Selig says MLB wants to ban smokeless tobacco

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Commissioner Bud Selig wants to rid Major League Baseball of chewing tobacco.

Even though it's ingrained in the culture of the game and is evident anytime a player steps on the sticky floor of a big-league dugout, Selig hopes the time has finally come to rid MLB of the unhealthy habit.

In a letter to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids on Thursday, Selig told the group's president he believes "smokeless tobacco should be banned at the Major League level."

In order to make that happen, the owners have to negotiate with the players' union and have the ban added to the next collective bargaining agreement.

"In the current round of bargaining with the …

Unconsidered cause of bowel obstruction - gossypiboma

Forgotten foreign bodies, such as cotton sponges, gauze or instruments, after any surgical procedure are considered a misadventure.1 "Gossypiboma" denotes a mass of cotton that is accidentally retained in the body postoperatively. We describe a case in which a woman presented with features of intestinal obstruction about 10 months after open cholecystectomy.

Case report

A 30-year-old woman presented with a history of colicky pain in her upper abdomen along with constipation, vomiting and an episode of fresh bleeding per rectum about 1 month previously. She had undergone open cholecystectomy in a district hospital about 10 months earlier. On examination, a well-defined, …

AP Weekly Sports Calendar

EDITORS:

These are among the top sports events of the week. Coverage of most of these events will move on this circuit:

FRIDAY, April 11

thru 13, Augusta, Georgia _ golf, U.S. PGA, Masters.

thru 13, Morelia, Mexico _ golf, U.S. LPGA, Corona Championship.

thru 13, various sites _ tennis, Davis Cup World Group: Russia vs. Czech Republic, Argentina vs. Sweden, Germany vs. Spain, United States vs. France. EUROPE/AFRICA: Croatia vs. Italy, Netherlands vs. Macedonia, Belarus vs. Switzerland, Slovakia vs. Georgia, Luxembourg vs. Denmark, Finland vs. South Africa, Algeria vs. Hungary, Monaco vs. Greece, Ukraine vs. Egypt, Ireland …

10 REALLY COOL THINGS TO DO

1Backflips and slaptick

The Bumblinni Brothers are providing plenty of laughter with theirnew "Bigger and Better" show under way at the Actors Gymnasium innorth suburban Evanston. The duo, Chuck Stubbings and Paul Kalina,are the Chicago area's only two-man comic theater circus team. The 90-minute show consists of fire juggling, acrobatics, circus stunts,precision whip-cracking and lots of comedy. The show runs throughSunday. Tickets are $15; $10 for kids age 12 and under. Show timesare 7:30 tonight, 4 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. TheActors Gymnasium is at 927 Noyes. Call (773) 665-4332.

2Helping hands Those who want to do some holiday shopping and …

Government Accuses Mitchelson Of Filing False Income Returns

Marvin Mitchelson, the flamboyant Los Angeles lawyer who coinedthe term "palimony," was charged Wednesday with filing false taxreturns.

Mitchelson reported net profits of between $179,000 and$266,000 from 1983 to 1986, but the Internal Revenue Service contendshis income was higher.

Mitchelson, 63, known as the "father of palimony" after winninga number of celebrity cases for people who lived with Hollywood starswithout being married to them, …

Swedish think-tank: Global arms spending slows

STOCKHOLM (AP) — The world's military spending grew by only 1.3 percent in 2010, thanks to budget constraints caused by the global financial crisis, with the top three arms investors being the United States, China and Britain, a think-tank said Monday.

South America was the region with the largest military spending growth of 5.8 percent, with countries such as Brazil seeking to increase its international influence, said the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

The institution, known as SIPRI, said global military spending in 2010 was the lowest since 2001.

It said the United States topped the list by spending $698 billion last year, followed by China with …

Much higher tritium level found at nuclear plant

State officials said Wednesday more radioactive tritium had been found at the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant _ at levels more than 90 times higher than found in a test well nearly two weeks ago.

William Irwin, the state's radiological health chief, said readings of 1 million to 2 million picocuries per liter of the isotope were found in a concrete trench several hundred feet from the test well where tritium was first reported Jan. 7. A spokesman for the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission put the number at "about 2 million."

That previous high reading turned up a sample of 22,300 picocuries per liter of tritium at a test well Tuesday, officials at …

Red light // Singer shines with Music of Baroque

White shoulders and blazing red hair marked the rather auspiciousdebut of singer Amy Cochrane.

With Music of the Baroque since 1993, Cochrane remembers herfirst night quite vividly, a choral part in the "Paukenmesse" ofHaydn.

"We were told to wear a black gown," Cochrane said. "So I gotout my best black diva gown, which has no shoulders, a straight dresswith a little rhinestone at the throat. It turns out I was the onlyone there with bare white shoulders, and I have this really red hair.They'll never forget me, I guess."Music became a way of life for Cochrane at an early age. Hermother was choral director at the Waynesboro, Va., high school. Herfather was a …

Apple may surpass Exxon as most valuable company

NEW YORK (AP) — Here's something to think about the next time you pick up a call on your iPhone: the device you're holding may soon be the signature product of the most valuable company in the world.

Thanks to its line of gadgets that combine the ability to make calls, send email, read books, watch movies and listen to music, Apple Inc. is on a path to overtake Exxon Mobil Corp. as the largest company by market capitalization.

While Apple CEO Steve Jobs will no doubt be happy about his new perch atop the business world, there's more at stake here than mere bragging rights. As soon as the total value of the company's shares edges above Exxon's, Apple will take over the top spot …

Tax-wise, Steinbrenner picked a great year to die

Born on the Fourth of July, George Steinbrenner left the world stage with a great sense of timing too.

By dying in 2010, the billionaire and long-time New York Yankees owner's wealth avoids the federal estate tax, likely saving his heirs enough money to field an entire team of Alex Rodriguezes.

Steinbrenner's death Tuesday came during an unplanned year-long gap in the estate tax, the first since it was enacted in 1916. Political wrangling has stalemated efforts in Congress to replace the tax that expired in 2009.

That deprives the government of billions of dollars in annual revenue but represents an unexpected bonanza for those who inherit …

ACC Urges Lame-Duck Congress to Extend R&D Tax Credit

Before the Democratic majority is seated in both houses of the U.S. Congress next month, the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Arlington, VA; www.americanchemistry.com) wants lawmakers to pass legislation to extend and expand the Research and Development (R&D) tax credit. "An expired deadline will impose financial consequences for American …

Microsoft, Samsung expand smartphone partnership

NEW YORK (AP) — Microsoft and Samsung Electronics have agreed to cross-license one another's patent portfolios, with Microsoft getting royalties for the mobile phones and tablets Samsung sells that run Google Inc.'s Android operating system.

Microsoft Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. said Wednesday that they also will work together to develop and market Microsoft's Windows Phone software, which is likely to increase exposure for the Windows Phone.

It's the seventh deal Microsoft has signed in the past three months with hardware makers that use Android for their smartphones and tablets, according to Brad Smith and Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft's general counsel and deputy …

A wide variety of artworks are set to go on display for free

See the best art produced in Shipham, Rowberrow and Star for freenext week.

There will be painting, embroidery, textiles, photography,pottery and more at Shipham Village Hall on Saturday, November 13and Sunday 14. Keep an eye out for the work that's taken the leastamount of effort as it could win The Gruffy Award - the village'sopposite to the art world's Turner Prize.

Soldier's Mom Champions Health Screening

AUGUSTA, Maine - Barbara Damon-Day, the mother of a Maine Army National Guard captain who died of unexplained causes while serving in Afghanistan, has been on a mission of her own.

Carrying a thick notebook filled with information about soldiers' health issues - and pictures of her son, Capt. Patrick Damon - Damon-Day worked the halls of the state House to line up support for legislation inspired by her son's mysterious death last June.

The father of two collapsed after a recreational run in Bagram, his wife, Hildi Halley, said at the time. Damon-Day believes it was related to the extensive series of vaccinations soldiers undergo before deployment, and perhaps how the vaccinations interacted with each other.

She wants to create a commission to improve health screening for National Guard personnel, particularly for vaccinations.

Her bill has 155 co-sponsors in the 186-member Legislature, and is widely expected to be approved in the House and Senate. Damon had served as chief of staff for a former House speaker before becoming administrative director for the Public Utilities Commission.

The Maine National Guard did not return a call seeking comment. Gov. John Baldacci, who oversees the Guard, has endorsed the bill.

Damon, 41, had taken leave from the utilities commission when he was deployed to Afghanistan in January 2006 with the Maine Guard's 240th Engineer Group.

While the military lists the death as "sudden unexpected," Damon-Day believes it was "prolonged and preventable."

"In the military, you are vaccinated, literally, to death," she said.

Vaccine Healthcare Center at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington declined to release any information about Damon because of confidentially laws. Damon-Day said the center was investigating his death as possibly vaccine-related.

Her campaign has made waves outside Maine.

In Congress, an amendment calling for better medical screening of military personnel this month was attached to a federal defense spending bill. Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine, said the amendment was inspired by Damon-Day, whom he credits for elevating the concern over military vaccinations.

The proposal in Augusta would create a nine-member commission to review all preventive health treatment practices and protocols, vaccinations and other medications administered to members of the Maine National Guard. It would also help propose recommendations for safer health care practices and medications to the U.S. military.

Dollar Weaker

NEW YORK The dollar plunged to a three-week low against theGerman mark and declined against other key currencies Thursday asdealers reacted to European interest rate increases and adisappointing sale of U.S. Treasury bonds.

Trading centered on European currencies for much of the day,after the Swedish and Italian central banks raised official rates.

Compounding the dollar's interest rate woes, the Treasury'soffering of $11 billion in 30-year bonds was poorly received.

The dollar fell to 1.5608 German marks from 1.5840. It alsoslipped to 100.23 Japanese yen from 101.35. The British poundrose to $1.5458 from $1.5365.

Allied Remains Confident After Blows To Profits

Allied Domecq is expecting a barrage of blows to its profit levelsin the first half of its financial year, but says that it will stillcontinue to see earnings grow.

The company yesterday told shareholders at its annual generalmeeting that profits for its Spanish business were set to be dentedto the tune of an estimated GBP25 million as wholesalers in thecountry moved to reduce stock levels.

Another GBP40 million was expected to be written off as a resultof the weakness of the dollar when the company accounted for overseasearnings.

And an extra GBP40 million related to pensions was expected to bemarked down in the light of falling stockmarkets.

As a result, the Bedminster Down company said, it was believedthat these factors would make themselves felt in its results for thefirst half of the year.

But the company added that its United States spirits business wasgrowing and its Latin American and Asia Pacific regions were alsodoing well.

It said its leading whisky brand, Ballantine's, had gained marketshare in the run up to Christmas in Spain, France, Italy, Germany andPortugal.

And the company's quality wine business was now on course to meetgrowth targets, while its Quick Service restaurant business, whichincludes Baskin Robbins, was also making good progress.

Philip Bowman, chief executive of Allied Domecq, said: "Thebusiness is performing well, in spite of challenging conditions, andis meeting our expectations.

"Stronger than anticipated growth in the US, Asia Pacific andLatin America has offset the industry destock in Spain." And MrBowman added: "We are absorbing the impact of significant externalfactors affecting pensions and the translation of overseas earningsand continue to deliver strong underlying growth in earnings."

'Steve Jobs' delves deep into complex man's life

"Steve Jobs" (Simon & Schuster), by Walter Isaacson: "Steve Jobs" takes off the rose-colored glasses that often follow an icon's untimely death and instead offers something far more valuable: The chronicle of a complex, brash genius who was crazy enough to think he could change the world — and did.

Through unprecedented access to Jobs with more than 40 conversations, including long sessions sitting in the Apple co-founder's living room, walks around his childhood neighborhood and visits to his company's secretive headquarters, Isaacson takes the reader on a journey that few have had the opportunity to experience.

The book is the first, and with his Oct. 5 death at age 56, the only authorized biography of the famously private Jobs and by extension, the equally secretive Apple Inc. Through Apple, Jobs helped usher in the personal computer era when he put the Macintosh in the hands of regular people. He changed the course of the music, computer animation and mobile phone industries, and touched countless others with the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad, Pixar and iTunes.

His biography, therefore, serves as a chronicle of Silicon Valley, of late 20th- and early 21st-century technology, and of American innovation at its best. For the generation that's grown up in a world where computers are the norm, smartphones feel like fifth limbs and music comes from the Internet rather than record and CD stores, "Steve Jobs" is must-read history.

Isaacson, whose other books include biographies of Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin and Henry Kissinger, uses anecdotes from friends, family, colleagues and adversaries to illustrate sometimes deep contradictions in Jobs.

Given up for adoption at birth, the young Jobs would go on to deny his daughter Lisa for years. The product of 1960s counterculture who shunned materialism, he'd go on to found what would become the world's most valuable company. Deeply influenced by the tenets of Zen Buddhism, Jobs rarely achieved the internal peace associated with it and was prone to wild mood swings and mean outbursts at people who weren't living up to his expectations.

But it's these contradictions that make the out-of-this-world Apple magician human to a fault. And it's his uncanny ability to meld art and technology, design and engineering, beauty and function that allowed him to put the Macintosh, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad into the hands of millions of people who didn't even know they wanted them. Jobs changed our relationship with technology because he understood humanity as well as he understood chips and interfaces.

"I'm one of the few people who understands how producing technology requires intuition and creativity, and how producing something artistic takes real discipline," Jobs tells Isaacson in one of the extended passages in the book that are in his own words.

These longer interview excerpts pepper the book like rare gems. In them, Jobs offers eloquent, no-apologies explanations of why he did things the way he did and what was going on in his mind amid decisions at Apple and in his own life.

Apple fanboys, tech geeks and encyclopedic-minded journalists will likely comb the book for previously unknown details about Jobs and Apple. I went into it with only a little more knowledge than the average reader, and a tenuous, nostalgic connection to him through having attended high school with his daughter, Lisa Brennan-Jobs. I found myself combing the book not for secrets about Apple, but secrets about Steve Jobs the man, the father, the son.

With little patience for technical details, I found myself skimming through some of the book's passages detailing the creation of the Apple I computer, the Macintosh and the i-gadgets of Jobs' later years. It's in these passages, though, where the reader might find explanations for why the iPhone's battery is not replaceable, why Macs cost more than PCs and why the iPod's headphones are white.

The intimate chapters, where Jobs' personal side shines through, with all his faults and craziness, leave a deep impression. There's humor, too, especially early on when Isaacson chronicles Jobs' lack of personal hygiene, the barefoot hippie who runs a corporation. And deeply moving are passages about Jobs' resignation as Apple's chief executive, and an afternoon he spent with Isaacson listening to music and reminiscing.

"Steve Jobs" was originally scheduled to hit store shelves in 2012. Its publication date was moved up after Jobs died. As such, there are bits that might have benefited from another round of editing. There are anecdotes, for example, that Isaacson repeats as if introducing them to the reader for the first time.

In the end, it's a rich portrait of one of the greatest minds of our generation.

HK finds melamine in Chinese-made cheesecake

Hong Kong's food safety agency has found the industrial chemical melamine in a Japanese brand's Chinese-made cheesecake, it said Wednesday.

The chemical was found in a sample of Lotte Cream Cheese Cake manufactured by Japan's Lotte China Foods Co. Ltd. in mainland China, the Centre for Food Safety said in a statement.

It is the second time the Hong Kong authorities have detected the chemical, which is used to make plastics and fertilizers, in Lotte's products. Last week, the agency and its counterparts in Macau separately found high level of melamine in the company's popular Koala's March chocolate and strawberry cream cookies.

Calls to Lotte China Foods' office in Beijing went unanswered Wednesday as China is celebrating its National Day with a weeklong holiday.

The center said the amount of melamine in Lotte's cheesecake exceeded the city's legal limit by 0.9 parts per million. Hong Kong set the safe level at 2.5 ppm.

"Based on the level detected, the public is advised to stop consuming the product concerned," a spokesman said in the statement.

Baby formula containing melamine has been blamed for killing four babies and sickening more than 50,000 in mainland China.

Since the food safety crisis was erupted in China, the banned chemical has been found in an array of food products, forcing a wave of recalls, mostly in Asia.

Chinese suppliers are believed to have added melamine in their milk to fool tests aimed at verifying protein content.

Health experts say ingesting a small amount of melamine poses no danger, but larger amounts of the chemical can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure. Infants are particularly vulnerable.

UND center working on clean energy system

A University of North Dakota research center is working on a clean energy system that converts used railroad ties into heat and power.

The school's Energy and Environmental Research Center is teaming with a Manitoba company on the project. Aboriginal Cogeneration Corp. of Winnipeg is installing two of the systems at a demonstration site in British Columbia.

EERC officials said railroad ties are difficult to process because they are treated with resins and tar. The project aims to reduces emissions to meet U.S. federal regulations.

The railroad ties are chipped before being fed into the system, said Gerald Groenewold, EERC director.

"We chop them up and we feed them into a system that turns them into, basically an equivalent of natural gas, and at the same time destroys all those very troublesome preservatives that are in them," Groenewold said. "So we are eliminating the need to bury them and we're generating electricity with it."

Officials say about 25 million used railroad ties are destroyed each year in North America.

'Jodhaa Akbar' dominates Bollywood awards

A historical epic about the romance between a Mughal king and a Hindu princess dominated the 10th International Indian Film Academy awards in the southern Chinese enclave of Macau on Saturday by winning six awards, including best picture and best actor for heartthrob Hrithik Roshan.

"Jodhaa Akbar" creator Ashutosh Gowariker was also named best director. The film also took home best music direction for Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman, best song lyrics and best male playback singer _ an award for performers who record soundtracks for on-screen actors.

Former Miss World Priyanka Chopra was named best actress for playing a model who stages a comeback in "Fashion."

Gowariker, who directed the Oscar-nominated 2001 film "Lagaan," said he was advised not to make a film about the touchy subject of Hindu-Muslim relations but went ahead because "I somehow felt it is the need of art." "Jodhaa Akbar" describes how what was intended as a politically strategic marriage between a Muslim emperor and a Hindu beauty evolved into genuine love.

Picking up his award for playing the king, Roshan saluted Gowariker, saying "This is as much yours as it is mine."

Chopra called "Fashion" "one of the most difficult films of my life."

Best supporting actor went to Arjun Rampal for "Rock On!!" _ about the reunion of an Indian band _ and Kangana Ranawat won best supporting actress for "Fashion."

The female star of "Jodhaa Akbar," another former Miss World, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan from the Hollywood movie "The Pink Panther 2" missed out on best actress honors, but it was still a big night for her family _ the first family of Indian cinema. The actress is married to actor Abhishek Bachchan, the son of Indian screen legend Amitabh Bachchan.

Aishwarya Rai did pick up awards for best actress of the decade and outstanding achievement in international cinema, joking that the second award felt like a "mini-lifetime achievement award." Abhishek was named best actor in a humorous role for the Miami-set comedy "Dostana." Accepting his award, the younger Bachchan paid an emotional tribute to his father, saying "I was a young boy watching the greatest actor alive."

The elder Bachchan presented the lifetime achievement award to veteran actor Rajesh Khanna _ who received a standing ovation from the audience of thousands _ recalling that Khanna's fanatic female fans would pick up dirt from his car tires and place them in their hair as a gesture of worship.

"The word superstar in the Indian film industry was for the first time coined for him," Bachchan said.

Gowariker's "Lagaan," about a group of Indian villagers who play their British colonial rulers in cricket to decide the fate of their taxes, was named film of the decade. Another heartthrob, Shah Rukh Khan won male star of the decade. Roshan presented his father, filmmaker Rakesh Rohan, with the director of the decade prize.

The nominees in the top categories were chosen by film industry insiders, with the winners decided by an Internet vote.

The day's marathon festivities began with a three-hour long red carpet ceremony along a 200-meter strip inside the massive The Venetian Macao casino-hotel resort, with passionate ethnic Indian fans from as far as the U.S. and South Africa pressing up against barricades, punching their hands in the air as they chanted the names of their idols and their movies.

The awards ceremony itself was a freewheeling five-hour variety show ending at 2:30 a.m. Sunday (1830 GMT Saturday) that combined a Cirque du Soleil circus performance, skits, movie spoofs, and the elaborate song-and-dance routines that Indian cinema is renowned for. At one point, the host waded into the VIP section to get different stars to sing Hindi numbers spontaneously.

The dance performances were a spectacular showing of fast-paced hip-swiveling action in glittering costumes amid disco lights fireworks and confetti.

Her head and body covered in silver jewelry, Aishwarya Rai was carried onto stage in a golden sedan chair by barefoot men to the music of "Jodhaa Akbar" and then performed with a group of bare-chested dancers. Her husband showed up among the audience in a pink-striped kurta, slowly made his way to stage while high-fiving members of the audience then shook his body with female dancers in red bikini tops and red dresses.

Report: Abkhaz troops push Georgians from gorge

Troops in the separatist Georgian province of Abkhazia launched artillery strikes in an operation Tuesday to push Georgian forces out of the northern Kodori Gorge, the only area of the province still under the control of the former Soviet republic, a separatist official said.

The operation in the western region comes as Russian troops have pressed into Georgia in an escalating conflict that started last week over another breakaway province, South Ossetia in central Georgia. Both provinces enjoy Russian backing.

Abkhaz forces were using artillery strikes and mortar fire in the operation launched early Tuesday in the northern part of the Kodori Gorge, the foreign minister of the Abkhaz separatist government, Sergei Shamba, said on Vesti-24 television.

He said a U.N. observer mission in the area had been warned of the pending operation and pulled out. The main U.N. peacekeeping office in the Abkhaz capital Sukhumi was unaffected by the operation, he said.

"Everything is developing according to plan," he said. He gave no information about casualties on either side.

There was no immediate response from Georgian officials to the Abkhaz announcement. Details of the operation could not be independently verified.

Russian-backed separatist forces in Abkhazia launched air and artillery strikes Saturday to drive Georgian troops from their bridgehead in the region. Abkhazia's separatists declared Sunday they would push Georgian forces out of the gorge.

On Monday, Russian troops invaded Georgia from Abkhazia while most Georgian forces were busy with fighting in the region around South Ossetia.

Both South Ossetia and Abkhazia have run their own affairs without international recognition since fighting to split from Georgia in the early 1990s and have built up ties with Moscow.

In 2006, Georgian forces moved into the upper part of the Kodori Gorge to root out members of a defiant militia. Georgia later established a local administration made up of people who fled the fighting in Abkhazia.

Abkhazian and Russian officials have said they believe Georgia intends to launch an offensive from there to retake Abkhazia and demanded the withdrawal of Georgian troops from the area.

Ahead of the Bell: Business Inventories

Inventories held by businesses likely showed a fourth-consecutive monthly gain in April, which would be an encouraging sign for future economic growth.

Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect inventories held on shelves and backlots grew by 0.5 percent in April following a 0.4 percent rise in March. The Commerce Department will release the inventory report at 10 a.m. EDT Friday.

Earlier this week, the government reported that inventories at the wholesale level increase 0.4 percent last month as wholesale sales rose by 0.7 percent.

The hope is that a steady rise in demand will prompt businesses to step up orders and restock depleted shelves. That would give a boost to factories and prompt them to increase hiring.

Inventories at the wholesale level had fallen for 13-consecutive months through September of last year. Businesses went through a massive liquidation of their stocks in a struggle to contain costs during the recession.

The move away from slashing inventories to restocking has played an important role in supporting growth in the past two quarters. A rise in factory orders has made the manufacturing sector one of the strongest contributors to the economic recovery.

The overall economy, as measured by the gross domestic product, grew at an annual rate of 5.6 percent in the final three months of last year, a surge powered by a swing in inventories.

Growth slowed to 3 percent in the first three months of this year with continued strength from inventories.

Vainisi still bitter toward McCaskey

PONTIAC, Mich. Jerry Vainisi wouldn't dump on Michael McCaskeythen, and he won't dump on him now.

But there is bitterness.

"I know we were two guys who didn't like each other. If thesituation were reversed, I would have done it, too," Vainisi said ofhis abrupt firing as the general manager by Bear president McCaskeylast January.

"He couldn't coach. And he wasn't a student of playerpersonnel," Vainisi said of McCaskey. "So the only area where hecould really get in and mingle was in the areas I was running. Andhe tried to find fault with everything I did."

The firing, Vainisi could understand. What really irritatedhim, a Vainisi confidant said, was that he felt McCaskey, with theaid of lawyer Don Reuben, tried to trump up a breach-of-contractclaim to avoid paying Vainisi for the last two years of his contract.

Vainisi, who successfully resisted the breach-of-contract claim,has not signed a Lions' contract, so he can revert to his Bear salaryif things don't work out in Detroit, a Lions' source said.

Ironically, what may have been McCaskey's breaking point was theacquisition of Doug Flutie. McCaskey, following player personnelchief Bill Tobin's lead, opposed it.

Coach Mike Ditka and Vainisi wanted Flutie, and Tobin andMcCaskey acquiesced. McCaskey even handled the bulk of thenegotiations in which the Bears acquired the rights to Flutie fromthe Rams.

"Although Michael was the one who actually went ahead and didthe deal, the media blitz that followed was directed at me, not him,"Vainisi said. "I think that really bothered him."

But McCaskey and Vainisi also clashed on policy matters. WhenMcCaskey would make a policy without consulting anyone, Vainisi wouldtry to make him reconsider. They included matters such as no signingbonuses for veterans, and certain incentive clauses.

From what Vainisi says he hears from his old friends in the newBears organization, "They're doing a pretty good job (of workingtogether). They all seem to be on the same page. And Mike (Ditka)says he's working pretty well with (McCaskey), which everybody wouldhave been surprised at.

"I don't know how much of that is Michael trying to show Mikethey can work together, to soften him up for his own contractnegotiations. But Ditka's contract ought to have a very clearstatement of who has responsibility for player personnel and thedraft."

Tembec & Aditya Birla to resurrect St Anne mill

The Aditya Birla Group of India and Tembec announced in early April that they had signed a Framework Agreement with the province of New Brunswick to acquire the recently closed St. Anne Nackawic pulp mill in central New Brunswick. The acquisition will be a joint venture between the two companies in which Birla will be the majority partner and Tembec the lead operator. The two companies have an existing relationship in the AV Cell partnership running the pulp mill in Atholville, NB. Work will begin soon after closing to convert the mill to allow it to produce a mix of paper, dissolving and specialty pulps, helping to cushion it from the commodity-dominated world of hardwood pulp for paper products.

More info at www.tembec.com.

Spain's Bull Run Begins With Few Injured

PAMPLONA, Spain - Six massive bulls charged down the packed streets of Pamplona on Saturday during the first run of the San Fermin Festival, which combines the half-ton animals with damp cobblestones and revelers steeped in adrenaline and alcohol.

Injuries are usually common as the crowds strive to keep ahead of the bulls in the narrow streets. But only seven people were treated for minor injuries this year, including an Australian man who was slightly gored and a Spaniard who escaped with a minor shoulder injury after being tossed in the air and falling into the path of another bull, whose horns missed.

The number of revelers swelled this year because the traditional start day fell on a weekend. Last year, more than 200,000 tourists visited Pamplona, according to the city government. Numbers this year are likely to exceed that, said government spokeswoman Edurne Elio.

San Fermin is as much a feast of thanksgiving for the bounty of wine as it is a celebration of bullfighting. Pamplona, capital of the winemaking region of Navarra, is situated immediately east of another world-renowned wine area - Rioja.

It is customary for many revelers, particularly foreigners, to spend much of the night before a bull run drinking red wine or sangria.

"I stayed up all night drinking. Thank God for espresso," said Matthew Genovese, 25, from Washington, Conn., who is in Pamplona for the first time.

Last year, 31-year-old Ray Ducharme of Charlotte, N.C. was thrown by a cow in an mock bullfight following the first run. He underwent a 90-minute operation to reattach two vertebrae.

"They don't know what they're doing; bulls can kill," said Ruben Munoz, 24, from Madrid, who has run with the bulls for five years. "I do it for the adrenaline and because I feel liberated."

Saturday was particularly poignant for Victor Elbusto, 57, who made his last run after 40 years.

"I've only been gored once, 20 years ago, and now I realize I need to give up before my luck runs out," said Elbusto, whose record won him the title of "divino," a person who has run many years with few injuries.

The bulls, which are kept in an enclosure just outside the town center, are run daily during the San Fermin Festival to Pamplona's central bullring. Crowds started to line the 974-yard course as early as 2 a.m.

Each of the nine days of San Fermin features bulls from a different breeder. The lightest this year weighed 1,212 pounds and the heaviest 1,356 pounds.

Since records began in 1924, 13 people have been killed. The last fatality, a 22-year-old American, was gored to death in 1995.

The San Fermin Festival dates back to the late 16th century but gained worldwide fame in Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises."

On Sunday the crowd will run with Spain's most dangerous breed of bulls, the Miuras.

Jugs let you get a handle on paint

Tips and tricks from HGTV:

Paint cans can be hard to hold when you're painting. A great paintholder can be made using a plastic milk or water jug. Cut a holeopposite the handle large enough for your brush. Pour in paint andyou have a paint container with a handle.

Clean-up ease.

When you have to paint around hardware or fixtures, protect themby applying some petroleum jelly. Wipe the petroleum jelly and thepain off after you are through painting.

Door dirt. About 80 percent of dust and dirt that collects in yourhouse comes in through the front door. To reduce the amount of dustand dirt in your home, use door mats both on the inside and outsideof the front door. It will help cut your cleaning time.

Lewis shakes off aches, scores 50 in Japan

Aches, pains and an early start time couldn't slow down RashardLewis. The Los Angeles Clippers offered little resistance as well.

Lewis scored a career-high 50 points today in Japan to lead theSeattle SuperSonics to a 124-105 victory over the Clippers.

"I felt sore when I woke up this morning," Lewis said followingthe game, which started at noon. "I wasn't really thinking about thepoints, but more about by how much we were up."

Seattle swept Los Angeles in the two-game, season-opening seriesat Saitama Super Arena. Lewis had a big hand in both victories.

"It just comes down to a lot of hard work over the summer," Lewissaid. "I am one of the go-to guys on this team and it all comes downto making the right decisions and not making bad shots."

Lewis, who led the Sonics with 25 points in Thursday's 109-100win, scored 26 points in the first half today and nearly matched thattotal after the break.

He made 18-of-25 shots from the field, 4-for-7 from 3-point range,and was 10-of-13 at the foul line. His previous career high was 37points, set last season.

"Obviously, it was not a good game for us," Clipper Coach MikeDunleavy said. "Rashard Lewis had an incredible game. We tried todouble-team him late but he got hot and stayed hot all game."

Ronald Murray had 22 points, and Brent Barry added 14 for Seattle,which had five scorers in double figures.

Seattle used pressure defense to force several turnovers and openup a 17-point lead with just over 10 minutes left in the game.

"Defense was a big key," Sonics Coach Nate McMillan said. "Wedidn't play well defensively in the first half when we scored 66points but gave up 58. We talked about that at the break and improveda lot in the second half."

Corey Maggette led the Clippers with 26 points, and QuentinRichardson was next with 19.

Pistons 93, Heat 81 - At Miami, Chauncey Billups scored 27 points,and Detroit beat winless Miami.

The Heat fell to 0-3, losing its home opener under new Coach StanVan Gundy.

Richard Hamilton added 24 points, including Detroit's final 10after the Heat closed to 83-76. Coach Larry Brown earned his 880thcareer victory and his first with the Pistons, his seventh NBA team.

Detroit 18-year-old forward Darko Milicic made his NBA debut with1:23 left, finishing with two rebounds, two turnovers and a foul.

Bucks 93, Pacers 79 - At Indianapolis, Milwaukee rookie T.J. Fordhad 11 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in his NBA debut.

Michael Redd added 21 points and Tim Thomas scored 20 for theBucks, who gave new coach Terry Porter his first win.

Pacers guard Reggie Miller left after the third quarter with asore back and didn't return.

Nets 84, Timberwolves 61 - At East Rutherford, N.J., Jason Kiddpicked up his game after Kenyon Martin went down with an ugly ankleinjury.

Kidd recorded his 51st career triple-double with 21 points, 14assists and 11 rebounds. Richard Jefferson added 26 points for theNets in their home opener.

New Jersey held Minnesota to a franchise low in points.

Kevin Garnett had 23 points to lead the Timberwolves, whoseprevious team low was 66.

Celtics 93, Grizzlies 91 - At Memphis, Tenn., Mike James hit a 16-foot jumper with 1.8 seconds left to lift Boston.

Vin Baker led Boston with 24 points and eight rebounds. James had16 points and six assists.

Memphis was led by Stromile Swift with 18 points.

Raptors 82, Wizards 79 - At Toronto, Vince Carter scored 18 of his26 points in the second half as Toronto recovered from its lowest-scoring first half ever - 27 points.

Jerome Williams added 17 points and 13 rebounds, and Antonio Davishad 15 rebounds as the Raptors improved to 2-0 under new Coach KevinO'Neill.

Bulls 100, Hawks 94 - At Chicago, Eddy Curry scored 22 points, andTyson Chandler had 13 with a career-high 22 rebounds for the Bulls.

Atlanta's Jason Terry scored 24 points and Stephen Jackson added17.

Kings 100, 76ers 89 - At Sacramento, Calif., Peja Stojakovicscored 28 points, and Bobby Jackson had 18 as the Kings beatPhiladelphia for the sixth straight time.

Mike Bibby had 16 points and five assists for the Kings, whoearned their 19th straight home victory against Eastern Conferenceteams.

Allen Iverson had 27 points and seven assists for the 76ers afterstraining his left shoulder during practice Thursday.

SANTA AT MACY'S

YOU BETTER WATCH OUT! SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO MACY'S IN DOWNTOWN BOISE

Through the generations, in cities across the country, children have lined up in department stores to tell Santa their Christmas wishes. It's a holiday tradition. Here in downtown Boise that tradition continues at Macy's, 918 W. Idaho St., where Santa will visit every Saturday from November 24 through December 22, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. He will also make a special stop on First Thursday, December 6, from 6 to 9 p.m.

This year Santa will sit in Macy's front window in an antique sleigh that Old Boise has kindly made available for this very traditional scene. All little girls and boys are invited to come …

Russian FM says ties with US on good track

Russia's foreign minister said Saturday that relations with the United States are on a positive track under Barack Obama's administration, but warned that Moscow won't make any trade-offs like agreeing to increase pressure on Iran.

Sergey Lavrov said Moscow is feeling a "cautious optimism" about relations with Washington.

"We are satisfied with how our relations with the new U.S. administration are developing," Lavrov said in a speech to a group of political scholars. "Mutual confidence was being eroded for a long period, and it will take time to rebuild it. But we are moving now in the right direction."

Russian-U.S. …

Tenn. Wife Sentenced in Preacher's Death

SELMER, Tenn. - A woman who killed her preacher husband with a shotgun blast to the back as he lay in bed was sentenced Friday to three years in prison, but with time served could be released on probation in a little more than two months.

Mary Winkler must serve at least 210 days of her sentence but gets credit for the 143 days she has already spent in jail, Judge Weber McCraw said.

That leaves 67 days, and McCraw said up to 60 days of the sentence could be served in a facility where she could receive mental health treatment. That means Winkler might spend only another week in jail.

Prosecutors had pursued a murder charge against Winkler, 33, but jurors convicted …

Company's Standard EXTRA System is a new choice in practical EIF system technology.(Brief Article)

Product is a PB EIF system engineered to double the protection of a building's exterior finishing system. It includes a seamless and integrated secondary weather and air …

`HYBRID' FIRM BUYS, SERVICES CARD CHARGE-OFFS.(First Financial Asset Management Inc.)(Brief article)

Debt buyer and receivables manager First Financial Asset Management Inc. projects it will acquire about $2.5 billion in fresh charged off accounts this year, 80% of which will represent credit card and other consumer loans, Matthew Maloney, the company's senior vice president, tells CardLine sister publication CCRNewsline. First Financial, a hybrid company that purchases receivables and directly services them for credit card issuers such as HSBC, has one of …

BABBLE VERSUS RECTITUDE.(Main)

Byline: George Will

WASHINGTON-Florida, a geological late arrival, was the last part of what is the continental United States to rise from the ocean. Paul Tsongas probably wishes it had stayed submerged.

The least Southern of all southern states, Florida was Tsongas' best chance to put sand in the gears of Bill Clinton's machine. Instead, Florida gave maximum momentum to that machine as it rolls toward the real Super Tuesday, next week in Michigan and especially Illinois.

When, in the distant future, narrators are re-telling the Homeric epic of this presidential campaign, they will linger over the inexpressibly sad fact that the lamp of love between Bill Clinton and Paul Tsongas was extinguished in …

WORLD at 1600GMT

NEW THIS DIGEST:

US-FINANCIAL MELTDOWN. US bank to buy massive amounts of short-term debt.

US-MELTDOWN-AIG. Executives hid risky practices from auditors, documents say.

MALDIVES-ELECTION. First democratic election a referendum on longtime ruler.

PAKISTAN. Afghans pour over border from battle zone.

KENYA-OBAMA-AUTHOR DETAINED. Author of anti-Obama book to be deported.

PALESTINIANS-TUNNEL BOOM. Smugglers say Hamas controlling tunnel business.

ITALY-ENDANGERED TUNA. Report says Italy exceeding bluefin tuna fishing quotas.

US-STOCKS. Wall Street shows modest rebound after global rout.

…

MORNINGLINE

RESULTS Do you believe government is properly prepared for the year 2000?YES: 27% NO: …

Ford's Mellier goes to Renault.

PARIS - Philippe Mellier, a rising star at Ford Motor Co., will move to Renault SA Jan. 1 to run European sales operations.

Mellier, 43, is vice president of sales and marketing at Ford of Europe and the former head …

INFORMATION NIGHT TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO ADOPT.

(FRIDAY NOVEMBER 10) AN adoption information evening was held last night (Thursday) to mark the tenth National Adoption Week.

Permanent families are particularly needed in the county for older children, brothers and sisters, children from Black and Asian and mixed race backgrounds.

Thirty-five children are currently awaiting permanent homes in Buckinghamshire and adoption service workers are hoping the meeting will dispel myths about the criteria needed to adopt.

Divisional director of safeguarding for BCC's children's services, Trevor Boyd, is urging anyone with an interest in adoption or long-term fostering to come …

DON'T RELY ON RESUMES FOR FULL STORY.(BUSINESS)

Byline: HARVEY MACKAY

In April 2000, Bill Clinton starred in his last annual Correspondents Dinner.

This event -- a hearty roast of prez and press -- lets it all hang out. Two-termer Bill admitted he was ``working hard on this resume deal'' going out the White House door. Among his Pennsylvania Avenue achievements, he listed serving ``three terms as president.'' To which he quickly added, ``Everybody embellishes a little.''

This quip brought the house down at the Washington Hilton. Too bad most resume stretching isn't as harmless and good natured.

Last October, Fortune magazine, for example, reported on one guy -- he was a doctor, attorney …

CASINO TALK PUSHES TRUMP 'JUNK' LOWER.(Business)

Byline: Richard D. Hylton New York Times

The price of "junk bonds" backing Donald J. Trump's casinos fell Thursday on news the developer was considering offering holders of the high-yield securities equity ownership in his casinos in exchange for a cut in interest payments.

Trump said no decision had been made, but the casino bonds were still lower in the market.

Also Thursday, the deadline on the expiration of a $20 million bridge loan was extended by a week to Aug. 3 to allow the completion of documents on a larger loan package.

Last month Trump's major bank lenders rescued him with the bridge loan and a larger package that included $65 …

Recall: Books with bad do-it-yourself advice

Oxmoor House on Friday recalled nearly 1 million home improvement books because of errors that could lead do-it-yourselfers to make risky mistakes while installing or repairing their electrical wiring.

The errors in technical diagrams and wiring instructions could cause people to be shocked or create a fire hazard.

In announcing the voluntary recall, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said no incidents have been reported.

Oxmoor House of Birmingham, Ala., published the 951,000 recalled books.

Here are the nine different book titles being recalled:

_"AmeriSpec Home Repair Handbook"

_"Lowe's …

Pope Assails Marxism and Capitalism

APARECIDA, Brazil - Pope Benedict XVI blamed both Marxism and unbridled capitalism for Latin America's problems on Sunday, urging bishops to mold a new generation of Roman Catholic leaders in politics to reverse the church's declining influence in the region.

Before boarding a plane for Rome at the end of a five-day trip to the most populous Catholic nation in the world, Benedict also warned that legalized contraception and abortion in Latin America threaten "the future of the peoples" and said the historic Catholic identity of the region is under assault.

Like his predecessor Pope John Paul II, Benedict criticized capitalism's negative effects as well as the Marxist …

Novozymes Targets Pharma Sector.(pharmaceutical sector)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

NOVOZYMES SAYS IT WILL TARGET NEW MARKETS TO OFFSET SLOW growth in its industrial enzymes for the detergent and textile industries. The company says it plans to start production of antimicrobial compounds used in pharmaceutical, agriculture, and food markets, as well as enter into partnership agreements with one or more companies to develop antimicrobials.

Novozymes is seeking contract manufacturing deals with pharmaceutical companies. It has entered into an agreement with Hyalose (Austin, TX) to produce hyaluronic acid and derivatives for Hyalose, Novozymes says. It is also seeking deals for the contract fermentation of mammalian cells. These moves, as well as …

Paramount backs Goodson venture.(Jonathan Goodson made CEO of new game show company)

Paramount Domestic Television has formed a production company with Jonathan Goodson, former president/CEO of game show giant Mark Goodson Productions.

Paramount-based Jonathan Goodson Productions will develop a range of shows for network, syndication and cable. JGP, which recently produced pilots for two new game shows for the BBC, is at work on a reality series patterned after the Canadian TV hit House Calls.

Goodson and Paramount teamed last year for the syndicated strip The New Price is Right, an ill-fated access version of Goodson's daytime mainstay on CBS. Goodson sold The Price Is Right …

READER PUTS HIS 2 CENTS IN ABOUT HIGHER PAYROLL TAXES.(MAIN)

Byline: ANTHONY R. LUPO GUILDERLAND

There is much talk these days about how to save the Social Security system. You've done your own analysis (Jan. 12) and concluded that higher payroll taxes may be what is needed to save Social Security.

Indeed, a higher payroll tax is one of the methods being talked about nationally as a possible solution. The most popular figure being thrown around is a 1.6 to 2 percent payroll tax hike.

It is likely that if a tax hike is proposed, we will be told that ``2 percent is only 2 cents …

US brings back Findley for 2nd round against Ghana

The United States made two changes to its lineup for Saturday's second-round World Cup match against Ghana.

Coach Bob Bradley restored forward Robbie Findley to the starting lineup in place of Herculez Gomez and brought in midfielder Ricardo Clark for Maurice Edu.

Findley was suspended for the Wednesday's 1-0 win over Algeria, which took the Americans through to the round of 16.

Captain Carlos Bocanegra will again play in central defense after switching from left back for the final group match.

While the United States is aiming for consecutive victories at the World Cup for the first time since 1930, Ghana made just one change as it …

A nasty little secret

ELDER ABUSE

"My God, J put my hope in you: I have trusted in you since I was young. I have relied on you all my life; you have protected me since the day I was born. Do not reject me now that I am old; do not abandon me now that I am feeble. You have taught me ever since I was young and I still tell of your wonderful acts. Now that I am old and my hair is grey, do not abandon me, O God' Be with me while I proclaim your power and might to all generations to come" Psalm 71:5-6, 9, 17-18.

A pastor receives a phone call from Sarah*, a distraught 74-year-old woman, telling him that her son Bob* (names are pseudonyms) has been beating her for years - since he took her into his …

Maxim Bakiev is in Latvia.

The son of deposed President of Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiev is now in Latvia, where he co-owns several enterprises, reported the National News Agency of Latvia LETA.His arrival in Latvia was agreed on with the government agencies, including the Ministyr of Foreign Affairs.Maxim Bakiev is the partner of Latvian banker Valery Belokon in Maval Activity, where both of them …

SPAIN CAPTURES CUP.(SPORTS)

Byline: Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain -- Even Spain's king had to cover his eyes with victory so close.

Then Juan Carlos Ferrero provided the winning point, and the king joined the singing, flag-waving crowd in celebrating Spain's first Davis Cup title, its 79-year wait over.

Ferrero beat Lleyton Hewitt 6-2, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-4 in almost four hours Sunday for an insurmountable 3-1 lead over defending champion Australia in the best-of-5 series.

Pat Cash won the Honda Challenge seniors title, beating a racket-throwing John McEnroe 6-7 (3), 7-5, 14-12 at Royal Albert Hall in London.

McEnroe had won this event the last three years. …

Ronaldo picked in Portugal squad for WCup playoff

Cristiano Ronaldo was included in Portugal's squad Sunday for the two-legged World Cup playoff against Bosnia-Herzegovina despite not having played in nearly a month due to an ankle injury.

The 24-year-old Real Madrid winger was selected in Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz's squad for Saturday's home match at Lisbon's Estadio da Luz. The second leg is at Zenica four days later.

Queiroz had said Ronaldo would be picked despite needing two more weeks rest, claiming the winger could be important even if he only played for a few minutes.

Ronaldo was hurt while playing for Madrid on Sept. 30. He aggravated his right ankle injury when playing for Portugal …

MasterCard Certifies Two BlackBerry Phones For SIM-Based NFC Payments.(MasterCard International Inc)(Brief article)

Byline: Will Hernandez

Two new Blackberry devices are the first Subscriber Identity Module-based Near Field Communication smartphones to receive MasterCard Worldwide PayPass certification, Research In Motion Ltd. announced Oct. 26.

MasterCard's certification enables banks to add account accessibility via PayPass to the SIM card of the Research In Motion's Blackberry Bold 9900 and the Blackberry Curve 9360.

France-based telecommunications company Orange is the …