Clubs hope virtual window packs their doors
Thursday, March 22, 2007Benji Garcia says he likes nightclubs with hot music and hot women.
To help him decide which clubs offer that on any given night, he uses the website BarOptic.com.
"It helps me decide what clubs me and my boys want to go to," said Garcia, 32, of Aurora. "The club with the most people - and the most women - is the one we go to."
Farmyard Freedom
Thursday, March 22, 2007They form cliques, hold grudges, and some of them will hog food, given the chance.
They are pigs, and those traits - particularly the hoggishness - are reasons most pregnant sows are kept in crates where they cannot even turn around, much less pursue the social life they crave.
But now, living conditions for thousands of sows are improving, as pork producers react to accelerating consumer rejection of what critics say is among the harshest forms of animal confinement on farms.
Foreign Exchange
Thursday, March 22, 2007What a U.S. dollar buys (in commercial trades; consumer rates may be lower)
Country March 8 Year ago
Australia (dollar) 1.29 1.35
La Jamaica de Bora ante la mundialista Suiza
Thursday, March 22, 2007Los amantes del deporte rey en el sur de la Florida están encantados con el inicio de una serie de partidos amistosos del más alto nivel entre selecciones que se encuentran en la fase de preparación para importantes compromisos internacionales.
Los aficionados podrán disfrutar del buen fútbol de jugadores que militan en grandes clubes a partir de hoy (7:15 p.m.) en el Lockhart Stadium de Fort Lauderdale, con el encuentro entre Suiza, anfitriona de la próxima Eurocopa, y la Jamaica del serbio Bora Milutinovic .
Suiza, en el 17mo lugar FIFA, llega con la frustración sobre los hombros de perder por penales con Ucrania y con la mente puesta en la Eurocopa 2008, a la que se clasificó como país anfitrión junto con Austria. Los futbolistas suizos recibirían hasta $445,000 si levantan la Copa.
LETTERS: Explore pavilion advantages
Thursday, March 22, 2007The flowering and greening of downtown Northville is a pleasant concept but will it actually draw visitors and shoppers in order to return the investment? Is the open room for public gathering large enough for public or organized events such as the Art Fair, Victorian Festival, and Winterfest? These are all important functions to Northville's economic success. Our northern climate is also a factor,that may limit an outdoor plaza's full potential.
Other cities have apparently ignored principals of town planning in favor of successful marketing by drawing visitors to unique shops, public works of art, historic sites, museums, theaters, shows, art galleries and restaurants, year round. Few people fly to New York City to visit Central Park and return home. In other words, parks or town squares are not a destination, they are a pleasant and convenient place to rest your tired feet after a day of site seeing, working or shopping.
Mauresmo pasa por el quirófano
Thursday, March 22, 2007La tenista francesa Amelie Mauresmo fue sometida a una apendectomía y estará un mes alejada de las canchas.
La cuarta clasificada en el ránking mundial de la WTA fue operada en París.
Mauresmo sintió dolor de estómago durante varios días hasta que un sonograma reveló que había que extirparle el apéndice, indicó la jugadora en su portal de internet.
Michael Smerconish | SHOULD FREE SPEECH ALLOW HOLOCAUST DENIAL?
Thursday, March 22, 2007'IF WE REALLY want to know the truth about history, we need to allow freedom of speech."
So I was told by David Duke in an interview three weeks ago via a scratchy connection from Tehran. He was in Iran to participate in Mahmoud Admadinejad's Holocaust conference.
I've followed Duke's career and find his repeated condemnation of Israel and its supporters to be abhorrent. And I knew that accepting an invitation to interview the former Klan Imperial Wizard would cause a stir. But I was willing to speak to him because I was on the verge of visiting the most deadly of all Nazi extermination camps, and I wanted to hear what a self-described revisionist had to say.
Oil prices rise
Thursday, March 22, 2007Oil prices climbed more than $1 a barrel Thursday, a day after the U.S. government reported a greater-than-expected drop in gasoline stockpiles.
Traders also appeared to interpret a decision by the U.S. Federal Reserve to leave interest rates unchanged as positive for the market.
Light, sweet crude for May delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose $1.15 to $60.76 a barrel in electronic trading by midday in Europe.
Boom time in Kurdistan
Thursday, March 22, 2007While it rarely grabs headlines or airtime, a huge success story is unfolding in northern Iraq, otherwise known as Kurdistan. With no explosions to cover there, the press mostly ignores the brightest spot in the country. However, unlike proverbial trees falling in the forest, each new high-rise going up in Erbil or Sulaimaniya sends out ripples of positive "noise" - whether reporters pay attention or not.
Under the protection of United States airpower, which kept Saddam's forces at bay for over a decade, Kurdistan has gone from being a devastated land to become what some in the international business community are starting to call an economic miracle. Today new buildings are sprouting like weeds in northern Iraq, so fast there is a concrete shortage while construction cranes outnumber minarets on the city skylines.
All the new construction, businesses and jobs are attracting thousands of people from the countryside, swelling the urban population and making the outskirts of Kurdish cities more prosperous than the urban centers. But instead of just more Third World sprawl, civic planners are also investing in parks and urban beautification projects. The highways are in good condition, and advertisements for high-speed Internet abound. Other aspects of the economic boom in northern Iraq include:
Wednesday's Swimming Results
Thursday, March 22, 20071-Meter Springboard Final -- 1, Luo Yutong, China, 477.40. 2, He Chong, China, 469.85. 3, Cristopher Sacchin, Italy, 441.40. 4, Chris Colwill, United States, 432.10. 5, Illya Kvasha, Ukraine, 414.90. 6, Artem Lvov, Russia, 393.15.
10-Meter Platform Final -- 1, Chen Ruolin, China, 432.85. 2, Wang Xin, China, 410.30. 3, Christin Steuer, Germany, 386.85. 4, Laura Wilkinson, United States, 361.80. 5, DEmilie Heymans, Canada, 346.05. 6, Claire Febvay, France, 324.95. 7, Paola Espinosa, Mexico, 296.65. 8, Anja Richter, Austria, 296.10. 9, Annett Gamm, Germany, 291.30. 10, Valentina Marocchi, Italy, 289.30. 11, Melissa Wu, Australia, 282.15. 12, Roseline Filion, Canada, 267.75.
Open Water
'Caretaker' bilked elderly millionaire, feds say
Thursday, March 22, 2007Kansas City — A one-time taxi driver who befriended a wealthy antiques dealer must remain jailed before his trial on charges of swindling the elderly man out of more than $600,000, a federal judge ruled.
Ringling Dan Cohn, 55, was indicted and arrested last week on 15 counts alleging he manipulated Griffith Coombs into turning over control of his financial affairs, then tapped various accounts to make expensive purchases for himself and friends and to gamble.
Cohn has pleaded not guilty and was ordered to remain in federal custody following a detention hearing Tuesday in U.S. District Court.
Italia confía que Euro 2012 limpie imagen de su fútbol
Thursday, March 22, 2007MILAN --El fútbol italiano puede limpiar su imagen si obtiene la sede de la Eurocopa 2012, indicó el miércoles el jefe de la federación italiana de ese deporte Luca Pancalli.
"La Eurocopa 2012 no es sólo una competencia deportiva. Representa una oportunidad para redescubrir la credibilidad que busca el fútbol italiano", dijo Pancalli.
El balompié italiano se ha visto sacudido por numerosos escándalos desde el año pasado, incluyendo arreglo de partidos, apuestas ilegales, fraude, uso de drogas y el asesinato de un policía en febrero en disturbios de hinchas a las afueras de un estadio en Sicilia.
L.B. sister city bids for Olympics
Thursday, March 22, 2007Sochi, Russia, a sister city of Long Beach, is one of three finalists competing to host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.
Some local advocates are excited about the prospect of Sochi and then Los Angeles/Long Beach hosting the games.
"It's very exciting that both cities are sharing in that possibility," said Richard Madeira, co-chair of the Long Beach-Sochi Sister City Association.
Sister city, brotherly love
Thursday, March 22, 2007international briefs
Wednesday, March 21, 2007JERUSALEM - The United States made its first contact with the new Hamas-Fatah coalition Tuesday, ending a yearlong diplomatic boycott of the Palestinian government.
The meeting between a U.S. diplomat and the Palestinian finance minister signaled a break in policy between Israel and its closest ally, and could mark a significant step toward ending a painful aid cutoff to the Palestinian government.
Iran, Russia split hurts reactor plans
Wednesday, March 21, 2007VIENNA, Austria - Russia is pulling out its experts from the Iranian nuclear reactor site they were helping build, U.S. and European officials said Tuesday. The move reflected a growing rift between Iran and Russia that could lead to harsher U.N. sanctions on the Islamic republic for its refusal to stop uranium enrichment.
The representatives -- a European diplomat and a U.S. official -- said a large number of Russian technicians, engineers and other specialists have returned to Moscow in the past week, at about the same time senior Russian and Iranian officials tried unsuccessfully to resolve financial differences over the Bushehr nuclear reactor. They spoke on condition of anonymity.
"A good number of them have left recently," said the U.S. official, of the approximately 2,000 Russian workers on site of the nearly completed reactor outside the southern city of Bushehr. The European diplomat, who is accredited to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, said a large number had left as recently as last week.
Fraud suspects have KC links
Wednesday, March 21, 2007Three nursing home executives indicted in Texas last week for allegedly defrauding the government owned at least two nursing homes and a rehabilitation hospital in the metropolitan area.
Gary R. Trebert, Stephen Michael Ewing and Larry Gordon May were accused of scamming Medicare, Medicaid and the IRS out of $34 million by obtaining control of 70 nursing homes in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa and Virginia using sham corporations.
The indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Fort Worth, Texas, alleged that the men set up more than 150 phony staffing/payroll companies at drop boxes in England and Austria to prevent the IRS from assessing and collecting payroll taxes.
Furniture as artistic expression
Wednesday, March 21, 2007A bed isn't merely a bed when a custom craftsman builds it. It's an heirloom invested with history and tradition.
"Art. Function. Heirloom" is the motto of artisan Stewart Crick, whose professional moniker is Stu's Woodworks. Working out of a converted garage in a sublimely forested area of Manassas, he gives full credit to the Arts and Crafts movement for being his technical and spiritual guide. He explains on his Web site (www.stuswoodworks.com) how these words ("three philosophies") embody a value system he assumes his clients share.
The Arts and Crafts movement is associated with early-20th-century American craftsmen who sought a fresh approach beyond the outmoded Victorian styles inherited from Europe, where the movement had its roots.
European and U.S. officials: Russia is pulling out experts from Bushehr nuclear reactor
Wednesday, March 21, 2007VIENNA, Austria U-S and European officials say Russia is pulling its experts out from the Iranian nuclear reactor site they were helping build.The move appears to reflect a growing rift between Iran and Russia that could lead to harsher U-N sanctions on the Islamic republic for its refusal to stop uranium enrichment.The representatives say a large number of Russian technicians, engineers and other specialists have returned to Moscow within the last week.Their return comes at about the same time ...
Foreign News Briefs
Wednesday, March 21, 2007Russia is bringing home its technicians and engineers from Iran's unfinished nuclear reactor site at a time of growing international pressure on Tehran to curb its atomic ambitions, U.S. and European representatives said Tuesday. Although both Russia and Iran officially say their differences are financial, the dispute has a strong political component that the West hopes could result in Moscow lining up closer behind U.S.-led efforts to slap harsher U.N. sanctions on Tehran for refusing to freeze...
- Associated Press
Jockeying continues
Schindler’s List Survivors Share Their Experiences With CCA Eighth Graders
Wednesday, March 21, 2007Jewish survivors, Mr. & Mrs. William Schiff spoke of their terrifying personal experiences with students of Carrollton Christian Academy during a field trip taken by Mrs. Sue Weir’s eighth grade English classes to the Dallas Holocaust Museum, on Wednesday, March 14th. As a part of their study and research of The Diary of Anne Frank and the Holocaust, the group toured the exhibit to listen to those who personally experienced one of the darkest periods in the history of man.Mr. & Mrs. Schif...
Spanish Today: Benito Juárez
Wednesday, March 21, 2007Benito Juárez had a hard life. He was born in a small indigenous village in the Sierra of Oaxaca, and had to struggle to find the very limited opportunities available there to learn Spanish. Making a great effort, he continued to study and later became a lawyer.
Benito Juárez is the most relevant public figure in the history of Mexico. His greatest contribution to this nation was to successfully and vigorously enforce the law. Equally important, Juárez guaranteed Mexico's second independence making his life, both private and public, one of the best examples for Mexicans to follow. Benito Juárez served in the government as Governor of Oaxaca, Congressman, President of the Supreme Court of Justice, Vice President and President of Mexico.
One of the biggest challenges Juárez faced during his years as President was to prevent European infringement. He fought unsuccessfully to keep the French from assigning Prince Ferdinand Maximilian, Archduke of Austria, as Emperor of Mexico. Maximilian reached Mexico very well protected by French troops and by those Mexicans who supported the ideology of a monarchy.
Survival, surgery and sports medicine
Wednesday, March 21, 2007Dr. Tom Hackett with Steadman Hawkins, an avid snowboarder and medical director for the Mountain Guide Association.
Summit Daily/Mark Fox
WINE WISE: Taste the beauty of mixing red wine, chocolate
Wednesday, March 21, 2007I have long extolled the distinctive, memorable, incredibly delicious and almost mystic affinity between red wines and chocolate. This evening there is a rare opportunity to experience it.From 6 to 8 p.m. in the Visions Event Center at Signatures, 22852 County Road 17, HyVee Wines and Spirits will host “Reds & Chocolates Wine Tasting,” properly billed as a “once-in-a-lifetime” event. A limited number of $30 tickets are available at HyVee Wines and Spirits, 1475 Servi...
* Quinta do Noval Reserve Porto
* Alvear 2004 Pedro Ximenez de Aada (96)
Artista argentino expondr en Nueva York
Wednesday, March 21, 2007presentar? en Nueva York su exhibici?n "The Light of God", que
abrir? al p?blico el pr?ximo viernes 23 en la galer?a Joe
Hintersteiner en el Alto Manhathan, donde estar? hasta el 26 de
Russia pulling out of Iran nuke project
Wednesday, March 21, 2007VIENNA, Austria - Russia is bringing home its technicians and engineers from Iran's unfinished nuclear reactor site at a time of growing international pressure on Tehran to curb its atomic ambitions, U.S. and European representatives said Tuesday.
Russian Techs Exit Iran Nuclear Site, Which Could Bolster U.N. Sanctions
Wednesday, March 21, 2007VIENNA, AUSTRIA - Russia is pulling out its experts from the Iranian nuclear reactor site they were helping build, U.S. and European officials said Tuesday.
The move reflects a growing rift between Iran and Russia that could lead to harsher U.N. sanctions on the Islamic republic for its refusal to stop uranium enrichment. A large number of Russian technicians, engineers and other specialists have returned to Moscow in the past week, about the same time senior Russian and Iranian officials tried to resolve financial differences over the Bushehr nuclear reactor.
The Associated Press
Iran to lose nuclear help from Russia
Wednesday, March 21, 2007Vienna, Austria ?- Russia is pulling out its experts from the Iranian nuclear reactor site they were helping build, U.S. and European officials said Tuesday. The move reflected a growing rift between Iran and Russia that could lead to harsher U.N. sanctions on the Islamic republic for its refusal to stop uranium enrichment.
The representatives ?- a European diplomat and a U.S. official ?- said a large number of Russian technicians, engineers and other specialists have returned to Moscow in the past week, at about the same time senior Russian and Iranian officials tried unsuccessfully to resolve financial differences over the Bushehr nuclear reactor.
Approximately 2,000 Russian workers had worked on site of the nearly completed reactor outside the southern city of Bushehr. The European diplomat, who is accredited to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, said a large number had left as recently as last week.
Mancuso aiming to fill McKinneys ski boots
Wednesday, March 21, 2007Julia Mancuso clears a gate on Tuesday during the women's World Cup downhill training for the Alpine Ski World Cup finals in Parpan-Lenzerheide, Switzerland.
AP Photo
Chocolate maker Lindt savors 2006 profit rise
Tuesday, March 20, 2007Chocolate maker Lindt savors 2006 profit rise - washingtonpost.com
Tuesday, March 20, 2007ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Spruengli posted a 21 percent rise in 2006 net profit on Tuesday to 209 million Swiss francs ($172.7 million) as U.S. consumers developed a taste for Lindor pralines and its chocolate bars.
Lindt <LISP.S> <LISN.S>, which makes a broad range of chocolates including chocolate bunnies, Kirsch batons and Easter eggs, generated a 15 percent rise in 2006 net sales to 2.59 billion francs. Sales in North America exceeded $500 million.
"Year for year our two brands Lindt and Ghirardhelli, are enjoying double-digit growth, year for year our two brands are growing fastest and year for year we are winning market share," Chief Executive Officer Ernst Tanner said at a news conference.
Clark to Retire From Competitive Skiing
Tuesday, March 20, 2007Ernst Haefliger, 87; Swiss opera singer
Tuesday, March 20, 2007LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND — Ernst Haefliger, the Swiss opera singer renowned for his oratorio and lieder performances, has died, a Lucerne Festival spokeswoman announced. He was 87.
Haefliger died Saturday of acute heart failure in the southeastern Switzerland town of Davos, said Barbara Higgs, spokeswoman for the annual Lucerne Festival.
Working with Columbia and Deutsche Grammophon, Haefliger recorded Mozart's operas and Beethoven's "Fidelio," winning several awards.
Costa Rica: Medford pone en marcha prácticas con cambio
Tuesday, March 20, 2007SAN JOSE --Costa Rica inició el lunes su preparación para el amistoso del sábado ante Nueva Zelanda y de salida tuvo que reemplazar al volante Cristian Blanco debido a una lesión.
Windell Gabriels, delantero del Pérez Zeledón, fue convocado inmediatamente por el técnico Hernán Medford. Gabriels es un debutante en la selección.
El estratega había llamado a Blanco (Herediano), junto a otro volante, para reemplazar a Kurt Bernard y Carlos Hernández, el primero por lesión y el segundo por un compromiso en China que finalmente fue aplazado. No obstante, Blanco se lastimó un muslo durante una práctica con su club.
Don't hide the hides
Tuesday, March 20, 2007Pamplin Media Group, Mar 13, 2007 (4 Reader comments)
Dorsch wins in Miami qualifying
Tuesday, March 20, 2007KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. — Former Baylor standout Benedikt Dorsch saved four match points in winning a second-set tiebreaker, and opponent Rainer Schuettler retired before the third set to give Dorsch a first-round qualifying win at the $3.5 million Sony Ericksson Open tennis tournament.
Dorsch advances to today’s second round to face ninth seed Andreas Seppi of Italy, a 6-4, 7-6 (4) winner over Argentina’s Nicolas Todero. The winner of that match will face either Dudi Sela or Robin Haase for a spot in the main draw.
Dorsch, ranked 189th in the world, lost the first set to Schuettler, 6-4, and trailed in the tiebreaker, 6-3. But he saved all three match points, then another at 6-7 before converting his second set point to win, 10-8.
Former CIA Agents To Address Tyler Woman's Forum March 27
Tuesday, March 20, 2007Former CIA agents James and Meredith Olson will be the guest speakers at the Tyler Woman's Forum meeting March 27, Forum spokeswoman Iris Mayer said.
The meeting begins with lunch at 11:30 a.m., followed by the program at 12:30 p.m. It will take place at the Woman's Building, 911 S. Broadway Ave.
Shortly after they married in 1971, the Olsons were assigned to Paris, "where they worked under deep cover," Mrs. Mayer said.
Mancuso leads best U.S. women's ski season in years
Tuesday, March 20, 2007LENZERHEIDE, Switzerland For Bode Miller, the overall title was a goal that didn't pan out this season. Julia Mancuso hadn't even dreamed of it until she suddenly found herself in contention in the final week.
Although she was the giant slalom Olympic champion, she'd never won a World Cup race in her six seasons on the circuit.
And with her slow start following hip surgery in the offseason, there was no way to imagine she'd soon be streaking to four victories and six other podium results. Or be in a position to become the first American woman to win the overall title since Tamara McKinney won it almost a quarter century ago.
Mens ski championship goes to Norwegian
Tuesday, March 20, 2007Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway is triumphant after capturing winning the overall World Cup mens ski title on Sunday in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.
(AP photo)
LENZERHEIDE, Switzerland Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway won the mens World Cup overall title on Sunday after making sure he finished in the points in the last race of the season.
Oil prices fall reflecting concerns over global economies
Tuesday, March 20, 2007VIENNA, Austria Oil prices slipped below $57 a barrel today, reflecting continued worries over the U.S. and global economies following an equities selloff last week.
A decision by oil ministers of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to maintain present production targets also appeared to contribute to the downward trend.
"There are concerns that the global equities selloff may not be over and that may impact economic growth and thus oil demand," said Victor Shum of Purvin & Gertz in Singapore. "These concerns and worries about the state of the U.S. economy have taken some momentum out of the oil market."
Vacation? What’s that? some ask
Tuesday, March 20, 2007If your office is decimated by spring break vacations this week, just grin and bear it. Most will be back in the grind within days.
Most workplaces, cut to the cost-efficient bone, have to scramble to cover for vacationing workers — but not all that often.
Actually, U.S. workers don’t take many vacation days, especially compared with vacation durations in other industrialized nations.
A world of Christmas cookies
Tuesday, March 20, 2007Nothing says Christmas like a plate of special holiday cookies. For many, it wouldn't feel like Christmas without them.
People of many nations and regions have Christmas cookie specialties. Some, including Germans and Italians, have several. Often, one basic dough - slightly varied - makes treats of differing design under several national flags.
Gingerbread figures, now virtually generic, are rooted in German (thick and chewy) and Swedish (thin and crisp) traditions. Made plain or colorfully painted with icing or decorated with candies, they are the surest sign of Christmas.
Angola's stature grows as the petroleum flows
Tuesday, March 20, 2007VIENNA, AUSTRIA Angola, which shared the stage with the world's most powerful oil-producing nations at its first OPEC meeting here last week, is an unlikely candidate to be the global oil industry's darling.
An underdeveloped, war-scarred country that has suffered for decades because of corrupt leadership, Angola is one of the poorest lands on the planet. But ask any energy executive these days and another picture emerges: a place of immense riches, solicitous of foreign investors, and among the three fastest-growing oil exporters in the world today.
Exxon Mobil, Chevron, BP and others have poured billions into Angola in the last decade to unlock oil resources in the nation's deep waters, and the payoffs are finally coming in.
Austrian takes womens overall ski title: Americas Julia Mancuso finishes third; the first U.S. skier in that slot since 1984
Tuesday, March 20, 2007Resi Stiegler, right, a World Cup skier from the United States, and British skier Chemmy Alcott prepare to celebrate the last race of the alpine ski season on Sunday in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.
(AP photo)
LENZERHEIDE, Switzerland Nicole Hosp of Austria clinched the World Cup overall title on Sunday after winning the womens giant slalom at the season finale.
Oil prices slip below $57 a barrel, reflecting continued worries over global economies
Monday, March 19, 2007VIENNA, Austria ? Oil prices slipped below $57 a barrel Monday, reflecting continued worries over the U.S. and global economies following an equities selloff last week.
A decision by oil ministers of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to maintain present production targets also appeared to contribute to the downward trend.
"There are concerns that the global equities selloff may not be over and that may impact economic growth and thus oil demand," said Victor Shum of Purvin & Gertz in Singapore. "These concerns and worries about the state of the U.S. economy have taken some momentum out of the oil market."
Svindal, Hosp earn Cup titles
Monday, March 19, 2007LENZERHEIDE, Switzerland - After a five-month season, it all came down to seven-hundredths of a second - the margin by which Aksel Lund Svindal won the World Cup overall title.
Needing a finish of 15th or better to ensure victory against Austria rival Benjamin Raich, Svindal finished 15th in the slalom Sunday in the final World Cup event this season. Raich won the race but finished 13 points behind Svindal in the overall standings.
The women's overall crown went to Nicole Hosp, who won a giant slalom to hold off Austrian teammate Marlies Schild.
Svindal, Hosp win overall World Cup titles
Monday, March 19, 2007LENZERHEIDE, Switzerland — After a five-month season, it all came down to seven-hundredths of a second — the margin by which Aksel Lund Svindal won the World Cup overall title.
Needing a finish of 15th or better to ensure victory over Austria's Benjamin Raich, Svindal finished 15th in the slalom Sunday in the final World Cup event of the season. Raich won the race, but finished 13 points behind Svindal in the overall standings.
The women's overall crown went to Nicole Hosp, who won a giant slalom to hold off Austrian teammate Marlies Schild. Julia Mancuso, who fell out of contention for the overall title a day earlier, was 11th Sunday to finish third overall — the best showing by an American woman since Tamara McKinney was third in 1984.
Oil Prices Fall Below $57 a Barrel
Monday, March 19, 2007Time to try pinot blanc
Monday, March 19, 2007If you’ve never tried pinot blanc, why not consider giving it a taste? It’s generally a medium- to full-bodied white wine with high acidity and flavor characteristics that range from citrus to apple to vanilla.
The grape is grown in France, Germany, Austria and Italy (where it’s referred to as pinot bianco) and, to a lesser extent, in North American locations including California and eastern British Columbia.
Although it’s only available in small quantities locally, it’s worth searching out as a nice alternative to chardonnay.
Renowned Swiss opera singer
Monday, March 19, 2007LUCERNE, Switzerland -- Ernst Haefliger, a renowned Swiss opera singer, has died, a Lucerne Festival spokeswoman said Sunday. He was 87.
Mr. Haefliger died Saturday from acute heart failure in the southeastern town of Davos, said Barbara Higgs, spokeswoman for the yearly Lucerne music event.
Recordings with labels such as Columbia Records and Deutsche Grammophon, where he registered many Mozart operas and Beethoven's ''Fidelio,'' brought Mr. Haefliger several awards.
Sports in brief
Monday, March 19, 2007Rafael Nadal won his first title since the French Open, beating Novak Djokovic, 6-2, 7-5, Sunday in the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, Calif.
When Djokovic's forehand went long on the final point, Nadal raised his arms, then flopped on his back and lay there a moment, arms still extended, as the fans laughed and cheered.
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Sports Shorts
Monday, March 19, 2007Bobby Sippio caught five touchdown passes and the Rush scored 34 straight points in the second half in a 61-40 victory over the New York Dragons at Allstate Arena on Sunday.
Sippio finished with nine receptions for 135 yards, and Matt D'Orazio was 18-of-31 for 238 yards and six TDs. The Rush overcame a 30-27 halftime deficit to improve to 2-1.
Rohan Davey was 25-of-41 for 245 yards and three touchdowns for the Dragons (0-2).
Students coming for 'International Weekend'
Monday, March 19, 2007“International Weekend” for area foreign exchange
Eleven students from neighboring
communities will be in Tracy for the March 15-18 activities.
A taste of Vienna in Corvallis
Monday, March 19, 2007Ever since I studied abroad in Vienna during my junior year of college, I’ve dreamed of attending the Imperial Ball at the Hofburg Palace.
While the United States has rather gauche pastimes such as football and baseball season, Vienna has ball season, beginning with a New Year’s spectacular and culminating with the Vienna Opera Ball right before Ash Wednesday.
At these high-society events, women wear elbow-length gloves and tiaras, men don top hats and tails, and champagne flows freely as revelers waltz, foxtrot and quickstep to the music of the Vienna State Opera and the famed Vienna Boys’ Choir.
Aggies rally in 9th, edge Jayhawks in college baseball
Monday, March 19, 2007Darby Brown singled to left field to score Blake Stouffer in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday as Texas A&M rallied for a 10-9 home victory over Kansas.
Kansas led 9-6 before the Aggies (20-3, 2-1 Big 12) scored three runs in the eighth to tie the game. Brandon Hicks hit a two-run triple and scored on a catcher's obstruction after Ryne Price overthrew third and Hicks headed for home.
Texas A&M took an early 1-0 lead before the Jayhawks (13-11, 1-2) had back-to-back four-run innings.
Ernst Haefliger, Swiss opera singer renowned for his oratorio and lieder, dies at 87
Monday, March 19, 2007LUCERNE, Switzerland — Ernst Haefliger, the Swiss opera singer renowned for his oratorio and lieder, has died, a Lucerne Festival spokeswoman said Sunday. He was 87.
Haefliger died Saturday from acute heart failure in the southeastern town of Davos, said Barbara Higgs, spokeswoman for the yearly Lucerne music event.
Recordings with companies such as Columbia Records and the Deutsche Grammophon, where he registered numerous Mozart operas and Beethoven's "Fidelio," brought Haefliger several awards.
Muere cantante de ópera Ernst Haefliger a 87 años
Monday, March 19, 2007LUCERNA, Suiza --El tenor suizo Ernst Haefliger, célebre intérprete de lieder y oratorios, falleció en la población sudoriental de Davos, dijo una portavoz del Festival de Lucerna. Tenía 87 años.
Haefliger murió el sábado de insuficiencia cardíaca grave, expresó Barbara Higgs, portavoz del festival de música que se celebra todos los años en Lucerna.
Grabó con compañías como Columbia Records y Deutsche Grammophon, con las que registró varias óperas de Mozart y "Fidelio", de Beethoven, obteniendo numerosos galardones.