk, a color-changing backdrop used for demonstrations like cooking segments, a new main news desk, and a new "Weather Plus Weather Center") due to KSDK's switch to high-definition. The new news graphics were the first in nearly five years (though the Show Me St. Louis and SportsPlus graphics had been updated and the weather graphics were updated in early 2005 with the introduction of WeatherPlus to St. Louis), the Show Me St. Louis and SportsPlus graphics were updated as well. The set occupies the studio space that formerly housed the SportsPlus and Volunteer 5 sets. KSDK also debuted an updated logo that is essentially the same as the current logo but in the new logo the grey has been replaced by shiny silver and the red seems deeper and darker (and is also shiny).

Giant Octopus designed the graphics and Production Design Group designed the new sets. Production Design Group is an Emmy Award-winning design company that has also built sets and studios for MSNBC, NBC Nightly News, Dateline NBC, Extra, SportsCenter, and the National Geographic Channel. The news environment and graphics are extremely similar to what has been introduced on KSDK's sister stations in Washington, D.C. (WUSA), Atlanta (WXIA), and, most recently, Phoenix (KPNX).

[edit] Newscast Titles
Channel 5 Eyewitness News (1970s-September 1990)
NewsChannel 5 (September 1990-present)

[edit] Station Slogans
Where the News Comes First (1993-present)
St. Louis' News Leader (2000-present)
This film, television, or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

[edit] Personalities
KSDK has a long history of not renewing the contracts of its most recognizable and experienced personalities. They often move to another St. Louis television station. Rick Edlund, Ruth Ezell, Dan Gray, Jean Jackson, and John Pertzborn are just a few of the most notable in what is quite an extensive list.

Not all of KSDK's past personalities left the station under such circumstances, however. When compared to other St. Louis stations, or other stations of similar market size (DMA # 21), KSDK has had an unusually large number of its former personalities go on to network positions: Paul Goodloe was hired by The Weather Channel in 1999; Janice Huff moved on to KRON and eventually to WNBC where she can be seen occasionally on NBC's Today filling in for Al Roker; Dave Murray eventually became the meteorologist for ABC's Good Morning America, then moved on to KTVI in St. Louis, where he still is today; Ann Thompson is the Chief Environmental Affairs Correspondent for NBC News; Debbye Turner is a contributor on CBS's The Early Show; when Matt Winer and Trey Wingo both moved to SportsCenter on ESPN, many local viewers opined that KSDK was a "farm team" for ESPN.

[edit] Current On-Air Talent

led zeppelin concert

2007-12-10T08:13:00.000-08:00

The Song remains the same: Led Zep reunites for one-off gig
1 hour ago

LONDON (AFP) ― Excitement built Monday as fans of rock legends Led Zeppelin gathered for the band's long-awaited one-off reunion concert in London, seeking to relive memories of their hell-raising 1970s heyday.

The three surviving members of the iconic group -- singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones -- were to be joined on stage by their late drummer John Bohnam's son Jason for the spectacular two-hour gig.

"I have not been able to sleep for days," said fan Geoff Jones, among thousands queuing for hours to get their precious tickets, only issued 36 hours before the concert in a bit to prevent touts cashing in on re-sales.

"For me it's kind of like that Christmas feeling where you know Santa Claus is coming and you're like a child waiting for the biggest present you've ever waited for in your whole life," he told the BBC.

Nearly two decades after they last took the stage, the group promised to pull out all the stops at London's O2 Arena, vowing to play all their classics including era-defining hits "Stairway to Heaven" and "Whole Lotta Love."

To coincide with the concert the band has released a greatest hits album and a special DVD set of "The Song Remains the Same," the 1976 film which documented their explosive live act.

The London concert, a tribute to Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, was originally scheduled for November 26, but was put back by two weeks after Page injured his left little finger stumbling over in his garden.

The band, formed by Page in 1968 from the ashes of The Yardbirds, are credited by some as having single-handedly created the cliche of the television-defenestrating, groupie-consumed rock band.

Their name came from a joke by The Who's drummer Keith Moon -- a rock wildman himself -- who forecast they would go down like a metallic version of the infamous airship. The "a" was removed in case US fans mispronounced it.

But they defied that prediction, and went on to sell more than 300 million albums over the decades, their records remaining rock staples despite Bonham's untimely death after choking on his own vomit in 1980.

Most fans had assumed they would never take the stage together again -- but then in September they unexpectedly announced the reunion for the tribute to Ertegun, who signed the band four decades ago and died last year.

Reflecting the excitement around the reunion -- even amid recent comebacks by bands like Genesis and The Police -- over a million people applied for the 20,000 tickets, awarded by ballot, at 125 pounds (255 dollars, 175 euros) each.

Feminist icon Germaine Greer has even voiced her passion for the band. "I love Led Zep to this day," she wrote in the Daily Telegraph Monday.

"Led Zeppelin used discipline and concentration to become the Wagner of rock and roll," she said, adding that, when she saw them at London's Royal Albert Hall: "I couldn't believe the transcendental noise I was hearing."

The gig is the first time the three men have played together in public for 19 years: they did a benefit gig in 1988, and three years before that played at Live Aid.

But Page -- famous for his visceral guitar solos and occasional use of violin bows -- said both those performances were "shambolic," with drummers who did not know the songs and little or no rehearsals.

Monday's concert will be different, he has vowed.

In theory the gig is a one-off -- singer Plant has talked about doing "one last, great show" and has insisted it will not be followed by a tour. But Page and bassist Paul Jones dropped hints last week that there could be more.

Even Plant -- reportedly the most reluctant to do more -- fuelled the rumours, telling a weekend newspaper: "It wouldn't be such a bad idea to play together from time to time."
― Led Zeppelin fans from around the world descended today on London to see the legendary rock 'n' roll band perform a full set for the first time in nearly three decades.

Led by its three surviving members ― singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones ― Led Zeppelin will be joined by the late John Bonham's son Jason on drums for the benefit show today at the O2 Arena.

Led Zeppelin has not played a full set since 1980, the year John Bonham died. Robbed of "Bonzo's" pulsing drums, the band decided it couldn't go on and split up on Dec. 4, 1980.

Now, with an estimated 20 million fans vying for tickets pared down to a lucky 18,000 or so ― including one who paid more than $168,000 for his pair ― most of the rest are hoping for more tour dates.

Plant, who recently released a successful album with bluegrass star Alison Krauss, did give an indication that this may not be the last of Led Zeppelin, however.

"It wouldn't be such a bad idea to play together from time to time," Plant added.

Today's concert won't be the first Led Zeppelin reunion, but it will be the biggest. The band played together in 1985 at Live Aid, and joined forces again three years later ― with Jason Bonham on drums ― to play at the 40th anniversary concert for Atlantic Records.

Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman and one-time Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers are also scheduled to perform.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Albany, Ga. ― Ray Charles is back in his hometown.

Albany unveiled a revolving, lighted bronze statue of Charles on Friday in the middle of a new downtown plaza that bears the R&B legend's name.

Family members attended the musical ceremony honoring the city's most famous native son, born here in 1930.

"I can't tell you how overwhelming it is for me to experience the love that you have for my father," Sheila

Ray Charles reacts to crowd's cheers after singing "America the Beautiful" before Game 5 of the World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the New York Yankees in Phoenix in 2001. (The Associated Press)Raye Charles told the crowd of hundreds gathered at the $2 million plaza.
Charles was born in Albany but moved to Florida with his mother when he was young. He frequently returned to his hometown to visit family.

The singer died in 2004 at age 73. His version of "Georgia On My Mind" was made the official state song in 1979, 19 years after he recorded the chart-topping hit.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Larry Birkhead had some pals around to watch Barbara Walters" "10 Most Fascinating People of 2007" special, but the evening didn't go quite as he had planned.

"Larry had been approached by ABC

kswo

2007-12-10T08:08:00.000-08:00

KSWO-TV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
KSWO-TV

Lawton, Oklahoma / Wichita Falls, Texas
Branding 7 News
Slogan You Can Count on Us!
Channels Analog: 7 (VHF)
Digital: 11 (VHF)
Affiliations ABC
Telemundo (on digital)
Owner Drewry Communications Group
Founded March 8, 1953
Call letters meaning SouthWest Oklahoma
Website www.kswo.com

KSWO-TV (branded as 7 News) is the ABC affiliate located in Lawton, Oklahoma but also serves Wichita Falls, Texas. Its transmitter is located near Grandfield, Oklahoma. KSWO broadcasts its analog signal on VHF channel 7 and its digital signal on VHF channel 11. KSWO also offers Telemundo programming on digital channel 7.2.

KSWO-TV also serves as one of four default ABC affiliates for the Sherman-Ada market, which adjoins the Wichita Falls-Lawton market to the east (along with KOCO-TV, Oklahoma City; KTUL-TV, Tulsa and WFAA-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth) since that market currently lacks a ABC affiliate of its own, as the market's former ABC affiliate KTEN became an NBC affiliate in 1998. KSWO's role as the default ABC affiliate in the Sherman-Ada market is limited mostly to areas west of Interstate 35 in Carter County, Oklahoma where it is carried by cable operators in smaller communities such as Ratliff City, Healdton and Wilson.

Contents
1 History
2 News broadcasts
3 Circle 7 logo
4 Personalities
4.1 Current On-Air Talent
5 Former On-Air Talent
6 News/Station Presentation
6.1 Newscast Titles
6.2 Station Slogans
7 External links

[edit] History
KSWO is owned by Drewry Communications Group, which started out with one radio property at Lawton, KSWO-AM, in 1941, followed by the addition of KRHD Radio in nearby Duncan, Oklahoma in 1947. The call letters of the Duncan station were named for the owner, Robert H. Drewry's, initials. The call letters KSWO are now exclusively used by the TV station and KRHD is now used as the call sign for an ABC affiliate in Bryan-College Station, Texas, which is also owned by Drewry.

KSWO-TV is the only television station in the Wichita Falls-Lawton market to have remained under the same ownership since its inception and to remain locally owned and operated to this day. It also one of the few TV stations in the country (not counting owned-and-operated stations) that has had the same call letters, channel number, and primary network affiliation throughout its history.

Drewry Communications Group also owns CBS affiliate KFDA-TV in Amarillo, Texas; ABC affiliate KXXV in Waco, Texas; and NBC affiliates KWES-TV in Midland, Texas; and KWES repeater station KWAB-TV in Big Spring, Texas.

KSWO-TV has several long-time veterans who have been with the station for 20 years or longer. Jan Stratton has served as anchor continuously since 1981 and was news director until July 2006, while co-anchor and current news director, David Bradley has been with the station since 1986 first as sports director/anchor for 13 years and then as news anchor since 1999.

Tom Charles has been a familiar face to Channel 7 viewers since the early 1960s. He served as chief weathercaster/meteorologist from 1964 to 1996 and then as anchor of the 5:30 a.m. newscast and Good Morning Texoma co-anchor since 2000 following a four-year stint as chief meteorologist at CBS affiliate KAUZ-TV in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Larry Patton has served as general manager of KSWO-TV since 1976 and has been employed by the station since 1967.

In 1976, Lisa John was anchoring the 10 p.m. newscast one Sunday night when a skunk made its way into the studio causing her face to turn pale on live television before hundreds of thousands of viewers across Southwest Oklahoma and North Texas.

Due to electrical outages following a damaging windstorm that rolled through the Lawton area in late May, 1996, the early morning newscast "Good Morning Texoma" was broadcast virtually in the dark. The only power came from the portable generator in one of the stations live trucks, which they also used as a makeshift STL (studio-to-transmitter link)to get the signal to the transmitter. The show was done with one camera, one tape deck and one microphone (that was passed between the talent).

KSWO has broadcast the annual West Texas Rehabilitation Center telethon from Abilene, Texas each year since 1971. The telethon is broadcast one Saturday night each January over TV stations throughout the state.

The station's first transmitter was at the studios east of Lawton, which was a relatively low-power unit that could reach viewers within a limited 55-mile radius that included Altus, Oklahoma to the west, Wichita Falls to the south, Anadarko, Oklahoma to the north and Ringling, Oklahoma to the east. By the late 1950s, other ABC affiliates such as KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City and KTEN in Ada, Oklahoma were encroaching the northern and eastern fringes on KSWO's viewing area but wide gaps existed to the south and west of Wichita Falls and the only primary ABC affiliates in north and west Texas were WFAA-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth and KVII-TV in Amarillo as Lubbock and Abilene did not get their own primary ABC affiliates until 1969 and 1979, respectively.

In 1959, the FCC permitted KSWO-TV to erect a 1,000 foot tall tower with 316,000 watts of power (maximum allowable for VHF channels 7-13) near Grandfield, Oklahoma, which was activated in early 1960 and permitted reception of Channel 7 over a much larger area of North Texas and Southwest Oklahoma - bringing complete ABC programming with viewable reception to many locations for the first time. Wichita Falls stations KFDX-TV and KSYD-TV (now KAUZ) opposed the application, and the FCC had to be convinced. The new site was about half way between the cities and from a Lawton perspective in the same direction as the Wichita Falls stations. Many years later when KJTL Fox 18 was activated in the mid-1980s, they chose a site near KSWO-TV's transmitter at Grandfield. Ironically, KJTL Fox 18 is now in common ownership with NBC affiliate KFDX Channel 3, which continues to operate its own transmitter from the original site in Wichita Falls as does CBS affiliate KAUZ Channel 6.

[edit] News broadcasts
7 News has five local newscasts each weekday, beginning at 5:30AM with '7 Wake-Up News', then 'Good Morning Texoma' at 6:00AM. The evening shows begin at 5:00PM with '7 News at Five' followed by the hour-long '7 News Tonight' at 6:00PM and '7 News at 10' at 10:00PM. On weekends, newscasts include Good Morning Texoma at 8:00AM on Saturday and Sunday, 7 News at 6:00PM and 10:00PM on Saturday, and 5:30PM and 10:00PM on Sunday. 7 News Tonight is re-broadcast on KSWX The 24/7 Channel at 8:00PM and '7 News at 10', likewise, at 11:00PM each night.

KSWO-TV is looking for organizations that regularly distribute information about employment opportunities to job applicants or have job appplicants to refer. If your organization would like to receive notification of job vacancies at KSWO-TV, please notify Human Resources at KSWO-TV P.O. Box 708 Lawton, Oklahoma 73502. You can email your request to or phone 580-355-7000. KSWO-TV is an equal opportunity employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply

rachel lutzker

2007-12-10T08:03:00.000-08:00

Let's sing to the tune of "Here Comes Santa Claus," "Here comes freezing rain, here comes freezing rain, throughout the state Monday."

Freezing rain started falling in Connecticut just before 4 p.m. on Sunday in what appeared to be an appetizer to a larger storm moving from the Great Lakes and combining with another off the coast.

24/7 Updates On Eyewitness News NOW
Winter Guide | LIVE Pinpoint Doppler

Tens of thousands of Connecticut Light and Power customers lost power as freezing rain solidified on tree limbs, roads and sidewalks.

CL&P opened its emergency operations center in Berlin at about 7 a.m., at which time, more than 17,000 customers lost power. Within the hour, the number of outages increased to more than 25,300 customers, mostly centered in the Southington, Newington, Guilford, Windsor and Meriden areas.

Two hours later, CL&P reported more than 31,400 outages, mostly concentrated in East Hartford, Southington, Guilford and Windsor, with several thousand outages. Waterbury, Meriden, Ledyard, Hartford and Newington had more than 1,000 outages at 11 a.m. The number of outages reduced to just short of 26,000 after noon and continued to drop thereafter.

By 2 p.m., the number of power outages significantly dropped to more than 9,000 customers. Two hours later, crews were able to get most customers back up and running, with just more than 1,000 customers still in the dark.

Utility crews have been dispatched to at least 200 spots statewide to check up on calls for power problems. Eyewitness News crews spotted dozens of trees and wires down in Southington.

Power Outages Close Some Schools

Almost every school system statewide delayed classes on Monday morning. Later in the morning, power outages forced some individual schools to close, including:

Meriden's Platt High School
Southington's Strong, Flanders and South End elementary schools
Cheshire's Doolittle Elementary School
Avon's Pine Grove Elementary School, closing at 11:50 a.m.
West Hartford's Norfeldt Elementary School, closing at 1 p.m.

Other schools in the districts remain open. Ledyard High School had announced an early dismissal, but canceled that decision at about 11:50 a.m. because power was restored. As a result, Ledyard will dismiss per normal schedule.

Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Eric Parker reported some Platt students who otherwise anticipated a delay due to the freezing rain were surprised by the closure. Platt's power was restored just before 11:30 a.m., but by that time, the school had already dismissed.

"Ice began weighing down trees and tree branches, and that began to effect service throughout the state," CL&P spokesman Mitch Gross said.

Freezing Rain Followed By Wind

Freezing rain fell during the early-morning hours, especially in the northern part of the state. Shoreline temperatures rose above freezing in many areas by 7 a.m., Channel 3 Early Warning Weather meteorologists Darren Sweeney and Melissa Cole reported.

A winter weather advisory issued last week for Sunday into Monday was scaled back as the storm moved through the state. The National Weather Service issued ice storm warnings overnight, which were canceled as temperatures rose along the shoreline and then further inland.

Refresh wfsb.com/weather and watch Channel 3 Eyewitness News for the latest updates in the Early Warning Forecast.

This picture comes from Eyewitness News viewer Craig in Winsted.

The heaviest precipitation ended Monday morning, but light freezing rain and drizzle persisted for a few hours.

"The precipitation will taper off to a few rain and snow showers Monday afternoon, but west to northwest winds should get quite gusty," Sweeney said.

A concern for more power outages on Tuesday remains as a wind advisory is in effect for much of the state. Wind gusts could reach 40 mph to over 50 mph.

Ice Causes Crashes Sunday Into Monday

Don't be confused that you don't see anything falling from the sky, because it's all about what fell overnight.

"There was a sheet of ice on (my car); It took me 15 to 20 minutes to scrape it off," said Nicole Viets, of Windsor, who works the third shift at the Denny's in Enfield.

"I saw a couple accidents. It was very, very slippery out," said Kristina Hayden, of Enfield, who works the third shift at the Denny's in Enfield. "I almost fell, actually, down the driveway, coming out."

Channel 3 Pinpoint Traffic reporter Rachel Lutzker reported several crashes throughout state roadways early Monday morning. Some included spots on Interstate 91 in the Windsor Locks and Cromwell areas; Interstate 691 in both directions in the Cheshire-Meriden area.

One of the more troubled spots was Route 8, where several crashes were reported in both directions between exits 37 and 41 in the Thomaston, Watertown and Waterbury areas.

Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Katy Zachry reported several cars collided on westbound Interstate 84 near exit 44 in Hartford late Sunday evening ( More).

"Everyone's driving slowly and cautiously, they have their emergency lights on to let you know they're going slowly," said Faraz Rahman, of Rocky Hill.

Authorities reported receiving a flood of emergency calls early Sunday evening. State troopers shut down a portion of Interstate 95 in Guilford on Sunday after a multi-car collision. In Plainville, police responded to a crash that possibly resulted from black ice.

"(Sunday) night was very slippery. About 11 o'clock at night, I was out. That's when everybody started slipping off the roads," said Scott Bates, a tow truck driver in Ashford.

Looking Ahead ...

robert willie pickton

2007-12-10T07:56:00.000-08:00

VANCOUVER - British Columbia Attorney General Wally Oppal said he was pleased to see justice done with the conviction of Robert (Willie) Pickton on six counts of second-degree murder in what was a long and difficult case.

And in expressing gratitude to the jury and the Crown lawyers who put the case together, Oppal added that he was not surprised to see guilty verdicts on second-degree murder, not first-degree murder.

Oppal said the jury must have found there was reasonable doubt that Pickton was acting deliberately and with a plan, which are elements a jury has to be certain about to convict on first-degree murder.

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Font:****"But (the jury) did find (Pickton) had the intent to kill, so found him guilty of second degree murder," Oppal added.

He said he realizes that there has been some criticism of the verdict, but "the (victims') families have to know, at the end of the day, that really justice has been achieved."

Oppal promised to meet with the families of the victims to help explain the process that will follow, and to answer any concerns or address any criticisms they might have following the outcome. Robert Pickton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Robert William Pickton
Alias(es): Willie
Born: October 24, 1949 (1949-10-24) (age 58)
Location: Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
Number of victims: 6 (20 alleged)
Country where killings occurred: Canada
Robert William ("Willie" or "Bacon Bill") Pickton (b. October 24, 1949)[1] of Port Coquitlam, British Columbia is a Canadian pig farmer[2] and serial killer convicted of the second-degree murders of six women.[3] [4]He is also charged in the deaths of an additional twenty women,[5] many of them prostitutes and drug users from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

During the trial's first day, January 22, 2007, the Crown stated he confessed to forty-nine murders to an undercover police officer posing as a cell mate. The crown reported that Pickton told the officer that he wanted to kill another woman to make it an even 50, and that he was caught because he was "sloppy".[6]

Contents
1 Background
2 Trial
3 Victims
3.1 Alleged victims
4 August 2006 'Pickton Letters'
5 References
6 Bibliography
7 External links

[edit] Background
Pickton and his brother, David Francis Pickton, ran a porn shop called the Piggy Palace Good Times With Your Mom Last Night, a non-profit society whose official mandate was to "organize, co-ordinate, manage and operate special events, functions, dances, shows and exhibitions on behalf of service organizations, sports organizations and other worthy groups." According to investigators, the "special events" (which convened at Piggy's Palace, a converted building on another property adjacent to the pig farm) on Burns Road were drunken raves that featured "entertainment" by an ever-changing cast of Downtown East-side prostitutes.

On February 5, 2002, police executed a search warrant for illegal firearms at the property owned by Pickton and his two siblings. He was taken into custody and police then obtained a second court order to search the farm as part of the BC Missing Women Investigation, when personal items (including a prescription asthma inhaler) belonging to one of the missing women were found. The farm was sealed off by members of the joint RCMP�Vancouver Police Department task force. The following day Pickton was charged with storing a firearm contrary to regulations, possession of a firearm while not being holder of a licence and possession of a loaded restricted firearm without a licence. He was later released and was kept under police surveillance.

On Friday, February 22, 2002, Pickton was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Sereena Abotsway and Mona Wilson. On April 2, 2002 three more charges were added for the murders of Jacqueline McDonell, Diane Rock and Heather Bottomley. A sixth charge for the murder of Andrea Joesbury was laid on April 9, 2002 followed shortly by a seventh for Brenda Wolfe. On September 20, 2002 four more charges were added for the slayings of Georgina Papin, Patricia Johnson, Helen Hallmark and Jennifer Furminger. Four more charges for the murders of Heather Chinnock, Tanya Holyk, Sherry Irving and Inga Hall were laid on October 3, 2002, bringing the total to fifteen, and making this the largest serial killer investigation in Canadian history. On May 26, 2005, twelve more charges were laid against him for the killings of Cara Ellis, Andrea Borhaven, Debra Lynne Jones, Marnie Frey, Tiffany Drew, Kerry Koski, Sarah Devries, Cynthia Feliks, Angela Jardine, Wendy Crawford, Diana Melnick, and Jane Doe (unidentified woman) bringing the total number of first-degree murder charges to 27.

Excavations continued through November of 2003; the cost of the investigation is estimated to have been $70 million by the end of 2003, according to the provincial government.[7] Currently the property is fenced off, liened by the Province of British Columbia. In the meantime, all the buildings have been demolished. Forensic analysis is very difficult because the bodies of the victims may have been left to decompose or allowed to be eaten by insects and pigs on the farm. During the early days of the excavations, forensic anthropologists brought in heavy equipment, including two 50-foot flat conveyer belts and soil sifters to find traces of remains. On March 10, 2004, it was revealed that human flesh may have been ground up and mixed with pork from the farm. This pork was never distributed commercially, but was handed out to friends and visitors of the farm. Another claim made is that he fed the bodies directly to his pigs.[8]

[edit] Trial
Pickton's trial began on January 30, 2006.[9] He pleaded not guilty to 27 charges of first-degree murder in the British Columbia Supreme Court, located in New Westminster. The voir dire phase of the trial took most of the year to determine what evidence may be admitted before the jury. Reporters were not allowed to disclose any of the material presented in the arguments.

On March 2, 2006, one of the 27 counts was rejected by Justice James Williams for lack of evidence.[10]

On August 9, 2006, Justice Williams severed the charges and trimmed the indictment from 26 to just six counts. The remaining 20 counts have not been dismissed, however, and the crown can seek another trial (or trials) for them at a later date. Because of the publication ban, full details of the decision are not publicly available; but the judge has explained that trying all 26 charges at once would put an unreasonable burden on the jury, as the trial could last up to two years, and have an increased chance for a mistrial. The judge also added that the six counts he chose had "materially different" evidence than the other 20.[11]

Jury selection was completed on December 12, 2006, taking just two days. Twelve jurors and two alternates were chosen.[12]

The date for the jury trial of the first six counts was initially set to start January 8, 2007, but later delayed to January 22, 2007.[13][14]

January 22, 2007 was the first day of the jury trial where Pickton faced first-degree murder charges in the deaths of Marnie Frey, Sereena Abotsway, Georgina Papin, Andrea Joesbury, Brenda Wolfe and Mona Wilson. The media ban was finally lifted and for the first time Canadians heard the details of what was found during the long investigation. In his opening statement, Crown Counsel Derrill Prevett told the jury of evidence that was found on Pickton's property, including skulls cut in half with hands and feet stuffed inside. The remains of another victim were stuffed in a garbage bag in the bottom of a trash can and her blood stained clothing was found in the trailer in which Pickton lived. Part of one of the victim's jaw bone and teeth were found in the ground beside the slaughter house and a .22 calibre[15] revolver with an attached dildo containing both his and a victim's DNA was in his laundry room.[16] In a video taped recording played for the jury, Pickton claimed to have attached the dildo to his weapon as a makeshift silencer.[8]

As of February 20, 2007, the following information has been presented to the court:[17]

The items police found inside Pickton's trailer - A loaded .22 revolver with a dildo over the barrel and one round fired, boxes of .357 Magnum handgun ammunition, night-vision goggles, two pairs of faux fur-lined handcuffs, a syringe with three millilitres of blue liquid inside, and "Spanish Fly" aphrodisiac.
A videotape of Pickton's friend Scott Chubb saying Pickton had told him a good way to kill a female heroin addict was to inject her with windshield-washer fluid. A second tape was played for Pickton, in which an associate named Andrew Bellwood said Pickton mentioned killing prostitutes by handcuffing and strangling them, then bleeding and gutting them before feeding them to pigs. However, defence lawyer Peter Ritchie said the jury should be skeptical of Chubb and Bellwood's credibility.
Photos of the contents of a garbage can found in Pickton's slaughterhouse, which held some remains of Mona Wilson.
Justice James Williams suspended jury deliberations on December 6, 2007 after he discovered an error in his charge to the jury.[18] Earlier in the day, the jury had submitted a written question to Justice James requesting clarification of his charge, asking "Are we able to say 'yes' [i.e., find Pickton guilty] if we infer the accused acted indirectly?"[19]

On December 9th, the Jury returned their verdict that Pickton is not guilty on 6 counts of first-degree murder, but is guilty of 6 counts of second-degree murder.[20] A second-degree murder conviction means Pickton will face a life sentence, but could apply for parole after serving 10 to 25 years of imprisonment, rather than the automatic 25 years of imprisonment that comes with a first-degree murder conviction. The exact duration, which Pickton must serve in prison before being eligible to apply for parole, has yet be decided by the trial judge, but must be at least 10 and no more than 25 years. Meanwhile, Pickton still faces a further 20 murder charges involving other female victims from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.[21]

[edit] Victims
On December 9, 2007, Pickton was convicted of second-degree murder in the deaths of six women:

Count 1, Sereena Abotsway[22] (born August 20, 1971), 29 when she disappeared in August 2001.
Count 2, Mona Lee Wilson[23] (born January 13, 1975), 26 when she was last seen on November 23, 2001. Reported Missing November 30, 2001.
Count 6, Andrea Joesbury, 22 when last seen in June 2001.
Count 7, Brenda Ann Wolfe[1], 32 when last seen in February 1999 and was reported missing in April 2000.
Count 16, Marnie Lee Frey[2], last seen August 1997.Vancouver Police Missing Persons Case #98-209922.
Count 11, Georgina Faith Papin, last seen in 1999.

[edit] Alleged victims
Pickton also stands accused of first-degree murder in the deaths of twenty other women, and is suspected in the death of several more:

Count 3, Jacqueline Michelle McDonell[24], 23 when she was last seen in January 1999. Vancouver Police Missing Persons Case # 99-039699.
Count 4, Dianne Rosemary Rock[3] (born September 2, 1967), 34 when last seen on October 19, 2001. Reported missing December 13, 2001.
Count 5, Heather Kathleen Bottomley[4] (born August 17, 1976), 25 when she was last seen (and reported missing) on April 17, 2001.
Count 8, Jennifer Lynn Furminger, last seen in 1999.
Count 9, Helen Mae Hallmark[5], last seen August 1997. Vancouver Police Missing Persons Case #98-226384.
Count 10, Patricia Rose Johnson[6], last seen in March 2001.
Count 12, Heather Chinnock, 30 when last seen in April 2001.
Count 13, Tanya Holyk, 23 when last seen in October 1996.
Count 14, Sherry Irving[7], 24 when last seen in 1997.
Count 15, Inga Monique Hall[8], 46 when last seen in February 1998. Vancouver Police Missing Persons Case # 98-047919.
Count 17, Tiffany Drew, last seen December 1999.
Count 18, Sarah de Vries[9], last seen April 1998.
Count 19, Cynthia Feliks[10], last seen in December 1997.
Count 20, Angela Rebecca Jardine[11], last seen November 20,1998 between 3:30- 4p.m. at Oppenheimer Park at a rally in the downtown Eastside of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver Police Missing Persons Case # 98.286097.
Count 21, Diana Melnick[12], last seen in December 1995.
Count 22, Jane Doe (remains found but not identified)―charge lifted; see below.
Count 23, Debra Lynne Jones[13], last seen in December 2000.
Count 24, Wendy Crawford, last seen in December 1999.
Count 25, Kerry Koski, last seen in January 1998.
Count 26, Andrea Fay Borhaven[14], last seen in March 1997. Vancouver Police Missing Persons Case # 99.105703.
Count 27, Cara Louise Ellis[15] aka Nicky Trimble (born April 13, 1971), 25 when last seen in 1996[16]. Reported missing October 2002.
As of March 2, 2006, the murder charge involving the unidentified victim has been lifted. Pickton refused to enter a plea on the charge involving this victim, known in the proceedings as Jane Doe, so the court registered a not-guilty plea on his behalf. "The count as drawn fails to meet the minimal requirement set out in Section 581 of the Criminal Code. Accordingly, it must be quashed," wrote Justice James Williams. The detailed reasons for the judge's ruling cannot be reported in Canada because of the publication ban covering this stage of the trial.

Pickton is implicated in the murders of the following women, but charges have not yet been laid (incomplete list):

Mary Ann Clark[17] aka Nancy Greek, 25, disappeared in August 1991 from downtown Victoria
Yvonne Marie Boen (sometimes uses the surname England)[18] (born November 30, 1967), 34 when last seen on March 16, 2001 and reported missing on March 21, 2001.
Dawn Teresa Crey[19], reported missing in December 2000
Two unidentified women

[edit] August 2006 'Pickton Letters'
In August 2006, Thomas Loudamy, a 27-year-old Fremont, California resident, claimed that he had received three letters from Robert Pickton in response to letters Loudamy sent under an assumed identity.

In the letters, Pickton allegedly speaks with concern about the expense of the investigation, asserts his innocence, quotes and refers to the Bible[citation needed], praises the trial judge, and responds in detail to (fictional) information in Loudamy's letters, which were written in the guise of Mya Barnett, a 'down on her luck' woman.

The news of the letters' existence was broken by The Vancouver Sun, in an exclusive published on Saturday, September 2, 2006, and as of that date, neither law enforcement nor any representative of Pickton has verified the authenticity of the letters. The Sun, however, has undertaken several actions to confirm the documents' authenticity, including:

Confirming that the outgoing stamps are consistent with those of the North Fraser Pretrial Centre, where Pickton is being held;
Confirming through a representative of Canada Post that the outgoing stamps are not forgeries; and
Confirming that the machine (identifiable with a serial number included in the stamp) used to stamp the envelopes is the machine used by the NFPC.
Loudamy claims not to have kept copies of his outgoing letters to Pickton, and as of September 4, 2006, no information on their existence has been forthcoming from Pickton or his representatives.

Loudamy has a history of writing to accused and convicted criminals, in some instances under his own identity (as with his correspondence with Clifford Olson), and in others in the guise of a character he believes will be more readily accepted by the targets of the letters. Loudamy, an aspiring journalist, claims that his motivation in releasing the letters is to help the public gain insights into Pickton.[25]

[edit] References

Oppal said he has not set a date and time yet, but "I will meet with the family members," and will do so soon.

Mike Farnworth, the NDP solicitor general's critic, said he was initially relieved to hear that Robert (Willie) Pickton was found guilty on six counts of murder, but shocked and surprised that the jury's finding was second-degree murder.

Like most of the public, Farnworth said he was expecting to see convictions on first-degree murder.

Farnworth added that the public would likely be upset at the prospect of Pickton now being eligible for parole after 10 years in jail, the minimum provisions set out in the Criminal Code.

"I think most people, they want to know that he's going to be behind bars for a long, long time and he's not going to be getting out on parole," Farnworth said.

Oppal, however, said the trial judge, Justice James Williams, has the leeway to set parole eligibility as high as 25 years.

Farnworth said it is now important for the second trial, in which Pickton would face first-degree murder charges on the 20 remaining counts of first-degree murder that he has been charged with, to proceed.

"They all deserve justice," Farnworth said.

Once all trials are complete, Farnworth also wants to see a public inquiry into the Pickton case to answer questions about why it took so long for authorities to recognize that women were going missing from the downtown Eastside and took so long for police to acknowledge a serial killer might be at work.

Oppal said that if there are any outstanding questions once the legal process has worked itself out that an inquiry might be appropriate, but it is too premature to decide that now.

my embarq

2007-12-10T07:50:00.000-08:00

Excerpts from last week's Remote Access (The TV Blog)
By THE JOURNAL NEWS
For the latest television news and to read Remote Access - our staff's thoughts on such hit shows as "Grey's Anatomy," "Lost," "24," "Heroes" and more - click here: www.LoHud.com/entertainment.

Following are excerpts from the past week's entries on Remote Access (The TV Blog) at LoHud.com. The column features sharp commentary from our bloggers on all your favorite shows.

Christmas with Jack Bauer?

OK, this has got to be one of the goofiest self-promoting surveys. Ever.

EMBARQ (I've never even heard of this company!) surveyed 1,000 Americans who they'd want to call up and invite to join them around the dinner table this holiday season, on their cellphones of course. In return, EMBARQ is giving its customers (current, as well as new) unlimited minutes throughout the entire month.

So, 11 percent of the respondents, when offered the following fake characters, chose Jack Bauer, our tortured (and torturing) hero (antihero?) of "24" over the following: Susan Mayer of "Desperate Housewives," Larry David of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," Stewie Griffin of "Family Guy," Claire Bennet of "Heroes," Michael Scott of "The Office" and Nancy Botwin of "Weeds."

But this is my question: What happens when Jack is sitting at your dinner table and your kid brother covertly takes out one of those laser pointer thingys and starts pointing it at the turkey, the mashed potatoes, the Christmas tree?

Jack freakin' wrecks your house, that's what. He gets your kid brother in a headlock, shoots him in the knee and demands, "WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR? TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW!"

Before everything is straightened out, you have a crippled brother, a wrecked dinner and possibly a house blown up.

But, I guess, you would have a heckuva holiday story to share with your friends. - Amy Vernon (posted Dec. 4, 2007)

Surviving 'Office' withdrawal

It's been a while since I've blogged about "The Office" because it's been a while since "The Office" went on strike-induced hiatus.

So even as I've been enjoying new episodes of "30 Rock," "Chuck," "Journeyman" and "Heroes," the last few weeks, Dunder-Mifflin has been out-of-sight, out-of-mind.

It's really a shame, because I considered this a real bounce-back season for Greg Daniels & Co., albeit a bounce-back that began in the final weeks of last season.

I'm toying with the idea of a recap/breakdown on the abbreviated season that was, since the way the strike is going we shouldn't expect new episodes for a good long while.

I want to get my thoughts in order first, though you can bet I'll be lauding the beautiful handling of Jim and Pam's relationship and the consistently top-shelf performances by Steve Carell.

I'll also tear into some of the missteps and lowlights along the way: the plunge into Lake Scranton, Dunder-Mifflin Infinity, Rashida Jones' too-abrupt departure.

- Brian Howard (posted Dec. 5, 2007)

'Chuck' star navigates train-wreck interview

In this clip from a Los Angeles talk show, watch the comely Yvonne Strahovski, a native Australian, share some fun stories about landing a phenomenal TV role within three days of arriving in the United States.

Watch her interact with a guy who's clearly never seen "Chuck" before.

In the first minute, he butchers her last name (forgivable, as it is a toughie upon an initial viewing) and misidentifies her costar, Zachary Levi, as Zachary Taylor-our 12th president!

Strahovski even pauses a moment, perhaps wondering if she should correct him, but takes the high road.

In fairness, I butchered the last name of the lead singer of Survivor in a recent TV appearance. But it's not like I'd never heard "Eye of the Tiger" before. - Chris Serico (posted Dec. 4, 2007)

JASON GERTZEN
The Kansas City Star

Hesse The next CEO of Sprint Nextel might be sitting in an office just down the street in Overland Park.

Dan Hesse, chairman and CEO of Embarq Corp. and a well-regarded wireless industry veteran, effectively acknowledged this week that he is in the mix for the top job at Sprint.

"If Embarq performs well, I am going to be listed as a candidate when all these jobs are open," Hesse told Wall Street analysts Wednesday in an investor conference in New York.

When responding to a questioner who referred to him as "the lead contender" in the Sprint CEO search, Hesse responded that he also had been considered earlier this year for chief executive of Denver-based Qwest Communications International.

"I hope that just like in the past with Qwest, and in the future, my name is always up there," said Hesse, whose career includes a stint leading AT&T Wireless. "It means Embarq is performing well."

Add Hesse's impromptu comments to a growing list of distractions as Sprint operates without a permanent leader.

Just last week, news emerged that Tim Donahue, Sprint's former chairman, was rebuffed by the board after lining up an investor group willing to pump $5 billion into the company if he could return as CEO.

The search for former CEO Gary Forsee's replacement is now marking its second month. Sprint representatives decline to specify who is on the short list or how quickly they expect to finish the job.

Under growing pressure from a concerned board and frustrated investors, Forsee on Oct. 8 stepped down as leader of the Kansas City region's largest corporate employer.

A prolonged search leaves open the possibility the Donahue consortium could make a renewed run, a different outside group could pop up or other issues might emerge that require attention from top executives or the board.

"When a company is without a permanent leader, it's in limbo," said John Challenger, an expert on corporate talent searches and CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas. "The ability to fend off various kinds of entreaties and offers is more difficult, especially when a company has some weaknesses."

Hesse, who leads Embarq's 19,000 nationwide employees from a headquarters office about a mile from Sprint's Overland Park campus, often is mentioned as a prospect. In addition to various telecom executives, others reportedly include Andrew Sukawaty, a former Sprint PCS president who now leads the satellite communications venture Inmarsat.

Since Forsee's departure Sprint's shares have fallen about 15 percent. Sprint executives have been tempering expectations during what should be a prime selling season.

"I definitely think it is concerning that they have not been able to find a replacement CEO over the past couple of months," said Michael Nelson, an analyst for Stanford Group in New York. "It seems to be a company that lacks direction and has sort of a convoluted strategy overall."

A more blistering critique erupted a week ago when Jim Cramer, host of CNBC's "Mad Money," picked a new member for his "Hall of Shame."

In Cramer's view, Paul Saleh, Sprint's acting CEO, is not a strong leader. Sprint was wrong not to welcome back Donahue, or at least listen closely to his plans for turning Sprint around, Cramer said.

"We want Tim Donahue ― he is the former executive chairman of the combined company ― to come back and rescue us," said Cramer in one of his trademark outbursts. "There's a guy who actually knows what he's doing."

When customer service providers waste my time, treat me rudely or are unable to help me, I think: "Here is a business that's ripe for a competitor." Businesses that invest in hiring great workers and then in training them to provide first-class service will eventually crush their competitors in the marketplace.

And businesses that focus on the short-term bottom line and don't worry about customer loyalty are setting themselves up for extinction.

The business weekly I edit, In Business Las Vegas, ran a Question & Answer interview in its Nov. 16-22 issue with Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos.com, the Las Vegas-based leading online shoe retailer that is staking its future on service.

Hsieh told In Business that, frustrated by poor customer service, he was inspired to build a company focused on taking care of customers.

Zappos spends a lot of money to train employees, with a four-week program that includes three weeks of classroom focus on company history, customer service philosophy and company culture and one week of talking on the phone with customers and taking orders.

Every employee, from top to bottom, goes through the same training, with the goal of making sure that every Zappos employee is on the same page when it comes to customer-service philosophy.

"We empower them to do whatever it takes to make the customer happy," Hsieh said. "All we care about is that we go above and beyond for the customer.

"In theory, customer service should be an easy thing, but it's not easy, because, if it was, I wouldn't be so annoyed or frustrated with so many other companies."

For the most part, we're lucky in Las Vegas.

We live in a hospitality-driven market, alongside hundreds of thousands of folks who provide top-notch customer service every day.

Las Vegans know what quality customer service is, and presumably demand it when we conduct our own business.

A few of my favorite customer service providers are national outfits, including Starbucks, Southwest Airlines and FedEx.

Among local companies, in the casino business Bellagio and Wynn Las Vegas rank high among the Strip resorts, while Red Rock, South Point, Green Valley Ranch, Orleans and Sunset Station are among the local casinos with the best service.

Although lower-cost restaurants aren't known for customer service, one that should be is Sweet Tomatoes, the soup-and-salad chain.

At lunch on a recent Saturday I was struck by how pleasant the workers were and how diligently they worked to keep tables clean and customers served.

Of course it's not too hard to find poor service, even in Las Vegas.

I've been disappointed by the overall quality of customer service at mass-market grocery store chains in Southern Nevada.

Before I moved to Las Vegas in 1999, I spent 11 years in Sarasota, Fla., where the dominant supermarket chain is Publix.

Their employees were friendly and knowledgeable, kept their stores clean and were quick to help those who needed it.

Here in Las Vegas, Whole Foods, of course, has great service, but it is a little too costly for my everyday shopping.

Trader Joes has even better service - and great prices - but its stores don't carry as many products as do supermarkets. When it comes to supermarket shopping, I usually shop at Smith's, but occasionally go to Vons or Albertsons.

I find the service at all three chains to be poor to acceptable, at best. When I asked some of the folks I work with to name businesses that provide poor customer service, most people cited near-monopoly utilities, including Embarq, Southwest Gas, Cox Cable and Nevada Power.

I don't have a lot of experience dealing in person with the customer service providers at these companies, but based on the telephone customer service I've received from some of these outfits, they could stand a lot of improvement.

Other businesses cited for poor service were Wal-Mart (not enough checkouts open, not enough employee assistance, bad attitudes); Home Depot (not enough employee assistance, shortage of checkout lanes), and fast-food restaurants (and anywhere else with teenage workers).

I don't know why some businesses are willing to live with providing poor service.

The fallout may not be immediately noticeable, but eventually an entrepreneur like Tony Hsieh is going to target them - and put their customers out of their misery.

Jeff Simpson is business editor of the Las Vegas Sun and executive editor of its sister publication In Business Las

larry page wedding

2007-12-10T07:40:00.000-08:00

Now that the "who attended which conference this week" gossip chatter is over, we have a bigger question: Who is attending Larry Page's wedding today? As previously reported, Larry is getting married today and Searcharazzi is reporting to you live from an undisclosed location at the island location, if only in our minds.

In any case, Searcharazzi has spent the better half of the month gathering the details of Larry's and Lucy Southworth's pending nuptials, to be hosted by Richard Branson on Necker Island. A special thanks to Valleywag's spies for keeping a virtual wedding planner with all the details: Here are some of the juicier bits:

Celeb guests, why John Battelle and Al Gore won't attend, and the surprise best man after the jump...

The San Fran Chronicle first pegged the wedding date as December 8.

Lucy's sister is actress Carrie Southworth, who is married to Coddy Johnson, the field director of George W. Bush's 2004 presidential campaign , who is in turn the son of George W's Yale roommate, Clay Johnson. Oh, and Coddy's also the Prez's godson.

While it is rumored that a total of three Presidents will attend the wedding, Al Gore will not, as he will receive his Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway, the following Monday. While that's a better excuse than "I have to wash my hair," there are numerous reports of private planes being sent around the globe to fetch guests.

Today, the Times Online revealed that the Clintons will not be attending, as the Mrs. is in Iowa campaigning. It has been rumored that President Carter will.

The guest list of 600 also includes Bono, but not John Battelle, who will reportedly be at a friend's birthday in Morrocco. Leonardo DiCaprio and Johnny Depp will also make an appearance. Oh, and all the guests have singed confidentiality agreements.

And while Reuters says that Branson is to be the best man, Valleywag raised some questions on why Larry's brother or Sergey were passed over, if this is true.

The wedding of Larry Page, the co-founder of Google, on Sir Richard Branson's luxury Caribbean island has generated a swirl of excitement despite attempts to keep the nuptials private.

Up to 600 people were expected to witness Page tie the knot with doctoral student Lucy Southworth on Necker Island, Branson's 74-acre British Virgin Islands hideaway.

The Virgin boss's involvement reportedly even stretched to performing the best man's duties for his fellow billionaire.

Page had been labelled one of the world's most eligible bachelors, with a fortune estimated at $18.5bn (￡9.1bn). Attempts to keep details of the bash under wraps were not wholly successful, with various US newspapers and blogs reporting details from the exclusive gathering.

Technology blog Valleywag claimed that the wedding, which was scheduled for Saturday, was delayed a day after a tropical storm shook up the carefully laid plans.

Google declined to confirm whether or not its president of products had followed Sergey Brin into matrimonial bliss. A UK spokeswoman said the search giant would have "no idea" about Page's personal life.

A quick search of Google yields plenty of information about the event, however.

Necker Island, for examples, costs upwards of $46,000 (￡22,500) a night to rent. The guests were booked into the nearby island of Virgin Gorda, with wedding planners reportedly booking every available hotel room six months ago.

Lucy Southworth was first identified as Page's girlfriend in early 2006. She is studying for a doctorate in biomedical informatics at Stanford University and holds an MSc from Oxford. Page stopped working on his own Stanford PhD in computer science in 1998 to develop Google instead.

The prestigious guest list apparently included the Clintons, along with Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonny Depp.

But Hillary Clinton was in Iowa campaigning for the Democratic Party presidential nomination, while husband Bill worked the crowds in South Carolina. Former Vice President Al Gore was also invited, but he was in Stockholm to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

Valleywag's in-depth coverage of the event even ran to identifying Page's choice of portable lavatory. Royal Restrooms, it said, were contracted to provide their "regal portable restroom experience".

Royal Restrooms says its mobile units are designed to provide disaster relief � ideal if Saturday's tropical storm caused widespread disruption on Necker.

Brin married Anne Wojcicki in Ma
on your wedding day! That's one big fat whopping GOTCHA! Maybe not quite as evil as censoring search results at the direction of Chinese censors, but still, at least a little embarrassing, especially after all of last week's hoopla about Google's plans to save the world via investments in renewable energy.

Let's put aside the question of whether purchasing carbon offsets could balance out the toxic effects of this Caribbean wedding. Since Page and Sergey Brin already buy offsets for their regular jet travel, one suspects arrangements may already have been made to offset the wedding. But even if they haven't, Google's investments in renewable energy, the solar power panels in Mountain View, and the personal stake Page and Brin have in promising start-ups such as Nanosolar would likely qualify, informally, as one big offset.

But that's not the real issue. Matthews' point seems to be more along the lines of: If you're going to make a big deal about climate change, then you should live accordingly. And if you're going to state in your company's prospectus that the corporate motto is "Don't Be Evil" then you had damn well better live a life of unsullied perfection. Call it the Al Gore standard.

Taken to extremes, of course, such a stance requires that everyone who considers themselves an environmentalist or who is worried about global warming eschew all the trappings of industrial civilization and live like some kind of combination of reclusive monk and noble savage. That's a standard of straight-edge purity that few can live up to, and those who do are a pain in the ass to be around at parties. In my own life, I am presented daily with a tapestry of hypocrisies, large and small. My 10-year-old minivan gets sucky gas mileage, I use too much water when I wash the dishes, I occasionally eat farm-raised shrimp from Thailand, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. The list of my imperfections is endless.

But we all muddle through. We are inconsistent, yes. We make some bad choices, yes. But we console ourselves with the belief that we are headed in the right direction, however we define it. We aspire to do better, and that gets us through the day; otherwise we would simply collapse in a pool of existential despair, paralyzed by the realization that just by being alive, we are doing incalculable damage to the earth.

It is true that, by in effect tattooing the words "don't be evil" on their collective foreheads, Page and Brin set themselves up for inevitable failure, not to mention endless carping from critics. Maybe they should have just said, "We aspire not to be evil, even though we know occasionally we will be found wanting." Hmm, not

embarq mail

2007-12-10T07:16:00.001-08:00

Imitation isn't always the most sincere form of flattery.

Las Vegas is experiencing a surge in trademark and copyright infringement cases as companies fight to keep their intellectual property safe, local attorneys say. The Blue Man Group, the World Market Center and Embarq are all embroiled in lawsuits over logos, likenesses and naming rights.

In two of the latest trademark fights, the Blue Man Group Inc. is suing the people involved in what the group alleges was a similar show, while telecom firm Embarq has filed a complaint against Nevada Telephone Co. and its officials over the use of its moniker and logo.

MIKE STOTTS | BUSINESS PRESS
Nevada Telephone Co. removed a sign bearing the name "Embarq Marketing Division" after it was sued by Embarq Holdings in a trademark lawsuit alleging the local telephone company was infringing on the larger company's trademark rights.

GARY THOMPSON | REVIEW-JOURNAL
The downtown World Market Center is embroiled in a trademark infringement lawsuit filed by Cost Plus World Market. Cost Plus claims the furniture mart?s name and logo has resulted in damages to the speciality retailer, which also sells furniture.

"It has increased, absolutely yes," David LeGrand, a local intellectual property attorney, said about trademark litigation. "That is because Las Vegas has grown from a casino gambling environment to an entertainment megacity."

Las Vegas has more than its share of trademarks and copyright suits for a "city its size," LeGrand noted. "It is because of all the entertainment activities, restaurants and franchises that have opened up."

The Embarq Holding Co. LLC filed a lawsuit Oct. 29 in U.S. District Court against Nevada Utilities Inc. which does business as Nevada Telephone Co., and its manager Robert Jankovics. The federal lawsuit alleges that "a large sign bearing the name "Embarq Marketing Division" is located on the building" owned by Jankovics. The building also houses Nevada Telephone.

The complaint says that "above the sign on Jankovics' building is an airplane logo, which is confusingly similar to plaintiff's jet logo. The close proximity of this sign to a sign for Nevada Telephone, further compounds the confusion resulting from the defendant's sign."

Jankovics, who manages Nevada Telephone, said he has recently complied with Embarq's demands and removed the sign and logo, but he denies he infringed on Embarq's trademark and logo.

"There are 260 companies in the United States called Embarq, prior to Sprint becoming Embarq, so wherever they got the name, they didn't invent it," he said.

Nor did the telecom company do a good job of guarding it, Jankovics added. He claims Embarq failed to protect the name in Nevada. He said he was trying to help the company out by buying up the Embarq Central Telephone Co. name.

"I offered to sell it to them for a dollar," he said.

Embarq turned down his offer, Jankovics claims, so he found an out-of-the-country buyer who was already operating under the Embarq Marketing Associates name. The company sells "sexually oriented material," he said. Jankovics remained the buyer's registered agent.

The purchaser rented space from the previous owner of the Nevada Telephone building. Jankovics said he also let the tenant keep the sign up -- until the lawsuit, that is.

"The sign is gone and Embarq is dropping the suit," Jankovics said.

Embarq wouldn't comment on Jankovics' claims.

"We are not at liberty to discuss the case," Vicki Soares, Embarq's spokeswoman, said in an e-mail. "However, we aggressively work to protect our brand."

Jankovics might have a good defense if Embarq did indeed fail to take proper steps to protect its trademark. The differing nature of the business using the "Embarq Marketing Associates" name -- from adult materials to telecommunications -- also could strengthen Nevada Telephone's side of the case, LeGrand said. Trademarks are issued by categories, such as certain goods and services.

More recently, Blue Man Productions Inc. filed a federal lawsuit against locally owned Uptowne Productions, Kraft-E Events, D-Zign Events and Uptowne officer and Kraft-E manager Larry Ladd -- also known as Larry Vladetic. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants "produced a live theatrical show that incorporated the character and other original intellectual property of BMPI ... and BMPI demanded that they stop" last April. The lawsuit says Uptowne and the other defendants continued to produce the show.

Ladd denies the claims, saying he runs only a "booking agency," which booked one show before receiving a warning letter. "For me to continue doing that in the market after a cease-and desist letter, I'd have to be a complete moron," he said.

The Blue Man Group's attorneys declined to comment on the Nov. 29 filing.

As the new trademark complaints mount, the Cost Plus World Market's lawsuit against organizers of the World Market Center continues. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in February, claims the furniture mart's use of the "world market" name and logo has resulted in damage to Cost Plus.

"(Cost Plus) has suffered and will continue to suffer damage to its business, reputation and goodwill," the federal lawsuit says.

Attorneys for Cost Plus maintained the lawsuit was necessary. "World Market" has been a registered trademark of Cost Plus for more than 15 years, Marcy Bergman, a San Francisco-based lawyer for Cost Plus, said last summer.

World Market Center officials confirmed that talks were continuing.

"We do not comment on pending litigation other than to say that both parties are continuing discussions toward a resolution," Andrew Maiden, a spokesman for the World Market Center, said.

LeGrand, who is not involved in the case, likes the odds of Cost Plus succeeding in the Las Vegas battle.

"I think World Market Center is going to have a problem with that case, because Cost Plus sells furniture and it has been around for a long time," he said.

But the World Market Center does have some facts on its side, namely that the public generally calls the plaintiff "Cost Plus." That factor might mitigate the damages Cost Plus could claim, LeGrand added.

All the intellectual property claims in Las Vegas just come with the territory, Eric Hone, a lawyer with Lewis and Roca, said.

"I think it is factor of the companies doing business here," he said. "The casinos on the Strip take a very strong stance on it."
OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Dec. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- There are more than 44,600 minutes in the month of December. That's thousands of minutes for gift giving, caroling, eating, celebrating and now talking on your wireless phone.

This December EMBARQ is giving its current and new wireless customers the gift of unlimited minutes to help them connect with friends and family all month long; that's more than 44,600 minutes at no extra charge.

With unlimited wireless minutes available in December, EMBARQ conducted a survey to research what famous figures would be on the nation's calling wish list if America's little black book just happened to fall from the sky one December day.

The survey asked 1,000 Americans what well-known people they would like to dial up to share their holiday cheer with if they had unlimited wireless minutes this December. From politicians and public figures to TV characters and news anchors, Americans weighed in on who would be on their unlimited speed dial this December.

-- When offered a direct line to a number of famous Americans, including
the President of the United States, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and
decorating professional Martha Stewart, it was reigning talk show
queen Oprah Winfrey whose phone would be ringing off the hook with
well wishes from fans for a happy New Year. Oprah received 15 percent
of the vote. President George W. Bush followed in close second with
11 percent.

-- Which presidential candidate did Americans hope would make a campaign
stop at their holiday dinner? Hilary Rodham Clinton beat Barak Obama,
Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, John McCain and John Edwards with a
quarter (25%) of survey respondents saying they would like to call and
invite the democrat to their holiday table.

-- This holiday season Americans are eager to receive a gift of
light-hearted humor. Just over one in 10 (11%) respondents said that
for an overview of this year's major news stories and a peak into
2008, they want Ellen DeGeneres at the other end of the phone. The
funny lady got more votes than Katie Couric (8%), Anderson Cooper (7%)
and the famous man in suspenders, Larry King (6%).

-- While the classic holiday carol may call for 12 days, this season, the
hottest number is 24. More than one in 10 (11%) respondents agreed
that Jack Bauer of "24" gets top billing for the TV character
Americans would call to wish a happy holiday. Bauer beat Susan Mayer
of "Desperate Housewives," Larry David of "Curb your Enthusiasm,"
Stewie Griffin of "Family Guy," Claire Bennett of "Heroes," Michael
Scott of "The Office," and Nancy Botwin of "Weeds" for the top spot.

-- Overall, America may care about 24 hours of action, but there are some
more interested in bedside attraction. The ladies are 'McDreaming' of
a certain Seattle Grace neurosurgeon this holiday season with almost
20 percent of female respondents saying they would call Dr. Derek
Shepherd of "Grey's Anatomy" to wish him a happy holiday over other TV
character favorites.

-- They may not be psychic mediums, but Americans do know which person
from the past they would call if their wireless service extended to
the deceased. While Elvis, Martin Luther King Jr. and Marilyn Monroe
were among the favorites, it was Princess Diana who won 17 percent of
the overall vote, but survey respondents aged 60 and over would rather
be calling Camelot. A quarter (25%) of these Americans gave their vote
to President John F. Kennedy.

After EMBARQ customers have had a nice chat with JFK, Oprah, Hilary Clinton and Dr. McDreamy, they should visit EMBARQ's microsite, UnlimitedDecember.com, an interactive site launching Nov. 20, 2007. Site visitors will be guided through a series of easy steps to develop, preview and send voice messages to help spread holiday cheer. The free and festive services allow customers to send humorous holiday greetings; schedule deliveries of personal holiday calls; and record holiday carols, karaoke-style, and have them delivered to up to three friends or family members at a time.

EMBARQ wants its customers to stay connected this holiday season. While it may not be able to give them a phone book with numbers of their favorite celebrities, it can give them more than 44,600 minutes during the month of December to spread cheer to friends and family.

The EMBARQ Survey was conducted by Kelton Research between October 26th and October 29th, 2007, using an e-mail invitation and an online survey. Quotas are set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. population ages 18 and over.

About EMBARQ

Embarq Corporation , headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, offers a complete suite of common sense communications services. The company has approximately 19,000 employees and operates in 18 states. EMBARQ is included in the S&P 500. For consumers, EMBARQ offers an innovative portfolio of services that includes reliable local and long distance home phone service, high-speed Internet, wireless, and satellite TV from DISH Network(R) - all on one monthly bill. For businesses, EMBARQ has a comprehensive range of flexible and integrated services designed to help businesses of all sizes be more productive and communicate with their customers. This service portfolio includes local voice and data services, long distance, Business Class DSL, wireless, enhanced data network services, voice and data communication equipment and managed network services. In 2007, EMBARQ ranked highest in customer satisfaction among large enterprise businesses, according to J.D. Power and Associates Study
. EMBARQ believes that by focusing on the communities the company serves and by employing common sense and practical ingenuity, it is able to provide customers with a committed partner, dedicated customer service and innovative products for work and home. For more informationimble, innovative and positioned for growth.

Embarq, the nation's fourth largest local telephone company, continues to see the telephone lines at the heart of its business erode and produce declining sales. In the third quarter, for example, sales from Embarq's voice business dropped by 5 percent.

His company has a strategy to overcome these trends with a series of new services, Dan Hesse, Embarq's chairman and chief executive officer, told Wall Street analysts at the UBS Global Media and Communications conference in New York.

For one, Embarq sells its own brand of wireless service that is closely tied to the home phones of its customers. It recently rolled out a service that uses an automated computer system to translate text messages sent on a cell phone so they can be received on a landline phone.

Embarq, which is increasingly is depending on its growing high-speed Internet business, now has a branded Web-page portal with the potential to produce online advertising and search sales.

"Traditional voice is going to decline," Hesse said. "We know that. We accept that. We believe we can grow with different revenue streams as we evolve the business model of the company."

Hesse is said to be among the leading contenders for the chief executive spot at Sprint Nextel Corp. after Gary Forsee, Sprint's former chairman and CEO, resigned in October. Embarq spun off as a separate company from Sprint in 2006.

In afternoon trading, Embarq shares were up 52 cents, or 1.06 percent, at $49.43; Sprint was down 1 cent at $15.40.

For more on this story, please see Thursday's editions of The Kansas City Star.

To reach Jason Gertzen, call 816-234-4899 or send

To see more of The Kansas City Star, or to subscribe to the newspaper

About Kelton Research

Kelton Research is a full service global insights firm with offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, DC, and is America's fastest growing National Market Research Consultancy. Serving as strategic partner to more than 100 of the Fortune 500 and thousands of smaller companies and organizations, Kelton utilizes a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies to drive tactical recommendations for clients. For more information about Kelton's services, please call

Victim's half-sister wants killers freed

2007-12-09T09:41:00.000-08:00

HOPKINS, Mich. - There's not much left to remember Robert Sellon by. A single, wallet-sized photo tucked into a framed collage. Old newspaper clippings. Many, many memories. But Tammi Smith doesn't let go easily. Nearly 26 years after her half brother was murdered, she can still mimic the way he smiled, the way he talked. And she recounts what must have happened the night he was beaten to death in a Grand Rapids pool hall.

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The men convicted of killing him have entrusted her with the details.

"I've got letter after letter that says if they could do things differently, if they could trade places with my brother, they would," Smith says, "and I know that's not just pencil on paper."

The story of how Smith made her peace with the twin brothers convicted of her half brother's slaying captures the difficult choices inherent in the debate over sentencing youth offenders to life without parole.

It began in October 1981. Sellon was closing the Golden Eight Ball long past midnight. David and Michael Samel, 17-year-old twins, were the last customers inside. They followed Sellon downstairs, intent on robbing him. When he fought back, investigators said, the Samels beat and strangled him with a hammer and nunchucks. Over the years, each brother has put principal blame on the other.

Michael Samel pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 35 to 55 years in prison. David Samel was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to life without parole.

Tammi Smith was 15 at the time of the murder. Soon after, she went to the county jail where David Samel was being held, and cursed him for destroying her family. Then she tried to forget.

But six years ago, Smith and her sister realized it wouldn't be long before Michael Samel came up for parole. They wondered if he had changed. By then Smith was a born-again Christian, newly reflective on the importance of forgiveness.

She sat down and wrote Michael Samel a letter.

He wrote back; later, his brother wrote, too. Over time, Smith and the men convicted of her brother's murder began talking regularly, sending each other birthday and Christmas cards.

Those conversations convinced Smith her brother's killers were not monsters but two men who, as teenagers, had made a terrible mistake, their judgment clouded by drugs and immaturity.

"Sending these guys to prison for the rest of their lives is not going to bring my brother back," she says. "It's been 25 years, 26 almost. I just think how much more punishment does it need to be? What good is going to come out of this?"

That argument largely echoes one by David Samel, serving life at Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility. Still, he can't quite make sense of Smith's forgiveness.

"I've got to tell you that sometimes I can't get my head around that whole thing," he says. "She's got a beautiful heart."

Smith isn't kidding herself. Many people can't fathom her point of view. That's evident when she and her church group go to visit prisons and find even inmates are skeptical. But she hasn't given up trying to persuade them.

To make her case, Smith lays three photos side by side ― Robert Sellon's, along with David and Michael Samel's ― and asks people to pick out the one of her brother.

"Well, all three of them are," she explains. "I may have lost one, but I gained two more

Arrest made in LA campus threat

2007-12-09T09:38:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles police arrested a 21-year-old Loyola Marymount University student in connection with an online threat to shoot people on campus, officials said Saturday.

Police arrested Carlos Huerta, a senior at Loyola, for investigation of making criminal threats. Huerta was taken into custody on Saturday night near his apartment on campus.

Huerta is suspected of posting a message that he would shoot and kill as many people as possible on campus before being killed himself by police, authorities said. The anonymous threat appeared on a blog called Juicycampus.com, used primarily by college students.

University officials reported the threat to police around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, said Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Officer Mike Lopez. Calls made to Loyola were not immediately returned.

Some officers were dispatched to patrol the campus as a precaution and campus entrances were restricted.

Investigators working with campus officials were eventually able to determine that the threat had come from the computer registered to Huerta, police said.

"There was never an indication the threat made was a valid one, and there is no on-going threat to LMU," said Deputy Chief Michael Downing, head of the LAPD Counterterrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau.

It was not immediately known if Huerta had an attorney.

This is the second time in less than a week that someone has been arrested for allegedly posting an online threat to go on a shooting spree in Los Angeles. Both occurred just days after the mall shooting in Omaha, Nebraska, that left eight holiday shoppers and the gunman dead.

On Friday, an Australian man was arrested after he allegedly posted a message saying a shooting attack would take place at The Grove mall near Beverly Hills.

Jarrad Willis, 20, of Melbourne, was arrested after Los Angeles Police Department detectives traced to Australia the address of his Internet provider. Willis has been charged in Australia with creating a false belief ― a violation of Australian law.

faulkner

2007-12-09T09:35:00.000-08:00

hot-shooting men's basketball will enter 2008 as the only unbeaten team in the Southern States Athletic Conference. The sizzling Flames burned visiting Faulkner University, 88-65 on Saturday afternoon in Walker Arena.

The victory moves coach Tommy Brown's team to 9-0 overall and a perfect 3-0 in SSAC play. It also completes a home-court sweep of Auburn Montgomery and Faulkner, two teams expected to battle Lee for top conference honors. Faulkner drops to 3-1 in the SSAC and 4-7 overall.

The Flames popped out of the starting gate like a favored horse at the Kentucky Derby. The margin reached 15-2 in the first three minutes and by halftime Lee was in complete, leading 48-32 and shooting a remarkable 60 percent from behind the arc and 53 percent from the field.

The second half spelled more bad news for the Eagles of coach Jim Sanderson. The Flames made 7-of-14 treys in the second 20 minutes and finished the game at the 54 percent mark. "Anytime we can make 13-of-24 three pointers in a game, we are going to be pretty good," said Brown. "We did a good job of spreading the floor against their pressure defense."

Again it was balanced scoring that paced the Flames on the offensive end. Five Lee players scored in double figures as the margin grew to 30 points at different times in the second half. Freddie Williams and Elmar Kuli-Zade sparked the attack with 18 points apiece. Both Williams and Kuli-Zade posted impressive numbers. Kuli-Zade was 3-of-5 from 3-points range, 5-of-8 from the field and 5-of-7 from the line. The junior also had six assists and two steals. Williams was 8-of-11 from the field and 2-of-3 from behind the arc.

"Elmar does a great job at point guard," noted Brown. "He gets his teammates into the right spots on the floor and then delivers the ball to them. Freddie is the type of player who plays his best games against the more athletic teams. He proved that against AUM and Faulkner."

Junior Joe Fulp turned in by far his best offensive effort of the season. The Lee post player was 6-of-8 from the field, including a 3-pointer and finished with 16 points, two assists and two steals. "He came to me before practice on Friday and told me he was ready to go," said Brown. "He missed a lot of work in early practices and it has taken him a while to get into playing condition."

Senior Kellen Pickel turned in another solid effort. He was 3-of-5 from outside the arc and totaled 13 points and grabbed five rebounds. Brad Harris made two three pointers and collected nine points to go with two assists, while Paco Diaw played only nine minutes because of foul problems, but managed seven rebounds and two steals.

Faulkner got a lift from Durrell Richardson. He came off the bench to post a double-double, 14 points and 12 rebounds. Bryant Murray was the only other Eagle in double figures. He totaled 10 markers and added three assists. Faulkner shot 38 percent from the field (24-of-64). The Eagles were only 6-of-19 from three-point range and converted 11-of-16 free throws.

The Flames will leave for Hawaii next Thursday and play a pair of exhibition contests against Hawaii Hilo and ChaminadeThe UK's most successful new singer-songwriter, Newton Faulkner, releases his brand new single 'Teardrop' on December 10th through Ugly Truth Records. A classic winter-warmer, 'Teardrop' is a starkly beautiful, and utterly unique, take on the Massive Attack song and shows both Newton's magnificent voice and guitar versatility at their mesmerizing best.

The release of 'Teardrop' follows the spectacular success of Newton's Number One & Platinum debut album, 'Hand Built By Robots', which has so far spent two weeks at Number One on the UK album chart, as well as being a permanent fixture in the iTunes Top Ten since release (including five weeks at No1).

'Teardrop' comes hot on the heels of Newton's last two singles, 'Dream Catch Me' and 'All I Got' which is currently riding high inside the UK Airplay Chart Top Ten.

A true DIY phenomenon (Myspace plays now well over 1 million) Newton has become a genuine grass roots success story as his sell-out EP's, headline dates and support slots have gathered new fans and rave reviews alikeWilliam Faulkner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
William Faulkner

William Faulkner photographed in 1954 by Carl Van Vechten
Born September 25, 1897(1897-09-25)
New Albany, Mississippi, U.S.
Died July 6, 1962 (aged 64)
Byhalia, Mississippi, U.S.
Occupation Novelist, short story writer
Genres Southern Gothic
Literary movement Modernism, stream of consciousness
Influences James Joyce, William Shakespeare, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, T.S. Eliot
Influenced Juan Rulfo, Gabriel García Márquez, Flannery O'Conner, Cormac McCarthy, Harper Lee, Peter Carey, Steve Erickson, Louise Erdrich, Hunter S. Thompson
William Cuthbert Faulkner (September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American novelist, film screenwriter, and poet whose works feature his native state of Mississippi. He is regarded as one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century and was awarded the 1949 Nobel Prize for Literature.

Faulkner was known for an experimental style with meticulous attention to diction and cadence, in contrast to the minimalist understatement of his peer Ernest Hemingway. Although Faulkner is sometimes lauded as the inventor of the "stream of consciousness" technique in fiction, this is misleading. Other writers such as Henry James, James Joyce and Edouard Dujardin had used this technique before him.

Along with Mark Twain, Tennessee Williams, and Truman Capote, Faulkner is considered one of the most important "Southern writers." While his work was published regularly from the mid 1920s to the late 1940s, he was relatively unknown before receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1949. Critics and the public now favor his work, [1] and he is widely seen as among the greatest American writers of all time.

Contents
1 Life
2 Works
3 Awards
4 Personal
5 Later years
6 Bibliography
6.1 Novels
6.2 Short stories
6.3 Poetry
7 Discography
8 Listen to
9 References
10 See also
11 External links

[edit] Life
Faulkner was born William Falkner [2] in New Albany, Mississippi, and raised in and heavily influenced by that state, as well as by the history and culture of the South as a whole. He moved with his family at the age of four to the nearby town of Oxford, where he lived on and off for the rest of his life. Oxford is the model for the town of "Jefferson" in his fiction, and Lafayette County, Mississippi which contains the town of Oxford, is the model for his fictional "Yoknapatawpha County." Faulkner's roots in North Mississippi ran deep. His great-grandfather, William Clark Falkner, was an important figure in northern Mississippi who served as a colonel in the Confederate Army, founded a railroad, and gave his name to the town of Falkner in nearby Tippah County. Perhaps most importantly, he wrote several novels and other works, establishing a literary tradition in the family. More relevantly, Colonel Falkner served as the model for Colonel John Sartoris in his great-grandson's writing.

It is understandable that the older Falkner was influenced by the history of his family and the region in which they lived. Mississippi marked his sense of humor, his sense of the tragic position of blacks and whites, his keen characterization of usual Southern characters and his timeless themes, one of them being that fiercely intelligent people dwelled behind the façades of good old boys and simpletons. After being snubbed by the United States Army because of his height, Faulkner first joined the Canadian and then the Royal Air Force, yet did not see any World War I wartime action. The definitive reason for Faulkner's change in the spelling of his last name is still unknown. Some possibilities include adding an "u" to appear more British when entering the Royal Air Force, or so that his name would come across as more aristocratic. He may have also simply kept a misspelling that an early editor had made.

Although Faulkner is heavily identified with Mississippi, he was living in New Orleans in 1925 when he wrote his first novel, Soldiers' Pay, after being influenced by Sherwood Anderson into trying fiction. The small house at 624 Pirate's Alley, just around the corner from St. Louis Cathedral, is now the premises of Faulkner House Books, and also serves as the headquarters of the Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society.

Faulkner married Estelle Oldham (19 February 1896 to 11 May 1972) in June 1929 at College Hill Presbyterian Church just outside of Oxford, Mississippi. They honeymooned on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, at Pascagoula, then returned to Oxford, first living with relatives while they searched for a home of their own to purchase. In 1930 Faulkner purchased the antebellum home Rowan Oak, known at that time as "The Bailey Place" where he and his family lived until his daughter Jill, after her mother's death, sold the property to The University of Mississippi in 1972. The house and furnishings are maintained much as they were in Faulkner's time. Still, today, one can find Faulkner's scribblings on the wall here, notably, the day-by-day outline covering an entire week that he wrote out on the walls of his small study to help him keep track of the plot twists in the dense novel A Fable.

On writing, Faulkner remarked, "Let the writer take up surgery or bricklaying if he is interested in technique. There is no mechanical way to get the writing done, no shortcut. The young writer would be a fool to follow a theory. Teach yourself by your own mistakes; people learn only by error. The good artist believes that nobody is good enough to give him advice. He has supreme vanity. No matter how much he admires the old writer, he wants to beat him", in an interview with The Paris Review in 1956. Another esteemed Southern writer, Flannery O'Connor, stated that, "The presence alone of Faulkner in our midst makes a great difference in what the writer can and cannot permit himself to do. Nobody wants his mule and wagon stalled on the same track the Dixie Limited is roaring down."

-- Flannery O'Connor, "Some Aspects of the Grotesque in Southern Fiction"

[edit] Works
Faulkner's most celebrated novels include The Sound and the Fury (1929), As I Lay Dying (1930), Light in August (1932), Absalom, Absalom! (1936), and The Unvanquished (1938). Faulkner was also a prolific writer of short stories: His first short story collection, These 13 (1932), includes many of his most acclaimed (and most frequently anthologized) stories, including "A Rose for Emily," "Red Leaves", "That Evening Sun," and "Dry September." Faulkner set many of his short stories and novels in Yoknapatawpha County — based on, and nearly geographically identical to, Lafayette County, of which his hometown of Oxford, Mississippi is the county seat.

Additional works include Sanctuary (1931), a sensationalist "pulp fiction"-styled novel, characterized by André Malraux as "the intrusion of Greek tragedy into the detective story." Its themes of evil and corruption, bearing Southern Gothic tones, resonate to this day. Requiem for a Nun (1951), a play/novel sequel to Sanctuary, is the only play that Faulkner published, except for his The Marionettes, which he essentially self-published as a young man. Faulkner also wrote two volumes of poetry which were published in small printings, The Marble Faun (1924) and A Green Bough (1933), and a collection of crime-fiction short stories, Knight's Gambit.

[edit] Awards
Faulkner's literary accolades are numerous. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1949 for "his powerful and artistically unique contribution to the modern American novel". Although Faulkner won two Pulitzer Prizes, they were not awarded for his most famous novels, but were both given to what are considered as Faulkner's "minor" novels. First was his 1954 novel A Fable, which took the Pulitzer in 1955, and then his 1962 novel, The Reivers, which was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer in 1963. He also won two National Book Awards, first for his Collected Stories in 1951 and once again for his novel A Fable in 1955.

In 1946, Faulkner was one of three finalists for the first Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Award. He came in second to Manly Wade Wellman.[1]

[edit] Personal
Much has been made of the fact that Faulkner had a serious drinking problem throughout his life. He was not alone in this area; a list of contemporaneous American writers who struggled with alcohol would stretch to several pages. But as Faulkner himself stated on several occasions, and as was witnessed by members of his family, the press, and friends at various periods over the course of his career, he did not drink while writing, nor did he believe that alcohol helped to fuel the creative process. It is now widely believed that Faulkner used alcohol as an "escape valve" from the day-to-day pressures of his regular life, including his never-ending and maddening financial straits, rather than the more romantic vision of a brilliant writer who needed alcohol to pursue his craft. From 1949 to 1953, he conducted an affair with a young writer who considered him her mentor. The relationship with Joan Williams (1928-2004) became the subject of her third novel, called The Wintering (1971). Williams' son, Matt Bowen, wrote a dramatic adaptation of his mother's novel in 2005.[3]

[edit] Later years

William Faulkner's Underwood Universal Portable typewriter in his office at Rowan Oak, which is now maintained by the University of Mississippi in Oxford as a museum.In the 1930s Faulkner moved to Hollywood to be a screenwriter (producing scripts for Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep and Ernest Hemingway's To Have and Have Not, both directed by Howard Hawks). Faulkner became good friends with director Howard Hawks, as well as screenwriter A.I. Bezzerides. Faulkner also befriended actors Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Also at that time, Faulkner started an affair with Hawks's secretary and script girl Meta Carpenter. In Hollywood, Faulkner was rather famous for drinking as well, and throughout his life was known to be an alcoholic. Faulkner's Hollywood experience is treated in fictionalized fashion in the Joel and Ethan Coen 1991 film Barton Fink. That film's supporting character, W.P. Mayhew, is intended as a composite of Faulkner and his Lost Generation peer, F. Scott Fitzgerald.

An apocryphal story regarding Faulkner during his Hollywood years found him with a case of writer's block at the studio. He told Hawks he was having a hard time concentrating and would like to write at home. Hawks was agreeable, and Faulkner left. Several days passed, with no word from the writer. Hawks telephoned Faulkner's hotel and found that Faulkner had checked out several days earlier. It seems Faulkner had been quite literal and had returned home to Mississippi to finish the screenplay.

Faulkner donated a portion of his Nobel winnings "to establish a fund to support and encourage new fiction writers", eventually resulting in the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. He donated another portion to a local Oxford bank to establish an account to provide scholarship funds to help educate African-American education majors at nearby Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi.

Faulkner served as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Virginia from 1957 until his death at Wright's Sanitorium

riley keough

2007-12-09T09:33:00.000-08:00

Riley Keough
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Danielle Riley Keough

Date of birth May 29, 1989 (1989-05-29) (age 18)
Place of birth Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Height 1.66 m (5 ft 5+1⁄2 in)
Hair color Blonde(dyed)
Eye color Blue
Danielle Riley Keough (born May 29, 1989) known as Riley Keough, is a model, the daughter of singer/songwriter Lisa Marie Presley and musician/actor Danny Keough, and the oldest grandchild of Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley.[1]

In February, 2004 she made her modeling runway debut for designers Dolce & Gabbana in Milan. She later made a video for Dior Perfume and has also modeled for Victorias Secret.[1] She appeared on the cover of Vogue with her mother and grandmother. She recently appeared with her mother on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

She was raised as a Scientologist and is reportedly dating Ryan Cabrera[2]
Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci was the guest of honor at Katherine Ross and Michael Govan's Hancock Park home Wednesday night. It was the designer's first trip to Los Angeles in four years, and he was eager to soak up the sights.

one inheritance for which Lisa Marie Presley might not thank her illustrious father.

At a New York charity event it appeared that the Elvis genes were beginning to kick in, with the once-svelte 39-year-old showing that she had piled on the pounds in recent months.

Double take: A bloated Lisa Marie Presley now resembles her legendary father

Lisa Marie: Her usual svelte look

Only last summer Miss Presley - who includes Michael Jackson and Nicolas Cage among her four former husbands - appeared trim and fit.

Publicity shots of her singing In The Ghetto in a virtual reality duet with her father showed her looking the image of her mother, the slim and elegant Priscilla, when she was in her 20s.

But Miss Presley, who was pictured this week at a charity to feed the homeless, has a long way to go before she is in danger of emulating her father's gross weight gain before his death at 42 in 1977.

One of his favourite 'snacks' was a hollowed, buttered loaf filled with peanut butter, jam and a pound of fried bacon - a dish intended to feed eight but usually polished off by the King in one sitting
including mash-up artists the James Gang, in the basement theater. "Francisco [Costa] brought us straight up here," said Thandie Newton as she joined the designer in the penthouse. "He wanted to get cozy with us." Cozy indeed. It was close quarters in the glass-enclosed space, which offered expansive views of lower Manhattan as well as an illuminated Calvin Klein sign on a nearby building. Earlier in the day, a CK Jeans billboard on Houston and Lafayette streets was transformed via shocking-pink paint into a logo for the New Museum. "I think we're the first fashion company ever to deface our own campaign," said Kevin Carrigan, the creative director for ck Calvin Klein and Calvin Klein brands. "It was great."

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, power couple Katherine Ross and Michael Govan welcomed Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci to a dinner at their Hancock Park home. "There's very good energy out here," said Tisci of Hollywood and its surroundings. He was in town to meet with stylists and actresses and was eagerly anticipating the arrival of actress Christina Ricci, a personal favorite, later in the evening. "I just love Buffalo '66 and Sleepy Hollow," he said. As waiters passed mini-burgers with truffle cheese and fish and chips, the designer was greeted by Jamie Tisch, Samantha and Vanessa Traina, Riley Keough, Rachel Zoe, and Liz Goldwyn. When Ricci showed up (in vintage), she and Tisci immediately locked into deep conversation. "We're both Italian. But I can only say 'Shut up' and 'Kiss me.' Stai zitto! and Baciami," she explained. "I've always been such a fan. You've just made my dream come true," Tisci told her. "My goal," Ricci joked, "is to make

miss bikini international

2007-12-09T09:31:00.001-08:00

new Miss World was announced in Sanya on December 1. Hainan, China was fortunate to host the 57th annual event which organizers say is "the world's most-watched annual TV show, with an estimated two billion viewers".

The victor competed against 105 other contestants winning the nod from nine judges, in categories including style, fitness, intelligence and overall beauty.

The judges are also trying to decide who among them has enough talent and pizzazz to be a role model and inspiration to others.

That's because the responsibility of being Miss World entails a major year-long charity drive that brings in millions of dollars for needy causes - a fact often forgotten once the contestants hit the catwalk and the cameras start flashing.

This is a challenge to critics who condemn the event as a 'glorification of the suppression of women', or a 'sexist shindig that feeds ogling eyes'.

In actuality Miss China, who won the title of Miss World Saturday night will later spend the next 365 days trotting the globe raising money for victims of natural disasters, disease and poverty. Think about it.

At the coronation dinner Miss World 2007, China's Zhang Zilin, 23 from Beijing. Photo c/o Crowne Plaza Sanya, with kind thanks to Jessie Wang

So far the competition and ensuing charity events have seen a whopping $400 million raised during the last 25 years thanks to the theme "Beauty With A Purpose," which was created by Julia Morley the wife of the late Eric Morley, who dreamed up the event way back in 1951 London.

The event also promotes China. The contestants took part in various events like the annual Hainan Carnival Parade, as well as visiting key tourism centers such as the Panda Sanctuary in Sichuan while previewing key Olympic sites in Beijing.

But another big winner was Sanya, Hainan itself.

The seaside beach resort town has hosted four of the last five pageants. Next year it will be held in the Ukraine helping to boost that emerging nation into the world's spotlight.

Organizers chose Sanya in 2003, after the pageant was forced to flee Nigeria the previous year when rioting between Muslims and Christians killed 200 people. Chen Ci, Sanya's mayor at the time successfully secured the privilege to stage the event. `

It was a major coup for the local government, which took a gamble on an industry that was previously looked down upon. But they quickly discovered the event brought new roads and infrastructure and provided a much-needed boost for the local population who had previously struggled with poverty and skills acquisition.

Today Sanya has tourism colleges, and its own university and English and Russian languages. For outlying destinations like Baoting and the mountainside town of Wuzhishan, more travelers are making their way to stay the night or explore the local nature - in no small part thanks to Miss World.

Over the last several years the Hainan Government has actively promoted events that invigorate the local tourism industry. Sanya, twinned with the legendary French city of Cannes, now also holds an annual film and jazz festival. It will also be on the Olympic Torch relay route.

With excellent golfing facilities now established, and a new luxury cruise marina called Phoenix Island completed, the organizers and locals who supported the Miss World contest have helped leverage the former sleepy fishing village into a thriving paradise.

Also, in a short time, local carrier Hainan Airlines has become a major player domestically in China. There are connecting flights for passengers traveling to sunny Hainan from places as far as Hungary, South Korea, Japan and the UK. Just last week Hainan Group announced it was launching a new carrier, Grand China Air.

It may be difficult to fully comprehend the benefits of holding Miss World in a place like Sanya. To dismiss it as another example of the exploitation of women or as the death knell for locals who are now experiencing unprecedented development is to ignore the complexities and positive outcomes that have resulted since 2003.

Fireworks exploded over Sanya, a beach resort on Hainan Island off China's south coast, as news of Miss Zhang's win emerged.

But until her victory, the atmosphere inside the ￡6 million, purpose-built Beauty Crown theatre had been more subdued than electric.

The audience of around 2,000, including many families, had paid 800 RMB (￡52) a ticket, putting the event out of reach of ordinary Chinese, while there was a heavy police presence inside the auditorium. None of Britain's four contestants reached the semi-final stage.

Since it was first held in Sanya in 2003, Miss World has become an invaluable publicity vehicle for the Chinese government. With a global television audience of more than two billion, according to organisers, it is one of the most-watched events on the planet.

This year, contestants helped promote the 2008 Beijing Olympics by singing the official anthem of the Olympic torch relay.

"We were asked to do it and we were happy to be part of it.

advertisementThey didn't say, 'You have to do it'," said Julia Morley, the chairman of the Miss World Organisation.

The arrival of Miss World in China has created a craze for beauty pageants, after more than 50 years of being banned by the Communist Party as decadent and demeaning to women.

As recently as 2002, police closed down the Miss China competition, saying it was not officially licensed.

Now, there are contests across China almost monthly, including Miss Artificial Beauty, for women who have had plastic surgery, and others for pensioners.

A business administration graduate and part-time model, Miss Zhang is one of the thousands of young Chinese women who were inspired to enter beauty pageants after Miss World came to Sanya.

"I think it is just a dream to be here," she told The Sunday Telegraph a few hours before her win.

"When I was 18, I watched Miss World when it was first held in China and I thought it was fantastic. I knew then I wanted to be part of it."

She had just three days to prepare for the month-long competition, which was held on World Aids Day and included a video message from Nelson Mandela promoting HIV awareness, having only become Miss China at the end of October.

Unlike the Miss World contests of old, contestants are no longer judged solely on their looks in a bikini.

During the month-long competition they were put through sporting and singing tests.

All 106 did appear briefly in bikinis, but they spent much longer in elaborate, designer gowns.

Miss Zhang won over the judges, who included former tennis player Annabel Croft and singer Duncan James, by expressing her desire to help promote the Beijing Olympics and to bring glory to her country. "I think education is more important that being beautiful," she told The Sunday Telegraph.

Now, she believes she is the envy of most Chinese women.

"Miss World is very famous in China. I think deep down a lot of girls would like to take part in it," said Miss Zhang, who at 182 cms (5ft 11 and a half inches) was the tallest of this year's contestants.

Such sentiments are music to Mrs Morley's ears.

A determined Londoner, she is the guiding light behind the contest, which was originally launched by her late husband Eric Morley in 1951 and remains enormously popular in Asia and South America.

She claims it has gone from strength to strength since the disastrous 2002 event, during which the contestants had to flee Nigeria after riots by Muslims protesting against it left 250 people dead.

The annual arrival of 100 beauty queens from around the globe has helped turn Sanya and Hainan Island into a booming tourist destination.

For hundreds of years, it was feared as the place where China's emperors exiled those who had displeased them.

Now, it receives 16 million visitors a year, including more than half a million foreigners and is being promoted as the Hawaii of the Orient.

In April, Sanya's director of tourism revealed the area had experienced an 83 per cent increase in international tourists since it first staged Miss World.

"It's been a huge boost to their tourism and construction industries," said Mrs Morley.

"They were so happy the property developers offered me a house. I said I'd rather have a children's home for one of our charities, and so they built one."

Sanya's beaches have proved more popular with the contestants than Beijing, where they were taken to pose on the Great Wall and to attend a ball in aid of the Red Cross at the Great Hall of the People.

"To be honest, I prefer Sanya. Beijing was cold," said Miss England, Georgia Horsley.

Isolated in a hotel with the other contestants, the 20 year-old from North Yorkshire hasn't had much contact with the locals.

"I've not had much chance to speak to many Chinese. But I like China more

turkish delight

2007-12-09T09:29:00.001-08:00

Turkish Delight
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Turkish Delight (disambiguation).

A display of Turkish Delight in IstanbulTurkish Delight, lokum, or loukoum is a confection made from starch and sugar. It is often flavored with rosewater and lemon, the former giving it a characteristic pale pink color. It has a soft, jelly-like and sometimes sticky consistency, and is often packaged and eaten in small cubes that are dusted with sugar or copra to prevent sticking. Some types contain small nut pieces, usually pistachio, hazelnut or walnuts. Other common types include flavors such as cinnamon or mint.

Contents
1 Origin
2 Name
3 Around the world
4 In popular culture
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Origin

A tray of Turkish DelightReay Tannahill suggests that the Persian confection ahbisa (jelly) was the ancestor of Turkish rahat lokum, the long name for the sweet.[1]

According to the Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir Company of Istanbul, founded in 1777, lokum was popularized by them during the 19th century.[2]

Lokum was introduced to the west in the 19th century. An unknown Briton became very fond of the delicacy during his travels to Istanbul, and purchased cases of lokum, to be shipped back to Britain under the name Turkish Delight. It became a major delicacy not only in Britain, but throughout continental Europe.[citation needed]

[edit] Name
The Turkish word lokum may come from lokma in Turkish or لقوم lukuum, the Arabic plural of لقمة luqma(t) 'morsel' or 'mouthful'[3]. Alternatively, it may have derived from Ottoman rahat hulkum or Arabic راحة الحلقم rahat al-hulkum 'contentment of the throat' [4][5]. In Libya, for example, it is known as حلقوم ḥalgūm.

In English, it was formerly called "lumps of delight".[6]

[edit] Around the world
In North America, Turkish Delight is not especially common, but it forms the basic foundation of the Big Turk and Fry's Turkish Delight chocolate bars. It is also the basis for most of Liberty Orchards' line of confectionery, including Aplets & Cotlets and is the state candy of Washington. It is known in Brazil (called rahat) due to Lebanese immigration.

Armenian, Cypriot, Greek (called "λουκούμι", loukoumi), Albanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian (Albanian: "llokum", Bulgarian and Macedonian: "локум", lokum), Romanian (called "rahat"), Russia as well as in some former Yugoslav states like Bosnia and Herzegovina (called "rahat lokum"), or Serbia ("ратлук", ratluk), Iranian and other Middle Eastern cuisines also have sweets similar to Turkish delight.

Jelly desserts are also common in Asia, but they are entirely different from the composition of Turkish Delight and that of other Middle Eastern cuisines: Korean chapssaeltteok, similar to Japanese mochi, is a sweet cake made from sticky rice and usually filled with sweet red bean paste. China has a similar cake too, usually using sesame paste as well as red beans. The Malaysian version, the sticky 'dodol' is made with rice flour, palm sugar and santan (coconut milk). It is sometimes flavoured with the durian fruit.

[edit] In popular culture
Turkish Delight is the addictive confection to which Edmund Pevensie succumbs in The Lion, the
Turkish delight as Koyuncu triumphs in U23 race
09 December 2007
Kemal Koyuncu became the first Turkish man to strike gold at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships when he upset the form book to win in Toro.

Koyuncu had shown his credentials earlier this summer when he had finished third in the European Athletics U23 Championships 5,000m but few pundits had him as having anything other than an outside medal chance in a packed field that included a whole host of talented runners.

However, the relatively modest early pace left Koyuncu with plenty of energy and when he made his break for home just after six kilometres, it proved to be a decisive move.

There were still more than 20 runners bunched together at 5km with some of the faces at the front including Russia's Yevgeniy Rybakov, Italy's 2006 Junior Champion Andrea Lalli and Portugal's Nuno Costa. Serbia's Dusko Markesevic, the 2006 U23 silver medallist, was tucked back in the pack using his rivals as a wind break as was Britain's Andy Vernon, the 2005 Junior silver medallist.

The Netherlands' Michel Butter appeared to decide that it was time to speed things up at six kilometres and he made a surge which caught the rest of the leaders by surprise. The field then immediately fell into single file and small packs.

However, Butter's big for glory lasted barely 500m before Koyuncu overhauled him and the Turk quickly stretched his lead to 50m at the bell, which indicated 1,500m to go in the 8,200m race.

"I didn't expect such a powerful attack by the Turkish guy. I must say, I didn't know him very well," said Rybakov, expressing the sentiments of many of the favourites.

Behind Koyuncu, a quartet formed consisting of Rybakov, Butter, Lalli and Ireland's Andrew Ledwith which stayed together for a brief period before Rybakov started to chase Koyuncu.

Finishing fast as well was Vernon who moved up from sixth place with a kilometre remaining to get up on the shoulder of Rybakov.

"I tried my best to chase Koyuncu but it soon became clear that this was going to be a waste of energy and I concentrated on retaining second place because I knew the Englishman, who was approaching fast, would be dangerous. I think I made the right decision," added Rybakov, the 2002 and 2003 Junior Champion.

The enthralling battle between Rybakov and Vernon brought them closer to Koyuncu, who had anxiously been looking over his shoulder several times in the final kilometre, and briefly it looked as though they were going to catch him but the line came too quickly for either of them to deprive him of the gold medal and wipe the broad smile off his face.

Koyuncu stopped the clock at 24:31 with Rybakov getting the fourth individual medal of his career at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in second place with 24:33.

Vernon ran out of steam in the final 150m and finished two seconds further back but can take considerable pride in the fact that his efforts on the final lap brought Great Britain the team gold medals.

Britain had 52 points and got all their four men home in the top 19 places, just edging out Poland who had the same points but a lower placed fourth scorer. Russia finished third with 65 points.

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black christmas

2007-12-09T09:27:00.001-08:00

COMA, N.M. - Christmas Eve. Thousands of luminarias - candles in paper bags weighted with sand - line the road leading to the Acoma mesa.

The air is cool and so clear that stars fill the sky in the millions and seem to touch the earth. It's hard to tell where the luminarias stop and the stars begin. Ghostly shapes of mountains and dark mountain crags are silhouetted against the Milky Way, which is like a white highway across the sky.

I am among those standing on a cliff overlooking the Acoma valley, about 45 miles west of Albuquerque. A long time ago, a scout came to this cliff and called "Haak'u!" He heard an echo telling him that this was the appointed place where his people should settle. "Haak'u" in Keresan, the Acoma language, means "a place prepared."

This may have happened a thousand years ago - or two thousand years ago. The Acoma, one of 19 pueblo tribes in New Mexico, say that their mesa-top village is the longest continually occupied settlement in the United States.

This night, there are a hundred of us lucky enough to be on our way to the top of the mesa. Starting at the Sky City Casino Hotel, some 18 miles away, we arrive at the Acoma Cultural Center at the foot of the 367-foot-high mesa in buses and then transfer to mini-vans for the trip to the top. A woman from Santa Fe sitting across from me says that she wanted to do something that would get back to the true spirit of Christmas and had found this.

We don't know exactly

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what to expect.
The old Acoma settlement has neither electricity nor running water. On top of the mesa, with a cold wind blowing, people are standing in darkness, waiting to go to the plaza in front of the church of San Esteban del Rey, built between 1629 and 1641 under the direction of Friar Juan Ramirez. The church, with its twin bell towers, looms in the darkness against the brilliant background of stars.

We silently make our way to the front, where luminarias burn along the wall and on the steps.

On the other side of the small plaza is a cemetery with white wooden crosses tipped in black. It is about 200 feet square and 40 feet deep. Hundreds of years ago, Acoma women carried baskets of earth for the cemetery from the valley below. Until the 1950s, there was no road - only a steep path chiseled in the rocks. The cemetery took 40 years to build. Around it is an adobe wall topped with faces fashioned from mud - sentinels guarding the dead. It is a very sacred place. Now the only people who are buried here are veterans and those who have lived on the mesa all their lives.

Midnight looms

Tonight, candles burn in front of the crosses and one is decked out in Christmas lights. There are small offerings of food.

At exactly midnight, the ancient bells of the church begin to peal and the old wooden doors creak open. Somewhere inside, men are singing. Later, I learn they are Acoma holy men sitting in the church balcony, singing and praying.

The crowd files into the church, which has a few benches around the edge of the room, but no seats in the middle. The only light is from candles placed along the sides and the candles that people hold.

Some have baskets with offerings - food, flowers, a few precious items such as turquoise stones, small, white, wooden crosses with black tips like those in the cemetery, and candles. They carry them toward the altar, where they leave them.

In front of the altar is an arch decked with pine boughs, with deer heads affixed to either side.

Ninety feet above our heads, the ceiling of the adobe structure is dimly visible in the candlelight. Its 46 beams of ponderosa pine came from Mount Taylor, about 30 miles away. The Spanish padres forced the Acoma men to transport the beams without touching the ground. If one did touch, it had to be abandoned and the men forced to start the trip again.

The procession surges forward, with candles lighting solemn faces. I turn to see that a bonfire has been lit on the plaza, opposite the open church door.

Then I hear drumming and singing. I push my way back through the crowd to see dancers enter the church - a man and a boy with buffalo headdresses and women with black fringe covering their eyes and bells on their hands. The church vibrates to the drummers and the rhythmic stamping of their feet.

This group of dancers is followed by many others. A small boy with a spiky headdress holding a bow and arrows is accompanied by four drummers. I wonder if the young hunter is also a representation of the Christ child.

The dancing goes on for hours. As each group finishes in the church, the dancers circle the bonfire in the plaza, where the sparks leap up toward the stars. In the final dance, two men with antlers strapped to their heads and pine boughs covering their faces mimic the gait of deer, leaning on sticks as they dance.

It's 2 a.m. Time to go back down to the valley.

It's now Christmas. We have welcomed the child.

Christmas Day dawns clear and cold. Christmas is a private day on the mesa with more dancing in the church, gift exchanges and visits from family and friends.

Only about 30 people live on the mesa full time. Most Acoma live in the nearby communities of McCartys, Acomita, Anzac and Sky Line, but families maintain a home on the mesa that is passed on from generation to generation, always to the youngest daughter.

Feast day celebrations

On feast days everyone returns. Tables are laden with food, including bread baked in a "horno" - a clay oven fired with wood - and posole, a mutton and hominy stew flavored with chiles and garlic. People go from house to house and there is always room for one more person around the table.

The next day, the public is again welcome to share in the festivities. In the church, I watch dancers doing a traditional Comanche dance as Santa Claus gives out presents and two men stand guard over Baby Jesus on the altar. There are toys and candy canes for the children and oranges for the elders. Everyone gets a present, including Baby Jesus.

That day, Dale Vallo Sanchez gives me a tour of the mesa. She is a member of the Eagle clan, one of 13 clans in the Acoma tribe, and as the youngest girl in her generation, inherited the family house. She points it out to me and says that it is almost 800 years old.

"We can give our houses away, but we can't rent or sell them," she says. "They weren't ours to start with. They belong to Mother Nature."

We go into the church and Dale approaches the altar, takes a pinch of cornmeal and sprinkles it as she prays.

"We always use cornmeal when we pray," she explains. "I guess it would be like having rosaries in our hands and saying hello to Baby Jesus and telling Baby Jesus to have a good day."

I wonder how the Acoma people can accept Catholicism since the Spaniards, when they conquered the Acoma in the 17th century, cut off one foot of all males over 25 years old, and consigned them and all women and children to servitude.

Dale says that she once asked her grandfather, a cacique (chief) of the tribe and a sheepherder, the same thing. "Whatever happened was many years ago," he said. "You weren't here. The first thing you have to learn to be a good person is how to forgive. Once you learn how to forgive, then you can have a better life.

"Ninety-seven percent of us are Catholics," Dale adds. "One hundred percent of us still celebrate our native religion."

A public pueblo

Acoma is one of two New Mexican pueblos (the other is Taos) that welcomes visitors. In 2006, the Acoma opened a stunning new Cultural Center at the foot of the mesa. It incorporates architectural elements derived from the historical route of the Acoma people, beginning in Mesa Verde, Colo., and then going to Chaco Canyon and then to Acoma.

Tours of the mesa are offered daily (except for 10 days in the year when Acoma is closed to the public). Acoma potters set up tables outside their homes so visitors can buy directly some of the wares for which the pueblo is justly famous.

Feast days, which occur throughout the year, are particularly joyful, especially the Feast of San Esteban on Sept. 2. As part of the celebration, tribal members go up on the roofs of their houses and throw gifts to the crowd below.

"There's no other Acoma in this state, in this country, in this world," says Marvis J. Aragon Jr., CEO of Acoma Business Enterprises, which include the Sky City Casino Hotel and other non-gaming businesses. "We believe that it's special. We believe that it finds its place in the balance of the world.

"Mother Nature has an awesome energy, as does the human race - probably enough to destroy each other. Grandma always encouraged, 'take care of the people, the animals and the land and they'll take care of you.'

"At Acoma, we were always encouraged to acknowledge the greater world around us and that there are many peoples of different colors and cultures that are going about their day as we are, and to hope and pray - we are a praying people - that they find balance in their lives."