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Churchill's half-smoked cigar sold at auction Wed Jul 12, 11:21 AM ET
LONDON (AFP) - A half-smoked cigar enjoyed by Sir Winston Churchill, Britain's war-time prime minister, was sold at auction for 365 pounds (670 dollars, 527 euros).
Churchill had been puffing on the cigar when he arrived for a meeting in Blackpool, north-west England, on October 14, 1950, when he was leader of the Conservative Party in opposition, auctioneers Outhwaite and Litherland said.
Upon being told he would not be able to smoke in the ballroom where he was due to give a speech, the politician stubbed out the cigar and handed it to a special constable standing next to him.
The policeman kept the cigar as a souvenir and it stayed in the family until his relatives decided to put it up for auction.
The burnt remains were snapped up by a private collector at the sale in Liverpool, northern England.
Churchill's fondness for cigars has been well documented. He was typically caricatured with one hanging out of his mouth.
In 1947 the Romeo y Julieta cigar company in Cuba, where Churchill smoked his first cigar in 1895, named one of their cigars in his honour.
Last year a cigar case said to have belonged to the former prime minister sold for 8,700 pounds.
Churchill served as prime minister from May 1940 until July 1945, and again from October 1951 until April 1955.
Man, 83, is oldest pro baseball player 1 hour, 36 minutes ago
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - No one in the bleachers at the Sioux Falls Canaries game was quite sure what was going on down on the field. They were all quiet, wondering and transfixed on the little old man digging into the batters' box.
The infielders moved up on the grass, giggling, and pitcher looked as uncomfortable as anyone else would have felt.
But to 83-year-old Jim Eriotes, it was serious business.
Eriotes led off Tuesday's game for the Canaries against the St. Joe (Mo.) Blacksnakes and took four big swings — even fouling a pitch off — before striking out.
The at-bat made Eriotes the oldest man to ever play professional baseball. It was his only at-bat in the game.
The record didn't mean much to the Chicago native and former minor leaguer.
"I don't give a damn about that stuff," he said, bothered by his failure to reach base. "If I got a couple more at-bats, I'd get a hit. Easy."
He wasn't kidding.
Eriotes said he had hit pitches thrown harder than the 83-mph fastball he whiffed against Blacksnakes starter Jesen Merle.
He has appeared on the "Today" show and said he has hit pitches near 100 mph — although they were hurled by a pitching machine.
He did admit that stepping into the box with a professional on the mound is a different story.
"He wasn't throwing that hard," he said. "I fouled one off. You can be the best hitter in the world and you might not get a hit if you only get one chance. But it was a great opportunity. It was cool."
Spectators Derek Johnson, 27, already had bought his ticket for the game before knowing about Eriotes. But he said he made sure to arrive on time after hearing about the 83-year-old.
"I could not believe he actually got a piece of one. That's better than I could do," he said.
But Johnson's friend Dean Faynor thought the gimmick was excessive.
"I don't know, man, a real game? That's kind of bush," he said.
Former major leaguer Chad Hermansen made sure the Canaries won. Ralph Santana singled and stole second after Eriotes' at-bat, and Hermansen quickly followed with a two-run homer. He later added a double and another homer as the Canaries defeated the Blacksnakes, 5-3.
Hermansen got a good laugh out of his new, and now former, teammate.
"We didn't really know what to expect until we saw him hanging out in the dugout," Hermansen said. "As long as it didn't affect the game, I guess."
But don't expect to see Eriotes in any senior leagues. He's only interested in facing the best.
"Guys my age, it's no challenge," he said. "They're throwing like, what, 40, 50 mph? I'd rather hit pitches that are 90 mph and feel good about myself. If I could just get four at-bats in the majors, I could get a hit."
video
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/news;_ylt=ArtBmwXFPs8ViuhE8XRIrF4uQE4F;_ylu=X3oDMTBhNXIwMGFqBHNlYwN2...
lol. Fords for Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards and a Yugo for Phil.
lol. Getting in shape for Roush Racing. Never seen Phil so cheerful.
Phil would only want to drive with the best.
And that would be with Jack Roush and one of his FORDS.
Nations sending Iran to Security Council By ANNE GEARAN, AP Diplomatic Writer
21 minutes ago
PARIS - World powers agreed Wednesday to send Iran back to the United Nations Security Council for possible punishment, saying the clerical regime has given no sign it means to negotiate seriously over its disputed nuclear program.
The United States and other permanent members of the powerful U.N. body said Iran has had long enough to say whether it will meet the world's terms to open bargaining that would give Tehran economic and energy incentives in exchange for giving up suspicious activities.
"The Iranians have given no indication at all that they are ready to engage seriously on the substance of our proposals," French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said on behalf the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China, the five permanent Security Council members, plus Germany and the European Union.
Expressing "profound disappointment," the ministers said, "we have no choice but to return to the United Nations Security Council" and resume a course of possible punishment or coercion that the powers had set aside in hopes of reaching a deal.
Any real punishment or coercion at the Security Council is a long way off, but the group said it will seek an initial resolution requiring Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment. Debate could begin as soon as next week.
If Iran does not comply, the group said it would then seek harsher action. The group's short statement did not give any specifics, but it cited a section of the world body's charter that could open the door to economic or other sanctions.
Though Russia and China signed on to Wednesday's statement, the two traditional commercial partners of Iran have previously stated their opposition to imposing the toughest of sanctions on Tehran.
Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns, the Bush administration's chief negotiator on the Iran issue, said the United States is pleased by what it called strong action by the Security Council group.
"This is a significant decision that frankly reflects the disappointment and frustration of our countries over the lack of a serious response."
The group said it could stop the Security Council actions at any time should Iran cooperate. The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency has already told Iran it must put uranium enrichment and related disputed activities on hold, and doing so is the condition for opening negotiations on the incentives package presented to Iran last month.
If Iran agrees to the group's terms for negotiations, it would mean the first high-level face-to-face talks between the United States and Iran after more than a quarter century of estrangement.
Iran ruled out responding this week to international incentives to suspend disputed portions of its nuclear program. The United States and other nations wanted an answer by Wednesday on whether Iran would meet terms to begin negotiations on a package of economic and energy incentives for Iran in exchange for at least the short-term end to Tehran's rapidly advancing program to enrich uranium.
"The indications are that Iran's response has been disappointing and incomplete," Rice had reporters aboard her flight here.
Iran repeatedly has said it will not respond to the offer before August.
The six countries had been pushing for an agreement before world leaders meet this weekend in Russia for the Group of Eight summit of leading industrial democracies.
Enrichment can produce fuel for a civilian reactor or fissile material for a bomb. The U.S. and its allies suspect Iran's nuclear program is cover for a weapons program, despite Tehran's repeated denials.
"If we go to the Security Council we'll take our time in terms of putting together the best response," to make sure Iran understands that it cannot continue to pursue enrichment while talks are ongoing, and that it also understands it can still choose to bargain, Rice said.
The Security Council would also make clear the consequences of rejecting the deal, Rice said.
Rookie review
By Bob Margolis, Yahoo! Sports
July 11, 2006
With just eight races remaining until the start of the Chase and at the mathematical midpoint of the entire 36-race schedule, the highly touted 2006 Nextel Cup rookie class is performing as expected.
However, the preseason favorite to win the Raybestos Rookie of the Year title, Martin Truex Jr., has struggled and currently ranks fourth in the rookie standings.
Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin, who started the season shocking everyone by winning the first race of the year (the non-points Bud Shootout) against some of the best drivers in the series, has taken a healthy 22-point lead in the rookie points chase.
The Rookie of the Year award is given to the driver that leads the rookie points after the season and after input by a panel of NASCAR officials (including defending Cup champion Tony Stewart), who award points based on other criteria.
Here's how the rookies break down:
Hamlin
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Denny Hamlin
Wins: One (Pocono)
Poles: One (Pocono)
Best Finish: First (Pocono and non-points Bud Shootout); three top-fives, six top-10s
Current points standing: 12th
Rookie points: First (202 points)
Skinny: Hamlin has made the jump from racing late model stock cars just two years ago to running with the big dogs of NASCAR on a weekly basis about as successfully as his teammate Stewart did.
The baby-faced 25-year-old Chesterfield, Va., native has shown the poise and skills of a veteran driver all season long. To his credit, he's been able to learn one of the more important traits necessary to be successful as a Nextel Cup driver – patience. It has helped him bring home race cars that otherwise might have ended up in the wall.
He still has a shot at making the Chase, but as the season winds down toward the last non-Chase event in Richmond, it's only going to get tougher for him to make a move into that top 10. Hamlin will need some help getting into that select group. Grade: A+ … Outstanding student. A pleasure to have in class.
Bowyer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Clint Bowyer
Wins: None
Poles: None
Best Finish: Fifth (Phoenix); one top-five, five top-10s
Current points standing: 16th
Rookie points: Second (178 points)
Skinny: Bowyer battled down to the wire last season with Truex Jr. for the Busch Series title (which Truex won) and in the process showed he definitely has got the right stuff for the Cup series.
This season, he has been the beneficiary of having two ultra-hot teammates in a resurgent Jeff Burton and current Busch Series points leader Kevin Harvick. Both are in the top 10 in Cup points.
Bowyer at times has shown he's not the best when dealing with a bad race car, something he eventually will get better at. He's been a fast learner and he also has led some races this year, which helps his confidence. A win isn't out of the question this season, but more top-10 finishes would be just as welcome to his team. Grade: B+ … A fast learner. Always turns in assignments on time.
Sorenson
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Reed Sorenson
Wins: None
Poles: None
Best Finish: Fifth (Michigan); one top-five, four top-10s
Current points standing: 21st
Rookie points: Third (166 points)
Skinny: Sorenson had a tremendous 2005 season in the Busch Series in winning two races and two poles – a performance that opened the door for him to move up into the Cup ranks with Chip Ganassi.
As expected, Sorenson is doing just about as well as the rest of Ganassi's Cup teams, which on most weekends is mediocre. If he has one weakness, it is his tendency to become impatient, which is expected from a young (he's just 20) driver.
Nevertheless, Sorenson is getting plenty of seat time this year, running in both the Busch and Cup series. If Ganassi's teams don't get better in another year or two, Sorenson will have plenty of laps under his belt and will be a prime candidate for a better ride. Grade: B - … Needs to be more creative.
Truex
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Martin Truex Jr.
Wins: None
Poles: None
Best Finish: Eighth (Texas) no top-fives, one top-10
Current points standing: 22nd
Rookie points: Fourth (153 points)
Skinny: After winning back-to-back Busch Series titles, the world expected Truex to rise to the top of the Cup Series right out of the box.
But that hasn't happened, and for good reason. His team is brand new to the Cup Series this year, moving up with Truex from the Busch ranks. They've had an extremely steep learning curve, despite having a successful DEI teammate in Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Truex has shown consistency every weekend and can usually be counted on finishing in the top 20. Truex and Co. will improve dramatically when visiting race tracks the second time around, but a top-15 points finish is about the best they can hope for in their freshman year. Grade: B - … A pleasure to have in class.
Yeley
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. J.J. Yeley
Wins: None
Poles: None
Best Finish: Fifth (Non-points Nextel Open; finished eighth at Fontana); no top-fives, two top-10s
Current points standing: 27th
Rookie points: Fifth (149 points)
Skinny: Yeley's success this year has been the antithesis of Truex's season. After watching Yeley struggle last season in a Cup car, many expected he wouldn't make it through the year.
His pairing with veteran crew chief Steve Addington has been a stroke of genius, giving Yeley the kind of tutelage he needs to succeed. Addington's leadership style of "small steps" has let Yeley learn at his own pace while moving the program forward.
The former sprint car champion's one weakness is his car control. He's fast, but he also has been involved in several incidents after finding himself in situations he hasn't learned how to get out of – yet. Grade: B+ … Shows consistent effort.
Stremme
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. David Stremme
Wins: None (well, one ARCA race)
Poles: None
Best Finish: Sixth (Non-points Nextel Open; finished 16th in Pepsi 400); no top-fives, no top-10s)
Current points standing: 36th
Rookie points: Sixth (121 points)
Skinny: Stremme is the perfect example of nice guys finishing last, which is pretty much where the Indiana-born Stremme usually finishes. Nearly everyone questioned team owner Ganassi's decision to bring Stremme into the Cup Series, citing his lack of experience and his less-than-stellar track record. Ganassi has proved them right.
Apart from a victory in June in an ARCA race at Michigan, Stremme's season has been a forgetful one, and there's no reason to believe it will change by season's end.
The jury is still out on whether Stremme belongs in a Cup car or even in a NASCAR ride at all. Given the lack of up-and-coming young talent ready for a Busch or Cup ride these days, Stremme does have some job security for the time being. Grade: D - … Consistently fails to complete his assignments.
Sherman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Brent Sherman
Wins: None
Poles: None
Best Finish: 21st (Daytona 500); no top-fives, no top-10s
Current points standing: 43rd
Rookie points: Seventh (41)
Skinny: Sherman came to the Cup Series this season with very little racing experience but a large wallet – large enough to buy him a ride with BAM Racing.
Although his heart was in it – you'll have to search hard to find another driver with the kind of passion for racing that Sherman has – there was something missing: experience behind the wheel.
Sherman became a moving chicane in nearly every race he competed in for BAM, in part due to the poorly prepared cars team owner Beth Ann Morgenthau gave him for his (father's) money.
Sherman left BAM in April and now is competing under the Sherman Racing banner in the ARCA Re/Max Series, where Sherman got most of his stock car experience. He also is expected to attempt to qualify for selected Nextel Cup races during the remainder of 2006. Grade: Incomplete.
Veteran motorsports writer Bob Margolis is Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR reporter. Send Bob a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.
A couple recently celebrated their golden wedding anniversary here at our ranch. Their domestic tranquility had long been the talk of our parish - 'What a peaceful & loving couple'.
One of the guests inquired as to the secret of their long and happy marriage. 'Well, it dates back to our honeymoon,' explained the husband. 'We visited the Grand Canyon in Arizona and took a trip down to the bottom of the canyon by horse. We hadn't gone too far when my wife's horse stumbled and she almost fell off. My wife looked down at the horse >and quietly said - That's once.'
'We proceeded a little further and the horse stumbled again, this time causing her to drop her water. Once more my wife quietly said - That's twice.'
We hadn't gone a half-mile when the horse stumbled for a third time. My wife quietly removed a revolver from her purse and shot the horse dead. I shouted at her - 'What's wrong with you, woman!? Why did you shoot the poor animal like that? Are you crazy?'
She looked at me, and quietly said - That's once.'
And from that moment >on we have lived happily ever after.'
Happy Birthday to ya.
Police chase W.Va. suspect over the edge Mon Jul 10, 3:58 PM ET
PRINCETON, W.Va. - This police chase ended with a cliffhanger. A 30-year-old man fell 50 to 70 feet over a cliff near the West Virginia Turnpike while fleeing on foot from police Thursday. A police officer pursuing the man couldn't stop and tumbled after him, while a second officer jumped off the cliff to help his colleague and landed in a tree.
The suspect, who was not identified, rolled another 100 feet before stopping and suffered serious injuries, acting Princeton Police Chief W.L. Harman said. Sgt. W.E. Rose, whose fall was stopped by a tree, suffered some scratches and bruises while Sgt. C.T. Lowe, who jumped off the cliff, was not injured.
The chase began around 1 a.m. in Princeton when Rose saw a man whom authorities wanted to talk to get into the passenger side of a vehicle. The driver sped off when the officers' cruiser pulled up and the passenger jumped out.
"Everybody is real lucky that the injuries aren't worse than they are," Harman said.
Study: Ethanol won't solve energy problems By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer
Mon Jul 10, 5:00 PM ET
WASHINGTON - Ethanol is far from a cure-all for the nation's energy problems. It's not as environmentally friendly as some supporters claim and would supply only 12 percent of U.S. motoring fuel — even if every acre of corn were used.
A number of researchers, the latest in a report Monday, are warning about exaggerated expectations that ethanol could dramatically change America's dependence on foreign oil by shifting motorists away from gasoline.
As far as alternative fuels are concerned, biodiesel from soybeans is the better choice compared with corn-produced ethanol, University of Minnesota researchers concluded in an analysis Monday.
But "neither can replace much petroleum without impacting food supplies," the researchers concluded in the paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The paper said development of nonfood materials such as switchgrass, prairie grasses and woody plants to produce cellulosic ethanol would be a major improvement with greater energy output and lower environmental impacts.
But creation of cellulosic ethanol remains in the laboratory research stage. And even nonfood sources of ethanol would fall far short of replacing gasoline, most researchers agree.
Biofuels such as ethanol are "not a practical long-term solution," and their widespread use — even from nonfood crop sources — could have a "devastating" impact on agriculture, two researchers at the Magleve Research Center of the Polytechnic University of New York, argued recently.
"Ethanol from 300 million acres of switchgrass still could not supply our present gasoline and diesel consumption, which is projected to double by 2025," the researchers, James Jordan and James Powell, wrote in an op-ed article in the Washington Post. "The agricultural effects of such a large-scale program would be devastating."
In addition to a reduction in soil fertility by not plowing wastes back into the ground, there is concern that using corn and soybeans for ethanol would create competition for food crops.
But Geoff Cooper, a spokesman for the National Corn Growers Association, calls suggestions that the growth of ethanol will jeopardize food supplies as "fear mongering."
"There's absolutely no shortage of corn," said Cooper. He said demand for corn for livestock feed has been flat and that increased production and expected higher yields per acre will provide plenty of corn to meet all needs.
In a frenzy to respond to public outcries about high gasoline and crude oil prices, members of Congress as well as the Bush administration have embraced ethanol as the alternative to gasoline to help move the country closer to energy independence.
Ethanol, virtually all of it made from corn in this country, also has been touted as the "green" alternative motor fuel with a push to make it more widely available not only as a 10 percent additive but with an 85 percent blend with gasoline.
"We definitely believe that biofuels (such as ethanol) have a significant potential," said Jason Hill, lead author of the University of Minnesota study. But he added that ethanol should not be viewed as "a savior" to our energy problems and its rapid expansion as a motor fuel has its drawbacks, especially if it is dependent on food crops such as corn and soybeans as feedstock.
If every acre of corn were used for ethanol, it would replace only 12.3 percent of the gasoline used in this country, Hill's study said, adding that the energy gains of corn-produced ethanol are only modest and the environmental impacts significant.
As a motor fuel, ethanol from corn produces a modest 25 percent more energy than is consumed — including from fossil fuels — in growing the corn, converting it into ethanol and shipping it for use in gasoline.
While often touted as a "green" environmentally friendly fuel, corn-based ethanol's life cycle environmental impacts are mixed as best, the researchers said.
Compared with gasoline, it produces 12 percent less "greenhouse" gasses linked to global warming, according to the study. But the researchers also said it has environmental drawbacks, including "markedly greater" releases of nitrogen, phosphorous and pesticides into waterways as runoff from corn fields. Ethanol, especially at higher concentrations in gasoline, also produce more smog-causing pollutants than gasoline per unit of energy burned, the researchers said.
"There's a lot of green in the money that's going into ethanol, but perhaps not so much green is coming out as far as the environment," said Hill, the lead author, in a telephone interview.
The ethanol industry says there's little new in the University of Minnesota study.
"Everyone in the industry recognizes that there is a limit on how much ethanol you can produce from corn," said Matt Hartwig, a spokesman for the Renewable Fuels Association, which represents ethanol producers.
"Nobody is saying that ethanol is the silver bullet that is going to solve all our energy problems. It's going to take a whole host of technologies. ... But ethanol and other biofuels play a very critical role."
He said the University of Minnesota study is only the latest to conclude that ethanol produces more energy than it consumes. "More importantly, there is a significant reduction in petroleum use with ethanol," he added.
Last year about 14 percent of the corn crop went to ethanol, compared with 11 percent four years ago. This year the amount of corn for ethanol could be nearly one in every five bushels grown, or 19 percent, according to Agriculture Department estimates.
The Corn Growers Association says that by 2015 a third of all the corn grown — or 5.5 billion bushels — likely will be for ethanol. The Energy Department says it has a goal of 30 percent of the fuel used by motorists to be ethanol — both corn-based and cellulosic — by 2030.
Southeastern gecko found in Kansas Mon Jul 10, 6:12 PM ET
LAWRENCE, Kan. - There's a new creature crawling around Kansas. Herpetologists have confirmed that the Mediterranean gecko is taking up residence in the state, spreading north from the southeast United States over the past decade.
"We knew it got as far as Norman, Oklahoma, in the early 1990s," said Joe Collins, University of Kansas herpetologist. "Well, it's here."
And one is now on display at the Prairie Park Nature Center in Lawrence, feeding on crickets.
"Ours has been hiding under rocks in its cage since we got him," said Marty Birrell, the center's director. "They are nocturnal, so we don't usually see them in the daytime."
Collins said there were sightings late last year in Johnson County. He was asked in May about the gecko after someone caught the lizard, which Collins had previously seen and caught in Texas and Florida.
Just to make sure it was a gecko, Collins took a picture of the lizard and sent it to Walter Meshaka Jr., the state herpetologist for Pennsylvania and a renowned expert on geckos.
Meshaka confirmed it was a Mediterranean gecko.
In late June, some of Collins' students conducted a search for the geckos at the Johnson County location and found them on and around manufacturing and warehouse buildings. They found dozens and caught a few, one of which was given to the nature center.
The geckos were around the buildings because the night security lights were attracting insects. They use their sticky, padded feet to climb the walls.
"They'd go up and hang around the lights and eat dinner," Collins said. "It's sort of a smorgasbord for geckos."
The geckos are generally about 4 inches long and can blend in with their surroundings. Common in southern Europe and northern Africa, geckos probably arrived in Florida by way of ships, then migrated or hitched rides aboard vehicles to other states, Collins said.
"I didn't think they would make it this far north because it's too cold," Collins said. "Apparently, the little fellows learned how to live outside during the summer and run inside during the winter and live off whatever spiders and cockroaches they can find in buildings."
Geckos are friendly creatures and make good pets, Collins said.
"They are fairly easy animals to keep, and that's probably why they naturalize to a lot of different areas," she said.
The Mediterranean gecko is the third "alien" gecko to migrate to Kansas, Collins said. The other two are the Italian wall lizard and western green lacerta, both found around Topeka. The wall lizard also can be found in Lawrence, he said.
Tai Shan, right, and his mother Mei Xiang, take a close look at a frozen treat that was made for him on his first birthday, Sunday, July 9, 2006, in the outdoor panda exhibit at the National Zoo in Washington. The frozen melange was filled with apples, yams, carrots and fruit juices. More than 1.2 million have visited the panda exhibit since the cub first went on display last December. (AP Photo/Leslie E. Kossoff)
She made a lot of good movies. My two favorite "Strategic Air Command" and "The Stratton Story" both co stared Jimmy Stewart.
That just shows how dead Indy Car is. Former F1 drivers would rather race in NASCAR instead of Indy Car and now Indy Car drivers are trying to get into NASCAR.
Romanian government puts final nail in the coffin of Dracula theme park Fri Jul 7, 1:48 PM ET
BUCHAREST (AFP) - Dracula's eternal sleep can remain undisturbed after Romanian authorities decided to scrap a project for an amusement park dedicated to everybody's favourite vampire.
Following a plague of difficulties, the Romanian government spelt the death of the theme park project in Snagov, a resort town some 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Bucharest once favoured by late Communist dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu.
The Dracula Park company had under the former Social Democrat government in 2003 acquired the right to build the park on a 460-hectare (1,150-acre) piece of land near Snagov, where Dracula himself or rather Vlad Tepes, the inspiration for the fictional character of the vampire, is buried.
It had also been promised state funds for construction but the contract was found to be full of "irregularities" and was cancelled, the government said Friday.
Initially, the park was to be built near Sighisoara, a medieval city and UN World Heritage site in central Romania where Vlad, also known as The Impaler, was born.
But the idea was abandoned following criticism from UNESCO, environmental groups and historians, including the Mihai Eminescu Trust, a foundation dedicated to maintaining Transylvanian heritage, supported by Britain's Prince Charles.
The project's supporters then chose to move it to the outskirts of Bucharest which could guarantee better infrastructure and a greater number of potential tourists.
But major investors with a stake in the project gradually withdrew following its well-publicised difficulties and the company found itself without funds.
Dracula, the dentally-challenged creation by Irish novelist Bram Stoker based on the figure of Vlad, a 15th-century prince who notoriously impaled his victims, was to be the central figure of the theme park.
Fight erupts at shoe sale; customer shot Sat Jul 8, 7:09 AM ET
ISTANBUL, Turkey - Chaos broke out at a shoe sale in Turkey this week, and one person got shot in the foot, a news agency reported.
The incident Friday occurred in Karabuk, a city about 125 miles north of Ankara, after people overloaded a two-story retailer that was selling pairs of shoes for as little as $6, the state-owned Anatolia news agency reported.
When customers rebelled against orders to close the store because of overcrowding and started to fight with one another and with salespeople, a store employee shot his gun into the air, Anatolia said. The bullet struck the foot of a customer, who was taken to a hospital, while the shooter was taken into police custody, the agency reported.
Shooting guns into the air is a not-uncommon method for dealing with emotional situations in Turkey, including weddings, soccer games, demonstrations and deals on shoes that are almost too good to be true.
Judge waives elderly woman's jaywalk fine Sat Jul 8, 3:26 PM ET
LOS ANGELES - An 82-year-old woman who was given a jaywalking ticket for taking too long to cross a busy street had her $114 fine waived by a court commissioner.
Mayvis Coyle became a media sensation after the case drew publicity. Camera crews showed up at her trailer unannounced and senior citizen advocates were outraged.
Last week, Coyle received by mail the June 20 ruling from Superior Court Commissioner Jeffrey Harkavy who found her guilty of jaywalking but suspended the fine.
"It sounds like a compromise, like they're trying to save face," Coyle's son, Jim Coyle, told the Los Angeles Daily News, which first reported the incident. "We're grateful for everyone's support."
Coyle was vacationing in Colorado and was unavailable for comment.
Police officials said Coyle entered a busy San Fernando Valley intersection on Feb. 15 after the red "Don't Walk" sign began blinking. Coyle maintained she walked across the intersection with her cane in one hand and groceries in the other on a white "Walk" signal.
Coyle said a motorcycle officer who stopped her said, "You're obstructing the flow of traffic," before issuing her the ticket.
Police officials maintained throughout the case that the officer acted appropriately and was looking out for Coyle's welfare. The department subsequently launched a series of pedestrian-safety workshops at local senior centers.
"How could she have gone any faster?" said Bill Daniel, chief executive officer of ONEgeneration, a senior-services agency. "It just seems like we have to be more patient."
Nice pictures OU. Enjoyed looking at them.
Strange looking animal. Looks a lot like a llama but also looks like a camel.
Kenseth's day went down hill fast.
Ouch. I hope they had it insured.
Chicago
Burton (31)
Kahne (9)
Martin (6)
I thought you might be playing a little golf. The weather's been great. Wish it would stay this way and not get too hot.
Hey ddf. Happy Birthday to ya. Hope you have a good one.
Mexico's Calderon has insurmountable lead By LISA J. ADAMS, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 18 minutes ago
MEXICO CITY - Ruling party candidate Felipe Calderon built an insurmountable lead in Mexico's presidential vote count Thursday, but his leftist rival vowed to challenge the results in court.
With 99.59 percent of the vote counted, Felipe Calderon would win even if all the remaining votes went to Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of the Democratic Revolution Party. He had 35.83 percent of the vote, compared with 35.36 percent for Lopez Obrador.
Less than 200,000 votes, out of more than 41 million cast, separated the two.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060706/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/mexico_elections_83
[16:07 EUR/USD: Having Trouble Holding Gains; Market Rethinks Trichet] Boston, July 6.
Trichet continues to disappoint the market which is clearly geared for aggressive action from the ECB. While he continues to talk tough, he always seems to edge back from the brink of doing what would give the market complete confidence in his inflation fighting ability. While saying today that the ECB is exercising strong vigilance, at the end of his press conference he backed away from implying a 50 bp hike is in the works, a point the news wires failed to
highlight. He said that there is no sentiment at present for a 50 bp hike. There certainly is in the market, as HICP stands 0.6% above the ECB target and money supply 2.4% above its mark.
Despite more signs of decelerating economic growth in the US today as the service sector cools along with the manufacturing segment, the buck holds relatively firm, changing hands now at 1.2755, well below 1.2783 highs.
Jamie.Coleman@Thomson.com /rs
Tomorrow's Economic Releases: Two Rate Decisions Among Slew Of Data
Wednesday, 05 July 2006 23:08:23 GMT
Written by DailyFX Research Team
1. Japanese Leading Indicators
2. Euro-Zone Retail PMI
3. UK Manufacturing Production
4. German Factory Orders
5. BoE Rate Decision
6. ECB Rate Decision
7. US ISM Non-Manufacturing
8. Ivey Purchasing Managers’ Index
Japanese Leading Indicators (MAY) (05:00 GMT, 01:00 EST)
Consensus: 75.0
Previous: 54.5
Outlook: The Japanese leading indicator reading for May is expected to rise strongly to 75.0 after April's modest rise to 54.5. The number is still off the year's high of 83.3 for February, but if prints inline with predictions, would continue to support stable economic growth into the future. The reading, which is an index of 12 economic indicators rated on a positive or negative basis, has been above the expansion/contraction reading of 50 since mid-2005. Some of the component releases have already released their respective numbers and therefore their contribution to the overall indicator. For the Leading gauge, job offers likely found a boost on the unemployment rate notching down to 4.0%, while commodity prices and global demand for Japanese goods soared. On the other hand, some of the other components were well off from previous numbers. The Topix began its precipitous decline in May and housing starts cooled from their rapid 1.335 million unit annual pace to a much more reserved 1.294 million. The outcome of this indicator is still up in the air, with many of the pieces still unaccounted for; but the Bank of Japan is likely to take note of its outcome when its meeting roles around later this month.
Previous: April Japanese leading indicator reading posted an initial reading of 50, that straddled the neutral line and repeated the previous month’s figure. However, the reading was later revised up to 54.5 with finalized economic data for the month. Indicators were sparse in their negative bias, but they made their impact. A major drop in the Topix took specific attention as initial inflation fears and other concerns drove the index down. In addition, businesses were reporting little in the way of positive expectations. Producers’ demand and inventory ratios both worsened for the month while small business sales forecasts sank with a temporary dip in the employment boom seen recently.
Euro-Zone Retail PMI (JUN) (8:00 GMT, 4:00 EST)
Consensus: 56.6
Previous: 56.3
Outlook: Euro-zone retail PMI is expected to post a modest increase, pushing it further into the expansionary zone. Already, surveys of the services and manufacturing have printed figures far better than anticipated. Both sectors’ read rose to six-year highs. Recent economic data leading into this PMI has been mixed, with consumer confidence posting a -9 reading, but other confidence surveys posted gains heading into the end of the World Cup. Consumer inflation has facilitated spending habits by increasing 0.3% month over month in May, below a 0.7% expected pace, while a modest decline in unemployment puts more cash in consumers wallets. While the ECB’s meeting tomorrow is expected to pace without an additional tightening, if the retail PMI can line up with that of the services and manufacturing, the language for the September meeting could be that more hawkish.
Previous: Euro-zone Retail PMI showed activity in the sector accelerated to its fastest clip in over two years, rising to 56.3 from 54.6 the month before. This was yet another indictor that bodes well for European economies as the read holds north of the 50-expansionary level. For the twelve countries reporting for the indicator, consumer personal spending accounts for over half of GDP. The macroeconomic boost was provided by spending habits leading up to the World Cup, which meant special interest in electronics and soccer-related merchandise.
UK Manufacturing Production (MoM) (MAY) (8:30 GMT, 4:30 EST)
Consensus: 0.3%
Previous: -0.2%
Outlook: British manufacturing, which has seen a marked recovery in recent months, is expected shrug off the previous months contraction with a 0.3% increase in May. With energy and commodity prices relatively high, but stabilizing, producers are expected to continue their gradual pace of passing the costs onto more optimistic consumers and intermediaries. Also providing positive bias is CIPS manufacturing PMI, which jumped to 55.1 from 53.3, the highest level since July of 2004, for the same month. Conversely, the CBI Industrial Trends survey reported at a level -12. April's -0.2% slowdown in manufacturing and -0.6% slippage in industrial production were both unexpected and seen on the most part as bumps in the upward trend, rather than an end to the recent improvement.
Previous: April saw a -0.2% slowdown in factory activity after sustained growth for several periods, despite analyst expectations of a 0.3% increase in output. The decline sparked some question among traders whether the manufacturing recovery was reaching an end, but strong survey data points to future growth expectations in both producer and economist circles. On a broader scale, the annual rate of manufacturing production slowed to 0.5%. Because manufacturing accounts for approximately one-sixth of UK GDP traders will have to keep a cautious eye on the sector.
German Factory Orders (MoM) (MAY) (10:00 GMT, 06:00 EST)
Consensus: 0.0%
Previous: 4.1%
Outlook: German factory orders are forecasted to remain level after the see-saw action seen over the past few months. For the region, industrial orders for the zone declined -0.2%, but the German IFO survey reported a stronger than expected figure, suggesting the groups woes were not particularly the result of a German contribution. Similarly, the PMI manufacturing survey for Germany beat expectations in May, reporting at 59.5 against 59.0 expected and 58.5 period prior. The numbers indicate sustainable levels but provide little clear direction for the industrial trend in Europe's largest economy.
Previous: German factory orders pushed ahead to a 4.1% increase in pace over April as strong IFO numbers and a strengthening euro created a strong picture for Europe’s largest economy. This month’s reading was a sharp correction from March’s sudden drop. The indicator has historically been fairly volatile, with major shifts not uncommon. With this in mind, April’s swing offered the first eight percentage point swing since Nov-Dec 2004, when the reading flew upwards from -1.8% to 7.1%. Orders should stabilize after the major shifts have settled.
Bank of England Rate Decision (11:00 GMT; 07:00 EST)
Consensus: 4.50%
Previous: 4.50%
Outlook: Analysts do not expect a change in Britain’s overnight lending rate, which have held constant at 4.50% for the past ten months. Bank of England Governor King noted that little has changed since May. Further evidence for stability lies with the death of the board member Walton, the lone hawk in last month's 7-1 decision to keep rates level. However, there has been some economic uncertainty of late with unexpected drops in Manufacturing and broader Industry, along with higher-than-anticipated CPI reports. The annual CPI rate is now at 2.2%, above the target rate; but not far off step like the rates seen in the US. Economic growth continues to increase, however, posting a 0.7% number quarter over quarter, beating expectations and the previous period.
ECB Rate Decision (11:45 GMT; 07:45 EST)
Consensus: 2.75%
Previous: 2.75%
Outlook: Despite global tightening the ECB is expected to keep rates at 2.75% after last month's 25bp hike. However, expectations in the market are already increasing for a September boost. This pass would keep the central bank’s trend of quarter point hikes every three months since December well intact. Economic data has been indecisively mixed, with conflicting indicators providing little direction. Germany’s ZEW survey reported a surprising drop in investor sentiment in June from 50.0 to 37.8, the second consecutive major decline; while the Zone’s ZEW fell from 47.7 to 37.3. Although consumer confidence remains low, confidence in production and services sectors is high. The PMI survey for activity in both factories and services rose to a six-month high. Although analysts expect future hikes, there is little impetus for a move this month.
US ISM Non-Manufacturing Survey (JUN) (14:00 GMT; 10:00 EST)
Consensus: 59.0
Previous: 61.0
Outlook: The US services sector is expected to remain expansionary this past month post but the solid figure is forecasted to slightly decline from the previous month. CPI for May was slightly higher than anticipated at 0.3% and rising interest rates sparked by the inflationary concerns of the US Central Bank continue to hit the service sector. US Leading Indicators were also down -0.6% in May, slightly below forecasts. The University of Michigan Confidence Survey for June, however, reported above expectations at 84.9 and indicates that expectations remain positive. Services are the largest single component of US GDP.
Previous: The service economy continues to show expansionary trend, but off of a yearly high the previous month. The ISM non-manufacturing index dipped to 60.1 from 63 in April. The indicator is above the neutral 50 reading, and therefore supports growth. Contributing to the slowdown was sustained higher energy prices, which have begun to threaten growth in the world's largest economy.
Canadian Ivey Purchasing Managers’ Index (JUN) (14:00 GMT; 10:00 EST)
Consensus: 65.0
Previous: 75.0
Outlook: The Ivey purchasing managers survey, which measures business and government spending, is expected to come off last month's surprise all-time high. The reading is expected to be partially corrective rather than indicative of a new downtrend. The Canadian economy has shown strong, sustained growth recently and resultant spending from businesses who have received a glut of revenue from their exports are beginning to turn that money further into an economy that is seeing consumer and foreign dollars easing up. Furthermore, high energy and commodity prices remain a boon for the overall economy but in turn gouge firms’ profit margins and tighten consumer budgets.
Previous: The Canadian Ivey survey hit an all-time high in May at 75.0, up from a 55.7 reading in April. The increase was also the largest single month over month increase. This jump undid the modest drop posted the period prior, and confirms the strong uptrend in the Canadian economy. It forecasts future strong growth.
Push for simpler spelling persists By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press Writer
Wed Jul 5, 5:23 PM ET
WASHINGTON - When "say," "they" and "weigh" rhyme, but "bomb," "comb" and "tomb" don't, wuudn't it maek mor sens to spel wurdz the wae thae sound?
Those in favor of simplified spelling say children would learn faster and illiteracy rates would drop. Opponents say a new system would make spelling even more confusing.
Eether wae, the consept has yet to capcher th publix imajinaeshun.
It's been 100 years since Andrew Carnegie helped create the Simplified Spelling Board to promote a retooling of written English and President Theodore Roosevelt tried to force the government to use simplified spelling in its publications. But advocates aren't giving up.
They even picket the national spelling bee finals, held every year in Washington, costumed as bumble bees and hoisting signs that say "Enuf is enuf but enough is too much" or "I'm thru with through."
Thae sae th bee selebraets th ability of a fue stoodents to master a dificult sistem that stumps meny utherz hoo cuud do just as wel if speling were simpler.
"It's a very difficult thing to get something accepted like this," says Alan Mole, president of the American Literacy Council, which favors an end to "illogical spelling." The group says English has 42 sounds spelled in a bewildering 400 ways.
Americans doen't aulwaez go for whut's eezy — witnes th faeluer of th metric sistem to cach on. But propoenents of simpler speling noet that a smatering of aulterd spelingz hav maed th leep into evrydae ues.
Doughnut also is donut; colour, honour and labour long ago lost the British "u" and the similarly derived theatre and centre have been replaced by the easier-to-sound-out theater and center.
"The kinds of progress that we're seeing are that someone will spell night 'nite' and someone will spell through 'thru,'" Mole said. "We try to show where these spellings are used and to show dictionary makers that they are used so they will include them as alternate spellings."
"Great changes have been made in the past. Systems can change," a hopeful Mole said.
Lurning English reqierz roet memory rather than lojic, he sed.
In languages with phonetically spelled words, like German or Spanish, children learn to spell in weeks instead of months or years as is sometimes the case with English, Mole said.
But education professor Donald Bear said to simplify spelling would probably make it more difficult because words get meaning from their prefixes, suffixes and roots.
"Students come to understand how meaning is preserved in the way words are spelled," said Bear, director of the E.L. Cord Foundation Center for Learning and Literacy at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Th cuntry's larjest teecherz uennyon, wuns a suporter, aulso objects.
Michael Marks, a member of the National Education Association's executive committee, said learning would be disrupted if children had to switch to a different spelling system. "It may be more trouble than it's worth," said Marks, a debate and theater teacher at Hattiesburg High School in Mississippi.
E-mail and text messages are exerting a similar tug on the language, sharing some elements with the simplified spelling movement while differing in other ways. Electronic communications stress shortcuts like "u" more than phonetics. Simplified spelling is not always shorter than regular spelling — sistem instead of system, hoep instead of hope.
Carnegie tried to moov thingz along in 1906 when he helpt establish and fund th speling bord. He aulso uezd simplified speling in his correspondens, and askt enywun hoo reported to him to do the saem.
A filanthropist, he becaem pashunet about th ishoo after speeking with Melvil Dewey, a speling reform activist and Dewey Desimal sistem inventor hoo simplified his furst naem bi droping "le" frum Melville.
Roosevelt tried to get the government to adopt simpler spellings for 300 words but Congress blocked him. He used simple spellings in all White House memos, pressing forward his effort to "make our spelling a little less foolish and fantastic."
The Chicago Tribune aulso got into th act, uezing simpler spelingz in th nuezpaeper for about 40 years, ending in 1975. Plae-riet George Bernard Shaw, hoo roet moest of his mateerial in shorthand, left muny in his wil for th development of a nue English alfabet.
Carnegie, Dewey, Roosevelt and Shaw's work followed attempts by Benjamin Franklin, Daniel Webster and Mark Twain to advance simpler spelling. Twain lobbied The Associated Press at its 1906 annual meeting to "adopt and use our simplified forms and spread them to the ends of the earth." AP declined.
But for aul th hi-proefiel and skolarly eforts, the iedeea of funy-luuking but simpler spelingz didn't captivaet the masez then — or now.
"I think that the average person simply did not see this as a needed change or a necessary change or something that was ... going to change their lives for the better," said Marilyn Cocchiola Holt, manager of the Pennsylvania department of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
Carnegie, hoo embraest teknolojy, died in 1919, wel befor sel foenz. Had he livd, he probably wuud hav bin pleezd to no that milyonz of peepl send text and instant mesejez evry dae uezing thair oen formz of simplified speling: "Hav a gr8 day!"
Speeding fine? Just switch the road sign Wed Jul 5, 7:59 AM ET
John Hopwood
LONDON (Reuters) - British motorist John Hopwood concocted a novel scheme to avoid payment when he was given a speeding fine -- simply switch the road signs.
Hopwood, 44, had been snapped by a speed camera breaking the 30 miles per hour limit.
So he went to a 40 mph area, removed a red "40" warning sign, drove back to the 30 mph area, attached it to a lamp post and took a photo as "proof" that his offence of driving at 48 mph had not been so bad.
However, suspicion soon arose when other drivers started querying the sign.
"This was a stupid act, bound to fail," Judge Anthony Ensor at Manchester Crown Court was quoted by media as telling Hopwood, who admitted trying to pervert justice.
He was ordered Tuesday to serve an intermittent custodial sentence of 28 weeks which requires him to spend his weekends behind bars and told to pay 2,763 pounds in legal costs.
[17:41 USD/JPY: JPY Moves Defy Rate Hike Expectations] San Francisco, July 5.
Sources reported in the Japanese press overnight, including Kyodo, indicate that a rate hike is on the cards for the BOJ next week. However, the JPY continues to defy expectations of higher rates with global rates still seen moving in tandem
with the BOJ with the Eurozone, Canada and Australia all tipped to raise rates in coming months. Last night, the BOJ released a survey that shows the percentage of Japanese consumers who have seen inflation pressures rise is at
the highest level since Nov 1998; further indications that deflation is ending in Japan. 43.3% see prices higher than a year earlier, up from 13.9% in the survey completed in Q1. Tonight sees the release of the Cabinet office diffusion
index which was already leaked last Friday with the May preliminary diffusion index of coincident indicators expected at 77.8% and the leading indicators at 75% with both above the 50% boom-or-bust line.
USD/JPY remains bid at 115.65/66 and still near session highs with real money buying seen this afternoon. Offers from a US name have capped gains with sellers still eyed a 115.90/116.00 but with stops above 116.00. A close above the
200-day moving average at 116.12 would be bullish for the Asian session.
Rhonda.Staskow@Thomson.com /rd
Dollar Rallies On Promising Employment Report
Wednesday, 05 July 2006 16:22:04 GMT
Written by John Kicklighter, Junior Currency Analyst
With American traders coming back from their extended holiday weekends, economic data helped subsidize revitalized market activity. Price action in the dollar-denominated majors was indeterminate in the Asian and European sessions, that is until the North American liquidity came online to provide a solid greenback bid. The EURUSD arguably made the most violent swings since Tuesday’s close. An initial rally in the pair up to 1.2837 when London and Tokyo money flow was running high, was quickly turned back to 1.2750 before feigning a bounce that evolved into another round lower to 1.2705. Action against the British pound produced the same type of sell off, though the now established range high around 1.8485 led to an eventually 165 point decline down to 1.8325. Both the USDCHF and the USDJPY pairs made strong greenback runs as well. The former went on for 150 points, while the latter captured a 120 point advance.
When fundamental traders came back to their terminals after the extended weekend, they were immediately offered tradable data. The most widely available to market participants was May factory orders. On the back of the previous month’s downwardly revised 2.0% decline, bookings for the more recent month actually rose 0.7%. Further, excluding volatile transportation equipment and aircraft, capital goods orders actually advanced 1.2%. This was a promising sign for the Fed in terms of both economic growth and inflation. Concerning price growth, demand from consumers and intermediate producers seems to be unfazed by the aggressive pace at which the Federal Reserve monetary policy body has been hiking rates. Moreover, with initial signs that the housing market and consumer demand will provide little buoyancy to GDP figures in the future, the jump in business equipment orders within the overall read suggests firm spending will fill in some of the gap. Though this factory read was better than expected, it was not the catalyst for the strong dollar lead in the morning hours of the New York session. Instead, a lesser known payroll numbers sparked speculation that Friday’s NFPs would outpace the market’s initial concensus for 160,000 new hires. A report from Automatic Data Processing Inc. revealed US companies took on 386,000 additional employees in June, the most in 2001. Though this provides some of the strong bullish sentiment the ailing dollar has craved over the past few weeks, market participants are likely to discount the reads importance. In the ADP’s short life as a relatively reliable employment indicator, it has had a shaky correlation to the more conclusive Bureau of Labor Statistics read. Two more indicators this week will pique the markets interest: the ISM non-manufacturing for June and the NFP figure for the same month due Friday.
With American equities coming back online, the rude awakening of North Korea’s test launch and the impending volatility usually associated with NFPs Friday; sent the major indices lower. The NASDAQ was the big mover, off 1.7% to 2,152.42. Trailing far behind, the SP 500 index moved 0.9% lower to 1,268.84, while the Dow brought up the rear with only an 0.8% drop to 11,141.49 by 16:00 GMT. Making the movers and shakers list, AT&T shares were up $0.19, or 0.7%, to $28.12 after receiving an analyst upgrade as earnings estimates were boosted by the company’s merger with BellSouth. Making its way 1.95% lower, shares of Boeing Co. slipped $1.65 to $79.69 despite being awarded an option to build three GPS satellites worth $138 million.
Treasuries plunged in the morning hours as today’s ADP payroll report fueled fears that the August FOMC meeting would more likely end in an additional 25 basis point hike. The benchmark 10-year contract was 20/32nds lower to 99 6/32nds of face with yields 8 basis points higher at 5.23 by 16:10 GMT. Following suit, the longer term 30-year security plunged 1 2/32nds to 88 13/32nds with an 8 basis point boost in yields to 5.28.
Mexico leftist threatens street protests over vote
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Docs: Comatose man's brain rewired itself By MARILYNN MARCHIONE, AP Medical Writer
2 hours, 43 minutes ago
Doctors have their first proof that a man who was barely conscious for nearly 20 years regained speech and movement because his brain spontaneously rewired itself by growing tiny new nerve connections to replace the ones sheared apart in a car crash.
Terry Wallis, 42, is one of the few people known to have recovered so dramatically so long after a serious brain injury. He still needs help eating and cannot walk, but his speech continues to improve and he can count to 25 without interruption.
Wallis' sudden recovery happened three years ago at a rehabilitation center in Mountain View, Ark., but doctors said the same cannot be hoped for people in a persistent vegetative state, such as Terri Schiavo, the Florida woman who died last year after a fierce right-to-die court battle. Nor do they know how to make others with less serious damage, like Wallis, recover.
"Right now these cases are like winning the lottery," said Dr. Ross Zafonte, rehabilitation chief at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, who was not involved in the research. "I wouldn't want to overenthuse family members or folks who think now we have a cure for this."
Wallis has complete amnesia about the two decades he spent barely conscious, but remembers his life before the injury.
"He still thinks Ronald Reagan is president," his father, Jerry, said in a statement, adding that until recently his son insisted he was 20 years old.
The research on Wallis, published Monday in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, was led by imaging expert Henning Voss and neurologist Dr. Nicholas Schiff at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York City and included doctors at JFK Medical Center in Edison, N.J.
Wallis was 19 when he suffered a traumatic brain injury that left him briefly in a coma and then in a minimally conscious state, in which he was awake but uncommunicative other than occasional nods and grunts, for more than 19 years.
"The nerve fibers from the cells were severed, but the cells themselves remained intact," unlike Schiavo, whose brain cells had died, said Dr. James Bernat, a neurologist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire, who is familiar with the research.
Nerve cells that have not died can form new connections; for example, nerves in the arms and legs can grow about an inch a month after they are severed or damaged. However, this happens far less often in the brain.
The new research suggests that instead of the sudden recovery Wallis seemed to make when he began speaking and moving three years ago, he actually may have been slowly recovering all along, as nerves in his brain formed new connections at a glacial pace until enough were present to make a network.
Researchers used a new type of brain imaging only available in research settings — not ordinary hospitals or rehabilitation centers — to establish the regrowth. It tracks the direction of water molecules in and around brain cells, an indicator of brain activity.
"It's a roadmap of how the connections are running," Schiff said.
Doctors compared Wallis' brain function to that of 20 healthy people and another minimally conscious patient who showed virtually no recovery for six years. All were imaged twice, 18 months apart.
In Wallis' brain, "what we first see is how overwhelmingly severe this injury was," with many abnormalities compared to the healthy people, Schiff said.
The second set of images showed changes from the first, strongly suggesting that new connections had formed. These correlated with areas of the brain that affect the ability to move and talk.
The other minimally conscious patient — a 24-year-old man who suffered a severe brain injury in a car accident when he was 18 — also had evidence of changes in nerve connections, but they were not organized in a way that made a difference in his ability to function.
"We'll have to understand more about why recovery occurred" in Wallis' case, Zafonte said. "The question is 'why?' It's not just 'wait.'"
Until that is known, imaging cannot be used to predict who will recover, or to help patients' brains rewire, he said.
The Charles A. Dana Foundation, which finances brain research, funded the scientific work. The lead author, Voss, also received money from the Cervical Spine Research Society, whose sponsors include companies that make spine care products. The British Discovery Channel and HBO paid to fly Wallis and family members to Cornell for tests.
"Most neurologists would have been willing to bet money that whatever the cause of it, if it hadn't changed in 19 years, wasn't going to change now," Bernat said. "So it's really extraordinary."
Wallis' father said his son is now able to make jokes. "That was something he wasn't able to do early in his recovery," Jerry Wallis said. "He now seems almost exactly like his old self. And he very often tells us how glad he is to be alive."
Man prefers jail to being at home with grandpa Mon Jul 3, 11:25 AM ET
ROME (Reuters) - An Italian man escaped from house arrest and begged police to put him in jail because he could not bear living with his grandfather, his lawyer said Monday.
The 30-year old, who could only be identified by his initials A.M., had been placed under house arrest for six months in the Sardinian town of Sassari after a scuffle with a policeman.
But he escaped, and Sunday showed up at a police station in the northern city of Genoa, asking them to arrest him and put him in a cell.
"He said he could not face staying with his grandpa anymore," defense lawyer Pietro Bogliolo told Reuters by phone.
The lawyer said he did not know what the problem between the two was. "It's probably irreconcilable differences," he said.
A Genoa court however ruled Monday that A.M. should return to his grandfather's house and spend an additional two months and 20 days there because of his escape.
Saturday, a Sicilian man also asked police to put him in prison rather than have him confined to his house, saying he did not have enough money to buy himself food. He later returned to house arrest after police gave him food supplies for a few days.
Granny's dream advice helps man win lottery Mon Jul 3, 7:55 AM ET
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A Malaysian won 42,500 ringgit ($11,580) in a lottery by playing a four-digit number his dead grandmother had given him in a dream, a newspaper reported Saturday.
But luck soon ran out for mechanic Tan Tay Seck, who had bought two tickets with the 6064 combination he received from the apparition, the Star newspaper reported.
A thief stole the wallet with the second winning ticket and the lottery company refused to pay up without it.
Mexican candidates each declare victory By LISA J. ADAMS, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 44 minutes ago
MEXICO CITY - Two bitter rivals declared themselves Mexico's next president Monday as a preliminary tally showed the ruling-party candidate with a razor-thin lead, sparking fears of violence and financial turmoil.
An official count was expected to take days.
The two candidates were separated by fewer than a half-million votes, with more than 36 million counted in a preliminary tally. Conservative Felipe Calderon had 36.46 percent to leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's 35.41 percent, according to results from 95.9 percent of polling places.
But the Federal Electoral Institute stressed those results were not final — and said it would not declare a victor until an official count of the tallies from tens of thousands of ballot boxes, which it would not start until Wednesday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060703/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/mexico_elections;_ylt=Ap7wxSzZttGAugjfwZ6HvgFI...