Buehrle Wins 100th As White Sox End Skid

CHICAGO - The champagne was chilled, but Mark Buehrle sounded like a man who was simply relieved - not poised to pop open a bottle.

Buehrle pitched eight strong innings for his 100th career victory and the Chicago White Sox beat the Houston Astros 6-3 to snap a five-game losing streak on Sunday. Now, he has a minor milestone this season to go with the no-hitter he pitched in April.

"I'd rather have those things not happen to me, and we be in first place or close to leading the division," Buehrle said. "But on a personal level, it feels pretty good."

Paul Konerko had three hits - including a solo homer - and drove in two runs as Chicago won for just the third time …

Swine flu fears keep world markets under pressure

World stock markets fell Tuesday but relatively strong U.S. consumer confidence and housing data helped limit swine flu-related losses.

The FTSE 100 of leading British shares closed down 70.61 points, or 1.7 percent, at 4,096.40 while Germany's DAX fell 86.65 points, or 1.9 percent, to 4,607.42. The CAC-40 in France was down 51.41 points, or 1.7 percent, at 3,051.02.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 16.57 points, or 0.2 percent, at 8,008.43 while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index was down 2.13 points, or 0.3 percent, at 855.38.

The solid performance on Wall Street was unexpected _ futures markets were predicting …

Edgar exhumes an issue

Fulton County residents are stunned. Native Americans areskeptical. Some of Gov. Edgar's own staffers were taken aback whenhe decided to reopen the Dickson Mounds controversy, and detractorsare contemptuous of his motives. But Edgar, who only last year saidhe saw "no reason" to honor Native American demands for the return of237 exposed skeletons in an Indian burial exhibit at Dickson Mounds,is getting an earful now.

He is hearing about assaults on the religious beliefs of"spiritual heirs" of the Mississippians who lived in the area nearLewistown 900 years ago, and about snubs to elected officials whoweren't consulted when Edgar's predecessor briefly consideredshutting …

Ireland edges past Scotland 21-18 in Six Nations

EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — Ireland withstood a late rally by plucky Scotland to seal a 21-18 win at Murrayfield on Sunday and stay in contention for the Six Nations title.

Converted tries by Jamie Heaslip, Eoin Reddan and recalled flyhalf Ronan O'Gara put the Irish 21-9 ahead by the 53rd minute, but their continued indiscipline brought Scotland back into the match.

Fullback Chris Paterson kicked his fourth penalty and replacement flyhalf Dan Parks added a penalty and a drop goal to pull the hosts within three points with 10 minutes left.

Ireland held on, though, for a second win in three matches and is now level on four points with Wales and France.

Unbeaten …

Venus prevails over little sister Serena for fifth Wimbledon crown

Thrilled as she was to win her fifth Wimbledon singles championship, Venus Williams muted her celebration.

No hopping in place and skipping to the net after match point, the way she's done so often on that Centre Court lawn. No giddy laughter and whoops of joy, as she's let out in the past.

This title was different from her previous successes at the grass-court Grand Slam.

This title came at the expense of her younger sibling, Serena.

Reprising their Sister Slam Show in the Wimbledon final after a five-year hiatus, Venus and Serena Williams smacked big serves, hit hard strokes from all angles and chased down seemingly unreachable balls, …

Driver for court over fatal crash The driver of an Aberdeen-bound coach has been charged over the deaths of three people in a crash on the M25.

The driver of an Aberdeen-bound coach has been charged over thedeaths of three people in a crash on the M25.

Scottish driver Philip Rooney faces three counts of death bydangerous driving after the crash near Heathrow in January.

Two passengers on the National Express 592 service died in thecrash and a third died from their injuries months later.

Rooney, 48, of Lanarkshire, is due to appear in court in Englandnext week.

Special caseworker lawyer Denis Burke from the Crown ProsecutionService said: "After months of careful consideration, I have decidedthat there is sufficient evidence against Mr Rooney for there to be arealistic prospect of a …

Effect of cationic lipids in the formation of asymmetries in supported bilayers

ABSTRACT We have studied the formation of a supported bilayer containing both cationic and zwitterionic lipids by fusion of small unilamellar vesicles (SUV) onto the solid surface at low salt conditions using a combination of attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) and deuterium NMR spectroscopy with microcalorimetry. The data suggest that a significant cationic lipid asymmetry between the outer (distal) and the inner (proximal) monolayer of a supported bilayer results under conditions of prolonged incubation times of the solid support with the SUV coating solution. For a SUV composition of DPPC/DHDAB (4:1) we observed an enrichment of the cationic component in the proximal …

US sets sights on old rival Canada

The U.S. women's team shouldn't expect any surprises when it plays Canada in the quarterfinals of the Olympic football tournament on Friday.

The CONCACAF rivals have met four times this year and nine overall since the U.S. won the Olympic gold at the 2004 Athens Games.

"It's going to be a battle, we've played them so many times," defender Lori Chalupny said. "We have a good feeling for them and familiarity with them, but it's always a battle. We'll be prepared and excited for that game."

The U.S. is the clear favorite for the match in Shanghai. It won all those nine matches since Athens, outscoring Canada 25-4. One of the …

States in the 'hot seat'

"Who Wants to be a Millionaire" had about 830 contestants throughApril 11, the last time a West Virginian appeared on the show. OnlyAlaska, Wyoming and Montana had not yet had a contestant on theshow. Here's how West Virginia compares on a per-capita basis withsome other states in the number of …

My success on the game of golf

In London, at the territory of the Agricultural University, eight golf driving range has opened. Now the University has the opportunity not only to teach students how to maintain and care about such courses, and by combining business with pleasure, also to receive money from residents of the district for teaching them such very elite of sports as per our standards for a reasonable price.
According to the head of educational research and production center, Mark Traisman, it is the eighth driving range in London, designed for practicing long strokes. Initially, there was a wetland area, which could not be farmed. In 2008, the field was dried and cultivated. After all, the natural herbage on any sports field, whether it be football pitch or golf course, is much better and comfortable than artificial turf. "At the driving range we teach students to make such coverage, service and maintain them, we make investigations, and in order to get funds for it, we conduct self-supporting activities, provide services," says Mark Traisman.
Last year the field was seeded by Czech grass mixture. There were only research, testing of growth inhibitors, fungicides, comparative variety trials of native grasses and herbs of foreign selection. The territory was maintained in the mode of the golf course, and this year one decided to open it for the game, in order it pays for itself.
The area of the training field is about five hectares. In high season, the grass has to be mowed every four days. There was made an automatic watering system with sprinklers, which are removed from the soil by operator order and water grass evenly. To maintain one hectare of golf course costs 16-19 thousand dollars a year.
Now everything is ready for play — 24 platforms, 11 sets of golf clubs, which are given on hire, automatic issuance of balls, equipment for field maintenance, lawn mowers, a machine for collecting balls. The area is guarded round the clock. In the plans, to open a so-called club house with changing rooms, showers, cafe, to arrange a golf putting, where you can train in winter. And most important is to arrange the green parking. Now the golf course allows you to hit for distance nearly up to 230 meters, after the accession of another section the range of the impact will increase to 340-350 m. The record is more than 400 meters, well-trained athlete who has played golf for 3-4 years, can hit for up to 250 m, the average person, God forbid, might strike up to 175.
So far here are a few golfers. Stew was one of the first who learned about the opening of a new driving range, he is engaged in the sport for six years. He likes the quality of the lawn, the abundance of platforms and cost. Occupations carried away the whole family of Igor - his wife and daughter. Golf is a good family entertainment, an interesting sport, a whole philosophy and a kind of physical activities, which allows you to perfect yourselves and keep in good shape all your life until old age.

Hablando con la Verdad

Como siempre hoy estamos dirigi�ndonos a nuestro pueblo con el s�lo �nimo de sembrar un bosque de esperanzas en el coraz�n de los hombres y mujeres de nuestra naci�n. Al analizar con Uds. el escenario triste y deplorable en que el Comandante de las ollas de cocinar arroz nos ha envuelto a todos.

Primero es necesario comprender que vivir con dignidad al tiempo que cosechar �xitos no es una tarea f�cil. Y eso lo sabemos. Se requiere de mucho valor acompa�ada de una gran gran fe, para marchar sin vacilaciones por los tortuosos senderos de la vida, sin desviarnos por las tentaciones, las debilidades y toda una far�ndula de miserias humanas que nos asaltan en alg�n momento de nuestra …

Series of quakes hit eastern Indonesia, killing 1

A series of powerful earthquakes killed a 10-year-old girl and seriously injured dozens in remote eastern Indonesia, briefly triggering fears of another tsunami in a country still recovering from 2004's deadly waves.

One of the quakes _ of magnitude 7.3 _ was felt as far away as Australia and sent small tsunamis into Japan's southeastern coast.

Residents near the epicenter in Papua province rushed from their homes in search of higher ground shortly after the first 7.6-magnitude quake struck Sunday at 4:43 a.m. local time (1943 GMT), afraid that huge waves might wash over the island.

The epicenter was about 85 miles (135 kilometers) from Papua's …

EDITORIALS

Justice

- The presumption of innocence costs

money, but the alternative is worseUPON learning that the trial of David Rabb for beating avery pregnant woman with a tire iron cost $100,000, readers no doubtwere outraged. That seems an awful steep price to pay to defendsomeone so obviously guilty.But once the sticker shock subsides, one remembers that this isWest Virginia, which recently employed Fred Zain as the State Policeforensics lab chief. His testimony led to the false conviction ofseveral men, who were cleared only after DNA testing by independentlaboratories.Avoiding future miscarriages of justice makes $100,000 look likechicken feed.Providing a …

Scottish Soccer Results

Results Sunday in Scottish soccer (home teams listed first):

Premier League

Celtic 3, Rangers 2

'Chicago Tonight' looks to grow with Bob Sirott

WTTW-Channel 11's flagship weeknight news program will expand toone hour this fall and bring on Bob Sirott to share hosting dutieswith current "Chicago Tonight" front man Phil Ponce.

That's the latest word at the public television station, whereRandy King is starting to make some big moves in his new role asexecutive vice president for television. Until he joined Channel 11last month, King headed operations at WFLD-Channel 32.

Sirott, who previously worked with King on "Fox Thing in theMorning" at Channel 32, has been developing free-lance projects atChannel 11 for the past year.

Nothing is official yet, but in meetings with staffers, King hasoutlined an ambitious plan to broaden the scope of "Chicago Tonight"beyond its current single-topic discussion format. With a second half-hour, the show would delve more deeply into such areas as arts,entertainment, politics, health, business and finance.

In addition to Sirott and Ponce, prominent roles would continuefor "Chicago Tonight" correspondents Elizabeth Brackett and RichSamuels, "The Week in Review" host Joel Weisman and "Chicago Stories"host John Callaway.

Channel 11 also is expected to unveil a new set for the show.

In another matter, King and Dan Schmidt, president and chiefexecutive of Channel 11's parent company, Window to the WorldCommunications, were en route to Washington to be honored at a WhiteHouse ceremony today.

Channel 11 and eight other public television stations are beingcited for innovative educational outreach efforts in conjunction withPBS' "Ready to Learn" childhood literacy program.

Dialing: Talk of a program shakeup at WLS

* The Doctor is out: WLS-AM (890) appears ready to drop thesyndicated advice talk show hosted by Dr. Laura Schlessinger when hercontract with the ABC-owned talk station expires later this month.Her show currently airs here in two parts--from 9 to 11 a.m. and from11 p.m. to midnight.

In a program realignment expected to be announced today, WLS willadd the syndicated talk show hosted by Sean Hannity, who's also co-host of Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes." Hannity's radio show,which originates from WABC-AM in New York, will air here on a tape-delay basis from 9 p.m. to midnight.

To accommodate the changes, evening hosts Jay Marvin and EileenByrne are expected to team up from 9 to 11 a.m. Marvin also willcontinue to host "Chicago PM" with Jim Johnson and Bill Cameron from6 to 7 p.m.

* Another deadline has come and gone with still no improvement inthe signal of WDCB-FM (90.9). The College of DuPage's public radiostation has been broadcasting at reduced power since Dec. 22, whenhigh winds knocked down its transmitter tower and antenna in westsuburban Glen Ellyn.

March 25 had been the station's latest target for completion ofits new antenna, but officials now say their signal won't be back upto full power until the end of April. They attributed the delay tosoil testing at the site of the new tower.

In the meantime, fans of WDCB's programming--including jazz showsand Chuck Schaden's "Those Were the Days"--can access the stationonline at: www.wdcb.org.

* It might have seemed like a ridiculously obvious April Fools'Day stunt, but more than a few folks were taken in by WXRT-FM (93.1)and its "Do It Yourself Radio" format Monday.

Gullible listeners were urged to call and "take over" the stationby introducing songs, reading news and weather updates and evensinging along karaoke-style. Hundreds of them took the bait.

* "MIXclusives Volume Two," a CD compilation of performances byartists on WTMX-FM (101.9), is on sale at retail outlets throughoutthe Chicago area. A portion of the proceeds benefits Gilda's ClubChicago, which provides social and emotional support for cancerpatients and their families.

* Cris Ohr, vice president and general manager of WLUP-FM (97.9),and Ric Federighi, program director of Metro Networks/ShadowBroadcast Services, have been named co-chairs for Chicago's 2002Achievement in Radio Awards. They're joining Beth Russell, vicepresident/regional executive of Interep Midwest, who returns for asecond year as co-chair.

AIR Awards, which benefit the March of Dimes, honor excellence inlocal radio. The seventh annual awards luncheon will be Nov. 7 at theHyatt Regency Chicago.

E-mail: feder@suntimes.com

U.S. officials: Bonds indictment shows how attitudes have changed in America

The indictment of Barry Bonds was hailed by leading U.S. anti-doping officials Friday as an example of how far America has come in the fight against performance-enhancing drugs.

"This is just another story related to the big picture that Americans don't like cheaters," Scott Burns, Deputy Director of White House Drug Policy, told The Associated Press in an interview at a world anti-doping summit in Madrid.

Bonds, who surpassed Hank Aaron to become Major League Baseball's career home run leader in August, is looking at 30 years in prison after being charged with four counts of perjury and one of obstruction of justice after a four-year investigation by federal prosecutors into doping by elite U.S. athletes involved with Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, or BALCO.

"It shows from the evidence that the U.S. government is committed to healthy sport," U.S. Anti-Doping Agency chief executive Travis Tygart told the AP. "You just have to have the resolve and the determination and we've demonstrated that."

Burns and Tygart were among 1,500 national government, sports federation and anti-doping officials attending the Third World Conference of Doping in Sport. The delegates are scheduled to approve a revised code of global anti-doping rules Saturday.

The American officials said Bonds' indictment shows how the U.S. view toward performance-enhancing substances has shifted in recent years.

"I asked around to see who were the biggest cheats in the world and they said, `You are, the United States are perceived as the biggest cheaters in the world,'" Burns said. "Five years later, I often get questions, `Are we too good (in anti-doping efforts)? Have we gone too far?'"

"I'll take that criticism any day," he said.

World Anti-Doping Agency president Dick Pound had another take on the Bonds case.

"It's not fair that some goon who can hit a ball that's still rising as it leaves the county gets paid 12 times as much as I do and I'm a shortstop that's at least as skillful as this other guy," Pound said. "There's a fraud on the public, a fraud on the players, it just makes the game not real."

The Bonds case will likely pressure major league sports in the U.S. to move closer to the international anti-doping code.

"If (players) think the only penalty when they get caught is a four-game or a 50-game penalty, it's not much of a penalty," Tygart said. "But you suddenly put in jail time and felony conviction and it's a dramatic difference in the deterrent effect and we're thrilled."

Pound said the Major League Baseball Players' Association is part of the problem.

"They approach these whole things like a steel town union," he said. "I've always found it hard to believe that the folks who reportedly speak for the athletes and professional players associations actually do."

The International Olympic Committee is satisfied that the Bonds indictment means it can continue building its BALCO dossier to uncover more cheats. American sprinter Marion Jones returned the five Olympic medals she won at the 2000 Sydney Games when faced with jail time for also lying under oath in court for her involvement in BALCO.

"We welcome anything that can shed further light on the BALCO affair," IOC vice president Thomas Bach said. "We're looking to find out more on the whole affair, to know who else was involved, to draw more conclusions."

Jones' beat over 160 drug tests while dodging doping allegations for the past seven years.

"She's a cheater, she's a fraud and I have great empathy _ and great sympathy _ for the people who competed against her clean," Burns said. "I don't know if their can ever be a good feeling for what happened but at least it's a great victory for us in anti-doping."

Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou, who was caught up in a drug-testing scandal at the 2004 Athens Olympics and served a two-year ban, would stand to be upgraded to Jones' 100-meter gold from Sydney. But the IOC is considering leaving the gold medal place vacant.

Burns believes that would be a mistake.

"Personally I would hope that we would extend whatever it takes to find out who the true winner was, the person who competed that was clean and hopefully that person would receive the award in recognition," he said.

Sudan Justice Minister says 31 people will face criminal charges for coup attempt

Sudanese opposition politicians and members of the military jailed since July are to face criminal charges in an alleged coup attempt, Sudan's Justice Minister said Monday.

The 31 suspects, almost half of them former or active military officers, could face charges of sedition, inciting hatred against the state, and plotting a rebellion from inside the army, Justice Minister Mohamed Ali al-Mardi said in a statement.

The detainees, which include a leading opposition politician and former regime insider, Mubarak al-Fadil, have been held without charges since a police sweep in July. The London-based rights group Amnesty International has said several were tortured to extract confessions. Some of the detainees have since begun a hunger strike to protest their conditions.

Al-Mardi said the Justice Ministry has now received the relevant documentation from the courts, and will evaluate on whom to press charges.

"Afterward, the attorney will decide who will be brought to the court of justice and under what article of the penal code," the minister was quoted as saying by the official Sudan News Agency.

Al-Mardi said the relevant charges should be pressed "within a week."

Island Furs, a jewel of the South side

Island Furs, a jewel of the South side

Adorning a fur coat has long been a staple of success in African American communities. No one knows that better than Island Fur owners, Gerald J. Brown and Berry James.

Island Furs, located on 1827 W. 103rd St., is one of only five African American owned furriers in the nation, and the only one in Chicago.

Both James and Brown are 20 years plus veterans in the fur industry. They've worked for major fur companies in retail, design, and manufacturing.

Meeting through mutual fur companies, the two soon decided that they should partner and work for themselves.

"We said that if we could do this for everyone else then we could do it for ourselves," said James.

Despite the controversy that surrounded fur purchases in the early 1990's, James said Island Furs opened strong. "All the controversy did not bother our market," said James. With a clientele that is "99 percent African American," Island Furs has grown thirty percent each year since its launch in 1992.

The South Side furrier specializes in mink. However, Island Furs also carries raccoon, beaver, coyote, sable, and Tibetan lamb designs for both men and women. Brown designs 80 percent of their fur collection. Island Fur apparel can range from $2,000 to $50,000 per item.

The company also has a full line of leather coats.

However, they also provide full fur services. Island Furs repairs, redesigns, manufactures, cleans and stores furs.

So what's hot in the fur market? "The college students are getting more into fur jackets," said James. James also notes that the full length fur coat is growing in popularity as well as fur wear for men.

James advises those thinking of purchasing a fur to develop a relationship with their furrier.

"Ask them a lot of questions and learn how to determine the quality of the skin," said James. Furs, said James, should be cleaned once a year.

Coats should also be stored with a furrier or in a moderate temperature during the summer.

James accredits Island Furs' success to the "personal touch" they give their customers.

Article Copyright Sengstacke Enterprises, Inc.

Photo (Berry James, Jr. and Gerald Brown)

Challenges to Governing Remote Information

Records and information management (RIM) offers reduced risk to organizations sending data to the cloud. In recent years, some organizations sent data first and then asked records analysts to manage the information-an inverted sequence that produced problems. Even when well planned, records management in the cloud is a serious challenge.

The latest attempt to define age-old records management concepts comes from ARMA International's Generally Accepted Recordkeeping Principles (GARP). These principles apply millennia of learning through a universal system that's appropriate for the cloud, as well as for ancient scrolls.

To apply GARP to the cloud, organizations and their records managers need to address the following:

1. Connectivity requirements: To meet the principle of availability, cloud providers must install adequate capacity for rapid retrievals and reliable availability. The communication system must consistently operate at an acceptable speed. Neither bandwidth nor processing loads should bring delivery speeds below specifications.

2. Loss of control: Storage in the cloud inherently lowers record owners' control over their data. Information from a single source may be stored in physically diverse locations. Control may further degrade when cloud providers merge, go out of business, or otherwise add layers of insulation between the provider and the user.

3. Responsibility: Cloud computing multiplies the variables at each stage of a record's life cycle. This increases the responsibilities of the information manager. To apply GARP in the cloud, a records manager must have resources in technology, compliance and legal matters.

For example, many nations severely restrict the export of private information. If a service provider's cloud is in one of those countries, records may be trapped there. The savvy records manager will engage the services of a contract attorney to be sure any agreement with the cloud provider keeps private information both safe and available. The records manager cannot rely on the service provider to know the host country's law.

4. Liability: The principle of compliance has two sides. First, it requires that a records management program meet all applicable laws, regulations and ethics. Second, it requires a defined level of participation in records management by record owners and custodians. In the cloud, this can be problematic.

Implementations of cloud storage may be poorly defined with changing policies. Can a cloud user, having yielded aspects of RIM to a service provider, prove legal and regulatory compliance? Can the cloud provider guarantee, for example, that legal holds are effectively applied? Can the records manager easily audit the records to measure staff compliance with the organization's policies and procedures? Without definitive, positive answers to these questions, an organization may find itself legally liable for records policies beyond its control.

5. Disaster methodology: Usually, risk analyses direct disaster recovery and business continuity strategies. When records reside in indeterminate locations under unstated or fuzzy rules for protection against disaster, the risks are incalculable. Precise contracts, policies and procedures mitigate these risks, but it can be difficult to prove cloud vendor compliance.

6. Disposition: Disposing of unneeded records is as important as retaining needed ones. Cloud providers may not clearly state their means of disposition, and assessing their practice of disposition may be impossible. And they may not understand the threats lurking in residual traces of data and metadata. Records managers need reliable proof that disposed records are truly gone or, alternatively, ineligible for legal discovery.

7. Persistent preservation strategy: Similarly, it is difficult to ensure long-term, persistent (permanent) integrity of records in the cloud. In the intermediate term, routine maintenance and measurements threaten records' metadata. In the long term, changes in hardware, operating systems, application software, storage media, encryption keys, security utilities and more threaten to render records unreadable.

8. Interoperability: There are few defined provisions for interoperability in cloud storage. Evolution in technology can render records irretrievable or corrupted. Protection against this threat is hard to write into contracts, and when it is, compliance with the wording may be difficult to enforce.

9. Continuity: The rules of cloud governance are still fluid, and potential users must evaluate vendors' stability. Among the plethora of cloud providers, some will undoubtedly fail, merge, be acquired or evolve into using other technologies. Records managers must be futurists and plan for potential breaks in their cloud provider's continuity. Contracts can provide for third-party receiverships, source code in escrow and advance warnings, but risks remain.

Practicing GARP becomes a framework for risk reduction. It allows organizations to ask the question, "How can we use best practices while taking advantage of the cloud? How can we enjoy the benefits while minimizing the risks?"

In the not-too-distant future, the obstacles to RIM in the cloud will diminish as cloud providers incorporate GARP into their offerings. And, as new technologies appear, and records managers will apply GARP to them as well.

[Author Affiliation]

Gordon E.J. Hoke, Certified Records Manager, is an independent consultant based in Plainview, Minn.

MOON MADNESS

When the sea receded 50 feet in one week on Puerto Rico's southern coast, people feared a tsunami was on the way. The extreme low tide stirred alarm in communities and sparked theories not only of a natural disaster, but supernatural as well. "There are people who have said it's a biblical sign," says Pedro Calixto, a Guayama resident. "There are others who don't dare go into the ocean because they believe it's a supernatural thing." But when residents called Puerto Rico's seismological agency, they discovered no earthquakes had been reported, and that the lower-than-normal tides were simply the work of the moon. According to seismologist Alberto Lopez Venegas, these severe tides happen only a few times yearly worldwide, when the moon is at its closest point to Earth, causing a stronger gravitational pull. The phenomenon was also witnessed across the Caribbean and in Central America. (SOURCE: The Associated Press)

Steppin' Out turns 20

A look back at the history and growth of the HIV/AIDS nonprofit

ROYAL OAK - The man who took the first steps toward creating an annual AIDS walk in the Detroit area did not live long enough to see the Steppin' Out walk blossom into gigantic annual event benefiting 20 different AIDS-related agencies.

Bill Thomas, owner of Pronto! Restaurant in Royal Oak and one of Steppin' Out's founders and current board president, recalls how the movement started 20 years ago. "A good friend of mine named Tony Caputo hadjust moved back to Detroit from New York, where he' d been working with HTV agencies," Thomas recalls. "There was a lot going on there to raise money and awareness about the AIDS epidemic, but there wasn't anything like that going on in Detroit.

"(Caputo) went around to business owners and requested that we come up with some sort of a benefit, like a luncheon or an auction or something small like that," Thomas continues. "Four of us got together - it was Pronto!, Gail's Chocolates, Lotus Imports and Patti Smith Gallery - and we told him, 1No, think bigger! Let's make a day of it! ' And we came up with the idea of an AIDS Walk. It was the first of its kind in Michigan."

About 300 people came out for that first walk, which raised $1,800 to fight AIDS.

Year by year, AIDS Walk Detroit grew, and now attracts over 5,000 walkers and raises over $300,000 annually that goes directly to local fflV/AIDS organizations. AIlAIDS Walk Detroit proceeds are directed to Stepp in' Out and granted back to agencies that provide prevention, education and direct-care services to HIV-positive people living in metro Detroit. Agencies that form walk teams with lOormore walkers receive 97 percent of all pledges collected for walkers on those teams' behalf.

And though the walk remains successful every year, the peak event, says Thomas, came in 2001 - after it was nearly canceled because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"The tragedy happened on a Tuesday and the walk was scheduled for Sunday," Thomas explains. "We got a call from the city saying it couldn't happen because of security issues, but we pushed on and it was a phenomenal event. We had a record turnout and raised a lot more than expected. There was such a good feeling in the crowd. People were embracing the opportunity to come together. It was the biggest expression of human caring - so heartwarming."

Caputo, however, did not get to see the group's largest successes. He fell victim to the very disease he worked so hard to prevent, dying from complications due to AIDS in 1994.

Thomas and others pressed on, making the annual event both fun and inspiring throughout the years. Along with the walk, Steppin' Out has held celebrity shoe auctions to raise money for the cause. In the mid '90s they convinced Madonna to be their official spokesperson. The hometown diva donated shoes and the sparkly bra worn in her "Girlie Tour." The bra is still on display in the lobby of Mon J�n Lau in Troy. Actor MeI Gibson and HIV-positive basketball superstar Magic Johnson have also donated footwear to the cause.

The shoe auction eventually evolved into Step Inside the Box. Plain, black shoe boxes are sent to various artists, celebrities, organizations and public figures to be filled, decorated and auctioned off. Last year's boxes included intricate dioramas, works of art, boxes stuffed with free goodies and, from Pronto!, a box decorated and filled with old-fashioned candies from their corner store.

AIDS Walk Detroit opens each year with a viewing of panels from the large NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. Each panel represents someone who has died of AIDS. It's a sobering reminder of all the many lives who have been and are still touched by the epidemic.

"HTV and AIDS is still a serious problem in our society," Thomas says. "But we look at AIDS Walk Detroit as a celebration. It brings people together from all walks of life. (AIDS) is really diverse in that it touches every corner of the population in one way or another, but we can fight and we can embrace the day as celebration because we are liberated enough to walk together and say, 'Icare.'"

This year's walk takes place Sept. 19 and begins at the Royal OakFarmer's Market, located in downtown Royal Oak. For more information, or to sign up, visit www.aidswalkdetroit.org.

[Sidebar]

"HIV and AIDS is still a serious problem in our society, but we look at AIDS Walk Detroit as a celebration. (AIDS) is really diverse in that it touches every corner of the population in one way or another, but we can fight and we can embrace the day as celebration because we are liberated enough to walk together and say, ? care/"

- Bill Thomas, pictured left, board president of Steppin' Out

[Sidebar]

Get out and walk!

A guide to 2010 AIDS Walk

Sunday, Sept. 19

AIDS Walk for Life, A walk to raise funds for HTV/ AIDS advocacy and care in Windsor. Hosted by the AIDS Committee of Windsor. Dieppe Park, Windsor, www.aidswindsor.org

AIDS Walk Detroit, 9 a.m. The 19th annual walk to raise funds for HIV/AIDS advocacy and treatment, hosted by Steppin' Out. Farmer's Market, 316 E. 11 Mile Road, Royal Oak. 248399-9255. www.aidswalkdetroit.org

AIDS Walk Afterglow, 1 p.m. An all-youcan-eat feast following AIDS Walk Detroit, with proceeds benefiting the Michigan AIDS Coalition. Buffet includes BBQ ribs, pierogi, pasta and salad, as well as vegetarian options. Admission: $15. Dino's Lounge, 22740 Woodward Ave., Ferndale. 248-545-1435. www.michiganaidscoalition.org

Wednesday, Sept. 22

Message of Hope Dinner, 6 p.m. A fundraiser dinner to raise money for the Michigan AIDS Coalition. Free, but with donations encouraged. Angelina's Italian Bistro, 1565 Broadway, Detroit. 248-545- 1435. www-michiganaidscoalition.org

Saturday, Sept. 25

Detroit AIDS Walk, 8:30 a.m. Palmer Park, Detroit, www.aidswalkmichigan.org

Central Michigan AIDS Walk, 9 a.m. Island Park, Mt. Pleasant, www.aidswalkmichigan.org

Jackson AIDS Walk, 9 a.m. Riverwalk Amphitheater, 1 Energy Plaza Drive. www.aidswalkmichigan.org

Bay City/Midland/Saginaw AIDS Walk, 9:30 a.m. Wenonah Park, Downtown, Bay City. www.aidswalkmichigan.org

Sunday, Sept. 26

Lansing AIDS Walk, 10 a.m. Valley Court Park, East Lansing. www.aidswalkmichigan.org

Northern Michigan AIDS Walk, 1 1 a.m. Medalie Park, Traverse City, www.aidswalkmichigan.org

Ann Arbor AIDS Walk, 1 p.m. Detroit Edison Building Lot, 425 S. Main Street, Ann Arbor, www.aidswalkmichigan.org

[Author Affiliation]

Crystal Proxmire is the founder of Ferndale 115, a website covering news, events and entertainment in the city of Ferndale. Check it out at www. femdalell5.com.

By the numbers // Stones stay on autopilot in lackluster tour finale

Twenty-eight years ago last December, the Rolling Stones endedtheir 1969 tour at a racetrack in Northern California calledAltamont. The concert was free. It ended with three fans dead, butmany say the band never played better.

Last night, the Stones ended their "Bridges to Babylon" tour atthe United Center. Many of the seats cost $300. There were noproblems, and the band was considerably tighter than when it startedthis tour at Soldier Field seven months ago.

But there was no hint of danger, intensity, immediacy orunbridled passion - the ingredients that make for great rock 'n'roll.Somewhere in between there's got to be a happy medium.Granted, Mick Jagger and company were much better whenexperienced indoors with an excellent sound system and no giantballoons or superfluous fireworks to distract from what should mattermost: the music.But the veteran rockers played 15 of the same songs theyperformed on Sept. 23. They opened the same ("Satisfaction") andclosed the same ("You Can't Always Get What You Want" and "BrownSugar"). These and most of their other choices were dull andpredictable. There were no surprises - not even an invitation toopener Buddy Guy to jam on "I Just Want to Make Love to You."Next week, local heroes Cheap Trick are nodding to their ownhistory with four nights at Metro. They'll perform one of theirfirst four albums each night. Wouldn't it have been great if theStones came out and played all of "Exile on Main Street" or "StickyFingers" or "Let It Bleed"?They still would have sold out the United Center, but they wouldhave had to stretch to play some of those killer tunes that theyhaven't touched in decades now. They would have had to challengeeach other and the audience.Instead, they were still on autopilot, just as they were thefirst night. Yes, it was working better now. Mick didn't lose hisbreath as much or try quite as many silly moves. Keith and Ronweren't quite so sloppy. Charlie . . . well, Charlie was great onnight one and he was great last night, too. At least we can alwayscount on him.The folks who paid $300 a ticket heard 21 songs - $14.29 pertune. Instead of one night with a human jukebox, they could havebought one of the Stones' albums on CD for every tune they heard.They'd have been much better off if the music is what they careabout.I suspect that it isn't. I suspect that seeing the Stones onthis tour was partly a status symbol - you want to impress people bythe fact that you were there, like seeing the Bulls as this seasonwinds down - and partly a mega-entertainment event "that no oneshould miss," like "Titanic."Sorry, but I expect much, much more from rock 'n' roll. Iexpect more from the Rolling Stones.

Book: Obama dressed down Pentagon brass

President Barack Obama reprimanded top Pentagon officials last year for pressing publicly for a troop increase in Afghanistan.

That's according to "The Promise," a book on Obama's first year in office by Newsweek writer Jonathan Alter. It goes on sale May 19.

The book says Obama laid into Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen in an Oval Office meeting last October.

Obama was irked by the leak of a confidential report by Gen. Stanley McChrystal calling for an expanded military presence in Afghanistan, and by McChrystal saying he could not support a strategy relying on special forces and unmanned drone attacks.

Obama was conducting a lengthy review of operations in Afghanistan at the time. He largely sided with the generals and agreed to deploy 30,000 more troops.

Keeping possession key at Euro 2008 says UEFA

The best teams at the European Championship, including eventual winners Spain, played to keep possession and counter-attack in numbers, UEFA says.

Analyzing key footballing trends, the governing body of European football presented its technical analysis of Euro 2008 to national coaches and technical directors of 53 European football federations at a three-day conference, three months after the tournament was staged in Austria and Switzerland.

"The progress of possession football was the winner," UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh said Wednesday at the closure of the 8th UEFA Conference for National Team Coaches.

"It's all about keeping the ball in possession and playing with pace," Roxburgh said. "Spain and a number of teams played that way. Guus Hiddink did a presentation this morning on how he changed the way Russia is playing into that same direction."

Counter-attacking has also become more important, UEFA said in its report.

Euro 2008 was "a tournament of brilliant counter-attacking," Roxburgh said. "Not the classic counter-attack to get the ball as soon as possible from one penalty box to the other," Roxburgh said. "But a collective counter-attack where players are moving forward at speed even before the ball closes in."

More than 40 percent of goals scored from open play came from fast breaks, Roxburgh noted.

Surprisingly, only one goal was scored directly from a free kick.

"Daniele De Rossi scored for Italy against France, and that shot was deflected," Roxburgh said. "We have no explanation for that. In the Champions League, the average of goals from a direct free kick is 50 per cent higher."

Protesters march to Pentagon, call to end Iraq war

Hundreds of war protesters from across the country gathered in Washington on Saturday to mark the sixth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.

Organizers from the ANSWER Coalition said more than 1,000 groups sponsored the protest to call for an end to the Iraq war. Holding signs that read "We need jobs and schools, not war" and "Stop the war!" they rallied around noon across the street from the Lincoln Memorial and by 1:30 p.m., were beginning to march across the Memorial Bridge to the Pentagon.

Protesters demanded that President Barack Obama immediately withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq, saying thousands of Iraqis have died and thousands of American troops have been wounded or killed.

Protesters lined up about 100 cardboard coffins on the ground draped with flags, including the American flag, representing countries where the U.S. has taken military action.

Anti-war activists said even though former President George W. Bush is out of power, they are disappointed with what they see as stalled action from Obama. Several of them said they supported Obama during his campaign, but that his administration has let them down by not ending the war sooner.

"Obama seems to be led somewhat by the bureaucracies. I want him to follow up on his promise to end the war," said 66-year-old Perry Parks of Rockingham, N.C., who served in the Army for nearly 30 years, including in Vietnam. "But the longer it goes, the more it seems like he's stalling."

Obama has said he plans to withdraw roughly 100,000 troops by the summer of 2010. He promises to pull the last of the U.S. troops by the end of 2011, which is in accord with a deal Iraqis signed with Bush.

A small group of veterans and parents of soldiers holding American flags gathered near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial for a counter protest. Ron Kirby, of Alexandria, Va., was one of them.

"We're for victory. When our president and Congress send our men and women to war, they send them there to win or else don't send them at all," said Kirby, a Vietnam veteran.

Kirby said he thought the anti-war protest was sending the wrong message, and added that the country would not be at war unless the government believed it would be victorious. He added that he supported Obama's plan for a gradual withdrawal of troops, because an immediate withdrawal would thwart efforts to restore freedom in Iraq, he said.

James Circello disagreed.

Circello of Washington served in the Army from March 2003 until April 2004, when he said he deserted before his unit was deployed to Afghanistan. Circello, 30, said he left because of what he called the destruction the U.S. caused in Iraq.

"I was forced to remove people from their homes," he said. Circello turned himself in to authorities in 2007 and was administratively discharged, he said.

He said he participated in the Saturday protest to show his solidarity with the troops and the Iraqi people.

"We want to show the Iraqi people that we are not in line with the government, whether Bush or Obama, and we want immediate withdrawal of troops," he said. "Just because a new popular president comes into power, it's not going to stop us from demonstrating."

Among other concerns protesters raised, they criticized continued troop presence in Afghanistan and called for an end to U.S. support of Israel's military.

Taxpayer dollars should be used not for war but for domestic job-creation, health care, housing and education, demonstrators said.

This year, the protest was held on a weekend _ a few days after the March 19 anniversary of the war, which began in 2003. Last year's weekday protest was marked by lower turnout than in previous years.

Protests also were held in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Former Miss Russia appears in court on drug charge

A former Miss Russia has appeared in a New York City court on charges she forged a prescription for painkillers on a pad stolen from her psychiatrist's office.

Anna Malova's attorneys asked for an August court date so they could work out a drug treatment plan.

The special narcotics prosecutor's office said Monday it was reviewing a defense request to postpone grand jury action.

Malova was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and forgery. She was arrested Tuesday at a pharmacy after she filled a prescription for 85 pills of the painkiller Vicodin.

Authorities say Malova's doctor reported her prescription pad stolen shortly after Malova left there Feb. 24.

Malova was Miss Russia in 1998 and once finished in the Top 10 in the Miss Universe pageant.

Torco Is Signing Off At Wrigley // Southwest Air Lands Right Field Billboard

Sitting in Wrigley Field, soaking up atmosphere, many a Cubs fanhas probably wondered, "What's a Torco?"

If they don't know already (hint: the company's full name isTorco Oil Co.), they never will.

The sign comes down today, more than 25 years after it firstgraced the wall of a Sheffield apartment building outside of thepark, behind the right-field bleachers.Torco is leasing the much-coveted space to Southwest Airlines,the no-frills airline that has come up with a more direct ad pitch.Its sign will read "Great seats at bleacher prices," with the tail ofan airplane and Southwest's name on the tail, said spokesman TimKraft.There had been talk of turning the 25-by-15-foot space into arevolving sign with three sponsors. But that won't happen for atleast a year.The billboard will be Southwest's first day-in, day-out presenceat the park - or rather, right outside of it.The Dallas-based carrier already has a significant marketingpartnership with the Cubs as a team sponsor and a media sponsor ofWGN-TV game broadcasts. But this time, Southwest is paying Torco -not the Cubs - an undisclosed sum for what amounts to better exposureto fans.Southwest acknowledges its name recognition means fans watchinghits to right field no longer will be quite as stymied."You always see the Torco sign," Kraft said. "And it's alwayslike, `What in the world is Torco?' "

Recall for Peugeot 406

Peugeot has revealed that a select number of its 406 family carscould be suffering from cooling fan problems.

According to Peugeot, almost 21,000 cars sold between December2001 and March of this year could be at risk, which is why the carmaker is in the middle of contacting owners and offering them a freecheck up for peace of mind and free remedial work if necessary.

Remains of WWII servicemen buried in single casket

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Even for Arlington National Cemetery, Wednesday's burial service was extraordinary: remains from nine World War II airmen shot down and killed after a successful bombing run in Papua New Guinea in 1943.

The remains, excavated from the crash site in 2001, were in a single casket because most of them could not be conclusively linked to any one airman, despite extensive testing by the Army.

It had been 68 years since Leonard Gionet's father was shot down, and he did not expect Wednesday's burial service to be especially emotional. After all, he was only 6 months old when his father died. But he found himself wiping tears from his eyes as he sat next to his 90-year-old mother, thinking about his childhood and how he had tried to piece together what his dad was like from family conversations.

"I had kind of buried it all. I was surprised by all the emotions that surfaced," he said after the ceremony.

Wednesday's burial brings a close to the remarkable story of the Naughty but Nice, a B-17 Flying Fortress that was shot down in 1943 and earned its nickname from a painting of a scantily clad woman on its side. Nine of the 10 airmen on board were killed and buried in unmarked graves. The lone survivor, Lt. Jose Holguin, was taken as a Japanese prisoner of war but made it his mission after the war to find his lost colleagues.

"I don't want to call it survivor's guilt. I would call it a survivor's mission," said Holguin's son, Curt Holguin, who attended Wednesday's service. "He returned home and they didn't. His mission became to get them home."

The elder Holguin traveled back to Papua New Guinea several times in the 1980s and found parts of the plane. In 1985, the Army exhumed remains that had been buried as "unknown" at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu after they were recovered from Papua New Guinea after the war.

Tests done at the time positively identified remains from five of the nine who were killed: 2nd Lt. Herman H. Knott, 2nd Lt. Francis G. Peattie, Staff Sgt. Henry Garcia, Staff Sgt. Robert E. Griebel and Staff Sgt. Pace P. Payne.

The Army did further excavations near the crash site in 2001 and found additional human remains. More advanced tests were done, but did not conclusively link those remains to any of the remaining four from the Naughty but Nice: Tech Sgt. Robert L. Christopherson, Tech Sgt. Leonard A. Gionet, 1st Lt. William Sarsfield and 2nd Lt. Charles E. Trimingham.

But the Army is confident that the remains belong to the nine dead airmen, in part based on where they were found and other tests that were done.

Those remains were buried Wednesday in a single casket at Arlington, during a service with full military honors. Relatives of the four who had not previously been identified were presented with U.S. flags.

"After nearly 70 years, these men haven't been forgotten and their mission is getting its due respect," said L. Edward Johnson of Pebble Beach, Calif., who accepted the flag for his family on behalf of his uncle, co-pilot Charles Trimingham.

Gionet, 68, who lives in Portland, Ore., said it was about a year ago that he learned his father's remains had been recovered. Somewhat amazingly, he said he received a knock on the door from an Army colonel and sergeant just after he had finished watching a movie called "The Messenger" where the main character is an officer assigned to notify family members when their loved ones have been killed in action.

The news came as a shock — Gionet said he had been unaware of the excavations that had recovered his father's remains.

"I think it's something where I'll be able to close that chapter of my life," Gionet said of the ceremony.

Gionet's mother, Della Edwards, who became a widow at age 22 when the elder Gionet was shot down, traveled from Sacramento for the ceremony.

She recalled the years where she held hope after her husband was declared missing that he was still alive, and remembered her husband as an eternal optimist.

"He changed me from being a pessimist to an optimist. By the time he left (for the Pacific theater) he had convinced me that nothing bad would happen to him," Edwards said. "He told me, 'A bad penny always comes back.'"

At the end of World War II, the U.S. government was unable to recover and identify approximately 79,000 Americans. More than 73,000 remain unaccounted for.

Boss offered to take female receptionist to Ann Summers to 'kit her out', tribunal told; Sexual harassment hearing told of list of complaints against employer.(News)

Byline: Tim Lewis

A COMPANY director accused of sexually harassing a young receptionist told her "it's your fault for wearing tight trousers", an employment tribunal heard yesterday.

Chartered surveyor Andrew Ferrier is alleged to have made the remark after she told him off for smacking her on the bottom.

He is also accused of showing Lizzy Bibby, from Lisvane, Cardiff, pornographic pictures, grabbing her waist and saying he would take her to lingerie shop Ann Summers to "kit her out".

Ms Bibby worked for Mr Ferrier at Ferrier Hart Thomas chartered surveyors in Cardiff from March 2008 to April 2009 and claims she was "treated as a sex object" by the director.

But Mr Ferrier described the allegations as "incomprehensible" and said the pair had enjoyed a pleasant working relationship.

He strongly denied all the claims of sexual harassment put to him by barrister Rhydian Reeves, on behalf of Ms Bibby, saying they were pure fantasy.

Under cross-examination from Mr Ferrier's solicitor, Nigel Daniel, at the tribunal in Cardiff, Ms Bibby said the harassment had got so bad she was forced to quit her job.

She said: "The first incident happened not long after I started working there. I was at my desk in the office and Mr Ferrier said he was going to take me to Ann Summers to 'kit me out'.

"I felt humiliated and embarrassed by what he had said.

"On another occasion I was looking in the filing cabinet and he smacked me on the bottom as he walked past me. I told him not to do that and he replied, 'It's your fault for wearing tight trousers'.

"Andrew Ferrier would often pinch my cheeks, so I would try and face away from him when I saw him coming. He once put his hands on my waist and his behaviour left me constantly on edge.

"He would also make comments about my weight, saying I must be anorexic or bulimic."

Mr Ferrier is also alleged to have asked Ms Bibby if she discussed what she likes in bed with her boyfriend. Ms Bibby said in the summer of 2008 Mr Ferrier showed her two pornographic pictures on her computer including one of a naked transsexual.

She added: "I was being treated as a sex object and I found it very hard to get through the days. I was deeply upset by what went on, I felt violated."

Mr Ferrier said there had been an element of banter in the office of Ferrier Hart Thomas, which has since ceased trading, but there was never any sexual element to it.

He said: "I categorically deny all of the allegations, which are pure fantasy on behalf of Ms Bibby.

"They are malicious allegations with absolutely no substantiation.

"At no point did I ever grab her waist, grab her cheek or smack her on the bottom. It is not the sort of thing I would do.

"The sexual harassment allegation is incomprehensible." Ms Bibby, who was 26 when she left the company, was offered the job by one of the other company directors, Kevin Thomas, whom she already knew.

She was paid pounds 9 an hour and worked three days a week in the company's offices in St Andrew's Crescent, Cardiff.

Mr Ferrier said: "We had a very good working relationship. We used to have a joke and a laugh with everyone else in the office and with each other.

"Her mother came into the office one day and we were introduced to each other. Lizzy said how much she enjoyed working there.

"She also liked to look after my pet dog and had asked if she could look after him over the Christmas period in 2008 when I was on holiday, something I refused.

"I never smacked her on the bottom, I never asked her what she likes in bed and I did not show her images on my computer. I emphatically deny all the allegations."

The employment tribunal also heard from employee Sandra Parker, who acted as office manager at Ferrier Hart Thomas and is still employed by two of its former directors.

She described the banter in the office as "nothing malicious" but said she had spoken to Kevin Thomas about pornographic images being shown in the office. Mrs Parker confirmed she had seen Mr Ferrier put his hands on Ms Bibby's waist and she also heard comments he made about Ms Bibby's weight.

Asked by the tribunal chairman, Barry Clark, if she believed Ms Bibby was telling the truth, Mrs Parker replied simply "yes".

The case continues.

CAPTION(S):

COMPLAINT: Lizzy Bibby ACCUSATIONS: Andrew Ferrier leaving the employment tribunal yesterday

Boss offered to take female receptionist to Ann Summers to 'kit her out', tribunal told; Sexual harassment hearing told of list of complaints against employer.(News)

Byline: Tim Lewis

A COMPANY director accused of sexually harassing a young receptionist told her "it's your fault for wearing tight trousers", an employment tribunal heard yesterday.

Chartered surveyor Andrew Ferrier is alleged to have made the remark after she told him off for smacking her on the bottom.

He is also accused of showing Lizzy Bibby, from Lisvane, Cardiff, pornographic pictures, grabbing her waist and saying he would take her to lingerie shop Ann Summers to "kit her out".

Ms Bibby worked for Mr Ferrier at Ferrier Hart Thomas chartered surveyors in Cardiff from March 2008 to April 2009 and claims she was "treated as a sex object" by the director.

But Mr Ferrier described the allegations as "incomprehensible" and said the pair had enjoyed a pleasant working relationship.

He strongly denied all the claims of sexual harassment put to him by barrister Rhydian Reeves, on behalf of Ms Bibby, saying they were pure fantasy.

Under cross-examination from Mr Ferrier's solicitor, Nigel Daniel, at the tribunal in Cardiff, Ms Bibby said the harassment had got so bad she was forced to quit her job.

She said: "The first incident happened not long after I started working there. I was at my desk in the office and Mr Ferrier said he was going to take me to Ann Summers to 'kit me out'.

"I felt humiliated and embarrassed by what he had said.

"On another occasion I was looking in the filing cabinet and he smacked me on the bottom as he walked past me. I told him not to do that and he replied, 'It's your fault for wearing tight trousers'.

"Andrew Ferrier would often pinch my cheeks, so I would try and face away from him when I saw him coming. He once put his hands on my waist and his behaviour left me constantly on edge.

"He would also make comments about my weight, saying I must be anorexic or bulimic."

Mr Ferrier is also alleged to have asked Ms Bibby if she discussed what she likes in bed with her boyfriend. Ms Bibby said in the summer of 2008 Mr Ferrier showed her two pornographic pictures on her computer including one of a naked transsexual.

She added: "I was being treated as a sex object and I found it very hard to get through the days. I was deeply upset by what went on, I felt violated."

Mr Ferrier said there had been an element of banter in the office of Ferrier Hart Thomas, which has since ceased trading, but there was never any sexual element to it.

He said: "I categorically deny all of the allegations, which are pure fantasy on behalf of Ms Bibby.

"They are malicious allegations with absolutely no substantiation.

"At no point did I ever grab her waist, grab her cheek or smack her on the bottom. It is not the sort of thing I would do.

"The sexual harassment allegation is incomprehensible." Ms Bibby, who was 26 when she left the company, was offered the job by one of the other company directors, Kevin Thomas, whom she already knew.

She was paid pounds 9 an hour and worked three days a week in the company's offices in St Andrew's Crescent, Cardiff.

Mr Ferrier said: "We had a very good working relationship. We used to have a joke and a laugh with everyone else in the office and with each other.

"Her mother came into the office one day and we were introduced to each other. Lizzy said how much she enjoyed working there.

"She also liked to look after my pet dog and had asked if she could look after him over the Christmas period in 2008 when I was on holiday, something I refused.

"I never smacked her on the bottom, I never asked her what she likes in bed and I did not show her images on my computer. I emphatically deny all the allegations."

The employment tribunal also heard from employee Sandra Parker, who acted as office manager at Ferrier Hart Thomas and is still employed by two of its former directors.

She described the banter in the office as "nothing malicious" but said she had spoken to Kevin Thomas about pornographic images being shown in the office. Mrs Parker confirmed she had seen Mr Ferrier put his hands on Ms Bibby's waist and she also heard comments he made about Ms Bibby's weight.

Asked by the tribunal chairman, Barry Clark, if she believed Ms Bibby was telling the truth, Mrs Parker replied simply "yes".

The case continues.

CAPTION(S):

COMPLAINT: Lizzy Bibby ACCUSATIONS: Andrew Ferrier leaving the employment tribunal yesterday

Rescue uncovers 11 bodies First mission since WWII saves woman; others feared dead

NASIRIYAH, Iraq--An American flag folded across her chest, Pfc.Jessica Lynch left Iraq on a stretcher Wednesday after U.S.commandos, acting on a CIA tip, rescued the prisoner of war. But theoperation also brought sad news--the troops found 11 corpses, somebelieved to be Americans.

Lynch, a 19-year-old Army supply clerk from Palestine, W.Va.,arrived at a U.S. air base in southwestern Germany on a C-17transport plane late Wednesday for treatment at a U.S. militarymedical center. Her condition was not disclosed, but U.S. officialsin Kuwait said she was believed to have broken legs, a broken arm andat least one gunshot wound.

She was captured by the Iraqis more than a …

Assembly planning at Sandia. (Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM)

The challenge for those who do research at the leading edge of any discipline is how to bridge the gap between the laboratory and the real manufacturing world, which is profit motivated. The Intelligent Systems and Robotics Center laboratories at Sandia National Laboratories (Albuquerque, NM) is meeting the challenge with technology that may revolutionize the traditional approach to planning and developing automated assembly processes.

Sandia National Laboratories is operated by Lockheed Martin under contract to the Department of Energy (DOE). And, naturally, much of the work that goes on at Sandia is driven by the various needs of DOE. For example, some programs are driven by the need to deal with the various nuclear by-products generated by myriad DOE nuclear programs, including those related to nuclear weapons.

"But another major effort is to function as a motivating example for small-lot production," says David R. Strip, Ph.D., manager of the Intelligent Systems and Robotics Center. "DOE has to build in small quantities and with very high reliability. So, DOE is motivated to find ways to make automation work in smaller production volumes and with higher flexibility than industry typically works with."

The Center has operated as a discrete entity for about 10 years -- young by comparison with some of the other task centers at Sandia. The staff is approximately 150 persons, two-thirds of whom hold master's or doctorate degrees. "In terms of how we actually carry out our manufacturing research programs, we have a unifying philosophy with three main themes: automatic planning and …

SENATE SEEKS SMOKING BAN ON INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS.(MAIN)

Byline: -- Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- With smoking banned on flights within U.S. borders, the Senate is now trying to prohibit it on international flights.

``This is good politics in the United States because there is a strong anti-smoking lobby,'' Wanda Potrykus, spokeswoman for the Montreal-based International Air Transport Association, said Friday. ``However, there is an equally virulent pro-smoking lobby in Asia and France.''

In a late-night voice vote Thursday, the Senate added an amendment to a $47.1 billion transportation …

Stock futures slip on slower 1Q growth data

Stock futures slipped Friday after lawmakers agreed on a financial regulation bill and the government lowered its estimate on how fast the economy grew in the first quarter.

Congressional negotiators reached agreement early Friday after an overnight session on an overhaul of the rules that govern banks and investment firms. The bill would regulate banks' ability to trade in derivatives, but the rules are less strict than investors had feared.

Derivatives are complex securities that companies and investors often use to hedge against losses. But some derivatives are purely speculative investments, and some of this type of derivatives have been blamed for …

The black voices in God's ear

From the beginning, the published poet took a backseat in the daily lives of black people to the oral poet as represented by those "black and unknown bards" who composed the Negro spirituals and folksongs so eloquently praised by W.E.B. Du Bois in his classic 1903 study of African American culture, The Souls of Black Folk. Of course, Phillis Wheatley was the first African American to publish a book when Poems on Various Subjects came out in London in 1773, but it wasn't until more …

Motorola Timeport P7389i and Telstra MobileNet GPRS: Internet phone. (First Looks).

Many of us are familiar with the WAP (wireless application protocol) feature incorporated into a number of recent mobile phones, which makes them capable of exchanging e-mail and visiting some Internet sites. WAP has many limitations, chief among them being that it can use only those small parts of the Internet specifically designed for this protocol.

GPRS is a packet-switched technology, similar to the Internet itself. This means that data transfers are broken up into many small sections, called packets, which each bear an address and wind their way independently to their destination, where they are reassembled. This system is much more efficient than WAP, in which …

Old Money; Why targeting clients in their dotage isn't a short-term business plan for the advisor.(Financial Planning)

Byline: Howard J Stock

Whether you start to cover a territory with a large retirement community or you simply want to keep the clients you have as they age, you'll have to learn how to meet the needs of older people.

This can be a challenge: You may have to handle issues beyond your financial expertise. Clients in later retirement may be lonely, suffer from undiagnosed illnesses that impair their mental capacities and may be house-bound. And with the elderly, making sure income lasts a lifetime is a more pressing concern. But by networking with the right contacts and involving clients' heirs in the plan, advisors can build a lucrative and self-feeding business.

Jo Crumpacker, an Invest rep at Boone County National Bank in Columbia, Mo., says older people's needs typically include long-term care, income management and estate planning. While everyone has such needs, for the elderly it's often different. For example, when you're 75 or older and you don't have long-term-care insurance, it's prohibitive to obtain-if you can even qualify. "Paying $30,000 per year in premiums is just too much for most people," says Drew Henrickson, a Primevest rep at Columbia State Bank in Tacoma, Wash. "Even if you can make the numbers work on paper, life …

Noteworthy.(Capital Region)

Businesses be wary

Saratoga Springs-area businesses are being warned to be wary of false promises being offered by some out-of-area service providers. According to the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, some telecommunications, Internet and electrical consultants and suppliers are making telephone promises about savings that are not realistic.

Art auction, wine tasting

Warren and Washington counties' Homeless Youth Coalition plans an art auction and wine tasting at 6 p.m. Saturday at the …

QUEEN ANNE STYLE: DISTINCT, DARK AND ELEGANT.(AT HOME)

Byline: ROSEMARY SADEZ FRIEDMANN Scripps Howard

The Queen Anne period was considered the age of elegance perhaps because it was a time of transition from the flamboyant English Baroque style to a more dignified, queenly style.

Though there were no great innovations in architecture or art during Queen Anne's reign, somehow this regal lady had such influence that the period is known as one of desirable elegance.

The era emphasized and demanded first-rate materials and workmanship, rendering the furnishings not only stylish, but high quality.

We're all familiar with the Queen Anne look. Perhaps a brief, but all-encompassing description of …

Concept smart phones.(Gadgets & Gizmos BackBytes)

Handspring's yet-to-be-released Treo 600 smart phones are sure to set tongues wagging this summer, combining all the functionalities of a phone with Palm's OS 5.0-based organiser. Featuring a fully integrated Qwerty keyboard, Graffiti handwriting recognition and T-9 text input facilities, catching up with friends and family has never been so easy. …

Family builds Haiti orphanage to honor daughter

GRAND GOAVE, Haiti (AP) — Three hours before Britney Gengel died in the massive earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands in Haiti two years ago, she sent her family a text message expressing pure affection for the children she had met that morning while doing humanitarian work.

"They love us so much and everyone is so happy," she wrote. "They love what they have and they work so hard to get nowhere, yet they are all so appreciative. I want to move here and start an orphanage myself."

Later that January day, Gengel lay trapped under the wreckage of a hillside hotel that had collapsed. Rescuers pulled at least 68 bodies, including Gengel's, out of the ruins.

With her …

Schools soar to new heights in report card Northside Prep, Edgebrook, Hinsdale area all come up big

Years back, many parents ran from Chicago's neighborhood schools.

But this year, the city produced the highest-scoring neighborhoodelementary school in the state -- Edgebrook on the Northwest Side,according to a Chicago Sun-Times analysis of School Report Card datareleased today.

In the suburbs, Community Consolidated District 181, headquarteredin upper-crust Hinsdale, placed all seven of its elementary schoolsamong the top 25 in Illinois. That's an improvement over last year,when they were in the top 50.

Among high schools, Chicago's Northside College Prep solidly ledthe state for the fourth year in a row. Payton College Prep inChicago zoomed up in rank -- …

Islamic law challenges Western freedom: report.

Summary: Islamic law should not be recognized under the United Kingdom's arbitration laws because its principles are outdated and they contradict Western laws, a report by a British think-tank said on Monday,

Islamic law should not be recognized under the United Kingdom's arbitration laws because its principles are outdated and they contradict Western laws, a report by a British think-tank said on Monday, which Muslim figures dismissed as "scaremongering."

The report, called Shariah Law or One for All?, claimed to have discovered as many as 85 Islamic "courts" operating in Britain that hand out unofficial rulings, or fatwas, sought by devout Muslims from their mosque …