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Thief flees to ... police headquarters Thu Apr 27, 2:53 PM ET
ROME (Reuters) - A shoplifter took a very wrong turn -- toward Rome's police headquarters -- while fleeing a supermarket with two stolen bottles of alcohol.
Hearing screams of "Stop thief!," heavily armed police just outside the building grabbed the 19-year-old, a police spokeswoman said Thursday.
Stunned, the crook immediately confessed and handed over the liquor.
"Yes, I stole the bottles. But not this chocolate," he said, pointing to a candy bar he had purchased earlier, according to Il Messaggero newspaper.
Three of his friends, spectators to the event, were arrested as accomplices, the spokeswoman said.
Butch played by Tommy Bond died of complications from heart disease in 2005.
My favorite character in the show "Spanky" was played by George McFarland. He died in 1993 of a heart attack at the age of 64.
Robert Blake played "Mickey" in the Our Gang series.
There are still Our Gang members living. Jackie Cooper for one.
English Language Hits 1 Billion Words By SUEVON LEE, Associated Press Writer
Wed Apr 26, 9:39 AM ET
LONDON - A massive language research database responsible for bringing words such as "podcast" and "celebutante" to the pages of the Oxford dictionaries has officially hit a total of 1 billion words, researchers said Wednesday.
Drawing on sources such as weblogs, chatrooms, newspapers, magazines and fiction, the Oxford English Corpus spots emerging trends in language usage to help guide lexicographers when composing the most recent editions of dictionaries.
The press publishes the Oxford English Dictionary, considered the most comprehensive dictionary of the language, which in its most recent August 2005 edition added words such as "supersize," "wiki" and "retail politics" to its pages.
Oxford University Press lexicographer Catherine Soanes said the database is not a collection of 1 billion different words, but of sentences and other examples of the usage and spelling.
"The corpus is purely 21st century English," said Judy Pearsall, publishing manager of English dictionaries. "You're looking at current English and seeing what's happening right now. That's language at the cutting edge."
As hybrid words such as "geek-chic," "inner-child" or "gabfest" increase in usage, Pearsall said part of the research project's goal is to identify words that have lasting power.
"English gets really creative, really fun. What we're putting in dictionaries is words that will stick around," she said.
Launched in January 2000, the Oxford English Corpus is part of the world's largest-funded language research project, costing $90,000-$107,000 per year.
It has helped identify how the spellings of common phrases have changed, such as "fazed by" to "phased by" or "free rein" to "free reign."
"Buck naked" increasingly has evolved to "butt naked."
The corpus collects evidence from all the places where English is spoken, whether from North America, Britain, the Caribbean, Australia or India, to reflect the most current and common usage of the English language.
I don't see very many hybrids around here. And small cars are in a minority. That may change if gas prices keep going up. How much do you pay for gas. It's $2.75 here.
I don't think they would do very well in America. We've always liked big cars and big trucks. I may be wrong but I think if gas prices doubled we would still be buying big cars and trucks. We would just drive less.
Gator Bites Diver Retrieving Golf Balls Wed Apr 26, 5:20 PM ET
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. - A diver hired by the city to retrieve golf balls from a lake was attacked by a 9-foot alligator that bit the man's arm, authorities said.
Stephen Martinez, 43, of Coral Springs, was treated at a hospital for injuries similar to a dog bite, said Palm Beach County sheriff's Lt. Rolando Silva.
"It's serious, but certainly not life-threatening," he said.
Martinez was under murky water at The Links golf course when a group of golfers heard him yell for help, said course manager Dan Hager.
The alligator apparently bit Martinez's air tank and tried to pull him under the water. Martinez grabbed a utility knife strapped to his dive suit and tried to stab the animal. That's when it bit his arm, Hager said.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was investigating.
The alligator was trapped and will have to be euthanized, commission spokeswoman Dani Moschella said.
Students in England Show Off CLEVER Car
By SUEVON LEE, Associated Press Writer
39 minutes ago
BATH, England - It has two seats, three wheels and so far has cost $2.9 million. Students at the University of Bath in western England, who on Monday unveiled the prototype of the CLEVER (Compact Low Emission Vehicle for Urban Transport), hope that it represents a greener future for transport.
The prototype, a skeletal speedster which had safety netting in place of body panels, exhibited the general design and technology of the vehicle rather than its actual, finished appearance.
It has the compactness of a motorcycle but the safety of a car, and cornering is smoothed by a tilting technology developed by mechanical engineering students Matt Barker, 29, Ben Drew, 27 and their instructors.
Equipped to handle both city streets and long-distance highway driving, the vehicle runs on compressed natural gas, is capable of 80 mph speeds.
"The goal was to produce a lower-emission vehicle and to combine the efficiency of a motorcycle with the comfort and safety of a car," said Drew, who demonstrated the ease of steering with several laps around the lot.
The concept vehicle is the fruit of a three-year project funded by the European Union, drawing on the expertise of German, French and Austrian organizations_ including BMW — along with the Bath team.
Other partners included the Technische Universitaet Berlin, the Institut Francais Du Petrole in Vernaison near Lyon, and the Institut Fuer Verkehrswesen Universitaet Fuer Bodenkultur in Vienna.
The French team developed the 218cc engine, based on the Rotax engine used in the BMW C1 scooter.
Limiting pollution was a big push for the project, according to the project's coordinators. And with rising fuel costs a rising concern for drivers in Europe, the car's use of natural gas emissions is one of its sterling points, according to the Bath design team.
"As fuel prices go up and up, people will look at how else they can get around," said Geraint Owen, a lecturer at the university who helped lead the team project.
Running on compressed natural gas, its fuel consumption is equivalent to 108 miles per gallon.
A commercial version could be a decade away, assuming a manufacturer is interested, Owen said. He said it would be priced in the micro-car bracket of around $8,500-$17,000.
"The idea of a narrow vehicle that is light has its significant advantages," he said. "It's less dangerous than a motorcycle."
The CLEVER car is fun to drive, according to Drew. The Bath team worked on design, suspension, steering, and transmission for their part of the collaboration, he said.
"It's been full-time for 40 months," he said of the project, which also served as his and Barker's dissertations.
"It's quite fun and very stable," he said. "It doesn't feel out of balance. You steer it like a car."
Matthew Butler, 20, a French and politics major who watched the demonstration, said fuel economy was a big attraction.
Butler said he pays about $62 every three weeks to fill his 13.2 gallon tank, at a time when gas is about $6.70 per gallon.
What a nice job by Cubs pitcher Greg Maddux this year. 4-0 an ERA of 0.99. Looking for another Cy Young?
It is nice. The Cardinals have been good the past few years but they were a average to below average team through the 90's. I think that was when Seattle had a good team. I'm enjoying it while it last.
The Cardinals have been good in even decades 40's, 60's, 80's, 00's and not so good in odd decades 50's, 70's, 90's.
Albert Pujols hit a game winning single in the ninth scoring David Eckstein giving the Cardinals a 4-3 win over the Pirates. Mark Mulder pitched well going 7.2 innings allowing 2 runs on 5 hits but he did not get the win. Pirates 1B Jose Hernandez hit a solo home run in the top of the ninth off Jason Isringhausen that tied the game. SS David Eckstein had a good day going 2 for 4 with 3 runs scored and 3B Scott Spiezio went 2 for 4 with a RBI.
notes: The Hernandez homer denied Mulder his 100th career victory. The Pirates have now loss seven in a row.
The NL Central looks like it will be a strong division again this year. Five of the six teams have winning records. Only Pittsburgh looks weak early on.
Team W L PCT GB
Houston 13 6 .684 -
Cincinnati 14 7 .667 -
St. Louis 13 7 .650 0.5
Chi Cubs 12 7 .632 1.0
Milwaukee 11 10 .524 3.0
Pittsburgh 5 17 .227 9.5
Right fielder Juan Encarnacion homered, tripled and doubled driving in four helping the Cardinals beat the Pirates 6-3 tonight. Second baseman Hector Luna went 3 for 4 with a run scored and third baseman Scott Spiezio had a solo home run. Jeff Suppan pitched pretty well going 7 allowing 3 runs (none earned) on 4 hits. This was his first win of the season.
The Cardinals have sold out each of their 11 games at new Busch Stadium. My bet is they will sell out all 81.
Rolen sidelined by bronchitis
April 25, 2006
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- St. Louis third baseman Scott Rolen was not in the Cardinals' starting lineup Tuesday after visiting a doctor for a bout of bronchitis.
Trainer Barry Weinberg said Rolen, who complained of fever and general aches on Monday, would be kept away from the ballpark as a precaution. Scott Spiezio started at third against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Jim Edmonds batted cleanup, Rolen's usual spot.
"He's quarantined," Weinberg said. "I don't want him to affect anybody that can help us. Right now he can't help us."
Weinberg said a precautionary X-ray ruled out pneumonia.
Manager Tony La Russa said he doubted that Rolen would play Thursday. Rolen is batting .313 with three homers and 13 RBIs in 19 games.
Police See Paranormal Activity in Pub 1 hour, 16 minutes ago
LONDON - British police responding to a call about a possible break in at a pub in northern England Monday found themselves in the middle of a ghoulish riddle.
Officers arrived at the Low Valley Arms pub near Barnsley in South Yorkshire, 250 miles north of London, after being told the alarm had been set off, but instead of finding any signs of a robbery, they were faced with a shaken landlord convinced he had encountered a ghost with half a face missing in the ladies washroom.
Though they saw no ghoul_ described as a woman in flowing white gown_ officers were shocked to find toilets flushing themselves, said Inspector John Bowler of South Yorkshire Police.
Pub landlord Roger Froggat, 55, and his wife Kathryn, 49, moved in a year ago and said they had seen nothing before, despite rumors of a resident specter.
"I heard the alarm go off for a second time, went into the pub and all the television screens had turned on," the pub owner said.
"I went to check the rest of the pub and standing in the women's lavatories was a woman with half her face missing. I was petrified."
Officers found no signs of forced entry and were left quite scared, Bowler added.
Since the ghost story became public, the pub has become the talk of the town, attracting everyone from mediums to a national television film crew determined to catch a glimpse of the mystery woman should she appear again.
Despite their shock, the Froggats said they have no plans to leave their village pub.
Enjoyed it. Thanks
Pa. Woman With 97 Cents Gets $328K Home 2 hours, 2 minutes ago
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. - A woman pleaded guilty to fraud and other charges in what a prosecutor said was his first case in which a defendant stole an entire house.
Wendy Jean-Francois, 44, of Morrisville, pleaded guilty Monday in Bucks County Court to multiple counts of fraud, forgery and related charges.
Prosecutors said Jean-Francois sat down Oct. 5 at a settlement table at Rainbow Assurance, a mortgage title firm in Falls, with 97 cents in her bank account.
But she used two checks totaling $63,000 and a letter vouching for them, purportedly from a Wachovia Bank manager, and left with the keys to a $328,000 home, prosecutors said.
The checks turned out to be counterfeit and the letter forged, said David Zellis, first assistant district attorney. "This just boggles the mind," he said. Bucks County Judge Kenneth Biehn deferred Jean-Francois' sentencing for a mental health evaluation.
Venus is seen in an undated photo taken from the Hubble Space Telescope. Europe's first space probe to Venus entered the planet's orbit on Tuesday and sent its first transmissions from there to Earth, ground controllers said. (NASA/Handout/Reuters)
Chris Carpenter beat the Pittsburgh Pirates for the sixth straight time in the Cardinals 7-2 win tonight. Carpenter went 6 innings allowing 2 runs on 8 hits. The games best player Albert Pujols hit his major league leading 12th home run and added a run scoring double for his 28 RBI also tops in the majors. Second baseman Hector Luna went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI's and a run scored. Left filder So Taguchi went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI's.
why do people do these things
Magician David Blaine to spend 7 days submerged in water Mon Apr 24, 4:39 PM ET
NEW YORK (AFP) - Having starved himself and been frozen in ice, US magician David Blaine now plans to spend seven days submerged in a water-filled container in New York.
The latest stunt by the renowned illusionist will seem him enter an eight-foot (2.5-meter) high acrylic sphere on May 1 and remain submerged for a week.
A mask and air line will keep him alive, while food will be provided in the form of liquid nutrition through a tube.
At the end of the seven days, Blaine, 33, will remove his air supply and attempt to hold his breath longer than the current world record of eight minutes and 58 seconds, before finally climbing out of the human aquarium.
During the stunt, fans will be encouraged to touch the sphere and offer words of support, Blaine spokesman Pat Smith told AFP.
The magician will be hoping for a better public reaction than he received for his last major "performance" -- a 44-day fast during which he was suspended above London's River Thames in a glass box.
Detractors came up with increasingly inventive ways to taunt or unsettle Blaine such as using a remote-control model helicopter to dangle a cheeseburger in front of the starving magician.
Others drove golf balls off Tower Bridge, threw eggs, used a home-made catapult to shoot paint bombs at the box, banged drums to keep him awake at night or merely shouted abuse.
Smith insisted there would be no similar scenes at New York's Lincoln Center.
"This is his home town. Anytime he's done anything in New York, the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive," Smith said. "New Yorkers are cool about this kind of thing."
Previous stunts have included being encased in ice for nearly 62 hours and spending 35 hours on a 100-foot (30-meter) high pillar that was only 22 inches (56 centimeters) wide.
for you dog lovers
Hannah Named 'Most Beautiful Bulldog'
By LUKE MEREDITH, Associated Press Writer
53 minutes ago
DES MOINES, Iowa - To those who know her best, Hannah is the ultimate girly girl. She enjoys socializing in the neighborhood, wearing fancy outfits and pursuing a shoe fetish that would rival any Hollywood starlet.
But Hannah doesn't wear shoes — she eats them. Still, that didn't stop this 2-year old English bulldog from beating out 49 others to claim top prize in the 27th annual "Beautiful Bulldog" contest Monday.
The contest marks the beginning of the Drake Relays, one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious track and field meets.
Hannah, who is white with patches of brown scattered across her squat figure, took the stage wearing a Drake cheerleaders' outfit and shocked the crowd by taking "top dog" honors over Porterhouse, a brown male from St. Paul, Minn., who dressed like a construction worker — complete with tool belt and hard hat.
As the winner, Hannah will serve a yearlong term as the official mascot of both the Relays and Drake University.
"She's a pretty outgoing dog," said Curtis Jackson, Hannah's co-owner. "We're stunned ... I'm dumbfounded."
The panel of judges poured over a random assortment of drooling, grunting canines with a much different purpose than their Westminster Kennel Club counterparts. Bowed legs, deep wrinkles, bloodshot eyes, protruding teeth and clever costumes were considered strong attributes.
Proud ancestry and impeccable breeding are not. When it comes to picking Drake's next mascot, beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.
"We're looking for the ugliest bulldog you can get your hands on," said Dolph Pulliam, the executive director of the Beautiful Bulldog contest. "We're the looking for the bulldog that has that face, that drool, that personality that can charm you."
Hannah's reign got off to a rocky start. The winner's crown couldn't find a home within the ridges atop her wrinkled head, and Jackson had to pick her up and force her to sit on the throne.
But Amanda Millard, her co-owner, promised that Hannah will take time out from her favorite activities — digging in the mud and dining on foot wear — and honor the office of Beautiful Bulldog with style.
"She'll take plenty of naps for all of her bulldog friends," Millard said.
Woman nabbed driving corpse across country Mon Apr 24, 2:48 PM ET
BERLIN (Reuters) - A 53-year-old German woman who was driving her dead mother across country to save on mortuary transportation costs was fined by police for disturbing a dead person's peace.
"You're not allowed to transport dead people in your private car," said Ralf Schomisch, police spokesman in Koblenz, where the car was found after a tip-off from a mortuary.
"The corpse was on the back seat without a seat belt, which in this case didn't really matter. But it was covered up with clothing. It is a misdemeanor."
He said the woman, who was not identified, was charged with violating burial laws and disturbing a dead person's peace. She would face a modest fine, Schomisch said.
The woman had already driven 450 km (280 miles) after picking up the body from a mortuary in the northern city of Bremerhaven. She wanted to bury her mother, who died of natural causes aged 90, in her hometown Daun.
Thailand says to repatriate smuggled orangutans soon
By Noppawan Bunluesilp
Fri Apr 21, 7:45 AM ET
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand will soon send home 53 endangered orangutans probably smuggled from Indonesia and seized two years ago at a private Bangkok zoo.
Thai and Indonesian wildlife officials began a 2-day meeting in Bangkok on Friday to discuss the fate of the apes believed by activists to have been smuggled from Borneo or the Sumatran forests of Indonesia.
"I am still looking for funding and other things, but it will be soon. It should not be more than three months," Schwann Tunhikorn, deputy director-general of the Thai Department of National Parks and Wildlife, told Reuters.
Thai authorities raided the Safari World park in 2004 after complaints from animal activists that the zoo had obtained a large number of orangutans over a short period of time and had made the animals perform daily boxing matches.
The zoo owners initially said the apes were the result of a successful breeding program, but DNA tests confirmed a number of them had not been born in Thailand.
The high-profile smuggling case embarrassed Thailand just as it was hosting a global wildlife conference in Bangkok. Activists dressed in orangutan costumes paraded outside the conference venue, demanding Thailand repatriate the apes immediately.
The primates have been kept at a wildlife enclosure 100 km (60 miles) south of Bangkok awaiting the results of DNA tests to determine their countries of origin -- either Indonesia or Malaysia.
Fewer than 30,000 orangutans are left in the jungles of Malaysia and Indonesia and environmentalists say the species could become extinct in 20 years if the current rate of decline continues.
Edwin Wiek, a member of the Borneo Orangutan Foundation, said the color and shape of the animals suggested that they came from Indonesia and he called for a speedy repatriation.
"The longer we wait, the more animals will die," Wiek said, referring to four orangutans who died since they were seized from the zoo two years ago.
Wireless Bionic Arm Would Feel Real Robert Roy Britt
LiveScience Managing Editor
LiveScience.com
1 hour, 41 minutes ago
Work on artificial arms that would be controlled by the human mind is ramping up thanks to a helping financial hand from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
DARPA announced in February that it would pour $55 million into a prosthetic arm research project to be led by Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory. The work will be spread among more than two dozen institutions.
Today, the University of Utah announced a $10 million contract, as part of the overall project, to develop a "peripheral nerve interface." The implanted device would relay nerve impulses wirelessly from what’s left of a limb to a computer worn on the person’s belt. From there, the signals would be routed to a bionic arm and back to the remainder of the amputated arm, where they would then flow naturally back to the brain.
Researchers at the university have already developed a pill-sized array with 100 tiny electrodes. Now they’ll seek to improve on the arrays so they can be implanted in up to four of the major nerves in a patient’s residual arm. Each electrode would communicate with a small number of fibers within a nerve.
"Imagine an artificial arm that moves naturally in response to your thoughts, that allows you to feel both the outside world and your own movements, and that is as strong and graceful as an intact, biological limb," said bioengineer Greg Clark, the University of Utah's principal investigator on the project. "That's what our researchers, teaming with others around the world, are setting out to achieve.”
Over the next four years, other scientists will build a next-generation mechanical arm designed to work like the real thing.
Existing prosthetic limbs can typically manage just one movement at a time.
"The new arm will take the signals that go to all the different arm muscles at once, and all the person has to do is think about natural movement and the arm will respond in a natural way,” Clark said. “We're basically listening in on what the nervous system would be telling the natural arm, and translating that into signals that will move the artificial arm in the same way."
Busting Baseball Myths: Scientist Throws Big Curveballs Bjorn Carey
LiveScience Staff Writer
LiveScience.com
Fri Apr 21, 7:00 AM ET
Your Little League coach probably didn't know it, but every time he sent you to the plate with the instructions "keep your eye on the ball," he was giving you an impossible task.
And if you followed the coach's advice of positioning yourself directly under a popup, you probably struggled to catch balls in the outfield, too.
Ken Fuld, a baseball enthusiast and visual psychophysicist at the University of New Hampshire, has pored over numerous baseball studies and suggests that neither of these approaches produce optimal results.
Instead, much to your coach's chagrin, you should try mimicking the quirks of the best Major League players.
Major League heat
At the Major League level, pitchers sling fastballs between 90 and 100 mph and sometimes a tweak faster. The ball moves far too swiftly for a batter to watch for its entire journey to home plate.
"In the last few feet before the plate, the ball reaches an angular velocity that exceeds the ability of the eye to track the ball," Fuld told LiveScience. "The best hitters can track the ball to within 5 or 6 feet of the plate."
After that, they shift their eyes to where they anticipate the ball will cross the plate. Some players "take" the first couple pitches of an "at bat" as they try to calibrate the movement and speed of a pitcher's offerings.
Killer curve
But a hitter is at the mercy of what the pitch does in those last few feet. That's when their eyes have left the ball and a nasty 12-to-6 curveball--a pitch named after the face of a clock and which drops top to bottom--can make even the best hitters swing out of their shoes. The pitch looks like it comes in straight, but during the instant the hitter is blind to the ball, a good curveball will have dropped a foot or more, and the batter will likely swing over the pitch.
Because of its straight trajectory, many hitters have an easier time hitting a four-seam, 100-mph fastball than a lively curveball. Forkballs, sinkers, and split-fingered fastballs, all of which have tough-to-judge spin and dart around the strike zone, are similarly tough to hit.
On the flipside are knuckleballs. Even though they're slow-moving and have little to no spin, they flutter erratically, making them one of the most difficult pitches to connect with. As legendary hitting coach Charlie Lau once said, "There are two theories on hitting a knuckleball. Unfortunately, neither of them works."
The myth of the rising fastball
Fuld has pondered other aspects of hitting that will interest any fan.
When a hitter swings under the ball and misses, baseball announcers sometimes say the pitcher got him with a "rising fastball." But technically, this pitch cannot exist if thrown overhand--it's impossible for a pitch thrown downward to buck gravity and achieve upward lift.
The rising fastball deceives the hitter in almost the opposite way a good curve does. A 90-mph fastball will drop significantly less than one thrown at 80 mph. So instead of dropping a few inches in the last few feet, a fastball with some serious zip will maintain a nearly straight trajectory.
"If he thinks it's an 80-mph fastball, but it's really 90 mph, since it didn't drop it will appear to rise in that last instant," Fuld said. "It looks like it hops up, and that's the illusion of a rising fastball."
See the ball, catch the ball
Perceptions mess with minds in the field, too.
Any pro would tell you that the hardest ball to catch is a line drive smoked right at them. Sure, there's the fear that it might put a dent in your forehead, but it's the lack of visual information that makes the ball difficult to judge.
When a ball is hit to the left or right of a fielder, the player can observe the ball's velocity, acceleration, and angle to figure out where it might land. Some people might consider baseball players to be dumb jocks, but they're constantly doing geometry on the fly.
"Good players do not run to a place where the ball will land and then wait for it, but rather catch the ball while running," Fuld said. "This is contrary to what many coaches prescribe, which is to 'get under the ball and not drift on it.'"
When the ball is hit directly at a player, the only visual information available is velocity, making it difficult to determine the ball's path and even how long it will take to get there.
So the next time you see a player for taking a lazy, jogging approach to catch a fly ball, you should praise him for his math skills rather than blasting him for not hustling.
Assuming he catches it, of course.
By MarketWatch
Last Update: 10:25 AM ET Apr 22, 2006
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Following is the full text of President Bush's Saturday radio address.
Good morning. This weekend I am traveling in California, where I'm focusing on important issues for our Nation's future, including our economy, energy prices, the war on terror, and immigration reform.
America's economy is strong, and we need to keep it strong in an increasingly competitive world. The talent and innovative spirit of our people have driven America's economic growth. To maintain our economic leadership, our Nation must stay on the leading edge of innovation -- so I have proposed the American Competitiveness Initiative.
One important part of this initiative is improving math and science education for our young people, so they have the right skills to succeed in the 21st century economy. On Friday in San Jose, I had the chance to visit Cisco Systems, a company that understands the importance of preparing the next generation for the high-tech jobs of tomorrow.
Through its Networking Academy Program, Cisco is helping to train high school students in math, science, and information technology skills. By ensuring that we have a skilled workforce for the future, companies like Cisco are helping America compete with confidence, and keeping our economy growing, and creating new jobs for our citizens.
Saturday is Earth Day, and many of you are asking how we can meet our growing energy needs while protecting our environment. The key is technology. So I have proposed the Advanced Energy Initiative to change the way we power our homes, businesses, and cars. I will visit the California Fuel Cell Partnership to take a closer look at hydrogen fuel cells, one of the exciting new technologies supported by my initiative. These fuel cells have the potential to revolutionize the way we power our cars by giving us vehicles that will emit no pollution and will be more efficient than gas-powered cars.
My Advanced Energy Initiative will also help improve hybrid vehicles -- cars and trucks that run partly on electricity and help drivers save gas. We're funding research into a new generation of plug-in hybrid vehicles that could be recharged in electrical outlets and could allow many drivers to make their daily commute using no gasoline.
By developing these and other new sources of clean renewable energy like ethanol, we will continue growing our economy, reduce energy prices and protect our environment, and make America less dependent on foreign oil.
Americans are asking about our progress toward victory in the war on terror. I have confidence in the outcome of this struggle because I know the character of the people who wear our Nation's uniform. On Sunday, I will attend church and have lunch with Marine Corps and Navy personnel and their families at the Twentynine Palms base. I will tell them how honored I am to be their Commander in Chief and express the gratitude of all Americans for their service in the cause of freedom.
Since September the 11th, 2001, the men and women of our military have overthrown a cruel regime in Afghanistan, captured or killed many al Qaeda terrorists, liberated Iraq, and made America more secure from terrorist dangers. We're fighting the terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home. By taking the fight to the terrorists and bringing liberty and hope to a troubled region, our courageous troops are making the world a safer place.
On Monday, I'll visit Irvine, California, to discuss immigration reform with the local community. Immigration is an emotional issue. And it's sparked passionate debate. When we discuss immigration, we're talking about the integrity of our borders, the enforcement of our laws, and the character of our Nation.
Here's what I believe: America does not have to choose between being a welcoming society and being a lawful society. We can be both at the same time. In the coming weeks, I'll press Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform that secures our border, enforces our laws, meets the needs of our economy, and upholds our highest ideals.
We must also ensure that all immigrants assimilate into our society and learn our customs, our values, and our language. America is a land of immigrants and a Nation of laws. And we must stay true to both parts of this great heritage.
As Congress returns from its recess, its members have important and consequential work before them. I urge them to act on my initiatives to keep America competitive, to promote alternative sources of energy, reform our immigration system, and continue their support of our troops fighting in the global war on terror.
By taking these steps, we'll maintain America's strength. And a strong America will help lead the world to a future of greater freedom and prosperity and peace.
Thank you for listening.
Pujols ties Helton for second fastest to 1,000 hits
April 21, 2006
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Albert Pujols tied Todd Helton for the second-fastest active player to reach 1,000 hits, hitting a two-run homer in the first inning against Chicago on Friday night.
Pujols and Helton needed 3,003 at-bats. Ichiro Suzuki is the fastest to the milestone, requiring 2,977 at-bats.
Pujols' 11th home run also set a franchise record for April, one more than Mark McGwire hit in his 70-homer season in 1998, with nine games to spare.
Glad he didn't get anything, except his lawyers fees.
picks for Phoenix
Biffle (16)
Stewart (20)
Kenseth (17)
qualifying for Phoenix
Order Driver (No.) Car Qualifying Speed
1 Kyle Busch (5) Chevrolet 133.774 mph
2 Greg Biffle (16) Ford 133.383 mph
3 Tony Stewart (20) Chevrolet 133.299 mph
4 Matt Kenseth (17) Ford 133.205 mph
5 Carl Edwards (99) Ford 133.028 mph
6 Denny Hamlin (11) Chevrolet 132.846 mph
7 Kurt Busch (2) Dodge 132.817 mph
8 Clint Bowyer (07) Chevrolet 132.587 mph
9 Martin Truex Jr. (1) Chevrolet 132.523 mph
10 Jimmie Johnson (48) Chevrolet 132.397 mph
11 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8) Chevrolet 132.363 mph
12 Casey Mears (42) Dodge 132.163 mph
13 Ryan Newman (12) Dodge 132.163 mph
14 Brian Vickers (25) Chevrolet 132.120 mph
15 Kevin Harvick (29) Chevrolet 132.081 mph
16 Sterling Marlin (14) Chevrolet 132.076 mph
17 Dale Jarrett (88) Ford 131.955 mph
18 Mark Martin (6) Ford 131.878 mph
19 Jeff Gordon (24) Chevrolet 131.830 mph
20 Elliott Sadler (38) Ford 131.781 mph
21 Bobby Labonte (43) Dodge 131.738 mph
22 Kasey Kahne (9) Dodge 131.714 mph
23 Jeff Green (66) Chevrolet 131.685 mph
24 Scott Riggs (10) Dodge 131.675 mph
25 Robby Gordon (7) Chevrolet 131.608 mph
26 Jamie McMurray (26) Ford 131.483 mph
27 Ken Schrader (21) Ford 131.368 mph
28 Jeremy Mayfield (19) Dodge 130.942 mph
29 David Stremme (40) Dodge 130.857 mph
30 J.J. Yeley (18) Chevrolet 130.842 mph
31 Kenny Wallace (178) Chevrolet 130.458 mph
32 Joe Nemechek (01) Chevrolet 130.416 mph
33 Scott Wimmer (4) Chevrolet 130.416 mph
34 Reed Sorenson (41) Dodge 130.321 mph
35 Stanton Barrett Jr. (95) Chevrolet 130.114 mph
36 Tony Raines (96) Chevrolet 130.077 mph
37 Jeff Burton (31) Chevrolet 129.814 mph
38 Kyle Petty (45) Dodge 129.478 mph
39 Travis Kvapil (32) Chevrolet 129.320 mph
40 Brandon Ash (102) Dodge 128.842 mph
41 Dave Blaney (22) Dodge 128.411 mph
42 Michael Waltrip (55) Dodge 126.613 mph
43 Brent Sherman (49) Dodge 128.576 mph
Did Not Qualify
Driver (No.) Car Qualifying Speed
Chad Chaffin (34) Chevrolet 128.429 mph
Mike Garvey (151) Chevrolet 128.191 mph
Chad Blount (92) Dodge 127.886 mph
Kevin Lepage (61) Ford 127.782 mph
Morgan Shepherd (89) Dodge 127.510 mph
Steve Portenga (152) Dodge 127.047 mph
I saw that not to long ago. It was so funny.
Tuna flavored ice cream. Might be good.
yummy
Sardine-flavoured ice cream coming to Portugal Thu Apr 20, 1:09 PM ET
LISBON (AFP) - A shop in Portugal is reportedly planning to start selling ice-cream in flavours like shrimp, cod, tuna and grilled sardines when it opens next month.
The "Coromoto" store in the southern fishing port and canning centre of Portimao, located 300 kilometres (185 miles) south of Lisbon, will offer a total of 60 exotic flavours alongside traditional options like chocolate and vanilla, its owner told the Lusa news agency.
"Anything that you can eat or drink can be transformed into an ice cream," said Manuel Oliveira, who said he and his daughter would make all the flavoured ice creams without using any chemicals.
Among the other ice creams to be served are several alcohol-based flavours like Baileys Irish Cream, French fruit and herb liquer Pisang Ambon, and Curacao, a liquer made from the laraha fruit, a variety of orange.
Oliveira, 52, said he inherited his passion for ice cream from his father, also named Manuel Oliveira, who earned a place in the Guiness Book of Records for dreaming up the largest number of flavours of the popular dessert.
His father's shop in the Venezuelan city of Merida serves over 700 ice cream flavours, including spaghetti, trout and garlic.
Ice cream makers across Europe are introducing more and more unusual flavours and premuim brands in order to hold on to their market shares in the face of stagnant sales in recent years.
I like this judge.
Teen Gets Boot Camp for Angering Judge 1 hour, 29 minutes ago
PONTIAC, Mich. - An Oakland County judge has had enough of one 17-year-old. Cameron D. Wells, was accused of vandalizing a court office and stealing a judge's gavel, and repeatedly angered Circuit Court Judge Gene Schnelz with his behavior.
On Wednesday, the judge sentenced Wells to 56 days in a county boot camp program on a larceny charge. If he fails to complete it, he'll get 180 days in jail, and even prison time if he uses drugs or alcohol.
"Test positive one time, and I'm giving you two to four (years) in the state prison," Schnelz told the youth.
Wells' problems started when a Farmington Hills district court judge sentenced him to community service on a minor in possession of alcohol charge. But while doing the work in September, Wells was accused of vandalizing a court office and stealing the gavel.
He ended up in Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to larceny in a building, but didn't admit that he took the gavel.
"He's 17 years old," Daniel Hilf, his lawyer, told The Oakland Press after the sentencing. "He did something stupid and he was punished for it."
Hilf also asked that Wells be considered for the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, which would have erased the offense from his criminal record. But Schnelz denied the request.
"He disrespected the court to the degree that he did," Schnelz said. "No, no favors. Quit whining and being a baby. You're 17 years old. A little discipline is what he needs."
Retiree flushes fortune down the toilet Thu Apr 20, 9:20 AM ET
BERLIN (Reuters) - A German pensioner flushed bundles of old banknotes worth a small fortune down the toilet because he thought they were now worthless, police in the northern city of Kiel said Thursday.
"He flushed the cash down the loo because he didn't think it was worth anything," said police spokesman Uwe Voigt.
Police said he dumped some 60,000 deutschemarks -- which the euro replaced in 2002 -- into the bowl, unaware they could still be exchanged for about 30,000 euros ($37,000).
Sewage workers recovered about half the sodden currency from the 64-year-old's plumbing. The remaining notes created a bottleneck in local sewers, where most were fished out.
"There may have been more cash that got away," said Voigt.
Police said the man lived in "spartan" circumstances and had dried out the notes and taken them to a bank. It was unclear if he had laundered the money first.
Americans commute longer, farther than ever By Ellen Wulfhorst
1 hour, 58 minutes ago
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dave Givens drives 370 miles
to work and back every day and considers his seven-hour commute the best answer to balancing his work with his personal life.
The winner of a nationwide contest to find the commuter with the longest trek, Givens is one of millions of people who are commuting longer and farther than ever before.
Studies show Americans spend more time than ever commuting and for a growing number, getting to work takes more than an hour. In the most recent U.S. Census Bureau study, 2.8 million people have so-called extreme commutes, topping 90 minutes.
Givens, a 46-year-old electrical engineer, has an extreme commute between home in Mariposa, California, and his job in San Jose. He leaves home before dawn and returns after dark.
His trip landed him first place among almost 3,000 entries in the search for America's longest commute, sponsored by automotive services provider Midas Inc. and announced last week. But as harrowing or tedious as Givens' trip may sound, he says it's the way to keep the home and job he loves.
"I have the balance right now," Givens told Reuters. "I could do similar jobs closer, but not with the work reward and job satisfaction I have. And I could live closer, but I wouldn't have the lifestyle that I desire.
"To me, this is not that long a commute," he added. "It's just something I do to go to work."
SUBURB-TO-SUBURB COMMUTING
Longer commutes frequently involve people who live in one suburb and work in another, said Alan Pisarski, author of "Commuting in America."
Such a pattern tends to begin with companies moving out of a city to a suburb, enticing workers to move to less-expensive outer suburbs, he told Reuters. "People see this as an opportunity to go farther away," he said.
Such a move may provide more affordable housing or better schools. Even high fuel costs -- Givens spends about $185 a week on gasoline -- can pay off in a better quality of life, Pisarski said.
Doreen DeJesus rides a bus from her home in Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, across New Jersey to her job in Manhattan.
The payoff is a house in the country, she said.
"It's a matter of getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city," said DeJesus, 37. "It's not an easy thing, but most days it's really worth it.
"My boss thinks I'm nuts," she added.
Studies show 7.6 percent of U.S. commuters traveled more than an hour to work in 2004, the most recent data available, up from 6 percent in 1990. The average one-way commute grew by 13 percent to 25.5 minutes between 1990 and 2000.
In 1990, only in New York state did more than 10 percent of workers spend more than an hour to get to work, Pisarski said. Now that situation can be found in New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois and California as well, he said.
CONGESTION WORSENS
Added to long commutes is increased congestion, according to the Texas Transportation Institute's 2005 Urban Mobility Report. Commuters typically spent 47 hours a year in traffic jams, up from 40 hours a decade earlier, the study showed.
"That's the time wasted above and beyond just being able to make the trip," said David Schrank, co-author of the report.
But the trips can be worthwhile, said Kay Phillips who works in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 164 miles from her home in Granite Falls.
"I really love what I do, so I don't mind," she said.
While Givens spends much of his commute listening to the radio, especially traffic reports, Philips, 52, uses her five-hour commute in her own way -- she prays.
"I say a long prayer starting out every morning for everybody, and it gives you quite a bit of time to do that," she said.
Battle over discarded coffee cup resolved Wed Apr 19, 2:34 PM ET
OTTAWA (AFP) - A feud over a discarded coffee cup worth thousands of dollars in a fastfood chain contest has been settled in favor of a 10-year old girl, ending weeks of national debate in Canada over who should claim the prize.
"We have awarded an SUV to the parent of one of the little girls in Quebec (who contested ownership of the cup)," Jodi Bond, a spokeswoman for the Tim Hortons coffee chain, told AFP on Wednesday.
Last month, the 10-year-old girl found the prize-winning coffee cup in the garbage at her Montreal area school, but was unable to "roll up the rim" to determine if it was a winner, so she asked an older girl for help.
The annual promotion urges coffee drinkers to check under the rim to look for millions of dollars in prizes, including a brand new Toyota sport utility vehicle worth 28,000 Canadian dollars (24,000 US dollars).
The two girls took the cup to a teacher, who called their parents. After initially agreeing to share the prize, the parents were soon at odds over how to split it.
Later, a school employee came forward saying he bought the cup, and should be awarded the prize despite disposing of the cup. He hired a lawyer, who told local media he was considering demanding a DNA test to prove his client's case.
The feud sparked a flurry of newspaper commentaries and television debates. An online US gambling site even issued odds on which girl might get to claim the prize.
Nathalie Prevost, the mother of the older girl who abandoned her claim, told the National Post newspaper: "There was no point in tearing ourselves up for money. All it did was cause trouble."
"It would have been nice for my daughter to have something, but we decided to give up because we didn't want any more arguing," she said.
"Good for them if they're happier. I don't think more money makes you happier. I didn't have any before and I was not unhappy."
Chris Carpenter goes 8 innings allowing no runs on two hits. He lowers his season ERA to 1.67. Carpenter had 6 K's. The Cardinals only had 5 hits, two of them from CF Jim Edmonds. Edmonds went 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBI's. SS David Eckstein also went 2 for 4 with a home run and two runs scored. The final score St. Louis 4 Pittsburgh 0.
Ray, ski and ddf I had a lot of fun on this board this year. I wish the season was longer. Thanks to everyone who played. I too am glad Marie won this year. I didn't know her very well but could tell she was a kind person.
best wishes to everyone
Albert Pujols
two run home run in the fifth
solo home run in the seventh
game winning two run home run in the ninth
Albert Pujols three home runs as the Cards beat the Reds 8-7
I'm a "Gunsmoke" fan so I'll take #6 Festus to replace the #2 in the 4th race.
4/15
all bets $10 to win
1)3
2)3
4)6
5)4
6)5
7)4
8)5
9)2
11)8
12)9
Happy Easter!