U.S.-Soviet trade accord set

WASHINGTON The United States and the Soviet Union reached basicagreement Thursday on an economic pact that would normalize traderelations between the two superpowers for the first time in nearlyhalf a century, a senior U.S. negotiator announced.

U.S. Deputy Trade Representative Julius Katz said he expectedthe agreement would be ready for signing at the May 30-June 3 summitbetween President Bush and Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev.

Thursday's announcement, which followed three days ofclosed-door talks in Paris, came despite calls by some members ofCongress for Bush to postpone the negotiations until Moscow resolvesits current tensions with Lithuania. Bush …

Syrian troops sweep through north; unrest kills 32

YAYLADAGI, Turkey (AP) — Elite Syrian forces moved swiftly through the country's restive north on Friday, raining tank shells on rebellious towns, torching farmland and shooting protesters who tried to tear down a poster of President Bashar Assad, activists and refugees said.

At least 32 people were killed, activists said, and undaunted protests extended to every major city.

The leader of neighboring Turkey, angered by violence that has sent more than 4,000 Syrians streaming across the border, accused the Assad regime of "savagery."

Backed by helicopters and tanks, the troops responsible for most of Friday's violence were believed to be from an elite division commanded …

Dutch government approves carbon dioxide storage

The Dutch government has approved a pilot project to pump carbon dioxide into depleted gas fields as a way of reducing emissions blamed for global warming.

Residents of Barendrecht, a suburb 12 miles (18 kilometers) from Rotterdam, fiercely oppose the plan announced Wednesday and the local municipality immediately said it would launch legal proceedings to prevent it.

The …

Subpoenas issued in probe of former energy secretary

The House committee investigating campaign fund-raisingirregularities has issued subpoenas regarding allegations thatbusinessman Johnny Chung was pushed to contribute to then-EnergySecretary Hazel O'Leary's favorite charity to get a meeting with her,the panel's chairman said Sunday. So far, Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.)said, his House Government Reform and Oversight Committee has issuedeight to 10 subpoenas on the matter.N.H. cop killed after attending funeralJust hours after returning from a funeral for New Hampshire statetroopers killed in last week's rampage by a lone gunman, a rookiepoliceman was killed in a shootout Sunday. Two suspects werearrested after a highway pursuit. …

Transforming the doctrinal development process

The factors that affect today's military operations are so great that our soldiers and leaders require new and unique solutions to quickly prepare them to execute their new and unexpected missions in varying environments.

America's Army is the world's premier land-fighting force. To maintain our global military prowess in the 21st century, the Army is transforming to a more strategically responsive and dominant land force across the full spectrum of operations in a complex, dynamic global environment.

The needs of the future force drive the requirement for information superiority-the state of relative advantage over an opponent that is obtained by being able to get the right …

Fontenot's homer in eighth lifts Cubs past Giants

Mike Fontenot hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning and the Chicago Cubs continued their offensive resurgence in a 6-5 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night.

Jim Edmonds also homered for the Cubs, who have scored 16 runs in the first three games of this four-game series after being held to nine runs while getting swept by the Chicago White Sox over the weekend.

Carlos Marmol (2-3) picked up the win for Chicago despite giving up a tying three-run homer to Ray Durham in the seventh. Bob Howry pitched a perfect eighth and Kerry Wood worked the ninth for his 21st save.

Wood retired the first two he faced before Jose Castillo's …

New York's cigarette tax climbs to highest in country

ALBANY, N.Y. - New Yorkers start paying the highest cigarettetaxes in the nation today with the latest $1.25 spike per pack thatofficials expect to bring in $265 million a year.

Convenience stores across the state and the smokers who will bepaying the price are angry about the change, but health officialshail the tax increase as a success. Cigarette taxes will raise atotal of $1.3 billion for the state budget in fiscal year 2008-09,including the new tax.

"Isn't that something - to say that I'm excited about a taxincrease? But I am," said Dr. Richard Daines, the New York healthcommissioner. "This is a public health victory. We know one of thereally effective tools to …

Isolated blunt splenic injury: Do we transfuse more in an attempt to operate less?

Objective: To determine if blood transfusion requirements in patients with isolated blunt splenic injury (BSI) are greater if they are managed nonoperatively, we did a retrospective case study of patients with isolated BSI who were seen at a Canadian university teaching hospital over a 10-year period. Method: Data such as number of units of packed erythrocytes transfused and mortality in the 75 patients with isolated BSI seen from 1992 to 2002 were separated into operative and nonoperative management groups. Results: In the operative management group (n = 10), patients received more transfused erythrocytes (3.0 v. 0.7 units), and a higher proportion of patients were transfused (80% v. …

Tapes, records from Nixon years to be made public

The U.S. government is opening another window into Richard Nixon's shattered presidency.

Nearly 200 hours of White House tape recordings and 90,000 pages of documents are coming out Tuesday, adding to an already imposing selection of long-secret Nixon material now in public hands.

The recordings are of Nixon's White House conversations from November 1972 to January 1973 and cover his re-election that fall, steps to bomb North Vietnam and also to make peace with it. Historians hoped for insights into the 1972 "Christmas bombing," one of the most controversial acts in a divisive war and the most concentrated air attack of the conflict.

…

Dean Foods to supply Jewel on `long term'

Dean Foods Co. has made a "commitment on a long-term basis" tocontinue supplying products to Jewel Food Co., a move that last yearboosted Dean's operating capacity by 40 percent and prompted thehiring of 200 new employees.

During its annual meeting yesterday, the company also said it isworking with its customers to determine the type of tamper-resistantseals needed to protect its products as well as the equipmentnecessary to accomplish the task.

Dean began supplying Jewel's 217 stores with its dairy productslast year after the chain was hit by an outbreak of salmonellapoisoning at Jewel's Hillfarm Dairy plant in Melrose Park.

Dean, based in Franklin …

McCain: I Was Right About Iraq Strategy

SIOUX CITY, Iowa - Republican presidential hopeful John McCain said Tuesday that he was right from the start about the war strategy in Iraq.

"For almost four years we pursued a failed policy in Iraq. ... I condemned it, I was criticized by Republicans and others for doing so, and I saw it was doomed to failure and I argued for the strategy that is now succeeding," McCain said.

The current strategy under Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, including the infusion of thousands of additional troops, is right on track, McCain said.

"This strategy is working. It is succeeding, and it must be given a chance to succeed," he said.

McCain spoke at …

Track coach Trevor Graham convicted in BALCO investigation

The trial of track coach Trevor Graham netted steroids prosecutors another guilty verdict and a public admission of cheating from a gold-medal winning athlete.

The jury convicted Graham on Thursday of one count of lying to federal investigators about his relationship to an admitted steroids dealer but deadlocked on the other two charges, when at least one juror had serious doubts about the credibility of the prosecution's star witness.

This marked the first significant setback at trial for the federal government in its nearly five-year investigation stemming from the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative doping scandal.

Graham, who coached former star …

NASCAR Sprint Cup-Toyota/Save Mart 350 Results

Sunday
At Infineon Raceway
Sonoma, California
Lap length: 1.99 miles
(Start position in parentheses)

1. (11) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 110 laps, 142.6 rating, 48 points, $293,300.

2. (13) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 110, 92.6, 42, $234,486.

3. (23) Carl Edwards, Ford, 110, 98.1, 41, $204,791.

4. (9) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 110, 116.5, 41, $179,508.

5. (8) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 110, 110.2, 39, $141,066.

6. (1) Joey Logano, Toyota, 110, 92.2, 39, $131,250.

7. (12) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 110, 108.5, 37, $148,561.

8. (14) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 110, 101.2, 36, $104,325.

9. (26) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 110, 83.4, 36, $139,111.

10. (15) Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 110, 94.8, 34, $117,758.

11. (19) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 110, 97.1, 33, $134,491.

12. (29) David Gilliland, Ford, 110, 80.7, 33, $105,333.

13. (7) A J Allmendinger, Ford, 110, 88.5, 31, $125,511.

14. (33) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 110, 69.6, 30, $123,761.

15. (2) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 110, 82.8, 29, $122,464.

16. (24) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 110, 70.5, 29, $110,920.

17. (3) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 110, 71.4, 27, $92,400.

18. (28) Robby Gordon, Dodge, 110, 57.1, 26, $97,408.

19. (16) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 110, 61.9, 25, $90,625.

20. (6) Kasey Kahne, Toyota, 110, 86.3, 24, $101,658.

21. (25) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 110, 60.3, 23, $90,525.

22. (17) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 110, 85.3, 23, $118,533.

23. (22) Greg Biffle, Ford, 110, 51, 21, $96,275.

24. (32) David Reutimann, Toyota, 110, 63.2, 20, $107,533.

25. (5) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 110, 76.4, 19, $118,700.

26. (43) Andy Pilgrim, Chevrolet, 110, 46.6, 18, $78,475.

27. (42) Chris Cook, Ford, 110, 38.9, 17, $78,825.

28. (30) Boris Said, Chevrolet, 110, 59.8, 16, $86,797.

29. (34) David Ragan, Ford, 110, 49.7, 15, $84,625.

30. (38) Michael McDowell, Toyota, 110, 42.5, 14, $75,475.

31. (36) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet, 110, 47, 13, $73,800.

32. (39) Terry Labonte, Ford, 110, 35.7, 12, $73,630.

33. (40) Brian Simo, Ford, 109, 38.6, 11, $74,470.

34. (27) Casey Mears, Toyota, 108, 32.2, 10, $73,405.

35. (41) Andy Lally, Ford, 104, 32.2, 9, $82,770.

36. (10) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 103, 58.1, 8, $100,374.

37. (4) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 99, 102.8, 8, $121,350.

38. (21) Bobby Labonte, Toyota, 91, 47.9, 6, $99,255.

39. (20) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, accident, 88, 93.1, 6, $118,208.

40. (31) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, transmission, 66, 29, 0, $72,625.

41. (18) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, overheating, 45, 54, 3, $80,450.

42. (37) Mike Skinner, Toyota, ignition, 10, 28.3, 0, $72,355.

43. (35) P.J. Jones, Dodge, suspension, 5, 29.4, 0, $72,724.

___

Race Statistics

Average Speed of Race Winner: 75.411 mph.

Time of Race: 2 hours, 54 minutes, 10 seconds.

Margin of Victory: 2.685 seconds.

Caution Flags: 5 for 17 laps.

Lead Changes: 12 among 9 drivers.

Lap Leaders: J.Logano 1-5; D.Hamlin 6-12; Ku.Busch 13-31; D.Hamlin 32-36; Ku.Busch 37-50; C.Bowyer 51; Ku.Busch 52-71; T.Stewart 72-74; J.Montoya 75-76; D.Gilliland 77; K.Harvick 78-82; R.Smith 83-87; Ku.Busch 88-110.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): Ku.Busch, 4 times for 76 laps; D.Hamlin, 2 times for 12 laps; J.Logano, 1 time for 5 laps; K.Harvick, 1 time for 5 laps; R.Smith, 1 time for 5 laps; T.Stewart, 1 time for 3 laps; J.Montoya, 1 time for 2 laps; C.Bowyer, 1 time for 1 lap; D.Gilliland, 1 time for 1 lap.

Top 12 in Points: 1. C.Edwards, 573; 2. K.Harvick, 548; 3. J.Johnson, 540; 4. Ku.Busch, 539; 5. Ky.Busch, 536; 6. M.Kenseth, 521; 7. D.Earnhardt Jr., 508; 8. C.Bowyer, 496; 9. J.Gordon, 480; 10. R.Newman, 475; 11. D.Hamlin, 463; 12. T.Stewart, 460.

___

NASCAR Driver Rating Formula

A maximum of 150 points can be attained in a race.

The formula combines the following categories: Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish.

Man charged in fatal blaze on South Side

A 42-year-old man recently released from a state mental facilitywas being held without bond Thursday on charges that he set fire tohis boarding house, killing one of 11 other people who lived in theSouth Side bungalow.

Kenneth R. Maney was charged with murder and aggravated arsonafter police said he admitted setting the fire at 8821 S. Union earlyWednesday by igniting a pile of clothing and papers near the cot inthe basement where he slept.

Police said Maney told them he set the blaze, which killedWillard Jones, 42, and slightly injured Ralph Noble, 37, because hewas unhappy with the conditions at the home, owned by Edward Bell.

Firefighters who fought the blaze asked the city InspectionalServices Department to investigate whether the 1 1/2-story brickbuilding is illegally operated as a boarding house and has safetycode violations.

"It doesn't sound right to us and it doesn't look right to us,"Fire Department spokesman Jerry Lawrence said of conditions. "So, wereferred it to the experts."

Bell, whose home was extensively damaged, could not be reachedfor comment.

Fierce Fighting in North Lebanon Camp

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Fierce fighting erupted at a besieged Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon on Monday as army troops pounded the remaining hideouts of al-Qaida-inspired militants holed up inside with artillery and tank fire, witnesses said.

The heavy bombardment signaled that the Lebanese army is stepping up its nearly two-month-old offensive against Fatah Islam fighters entrenched in the Nahr el-Bared camp located on the outskirts of the northern port city of Tripoli.

Lebanese troops unleashed artillery shells and tank fire at Fatah Islam positions inside the camp starting around 6 a.m. Monday, said an Associated Press Television News cameraman, standing a few hundreds yards from the war-ravaged shantytown.

The intense bombardment, which lasted nearly three hours, sent plumes of heavy black smoke billowing into the air that covered the camp, he said.

He added that the army was using armored bulldozers and other vehicles to push its way into the camp, part of its declared strategy to tighten the noose around the militants.

In response, Fatah Islam militants unleashed volleys of rocket-propelled grenades and machine gun fire at army positions surrounding the camp. No casualties or injuries were immediately reported.

The APTN cameraman said he heard the din of machine gun fire in the distance.

On Sunday, Lebanese infantry battled Fatah Islam militants at close range, moving deep into the Nahr el-Bared camp and hoisting Lebanon's red-and-white flag atop newly seized buildings, security officials and witnesses said.

Two soldiers were killed Sunday in the army's deepest push yet into the Nahr el-Bared camp, bringing to 98 the number of troops who have died during the conflict that began on May 20.

Fatah Islam militants fired at least 11 Katyusha rockets Sunday from the camp that landed in farm fields in the northern Akkar region, a few miles away, security officials said. No casualties were immediately reported. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The use of Katyusha rockets appears to be a new tactic by the militants to ease the military pressure and expand the battles outside the camp. Fatah Islam fired at least 25 Katyusha rockets last week that crashed into villages neighboring the camp, slightly injuring two people and causing damage to property.

The conflict with Fatah Islam militants holed up in the camp has been Lebanon's worst internal violence since the 1975-90 civil war. At least 60 militants and more than 20 civilians have been killed in the fighting, according to the Lebanese government and U.N. relief officials.

Witnesses Sunday reported seeing several Lebanese flags flying on the roofs of destroyed buildings inside the camp, signaling progress by the army.

"We seized new buildings and hideouts of Fatah Islam militants," said a senior military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give official press statements.

The state-run National News Agency said the army was encircling a group of fighters hiding in one of their shelters in the camp. It said the army had killed a number of fighters, whose bodies were lying in the streets.

Sultan Abuleinein, head of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction in Lebanon, told reporters in the nearby Beddawi refugee camp Saturday that "not more than 70" Fatah Islam fighters remained in Nahr el-Bared. Earlier it was estimated that several hundred were hiding in the camp.

Outside Paris, France's foreign minister reported that talks between Lebanon's feuding political parties started tense but became more "serene" and "brotherly."

Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said the 14 parties, locked in the country's worst political crisis since the end of the civil war, pledged not to use violence for political ends, and rejected domination from forces outside Lebanon. But he was unable to offer specifics.

The informal talks Saturday and Sunday at a chateau west of Paris were organized by France with U.S. and Iranian approval. No breakthrough is expected, however, in the deadlock between the Western-backed prime minister and the Hezbollah-led opposition.

Hands Clean

On April 25, part of the cafeteria at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center was transformed into a nightclub complete with velvet ropes, music and food. But instead of paying some exorbitant cover charge to get in, all employees had to do was show up with clean hands.

The event was part of the center's Club Clean campaign. The Dauphin County hospital started Club Clean in November to educate employees about the importance of keeping their hands clean. A couple of months ago, the Derry Township hospital launched a monitoring program to make sure workers follow hand-hygiene policies.

Programs such as Club Clean are becoming more common as hospitals step up efforts to improve employees' compliance with policies requiring workers to wash their hands and use alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Representatives of several Central Pennsylvania hospitals agreed that keeping employees' hands clean is the most effective way to reduce incidences of hospital-acquired infections. Pennsylvania hospitals identified 13,711 hospital-acquired infections during the first nine months of 2005, according to the Harrisburg-based Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council. Those infections were associated with 1,456 deaths and 227,000 extra hospital days.

"The benefits that you get out of (hand hygiene) are huge," said Lynda Martin, Hershey Medical Center's director of clinical quality management and performance improvement.

The Cambridge, Mass.-based Institute for Healthcare Improvement partnered with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health-care groups to create a guide to help hospitals improve hand hygiene. The guide, released in April, is the groups' response to reports that many heal healthcare employees don't clean their hands as often as they should. Compliance rates are below 50 percent at some hospitals, according to the guide.

Through the Club Clean education effort, buttons have been given to employees, and posters have been plastered throughout Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine. Restroom posters feature images of hands pointing to a sink with the message "Next Stop on Your VIP Tour of the Restroom." Another poster encourages patients at the Penn State Children's Hospital to "Wash your paws and join the club!"

Giving employees a fun way to learn about hand hygiene makes it less likely that the hospital will have to discipline anyone for not complying with policies, Martin said. The medical center's monitoring process includes hospital staff observing employees to see if they clean their hands often enough.

"We wanted to get everybody on board and know what the expectations are before we started the monitoring," she said.

Holy Spirit Hospital in East Pennsboro Township also monitors its employees' hand-hygiene habits, habits, said Candy Shugars, manager of infection control at the Cumberland County hospital. The hospital tracks the amount of soap and alcohol-based hand sanitizer used on each floor, too.

Like Hershey Medical Center, Holy Spirit partners its monitoring efforts with education. Periodically, employees are asked to use a special lotion on their hands. A black light illuminates all the dirt they can't see.

"It lets people know, 'Man, I missed A of that?'" Shugars said. "I don't think anyone can say they haven't been educated on hand washing." Workers who habitually fail to comply with the hospital's policy can be disciplined, although Shugars did not know of anyone who was fired for not keeping their hands clean.

Education is key because many employees fail to comply with handhygiene policies out of ignorance and not malevolence, said Mary Ellen Meneeley, an infection-control program director at York-based WellSpan Health. It runs York Hospital.

"I really believe there's not intentional neglect of hand hygiene," she said.

A challenge for many hospitals is to figure out how to best encourage employees to intervene when they see other workers not following hand-hygiene policies. Holy Spirit Hospital has a team of aides, nurses and other workers who serve as "infection-control deputies." WellSpan Health encourages employees to talk to managers or infection-control staff if they witness repeated violations and don't want to confront the offending workers.

One goal of Club Clean is to empower employees to remind other workers of the policies, no matter their position in the organization. A member of the housekeeping staff should feel comfortable telling a doctor to wash his or her hands, Martin said.

"We want everybody to serve as checks and balances for the organization," she said.

Patients are more aware of the importance of clean hands, as well. Hospital administrators notice more patients asking about hand hygiene. Many organizations include information about the topic in their admissions packets.

"From what I'm hearing, more patients are advocating for their own safety," Meneeley said.

Tuscan Salad a Sensory Delight

This Tuscan-style rice salad is a family favorite. Cook a batchof rice while preparing the other salad ingredients. Use regularlong-grain white, basmati, Texmati or arborio rice. Don'trefrigerate the rice first, because cold rice clumps together andisn't as tender as rice that hasn't been chilled.

Let the rice cool slightly at room temperature, then add dicedham, chicken or prosciutto, thawed frozen green peas, chopped carrot,red onion, celery, red and green bell peppers and tomato.

I also like to add two or three eggs that have been scrambled inolive oil with garlic and fresh basil. The eggs add a lot of flavorand some protein to a dish high in healthful complex carbohydrates.Los Angeles Times SyndicateTuscan Rice SaladMAKES 4 SERVINGS2 cups rice (long-grain white, basmati, Texmati or arborio)Salt3 large eggs, beatenExtra-virgin olive oil1 teaspoon minced garlic1 tablespoon torn fresh basil leavesFreshly ground pepper1/2 cup fresh lemon juice1/2 cup diced carrot1/2 cup thawed frozen green peas1/2 cup diced celery1/2 cup diced green and/or red bellpepper1/4 cup finely chopped red onion2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley2 ounces baked or cured ham (prosciutto is good), fat trimmed,cut into thin slivers (or use leftover cooked pork or chicken)2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheeseLettuce leaves1 or 2 tomatoes, cut into wedgesBrine-cured black olives, such as KalamataFresh basil sprigs1. Bring 3 3/4 cups of water to a boil in a large, shallow saucepanor deep skillet. Add rice and 1 teaspoon salt; stir once. Cover andcook over medium-low heat until all the water is absorbed and rice istender, about 15 minutes. Uncover and let cool, but do not stir.2. Meanwhile, whisk eggs and 1 tablespoon water until light. Heat 1teaspoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Stir in garlic, eggs andbasil. Cook, stirring, until eggs scramble into large clumps.Remove from heat. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside.3. Whisk together lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, a dash of saltand a grinding of pepper. Add cooled rice, carrot, peas, celery,bell pepper, onion, parsley, ham and cheese; stir to mix. Cut upscrambled eggs with a fork and add to rice salad. Stir once with afork just to combine.4. Line a platter with lettuce leaves. Spoon rice salad into thecenter. Garnish with tomato wedges, olives and basil sprigs. Serveat room temperature.Nutrition Information (per serving) Calories: 530 From fat: 98Percentages of daily value based on 2,000-calorie diet.Total fat 11g 17% Saturated fat3g 14% Cholesterol 169mg 56% Sodium885mg 37% Carbohydrate 90g30% Dietary fiber 4g 15% Sugars7gProtein 18gVitamin A 56% Vitamin C 105% Calcium14% Iron 34%

IKEA feels impact of housing slowdown

Mobs of fans greeted the opening last week of build-it-yourself furniture chain IKEA's first store in New York City _ but the fervor is masking shoppers' underlying frugality.

Even the most loyal followers of the Swedish leader in low-priced but sleek home decor are thinking twice about buying ready-to-assemble bookshelves or woodblock tables amid a housing slump that has lasted almost three years and the soaring costs of food and gas.

"I am definitely not shopping big items. And I am focused on sales," said Jewell A. Staley, a real estate investor who loaded her cart last Wednesday at the new Brooklyn store with $10 lamps and a $29.99 bistro table. "I am spending $100 on gas every two days."

The man behind the company's global expansion, CEO and president Anders Dahlvig, told The Associated Press that the housing downturn has led to a global sales slowdown at IKEA as shoppers do less impulse buying and focus on price. And he does not see any economic recovery for another two years.

"A lot of things are going in the wrong direction," Dahlvig said, rattling off challenges like soaring inflation, the downturn in the job market and tighter credit. Global sales growth slowed to 11 percent in the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, compared to previous increases of about 15 percent. The hardest-hit countries are the U.S., Germany and Britain, but Dahlvig said he's seeing business in Spain and other European countries starting to slow down as well.

Still, Dahlvig believes there are big opportunities for the privately held IKEA Group, which operates about 250 stores in 31 countries. He said IKEA has gained market share in the U.S. from home furnishings rivals like Levitz Furniture, which liquidated, and Linens 'n' Things Inc., which filed for bankruptcy protection in early May.

Instead of scaling back on overall expansion, the company is shifting its emphasis toward developing markets like China, Russia and Eastern Europe, while staying tough on prices and cutting expenses.

"Slowdowns in the economy are not forever," Dahlvig said. "It's better to stick with a strategy than panic."

The U.S. housing downturn has hit home furnishings retailers the hardest, however, as a decline in home sales stifle consumer demand to fill their new houses with curtains and new tables. The home furniture and furnishings category accounted for 27 percent of the total 4,600 store closings in 2007, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.

"IKEA is not immune to the housing downturn, but they are in a sweeter spot than other retailers," said Shilpa Rosenberry, a senior consultant at WSL Strategic Retail. "Shoppers will spend on home given the right opportunity."

Janet Hoffman, managing partner of the North American retail practice of Accenture, noted that the IKEA experience _ along with its stylish low-price merchandise _ sets it apart from other merchants. "You just don't dash in and out of the store," she said.

IKEA offers less-expensive furniture, in designs from modern to traditional, because most of what it sells requires assembly and is flat-packed, saving the company money in transportation and storage costs. Sofas range from about $399 in cloth to $1,400 in leather, while accessories include $20 mirrors, $7.99 woks and $3.99 throws in bright colors. The stores also feature cafeterias that serve Swedish meatballs and have Swedish food markets.

While IKEA faces increasing competition from discounters like Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which has freshened up its home furnishings sections, retailers cannot match IKEA's breadth of offerings. A typical IKEA store features about 10,000 items. The Brooklyn store offers 49 room vignettes and three model homes, tailored to apartment living.

In the U.S., IKEA's second-biggest market behind Germany, sales increased a respectable 10 percent in its last fiscal year, but below the 21 percent pace of the previous year, according to Pernille Spiers-Lopez, president of its North America division. The U.S. market accounts for about 10 percent of total sales, which reached 21 billion euros, or about $32 billion, in its last fiscal year.

Spiers-Lopez said IKEA is seeing business lag in California, Arizona and Michigan _ markets that have taken the biggest blow from the housing slump. But she noted that soaring gas prices are also affecting shoppers as well.

"The purchases are more planned," Spiers-Lopez said, adding that there's less impulse buying.

Shoppers are also choosing the least expensive offerings in a category, she said. For example, IKEA's lowest-priced couch, which sells for under $400, is faring well, while $79 bookcases are doing better than more expensive options. And while categories like lighting, cookware and tableware are sluggish, IKEA is seeing solid gains in furniture sales _ indicating that people are careful where they shop for big items.

Alexandria Rosario of Brooklyn, who plans to move out of her parents' home, just spent $3,500 on a bedroom set at a small store, but saw an IKEA bedroom vignette that totaled $1,000 with accessories. She said she will be back to buy.

"It's stylish, affordable, retro. It's perfect," she said.

But Aida Perez of Brooklyn was buying just a few big plastic organizers to store items for her three children.

"I'm buying stuff that I can use over and over," she said. "Maybe when I have some more money, I will come back to shop some more."

Calling in connections

John Overman loves coming to work in the morning. As president of Overman Telephone Services Inc., he typically puts in 12-hour days. Despite the hours, though, he enjoys his work and takes pride in the record of quality service his telecommunications company has accrued.

Overman Telephone Services Inc. has been located in New Haven since 1994. The business primarily provides telephone services to the business communiy; Overman's experienced staff works with businesses to assist them in choosing a system that will meet their needs. Technicians then install, maintain and service the multi-line telephone systems and hardware provided. In addition to telephone systems, the company also offers computer network wiring, digital voice and data wiring, and can set up DSL Internet service for businesses.

The company finds its niche in the small to midsize business market. Its aim is to help businesses choose the systems they need to maximize their productivity and efficiency. Installation and hardware technical support are part of the package, as well as excellent customer service.

"We focus on small and medium size businesses to provide total communication solutions," says Overman.

Technological improvements make the world of telecommunications an ever-changing one. Manufacturers develop new systems and upgrades to existing products on what can seem like a daily basis. Computer, Internet and telephone systems are quickly becoming merged into single systems.

The technicians working with these systems are educated about each of the products by the manufacturers. This requires an ongoing effort on the part of technicians to keep up with new developments in technology.

"We have at least one technician that is certified in each of our systems," says Overman. "[Many of them are] certified in most of our systems ... There are a lot of phone systems. They all have to keep up with that."

A typical day for a technician may involve many different things. One technician may begin his day installing a new telephone system for a business and spend the remainder of his day wiring a building. Other days could involve numerous service calls for maintenance or repair.

Customer service is the mainstay of Overman Telephone Services Inc. Overman and his staff focus on providing quick, friendly service whenever systems need maintenance or repair.

"Customer service is such a high priority with us and always has been," says Overman. "We have very good state-of-the-art equipment. If we have a system that goes down, we're there within an hour. It surprises some of our customers how quickly we can get there."

Overman got into the telecommunications business in 1973; he worked for GTE for 21 years before starting Overman Telephone Services.

"In 1973, I needed a job and the phone company was hiring," Overman says. "I always wanted to start my own business. I felt there was a need for these types of services and for someone to answer customers' questions."

The trend of merging products also applies to many of the companies that make them as well. Many manufacturers and service providers have merged with other telecommunications corporations to create larger businesses with larger product lines. This has made many of the products and services available more affordable. However, service calls and technical support can also require a longer period of time. To Overman, his years of experience in the industry and a strong focus on customer service make his business unique.

"I have 30 years of telecommunication experience, and the staff here has a combined 50 years experience, and we have a commitment to providing excellent service as well as state-ofthe-art products," says Overman.

Another industry trend is the increase in use of high-speed Internet access. Electronic commerce and online sales have become popular with consumers. Businesses are finding that having an online presence is increasingly important for their continued success. High-speed Internet access makes these goals easier to achieve, Overman says.

"Businesses are depending more on high speed Internet access to conduct day-to-day business," Overman explains. Overman Telephone Services Inc. serves primarily northeast Indiana, but does work all over the state and in northwest Ohio as well. The company even maintains one system in Guatemala.

"It was a special deal," remembers Overman. "It"s out of the Guatemala Mission Office. Rev. Herbert Burch had an assignment there. They were needing a phone system. We provided one through WIN Communications. We programmed the system here, reboxed it with the wiring and programming instructions and sent it off."

The system is working well, Overman says, and adds that his office usually only receives one call annually with questions about it. This was a unique opportunity for the company, as their main service area is within the region.

In addition to working with businesses, Overman Telephone Services Inc. offers cellular phone and satellite dish services at their retail location. The company is an authorized dealer working in partnership with nationally recognized companies that offer these services. The in-store sales staff is educated continually about existing and new products by the manufacturers.

The future of Overman Telephone Services Inc. will be built around its current focus on customer service. "We sell really great products," says Overman. "We get calls of thanks frequently. I love working with my customers. We continue to grow each year, and feel this is a direct result of our commitment to provide excellent service to our customers."

As telecommunications companies grow and the industry's many varied technologies continue to change and evolve, Overman Telephone services will also continue to grow within its market. However, the focus of the company's staff will always remain the same: Maintaining strong, personal relationships with their customers.

China vows crackdown on leaders of village revolt

BEIJING (AP) — China's government is trying to defuse a revolt in a small fishing village, offering to investigate the land seizures that touched off the rebellion and vowing to punish leaders of the uprising.

The village of Wukan has for months been the site of simmering protests by locals who say officials sold farmland to developers without their consent. Protests against official misconduct are increasingly common in fast-developing China, but the residents of Wukan have taken things a step further, erecting barricades over the weekend to keep police out and posing a challenge to the authoritarian government.

On Wednesday, the mayor of Shanwei city — which oversees Wukan, a village of 20,000 — threatened to take strong measures against those who instigated others to create trouble and damage public property, the official China News Service said.

At the same time, Mayor Wu Zili promised to investigate local officials for wrongdoing and impose a temporary freeze on one farmland development project until a majority of villagers are satisfied with the conditions of the land transfer.

The government frequently deploys such carrot-and-stick tactics to deal with protests. But while successful in ending confrontations, the approach does not often produce fair deals for protesters — and leaders of the protesting Wukan villagers expressed skepticism.

"It's all a pretense. That's only a small part of the problem," said Huang Hancan, a fisherman who is one of the village's representatives in the land dispute, referring to the mayor's promises of an investigation and a freeze of the development deal.

"The bigger problem is that we want to get our land back. We want to re-elect our village officials because the current corrupt officials were not elected ... and we want those detained to be released," Huang said by phone.

Locals like Huang have essentially taken over the village after officials either fled from earlier protests, absconded with the money from land sales or were fired, according to various accounts from villagers and Chinese media.

Problems in Wukan date back to September, when hundreds of villagers smashed buildings and clashed with police in protest against the sale of their farmland without their consent. In the months that followed, villagers have submitted petitions and sought meetings with higher level officials without success.

Last Friday, police entered the village and took away several key representatives and when police tried to come back the next day, villagers blockaded the roads with tree trunks and barriers to prevent them from entering. Huang said police fired tear gas and water cannons at the villagers, who had armed themselves with sticks, clubs, hoes and other farming tools.

"If we didn't have hoes and sticks in hand, they might have taken more of us," Huang said.

Police then retreated and set up blockades on the main roads into Wukan, preventing villagers from entering and leaving and food from being transported in, villagers reached by phone have said.

Anger boiled over on Sunday after Xue Jinbo, one of the key representatives from the village, died in police custody. Family members and supporters suspected he was beaten. Chinese media reported that local police and provincial authorities said Xue died of cardiac failure.

With a booming economy, demand for land to build factories and housing complexes in China has soared. Land disputes have grown apace, becoming one of the leading causes of the tens of thousands of large-scale protests that hit China every year.

Around Wukan village and in much of the rest of Guangdong province, conflicts have been intense because the area is among China's most economically developed, pushing up land prices.

In announcing the freeze on the development project, the Shanwei mayor said the government would ensure that it would only proceed when a majority of villagers consent to the terms of the deal.

But local officials often put heavy pressure on villagers to force them to agree to conditions less favorable to them, said Sally Sargeson, an expert on Chinese rural issues at the Australian National University.

In one village she visited for research, Sargeson said, the heads of households were rounded up, taken into town and kept in separate rooms without any food or water until they agreed to approve a land deal. In the meantime, she said, their families back in the village were surrounded by police vehicles.

"So, they exert the most terrible pressure," Sargeson said. "By law, they're not allowed to coerce people to sign off on these things, but of course it happens all the time."

In a separate case, villagers in the eastern province of Zhejiang province have described similar tactics by their local officials who attempted to get them to agree to sell their land to build a state-owned power plant. The Zhaiqiao village leader who opposed the land deal was later found crushed by a large truck last Christmas in what authorities called an accident.

___

Follow Gillian Wong on Twitter at http://twitter.com/gillianwong

Vikings-Giants Stats

Minnesota 14 10 3 14_41

N.Y. Giants 7 0 3 7_17

First Quarter

Min_Rice 60 pass from Jackson (Longwell kick), 14:19.

NYG_Droughns 1 run (Tynes kick), 9:25.

Min_Sharper 20 interception return (Longwell kick), 3:15.

Second Quarter

Min_Taylor 8 run (Longwell kick), 9:49.

Min_FG Longwell 46, 3:16.

Third Quarter

NYG_FG Tynes 48, 11:07.

Min_FG Longwell 26, 1:43.

Fourth Quarter

Min_Smith 93 interception return (Longwell kick), 13:41.

Min_Greenway 37 interception return (Longwell kick), 12:59.

NYG_Burress 6 pass from Manning (Tynes kick), 5:54.

A_78,591.

___

Min NYG

First downs 15 18

Total Net Yards 251 309

Rushes-yards 39-127 19-75

Passing 124 234

Punt Returns 0-0 2-12

Kickoff Returns 3-66 8-176

Interceptions Ret. 4-169 0-0

Comp-Att-Int 10-12-0 21-49-4

Sacked-Yards Lost 4-5 3-39

Punts 5-40.6 4-46.3

Fumbles-Lost 1-0 0-0

Penalties-Yards 4-15 5-30

Time of Possession 32:14 27:46

___

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING_Minnesota, Taylor 31-77, Jackson 5-38, Moore 3-12. N.Y. Giants, Droughns 15-46, Bradshaw 4-29.

PASSING_Minnesota, Jackson 10-12-0-129. N.Y. Giants, Manning 21-49-4-273.

RECEIVING_Minnesota, Rice 3-82, Wade 2-14, Taylor 2-12, Shiancoe 1-13, Williamson 1-8, Dugan 1-0. N.Y. Giants, Burress 7-93, Toomer 4-83, Shockey 4-44, Moss 3-39, Droughns 1-6, Hixon 1-5, Matthews 1-3.

MISSED FIELD GOALS_None.

Retail transformation

A developer plans to convert a car wash in Lebanon County into a strip mall.

Lebanon County native Darryl Landis paid $1.2 million for Brownstown Car Wash Inc.'s property on Quentin Road, said Diane Hoch, an owner of Lebanon-based Real Estate Management Consultants Inc. Landis will spend an additional $1 million on renovations. Landis is transforming the property into a roughly 15,000-square-foot strip mall with space for about eight storefronts, Hoch said. Construction is expected to be completed near the end of October.

Real Estate Management Consultants, which manages the properties that Landis owns in Lebanon County, will relocate its office from 9 S. Ninth St. in Lebanon to the strip mall, Hoch said. The mall could also include a chiropractor, Chinese restaurant, beauty salon and insurance company.

In other Lebanon County news, the owners of the Arrowhead Springs Trout Hatchery Inc. in Millcreek Township closed the business and sold the property near the end of June. Connecticut-based Nestle Waters North American Inc. paid about $2.5 million for the property, according to the Lebanon County Recorder of Deeds.

- Jessica Bair

McCain says cutting taxes and stimulating the economy more important than balancing budget

Republican John McCain said Sunday that cutting taxes and stimulating the economy are more important than balancing the budget, and accused both Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama of supporting tax hikes that would worsen the impact of a recession.

"The goal right now is to get the economy going again," the Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting said on ABC's "This Week," adding that he would put America "on a path to a balanced budget" by attacking wasteful spending.

McCain conceded it was probably a mistake to seek and accept the endorsement of televangelist John Hagee, who has referred to the Roman Catholic Church as "the great whore" and called it a "false cult system."

The Arizona senator said he had condemned Hagee's remarks about Catholics, and said it was different than the way Obama has responded to questions about his own relationship with William Ayers, a 1960s-era radical who in an interview published on Sept. 11, 2001, said he did not regret bombing government buildings.

"How can you countenance someone who was engaged in bombings which could have or did kill innocent people?" McCain asked, calling Ayers an "unrepentant terrorist."

Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton, in response, said McCain had "stooped to the same smear politics and low road that he denounced in 2000" by commenting on Ayers.

McCain appeared on the talk show as the Democratic National Committee announced it would begin running an ad Tuesday on national cable networks tweaking McCain on the economy. The ad, released to reporters Sunday, shows McCain saying the country overall is "better off" than it was eight years ago, and ends by asking viewers, "Do you feel better off?"

The Republican National Committee said the ad is misleading.

Responding Sunday, McCain brushed off Democratic assertions that he is out of touch on the economy and reiterated a pledge to cut taxes even if it means running up deficits. Turning the tables on Clinton and Obama, he said they are the misguided ones for proposing tax increases during a recession.

Both Clinton and Obama support higher taxes for people earning more than $200,000 (euro126,742) a year. Obama also has said he wants a capital gains tax higher than the current 15 percent.

"They are out of touch when they want to raise taxes at the worst possible time when we're in a recession," said McCain, who has been under constant criticism from Democrats for saying the economy isn't his best subject.

McCain said he has a solid economic plan, centered on extending Bush administration tax cuts he once opposed. Clinton and Obama would reverse those tax cuts.

Blaming federal spending for the economic troubles, McCain pledged to "scrub every agency of government" of wasteful expenditures and close loopholes.

"Is there any American that doesn't believe that there's tens if not hundreds of billions of dollars that can be saved?" he said. "Americans know that. That's why they're fed up."

McCain also said he would not hold off on tax cuts if Congress did not approve his spending cuts and declined to make a pledge to balance the budget by the end of his first term in office. "When economies are rough, then you've got to reduce the tax burden on people," McCain said.

Stocks open lower after Goldman, Citi earnings

Investors turned cautious Thursday after earnings reports from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Citigroup Inc. stirred worries about the troubles banks still face.

Stocks fell moderately in early trading after rallying Wednesday. Investors drew some comfort from a government report that the number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment insurance fell last week. A report on manufacturing in the New York region also topped expectations.

The economic readings couldn't make up for disappointing profit reports, however. Optimism had grown about bank earnings after JPMorgan Morgan Chase & Co. set a high bar Wednesday with a strong profit that helped propel the Dow Jones industrials past the 10,000 mark for the first time in a year.

Goldman Sachs said it earned $3.19 billion, or $5.25 per share, in the third quarter, easily beating expectations on a sharp rise in trading profits. Revenue from Goldman's core investment banking operations fell sharply from the previous quarter, however reflecting slow activity in dealmaking. Goldman also said it set aside about $5.35 billion for compensation and bonuses, more than a year ago.

Citigroup reported a slightly smaller loss per share than expected but said its credit losses remain high.

Tech firms Google Inc., IBM Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices are scheduled to report earnings after the market closes.

The reports Thursday brought reminders that the recovery will take time.

"Things are going in the right direction but the fundamental economic improvement is slow," said Robert Dye, senior economist at PNC Financial Services Group. "The tendency is for the markets to get ahead of themselves and have to be rebalanced periodically."

In early trading, the Dow fell 19.35, or 0.2 percent, to 9,996.51. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 3.02, or 0.3 percent, to 1,089.00. The Nasdaq composite index fell 7.69, or 0.4 percent, to 2,164.64.

On Wednesday, the Dow jumped 144 points to close at 10,015 _ its biggest gain since Aug. 21 and highest close since Oct. 3 last year. Broader stock indexes also rallied to 2009 highs.

Aussie wave power

PERTH - For millennia, Australia's rugged southern coast has been carved by the relentless action of waves crashing ashore. Soon the same wave energy could be harnessed to power cities and towns and sharply reduce the country's carbon emissions.

"Waves are already concentrated solar energy," says Michael Ottaviano, who leads a Western Australian firm developing a method to turn wave power into electricity.

"The planet has been heated by the sun, creating wind, which creates the swells."

Ottaviano is the CEO of Carnegie Corp., which has developed a method of using energy from the waves to generate high-pressure seawater. This is piped onshore to drive turbines and also create desalinated water. He says that wave power has the potential, eventually, to supply all of Australia's energy needs many times over. Several sites in Western Australia, including Albany in the south and Garden Island off Perth, look promising for wave power development.

- Reuters.

Austria: Gunman Severs Victim's Penis

VIENNA, Austria - Austrian authorities said Thursday they arrested an elderly Turkish-born man suspected of fatally shooting a younger Turkish associate and slicing off the victim's penis in what investigators called an "honor killing."

Police in the town of Wimpassing in the province of Lower Austria made the arrest shortly after the Wednesday night slaying, and said the suspect - described only as a 76-year-old native Turk - did not resist.

Officials said witnesses claimed the man allegedly shot the victim, a 58-year-old Turkish-born man, in the street with a 12-gauge shotgun at point-blank range and then cut off his penis with a kitchen knife, leaving him to bleed to death.

Two teams of surgeons worked at the scene to save the man but were unable to revive him, authorities said.

Investigators believe the suspect apparently was jealous that the younger man had flirted with his wife, and had sought him out as "a question of honor," said Franz Polzer, head of the region's criminal investigations office.

Honor killings, driven by the view that a family's honor is paramount, are an ancient tradition associated with Kurdish regions of Turkey, Iraq and Iran as well as tribal areas in Pakistan and some Arab societies.

The suspect initially fled into a nearby house after the slaying, but witnesses alerted police to his location and he walked out and surrendered shortly thereafter, Polzer said.

Police said the man appeared to have purchased the shotgun earlier on Wednesday. They said he had disposed of the knife, but led officers to the spot where he stashed the weapon.

Polzer told the Austria Press Agency that the suspected gunman told investigators he suspected the victim of having had an affair with his wife for the past 20 years. The suspect said he had warned the victim a decade ago to break it off.

During questioning, the suspect showed no remorse and instead expressed relief "that he preserved his honor," officials said in a statement.

It was the first known attack of its kind in Austria, which is home to about 200,000 Turks - Europe's third-largest Turkish expatriate population after Germany and France.

But so-called honor killings have occurred elsewhere in Europe:

- In August, a federal court in Germany ordered a retrial for two brothers acquitted of fatally shooting their sister -an attack that prosecutors said was meant to punish the Turkish-German woman for her Western lifestyle.

- In Britain in July, the father and uncle of an Iraqi Kurd woman who was murdered for falling in love with the wrong man were sentenced to life in prison for ordering the killing.

- In 2006, a Danish court sentenced a Pakistani man to life imprisonment for ordering the slaying of his 19-year-old daughter, who was gunned down two days after her wedding because her family allegedly disapproved of her choice of husband.

Cost of the queen: less than $1 per person a year

Buckingham Palace says the royal family cost Britons 62 pence ($0.94) per person last year, 7 pence less than in 2008-2009.

Accounts released Monday show the total cost of supporting the monarchy was 38.2 million pounds in the year to March 31, more than 3 million pounds less than the year before.

Britain's public sector is facing cuts as the government tries to eliminate a huge deficit, and Alan Reid, Keeper of the Privy Purse, said the royal household "is acutely aware of the difficult economic climate."

The queen receives 7.9 million pounds of public money each year to pay for staff and other costs.

The accounts show she also drew an extra 6.5 million pounds from a reserve fund built up over the years by saving portions of her allocated budget.

The place to be Pampered

Walk through the double doors of the Pampered Lady/Blinds & Design in Decatur, and you know you've found a sanctuary to help you get in touch with your feminine side.

Owner Leah Logan-Klinker and her team have created a sensuous environment profuse with exquisitely created fresh and silk floral arrangements, framed artwork and other decor, soothing scented candles, fragrant bath salts and body lotions, the tranquil reverberation of waterfalls, and scrumptious gourmet treats. Only a 25-minute drive from Fort Wayne, it is a setting that helps stimulate and pique a visitor's curiosity, allowing one to feel more relaxed, receptive, inspired and, ultimately, more …

Missing 4-year-old Missouri girl found alive

A 4-year-old girl Missouri girl missing for more than 24 hours was found alive more than 70 miles from her home, authorities said.

St. Louis County police dispatcher Paul Jackson said Alisa Maier was found late Tuesday in the St. Louis suburb of Fenton after police received a call about a child wandering around at a car wash.

Witnesses at the car wash noticed the girl around 9:45 p.m. Tuesday after a car with a loud muffler got their attention, FBI spokeswoman Rebecca Wu said early Wednesday. The car was described as a black or dark brown four-door vehicle with missing wheel covers on the driver's side, Wu said.

An …

Versatile instrumentation. (Chementator).

Higher accuracy and versatility in a small package are claimed for a new line of pressure, flow and level instrumentation offered by Emerson Process Management's Rosemount Div. (Chanhassen, Minn.; emerson-process.com/rosemount). The 3051S Series of instrumentation is built around an electronic transmitter, miniaturized to fit with the pressure sensing in a stainless-steel housing.

Accuracies are offered to 0.04%, about twice as good as the previous state-of-the-art, claims pressure-marketing director Scott …

New kit packs a punch.

BOXING in Bridlington has got more stylish thanks to a new sponsorship deal with the Army.

It has enabled Bridlington Club for Young People to provide members with new training kit.

Manager Scott Markwell said: "We are very grateful to have this opportunity. The training kits look great and should help us to attract new members."

The Army first established a relationship with the club through Sgt …

A WAIT OFF RANGERS' SHOULDERS.(MAIN)

Byline: JERRY MARKON Associated Press -

NEW YORK They waited 54 years for a Stanley Cup, then three more months during a labor dispute.

So New York Rangers fans celebrated Friday night as a championship banner was raised to the rafters at Madison Square Garden, kicking off a shortened National Hockey League season.

Former Rangers players and the team's five longest season ticket holders raised the blue-and-white banner 10 stories to the stadium ceiling.

Mayor Rudolph Giuliani helped his son, Andrew, drop the ceremonial first puck for the Rangers' game against the Buffalo Sabres.

The Sabres won, 2-1.

Back on June 14, …

Israeli airstrike against Gaza tunnels kills 2

An Israeli airstrike against smuggling tunnels on the Gaza-Egypt border killed two people Saturday, a Palestinian medical official said.

Two bodies were pulled from the collapsed tunnels after the Israeli attack, said Dr. Moaiya Hassanain. The identity of the two men is unclear.

The airstrikes came hours after Gaza militants fired two mortar shells at southern Israel, causing no damage.

…

Budget garners mixed reviews

Midstate business representatives fretted about the bottom line in the 2006-07 state budget: a spending increase of $1.4 billion, or about 5.8 percent.

But while some leaders saw misplaced priorities and a lost opportunity to slash business taxes, another called the pact a good compromise.

"The budget must always support the long-term direction of the enterprise," said Michael Smeltzer, executive director of the Manufacturers' Association of South Central Pennsylvania. This spending plan falls short of that goal, he said.

"It's a good balance, a good budget," said David Black, president of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber and Capital Region Economic Development …

Girls take STEPS toward science careers.(Brief Article)

This summer, while some girls of middle-school age were riding horses or attending tennis or cheerleading camp, their peers interested in math and science were at engineering camps around the country.

STEPS (Science Technology and Engineering Preview Summer Camp for Girls) is a hands-on, tuition-free residential camp targeting girls and minorities as they enter seventh grade. STEPS also has sessions for young women entering the 10th and 11th grades to give them a taste of college-level challenges.

STEPS is offered by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation and works through colleges and universities. It is funded by manufacturers and …

Investigators at University of California Target Networks.

"This paper investigates Internet service provider (ISP) incentives with a single-service class and with two-service classes in the Internet. We consider multiple competing ISPs who offer network access to a fixed user base, consisting of end-users who differ in their quality requirements and willingness to pay for the access," scientists writing in the journal IEEE - Acm Transactions on Networking report.

"We model user-ISP interactions as a game in which each ISP makes capacity and pricing decisions to maximize its profits and the end-users only decide which service to buy (if any) and from which ISP. Our model provides pricing for networks with single-and two-service classes for any number of competing ISPs. Our results indicate that multiple service classes are socially desirable, but could be blocked due to the unfavorable distributional consequences that it inflicts on the existing Internet users," wrote N. Shetty and colleagues, University of California.

The researchers concluded: "We propose a simple regulatory tool to alleviate the political economic constraints and thus make multiple service classes in the Internet feasible."

Shetty and colleagues published their study in IEEE - Acm Transactions on Networking (Internet QoS and Regulations. IEEE - Acm Transactions on Networking, 2010;18(6):1725-1737).

Additional information can be obtained by contacting N. Shetty, University of California, Dept. of Electrical Engineering & Computational Science, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.

The publisher of the journal IEEE - Acm Transactions on Networking can be contacted at: IEEE-Institute Electrical Electronics Engineers Inc., 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08855-4141, USA.

Keywords: City:Berkeley, State:CA, Country:United States, Networks

This article was prepared by Network Weekly News editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2011, Network Weekly News via VerticalNews.com.

DOVADO Delivers Worlda[euro](tm)s First 4G/LTE-Ready Residential Router; DOVADO'S software-updated routers allow mobile operators to compete with fixed broadband.

M2 PRESSWIRE-February 8, 2011-: DOVADO Delivers Worlda[euro](tm)s First 4G/LTE-Ready Residential Router; DOVADO'S software-updated routers allow mobile operators to compete with fixed broadband(C)1994-2011 M2 COMMUNICATIONS

RDATE:08022011

Dubai Internet City, UAE / Kista, Sweden -- DOVADO, the supplier of mobile broadband routers, today announced that it has software upgraded its product portfolio to support 4G/LTE (Long Term Evolution) USB modems, beginning with the Huawei E398 which is already being offered by LTE operators in Europe. This will allow mobile operators to effectively compete with fixed providers by offering a broadband connection capable of delivering speeds significantly above those of most consumer DSL connections. The system also provides extremely low latency, ideal for online gaming and video conferencing.

The upgraded DOVADO 4GR and 3GN router models are currently being trialed by multinational mobile operators for immediate mass deployment.

Both models contain four Ethernet LAN ports, a WAN port for DSL fail-over and the latest 802.11n WLAN standard. Mobile broadband connectivity is supplied via USB dongle, allowing subscribers to swap out the modem whenever a new model or speed is made available. The flexibility of this combination means that the modem can also be removed for laptop use when out of the home.

"The emergence of 4G/LTE means that, for the first time ever, mobile operators can rapidly deliver a superior broadband experience at a lower cost than the bulk of fixed broadband alternatives. To suit the consumer needs of sharing these new Internet speeds, we have designed a firmware update which will allow our existing DOVADO 4GR and 3GN router owners to migrate onto the 4G/LTE network," said Erik Arthur, CEO of DOVADO. "With a rapidly growing base of mobile broadband subscribers in the world, a technology such as 4G/LTE will be boosted tremendously thanks to residential routers, just as DSL experienced nearly a decade ago.

Subscribers want an always-on Internet connection which the entire household can benefit from." DOVADO currently supplies cellular enabled residential routers to mobile operators such as Hutchison (3) in Denmark and Sweden. The company currently supports 130 different modems including the widest range of 21 & 42Mbps HSPA+ modems which are available from mobile operators worldwide. DOVADO's coming 5.0 firmware update with support for the Huawei E398 4G/LTE modem will be freely available for download from www.dovado.com/firmware as of early March, 2011.

About DOVADO:

DOVADO is an innovative supplier specializing in development of products for 3G/4G mobile broadband internet access. DOVADO has been developing the support of mobile broadband technologies since its inception in 2004 and aims to change the perception of mobile broadband from a casual form of internet access to a reliable and always-on source of broadband for homes and offices throughout the world. DOVADO FZ-LLC is headquartered in Dubai Internet City, with software development in Kista, Sweden.

www.dovado.com

Oliver Chapman Temono - www.temono.com +44 (0) 7713 404 571 +44 (0) 20 7981 9778

((M2 Communications disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com)).

Benihana Inc. Responds to Lawsuit Inquiries.

MIAMI, Feb. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Benihana Inc. (Nasdaq: BNHNA; BNHN) has recently become aware of a lawsuit allegedly filed by Benihana against a blogger in Kuwait for his unfavorable review of a local BENIHANA restaurant.

Benihana Inc. wishes to correct the misinformation being disseminated on the Internet and published in articles connecting Benihana Inc. to this lawsuit, when it is not.

The BENIHANA brand is co-owned by two separate and distinct corporate entities - Benihana Inc. and Benihana of Tokyo, Inc. Benihana Inc. owns, operates and franchises approximately 100 BENIHANA restaurants throughout the United States, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. A complete list of locations can be found at www.Benihana.com. Benihana of Tokyo, Inc. owns, operates and franchises Benihana restaurants in various parts of the world, including Kuwait. A complete list of Benihana of Tokyo, Inc. locations can be found at www.BenihanaGroup.com.

While both entities have a shared interest in the BENIHANA brand, Benihana Inc. has no control or authority over the business and legal decisions of Benihana of Tokyo, Inc. Consequently, we cannot comment or opine on the alleged lawsuit filed in Kuwait by Benihana of Tokyo, Inc. and/or its franchisee. However, we are never pleased to hear of any customer's negative experience and seriously consider all feedback an opportunity for improving operations.

We encourage you to share your opinions and comments directly with Benihana of Tokyo, Inc. The company's contact information is available on www.BenihanaGroup.com.

About Benihana Inc.

Headquartered in Miami, Benihana Inc. (NASDAQ GS: BNHN; BNHNA) is the nation's leading operator of Japanese theme and sushi restaurants with 97 restaurants nationwide, including 63 Benihana restaurants, nine Haru sushi restaurants, and 25 RA Sushi restaurants. Famous for its entertaining chefs who present and prepare delicious teppanyaki entrees at hibachi tables, as well as sushi and other Japanese favorites, Benihana introduced Japanese food to America in 1964. RA Sushi offers a subtly sexy and energetic experience with a hip ambience, and Haru is an urban, upscale sushi concept. In addition, 20 franchised Benihana restaurants are operating in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. To learn more about Benihana Inc. and its three restaurant concepts, please view the corporate video at www.benihana.com/about/video.

SOURCE Benihana Inc.