kolynychbig21: марта 2012

четверг, 15 марта 2012 г.

Cops: 1 son escapes as Fla. dad kills family, self

A 13-year-old boy ran through a garage to escape his family's slaughter at the hands of his father, who then took his own life on their front lawn, authorities said.

Investigators said Monday they had not found any suicide note, and a motive for the killings late Sunday remained unclear. They said Troy Ryan Bellar, 34, shot and killed his wife, Wendy Bellar, 31, and their 5-month-old and 8-year-old sons before killing himself outside their home in Lakeland, located between Tampa and Orlando.

Another son, 13-year-old Nathan Bellar, was pursued through the garage by his father, evaded several gunshots, and made it safely to a neighbor's house. The boy was being …

Little Batavia has big weapon in Fisher

Not only are the western suburbs loaded with powerhouse boys'soccer programs (six teams among the Chicago Sun-Times' pre-seasontop 16) but this area also looms as one of the deepest in the state.

The west standard-bearer should be Batavia, with its version of the "Young Guns" looking for a sequel to last season'squarterfinal finish. With a trio of experienced underclassmen ledby sophomore Mike Fisher (40 goals), Batavia should once again blazea victorious trail across the west.

In hot pursuit of Batavia will be physically imposing NapervilleNorth, which will be seeking its fifth straight Du Page Valley title.

Defending West Suburban Gold champion …

Viktor Bout files new appeal against extradition

BANGKOK (AP) — Accused Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout filed a last-ditch appeal Friday to try to stall his extradition to the United States, where he faces terrorism charges.

Bout's lawyer, Lak Nittiwattanawichan, said the Criminal Court has not said whether it will agree to hear the appeal.

The effort would appear to lack legal standing, since the court's ruling Tuesday that Bout is seeking to appeal said prosecutors, rather than the defense, had the right to appeal.

The court's dismissal Tuesday of additional charges against Bout cleared the way for a previous ruling allowing the extradition to proceed. The earlier decision said the extradition must take place …

среда, 14 марта 2012 г.

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NATO has picked Britain's ambassador to Kabul to be its new civilian representative in Afghanistan, who will administer reconstruction efforts and act as a counterpart to the military commander, U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, officials said Tuesday.

Two diplomatic officials speaking separately said ambassador Mark Sedwill has been appointed to the post. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Sedwill, 45, served as a UN weapons inspector in Iraq in the 1990s. He has been ambassador to Kabul since April 2009.

NATO spokesman's office said it could not confirm the report, but Secretary-General Anders Fogh …

Djokovic eases into us semis

Tennis: Third seed Novak Djokovic, above, saw off Spanish veteranCarlos Moya 6-4, 7-6 (9-7), 6-1 to book his US Open semi-final spot.

The 20-year-old edged a tight first set by breaking serve at 5-4.

The Serb then survived a set point in the second-set tiebreakbefore winning it with a brutal forehand.

A downcast Moya was broken in the first game of the third set andDjokovic hit cruise control to wrap up the match.

Djokovic will meet Spain's David Ferrer in the semi's aftersweeping aside Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.

golf: Former Open champion Lawrie was at Muirfield Primary School,Mastrick today to highlight the work at the school to …

Mmm, mmm, delicious

All-natural soup really is good food

While there may not be any scientific studies proving that soup will help you live to a ripe old age, really good soups are chock full of healthful "anti-aging ingredients," such as hearty vegetables, beans, and whole grains. And it sure does taste good, too.

The simplicity of soup

Sometimes anything more complicated than opening a can is out of the question. The solution? A whole crop of Campbell's alternatives that prove soup really is good food. Natural soups come in a huge variety of forms and flavors: ready-togo stocks for your own recipes, creamy bisques and chowders, and bean-packed single servings to tote to work and …

Treasury: Support for mortgage giants needed

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Congress needs to quickly approve a support package for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to make sure the two mortgage giants maintain their critically important role in housing finance.

Paulson said Tuesday that the continued operations of Fannie and Freddie _ which guarantee or own almost half of the home mortgages in the country _ would be "central to the speed with which we emerge from this housing correction."

Paulson made his comments in a speech in New York in which he again sought to reassure Americans that despite the recent turmoil, the nation's banking system is fundamentally sound.

Treasury …

A cover for terror ; Why a cover for terrorism can be a good option for you. Given the increasing acts of terrorism, an insurance policy that covers terror acts might just be what you need.

Given the increasing acts of terrorism, an insurance policy thatcovers such acts might just be what you need. Insurance againstterrorism is not rare globally. And in India, it's now coming intoits own.

Click2insure.in, a portal owned by New Delhi-based OptimaInsurance Brokers, which offers insurance solutions, is offering thepolicy free of cost to the first 100,000 applicants. The policy isunderwritten by New India Assurance.

Click2insure has devised a basic policy that offers acompensation of Rs 1 lakh to applicants affected by any act ofterrorism in the country. The police, however, have to record theparticular crime under terrorism for a claim to become …

Queer Issues in Contemporary Latin American Cinema

Foster, David William. Queer Issues in Contemporary Latin American Cinema. Austin: U of Texas P, 2003. 186pp. ISBN 0-292-70537-9

As David William Foster indicated in his Preface, Queer Issues in Contemporary Latin American Cinema is his fourth book on Spanish American and Brazilian films of the last quarter century. In the previous three he studied various aspects of the motion pictures from the major film-producing countries of the region: Contemporary Argentine Cinema (1994), Gender and Society in Contemporary Brazilian Cinema (1999) and Mexico City in Contemporary Mexican Cinema (2001). In these books Foster approached at times questions of gender or of same-sex relations, but …

Even old dogs can learn new tricks on this TV show

Zak George is a big dog in the world of dog trainers. And he could soon get even bigger, thanks to a TV series that cable's Animal Planet has in the works.

Tentatively titled "Fetch Me a Beer," the new show will invite dog owners to propose tricks that George can help them teach their pets.

Can a dog play baseball or pinball? Serve as "wingman" to help her dateless owner meet women? Square dance? Or, in the case of a bulldog named Rufus in the pilot episode, fetch a brew from the fridge for his master, Evan, who's relaxing on the sofa?

Almost any task or stunt seems possible when a pooch gets the right step-by-step instruction and …

`Step on a Crack' goes step beyond `Cinderella'

Step on a Crack Ellie Maria Todd Haser Lucille Cara Newman Max Jeffrey Satterfield Lana Christina Kazanjian Frizbee Michael McKune Voice Moon Hi Hanson DePaul University's Theater School Playworks presents a play bySuzan L. Zeder. Directed by David Avcollie. Scenic design by KevinMorrissey. Costume design by Nan Zabriskie. Lighting design by LisaTomoleoni. At First Chicago Center, First National Bank of Chicago,Madison and Dearborn. Running time: 75 minutes. 732-4470.

Stepmothers can be a pain. Just ask Cinderella.

Better yet, ask Ellie Murphy, the central character in "Step ona Crack," the current production of …

BOll LUX plate too saucy for UK roads

LONDON (AP) — The registration plate says BOll LUX, it's pronounced "bollocks" and a government agency says it's too rude for the road.

Bollocks is a British euphemism for testicles, though it often signifies that something is nonsense or useless, or it can signify approval as in "it's the dog's bollocks." A chewing out is a "bollocking."

English businessman Alan Clarke says he paid 399 …

Medical device industry tries to rein in marketing

The medical device industry is trying to rein in a growing number of TV and magazine advertisements for hip replacements and other implants, amid congressional scrutiny of the marketing push.

On Thursday the industry's leading trade group, the Advanced Medical Technology Association, or AdvaMed, rolled out its first guidelines for companies like Medtronic Inc. and Johnson & Johnson. Among other things, the voluntary guidelines urge companies to state the risks of their implants clearly and concisely when advertising them to consumers.

The rollout comes six months after some members of Congress suggested large-scale advertising of medical devices poses even greater risks than ads for drugs, which have been scrutinized for years. Because most medical devices must be implanted, they carry the risk of surgical complications that drugs do not.

And unlike drugmakers, device companies are not required to submit their advertisements to the Food and Drug Administration before releasing them.

With a popular president in the White House and larger majorities in both houses, industry observers say congressional Democrats could make a push this year to restrict advertising of both drugs and devices, which first became possible in 1997.

Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., who held hearings on device marketing last fall, said he hopes the industry's self-policing efforts make legislation unnecessary.

"I will be paying close attention to how individual companies implement AdvaMed's strengthened policies to ensure that consumers interests are protected," Kohl, who chairs the Senate's committee on aging, said in a statement.

Magazine and TV ads have been a staple of pharmaceutical marketing for over a decade, with the industry spending close to $5 billion annually in recent years. While spending by the device industry is small in comparison, in the hundreds of millions, several of the biggest players are adapting similar high-profile pitches.

A recent Johnson & Johnson advertisement for orthopedic hips featured Duke University basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski. Biomet, a privately held orthopedics company, previously promoted its competing products with spokeswoman Mary Lou Retton, an Olympic gymnastics champion.

The AdvaMed guidelines stress that companies should include information about risks "in clear language free from distraction. Ads should not include content designed to minimize risk information."

The rules also recommend companies spend "appropriate time" educating physicians about a new device before promoting it to patients.

Democrats in the House, including Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., have suggested a ban on advertising to consumers for some drugs during the first two years after approval. Lawmakers have not said whether they support similar restrictions for devices.

вторник, 13 марта 2012 г.

Rangers Clip Penguins Late on Own Goal

NEW YORK - Jaromir Jagr looked for teammate Michael Nylander - and luckily found defenseman Rob Scuderi. Jagr snapped his longest scoring drought of the season Monday night when his pass for Nylander clipped off Scuderi's stick and slipped into the net with 33.8 seconds left in the New York Rangers' 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

"I am not 24 chasing any records anymore," said the 35-year-old Jagr, who went eight games without scoring for the second time this season. "My goal is to make the playoffs. Right now it doesn't matter as long as we win."

New York moved past idle Carolina into seventh place in the Eastern Conference, two nights after getting into playoff position. The Rangers, who nearly put up back-to-back shutouts for the first time since March 2003, trail sixth-place Tampa Bay by one point with nine games left.

Jagr swung around Alain Nasreddine and flipped the puck toward the net. The drive hit Scuderi and slipped underneath Jocelyn Thibault, who stopped 40 of New York's previous 41 shots. The puck disappeared, but it was revealed over the line when Thibault moved his legs.

"I thought it was in but I wasn't 100 percent sure," said Jagr, who reached 25 goals for the 16th straight season.

The goal was awarded after a video review that lasted a few minutes. Thibault hung his head in the crease and again on the bench after being pulled for an extra skater. He didn't face another shot, but Jagr's goal was enough to snap Pittsburgh's winning streak at five and improve the Rangers' run to 7-1-3.

"I was just trying to squeeze my pads," Thibault said. "I didn't know where it was. For a second I kind of had it. You couldn't see the puck until I split my pads. Knowing that, I would've moved my pads the other way."

The Penguins could've tied New Jersey atop the Atlantic Division with a win, but remained two points back. Thibault sparkled in place of No. 1 goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who backstopped a 4-3 shootout victory over Ottawa at home Sunday night.

Pittsburgh is 7-1-1 in its last nine and went 4-1 during a stretch of five games in seven days.

"If you look at the big picture, you have to be satisfied," coach Michel Therrien said. "What makes it tough is that we were about 30 seconds from picking up at least another point."

This one was scoreless until the third period, when Blair Betts gave New York a 1-0 lead at 47 seconds.

Pittsburgh caught the Rangers in the third for the third time in 19 days when Michel Ouellet tied it with 5:42 left. Ouellet guided in Erik Christensen's pass before soaring through the crease over goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who was spread out in front.

Lundqvist, who stopped 30 shots in a 7-0 win against Boston on Saturday, had little work after the opening period. He stopped eight shots in the opening 20 minutes, five in the second, and eight in the third.

Thibault made 19 saves in the second period, when the Rangers had three power-play chances. The 32-year-old netminder stopped 25 shots at New Jersey last Wednesday in his previous outing, posting his first NHL shutout since Oct. 8, 2003, and had gone 141 minutes, 15 seconds without allowing a goal when Betts broke the deadlock.

Even after the goal, Thibault shined - flopping in his crease to stop the Rangers at the midway point - and giving Pittsburgh a chance for another comeback. The Penguins beat the Rangers twice in the previous 10 games by erasing 2-0 deficits in the third and winning in overtime.

Pittsburgh earned two of its four wins over the Rangers this season with deflected goals off New York defensemen.

"We got a bad bounce, no doubt," Penguins forward Sidney Crosby said. "We've had our breaks against them throughout the year. This one went against us."

Ryan Hollweg earned an assist on Betts' goal, his third point and second helper of the season, hours after Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice decided not to pursue charges against Islanders forward Chris Simon, who struck Hollweg with a two-handed swing of his stick in a game earlier this month.

Notes:@ Linesman Brad Kovachik broke his wrist in a fall after colliding with Lundqvist near the Rangers' bench in the second period and is expected to be sidelined at least three weeks. ... The Rangers haven't allowed a first-period goal in seven games. ... The Penguins have lost four of five on the back end of consecutive games. ... Sixteen of Pittsburgh's past 20 games have been decided by one goal. ... New York was without LW Martin Straka (knee) but hopes to get Brendan Shanahan (concussion) back Wednesday.

Butler's late layup, James miss, lifts Wizards over Cavaliers 88-87

Caron Butler made a layup with 3.9 seconds left and LeBron James missed a potential series-ending layup at the horn, giving Washington an 88-87 victory over Cleveland on Wednesday night to pull the Wizards within 3-2 in the first-round NBA playoff series.

After Butler scored on a drive past James, the Cavaliers had one more chance but their superstar couldn't get a banked runner to drop and the Wizards headed home for Game 6 on Friday night trailing 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.

Butler scored 32 points and DeShawn Stevenson had 17 for the Wizards, who played without guard Gilbert Arenas.

Arenas announced before the game that his season was over because of a bothersome knee. James scored 34 points _ 24 in the second half _ but was unable to make a final shot in traffic.

Stojakovic Pays Dividends As Hornets Win

OKLAHOMA CITY - From start to finish, Peja Stojakovic kept showing why the New Orleans Hornets wanted him this offseason.

Stojakovic scored a career-high 42 points and directed a decisive fourth-quarter run as the Hornets beat the Charlotte Bobcats 94-85 on Tuesday night, breaking a three-game losing streak.

"I just came out aggressive, playing like every other game. I got going, so guys kept looking for me," Stojakovic said. "I kept playing, I kept shooting the ball.

"I don't know how to describe it," said Stojakovic, who scored New Orleans' first 20 points of the game. "When you're a shooter, you just shoot it even when you're missing - just trying to get yourself involved in the game, and when you make a couple in a row your teammates start looking to you."

Stojakovic scored 22 points in the first quarter - a franchise record - and added 11 more during a 13-4 fourth-quarter surge.

"To me, Peja's always hot. I don't care if he's missed 10 shots in a row, he's still hot if you ask me," said Hornets guard Chris Paul, who had seven of his 10 assists on baskets by Stojakovic. "That's just the kind of player he is."

New Orleans picked up Stojakovic in a sign-and-trade deal with Indiana in the offseason and gave him a contract worth about $64 million over five years. A three-time All-Star, Stojakovic entered the season as a 40 percent shooter from 3-point range.

"Whenever he misses, I usually say something to him because I don't think he's supposed to miss," Paul said.

Emeka Okafor had 25 points, 16 rebounds and a career-high seven blocks to lead Charlotte. Adam Morrison, the No. 3 overall pick in the NBA draft, matched his career high with 21 points, and reserve Sean May scored 18.

The loss was the fourth straight for Charlotte.

"We're hurting ourselves," Bobcats coach Bernie Bickerstaff said. "There is nothing wrong with the effort. It's the turnovers. They have been at critical times and they've killed us. We have no value for the basketball."

New Orleans' Bobby Jackson added 14 points and Janerro Pargo scored 10 - both off the bench - and Tyson Chandler had 11 of his 15 rebounds after halftime. The Hornets were playing their first game without David West (forearm), their second-leading scorer.

"We really needed somebody to step up and play some basketball with David West being out, and Peja stepped up big time tonight," Hornets forward Desmond Mason said. "That was as wonderful a performance as I've ever seen in person. To have him step up and be a leader as a veteran, that was big time."

After the Bobcats scored six straight points for a 60-59 lead midway through the third quarter, New Orleans came back with a 10-0 run that included three consecutive baskets by Stojakovic.

The Bobcats pushed back to tie it at 78 on Brevin Knight's jumper from the top of the key with 5:24 remaining.

That's when Stojakovic heated up again. He hit a jumper from the right block to put New Orleans back ahead, then answered Okafor's right-hander with a 3-pointer from the left wing.

He followed that by stepping in front of Morrison for a steal and a right-handed dunk, then firing off a screen for a jumper that made it 87-82.

Rookie Cedric Simmons added two free throws, and Stojakovic grabbed an errant pass by Knight that caromed off the rim. He ended two more Charlotte possessions with defensive rebounds and passed his career high with two free throws with 42 seconds left.

"I don't worry about individual stats," Stojakovic said. "I want this team to be successful, everybody to be involved and accomplish our goals. That's our team."

Stojakovic hit his first seven shots, including four 3-pointers, and was 4-for-4 from the foul line in the first quarter. But he downplayed his hot start, noting that he scored 23 points in a quarter for Sacramento last November in a 118-117 victory against Phoenix.

"You can't tell," Stojakovic said. "Sometimes you have a great start and you don't finish the game well."

Notes:@ Chandler had to be helped off the court after getting elbowed by May on a rebound with 2:15 left. He sustained a mild concussion and did not travel with the team for Wednesday's game at Detroit. ... Oklahoma City businessman Clay Bennett, the new owner of the Seattle SuperSonics, watched the game from his courtside seat. ... Okafor blocked shots by Mason on the Hornets' first two possessions. ... New Orleans led 55-52 at halftime.

Gitmo detainee to avoid solitary in plea deal

A former cook and driver for Osama bin Laden will serve out his sentence in a section of Guantanamo reserved for the best-behaved detainees under a plea agreement that also keeps the length of his confinement secret for now, military attorneys said Monday.

Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al-Qosi, one of Guantanamo's longest-held prisoners, avoided a possible life sentence by striking a plea deal last month that also secured the first war-crimes conviction under President Barack Obama.

The military judge presiding over the case initially said Monday that al-Qosi's sentence would not be revealed until after his release. But a spokesman for the prosecutors, Navy Capt. David Iglesias, said later that the official overseeing the offshore system will announce the sentence once it is formally approved.

The case against al-Qosi is one of two approaching resolution in the Pentagon's system for prosecuting terrorism suspects at this U.S. Navy base in Cuba, which has yielded only four convictions since it was established by the Bush administration.

Canadian detainee Omar Khadr faces trial beginning Tuesday on charges including murder for the slaying of an American soldier in Afghanistan. The judge in his case refused Monday to exclude confessions that Khadr's team claimed were tainted by abuse including threats of rape.

Al-Qosi, who was taken to Guantanamo in January 2002, pleaded guilty July 7 to one count each of providing material support for terrorism and conspiracy.

A jury of American military officers is expected to begin deliberating a sentence Tuesday, but officials overseeing the tribunals will reject their decision if it exceeds the terms of the plea bargain, Iglesias said. A longer sentence could be applied, however, if al-Qosi did something to break the terms of the plea deal, he added.

At the hearing inside a high-security courthouse, the 50-year-old detainee sat beside his lawyers wearing a white prison uniform, a long gray beard and translation headphones.

Without revealing details in court, prosecutors and defense attorneys said al-Qosi has fulfilled commitments that were required of him as part of the plea agreement.

But defense lawyers had complained the government has not yet delivered on its pledge to ensure that al-Qosi serves any additional prison time at Guantanamo's Camp 4, a communal-style section reserved for the best-behaved detainees where al-Qosi is currently held. Typically, convicted detainees are held alone in solid-wall cells.

"This is the linchpin upon which this agreement is based," said defense attorney Paul Reichler, who won a ruling from the judge ordering that al-Qosi not be put into solitary confinement.

The on-again, off-again tribunal system has faced repeated legal setbacks since it was established by then-President George W. Bush to prosecute terror suspects after the 9/11 terror attack on the U.S.

The U.S. Supreme Court in 2006 struck down one version of the military trials, known as commissions, before Congress and the Bush administration came up with new trial rules later that year.

Obama revised the system further to extend more legal protections to detainees, but human rights groups say the system is still unfair and prosecutions should be held in U.S. civilian courts instead.

Al-Qosi is the fourth Guantanamo detainee to be convicted and the first since Obama took office. Two of the others _ Australian David Hicks and bin Laden driver Salim Hamdan _ have already served their sentences and been returned home, while al-Qaida media chief Ali Hamza al-Bahlul is serving a life sentence at Guantanamo.

Al-Qosi followed bin Laden to Afghanistan in 1996 after the al-Qaida chief was expelled from Sudan. The trained accountant was in charge of the al-Qaida compound's kitchen in Jalalabad and acknowledged in a signed statement that he provided other logistical support to the terrorist group. He fled the al-Qaida hideout at Tora Bora during the U.S.-led invasion, crossed the border into Pakistan and was arrested by local officials who turned him over to U.S. forces.

Khadr, who was captured when he was 15, will be the first detainee to face a contested military trial under Obama. At 23, he is the youngest inmate at Guantanamo Bay and the only remaining Westerner. He pleaded not guilty to charges including murder, conspiracy and spying.

Obama had pledged shortly after his inauguration in January 2009 to close the prison within a year. But the effort has stalled because Congress will not agree to moving prisoners to the United States.

A louder `Scream' // Tongue-in-cheek sequel is bloodier

SCREAM 2 (STAR) (STAR) (STAR)Sidney Prescott Neve CampbellDewey Riley David ArquetteGale Weathers Courteney CoxCotton Weary Liev SchreiberCici Sarah Michelle GellarRandy Meeks Jamie KennedyDebbie Salt Laurie MetcalfDirected by Wes Craven. Written by Kevin Williamson. Runningtime: 122 minutes. Rated R (for language and strong bloodyviolence). Wes Craven's "Scream" (1996) was a revolutionary film,the first horror movie in which the characters had seen other horrormovies, knew all the cliches, and tried not to make the obviousmistakes. Now comes "Scream 2," in which the characters have seen amovie based on the first killings, and are trapped once again in aslasher nightmare.

Like all sequels, this one is a transparent attempt to cash in onthe original - but, of course, it knows it is, and contains its ownlearned discussion of sequels. The verdict is that only a fewsequels have been as good as the originals; the characters especiallylike "Aliens" and "The Godfather, Part II." As for "Scream 2," it's. . . well, it's about as good as the original.Both movies use a Boo Machine, a plot device for making theaudience jump and scream and clutch each other's forearms. Thescares this time come from a mad slasher in a curiously unsettlingHalloween ghost mask, who stalks a bunch of college freshmen whosurvived the original slashings. The killer is also interested insuch groupies as a TV newsman and a crippled former deputy sheriff.I have witnessed a lot of slashers jump out of a lot of shadows.When Alan Arkin pounced on Audrey Hepburn in "Wait Until Dark," thatpretty much defined, for me, how scary such an event could be. I wasnot frightened by the Boo Moments in "Scream 2," and I found theviolence kind of inappropriate; this movie is gorier than theoriginal, and that distracts from the witty screenplay by KevinWilliamson.His premise this time is that violence is quickly translatedinto marketable form by the media; since he is doing that very thingin "Scream 2," there are ironies within ironies here. The movie isso articulate about what it's doing, indeed, that you can't criticizeit on those grounds - it gets there first.The film opens with a showing of "Stab," a movie based on thekilling in the first film, and at the screening two audience members(Jada Pinkett and Omar Epps) are . . . well, see for yourself. Soonthe slasher has moved to a nearby campus, where survivors includingSidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) are students, and the wounded DeputyRiley (David Arquette) has found a job as a security guard. Alsohanging around is TV newswoman Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), whocovered the first murders and wrote a best-seller about them thatbecame "Stab" and has now inspired the new murders. Also mopingabout is Cotton (Liev Schreiber), accused by Gale in the first filmbut found innocent, and now demanding a second helping of his 15minutes of fame.Who gets killed, and why, and how, I will not reveal, except toregister a useless complaint that there is no way to guess who'sdoing the killing, and everyone who seems suspicious is (almost) sureto be innocent. Idea: In "Scream 3," the man behind the mask is amovie critic, trying to discredit horror movies so he won't have tosit through any more.The Williamson screenplay uses the horror platform as alaunching pad for a lot of zingers; I'd like to see his work in amore mainstream film. When the TV newswoman is asked about her nudephotos on the Internet, she replies, "It was just my head. It wasJennifer Aniston's body." And a killer says he wants to be caught,because he's already mapped out his strategy: "The movies made me doit," he'll argue, and he plans to have Bob Dole testify for thedefense. ("I'll get Dershowitz! Cochran! The Christian Coalitionwill pay for my defense!")Wes Craven was born to direct this material. One of the mostsuccessful of horror filmmakers, he made "The Hills Have Eyes" andthe "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies, and was already headed in thesame direction as the Williamson screenplay when he wrote anddirected "Wes Craven's New Nightmare" in 1994. That was a movie(better than either "Scream" picture, I think) in which the cast andcrew of a horror film found deadly parallels between the plot andtheir lives.Do movies cause people to act violently? "Scream 2" seems tothink so - or is that an ironic stance, to make the movie scarier?Will a movie like this, by educating its audience to the conventionsand silly cliches of horror films, defuse the violence and make themless likely to be influenced? Now there's an intriguing notion.

Super 60: Conveying Quality

John Maybury is used to getting passed over at Thanksgiving dinner when the topic of discussion turns to work.

"There's someone who's a nurse, someone who's a teacher ... and then there's me," said the owner and founder of Maybury Material Handling in East Longmeadow. "When they get to me, the question usually becomes, 'so how are the kids?...

It's not that Maybury's business, now celebrating its 30th year, is that difficult to explain; it's just hard to describe in 30 words or less. The company specializes in the sale and installation of power equipment such as forklifts, and heavyduty storage systems including shelving, vertical carousel systems, platforms, steel stairways, and mezzanines, and manufactures several of those product lines.

Maybury also works with several large firms in Massachusetts and Connecticut, including Friendly's Ice Cream, Big Y, Hasbro, OMG (formerly Olympic Manufacturing Group), and Suddekor, not only selling storage and heavy equipment for manufacturing and distribution facilities, but also servicing them, renting additional units when needed, and providing training for those clients' employees.

"The way I usually put it is, there's a tomato, and then there's ketchup. People don't often think of how the tomato made it all the way to ketchup, and why there's always ketchup on the grocery store shelves when you need it," Maybury explained. "But from a tomato on the vine to the store shelves, there's a lot going on, and part of that is what we do."

A Steely Resolve

Indeed, few give much thought to the towering steel shelves in a warehouse or the forklift that moves products from point A to point B. But that's the business Maybury has been immersed in since 1976, and when he tells the story, the industry suddenly seems much more intriguing.

Business is brisk at Maybury Material Handling, where Maybury, who started the business out of his home while still a student at Western New England College, said the company is expecting to see about a 25% increase in revenue this fiscal year. The company was also recently included on the Affiliated Chambers' Super 60 list, for revenue reported in 2005.

Also in 2005, Maybury said a sister company, Atlantic Handling Systems, was launched in New Jersey to help capitalize on -the manufacturing pace in that market while, at the same time, offering new product lines without stepping on the toes of Maybury's current wholesalers.

"It's referred to a lot as Baby Maybury," he said, "though thats not really what it is. Starting Atlantic was a move forward in covering that market, and starting up something new instead of expanding made sense so we could offer different lines and work with new, different suppliers."

On a guided tour of his company's headquarters on Denslow Road in East Longmeadow, Maybury pointed out several examples of his wide product line - from different-sized fork trucks to massive platforms - as well as business operating systems; the company is considered progressive and a leader in the implementation of quality programs to reduce errors and improve customer service.

In the building's suite of offices, Maybury explained further that his company not only sells, installs, and services those storage and material-handling products, but also assists clients with the design and configuration of their manufacturing and storage facilities, adding an extra wrinkle to the Maybury business model.

"A portion of our business is aimed at taking the waste out of the manufacturing process, making space more efficient, and storing things more dynamically," he said, standing over the shoulder of an employee who was working on a plant design scheme for Table Top pies. "It's not a matter of us finding a piece of equipment we sell and trying to find a need for it within a customer's operations. It's looking at all of the equipment we have - and having a lot to choose from helps and finding the best solution for that customer. Being able to assist from soup to nuts makes us that much more competitive.

"There's really no one else like us," he continued. "There is some isolated competition, but we can go into a client's space with five, six, or seven totally different solutions to a problem. And among our 74 employees, we are approaching 1,000 years of combined experience. We're a complete resource."

To Protect and Store

This quality has enabled Maybury Material Handling to effectively corner the regional market in its specialized industry; while there are some companies that sell or service similar equipment, Maybury said, none include the breadth of products or accompanying services.

He's gone so far as alphabetizing the list of major offerings in his company literature, and that list starts with aerial platforms and continues to catalog baskets, batteries, benches, and bins; hand trucks and hoists; modular offices and monorails (yes, monorails), sweepers, scrubbers, traffic doors, wheels, and workstations.

"Our business is about 50% power nines, conveyors, and platforms," he explained, pausing at just such a platform. "We manufacture and sell these, and they're a great product. They add space to an existing warehouse, but can also be relocated and reconfigured."

To the right of the platform is a steel cage, at first glance unremarkable; but Maybury is quick to point out that these products are becoming increasingly valuable in the biomedical and pharmaceutical industries, which require the strict segregation of chemicals or organically based materials.

Translating the importance of steel enclosures, stairways, and other structures can be daunting, but Maybury has created more than a production facility at the 42,000-square-foot Denslow Road location, which the company has occupied for just a year and a half The building also includes a showroom and an adjacent conference room that allows Maybury employees to explain the various pieces of equipment and how each might serve the needs of a given client. And beyond that, the facility is equipped with many of the systems Maybury sells, including high-speed doors and vertical carousel filing systems Oust the push of a button can locate a file from any year and any month in just a matter of seconds).

Many Moving Parts

That conference room, for instance, is equipped with a retractable wall, which allows for one of Maybury's favorite tricks: after explaining a few specific pieces of equipment at a computerized-white board, he can push a remote control and ask clients to pivot in their seats and look behind them, where an employee has positioned the same equipment behind the wall for viewing.

These high-tech, customer-oriented bells and whistles help in illustrating what the company does and how its services can benefit businesses of varying size, and Maybury said he suspects the healthy leap in business is due in part to the fast pace at which current customers are purchasing new equipment and new clients are discovering the firm.

But as the manufacturing and distribution landscape has shifted in the region and across the country, Maybury said his company has as well, and that is a major contributor to the company's strong performance of late.

"We understand the Western Mass./Connecticut dynamic, and the manufacturing-to-distribution ratio and how that has changed," he noted. "Distribution in the area has increased, as well as storage.

"There's also a greater emphasis within many companies on manufacturing and distribution processes, such as ISO 9000, lean manufacturing, and a greater focus on OSHA requirements," Maybury added. "That has brought with it different set-up procedures and more emphasis on creating clean working environments, so we've adapted to those needs."

All the Fixin's

In the coming years, said Maybury, that attention to detail both within his own facility and the industry at large will be a primary driver as he steers the company toward consistent, controlled growth, By adhering to a specific set of procedures and philosophies, he expects the business will continue to flourish.

As for explaining those philosophies over turkey and stuffing ... that's a separate challenge that Maybury will tackle again soon, this time perhaps with the help of some high-tech visual aids.

Aeropostale June revenue figure rises 8 percent

Aeropostale Inc., which sells teen clothing, said Thursday that its June revenue at stores open at least a year rose 8 percent, beating analysts' expectations.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters, on average, expected the figure to rise 7.3 percent. Revenue at stores open at least a year is a key indicator of a retailer's performance because it excludes results from stores that open or close during the year.

Aeropostale's total sales for the five weeks that ended July 3 rose 14 percent to $186.8 million from $163.2 million last year.

For the year through July 3, total sales rose 13 percent to $792.1 million, while revenue at stores open at least a year rose 7 percent.

The company said the later Memorial Day helped June's results. It also said its margins continued to rise from a year earlier and its inventories are well positioned for the back-to-school season.

The company currently operates 900 Aeropostale stores in 49 states and Puerto Rico, 46 Aeropostale stores in Canada and 31 P.S. from Aeropostale stores in 12 states.

Obama Shows Black Candidate Can Win

Democrat Barack Obama has put to rest the question of whether a black presidential candidate can win in white America.

His victory in 95 percent white Iowa proved that he could appeal across racial lines and even draw women away from Hillary Rodham Clinton despite her push for them to make her the first female president. Next he'll try to build on his record in New Hampshire, which is 96 percent white.

Obama did not appeal so openly to make history as the first black to occupy the Oval Office; he rarely mentioned that he was black.

"You've got to have hope if you are a black man named Obama running for the presidency of the United States of America," Obama said during a late-night campaign stop two days before the caucus. It was one of his rare mentions of what he had to overcome.

Obama's candidacy has been dogged by questions about whether he'd be electable against a Republican. Pressed on that during a campaign stop in New Hampshire over the summer, Obama said his race would be an asset because it would bring blacks to the polls in record numbers and give the Democrats victories in Southern states that have been voting Republican for decades.

"I'm probably the only candidate who, having won the nomination, can actually redraw the political map," Obama said at the time. "I guarantee you African-American turnout, if I'm the nominee, goes up 30 percent around the country, minimum. Young people's percentage of the vote goes up 25-30 percent. So we're in a position to put states in play that haven't been in play since LBJ."

Lyndon Baines Johnson ran for president in 1964 and won in a landslide. But since then the South has turned into a Republican stronghold.

Obama's prediction about black voter turnout can't be tested in Iowa or New Hampshire, but young voters did come to the polls in larger numbers.

Nearly a quarter of Democratic caucus-goers interviewed in the entrance poll were under 30 years old, a jump from 2004. Obama got 57 percent of the vote from the under-30 crowd, compared with just 14 percent for 2004 vice presidential nominee John Edwards and 11 percent for Clinton. Twenty-eight percent of Obama's support came from the under-30 set, according to a survey of voters entering the caucuses by The Associated Press and the television networks.

Obama also won the greatest percentages of independents, first-time caucus-goers, self-identified liberals and, most troubling for Clinton, women. Obama got 35 percent of women voters, compared to 30 percent for Clinton and 23 percent for Edwards. This despite the fact that Clinton focused her campaign on bringing fellow women to the polls.

Rev. Jesse Jackson took note that "this is the 40th year since the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Tonight he would proud of Barack, proud of Iowa and proud of America."

Democratic consultant Jamal Simmons said Obama's victory "proves that America is changing when it comes to race and politics."

"Winning in Iowa is not winning the nomination, but is very significant," Simmons said. "Tonight Barack Obama has made it more true that every black child in America can do whatever they want to if they work hard for it _ really."

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Nedra Pickler covers the Democratic presidential primary for The Associated Press.

___

On the Net:

http://www.barackobama.com

понедельник, 12 марта 2012 г.

Avis is optimistic

Car rental group Avis Europe said it was beginning to see thefirst signs of recovery after demand slumped in the wake of September11.

Bracknell-based Avis said it was still cautious about theresumption of normal levels of corporate travel, and said bothoperating profits and margin had suffered following the attacks inthe US.

The news came as the company unveiled a fall in full year pre-taxprofits from GBP85 million to GBP84.6 million and a growth inturnover of four per cent to GBP782.5 million.

But chairman Alun Cathcart said the group expected growth levelsto return to normal in the second half of the year.

Mathis, Angels nick Red Sox 5-4 in 12 innings

Jeff Mathis hit an RBI single in the 12th inning, Torii Hunter had a two-run double and an RBI triple, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 on Thursday.

Boston slugger David Ortiz went 0 for 7 and stranded 12 runners. He struck out three times, once with the bases loaded in the fourth, and left the bases loaded again in the 12th with a dribbler in front of the plate as his average plummeted to .208.

The five-time All-Star has gone 144 at-bats since his last home run on Sept. 22 against Cleveland's Zach Jackson at Fenway Park. He is one at-bat from equaling his longest dry spell.

Boston manager Terry Francona was ejected by plate umpire Bill Miller in the 10th after Julio Lugo _ who tied a career high with five hits _ took a called strike with a 3-0 count on him. Nine Red Sox batters looked at called third strikes to that point, compared to only one Angels batter.

Juan Rivera led off the 12th with a single against Manny Delcarmen (1-1). Pinch-runner Reggie Willits advanced on Erick Aybar's sacrifice and scored when Mathis lined a 1-1 pitch to left-center.

Jason Bulger (1-1) got two outs for the win.

An umpire's ruling against the Red Sox in the third was reversed, enabling them to take a 2-1 lead. Dustin Pedroia, who had four hits, led off with a fly ball that landed just inside the right-field line and bounced into the stands after a long run by Bobby Abreu.

First base ump and crew chief Derryl Cousins called it a foul ball, and Francona came out to argue. Cousins then conferred with his three colleagues, and Pedroia ended up with a ground-rule double. He scored from third on Jason Bay's groundout.

Pedroia returned to the lineup after missing two games because of a groin strain. One of his hits was a two-out RBI single against reliever Scot Shields that tied the score 4-all in the eighth _ increasing Shields' ERA to 7.90 in 16 appearances.

The Angels tied a club record with three triples, including one by Abreu in the eighth. Abreu tried to score on Hunter's flyout to short right field and was easily thrown out by J.D. Drew.

Ervin Santana, one of the mainstays of the Angels' injury-ravaged rotation, made his season debut after missing the first 32 games because of elbow pain. The right-hander, who pitched in his first All-Star game last season, allowed three runs and seven hits over five innings.

Santana struck out five, including Ortiz on a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded to end the fourth after the Red Sox tied the score 3-all with a two-out RBI single by Jacoby Ellsbury.

Brad Penny was charged with four runs and seven hits over 6 1-3 innings. The Red Sox right-hander was replaced by Hideki Okajima with a 3-2 lead after giving up a one-out triple by Erick Aybar, who scored the tying run after Bay made a diving catch of Mathis' sacrifice fly in left field.

Notes:@ The Angels are 13-0 when Hunter has at least three RBIs. ... Boston's starting pitchers have an AL-worst 5.90 ERA.

Francisco Liriano throws no-hitter for Twins

CHICAGO (AP) — Francisco Liriano pitched the major leagues' first no-hitter of the season, throwing his first career complete game in the Minnesota Twins' 1-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday.

Liriano (2-4) walked six and struck out two, throwing 123 pitches in the 95th major league start for the 27-year-old left-hander.

He survived a rocky ninth inning that began when Brent Morel grounded to shortstop and Matt Tolbert made a one-hop throw that first baseman Justin Morneau scooped. Juan Pierre walked and Alexei Ramirez popped to shortstop.

Liriano, the reigning AL comeback player of the year, was backed by Jason Kubel's fourth-inning homer. He threw just 66 pitches for strikes but kept Chicago off-balance in a game that took just 2 hours, 9 minutes.

Tigers 4, Yankees 2

At Detroit, Scott Sizemore had three hits in his return to the major leagues, helping Detroit snap a seven-game losing streak.

Sizemore was called up from Triple-A Toledo to try to bolster the top of Detroit's struggling lineup. Leadoff man Austin Jackson hit a double and a triple, and Sizemore hit a double and two singles batting behind him.

Brad Penny (2-3) pitched six strong innings without allowing an earned run for the Tigers. Jose Valverde finished for his sixth save.

CC Sabathia (2-2) went seven innings, allowing four runs and 10 hits. He struck out six and walked three.

Penny allowed six hits, walked two and struck out one.

Rays 3, Blue Jays 2.

At St. Petersburg, Florida, B.J. Upton hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning, giving Tampa Bay the victory.

After Ben Zobrist singled to start the ninth off Jon Rauch (1-2), Upton hit an 0-1 pitch into the left field seats.

Kyle Farnsworth (2-0) got the final out in the top of the ninth for the win.

Toronto's Jo-Jo Reyes is 0-11 in 24 starts since a loss to the Angels on June 13, 2008, while with Atlanta. He allowed one run and four hits in six innings Tuesday.

The Blue Jays were without slugger Jose Bautista, who didn't play because of neck spasms.

Tampa Bay All-Star third baseball Evan Longoria was activated from the 15-day disabled list after missing 26 games due to a left oblique strain and had a single in four at-bats. He struck out twice.

Red Sox 7, Angels 3

At Boston, Jon Lester struck out 11 batters, and Adrian Gonzalez and David Ortiz hit consecutive homers as Boston pulled within one game of .500.

The Red Sox, who improved to 6-0 against the Angels this season, are 12-6 following a 2-9 start. Boston has won 15 of its last 16 against the Angels.

Lester (4-1) allowed one run, six hits and one walk in seven innings, giving up Mark Trumbo's second-inning homer that put Los Angeles ahead. He struck out 10 or more for the 15th time in his career.

Gonzalez and Ortiz hit Boston's first consecutive homers this season to start the eighth inning. Three batters later, Marco Scutaro hit a two-run drive over the Green Monster.

Royals 6, Orioles 5, 10 innings

At Kansas City, Missouri, Jeff Francoeur drove home the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning after hitting a tying homer in the sixth to lift Kansas City over Baltimore for its fourth straight victory.

Alex Gordon walked on four pitches from Jason Berken (0-2) to leadoff the 10th and went to third on Billy Butler's single to center. Francoeur then lofted a fly to right for the winning run.

Rookie left-hander Tim Collins (2-1) retired the only batter he faced to pick up the victory. Baltimore's Luke Scott hit a three-run homer, his fourth in six games, to tie the score at 3 in the fourth.

Orioles starter Brad Bergesen gave up four runs — three earned — six hits and one walk.

Francoeur led off the sixth with his team-leading seventh home run on a 3-1 pitch from Jeremy Accardo.

Million field small, but purse prodigious

What if they scheduled a $2 million horse race and nobody came?

Things haven't gotten quite that dire with the reborn ArlingtonMillion on Saturday. But a record-low seven horses drew in Wednesdayfor the 18th renewal of the 1 1/4-mile turf classic.

"We are in the midst of a magnificent week," said Richard L.Duchossois, the chairman of Arlington International Racecourse. "Whatthis field lacks in numbers, it makes up for in quality. Every horsein this race is a champion-in North America, in South America, inEurope. This is a very exciting time for both international racingand racing in Illinois."

Those times will get even more exciting for the connections of oneof the newest Arlington seven Saturday when one elevated grass starraces off with first-place money of $1.2 million. That's double thewinnings the first 17 Million champs earned.

The Million, which will be contested for the first time since1997, is the featured ninth race on a strong 12-race card atArlington. Two other Grade I grass events-the $500,000 Beverly D. andthe $400,000 Secretariat-also will be run, as will three minorstakes.

Put up Wednesday as the morning-line favorite after the Millionpost draw was Manndar (5-2), the Irish-bred colt who closed a briefspring campaign with back-to-back Grade I victories in the WoodfordReserve at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby day and in the ManhattanHandicap at Belmont four weeks later.

"We've been aiming for the Million all along," said trainer BeauGreely, 29, whose star drew post position No. 4 and will be ridden byCorey Nakatani. "At 1 1/4 miles and with that purse, this will be hisBreeders' Cup race. This race is his best distance."

Second choice, according to Kentucky-based linesmaker MikeBattaglia, is Bienamado, the Paco Gonzalez trainee who was 2-for-2 atHollywood Park after arriving in the United States from France (viaCanada) in June. The Bien Bien colt last rolled in the Grade IISunset Handicap at Hollywood on July 23.

"With only seven horses, you're not going to get a bad post," saidGonzalez, whose Kentucky-bred will break from post position No. 5under Kent Desormeaux. "Besides, we have tactical speed. And in arace where you're going to have clear speed with horses like Slicklyand Asidero, we should be in a good spot."

Third choice on the first board was Slickly (7-2), the lone trueEuropean horse in the race and the representative of the powerfulGodolphin Racing operation of Dubai's royal al-Maktoum family. Othermid-shots were Bobby Frankel's Chester House (4-1) and Asidero (5-1), the Argentine-bred trained by three-time Million winner RonMcAnally.

"We're set," said McAnally, who won Millions with John Henry (1981and 1984) and Tight Spot (1991). "This colt was 5-for-5 in Argentina(under trainer Juan Etchechoury) before we got him this spring. Hisonly race for us (an optional $125,000 claimer at Hollywood six weeksago) was very good."

The two long shots in the field are Phillip Mitchell's well-traveled Running Stag (12-1) and Mula Gula (12-1).

Posts also were drawn and opening odds posted for the Beverly D.and the Secretariat. The Beverly D., at 1 3/16 miles on the lawn,attracted 10 fillies and mares headlined by Happyanunoit (post No. 3,7-5), America (post No. 6, 7-2) and Snow Polina (post No. 10, 4-1).

Others scheduled to start include Only To You (post No. 1, 10-1),Diamond White (post No. 9, 10-1), Country Garden (post No. 2, 15-1),Elegant Ridge (post No. 4, 15-1), Harvey Vanier's supplemented WadeFor Me (post No. 5, 15-1), Alluring (post No. 7, 20-1) and Wild HeartDancing (post No. 8, 20-1).

The eight-horse Secretariat, at 1 1/4 miles on the green for 3-year-olds, is headlined by Bill Mott's King Cugat (post No. 2, 4-5).Others slated to go postward are Pine Dance (post No. 1, 5-1), Ciro(post No. 8, 5-1), Think Red (post No. 3, 6-1), Slew Valley (post No.5, 10-1), Hymn (post No. 7, 10-1), Guillamou City (post No. 4, 15-1)and Compton Bolter (post No. 6, 30-1).

FINA says no failed doping tests at swim worlds

The governing body of swimming said Wednesday that no athlete failed a doping test at the recent world championships.

FINA said it had completed 391 doping tests conducted at the July 15-Aug. 2 championships in Rome and all were negative. A total of 162 samples were screened for the blood-boosting hormone EPO.

Almost two-thirds of the tests (252) were taken from swimmers, with 65 from water polo players, 33 from divers, 30 from athletes in open water races and 11 from synchronized swimmers.

FINA does not store samples for future analysis using newly developed doping tests, but said it was considering the policy.

The championships were notable for 43 world records set in the swimming events, largely due to athletes wearing high-tech, water-resistant body suits which will be banned at the end of the year.

Michael Phelps of the United States was named the best male swimmer for winning five gold medals and one silver, while setting individual world records in the 100- and 200-meter butterfly.

Federica Pellegrini of Italy, who won two golds and set three world marks in the 200 and 400 freestyle events, was best female swimmer.

Some stores freezing out Ben & Jerry's new flavor

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Ben & Jerry's Schweddy Balls ice cream is too hot to handle for some supermarket chains.

While the new limited-edition flavor has brought chuckles from fans of the "Saturday Night Live" skit on which it's based, some supermarket chains aren't laughing and have been giving it a cold shoulder.

The flavor featuring fudge-covered rum balls has been absent from some grocery freezers since it was unveiled. The title was inspired by an innuendo-laced 1998 skit featuring Alec Baldwin as baker Pete Schweddy, who promises, "No one can resist my Schweddy balls."

But apparently some grocery store chains can, and so can supporters and members of the One Million Moms group.

That Mississippi-based moms organization has been putting the heat on retailers to keep Schweddy Balls out of their freezers and encouraging parents to ask the Vermont-based Ben & Jerry's to stop production of the item, saying the name is nothing but locker room humor that's not appropriate for young children.

Store chains that have decided not to carry the flavor are not saying whether their decisions were influenced by the One Million Moms group, their own reservations about the name or other factors.

Suzi Robinson, a spokeswoman for the Quincy, Mass.-based Stop & Shop chain, said that for proprietary reasons, the company does not disclose the reasons behind decisions about what the stores do and don't carry. She said they have a very strong relationship with Ben & Jerry's, though, and its products are generally strong sellers.

"We haven't received any complaints that we're not carrying that flavor. However, if we do get feedback from customers that they want it, we'll certainly revisit the decision," she said.

Messages were left Thursday for spokespeople from the Roche Bros. and Big Y grocery chains, both based in Massachusetts; and Publix, which has scores of locations in the southeastern U.S., about whether they had decided to stock the flavor.

Even with limited availability, though, Ben & Jerry's spokesman Sean Greenwood said Thursday that Schweddy Balls has quickly become the most popular limited-edition flavor the company has produced.

Greenwood said about one-third of the retailers that carry its other products are offering Schweddy Balls, about the same as any other specialty flavor it has produced — though this one has outpaced those in sales at the stores and the company's "Scoop Shops."

"We've heard from lots of folks who are fans of the flavor," he said. "Yes, some supermarket chains decided not to carry Schweddy Balls. That is true, possibly because they found the name too irreverent. We respect their decision."

Ben & Jerry's, a division of consumer products giant Unilever, has toyed with language in some other products, too, such as its widely stocked Karamel Sutra ice cream and the peanut butter-laden What a Cluster, formerly known as Clusterfluff.

But it was Schweddy Balls that raised the ire of the conservative One Million Moms group.

Monica Cole, director of the Tupelo, Miss.-based organization, said Thursday they hesitated to call out Ben & Jerry's publicly about the name because they did not want to give it publicity.

She said they felt obligated, though, especially given that they did not step forward with their concerns about its "Hubby Hubby" flavor, a play on its "Chubby Hubby" flavor and created to recognize same-sex marriages.

"We don't want the envelope to continue to be pushed," Cole said of the Schweddy Balls name. "I realize it could be a lot worse, but are they going to progressively get worse if we don't say something? Maybe they'll think twice before they come up with another inappropriate name for ice cream."

The company's website encourages members and supporters to warn the company they will stop buying its products if more Schweddy Balls or other products with offense names are produced.

"The vulgar new flavor has turned something as innocent as ice cream into something repulsive. Not exactly what you want a child asking for at the supermarket," the organization's website says.

But some are — including Gina Ragusa's 14-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter, whose mother said Thursday they all eagerly await the day when they can find Schweddy Balls in a supermarket near their home in Davie, Fla.

Ragusa, 44, said they find the name and the skit itself to be just harmless humor, and she checks for the item almost every time she stops at her nearby Publix store.

"I get it, I know 'Saturday Night Live' isn't geared toward a 10-year-old, but they know when Justin Timberlake is on," said Ragusa, whose family has the "Schweddy balls" skit on a DVD of Baldwin's greatest SNL appearances.

"We just think it's funny, that's all," she said of the ice cream name, "and honestly we all really want to try it."

среда, 7 марта 2012 г.

No-no is a yes-yes for rookie

MIAMI -- In this year of sensational rookies, Anibal Sanchez cameup with the greatest performance yet -- a no-hitter in his 13thcareer start.

Sanchez ended the longest no-hit gap in major league historyWednesday night, benefiting from three defensive gems by teammates tolead the Florida Marlins over the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-0.

"This is the best moment of my life," the 22-year-old Venezuelansaid.

One of four rookies in the Marlins' rotation, Sanchez (7-2) walkedfour and pitched around an error. He struck out six and threw 103pitches.

He finished it off in quick fashion in the ninth. Sanchez struckout Conor Jackson swinging on a 1-2 pitch, got Luis Gonzalez to popout to third, then retired Eric Byrnes on a sharp grounder toshortstop Hanley Ramirez, whose throw to first easily beat therunner.

"The last ground ball, I wasn't going to flub that," Ramirez said."It wasn't going to get past me."

The Marlins poured out of the dugout en masse and swarmed aroundSanchez, with the jubilant mob collectively hopping as one betweenthe mound and third base.

Sanchez' teammates then hoisted him on their shoulders as hepointed his fingers and thrust his fists to the crowd, where his wifewas in stands.

"She was there," Sanchez said, his eyes wet with tears of joy. "Idon't know, I can't say any more. I love her, I love my family."

The previous no-hitter in the majors was a perfect game byArizona's Randy Johnson, who beat Atlanta 2-0 on May 18, 2004. Theprior no-hitter by a rookie was by Bud Smith of St. Louis, who beatSan Diego 4-0 on Sept. 1, 2001.

The Diamondbacks came close to a hit several times. Florida leftfielder Josh Willingham sprinted in to make a diving catch and robChad Tracy with two on to end the fourth. Ramirez ranged to his leftto snare a grounder by Stephen Drew in the seventh, then whirled andthrew to beat the runner by half a step.

Sanchez greeted Ramirez coming off the field with a high-five anda slap on the rear. Ramirez repaid the favor after making the lastout, smashing a shaving-cream filled towel in Sanchez' face as hespoke to the television cameras.

"Maybe I'll have to shave after the game," Sanchez quipped.

Then he switched to Spanish, acknowledging his family inVenezuela.

A rare 4-3-6 double play ended the eighth. With Craig Counsell atfirst, Orlando Hudson hit a grounder to second baseman Dan Uggla, whomissed a swipe at Counsell and threw to first. First baseman MikeJacobs' relay to second retired Counsell.

The hardest-hit ball was in the sixth by Byrnes, who pulled a linedrive that third baseman Miguel Cabrera reached up to snare with twohands.

Arizona's Carlos Quentin hit a sharp grounder down the line in thefifth. Cabrera made a backhanded stop on one knee, then rose andthrew wide, pulling Jacobs off the bag.

Official scorer Ron Jernick charged Cabrera with an error,prompting cheers from the small crowd. The Marlins are next-to-lastin the NL in defense. -->

Sanchez is not considered one of the Marlins' half-dozencontenders for NL Rookie of the Year, but he improved his ERA as astarter to 2.28.Sanchez is not considered one of the Marlins' half-dozen contenders for NL Rookie of the Year, but he improved his ERAas a starter to 2.28. The right-hander is one of 21 rookies to playthis season for the Marlins, the youngest team in the major leagues.

Announced attendance was 12,561, but the actual crowd was perhapshalf that. The surprising Marlins are last in the major leagues inattendance even though they began the night only three games behindSan Diego in the NL wild-card race.

The Diamondbacks have lost seven of their past eight games and 15of 19 to fade from the playoff race.

Joe Borchard and Miguel Cabrera hit solo homers for Florida.

Sanchez retired the first 10 batters, then fell behind Jackson 3-0 and walked him on a 3-2 pitch. He then walked Gonzalez on fourpitches, but Byrnes lined out, and Willingham's skidding catch inleft ended the inning.

Gonzalez walked again on four pitches before Byrnes again linedout to end the sixth.

Sanchez's longest previous start was seven innings. He walkedpinch-hitter Counsell on a 3-2 pitch with one out in the eighth, butthe double play ended the inning.

Arizona's Edgar Gonzalez (1-2), recalled from Triple-A Tucson tomake his third start of season, pitched six-plus innings and allowedfive hits and two runs, both on homers.

Borchard hit his ninth home run in the second inning to tie acareer high. Cabrera hit his 24th homer in the fourth.

The no-hitter was the fourth in the Marlins' 14-season history,and the first since A.J. Burnett threw one against San Diego on May12, 2001. The only other pitcher to no-hit the Diamondbacks was JoseJimenez of St. Louis, who beat Arizona 1-0 on June 25, 1999.

Florida acquired Sanchez last November in the trade that sent JoshBeckett and Mike Lowell to the Boston Red Sox. He went 3-6 thisseason for Double-A Carolina before joining the Marlins, and on June25 became the second starting pitcher in 10 seasons to win his major-league debut as a visitor at Yankee Stadium.

As memorable as that day may have been, it will forever pale incomparison.

"I'm going to remember this," Sanchez said, "every morning, everyday."