| Fine Living: Glitz and naturel, in harmony
A FEW YEARS AGO, I was invited to the television set of a wine-and-food show to interview a collection of talented "friends" who were sharing their Christmas-in-Napa entertaining tips for an upcoming show and I was going to share them with you. I got in my little convertible and cruised in warm sunshine all the way to a hilltop Victorian home in Napa completely decked out in a wintry holiday decor. That was just the first of many suspended realities. Television and film sets are familiar to me. I've worked on them for years, and because of their stressful atmosphere, I was looking forward to being on this side of them for a change. Naturally, when a melting hot chocolate gourmet brownie was pressed into my hand upon my arrival, I took it as a good sign. Once settled in off to the side with my laptop and brownie, I awaited my promised interviews.
In Sudan, another conflict could eclipse Darfur
This potential flash point is Abyei, a small, ethnically diverse enclave on the border between the Arab north and the African south. Now, a dispute is under way over who should control the district – a power struggle infused with ethnic rivalry, marginalization, politics, and greed. Split between Arabic-speaking nomads and non-Arabic-speaking farmers, Abyei is a territory where cultures once blended, but where a sharp dividing line has been drawn between two political forces that fought a civil war to a draw. After a failed US-led mediation effort, Abyei has become a rallying cry for war. What's at stake? Pastureland, oil wells, and the continuation of a three-year-old peace deal that ended the 20-year civil war that killed more than 2 million Sudanese. "It's like Kashmir, where you have two big entities – the National Congress party leading the country from Khartoum for nearly 20 years and you've got major rebel groups on the other side, and both sides will not compromise on Abyei," says John Prendergast, an antigenocide advocate for the Enough Project in Washington.
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Herald/David Morris
With analog equipment in the background, KPLE engineer Steve Coffino adjusts the digital equipment inside the offices of the Christian-based television station. A banquet Feb. 19 will help fund the switch.">Herald/David Morris
With analog equipment in the background, KPLE engineer Steve Coffino adjusts the digital equipment inside the offices of the Christian-based television station. A banquet Feb. 19 will help fund the switch. .
Gunman infiltrates Jewish seminary in Jerusalem, eight killed
A PALESTINIAN gunman opened fire inside a Jewish religious school in Jerusalem today, killing eight teens as violence in the region continues to escalate. Eight students at the Merkaz Harav Yeshiva in predominantly Jewish west Jerusalem were shot dead and another nine wounded when a Palestinian from east Jerusalem entered the building and started shooting, police said. "The terrorist arrived with a packet in his hand, got out a weapon and started firing, killing eight people and wounding nine others,'' Aharon Franco, head of Jerusalem district police, told reporters on the scene. The head of the school, Rabbi Haim Katz, told AFP that all the victims were between 15 and 16 years old. The attacker was shot dead by law enforcement forces, Franco said. Israel's main ally the United States slammed the "act of terror and depravity'' and the United Nations Security Council said it would hold an emergency meeting later Thursday in the wake of the attack.Ambulances rushed to the school while helicopters circled in the skies after what marked the first major attack in Jerusalem since Feburary 2004, when a suicide bomber killed eight people and himself aboard a bus.
UIL realignment results in a tough 5A and a 3A baseball powerhouse
Calallen, Alice, Flour Bluff, Tuloso-Midway and Kingsville will put some miles on their buses as they travel between 100-150 miles to test their collective mettle against three Laredo teams that have been added into their district fray. And in District 31-3A, Sinton, Falfurrias and Robstown won't have to venture four rounds deep into the baseball playoffs to find competition -- it will be right there on the district schedule. Those are only some of the scenarios set into motion with Friday morning's announcement by the University Interscholastic League of its biennial realignment, a process guaranteed to produce interesting matchups. The UIL adjusts its districts, regions and classes for about 1,200 schools every two years based on enrollment figures collected from the Texas Education Agency.
Asian stock market summary
MUMBAI, Feb. 29, 2008 (Thomson Financial delivered by Newstex) -- JAPAN The Nikkei ended down 2.3 percent at 13,603.02, after the yen strengthened against the US dollar and fresh concerns emerged about the US economy. The broader Topix index declined 2.1 percent to 1,324.28. SOUTH KOREA The Kospi closed down 1.4 percent at 1,711.62, tracking the losses on Wall Street overnight on worries about rising unemployment in the US and the possibility of more bank failures. Investors grappled with the likelihood that the dollar's continued slide against key currencies may reflect the dire condition of the US economy, while the sustained spike in oil prices was another reason for worry.AUSTRALIA The S&P/ASX 200 closed down 1.4 percent at 5,572.1, as investors continued to dump financial stocks following comments by Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke that small banks in the US could collapse amid the ongoing subprime credit crisis.
Extra! UIdaho Student Found Shot to Death
A 21-year-old University of Idaho senior was found shot to death early today in his Moscow apartment.
David Robert Boss, a history major and Boise native, was found dead by a roommate about 2 a.m., Moscow police officials said. Boss roommate apparently arrived at the apartment at 1218 S. Main St. about 2 a.m. and found the victim on the floor in the kitchen area of the apartment, according to a press release. The roommate called police. The death is being investigated as suspicious, said Moscow Police Department Assistant Chief David Duke. The apparent cause of death is a single gunshot wound to the head. No gun was found in the apartment, Duke said. .
Obituaries for Feb. 7
She was a member of Southern Belles of Belair, the Red Hat Society, TOPS and several senior citizen organizations. She enjoyed line dancing and crossword puzzles. She was preceded in death by her husband of over 50 years, Oscar Walton; and one brother, Michael Williams. Survivors include two sons, Robert Walton of Crofton and John Walton of Pasadena; a daughter, Deborah White of Bowie; two brothers, Robert Williams of Olney and Norman Williams of Royal Palm Beach, Fla.; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Visitation will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Beall Funeral Home, where services will be held at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. Burial will be in Maryland Veterans Cemetery in Cheltenham. Katherine Weckesser Katherine L.
Pac-10 Notebook: Beavers face punishment
EXTRA CREDIT: While dumb and dumber best describes Oregon State's recent actions, no one is questioning the intelligence level of the Oregon basketball team, which has a current graduation rate way off the charts. Three senior starters, forwards Malik Hairston and Maarty Leunen and guard Bryce Taylor, received their diplomas last summer -- a full year ahead of schedule. Reserves Mitch Platt and Ray Schaefer joined them as fifth-year seniors graduating on time. Add to that junior forward Churchill Odia, who will complete his college requirements at the end of the current winter quarter. "No one else in the country has got that," coach Ernie Kent said, referring to the five college grads on the active roster. "We have great seniors. We have great parents. We told them when they came in this would help their NBA careers." Kent wasn't giving them an idle sales pitch about receiving a fast-track education while maintaining pro basketball possibilities.
Continental Properties Company, Inc.
About Continental Properties Company, Inc. Continental Properties Company, Inc. is a national real estate development company headquartered in suburban Milwaukee, Wisconsin with offices in Ohio, Florida and Arizona. Founded in 1979 and still privately held, Continental has grown from a small real estate company to a major presence in the development industry. Continental Properties Company, Inc. News .
Consumers' Alarm Grows Contagious
AMERICAN CONSUMERS TODAY are a faithless bunch. They trust neither the economy nor the government. They worry about their jobs, their depreciating homes, the debilitated dollar, tight-fisted lenders, $4 gasoline and the creeping proliferation of $14 martinis. Just last week, the Conference Board's index of consumer confidence plunged to its lowest level since March 2003, before the Iraq war began. Their alarm -- and apprehension in the credit market -- is becoming contagious. Stocks fell hard Friday as investors hoping for a swift economic rebound found their faith sorely tested on several fronts: Continued dislocations in the debt market, surging commodity prices and yet more evidence of an economy in decline. For a while last week, stock-market investors had held out hope despite the accumulation of bad news, which included data showing a 7.7% year-over-year jump in producer prices, the biggest such increase since 1981.
Barry Bonds' grand jury transcript unsealed
The documents, many with Bonds' name or initials on them, are dated from 2001 through 2003. Prosecutors queried Bonds closely about them, but he denied using the drugs and said he had never seen the documents before. Steroid screen results At one point, prosecutor Jeff Nedrow showed Bonds the results of a steroid screen ordered in November 2000 by BALCO's founder, Victor Conte. Nedrow said the tested urine sample belonged to Bonds, and he noted that the report showed Bonds had elevated levels for the injectable steroid nadrolone and for methenolone, a steroid available in both injectable and oral form. "I got to ask, Mr. Bonds," the prosecutor said. "There's this number on a document with your name ... and it does have these two listed anabolic steroids as testing positive in connection with it.
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