Heavy D heading to screen near you

Taking a page from fellow rappers-turned actors Will Smith and Ice-T, Heavy D is hoping to make it, uh, big on the big screen. (Sorry,couldn't resist the obvious pun.) Mr. D, who already has small partsin 11 movies to his credit, joins Tim Allen, Rene Russo and Janeane Garofalo in the comedy "Big Trouble," now filming in Miami.

The entertainer also has plans for the small screen. Heavy D tellsthe New York Post he has been tapped for a recurring role on David E.Kelley's new show, "Boston Public."

WEEKEND WATCH: As usual, restaurant kingpin Alex Dana certainlywas juggling celebs at his eateries-helping actor Robert Conrad toasthis wife Velda's 40th birthday at Rosebud …

House rejects Republican effort on UN funds

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has rejected a Republican-led effort to force the United Nations to give back $179 million in overpayments.

The vote was 259-169. Republicans needed two-third of those voting for the bill to pass.

Republicans pushed for the legislation as part of a cost-cutting effort. The State Department said $100 million of the money already had been designated for the New York City police …

UN: Attacks on Hutus in 1990s could be genocide

A leaked U.N. draft report says the Rwandan army and its Congolese rebel allies committed massacres in Congo in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide that could also be classified as genocide, using hoes and axes to kill ethnic Hutus and burning others alive.

The report is a major embarrassment to Rwanda's President Paul Kagame, whose government has been credited with ending the 1994 slaughter in Rwanda during which more than half a million ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were brutally slain.

The French newspaper Le Monde, which first reported the leaked U.N. draft, said Kagame threatened to withdraw troops from the U.N.-African peacekeeping mission in …

Horizons of chemical engineering

Editors' Note: At each AIChE national meeting, local high school students are recruited to assist speakers in their sessions. In return, the students are given a overview of the profession during their lunch break to familiarize them with career options in chemical engineering.

The following was judged to be the best essay from precollege students who participated in the 1996 Annual Meeting student program. The essays were evaluated for clearness of concept, quality of insight, and expression of ideas. Students were encouraged to focus on what was experienced and learned at the meeting, both positive and negative. We thought it also provides a unique and fresh perspective to what …

Hard Spun Has Trainer Optimistic

STANTON, Del. - Having endured a heartbreaking second-place finish by Hard Spun in the Kentucky Derby, trainer Larry Jones is heading into the Preakness with no regrets.

"I wouldn't take anything back that we've done," Jones said Tuesday upon returning to Hard Spun's home stable at Delaware Park.

Given his horse's love for speed, and the fact that jockey Mario Pino calls Maryland home, Jones likes his chances in the May 19 race at Pimlico. Pimlico, he said, is a track that favors speed.

"If there's such a thing as home-court advantage, I hope we have it this time," he said of the second leg of the Triple Crown. "We sure don't feel like we're giving up anything by …

Robert Morris, Portland St. head to NCAA tourney

Robert Morris and Portland State have become the 13th and 14th teams to receive automatic berths in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Both teams needed a bucket in the closing seconds to win their respective tourneys.

Dallas Green picked up a loose ball and hit a basket with 2.5 seconds left, giving Robert Morris a 48-46 win over Mount St. Mary's in the Northeast Conference final. Jeremy Chappell finished with a team-high 15 points to help the Colonials reach the NCAA tourney for the first time in 17 years.

Portland State claimed the Big Sky Conference title, beating Montana State 79-77 on Julius Thomas' tiebreaking dunk with 3.5 seconds to play. Thomas …

Even cleaning may be hazardous to health

Many chemicals from cleaners, waxes and materials in your homemay build up and actually make you feel ill, irritable and depressed.

The most energy-efficient and inexpensive method to improve theair quality in your home is to reduce the amount of pollutants youput in the air.

Recent research also suggests that certain varieties of commonhouseplants can help purify indoor air.

When cooking, cleaning, painting, etc., operate an exhaust ventfan. Close the doors to that room and crack open a window just alittle to reduce heated air loss from the rest of your home.

Replace synthetic household cleaners and materials in your homewith "low-tox" natural …

GOP Shuns Immigration Hardliner in Ariz.

TUCSON, Ariz. - Randy Graf is a tough-on-immigration Republican in a district that is fed up with people pouring illegally across the border and hasn't elected a Democrat to the House in two decades.

Yet Graf's national party is turning its back on him, the retiring Republican congressman he wants to succeed has disavowed his candidacy and he's finding trouble getting traction beyond the most secure GOP voters - and a border militia that's backing him.

Voters such as Sue Malusa, a mother of four from Tucson, think Graf and his supporters go too far. Graf is backed by the Minutemen, self-appointed border-watchers. Malusa will vote for a candidate who supports "a humane and …

Bollinger, Johnson wreck Indian batting in 6th ODI

Pace bowlers Doug Bollinger and Mitchell Johnson ripped through India's top order Sunday, sharing eight wickets as Australia bundled the hosts out for 170 in the sixth limited-overs international.

Bollinger had figures of 5-35 and Johnson snared 3-39 to give Australia an opportunity to clinch the seven-match series.

Leading 3-2 after five games, Australia benefited from Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's decision to bat first after winning the toss in the northeastern city of Gauhati, where matches start early to avoid poor visibility toward the end of the game.

India got off to a torrid start, losing the wickets of opener Virender Sehwag (4) …

How Mom Raised Mike // Stories of Parenting, by Deloris Jordan

"I kept thinking: He's only 19 years old. He's not ready to becut loose to make his own way alone in a big city like Chicago."

She's the mother of the world's most famous athlete, and shehas written a new book. In Family First, by Deloris Jordan withGregg Lewis (published by Harper San Francisco), Michael Jordan's momexplains her philosophy of parenting, as told through anecdotes abouthow she and her late husband, James, instilled values in their fivechildren in Wilmington, N.C. An excerpt:

Children are so anxious to grow up. At least all mine were -especially Michael.He was always a big kid compared to my other children. Hecaught up to and passed his older brother …

V-Day aims to mobilize 1 billion against violence

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Eve Ensler wants a billion people around the globe to stand together against violence. Actually, she wants them to do more than stand: She wants them to dance.

"The Vagina Monologues" author says more needs to be done to change attitudes and realities when it comes to violence against women and girls around the world. She cites a United Nations statistic that says one in three women will be raped or beaten in her lifetime. On a planet with 7 billion people, that's more than a billion women.

V-Day, the anti-violence movement Ensler founded 14 years ago, is launching a yearlong initiative Tuesday. "One Billion Rising" encourages people worldwide to walk out of …

Alan Rickman to return to Broadway this fall

NEW YORK (AP) — Another member of the "Harry Potter" franchise is returning to Broadway. This time it's Alan Rickman.

Rickman, who won a Tony Award in the 2002 production of Noel Coward's "Private Lives," will star in the world premiere of Theresa Rebeck's new play "Seminar" this fall.

The production will open at a Shubert theater to be announced soon.

Rickman, who plays professor Severus Snape in the "Potter" franchise, will portray a literary …

Earnings preview: More woe expected in Yahoo's 1Q

Internet pioneer Yahoo Inc. is scheduled to report its first-quarter results after the stock market closes Tuesday. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.

OVERVIEW: This is the third straight year that Yahoo has vowed to boost its sagging profits, with a different chief executive calling the shots each time. The latest, Carol Bartz, is trying to undo the damage sustained under the watch of her predecessors, former movie studio boss Terry Semel and Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang.

Given Bartz just joined the Sunnyvale, California-based company in January, expectations for first-quarter earnings aren't high. Still, there are some doubts about whether Yahoo will even be able to meet a low target because it has become more difficult to sell Internet advertising as the recession worsened.

That point was hammered home late last week when Internet search leader Google Inc., which runs the largest online ad network, reported its first-quarter revenue rose by just 6 percent _ its slowest growth since the company went public in 2004.

Analysts believe Yahoo's net revenue dropped by about 10 percent in the first quarter. In a stark reminder of how poorly Yahoo has fared as the economy unraveled, Yang last year promised to engineer a turnaround that would boost Yahoo's 2009 revenue by about 25 percent _ a goal the company has since abandoned.

Yahoo eliminated more than 1,500 jobs shortly before it hired Bartz. The purge apparently isn't over. After spending most of her tenure so far studying Yahoo's strengths and weaknesses, Bartz is expected to reduce Yahoo's payroll of 13,600 workers with another series of significant cuts that could shove hundreds more people into the unemployment line.

Bartz already has reshuffled Yahoo's management. The shake-up announced in February will include the departure of chief financial officer Blake Jorgensen, who plans to leave the company when Bartz finds his successor.

While Yang was CEO, Yahoo turned down a chance last May to sell to Microsoft for $47.5 billion. That decision still haunts Yahoo's shareholders, with the company's market value hovering around $20 billion.

Microsoft has made it clear it still would like to run Yahoo's search engine and sell text-based ads alongside the results. Yahoo's search engine appeals to Microsoft because it's the second largest on the Internet behind Google Inc.'s. If Bartz does a deal like that, she would want Yahoo to handle the online billboards, called "display advertising," on Microsoft's Web sites, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

BY THE NUMBERS: Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect Yahoo to earn 8 cents per share on revenue of $1.2 billion. The earnings estimate excludes one-time accounting charges and the revenue excludes the commissions that Yahoo pays its advertising partners.

ANALYST TAKE: Jefferies & Co. analyst Youssef Squali already is getting excited about a potential deal with Microsoft. In a recent research report, Squali estimated that Yahoo could trim its annual expenses by up to $1.3 billion by turning over its search operations to Microsoft and generate $600 million to $800 million in additional revenue by selling display advertising on Microsoft's sites.

Stifel Nicolaus & Co. analyst George Askew is similarly enthusiastic, predicting a Microsoft partnership would be "very positive" for Yahoo.

WHAT'S AHEAD: Yahoo's Web site has been testing a redesigned front page that would display a variety of applications from a variety of other Internet services. The switch to the new design is expected to occur later this year.

STOCK PERFORMANCE: Yahoo shares edged up 5 percent in the first quarter and have been gaining more ground recently amid the reports of a possible Microsoft partnership.

Merc makes HQ deal; CME Group stays on Wacker, moves trading floors to CBOT

The parent company of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange said Mondayit closed a property deal that lets it maintain its headquartersalong Wacker Drive even as it moves it trading floors to itsrecently acquired Chicago Board of Trade at 141 W. Jackson.

Terms call for the Merc's two trading floors at 20 S. Wacker tobe converted into office space outfitted with the latest inelectronic equipment. The Merc will lease one of the floors whilethe other will be marketed to financial firms for use as a tradingcenter.

A charitable trust affiliated with the Merc sold the tradingfloors to Tishman Speyer Properties LP. The space connects officetowers at 10 and 30 S. Wacker that Tishman acquired in February aspart of its $1.72 billion absorption of the Chicago buildings thatbelonged to Equity Office Properties Trust.

Sources said the Merc's trust is getting $16 million for thefloors. Terms also allow the Merc to extend its office leases in the10 and 30 S. Wacker towers, with the exchange occupying about360,000 square feet in the complex.

The Tishman-Equity Office transaction is the largest real estatesale in Chicago, and the Merc's piece is a small part of it. Butit's also the most visible part for Chicagoans who wonder how themerger of the city's two premier futures exchanges will change thedowntown business landscape.

Merc Chairman Terry Duffy said the new arrangement will give hiscompany, CME Group Inc., maximum flexibility as it serves the needsof electronic trading operations and those that still use the face-to-face markets in the pits. About 75 percent of the businessconducted at the Merc and Board of Trade now is done via electronictrading.

Support for the electronic markets will be concentrated on Wackerand in a West Loop high-rise at 550 W. Washington, where the Mercplans to occupy about 220,000 square feet by 2011. The trading floorstaff will be centered at 141 W. Jackson.

Having three locations downtown "will be a huge benefit to thecity and to our company," Duffy said. "We have a very close-knitorganization," so coordination among the locations won't be aproblem, he said.

Duffy said the transaction serves as a boost for the Wacker Driveoffice market as well as for the La Salle Street district where theBoard of Trade is a traditional anchor.

Terms of the leases were not disclosed, except that the Merc dealon Wacker runs through 2022. The exchange has targeted the secondquarter of 2008 for the transfer of the floor operations to theBoard of Trade.

The Merc and Board of Trade together will employ almost 2,000people, Duffy said, after a projected layoff of 380 workers by mid-2008.

The Merc's trust will add the sales proceeds to its roughly $64million in assets, said its executive director, Kassie Davis. Shesaid the added cash might allow it to increase the $3 million inannual giving it plans for charities that concentrate on financialeducation and on the well-being of children.

Davis said the trust is evaluating new investment plans for itsholdings. The trust was formed in 1969 to help customers affected bya Merc member's default, but it has never had to pay a claim.

The lease with Tishman will allow substantial renovations for theMerc office space, said Holly Duran, principal of Holly Duran RealEstate Partners LLC, who represented the exchange in thenegotiations. She said Tishman was receptive to "our creative,strategic approach" for space that's efficient in terms of cost andenergy.

The lease will let the Merc reduce its overall occupancy in theWacker complex by about one-third. The trading floors, whichcurrently look like a box between the sawtoothed towers, will getwindows.

Renovations of the space will be directed by the firm FujikawaJohnson Gobel Architects, the original designers of the buildings.The Merc started using the trading floors in November 1983.

Tishman's other Chicago acquisitions from Equity Office includehigh-rises at 161 N. Clark, 1 N. Franklin, 30 N. La Salle and theCivic Opera Building at 20 W. Wacker, just north of the Merc. Thedeal also included the 101 N. Wacker building, but Tishman alreadyhas resold it to Hines Interests LP.

A source said Tishman has no plans to sell the other parts of theportfolio.

droeder@suntimes.com

Hawker Beechcraft lays off 350 workers

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Hawker Beechcraft became the second airplane maker in Kansas this week to announce layoffs when it announced plans Friday to cut 350 jobs

CEO Bill Boisture told workers in a letter that like all aircraft manufactuers, Hawker Beechcraft continues to experience the effects of a worldwide recession.

"While there are pockets of growth in the global economy, the market for new production aircraft has stagnated at a very low level," he wrote. "Readily available, high quality, used aircraft and the lack of financing have combined to depress the prices on private and business aircraft."

The latest round of layoffs come on top of the more than 2,800 announced layoffs at Hawker Beechcraft since late 2008. On Tuesday, Cessna Aircraft announced it was laying off 700 workers in the wake of a stagnant economic recovery.

"Although those difficult people decisions sustained us, the market for new production aircraft is not improving as we had hoped," Boisture said. "In fact, the market is flat to slightly down and the conditions that would signal an upturn are not in sight for at least the next 12 months or longer."

Hawker Beechcraft told employees the new round of layoffs will be from its salaried work force, with decisions on where to make the cuts expected by Nov. 1.

The company told employees that as "rates and efficiencies change" the firm will continue to manage its hourly work force size. It said it did not see a large-scale layoff of hourly employees, but small reductions or short furloughs may be required to manage production and reduce unsold aircraft inventory.

Hawker Beechcraft declined to release its current work force figures.

Meanwhile, Hawker Beechcraft is in negotiations with its machinists union. The talks were opened in August, a year before the current contract is set to expire amid reports that the company is considering moving jobs out of Wichita.

Union leaders have said company officials told them a move could happen if talks aren't successful. The machinists union now represents about 2,400 workers in Wichita.

The mood going into this year's early negotiations sharply contrasted with talks in August 2008, when striking machinists accepted a three-year labor contract after nearly a month on the picket lines. That contract covered about 4,700 hourly workers at the Wichita plant and 500 in Salina. The company has since announced it is closing the Salina facility.

US citizens warned on travel in Djibouti

The U.S. Embassy in the tiny port nation of Djibouti, a key U.S. ally in the Horn of Africa, warned American citizens against traveling near the border with Eritrea after the two countries exchanged fire.

At least nine Djiboutians were killed and more than 60 injured in fighting this week, State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said, condemning Eritrea's "military aggression" toward Djibouti.

"These hostilities represent an additional threat to peace and security in the already volatile Horn of Africa," Gallegos said Wednesday in Washington.

More than 1,200 U.S troops are stationed in Djibouti, which hosts the base for an anti-terrorism task force in the Horn of Africa. France also has a base in Djibouti, its former colony.

"For security and safety reasons, the U.S. Embassy urges American citizens to avoid traveling to northern Djibouti and to exercise caution if travel is essential," the embassy said in a statement Wednesday.

Djibouti's foreign minister has said Eritrea has launched a major military buildup on their border overlooking critical Red Sea shipping lanes. Skirmishes between the countries' troops have been reported this week.

Higher expenses hurt Brown-Forman in 4th quarter

Liquor company Brown-Forman Corp. said Wednesday that higher expenses and continued sluggish sales to bars and restaurants watered down gains by its flagship Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey and contributed to its fourth-quarter net income falling 9 percent.

Brown-Forman's profit has been hurt in recent quarters by the struggling economy as consumers have chosen less expensive brands _ and by the company's increased spending on advertising to focus more on people who drink at home. Like other liquor companies, Brown-Forman hopes to take better advantage of the recession-born trend away from drinking in bars and restaurants.

But Don Berg, Brown-Forman's chief financial officer, said out-on-the-town drinking _ which the industry calls "on premise" consumption _ has shown early signs of renewal.

"While it appears that consumers are returning to restaurants and bars, their spending seems to be greatly reduced," Berg said in a conference call with industry analysts. "Over time, we believe the on-premise channel will rebound as unemployment decreases and the global economy improves."

Berg said those sales account for about one-fourth of the company's total distilled-spirits volumes.

The company previewed new packaging Wednesday, along with plans for line extensions, executives said they hope to expand the Jack Daniel's brands overseas.

The company's Class B shares rose 37 cents to $57.55 in early afternoon trading.

The Louisville-based company reported strong sales of ready-to-drink products _ mostly cocktails like its Lynchburg Lemonade _ popular with consumers who don't patronize bars and restaurants.

In the three months that ended April 30, Brown-Forman's net income fell 9 percent to $72.7 million, or 49 cents per share. A year earlier, it was $79.6 million, or 53 cents per share. Revenue rose 7 percent to $733 million from $683 million.

The company's results were hurt by higher compensation expenses and one-time costs related to the health care overhaul.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, who typically exclude one-time items, on average predicted earnings of 53 cents per share on revenue of $694.1 million.

For the year, net income rose 3 percent to $449.2 million, or $3.02 per share, from $434.4 million, or $2.87 per share last year.

Revenue rose 1 percent to $3.23 billion from $3.19 billion last year.

The company expects a "moderately better" global economy in fiscal 2011 and said its net income will be $2.98 to $3.38 per share. Analysts expect a profit of $3.30 per share.

Berg said the past year was difficult as consumers traded down to cheaper brands and competitors discounted their prices. He said he hoped industry discounting will be "less pervasive" in the next year.

Looking ahead, the company said it sees opportunities to increase market share for Jack Daniel's both in developed markets such as France _ where the flagship Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey brand has just a 2 percent share of the whiskey category _ and in emerging markets such as Russia, Poland and Mexico.

The company said it plans to expand several lines in the U.S., including the premixed Southern Comfort Lime and Southern Comfort Lemonade.

The company also said Wednesday that its board has approved a plan to buy back up to $250 million of its outstanding shares by December.

___

Associated Press Business Writer Mae Anderson contributed reporting from New York.

Housing permits up 78% over last year, thrift says

Fueled by a surge of multifamily activity, housing permits inthe Chicago area skyrocketed 78 percent in February from a yearearlier, according to the monthly "Survey of Building" report fromBell Federal Savings.

All told, the number of permits rose to 2,068 in February from1,165 in February, 1988. The biggest jump was in multifamily units,which leapt to 1,010 from 199.

Chicago and Schaumburg, with 466 and 408 permits, respectively,accounted for the bulk of the activity. Chicago's starts wereaccounted for by a total of 22 different buildings, whileSchaumburg's were all from one project, a 34-building apartmentcomplex to be called Lincoln Meadows, Bell reported.

Other towns with double-digit starts were Merrillville, Ind.,and Buffalo Grove, both 36; Aurora, 16, and Des Plaines, 12.

Single-family permits rose 10 percent to 1,058 from the 966 ofFebruary, 1988. The towns leading the way are familiar to new-homebuyers: Schaumburg, 73; Naperville, 56; Aurora, 54; Orland Park,50; Buffalo Grove, 40; Carol Stream, 29; Elgin, 28; Tinley Park,24; Vernon Hills and Algonquin, both 23, and Bartlett, 22.

For the first two months of the year, the top five housingmunicipalities outside of Chicago, and the number of total permitsare Schaumburg, 486; Naperville, 109; Aurora and Buffalo Grove,both 99, and Orland Park, 98.

A Cold Shower Is in the Wind

The robins are chirping this morning - chirping out SOS, probably, over the raw wind blowing off Lake Michigan. An east to northeastbreeze will keep temperatures stunted in the 40s. Throw in a coldrain by midday and you have a great day to be indoors.

In the high Plains, snow will fall on the cold, western sideof the storm track. Farther south, in the warm, juicy air, tornadoesmay swirl up by late afternoon as close as Kansas and Missouri.

We could sample a thunderstorm or two by Friday, but any severeweather will probably stay well south of Chicago. Rainfall for themonth is running well above normal, and there's every indication thatshowers will linger into at least early Saturday.

This storm will reluctantly pull out over the weekend, and anystubborn clouds and sprinkles Saturday should give way to coolsunshine on Sunday. Weather Quiz

Which of these may affect the number of hurricanes forming nearthe United States? A) Ocean temperatures. B) El Nino current in Pacific. C) Ultraviolet radiation. D) Siberian highs. Answer: (A)(B). Ocean water warmer than 86 degrees is usuallynecessary for hurricanes to develop. A Colorado State forecastersaid a weakening El Nino could mean a stormier hurricane season.William Gray predicts 10 tropical storms, six of which will reachhurricane force, with two storms packing at least 111 m.p.h. winds. Weather Fact

In a typical April we would have picked up 2.1 inches of rain todate. So far we've been soaked with 3.3 inches.

Occupy Wall Street protesters arrested in Ga.

HULL, Ga. (AP) — Authorities say two Occupy Wall Street protesters walking in a group from New York City to Atlanta have been arrested in northeast Georgia.

Madison County Sheriff Kip Thomas says officials received calls on Monday in Hull, Ga., saying the protesters were creating a traffic hazard and harassing people who drove by.

Thomas says 33-year-old Garth Aaron Kiser of Murphysboro, Ill., and 29-year-old Sarah Lynn Handyside of Anchorage, Alaska, were arrested after refusing to produce identification when deputies requested it.

He says they were charged with obstruction.

Group spokesman Darrin Annussek told The Athens Banner-Herald the two didn't show identification because they felt it was a violation of their civil rights.

Hull is about 80 miles northeast of Atlanta.

Ex-French-first lady: Sarkozy baby news wonderful

PARIS (AP) — The expectant granddad has spilled the beans: Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is pregnant.

Germany's top-selling newspaper on Tuesday quoted President Nicolas Sarkozy's father as saying that the first lady is having a baby. And one of her predecessors says a child at the presidential palace will be wonderful for the whole country.

"It's wonderful news to see this baby coming. It's a chance for France, absolutely," Bernadette Chirac, wife of ex-French President Jacques Chirac, told reporters in Paris on Tuesday at an event for a literacy foundation hosted by Bruni-Sarkozy.

"And a birth, it's a wonderful event for a family, the arrival of a child. There is nothing nicer. A baby at the Elysee, yes. It's wonderful for them and for all the French people," Chirac said.

Bruni-Sarkozy, also attending the event, wouldn't respond to questions by The Associated Press about the pregnancy. Sarkozy's office also refused all comment.

Germany's Bild newspaper quoted Pal Sarkozy as saying: "Neither wants to know the gender beforehand, but I'm certain it will be a girl, and beautiful like Carla."

A pregnancy could be a potential strategic coup for Sarkozy, less than a year ahead of presidential elections. The incumbent's popularity is in the doldrums, but a baby in the Elysee Palace could help voters relate to a man they have seen as increasingly out of touch with their worries.

Reports of her pregnancy first surfaced in late April, when gossip magazine Closer ran a story saying the 43-year-old first lady was three months pregnant. The magazine said that officials were keeping it under wraps because her age makes it a high-risk pregnancy.

Bruni-Sarkozy and Sarkozy married in early 2008 — less than a year after he took office. She has a son from an earlier relationship, and Sarkozy has three sons from his two previous marriages.

She has made no bones about her desire for another child: in 2009, Bruni-Sarkozy conceded in a published interview that she would adopt one if she were not able to have one with her husband.

The speculation has been rising in recent weeks that she was pregnant. Since France's Fifth Republic began in 1958, no president has fathered — they've all been men — a child while in office.

On Monday, at the end of a French television interview with Bruni-Sarkozy about her foundation against illiteracy, host Jean-Pierre Pernaud said: "I know you hate talking about your private life, but I want to simply congratulate you."

Bruni-Sarkozy responded with a big smile: "I congratulate you, too!"

From a wealthy family from the Italian city of Turin, Bruni-Sarkozy had a successful career as a model before becoming a singer-songwriter, known for her soulful lyrics and wispy voice. She's also known for her topsy-turvy romantic life, which included relationships with the likes of Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton.

German-Polish border buzzes with commerce and distrust

For Poles and Germans, coming together in the European Unionoffers powerful new hope of healing one of Europe's deepest faultlines. Yet as they ready for the big day, suspicion and prejudice areoften just below the surface.

Against the momentous backdrop of eight former communist countriesjoining the prosperous, democratic European Union on May 1, Poland'sarrival stands out. It's the largest of the newcomers, with 38.2million people, and the country whose invasion by Hitler startedWorld War II.

Yet for all the historic symbolism, it's bread and butter and oldgrievances and stereotypes that often set the tone for now -- Germansfearful Poles will take their jobs for lower pay; Poles worried aboutbeing engulfed by their western neighbor's economic power; Germansstirring Polish suspicions by talking about recovering property theylost when their families were expelled or fled after the war.

Political leaders in Warsaw and Berlin and local officials on bothsides of the border have made big strides in reconciliation sincePoland and the eastern part of Germany shook off communism 15 yearsago. But the troubled relationship dating back centuries makes thenew fears and old resentments hard to overcome.

The figures alone are striking: Germany's per capita GDP is morethan four times bigger than Poland's and its unemployment rate isnearly half of Poland's.

Still, Slubice and its German neighbor, Frankfurt an der Oder,radiate a surface harmony.

Young Germans and Poles study side by side at the ViadrinaEuropean University in Frankfurt, opened in 1991, and at a college inSlubice. Germans stream across the bridge for cheap gas, groceriesand haircuts. Poles go the other way for electronics and fashion.

But whether commerce builds friendship is another question.

"The two groups stand with their backs to each other," said CezaryTrosiak, a professor of Polish studies at the Collegium Polonicum,launched by the EU and run by Polish and German universities."Although thousands of Germans come every day to the Polish side toshop, this doesn't lead to a common community."

It doesn't help that Poland borders east Germany, formerly itsforced ally in the Soviet bloc and now a blighted area of joblessnessand abandoned communist-era factories.

Here the stereotypes fly thick and fast.

"They steal everything, and it's just going to get worse," MaikReimann, an 18-year-old German electronics trainee, said of hisneighbors across the Oder River.

On the other side of the Oder, polls find Germans are viewed morenegatively than people from any other current EU nation.

Hispanics ask U.S. probe of school rehab

Charging that the Board of Education has failed to addressovercrowding, a Hispanic group Sunday demanded a federalinvestigation of a $148.9 million improvement plan for Chicagoschools.

Representatives of the Mexican American Legal Defense andEducational Fund sent a letter to U.S. Attorney Anton Valukasrequesting the investigation because, they said, the board violated afederal consent decree by not giving overcrowded schools top priorityin the improvement plan.

The 1980 Justice Department desegregation decree requires theboard to address overcrowding, said Ruben Castillo, director of thefund's Chicago office.

The plan, to be financed by municipal bonds, calls forrehabilitation of 113 schools. But it provides for added facilitiesat only one overcrowded school, Castillo said.

"We object to the board's decision not to use any of this moneyin a matter which would directly relieve the severe overcrowding inChicago schools that are located in predominantly Hispanicneighborhoods," Castillo said.

Board spokesman Bob Saigh denied overcrowding was not taken intoconsideration and said the organization had a chance to voice itsconcerns at hearings on the plan.

The fund "is either unaware of or deliberately ignoring theboard's efforts where overcrowding is concerned," Saigh said."Overcrowding was addressed in this program and will continue to beaddressed."

Castillo complained that only eight of 56 schools the board hasclassified as overcrowded have been marked for improvements. All 56schools have Hispanic enrollments of at least 54 percent, and manyare using mobile units and busing to relieve the crowding, he said. "For the last five years, the board has indicated that overcrowdedHispanic schools are a top priority, but that there were no fundsavailable to combat the overcrowding," Castillo said.

"Now that the board has found a pot of gold . . . it has failedto use that pot in any way to help the Hispanic community," he said.

Vision for textile development in 2010

The Korean Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy has announced its vision for the development of the textile industry by setting 2010 as the final year of this plan. It estimates the production size to be 51.3 trillion won (1.5 times compared to 1998); domestic demand, 42.3 trillion won (approximately 2 times compared to 1999); and exports, US$25 billion (1.4 times compared to 1999).

In promoting this plan, Korea will accelerate expanding production of Korean original textiles on the basis of the technological development through strengthening of its competitiveness by integrating and increasing the size of the synthetic fiber industry which is facing pressure to restructure. Korean synthetic fiber producers are in red figures because of excessive equipment, and cannot make necessary investment in equipment appropriately. Although long-sightedness is shown by the voluntary will of the industry in principle, polyester filament producers must integrate the number of firms to four so that they can exhibit scale merits. For this reason, Korea intends to review the overall business structure focusing on firms which have been carrying out restructuring by workouts and other measures. At the same time, Korea also intends to cultivate new markets such as those for industrial materials by developing revolutionary technologies.

Previously, Korea used to rely on importing new technologies from advanced countries. The Korean synthetic fiber industry, however, intends to build up the base for its technological development by 2005 so that it can develop new textile materials based on its original technologies by 2010. The industry intends to increase the ratio of sophisticated products, 80% compared to advanced countries now, to more than 90% in 2005 and to a level surpassing advanced countries in 2010.

The Korean textile industry places importance on the development of design for apparel. The industry will shift apparel exports mainly of OEM to sales of brand goods manufactured with original designs, and make efforts for cultivating new markets and promptly meeting changes in the global markets. The level of fashion design is now about 65% compared to advanced countries. The industry intends to enhance this level to about 80% in 2005, and to 90% in 2010. Korea intends to increase textile exports from US$18 billion now by 2.5% each year to US$25 billion.

Expansion of Korean domestic demand is an urgent subject. Because Korea's dependence on exports is too high, the influence of overseas market situations is immediately felt on the Korean textile market situation and makes it unstable. Expansion of Korean domestic demand is urgently needed in order to restrict variations caused by exports and stabilize the domestic market. According to the plan, domestic demand will expand to 42.3 billion won in 2010, double compared to 1999.

Banks trim borrowing from Fed's emergency program

U.S. banks borrowed slightly less from the Federal Reserve's emergency lending program over the past week, a sign credit stresses are easing.

The Fed, in a report issued Thursday, said commercial banks averaged $18.74 billion in daily borrowing over the week that ended Wednesday. That was down from $18.75 billion the previous week.

As financial conditions have improved, banks scaled back their use of the program. They borrowed $110 billion at the height of the credit crisis last year, when banks were having grave troubles getting loans from the private market.

Banks pay interest of just 0.50 percent on the emergency loans. The identities of the banks aren't released.

As another sign of improvement, banks and other institutions have stopped using a separate "commercial paper" program that was created to boost the availability of short-term financing crucial for paying salaries and supplies. At its peak in January, the Fed held almost $350 billion worth of commercial paper.

Banks also have been cutting back on short-term loans drawn from the Fed's "term auction credit" program. Those loans averaged $75.9 billion over the past week, down sharply from $450 billion in early January 2009.

Even with such reductions, the Fed's balance sheet is still $2.2 trillion, which is more than double before the crisis struck.

In addition to its lending programs, the Fed has taken other steps to bolster the economy.

Under one such program, the Fed is on track to buy $1.25 trillion in mortgage securities from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by the end of March. The Fed has bought $909.6 billion so far, according to Thursday's report. That program is one of the reasons why the Fed's balance sheet has remained bloated.

That program is aimed at driving down mortgage rates and shoring up the housing market. Although mortgage rates had fallen, they've creeped up in the last four weeks. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage averaged 5.14 percent this week, up from 5.05 percent last week, mortgage company Freddie Mac reported Thursday.

Review: `Green Day: Rock Band' may leave you jaded

Only a few bands have catalogs deep and versatile enough to carry their own version of "Rock Band." The Beatles? They've already pulled it off. Beyond the Fab Four, it's a short list: the Rolling Stones, the Who, maybe Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin.

Green Day? Not so much.

And this is a band I like a lot _ far more than Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen, the acts that have anchored "Guitar Hero" editions. The problem is that despite Green Day's ambitions and accomplishments, there's not much variety in its set list. You have your fast, punky songs and your slow, melancholy ballads, but a sort of sameness settles in after a few hours of "Green Day: Rock Band" (MTV Games, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, $59.99; Wii, $49.99).

That becomes more apparent when you play the career mode.

Developer Harmonix pulled out all the stops when it came to the Beatles, producing elaborate, psychedelic animations for the songs. Green Day, however, gets just three venues to play in: a club called The Warehouse, the National Bowl in Milton Keynes, England, and the Fox Theater in Oakland, Calif.

The disc has 47 songs, including every track from 1994's "Dookie" and 2004's "American Idiot." There's a smattering of singles from the period between those two landmarks, including "Brain Stew/Jaded," "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" and "Minority." And there's about half of last year's "21st Century Breakdown" _ if you want the rest, you have to pay to download it.

And that's ... well, infuriating. If you're paying $60 for "Green Day: Rock Band," the publisher ought to throw in those extra six tracks for nothing extra. And if you want to transfer the songs on the Green Day disc to your hard drive (so you can play them in other "Rock Band" games), you have to fork over another $10. You get those things free on the $70 "Green Day: Rock Band Plus" edition, but it feels like MTV is nickel-and-diming its loyal audience.

Some of the songs here _ pop-punk gems like "Hitchin' a Ride" and "Holiday" _ will make it into my regular "Rock Band" rotation. Almost all of them are fun to play, even if just once, and if you're a Green Day fan, this is an essential purchase. With "Rock Band 3" right around the corner, though, casual admirers of the threesome aren't likely to get $60 worth of fun out of this edition. Two stars out of four.

___

Online:

http://www.greendayrockband.com/

Beshear easily re-elected as Ky. governor

Voters re-elected Kentucky's Democratic governor Tuesday and picked a new governor in Mississippi, casting ballots that could foreshadow the public's political mood just two months ahead of the first presidential primary and nearly four years into the worst economic slowdown since the Depression.

A wide range of ballot measures was also being decided, including a hotly debated proposal to restore the bargaining rights of Ohio public employees and a Mississippi referendum on whether to define life as beginning at conception. Supporters of the Mississippi measure hope to use it to mount a legal attack on Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that established the right to abortion.

In both governors' races, the offices were expected to stay in the hands of incumbent parties, suggesting voters are not ready to abandon their loyalties, despite the nation's economic woes. Still, the contests were being closely watched for any hints going into 2012, when 10 states will elect governors.

Faced with deep budget gaps and tea-party pressure to curb spending, Republican governors around the country have sought union-limiting measures throughout the year. In Ohio, voters will decide whether to repeal a new law severely limiting the bargaining rights of more than 350,000 teachers, firefighters, police officers and other public employees.

Recent polls suggested the repeal movement would succeed. The disputed law permits workers to negotiate wages but not pensions or health care benefits, and it bans public-worker strikes, scraps binding arbitration and eliminates annual raises for teachers.

The outcome will no doubt be watched by presidential candidates as a gauge of the Ohio electorate, which is seen as a bellwether. No Republican has won the White House without Ohio, and only two Democrats have done so in more than a century.

Also on the Ohio ballot was a proposal to prohibit people from being required to buy health insurance as part of the national health care overhaul. A vote against the health care law would be mostly symbolic, but Republicans hope to use the outcome as part of a legal challenge.

The governors' races were of keen interest to both parties, since governors can marshal get-out-the-vote efforts crucial to any White House candidate. The first presidential primary is Jan. 10 in New Hampshire.

In Kentucky, Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear was easily re-elected despite high unemployment, budget shortfalls and an onslaught of third-party attack ads. With half of precincts reporting, he had 58 percent of the vote.

In Mississippi, Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant appeared poised to keep the governor's mansion in GOP hands, succeeding Haley Barbour, who toyed with a run for president. Bryant faced Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny Dupree, the first black major-party nominee for governor in Mississippi.

The Mississippi measure that would define life as beginning at conception was given a decent chance of approval. Passage would be the first victory in the country for the so-called personhood movement, which aims to make abortion all but illegal. Similar attempts have failed in Colorado and are under way elsewhere.

In Arizona, state Sen. Russell Pearce, architect of the tough immigration law that put the state at the forefront of the national debate, faced a recall attempt led by a fellow Republican. But Pearce held a 3-to-1 fundraising advantage.

Other votes of note:

— In Kentucky, comic-turned-politician Robert Farmer upset some with his hillbilly jokes but hoped to ride name recognition to a new job as agriculture commissioner. In Ohio, politically incorrect comedian Drew Hastings, a "Comedy Central" fixture, ran for mayor of tiny Hillsboro.

— In Maine, voters decided whether to repeal a new state law that requires voters to register at least two days before an election. Repeal would effectively restore Election Day voter registration, which had been available for nearly four decades. Maine voters also decided whether to allow casinos in certain communities.

— In Philadelphia, Democratic Mayor Michael Nutter was expected to win re-election easily.

— Washington state voters decided whether to end the state-run liquor system and allow large stores to sell alcohol. The effort has been bankrolled by giant retailer Costco, which spent more than $22 million, making it the costliest initiative in Washington history.

— Oregon held a special primary to replace Democratic Rep. David Wu, who resigned in August after being accused of an unwanted sexual encounter with an 18-year-old woman. Wu was the fourth member of Congress to quit this year in a sex scandal.

— Hundreds of cities held mayoral races, including some of the nation's largest. In San Francisco, interim Mayor Ed Lee could become the city's first elected Asian-American leader. A former city administrator, he was named to the interim job in January, when then-Mayor Gavin Newsom became lieutenant governor.

___

Associated Press Writer Andrew Welsh-Huggins in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report.

Britain: Time to Press Iran to Free 15

LONDON - Prime Minister Tony Blair said Wednesday it was time to increase the pressure on Iran to release 15 Royal Navy personnel who were detained last week.

"There was no justification whatever ... for their detention, it was completely unacceptable, wrong and illegal," Blair told the House of Commons, shortly after the Ministry of Defense released satellite data that it said proved the crew was in Iraqi waters.

"We had hoped to see their immediate release; this has not happened. It is now time to ratchet up the diplomatic and international pressure in order to make sure the Iranian government understands its total isolation on this issue," Blair said.

He said …

Rugby Union: Thin the mood; WELSH RUGBY TOUR SPECIAL TIGER DARREN IS ROARING TO GO.(Sport)

Byline: DAVID WILLIAMS

DARREN MORRIS is ready to put the bite back into the Welsh pack after revealing how he lost the puppy fat that made him a stray under Steve Hansen.

Former Wales coach Hansen ignored Morris during his two-and-a-half year reign after making a very public judgment that the prop who loved a Chinese takeaway was two stones overweight.

But now a slimmed-down Morris - 21lb lighter at 18st - is back and likely to become a key member of the Wales pack under new coach Mike Ruddock. The forward who went to Australia with the 2001 Lions is off to Argentina and South Africa when Wales fly out for three gruelling Tests in 11 days' time.

Morris, 29, admits: "I've spent nearly three years in the international wilderness and it could have been the end of me. But I never gave up hope - and the turning point was getting out of Wales and joining Leicester.

"It's a club where you are pushed to the very limit, but you are also given a lot of encouragement. At the end of the day, if you don't shape up at Leicester you are shipped out. I've worked hard there and they've been very happy with my fitness and conditioning."

Always seen as a reluctant trainer in Wales but a huge natural talent, Morris fell out of favour under Hansen when the hard-line Kiwi introduced rigorous fitness testing.

The former Swansea player - who used to be known as Chi Chi after the giant panda - was told to cut down on the bamboo shoots and whatever else he was eating. But the instructions coincided with the chaotic disintegration of his club and when they lurched into administration he found himself looking for new employers.

He said: "I went to Leicester because they are a great club and because I needed to get out of the goldfish bowl of Welsh rugby. It was a fresh start for me with the slate wiped clean. It turned out to be the best move I could have made.

"I always knew if I could get into the Leicester side and play well I might be given another chance with Wales when the time was right. You look at people like Gareth Llewellyn, and Jason Leonard with England, and you realise that players can stay fit and fighting for selection for a long time.

"It was a case of being patient, putting in the performances, and hoping the call would come again. Mike Ruddock is a coach I know well and this tour is now a great opportunity for me."

But Ruddock's selection of Morris is more than purely an indication that the tight-head prop has gone from flabby tabby to lean and hungry Tiger.

His call-up represents a change in emphasis for Wales when it comes to possessing forward fire-power - especially in the scrum. Hansen saw the scrum only as a means of re-starting play and went for props who could run all day, but who lacked the brute strength and size for the regular grunt and grind of shoving the opposition around.

As a result, a feature of Wales during the recent Six Nations was a scrum that often went into reverse gear.

Ruddock has an entirely different view and wants the Welsh scrum to be a weapon - especially on tour to Argentina and South Africa, countries that worship scrummaging props in the way Wales pay homage to outside-halves.

For that policy to work, Ruddock knows he needs a big lump at No.3, the position that takes the strain more than any other when 16 men push to the limit.

"Darren can play on both sides of the scrum but I see him as a tight-head because I want someone who can anchor our scrum when it comes under pressure," says Ruddock.

"The loose-head needs to be quicker because he breaks from the scrum sooner and gets to the next phase of play. The tight-head is your rock and the main job I am looking for from Darren is to stabilise the scrum, make sure we get our angles right, that we pressurise the opposition, and that we are not going backwards.

"Darren has been scrummaging superbly for Leicester and I want him to make sure we front up in that area.

"A lot's been said about him in the past, but there is no doubt he has worked hard because there is no hiding place at a club like Leicester."

Morris, who has 15 caps, actually toured South Africa back in 1998 as a 23-year-old when he was with Neath.

But he adds: "There are so many new faces in the squad I feel like the new boy. At 29, I've been reborn."

CAPTION(S):

FIRST AGAIN: Last week's story; FLASHBACK: Morris before he lost the pounds

Rugby Union: Thin the mood; WELSH RUGBY TOUR SPECIAL TIGER DARREN IS ROARING TO GO.(Sport)

Byline: DAVID WILLIAMS

DARREN MORRIS is ready to put the bite back into the Welsh pack after revealing how he lost the puppy fat that made him a stray under Steve Hansen.

Former Wales coach Hansen ignored Morris during his two-and-a-half year reign after making a very public judgment that the prop who loved a Chinese takeaway was two stones overweight.

But now a slimmed-down Morris - 21lb lighter at 18st - is back and likely to become a key member of the Wales pack under new coach Mike Ruddock. The forward who went to Australia with the 2001 Lions is off to Argentina and South Africa when Wales fly out for three gruelling Tests in 11 days' time.

Morris, 29, admits: "I've spent nearly three years in the international wilderness and it could have been the end of me. But I never gave up hope - and the turning point was getting out of Wales and joining Leicester.

"It's a club where you are pushed to the very limit, but you are also given a lot of encouragement. At the end of the day, if you don't shape up at Leicester you are shipped out. I've worked hard there and they've been very happy with my fitness and conditioning."

Always seen as a reluctant trainer in Wales but a huge natural talent, Morris fell out of favour under Hansen when the hard-line Kiwi introduced rigorous fitness testing.

The former Swansea player - who used to be known as Chi Chi after the giant panda - was told to cut down on the bamboo shoots and whatever else he was eating. But the instructions coincided with the chaotic disintegration of his club and when they lurched into administration he found himself looking for new employers.

He said: "I went to Leicester because they are a great club and because I needed to get out of the goldfish bowl of Welsh rugby. It was a fresh start for me with the slate wiped clean. It turned out to be the best move I could have made.

"I always knew if I could get into the Leicester side and play well I might be given another chance with Wales when the time was right. You look at people like Gareth Llewellyn, and Jason Leonard with England, and you realise that players can stay fit and fighting for selection for a long time.

"It was a case of being patient, putting in the performances, and hoping the call would come again. Mike Ruddock is a coach I know well and this tour is now a great opportunity for me."

But Ruddock's selection of Morris is more than purely an indication that the tight-head prop has gone from flabby tabby to lean and hungry Tiger.

His call-up represents a change in emphasis for Wales when it comes to possessing forward fire-power - especially in the scrum. Hansen saw the scrum only as a means of re-starting play and went for props who could run all day, but who lacked the brute strength and size for the regular grunt and grind of shoving the opposition around.

As a result, a feature of Wales during the recent Six Nations was a scrum that often went into reverse gear.

Ruddock has an entirely different view and wants the Welsh scrum to be a weapon - especially on tour to Argentina and South Africa, countries that worship scrummaging props in the way Wales pay homage to outside-halves.

For that policy to work, Ruddock knows he needs a big lump at No.3, the position that takes the strain more than any other when 16 men push to the limit.

"Darren can play on both sides of the scrum but I see him as a tight-head because I want someone who can anchor our scrum when it comes under pressure," says Ruddock.

"The loose-head needs to be quicker because he breaks from the scrum sooner and gets to the next phase of play. The tight-head is your rock and the main job I am looking for from Darren is to stabilise the scrum, make sure we get our angles right, that we pressurise the opposition, and that we are not going backwards.

"Darren has been scrummaging superbly for Leicester and I want him to make sure we front up in that area.

"A lot's been said about him in the past, but there is no doubt he has worked hard because there is no hiding place at a club like Leicester."

Morris, who has 15 caps, actually toured South Africa back in 1998 as a 23-year-old when he was with Neath.

But he adds: "There are so many new faces in the squad I feel like the new boy. At 29, I've been reborn."

CAPTION(S):

FIRST AGAIN: Last week's story; FLASHBACK: Morris before he lost the pounds

Digital Gene to use Accelrys' bioinformatics system.(Digital Gene Technologies Inc.)

Accelrys (San Diego, CA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Pharmacopeia, Inc. (Princeton, NJ), announced that Digital Gene Technologies, Inc. has chosen DS SeqStore as a key component of its bioinformatics infrastructure. DS SeqStore is a complete, Oracle based enterprise solution for managing, analyzing, and visualizing genomic and proteomic sequence data. DS SeqStore will allow Digital Gene to deploy data and information more effectively to its pharmaceutical and biotechnology customers.

"When we evaluated data management solution providers, we found Accelrys to be the most cognizant of our customers' data management requirements," said Dr. Brian Hilbush, Vice …

Ann Roche Casual Furniture expands.(Company overview)

Staff

Vermont view exceeds its borders

It is evident Ann Roche, president and co-owner of Ann Roche Casual Furniture in Shelburne, Vt., has taken her business to the next level.

Nearly three decades ago, while raising her six children, Roche began the casual furniture journey. With her natural selling ability, her knack for design and her husband Paul's expertise in accounting/finance, a new business was created when Roche began selling furniture from the garage of their Vermont home, never anticipating the company would grow into a million dollar enterprise.

Over the years Roche vacated various retail spaces, and in 1994 gave ARCF a home that would remain for the next 14 years. Satisfied with all aspects of the building except its size, co-owner …

THIS LESSON IN POLITICS STARTS AT THE TOP.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: BENJAMIN B. AMES Special to the Times Union -

Clifton Park The 25 students in Donna Lynch's government class at Shenendehowa High School know a bureaucracy when they see one.

Last month they complained to school officials about conditions in their classroom, which they described as a termite-infested, rickety trailer. Installed in 1988 to hold some of the overflow from the high school's 2,100 students, it has long since outlived its glory days.

But their teacher in government class couldn't be happier.

``I believe that the best way for them to learn is to do,'' she said. ``We start by looking at school issues because that's what …

Federal judges refuse to delay Calif prison ruling

A special judicial panel denied a motion Thursday by the Schwarzenegger administration that sought to delay an order requiring California to reduce its prison population.

The panel of three federal judges scolded the administration for seeking the delay. The judges have ordered the state to reduce its inmate population by 40,000 inmates over two years. That's about a quarter of all inmates housed in California's 33 adult prisons.

"This court has been more than patient with the state and its officials" in waiting for California to reduce overcrowding to improve medical and mental health care for inmates, the judges said in a five-page ruling. …

Daley Plaza rally to salute Cubs

Defender Staff Report

A noon rally will be held today in Daley Plaza today to honor the National League Central Division chanson Cubs. The North Siders captured their first division title in four years Friday night in Cincinnati.

The rally, sponsored by Major League Baseball, will feature Mayor Richard Daley and Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. In addition, former Cubs Bury Williams, Andy Pafko, Tim Stoddard, Mickey Morandini and Doug Glanville are expected to be on hand for the celebration.

A life-long White Sox fen, Daley urged all Chicagoans to root for the Cubs as they begin their quest for their first World title in 99 years.

"We're all Chicago fans, and …

Appianet Re-Launches Web Site.(Brief Article)

PARIS--The Art Licensing company Appianet, which specializes in the licensing of images for art-derivative products, has re-launched its Web site at www.appianet.com.

Appianet offers more than 4,000 art images for licensing on various products, such as derivative products, advertising campaigns and press article illustrations. Appianet represents more than 100 living contemporary artists and promotes their art to international license-based industries from art publishing and stationery to textile, home decor and advertising.

Appianet.com is comprised of three elements. Content includes an interactive, searchable catalog featuring more than 4,000 artworks …

DEMOCRATS LINE UP FOR LULUS.(Main)

"To the victor belong the spoils," New York Governor and U.S. Senator William Learned Marcy famously said in 1832.

It's a lesson Democrats are learning: as they ascend into the Senate majority, so too, have their positions of power and paychecks.

Democrats now occupy Senate's many leadership positions and committee chairmanships, replacing the Republicans who were in power all but one of the last 70 years.

The positions come with stipends -- popularly known as "lulus" -- that augment the senators' base legislative salary of $79,500.

Minority leadership positions also come with lulus, but they are less than those of the majority, ranging …

A CAPITAL DILEMMA.(PERSPECTIVE)(Editorial)

The mere sight of Keshon Everett, the federal felon accused of murdering the beloved Albany police Lt. John Finn in a gunfight that followed a South End convenience store robbery, in court last week was the inevitable occasion when the emotionally wrenching debate about the death penalty got that much harder.

The argument is made already that if anyone ever deserved to be executed, as is again permitted under state law, it's Mr. Everett. He's accused of killing Lt. Finn in a senseless burst of gunfire that's been portrayed on this very page as a crime against the dignity of an entire city. Maura McNulty-Finn and her two young daughters were robbed of a husband and …

NORWEGIANS FINISH 1-2 IN 15K EVENT.(Sports)

Byline: Associated Press

Bjorn Dahlie's strategy was simple in the men's 15-kilometer cross-country race at the Winter Olympics - burst from the gate and ski for gold.

"I could have skied a conservative race and started slowly, but I thought that I'd go all out from the start," Dahlie said Saturday after winning the freestyle event, the second leg of the combined pursuit. "For me, it was gold or nothing today."

In women's competition, Lyubov Egorova of the Unified Team became a double Olympic champion, claiming an easy victory in the pursuit finale, a 10K freestyle.

Dahlie, the world's premier freestyle skier, led a 1-2 Norwegian medal …

Mills goes 7 innings, Blue Jays beat Orioles 5-0

Rookie left-hander Brad Mills pitched seven innings for his first major league win, Lyle Overbay hit a three-run homer and the Blue Jays beat the Orioles 5-0 on Wednesday night, Toronto's 12th consecutive win over Baltimore.

Adam Lind went 3 for 3 with an RBI and an intentional walk for the Blue Jays, who have won five of six.

Toronto, which faces Baltimore six more …

Bellucci ends partnership with coach Larri Passos

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's top-ranked tennis player Thomaz Bellucci has ended his partnership with Gustavo Kuerten's former coach Larri Passos.

Bellucci says they reached an agreement to part ways after a series of disappointing results. Passos was Kuerten's coach when the Brazilian won three …

Meriva sales begin in May.(News)(Brief Article)

Byline: Dorothee Ostle

Opel's product-led turnaround will get another boost when the new Meriva arrives in dealerships on May 7.

Order books opened in March and the [euro]14,000 small minivan is already attracting interest from customers, said Opel Chairman Carl-Peter Forster.

The Meriva is the first example of Opel's new component strategy - as opposed to platform strategy. Only 20 percent of the parts used for the Meriva are common with other Opel vehicles. But those common components are the most expensive to develop, such as engines, drivetrain, axles and electronic architecture.

Opel is aiming the Meriva at female buyers and families …

Saudi Radio hosts talk show on education.

Byline: Hussam Al-Mayman

(Category: Kingdom)

RIYADH: Saudi Radio hosted yesterday members of the US Embassy's Education Advising Office to speak on topics and programs to be discussed during International Education Week 2008, which begins tomorrow.

Karen Bauer, education adviser, and Hannah Draper, vice consul for education, were invited on the show to discuss the resources and services they provide. They also provided listeners with details of scheduled events for the week.

The week, a joint initiative of the US departments of State and Education, is part of the US efforts to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global …

COULD FRED LEBRUN DEFINE CRUEL, INHUMANE?(MAIN)

Byline: NICK PASCUCCI Kinderhook

Who is this Fred LeBrun? This person who states ``there is nothing wrong with trapping, not morally or otherwise. Properly practiced, it is neither cruel nor inhumane.'' What moral and ethical …

No registration required.(Inside Politics)

North Dakota is the only state that does not require voter registration. And folks there see no reason to change that, thank you very much.

"What we have presently works quite well," said Secretary of State Al Jaeger (R). "Nobody's ever been prosecuted for voter fraud that I know of. There's still a level of familiarity at the polls when you come in."

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

That's not hard to believe in North Dakota, a Great Plains state with 640,000 inhabitants--the fourth smallest population in the country. Workers at the 666 polling sites could indeed know or at least recognize the voters coming in. The only time trouble arises, Jaeger said, is …

Edwards Presses on With 2008 Campaign

WASHINGTON - Democrat John Edwards said Thursday that his presidential campaign "goes on strongly" in the face of a repeat cancer diagnosis for his wife, Elizabeth, a somber development that thrust his White House bid into uncharted territory.

The couple revealed that Elizabeth Edwards' breast cancer had spread to her bone during a news conference designed to reassure the public about the prognosis for her health and his candidacy.

"The bottom line is, her cancer is back," said John Edwards, the 2004 vice presidential nominee and former senator, at a news conference in their hometown of Chapel Hill, N.C. "We are very optimistic about this, because having been through some …

German Federal Press Office deploys Dimetis BOSS STREAM Recorder.(Brief article)

The German Federal Press Office has deployed the Dimetis BOSS STREAM Recorder for the documentation of regular news, political magazines and other politically relevant television programs.

Broadcast signals can be recorded continuously and retrieved on demand as ASI/IP stream, data or DVD. ETSI TR 101 …

HUGE INCOME GAP IS BAD FOR AMERICA BY STEVEN RATTNER.(MAIN)

The litany of well-founded complaints about the latest tax legislation seems endless. More complications for a tax code both parties profess to want to simplify. New frontiers in using gimmickry to hide the legislation's true cost. Questionable usefulness in sparking our economy. And another enormous hit to our horrifying long-term fiscal outlook.

Add to this list one more pernicious aspect of the U.S. economy now made worse: the huge gap in income among Americans, the widest of any major country and not getting noticeably better.

According to a Federal Reserve study this year, pretax family incomes of the top 10 percent grew by 19.3 percent between 1998 and 2001 after inflation, compared with 11.9 percent for the rest of Americans. Last fall the Census Bureau found that by any of five sophisticated measures, the gap in incomes has continued to widen.

Most discussions of income …