Morning Papers - continued ...

The Boston Globe

Boaters warned as tropical storm threatens N.E.
By Hailey Heinz, Globe Correspondent July 20, 2006
Tropical Storm Beryl gained strength yesterday as it pulled away from the North Carolina coast and headed toward New England carrying winds at 60 miles per hour , prompting the National Weather Service to issue a tropical storm watch from Woods Hole to Plymouth, including Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard.
Kim Buttrick , a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton, said the storm is projected to pass about 40 miles south of Nantucket around daybreak tomorrow morning. If that happens, Buttrick said, the area could see winds in excess of the 39-mile-per-hour threshold for a storm to be named, but below the hurricane strength of 74 miles per hour. She said she expects Beryl's top winds will be at the lower end of the spectrum for tropical storms.
Buttrick recommended that mariners exercise extreme caution and that boaters remain in port if possible today and tomorrow. She said boat owners and marina operators should tie down their vessels and retrieve any loose items from their boats, ``particularly if there is something precious to them." She advised them to take pictures of their boats for insurance purposes, in case of damage.

http://www.boston.com/news/weather/articles/2006/07/20/boaters_warned_as_tropical_storm_threatens_ne/



Europe swelters in record high heat
By Associated Press July 20, 2006
LONDON -- Lions licked blood-flavored ice blocks in the zoo, judges went wigless in court, and guards at Buckingham Palace ducked into the shade.
Britain yesterday faced the hottest day ever recorded in July as a heat wave swept much of Europe. Temperatures hit 97.3 degrees near Gatwick Airport, setting the record.
Two people died in Spain as temperatures climbed above 104 degrees, while officials in France said as many as nine people who died recently were believed to be victims of the heat.
But with its aging buildings and infrequent brushes with sweltering temperatures, Britain was particularly ill-equipped for the heat wave.
London's Underground has no air conditioning and one newspaper measured temperatures in the train system at 117 degrees. Operator Transport for London takes no measurements but did not dispute the figure.

http://www.boston.com/news/weather/articles/2006/07/20/europe_swelters_in_record_high_heat/



Road to Tragedy - History of Big Dig Problems

http://www.boston.com/news/specials/big_dig_problems/


Emotional farewell to tunnel victim
Mother of three is buried in Costa Rica
By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff July 20, 2006
VASQUEZ DE CORONADO, Costa Rica -- The little boy covered his ears to block out the sounds, but the wails only grew louder.
Milena Del Valle's body had finally arrived from Boston and lay in a white coffin at St. Jorge funeral home. Morticians stood nearby, waiting to take it to a church. But first, Del Valle's three children wanted to see her. They looked inside the coffin and began to scream.
``Mami, Mami," yelled Jeremy Ibarra Mora, 17, Del Valle's youngest son, as his sister, Raquel, 23, and brother, Kaleb, 19, held him. The scene overwhelmed Del Valle's 4-year-old grandson, who cupped his ears as a family friend carried him away.
Del Valle, 38, was crushed to death more than a week ago when ceiling panels in the Interstate 90 tunnel connector fell on the Buick sedan in which she was riding. Yesterday, her children, who had last seen her in May, followed her coffin to a sprawling evangelical church north of San Jose, the capital city.
``God will help us figure out a way to move forward," her daughter, Raquel Ibarra Mora , said to those gathered at her mother's funeral. ``Pray you don't have to go through something like this."

http://www.boston.com/news/world/latinamerica/articles/2006/07/20/emotional_farewell_to_tunnel_victim/



Traffic tie-ups have drivers snarling
By Matt Viser and Carolyn Y. Johnson, Globe Staff July 20, 2006
Boston was hit with a confluence of traffic problems yesterday, paralyzing parts of the city for hours and further aggravating motorists already plagued with a rash of commuter problems.
Even as drivers coped with tie-ups and detours caused by the closing of Big Dig tunnels, a dump truck hauling sand rolled over on the Massachusetts Turnpike, spilling sand and diesel fuel on the roadway and closing westbound lanes for nearly two hours about midday. Work crews trying to repair a gaping hole caused by a ruptured water main diverted traffic from a portion of Massachusetts Avenue, forcing detours onto choked side streets and backing up cars all the way to Interstate 93.
With little public notice, city officials also changed one of the airport detours yesterday. Anticipating that thousands would clog streets as they headed to an afternoon game at Fenway or to concerts on City Hall Plaza and the Esplanade, officials directed airport-bound traffic away from the Government Center and Storrow Drive exits, where those events would bring extra traffic, to Exit 27 across the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/07/20/traffic_tie_ups_have_drivers_snarling/



Traffic tie-ups have drivers snarling
By Matt Viser and Carolyn Y. Johnson, Globe Staff July 20, 2006
Boston was hit with a confluence of traffic problems yesterday, paralyzing parts of the city for hours and further aggravating motorists already plagued with a rash of commuter problems.
Even as drivers coped with tie-ups and detours caused by the closing of Big Dig tunnels, a dump truck hauling sand rolled over on the Massachusetts Turnpike, spilling sand and diesel fuel on the roadway and closing westbound lanes for nearly two hours about midday. Work crews trying to repair a gaping hole caused by a ruptured water main diverted traffic from a portion of Massachusetts Avenue, forcing detours onto choked side streets and backing up cars all the way to Interstate 93.
With little public notice, city officials also changed one of the airport detours yesterday. Anticipating that thousands would clog streets as they headed to an afternoon game at Fenway or to concerts on City Hall Plaza and the Esplanade, officials directed airport-bound traffic away from the Government Center and Storrow Drive exits, where those events would bring extra traffic, to Exit 27 across the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/07/20/traffic_tie_ups_have_drivers_snarling/



Broken water main stalls city commuters
Both lanes back open by nightfall
By Adrienne P. Samuels and LeMont Calloway, Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent July 20, 2006
Boston Water and Sewer Commission officials yesterday began investigating what led a contractor to bore a hole into a 30-inch water main, causing several neighborhoods to lose water pressure as flooding paralyz ed traffic in four city neighborhoods.
Workers spent much of the day frantically repairing a sinkhole three lanes wide at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Albany Street.
The breach, which shot tens of thousands of gallons of water into the air, caused the ground to shift, cracked sidewalks, and made a nearby bus stop shelter lean.
The episode brought yesterday's already difficult city commute to a standstill, as commuters choked side streets in an effort to find alternative routes.
Repair crews were working before dawn yesterday, cleaning out the hole, trucking away dirt, bringing in asphalt, and hand-cutting new sections of pipe.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/07/20/broken_water_main_stalls_city_commuters/



Israel hits Lebanon, Marines help Americans leave
By Alaa Shahine July 20, 2006
BEIRUT (Reuters) - A token force of U.S. Marines landed in Lebanon on Thursday to evacuate Americans stranded by a nine-day-old Israeli bombardment that has killed more than 300 people but failed to stop Hizbollah rocket strikes on Israel.
It was the U.S. military's first return to Lebanon since it withdrew in 1984, months after a Shi'ite Muslim suicide bomber destroyed a Marine barracks killing 241 U.S. service personnel.
About 40 Marines arrived on a beach in a Christian area north of Beirut at dawn to ferry about 1,200 Americans to Cyprus as part of efforts to extract U.S. citizens caught in a war zone like thousands of other foreigners, many of Lebanese origin.
The Marines, helped by Lebanese soldiers, sloshed through waves to carry women and children to the landing craft. Some frightened children cried, but many people smiled with relief.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/07/20/israeli_air_raids_strike_lebanon/



Israel hits Hezbollah stronghold
Militants say Beirut bombing missed leaders
By Matthew Kalman and Thanassis Cambanis, Globe Correspondent and Globe Staff July 20, 2006
BEIRUT -- Israeli warplanes last night dropped bombs on a bunker in south Beirut where Israel said Hezbollah leaders were meeting, dramatically escalating the conflict on the deadliest day yet in Israel's week-long offensive against the Islamic militant group.
Residents of the Lebanese capital heard three huge explosions just after 10 p.m. Hezbollah said early today that none of its leaders had been killed or wounded in the air attack in the Bourj al Barajneh section, located in the Shi'ite zone where Hezbollah has significant strength.
It was unclear whether Hezbollah's leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, was in the bunker at the time. The Israeli military said early today only that its forces had attacked a bunker ``where senior Hezbollah members were gathered."
Even if unsuccessful, the attack demonstrated Israel's willingness to ratchet up the scale of its campaign to drive Hezbollah from southern Lebanon and destroy its ability to attack Israel. The airstrike occurred on a day of fierce fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants in the first serious Israeli ground engagement inside Lebanon in the current offensive.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/07/20/israel_hits_hezbollah_stronghold/



Boston student dies in Utah
Family questions Outward Bound hike
By James Vaznis, Globe Staff July 20, 2006
Writing about how she wanted to conquer her shyness and build relationships, Elisa Santry of South Boston won a free spot in the Outward Bound Wilderness program this summer.
But on Sunday, the 16th day of her 22-day trip of backpacking and rafting, Santry somehow got separated from the rest of her group while on a hike in a rugged desert in 110-degree heat.
Santry eventually died, a quarter-mile from Canyonlands National Park in southern Utah. The 16-year-old's relatives, friends, and Outward Bound program officials are trying to sort out why she succumbed.
``We are anxious to get more information, but, more importantly, we are anxious to speak with the adults who were supervising her," said Mary O'Neil, an aunt. ``Who is that adult who said, `It's 110 degrees, and let's go hiking between the hours of 10 and 4?' Think about it; 110 degrees would be difficult to sit in in the shade. It's mind-boggling."
Santry was an outstanding student at a city exam school, the John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science in Roxbury, and was well liked at Sullivan's eatery on Castle Island, where she had worked for two years.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/07/20/boston_student_dies_in_utah/


Mixed economy puts mortgage rates in flux
By Holden Lewis • Bankrate.com
Ben Bernanke could not quite make mortgage rates tank in Bankrate's survey.
The chairman of the Federal Reserve assuaged bond traders who were anxious Wednesday about an unanticipated escalation in inflation, as gauged in the Consumer Price Index.
Telling the Senate that he envisages a decline in the pace of price increases, Bernanke made mortgage rates do an about-face from their rise earlier in the day. They ended up a little higher than a week before.
The benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose 2 basis points to 6.89 percent, according to the Bankrate.com national survey of large lenders. A basis point is one-hundredth of 1 percentage point. The mortgages in this week's survey had an average total of 0.3 discount and origination points. One year ago, the mortgage index was 5.78 percent; four weeks ago, it was 6.83 percent.
The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage rose 2 basis points to 6.49 percent. The 5/1 adjustable-rate mortgage rose 3 basis points to 6.55 percent.

http://www.bankrate.com/bos/news/mtga/20060720a1.asp



Teachers union leader vows to boost activism
By Diane E. Lewis, Globe Staff July 20, 2006
The American Federation of Teachers opens its annual convention today in South Boston with plans to increase dues, boost activism, and battle antiunion efforts in states like Louisiana, where thousands of teachers lost jobs and union status following Hurricane Katrina.
The AFT's president, Edward J. McElroy, said the 1.3 million-member union would seek a dues increase of 75 cents a month, an amount that would add approximately $7 million to the union's $120 million budget, including $950,000 earmarked for campaigns against anti union initiatives and an unspecified amount for increased recruitment efforts.
``If I had to characterize what I am about, I would have to say member organizing and activism," said McElroy, who met yesterday with editors and reporters from The Boston Globe. ``The more members, the more union influence."

http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2006/07/20/teachers_union_leader_vows_to_boost_activism/



Agreement reached on pension legislation
But bailout for airlines threatens to ground deal
By Associated Press July 20, 2006
WASHINGTON -- Congressional negotiators said yesterday they had agreed on legislation to restore health to the nation's enfeebled employer-based pension system and ensure the retirement benefits of tens of millions of people.
``I think everything's resolved, pending getting the exact wording," Senator Michael Enzi, a Wyoming Republican and chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said.
However, aides familiar with the negotiations cautioned that they still hadn't reached agreement on all aspects of the bill, although they should be able to nail down a deal this week. One still-hanging issue was the Senate-backed proposal to give special relief to financially troubled airlines.
The tentative deal, a product of months of slow-moving talks between the two chambers, would impose stricter rules on companies that fall behind in contributions to defined-benefit plans, a key source of retirement income for 44 million Americans.

http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2006/07/20/agreement_reached_on_pension_legislation/



Overhaul to toughen state child labor laws
AG would get more enforcement power
By Diane E. Lewis, Globe Staff July 20, 2006
The Massachusetts Legislature is set to tighten child labor laws this month, the first comprehensive overhaul of the rules to protect working youths in 70 years.
Currently, the state's child labor laws call for a maximum fine of just $50 for a first offense by an employer, and a month in jail. Subsequent offenses carry a fine of up to $200 per violation, with two months' incarceration.
Violators may face criminal prosecution, but workplace advocates say such cases take years to resolve because of backlogged courts and the difficulties associated with proving criminal intent. And Massachusetts workers' compensation laws bar employees and their families from pursuing civil damages against employers after a workplace injury. Rather, they must petition for lost wages.
A bill sponsored by State Senator Patricia Jehlen, a Somerville Democrat, and Representative Michael Rodrigues , Democrat of Bristol County and chairman of the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development , could change that.
The bill, which passed conference committee last week, would increase criminal penalties and, for the first time, permit the attorney general to pursue civil charges. Negligent employers could be fined up to $250 for the first civil offense and up to $2,500 for each claim thereafter. The maximum criminal penalty for a first offense would be $500, and up to $5,000 for each additional offense.

http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2006/07/20/overhaul_to_toughen_state_child_labor_laws/



Wyo. police pledge crackdown on streakers
July 19, 2006
JACKSON, Wyo. --Every year, as the sun sets on the Teton County Fair, the moons come out: as many as 10 streakers at the demolition derby on the fair's last day. This year, law enforcement officers are pledging a crackdown.
Teton County Attorney Steve Weichman said a growing number of people have told him they didn't think that "drunk, crazy and naked streaking" is a "great, normal, fun thing."
Opposition to the streaking has grown since last year's derby, he said, when a deputy used a Taser to apprehend John Chase Rogers, 21, dropping him to the dirt as he streaked with a fire extinguisher before a crowd of 3,500.
Posters at the fair office warn that at this year's fair, any public nudity will bring a charge of misdemeanor child endangerment, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Attorney David DeFazio spoke out against last year's Taser incident and questioned the need for a crackdown this year.
"I just question whether a couple of streakers at a county fair in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is objectionable to accepted standards of decency," he said.
But Jackson Police Chief Dan Zivkovich said streaking doesn't have to be tolerated. "We just think it's time to take control of the event again and say this really is intended to be a family event," he said.
The demolition derby will be July 30.

http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2006/07/19/wyo_police_pledge_crackdown_on_streakers/



Cop's night job as hooker is nixed
July 20, 2006
WELLINGTON, New Zealand --A New Zealand policewoman has been censured for some unauthorized "undercover" work -- a stint moonlighting as a prostitute -- but is being allowed to keep her day job after giving up the night duties.
While prostitution is legal in New Zealand and police are allowed to take approved second jobs, a top officer said sex work and police work don't mix.
The policewoman had worked for a limited time as a prostitute in the northern city of Auckland before her clandestine activity was uncovered, police said. Her name and rank have not been made public.
Police media communications manager Jon Neilson said he understood the officer had taken up "secondary employment due to financial difficulties," but had not sought police approval to work in the sex industry.
She has been counseled over the matter, which "under police procedures .... amounts to a censure," said Deputy Police Commissioner Lyn Provost.

http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2006/07/20/cops_night_job_as_hooker_is_nixed/


People's Daily

Death toll from Bilis rises to 204
Tropical storm Bilis faded yesterday but the death toll across the country continued to rise, hitting 204. Lingering rain triggered landslides that swept away homes, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The latest deaths occurred in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Tuesday, when landslides swept through Qinzhou killing 13 people including three children and an elderly woman, Xinhua said. The deaths brought the toll in Guangxi to 25. Hardest-hit was the inland province of Hunan, where at least 92 people have been killed since Friday. Elsewhere, 43 people have been killed in coastal Fujian province and 44 in neighbouring Guangdong.
The storm was dying down as it moved west to Guizhou and Yunnan provinces in South China, Xinhua said. But fierce heat is expected to follow in the coming week, with temperatures expected to reach 40 C in Hunan and 39 C in Fujian.
Losses of 8 billion yuan (US$1 billion) were estimated for Guangdong and 3 billion yuan (US$375 million) for Fujian. In poverty-stricken Guangxi, officials said the storm had cost 1.21 billion yuan (US$151 million). No figure was given for losses in Hunan.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/20/eng20060720_284951.html



Storms hit Japan and Korean Peninsula
Heavy rain in Japan triggered floods and mudslides yesterday that swallowed houses and destroyed roads, with at least 11 people killed and 12 missing since the start of the rainy season.
The rain has also been devastating in the neighbouring Korean Peninsula. At least 150 people there are believed dead or missing, mostly in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), according to officials and aid workers.
From western to central Japan, residents evacuated houses for shelters as muddy water swamped city streets and mudslides tore up highways.
The weather temporarily caused Shinkansen bullet trains to stop as the weather agency warned of more to come.
"We believed we were living on firm ground. So this is very shocking," a middle-aged woman told Fuji television after a landslide in central Fukui prefecture.
As much as 500 millimetres of rain has drenched parts of Japan since Saturday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/20/eng20060720_284980.html



Indonesia to install tsunami warning system in Java, Bali islands
Indonesia will prioritize the southern waters off Java and Bali islands when setting up tsunami early warning system, a minister said Thursday.
Research and Technology Minister Kusmayanto Kadiman said the government would install the device on the basis of the density of population, the amount of assets and the vulnerability of the area from the possible disaster.
"We put priority on southern sea off Java and Bali islands," Kusmayanto said.
Java island is the most populated area in Indonesia and Bali island is the most favorable tourist destination in the country. Both of them have huge infrastructures.
The authority would determine which areas of the islands were vulnerable to the quake, he said.
Earlier, the minister had said Indonesia, a vast archipelago country, could not meet the need of 120 buoys installment along its vulnerable coastline, due to financial obstacle.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/20/eng20060720_285142.html




Death toll of Indonesian tsunami hits 531
A man carries the body of a child died in tsunami in Pangandaran, Indonesia, July 19, 2006. According to the latest official statistics, 531 people were confirmed dead and more than 270 others remained missing after tsunami struck onto southern coastal areas of West Java and Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces on Monday.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/20/eng20060720_285000.html



Tsunami death toll now stands at 531
PANGANDARAN, Indonesia: Unidentified tsunami victims were buried in a mass grave yesterday as rumours of fresh waves sent hundreds of traumatized residents running from the beach and jumping into cars, some shouting: "The water is coming!" The death toll climbed past 530, with more than 270 others missing.
An amateur video surfaced showing children playing in the surf and building sandcastles moments before the wall of black water swallowed the beach in hardest-hit Pangandaran on Monday afternoon.
The person who captured the wave on film runs away amid screams.
The tsunami was triggered by a magnitude 7.7 undersea earthquake and smashed into a 180-kilometre stretch of Java island's coastline, which was unaffected by the devastating tsunami in December 2004.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/20/eng20060720_284940.html



Earthquake again rocks Indonesian capital and surroundings
An earthquake again rocked Jakarta, capital of Indonesia, at about 17:58 local time on Wednesday, causing panic among people in high-rise buildings and shopping malls.
An official of the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, Hendro, said the tremor measured on three up to four on the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale.
Until now, the epicenter and its measurement on the Richter scale were still unknown, Antara news agency reported.
Earlier, the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said an earthquake measuring 6.2 in magnitude, striking the Sunda Straits separating the country's Sumatra island from Java island.
But the tremor appeared to be stronger than the quake which rocked Jakarta on Monday when a magnitude 6.8 quake followed by a tsunami hit southern coastal areas of Java island, Hendro said.
A quake measuring 5.9 on the Richter Scale was also reported to have occurred in West Java on Wednesday with its epicenter in Ujung Kulon, around 150 kilometers west of Jakarta.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/20/eng20060720_284851.html



Heat wave sweeps W. Europe
Judges removed their wigs inside the courts. Guards at Buckingham Palace were allowed to stand in the shade. Some workers wore shorts to the office.
Britain faced its hottest day on record yesterday so hot even the pavement melted on the roadways. Though other spots in Europe sizzled in similar temperatures, this is a country ill-equipped for its infrequent brushes with temperatures nearing 37 C and beyond.
Commuters facing journeys on London's Underground railways without air conditioning seemed particularly troubled, with London's Evening Standard measuring temperatures at 47 C. Operator Transport for London did not dispute the figure though it says it takes no temperature measurements of its own.
"I don't even want to talk about it," said Jean Thurgood of east London, fanning herself frantically during her early morning commute on a stuffy bus. "It feels like the hottest day of the century."
Across Europe, health officials and other leaders warned people to stay out of the sun and to drink plenty of water. French President Jacques Chirac urged people to be cautious.
Likely victims of the heat in France included two people in their 80s who died on Tuesday in the Bordeaux region, as well as a 53-year-old construction worker who collapsed in the central city of Macon. In Spain, two people died during a heat wave that has seen temperatures climb above 40 C.
In Belgium, temperatures were predicted to hit 37 C.
In The Netherlands, the Nijmegen 4-Day March was cancelled after two participants died in the extreme heat. Some 300 people taking part in the popular walk became ill on Tuesday in temperatures close to 35 C and 30 were hospitalized.
In Britain, many people simply sought shelter indoors as the mercury rose. By mid-afternoon, the temperature at Charlwood, near London's Gatwick Airport, hit 35.9 C, the hottest temperature ever recorded in Britain in July.
Sancha Lancaster, spokeswoman for Britain's primary weather forecaster the Meteorological Office, said that by late afternoon temperatures west of London could eclipse the current record of 101 degrees Fahrenheit (38.5 C) in Faversham, Kent, on August 10, 2003.
The average temperature in southeastern England in July is 21.2 C and that figure has been the nighttime temperature the past few days.
The two-hour shifts of the famed royal guards who stand outside Buckingham Palace were reduced to one hour at the beginning of the week in preparation for the heat.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/20/eng20060720_284982.html



Netherlands swelters in heatwave
The Netherlands has entered its second official heatwave of the year, national weather service KNMI confirmed on Wednesday.
The KNMI said according to official measures, temperatures in the country had been higher than 25 degrees Celsius since Saturday and on three of these days the mercury had climbed to or above 30 degrees, meeting the definition of a heatwave, Dutch News Agency ANP reported.
This is the first time since 1948 that the Netherlands has seen more than one heatwave in a year. The country registered its first of 2006 at the beginning of July.
The extreme heat has caused problems for outdoor activities and even claimed casualties. On Tuesday evening, the annual four-day walking marathon in the eastern city of Nijmegen was called off after two walkers died in the searing heat.
More than 30 people had to be admitted to hospital, including one in a critical condition, and the popular event, which is a huge tourist attraction, had to be halted at the end of its first day.
The KNMI has recorded 37 heatwaves in the Netherlands since 1901. The record was in 1947 when there were four heatwaves during the summer.
The meteorological bureau said it expected day-time temperatures in the country to remain above 25 degrees Celsius until the weekend.
The KNMI had earlier warned about drought implications, particularly in the east of the country, if the high temperatures and dry spell continued.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/20/eng20060720_284845.html



Where is way out for settlement of Lebanon-Israel conflict?
The conflict between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah has lasted for a couple of days. This "open war" with unmatched strength of the two belligerent parties has brought catastrophic outcome to both sides. It had killed 237 people in Lebanon and 25 Israelis by July 19 and brought disasters and miseries to thousands of innocent people.
Reprisals by the Israeli troops to free hostages has aroused discontent and resentment among the Arab countries.
At present, the attention of the international community on the Middle-east has been turned to the Israel-Lebanon conflict from the "Operation Summer Rain" launched by the Israeli troops launched earlier in the Gaza strip, which recedes to a subordinate position.
Israel holds that armed Hezbollah personnel assaulted its northern part beyond the Lebanese border and opened searching rocket fires onto in-depth targets; and the situation turned extremely grave. So it has started war machines at all cost to remove an eminent threat and take the opportunity to weaken the effective forces of Hezbollah.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/20/eng20060720_285082.html



China will never seek hegemony: military official
China's defense modernization is aimed at safeguarding her peaceful development and the country will never seek hegemony, China's top military officer said Wednesday.
General Guo Boxiong, vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks during a speech delivered at the U.S. National Defense University.
Guo said China's efforts in advancing defense modernization is a natural need for shielding her peaceful development, which cannot be achieved without security safeguards.
He said China's defense modernization not only meets the need to protect her peaceful development and interests, but also helps to maintain peace and stability in her region and the world as a whole.
The general noted that China adopts a defensive defense policy and will never seek hegemony.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/20/eng20060720_285072.html



US experience of dealing with hegemony
When Western society discusses Sino-U.S. relations, they like to apply the so-called "rising country" versus "hegemony" paradigm. They believe this is a problem that has not yet been settled and that the future of Sino-U.S. relations is not promising. However, from the perspective of historical fact, in spite of many failures, there are still some examples of success.
US successfully answered the challenge of British hegemony
For instance, the propagator of the current hegemony, the United States, has answered such a challenge in the process of its own development. Evidence can be found particularly in the process of how the United States handled its relationship with the British in the 19th Century.
From the Declaration of Independence right up until the end of the 19th century, the British-US relationship was uneasy at best, nothing like the "special British-US relationship" they have today. However, they did managed to cultivate a practical relationship that was conducive to the development and growth of the United States.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/14/eng20060714_283159.html



Top Chinese, U.S. military leaders agree to further cooperation
General Guo Boxiong, vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), met U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld at the Pentagon on Tuesday, and the two sides agreed to enhance mutual understanding and further cooperation.
At the talks, the two had an indepth exchange of views on the international and regional security situations, the relationships between the two countries and two armies as well as other issues of mutual concern.
General Guo said the purpose of his current visit to the United States was to implement the consensus reached by Chinese President Hu Jintao and his U.S. counterpart George W. Bush on increasing exchanges and cooperation between the two armed forces during Hu's visit to the United States in April.
He expressed the hope that his visit would help enhance mutual understanding and trust, foster the friendship and increase cooperation so as to deepen the relationship between the two armed forces.
The general also briefed Rumsfeld about China's defense policy and the development of its armed forces.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/20/eng20060720_284772.html



The limitation of the Gini Coefficient in China
A research by the Finance Ministry has concluded that China's Gini Coefficient stands at 0.46, which is well above the internationally recognized warning line of 0.4. It has sparkled wide spread concern over the inequality in income distribution and possibility of social turbulence and economic slump.
The real situation, however, seems to have offered an ironic reality to any other economy which is undergoing a transitional phase. While the Gini Coefficient is up, China still experiences fast growth for its economy, reduced poverty for its population, a low-income group that earns more, and has an improved quality of life for people.
Is the Gini Coefficient still a perfect indicator of the rich-poor gap in China? This is the interview of Wei Jie, a well-known Chinese economist and Director of the National Center for Economic Research at Tsinghua University.
Q: Are there any limitations in the Gini Coefficient?
A: It is true that the Gini Coefficient reflects information of different income groups. But the analysis of income gap is a different concept from the analysis of the influence of the income gap.
Countries, which have finished the urbanization process and industrialization process, enjoy social stability and economic rise under a Gini Coefficient of 0.3-0.4. Those with a Gini Coefficient higher than 0.4 have too large an income gap and suffer from a sluggish economy and serious social problems. In these cases, the criteria and analysis of income gap overlaps with that of the impact of income gap.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/20/eng20060720_285083.html



Roundup: China's economy surges 10.9% in first half of 2006
China's economy surged a year-on-year 10.9 percent in the first half of 2006, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed Tuesday, roaring ahead despite a slew of measures imposed by the government to ease the blistering growth of investment.
Total gross domestic product between January and June reached 9.14trillion yuan (1.14 trillion U.S dollars), NBS spokesman Zheng Jingping told a press conference in Beijing Tuesday morning.
Growth stood at 11.3 percent for the second quarter alone.
A number of economists, in interviews with Xinhua, acknowledged the growth was alarmingly high, but Zheng played it down, saying such high rates were also reported in previous years.
"As for the current economic situation, generally speaking, we believe that it is fairly sound, and also fairly fast," he said.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/18/eng20060718_284291.html



Contradictions and thorny issues faced by G8
Leaders from the Group of Eight (G8) industrial nations kicked off their annual summit on Saturday in St. Petersburg. G8, formerly called G7, was dubbed a "club of rich states" since all of its seven members were major industrial powers whose added-up GDP took over half of the world. With Russia's acceding to, however, the color of the group is changing.
Western countries led by the U.S. has "regretted bitterly" over such a change. Four years ago, they drew Russia into the club largely out of two tentative ideas. First of all, to influence Russia and prompt it to build a political system similar to that of the West. And secondly, to enable Russia to play a bigger role so as to elevate the club's influence on world affairs.
The first idea was shattered along with President Vladimir Putin's vigorous promotion of "managed democracy" that is entirely different from that of the West. Westerners have become increasingly aware that Russia is not their fellow traveler. The second idea, though not fading away completely, is only left with considerations for one's own interests. Although George W. Bush sees the widening rift with Russia, he has been reluctant to discuss it openly, said former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott in a recent article. He even didn't tell his worries to Putin privately, chiefly because Bush still hopes to focus the relationships with Russia on anti-terror cooperation.
As a matter of fact, the West remains unchanged, so does Russia. The West wanted to rein Russia in by G8, that is only because the West became dizzy with its successes at the end of the Cold War. In view of either geo-politics and traditions or national awareness, Russia is unlikely to become an obedient "strategic partner" of the West. On the contrary, G8 has provided Russia an arena to demonstrate itself. Commenting on the summit this year, a Harvard expert on Russian studies said this summit resembles a gala party for Russia, which has come forward to the proscenium to pass itself off as one of the major democratic and economically developed nations and President Putin will be chairman of the meeting. This is crucial for Russians who has long aspired to deserve respect. They very much hope to have their achievements recognized and their nation taken a superpower.
As the host country, Russia has designed three major topics for discussion: energy security, education and epidemics prevention and control. It also held the Assembly of World Religions and the Forum of International Non-governmental Organizations on the eve of the meeting. All these moves undoubtedly indicate that Russia is seeking for a niche for itself, that is, a bridge between the world and the "club of rich states". That perhaps marks the biggest diversity between the Russia-hosted summit and any previous ones.
The group is called a club for its resemblance to a forum, whereas it is simply an "argument club" in the eyes of Putin. So there are some expected arguments or "verbal battles" among G8 members, especially between the Western nations and Russia. Meanwhile, they have to face some global topics, such as the Iran nuclear program, missile crisis of the Democrat People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the escalating Palestine-Israel conflict, Doha round of trade talks and the development of African.
The contradictions of eight industrial powers and thorny issues faced by G8 and its summit portray the diversified and complicated world in the backdrop of globalization. When the world pattern is changing, crises and questions keep propping up with interwoven old, new contractions, which cannot be addressed by traditional, old ways. As French President Jacques Chirac put it, global threats need global policies. In this sense, people still place some hope on the G8 summit and the group's dialogues with developing countries.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/18/eng20060718_284374.html



US has its own Agenda during the G8 Summit
The US seems to have much less enthusiasm about the G8 summit compared with the host country Russia. Some republican senators even talk about boycotting the summit while some scholars and exerts criticize Russia as not being qualified to be a G8 member since it is neither a democracy nor an industrial power.
There is US dissatisfaction over the focus on Russia's 'democratic regression'. During two recently held think-tank seminars, many scholars accused the Russian leader of resuming the 'centralized power' saying that the managed democracy in Russia means management is prior to democracy.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/18/eng20060718_284372.html



Chinese President Hu meets Putin
Chinese President Hu Jintao met on Monday in St. Petersburg with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The two leaders exchanged views on deepening bilateral ties as well as major international and regional issues, according to Chinese officials.
Hu congratulated Putin on successfully hosting the outreach session of the G8 summit, saying that the meeting is of vital significance to facilitate the relations between the North and the South, promote multilateralism and to tackle the common challenges across the globe.
Putin said Hu has contributed a lot to the outreach session of the G8 summit, adding that Hu's participation is of vital importance to this summit.
During their meeting, Hu and Putin called for more cooperation in energy between China and Russia.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/18/eng20060718_284024.html



China, Russia, India hold first trilateral summit
Chinese President Hu Jintao, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday in St. Petersburg held a trilateral summit meeting, the first of its kind among the three countries.
The summit was held after the conclusion of the outreach session of the G8 St. Petersburg summit and the three leaders exchanged views on cooperation among the three countries, according to Chinese officials.
At the summit, Hu said China, Russia and India, who have set up bilateral strategic partnership among them, have vital influence on the international and regional affairs.
There is a great potential for the three countries to cooperate in a number of fields such as economy, energy, science and technology, Hu said.
"We should make full of these advantages to deepen the strategic cooperation among us," Hu was quoted as saying by Chinese officials.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/18/eng20060718_284028.html



China plans space project probing Sun-Earth environment
As China steps up its lunar exploration, some scientists in the country are planning another space project, the "KuaFu Mission", aiming to study the activities of the Sun.
At the ongoing 36th Committee on Space Research Scientific Assembly, Tu Chuanyi, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the project, expected to be launched in 2012, will study the complex Sun-Earth system and improve the space weather forecast.
The mission will raise the standard of end-to-end observation of the Sun-Earth system, and advance scientists' understanding of the basic physical processes underlying space weather, said Tu, who is also a professor with the Beijing University.
Tu said the mission is designed to observe the complete chain of disturbances from the solar atmosphere to geospace, including solar flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), interplanetary clouds, shock waves, and their geo-effects, such as magnetic storms and auroral activities.
The name of the mission comes from an ancient Chinese legend of KuaFu, who tried to catch the Sun and enter it.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/20/eng20060720_285053.html



China has 123 million netizens, up 19.4 percent on last year
The number of Internet users in China reached 123 million on June 30, up 19.4 percent from 103 million in 2005, the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) said on Wednesday.
The growth rate was 1 percent higher than last year.
The number of netizens was up by 12 million during the first half of this year, twice as much as the same period of last year, according to the center.
The number of broadband subscribers totaled 77 million, up from 53 million, nearly two thirds of the total Internet population.
China is the second largest country in the world in terms of both Internet population and the number of broadband users, after the United States.
The report said 30 million of the country's 200 million middle and primary school students have access to the Internet, or 15.4 percent, while half of senior middle school students have access to the Internet.
Each netizen spent a record 16.5 hours per week browsing the web, according to the report.
About 15 million frequently use the Internet for education, while 25 million frequently use the net for online employment information, and 26 percent of netizens shop online, the CNNIC reported.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/20/eng20060720_284904.html



Global netizens at 694 million: survey
The number of netizens worldwide over the age of 15 has reached 694 million, making up 14 percent of the total population in this age group, according to a survey report by comScore Network.
The report claimed to be the first global estimate of Internet audience size and behavior based on surveys conducted in major markets including China and India.
About two thirds of the global Internet users were Americans some 10 years ago, but now they account for less than a quarter, said Peter Daboll, president and CEO of comScore Media Metrix.
In terms of online population, the US still has the largest Internet audience of 152 million, followed by China with 72 million, Japan with 52 million, Germany with 32 million, Britain with 30 million, South Korea with 24.6 million, France with 23.9 million, Canada with 19 million, Italy with 16.8 million, India with 16.7 million, Brazil with 13.2 million, Spain with 12.5 million, Netherlands with 11 million, Russia with 10.8 million and Australia with 9.7 million.

http://english.people.com.cn/200605/08/eng20060508_263845.html



China to have nearly 100 mln bloggers by 2007
China is expected to have nearly 100 million bloggers in 2007 with the fast increase in the number of netizens, according to a recent report.
The number of bloggers in the country this year is predicted at more than 60 million, said the report released by the research center of media management under Qinghua University.
The most eye-catching Internet event in 2005 was the spread of bloggers, the report said.
According to a survey by baidu.com, a major Chinese Internet search engine, there were about 36.82 million registered Chinese blog sites used by 16 million bloggers last year. That means each blogger has 2.3 sites on the average. Around 660 server companies are specialized in offering storage service to bloggers.
China now has more than 110 million netizens and the number is growing steadily.

http://english.people.com.cn/200605/06/eng20060506_263417.html


The World Cup Round Up

France captain Zinedine Zidane has won the Golden Ball award for the World Cup's best player, despite his red card in Sunday's defeat to Italy in the final. Zidane polled 2012 points in the vote by journalists covering the tournament, ahead of Italian Fabio Cannavaro (1977 points) and Andrea Pirlo (715 points).

http://english.people.com.cn/zhuanti/Zhuanti_481.html



CPPCC leader meets Taiwan delegation
Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), had a meeting with a Taiwan delegation to study economic and trade issues on the mainland.
Jia welcomed the visiting delegation led by Kuo Tai-qiang, chairman of Taiwan's council for industrial and commercial development and spoke highly of the council's long-term efforts to promote cross-strait economic and trade relations.
Chinese compatriots living on the two banks belong to the one family and thus they should join hands to safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, said the CPPCC leader. He recalled past year's efforts by the mainland to seek benefits for Taiwan people and push forward personnel, economic and cultural exchanges across the strait.
It is in favor of the fundamental interests of Chinese compatriots living on the two banks to develop cross-strait economic ties with great efforts and realize direct links of mail, trade and transport services across the strait as early as possible, Jia said.
Chen Yunlin, director of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, was present at the meeting.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/20/eng20060720_284832.html



After 10 years, Premier Wen still wears the same coat
Pictured here is Premier Wen Jiabao who visited a local family when bird flu epidemic brok out in Anhui Province on Jan. 31, 2006. (Xinhua Photo)
Decades ago, the late Premier Zhou Enlai's patch-ridden pajamas touched the heart of millions and it remains a constant reminder of frugality to the younger generation. His simple and frugal living style has been well carried on by Premier Wen Jiabao.
Without the proof of news photos, people would find it hard to believe that the premier of China wore the same winter coat on the New Year's Eve of 2006 that he did in the winter of 1995.
On January 30,2006, the second day of the Lunar New Year, in the forum of WWW.DZWWW.COM , a key journalism website in Shandong Province, a netizen named "Lao Qi" launched a thread titled "Premier came to the Shandong countryside again after 10 years, in the same winter coat!"
Lao Qi wrote in the thread, "I learned from Dazhong Daily that Premier Wen spent the Spring Festival with farmers in Heze and Jining counties on the New Year's Eve of 2006. While touched by the Premier's heartfelt care for his people, I found something familiar with the photo in the report. It suddenly hit upon me that Premier Wen was still wearing the same coat 10 years later!"

http://english.people.com.cn/200602/24/eng20060224_245599.html



U.S. economy slowing
U.S. economic growth is slowing as fuel costs and a cooling housing market restrain consumer spending, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, inflation is up as consumer prices rose in June and home construction slumped,
Prices paid by Americans for goods and services excluding food and fuel increased 0.3 percent for a fourth straight month, exceeding economist forecasts, the report quoted the Labor Department as saying.
Housing construction dropped a larger-than-expected 5.3 percent as Home construction decreased last month to an annual rate of 1. 85 million. The level of starts was lower than the median estimate of 1.9 million in a Bloomberg survey of economists.
Building permits, a sign of future construction, declined 4.3 percent to a 1.862 million pace, the lowest in three years. Would- be homebuyers are dissuaded by the highest mortgage rates in four years and prices that are still above year-ago levels.
Confidence among U.S. homebuilders dropped this month to the lowest level in more than 14 years, according to a private survey released yesterday, as sales fell and orders were canceled.
Builder Optimism Prices for all goods and services rose 0.2 percent in June after a 0.4 percent May increase. Energy costs, which have since rebounded with tensions in the Middle East, declined last month and limited the overall gain in consumer prices.
Four straight months of core inflation rising 0.3 percent is the longest such stretch since January to April 1995. Medical care, rents, telephone services and airfares all rose last month. Core prices increased 2.6 percent from June 2005, the biggest year-over- year rise since 2002.
Treasury securities and stocks rose on Wednesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke told the Senate Banking Committee that while the recent rise in inflation ``is of concern,'' the effects of previous rate increases are ``still `in the pipeline'''. Investors viewed his comments as a sign the Fed may soon stop raising rates.
Economic analysts said that inflation pressures would keep the Fed biased toward restraint a while longer.
Interest-rate futures showed traders saw a 72 percent chance the Fed will lift rates a quarter-percentage point to 5.5 percent on Aug. 8, down from 85 percent odds before Bernanke's testimony.
``There are some tendencies now towards greater inflation,'' former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker said in a July 14 interview. ``I wouldn't say it's out of hand, but we better not let it get out of hand.''

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/20/eng20060720_284900.html



China appeals for Japan's cooperation to overcome political obstacles
China on Wednesday called on Japan to cooperate in overcoming the political obstacles to their relations.
"We hope Japan will make joint efforts with China to overcome the political obstacles in our relations as soon as possible and push China-Japan relations back on the track of healthy, stable development," China's Vice President Zeng Qinghong said in a meeting with Makoto Koga, former secretary-general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Sino-Japanese relations have been soured by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, where Japan's war dead, including 14 convicted class A war criminals in World War II, are honored. The shrine also hosts a museum defending Japan's past militarism.
But in recent months there has been increasing dialogue between party and government officials of the two countries.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/20/eng20060720_284836.html



British Embassy in Zimbabwe under fire
Organizers of the Aberdeen International Football Festival have blasted the British Foreign Office for their decision not to grant visas to a select team of Bulawayo schoolboys scheduled to take part in the annual tournament which got underway on Monday.
A British politician has even described the decision as "absolute nonsense" and said it flew directly "in the face of what we deem to be a free society."
The Under-14 select team, comprising 18 players drawn from the City of Kings, had been invited to play in the Aberdeen Festival in Scotland and another tournament scheduled for Manchester in England.
The Aberdeen Festival has this year attracted 21 teams from the United Kingdom, Norway, Belarus, Ghana, the United States and South Africa.
The Bulawayo select team was supposed to be the 22nd team at the festival and were invited on the basis of a twinning agreement between the City of Kings and the Scottish city of Aberdeen.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/20/eng20060720_284992.html



Traverse City Record Eagle


From nuclear to natural
To say that 580 acres of prime Lake Michigan frontage north of Charlevoix being eyed by the state should come with a deed restriction or two is an understatement.
Like, "no final payment until the radioactive stuff is gone." The state is thinking about buying the former Big Rock Point Nuclear Power Plant site; before everyone falls over laughing, there are things to consider:
• The site is about 580 acres of relatively pristine Lake Michigan frontage, including about a mile of lakeshore. The plant, which has been torn down over the past 10 years or so, took up only a small portion of that area. Most of it is untouched.
• Consumers Power Co., which owned the plant, is storing 441 fuel bundles, each containing more than 100 radioactive spent nuclear fuel rods, on an area about the size of a basketball court.
It will not sell that portion of the site — and what it called a "robust" border around it. The rods are eventually supposed to be removed.
• Developers are already circling, and for good reason. Though portions of the site are hardy by U.S. 31, it is a spectacular place with great views with location, location, location.
The state and the Little Traverse Conservancy are pushing hard to buy it; the $20 million purchase price would be paid over time.
Little Traverse Conservancy director Tom Bailey has it right: "We cannot afford to pass this opportunity by."
What better legacy than from nuclear to natural?

http://www.record-eagle.com/2006/jul/16editb.htm



A mighty wind takes its toll
Calm after the storms spent cleaning up
BY SHERI McWHIRTER
Record-Eagle/Tyler Sipe
Employees of Leonardo's Tree Service remove a white pine Tuesday afternoon that fell on top of the Kuhn home in Traverse City during Monday's thunderstorm.
GRAYLING — Jeannette Kitchen just finished dinner when winds over 70 mph sent an uninvited neighbor, an old spruce tree, crashing into her Grayling home.
"I was watching my apple tree, thinking it was going down, but then the spruce tree came down," she said. "It's laying all the way across the roof. It was so sudden. I don't know why it didn't break the window."
Kitchen was one of many northern Michigan residents who spent Tuesday's calm cleaning up their lawns, cutting trees and assessing damage after a series of severe thunderstorms rumbled through the area Monday night.
The storm dropped heavy rains and varying sizes of hail, toppled trees, and left thousands of residents across the region without power.
National Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Lutz in Gaylord said storms stretched from the Upper Peninsula's Chippewa County, throughout northern Lower Michigan and across the state to the Lake Huron shore.
Winds topped 61 mph at Lake Ann and 59 mph at Cherry Capital Airport, while hail fell just about everywhere, from Benzie County to the Straits of Mackinac.
"It's more like, where didn't hail fall?" Lutz said.

http://www.record-eagle.com/2006/jul/19storm.htm



Have you taken a scenic photo in northwest Lower Michigan you'd like to share with the world? E-mail the photo to us, and we'll post it here.
Send your photo in jpeg (.jpg) format to webmaster@record-eagle.com. Include your name, the town (and state) you live in, and the location you took the shot. Specify that the image is intended for our Reader Submitted Photos page.
We will post acceptable photos on this page and will edit text information for content and clarity. We reserve the right to refuse photos for any reason.
Click thumbnail for larger image

http://www.record-eagle.com/readerphotos/



Heat wave's death toll rises to 16
By SHAUN SCHAFER
Associated Press Writer
TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Officials in several states urged residents, especially the elderly, to stay cool as forecasters predicted high temperatures would continue in parts of the South and the Southern Plains for another two days.
Meanwhile, the death toll from the heat wave that has baked much of the nation for nearly a week has increased, with four more deaths in the Chicago area bringing the total number there to seven, officials said.
So far, the heat has contributed to the deaths of at least 16 people in seven states, including two in the Philadelphia area, two in Oklahoma City, two in Arkansas and one each in Indiana, South Dakota and Tennessee.
A football player at a western Kentucky high school collapsed and died after practice Wednesday, but school officials could not say whether heat played a role in his death.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/H/HEAT_WAVE?SITE=MITRA&SECTION=US



Airport authority chair booted
Outcry over proposed expansion fueled action
By PATRICK SULLIVAN
psullivan@record-eagle.com
FRANKFORT — Frankfort's city council ousted the chair of the Frankfort City-County Airport Authority amid public outcry over the expansion of Frankfort Dow Memorial Field.
Robert Foster was voted off the airport authority, effective immediately, and Frankfort resident Robert King, a former private pilot, was voted in at a meeting Monday evening.
City superintendant Joshua Mills said he believes council members wanted to remove Foster immediately, rather than when his term expires in mid-August, because they wanted to thwart any attempts to hasten actions the authority has taken against property owners.

http://www.record-eagle.com/2006/jul/19airport.htm



Changes in jury rules a positive step forward
Few things seem more straightforward than the American jury system. Jurors are chosen, they listen to both sides during a trial, they decide guilt or innocence. Changing a system so deeply ingrained in our culture is virtual heresy.
Improving the way juries work, however, is another matter, and something most of us never think about. A series of proposals being considered by the state Supreme Court, however, are certainly worthy of consideration.
Advocates say the aim is to make it easier for jurors to make the crucial decisions they face, and some of the rules appear to do just that.
There are five main recommendations:
• Let jurors discuss cases during breaks. They usually can't do that until they begin formal deliberations.
• Let jurors take their notes into deliberations.
• Let jurors submit questions to witnesses in civil cases, something they can already do in criminal cases.
• Allow judges to schedule expert witness testimony so it makes more sense for jurors. A judge could even create a panel discussion between experts.
• Encourage attorneys to provide a notebook that includes witness lists, exhibits and other information.
Two recommendations — allowing discussion before deliberations begin and allowing attorneys to provide a "notebook" — raise concerns.

http://www.record-eagle.com/2006/jul/19edit.htm



Record-Eagle.com wins two awards
I’m happy to announce that Record-Eagle.com has won two top awards in our class in the Suburban Newspapers of America Local Community Web Site Contest. Our awards:
Best Site Architecture and Overall Design Class B
(sites produced by daily newspapers with a total circulation of 40,000 or less)
Judge’s comments: The navigation was easy and understandable. It followed the rules of simplicity and was constant from page-to-page. The search box was where I expected it to be and it was on every page in the same place. The links were consistent and the colors were pleasing. Good architecture. A very nice site.
Best Overall Local News Site Class B
Judge’s comments: Its pages focused on local news, the Record-Eagle is one of the most attractive Web sites we judged. Stories are well written and the Web photos chosen, while sparse, either enhance stories or convey stories themselves.

http://blogs.record-eagle.com/?p=81



Reese, Beach Bums get their revenge
Traverse City gets past Bolts
By JAMES COOK
Beach Bums starter Dave LeMieux was the winning pitcher against Windy City Tuesday at Wuerfel Park.
TRAVERSE CITY — Mike Reese turned the tables on Mike Mlotkowski.
Reese had three hits and two RBIs and a run to lead the Traverse City Beach Bums to a 5-2 win over Windy City.
Reese, who had struck out four times in two previous meetings with Mlotkowski this season, was 2-for-3 against the Thunderbolts starter.
"We've seen him twice already, so we knew what he had and we were disappointed in our outing (Monday)," Reese said. "We were determined to score some early."

http://www.record-eagle.com/2006/jul/19bums.htm



Sugar, spice and ADHD
Study examines disorder's effect on females
BY SANDRA G. BOODMAN
The Washington Post
Molly Zametkin, 18, of Kensington, Md., says she and other girls she knew with ADHD weren't unruly but were still prone to impulsive behavior.
ADHD or depression?
The symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in girls can be difficult to distinguish from those of clinical depression, especially when hyperactivity is not present, say experts who treat the disorder. The difficulty can be compounded because the two problems can co-exist: Experts estimate that 10 to 30 percent of children with ADHD are also clinically depressed. There is no surefire test to diagnose either condition.
Getting a careful evaluation from a clinician familiar with both problems is critical, experts say, but there are several ways in which ADHD differs from depression. Among them are:
• Different core symptoms. The hallmarks of depression include diminishing interest in or pleasure from activities, fatigue or loss of energy, insomnia or excessive sleeping, weight gain or loss, depressed mood for most of the day, and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide. These are not commonly seen in girls with ADHD, whose primary symptoms include pervasive inattention, chronic disorganization and impulsive behavior.
• Inability to identify what’s wrong. Girls with ADHD can often say why they are depressed and may point to problems in school or with friends. Girls suffering from major depression may be unable to articulate why they feel sad or guilty.
• Duration and onset. Many girls with ADHD say they can’t remember a time they didn’t have trouble concentrating or finishing a task. By comparison, girls who are depressed usually can recall being able to focus or when they felt better.
Sources: Stephen P. Hinshaw, Patricia Quinn, National Institute of Mental Health, Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
A major long-term study of girls diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in elementary school has found they are at greater risk for substance abuse, emotional problems and academic difficulties in adolescence than their peers who don't have the common neurobehavioral condition.
The results, experts say, should help dispel the myth that the disorder, which affects an estimated 4.4 million American children, poses less of a risk to girls than to boys, on whom most research has focused.
The federally funded study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, involves more than 200 girls who have been followed since 1997, when they were 6 to 12. The broadly focused study is designed to measure the ways ADHD, a disorder characterized by pervasive inattention and impulsivity, affects peer relationships, impairs school performance and is linked to substance abuse and psychological problems.
"Can you believe it's 2006?'' and the first long-term prospective study of girls with ADHD is just being published, asked psychologist William Pelham, an ADHD expert at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Girls, Pelham said, have been under-diagnosed and overlooked in large part because their behavior tends to be less disruptive — although their problems may be just as severe.
Psychologist Stephen P. Hinshaw, lead author of the study — published in the June issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology — called the results "surprising and discouraging.''
"The cumulative picture is that girls with ADHD are at risk for a lot of problems,'' said Hinshaw, chairman of the psychology department at Berkeley and a prominent ADHD researcher. Hinshaw said he and his colleagues did not expect the "breadth of impairment'' they found. The team began the study with 228 girls: 140 had ADHD, while 88 did not.
Five years later, researchers conducted a follow-up study involving 209 of the girls, who had entered middle and high school. In nearly a dozen areas examined by researchers — including academic performance, prevalence of eating disorders, relationships with peers and teachers, and organizational skills — the girls with ADHD were significantly more likely to have problems than those in a matched control group who did not have the disorder.

http://www.record-eagle.com/2006/jul/19adhd.htm



Toyota not joining GM, Renault-Nissan partnership
By YURI KAGEYAMA
AP Business Writer
TOKYO (AP) -- Toyota has no interest in blocking or joining the proposed tie-up between General Motors and the Renault-Nissan alliance, the Japanese automaker's president said Thursday.
The remarks from Toyota Motor Corp. President Katsuaki Watanabe come at a time when U.S. automaker General Motors Corp. is in talks about a possible partnership with an alliance between Renault SA of France and Nissan Motor Co.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MI_JAPAN_TOYOTA_MIOL-?SITE=MITRA&SECTION=HOME



State jobless rate increased to 6.3 percent in June
By TIM MARTIN
Associated Press Writer
LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Michigan's unemployment rate rose slightly to 6.3 percent in June, state officials said Wednesday.
That's up from the 6.0 percent seasonally adjusted rate in May.
Michigan's unemployment rate remains above the national average, which was 4.6 percent in June.
The change in the state's jobless rate was "relatively minor," according to Rick Waclawek, director of the Department of Labor and Economic Growth's Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MI_UNEMPLOYMENT_MICH_MIOL-?SITE=MITRA&SECTION=HOME



While Wall Street frets about Ford, Ford stays the course
By TOM KRISHER
Associated Press Writer
DETROIT (AP) -- Richard Bazzy owns three Ford dealerships in Pittsburgh's northern suburbs and his livelihood depends exclusively on the nation's second-largest auto maker.
But by nearly all accounts, Ford is in trouble.
Its sales are dropping. It has the oldest model lineup in the industry. It relies heavily on truck and SUV sales to make money when gas prices are sending people to cars and crossovers. It doesn't have enough new models in the pipeline, say its critics, its inventory is building and it is moving too slowly with its "Way Forward" restructuring plan.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MI_FORD_ON_THE_EDGE_MIOL-?SITE=MITRA&SECTION=HOME



State jobless rate increased to 6.3 percent in June
By TIM MARTIN
Associated Press Writer
LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Michigan's unemployment rate rose slightly to 6.3 percent in June, state officials said Wednesday.
That's up from the 6.0 percent seasonally adjusted rate in May.
Michigan's unemployment rate remains above the national average, which was 4.6 percent in June.
The change in the state's jobless rate was "relatively minor," according to Rick Waclawek, director of the Department of Labor and Economic Growth's Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MI_UNEMPLOYMENT_MICH_MIOL-?SITE=MITRA&SECTION=HOME



Tower Automotive reaches tentative deal with UAW, USW
DETROIT (AP) -- Auto-parts supplier Tower Automotive Inc. on Wednesday announced it has reached a tentative agreement with its two largest unions, possibly preventing a strike.
The preliminary agreement with the United Auto Workers and United Steelworkers of America covers about 2,100 of Tower's 3,000 hourly employees. Terms of the agreement were not released by the company.
The deal must be approved by the union membership as well as the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan.
Tower supplies several auto makers, including Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp. DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group, Toyota Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co.

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Israel resumes airstrikes in Lebanon
By HUSSEIN DAKROUB
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo/YARON KAMINSY
AP VIDEO
Nazareth and Other Israeli Towns Hit by Rockets
World Video
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- Hezbollah guerrillas clashed with Israeli troops on the Lebanese side of the border for the second consecutive day Thursday, while Israeli warplanes renewed airstrikes against Lebanon in a ninth day of fighting.
The USS Nashville anchored off the coast of Lebanon to evacuate some 1,200 Americans fleeing the fighting. Hundreds of people gathered on the beach just north of Beirut to board a landing craft that would ferry the passengers to the Navy ship.
The luxury cruise liner Orient Queen arrived in Cyprus early Thursday with about 900 Americans aboard, completing the first trip in a massive operation to evacuate thousands of U.S. citizens.

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More hostages released on Baghdad street
By RYAN LENZ
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo/YAHYA AHMED
AP VIDEO
Car Bomb Targets Iraqis Seeking Work
World Video
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Four more people seized last weekend at a sports conference have been found blindfolded and dumped unharmed in an east Baghdad neighborhood, officials said Thursday. There was no word on the fate of Iraq's Olympic committee chairman.
Iraq's top Shiite cleric, meanwhile, called on Iraqis to work together to halt sectarian violence, warning that the future of the nation is at stake.
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said in a statement that Iraqis had avoided all-out civil war despite attacks on civilians because they belonged to "a certain sect," meaning Shiites.
But he said the Feb. 22 bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra had triggered the "blind violence we are seeing in the country today."
Also Thursday, the government announced that the state agency that cares for Shiite mosques was suspending work for five days in solidarity with their Sunni counterparts, who began a week-long walkout the day before to protest the kidnappings of 20 of their employees.

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Flint native killed while on patrol in Afghanistan
FLINT, Mich. (AP) -- A Flint native serving in the Army was killed in Afghanistan's Zabul province, according to his family and the U.S. Department of Defense.
Sgt. Robert P. Kassin, 29, who grew up in Clovis, N.M., died Sunday near Larzab when his platoon came under enemy fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Polk, La.
Kassin planned to make the military his career, his father said.
"He was very proud to serve. He wanted to be there. He was proud to support his country," Robert Kassin said.
Officials said Kassin was scoping the perimeter of an area when his unit came under fire. Kassin was shot twice, his sister, Katrina Najera, told the Clovis News Journal.
Kassin, married in February, was the oldest child and only son of Robert and Lucia Kassin of Clovis. He had a 7-year-old son in Mississippi and two stepdaughters who live with his wife in Alabama.
Kassin and his parents left the Flint area when he was a boy because his father was with the Air Force, Lucia Kassin said.
But he visited at least once a year, said his maternal grandmother, Beverly Wilson of Flint.
"This has been disastrous for all of us," Wilson told The Flint Journal for a story published Wednesday. "He has many, many, many more ties to Flint than he does to any other place. He loved it here."
Kassin came to Clovis in 1990 when his father was assigned to Cannon Air Force Base and attended schools in Clovis until his senior year in high school. He joined the Army in September 1996 and was assigned to Fort Polk in December.
His father said Kassin was helping rebuild communities in Afghanistan and that his unit recently reconnected water and power in an area devastated by bombs.
The unit built three schools - one in a community that never had a school before, Kassin told his parents a couple of months into his tour in Afghanistan.
"He was proud to be a part of that," the elder Kassin said.
Lucia Kassin said the family wasn't surprised when her son joined the Army, following his father's footsteps in the military.
"He always looked up to his dad for being in the military - he always believed in that and wanted to do that too," she said. "He said the Army put him on the front lines and actually doing something. He was young and had the attitude, 'Let's go over and kick some butt.'"
Bethaney Beach, Kassin's youngest sister, said a funeral is planned in Coushatta, La., and a memorial service will be held in Clovis when the family returns.
Kassin's family said they want to hold a memorial service in Flint as well.
"He loved the wintertime in Flint, being from New Mexico," his mother said. "He loved the snow, even though he could never quite figure out how to drive in it."

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Bush to address annual NAACP convention
By DEB RIECHMANN
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo/EVAN VUCCI
AP VIDEO
NAACP Welcomes President Bush
U.S. Video
WASHINGTON (AP) -- For five years in a row, President Bush has declined invitations to address the annual NAACP convention. This year, with the Senate poised to renew the 1965 Voting Rights Act, Bush said yes.
The White House says Bush wants to address the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on Thursday to show his commitment to civil rights.
"The president has had five years to prepare for this speech," Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, past chairman of the Congressional Black Democratic Caucus, said Wednesday. "I hope that this time, he makes it worth the wait."
Democrats have called on Bush to use his appearance to renew the Voting Rights Act. "He could sign it right here on this stage," Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., told the NAACP on Wednesday, eliciting cheers from the audience.
The House voted overwhelmingly last week to extend provisions of the landmark civil rights act that President Johnson signed after violence erupted in the South over voting rights for blacks. The Senate is expected to pass it on Thursday, although probably not before Bush's midmorning appearance at the NAACP.
Every president for the past several decades has spoken to the Baltimore-based group. Until now, Bush, who received 11 percent of the black vote in 2004, had been the exception. His appearance comes in a critical midterm election year, when Republicans fear losing control of Congress.
White House press secretary Tony Snow said that while there are political differences, the NAACP's new leader, Bruce Gordon, has good relations with Bush. Gordon has met with Bush three times in the year he's headed the civil rights group. That compares to one meeting Bush had with Gordon's predecessor, Kweisi Mfume, a former Democratic congressman.
"It is clear that in this nation, racism and discrimination are legally unacceptable, but there are also residues of the past that we have to address," Snow said in previewing the speech. "We have to find ways to make sure that the road to opportunity is clear for one and all."
Snow denied claims that this was Bush's way of atoning for the government's slow response to Hurricane Katrina. The Rev. Jesse Jackson and some black elected officials alleged that indifference to black suffering and racial injustice was to blame for the sluggish reaction to the disaster. In September 2005, Bush's top advisers met with black leaders to discuss their concerns.
"I think the president wants to make his voice heard," Snow said about Bush's speech. "He has an important role to play not only in making the case for civil rights but, maybe more importantly, the case for unity."
Cummings, D-Md., said as the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches, Bush needs to explain what he plans to do to help the thousands of families in the Gulf Coast region who remain homeless and jobless.
He said the president also needs to address other issues of concern to blacks, including access to health care and the minimum wage, which has remained at $5.15 for nearly a decade.
"If the tax cuts are working, why then - at 9 percent - is the unemployment rate in the African American community nearly double the national rate?" Cummings asked.
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On the Net:
The White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov
NAACP: http://www.naacp.org

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Storm warning issued as Beryl heads north
By ERIN GARTNER
Associated Press Writer
KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. (AP) -- A tropical storm warning was issued Thursday morning for southeastern Massachusetts as forecasters said Tropical Storm Beryl was expected to gain speed over the next day.
The warning, which extends from Plymouth south and west to Woods Hole, including Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, means tropical storm conditions were expected during the next 24 hours, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
Additional watches or warnings may be necessary for parts of Long Island and the New England Coast later Thursday, the center said.
The storm was cruising roughly parallel to the East Coast and within range of land-based radar early Thursday, hurricane specialist Jack Beven said, but the winds on the landward side of the storm didn't extend far enough from the center to be felt on the U.S. coast.

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