Kent unveils memorial to 4 killed in 1970

KENT, Ohio Kent State University officials yesterday unveiled amodel for a memorial to four students killed by National Guardsmenduring a protest May 4, 1970, against the U.S. bombing of Cambodia.

The memorial, a sunken pathway carved in a wooded hillside, hasfour large circular depressions in the earth to represent each deadstudent, and nine smaller impressions to represent wounded students.

University President Michael Schwartz said the memorial will bepresented "in a manner that is neither heroic nor accusatory."

"With this announcement today, Kent State University formallyacknowledges its own history and its place in recent Americanhistory," Schwartz …

Report: Wars Cost US $12 Billion a Month

WASHINGTON - The boost in troop levels in Iraq has increased the cost of war there and in Afghanistan to $12 billion a month, and the total for Iraq alone is nearing a half-trillion dollars, congressional analysts say.

All told, Congress has appropriated $610 billion in war-related money since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror assaults, roughly the same as the war in Vietnam. Iraq alone has cost $450 billion.

The figures come from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, which provides research and analysis to lawmakers.

For the 2007 budget year, CRS says, the $166 billion appropriated to the Pentagon represents a 40 percent increase over 2006.

The …

Penguins beat Red Wings in Game 3 of Cup finals

Sergei Gonchar scored the go-ahead goal with 9:31 left in the third period and Marc-Andre Fleury made 27 saves, lifting the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals.

The Penguins won at home Tuesday night after losing twice on the road against the defending champions just as they …

Where Are the Moral Standards?

Let's face it, this fight over whether to legalize drugs isn't somuch over whether it will reduce drug abuse and crime.

You don't need yet another study, as Surgeon General JoycelynElders said, to find out that it won't. Common sense alone tells youthat increasing the drug supply will not reduce demand; that makingdrugs widely available to pregnant women will increase the numbers ofcrack babies; that unless legalized drugs are handed out in unlimitedand free amounts, addicts will still steal; that it is a stupidmessage to send our children.

No, this debate is about something more fundamental: Whethergovernment ought to stick its nose into how people "run …

British skier sets record for solo Antarctic trek

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — British adventurer Felicity Aston completed her crossing of Antarctica on Monday, becoming the first woman to ski across the icy continent alone.

She did it in 59 days, pulling two sledges for 1,084 miles (1,744 kilometers) from her starting point on the Leverett Glacier on Nov. 25.

"!!!Congratulations to the 1st female to traverse Antarctica SOLO.V proud," her Twitter message said.

She announced her achievement from Hercules Inlet on Antarctica's Ronne Ice Shelf, where she waited alone in her tent for bad weather to clear so that a small plane could pick her up and take her to a base camp. Other expeditions also have gathered there, …

US aide says presidential successors can work on missile defense

U.S. President George W. Bush's national security adviser says the leaders of the U.S. and Russia can leave the missile defense issue to their successors after failing to reach agreement in their last meeting together as presidents.

Stephen Hadley made the comments aboard Air Force One following farewell talks Sunday in Russian between Bush and President Vladimir Putin, who leaves office on May 7.

Asked whether he expects the U.S. …

House prices continue to show upward trend

House prices in Aberdeen were the fastest growing in Scotland,according to a new survey.

Figures from building society Nationwide have revealed houseprices rose by 25% in 2007.

The average price of a home rose pounds48,000 to pounds234,000.

The survey looked at 30 major towns and cities across the UnitedKingdom.

But the prices are still outside the top 10 house prices in theUK.

Edinburgh was seventh, with average prices of pounds257,288.

The former Roman outpost of St Albans in …

Cook County may treat drug users to cut crime

Cook County may treat drug users to cut crime

In an effort to help cure drug-addicted youth, Cook County Commissioner Roberto Maldonado Thursday announced the county is studying a plan to treat these offenders who are in the juvenile judicial system.

At a press conference held in his office, Maldonado told reporters the Cook County Board approved an amendment seeking a study that will determine the possibility of treating these young drug abusers who are under their jurisdiction.

Right now, he said, "we are not offering an opportunity for drug treatment for those children, juveniles, especially those at risk." He said some are drug abusers who need …

Olympic Men's Water Polo Glance

Country W L T Pt GF GA

Spain 1 0 0 2 16 6

Australia 1 0 0 2 12 8

Hungary 0 0 1 1 10 10

Montenegro 0 0 1 1 10 10

Greece 0 1 0 0 8 12

Canada 0 1 0 0 6 16

Group B

Country W L T Pt GF GA

Croatia 1 0 0 2 11 7

Serbia 1 0 0 2 11 …

Local sports

UC SOCCER

Ricardo "Marty" Martinez has been named the new men's soccercoach at the University of Charleston. Martinez comes to Charlestonfrom Marshall University, where he served as an assistant coach lastyear. Martinez, a James Madison graduate, also coached women'ssoccer at Culpeper High School in Virginia. He inherits a UC teamthat advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four last season, losingin the semifinals, 1-0, to Southern Connecticut. The top threescorers and goalkeeper return off that team, which went 21-2 underPete Curtis.

Curtis left UC to take the head coaching job at Cleveland State.He was 68-30-8 in five years at the Golden Eagle helm.

MULLINS …

20 U.S. Service Members Killed in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq - At least 20 American service members were killed in military operations Saturday in the deadliest day for U.S. forces in two years, including 13 who died in a helicopter crash and five slain in an attack by militia fighters in the holy city of Karbala, military officials said.

Saturday's toll was the third-highest of any single day since the war began in March 2003, eclipsed only by 37 U.S. deaths on Jan. 26, 2005, and 28 on the third day of the U.S. invasion. U.S. authorities also announced two American combat deaths from Friday.

The heavy toll comes at a critical time of rising congressional opposition to President Bush's decision to dispatch 21,500 …

Afghan tech boom: Mullah embraces iPhone

Mullah Abdul Salaam Zaeef is a former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan. He spent almost four years in Guantanamo. He wears a black turban, has a thick beard _ and is never without his Apple iPhone.

The ultra-conservative Taliban banned modern technology like the Internet and TV during its harsh 1996-2001 rule, but those items have boomed in Afghanistan since the regime's 2001 ouster, helping to bring the country into the 21st century.

Zaeef, who reconciled with the Afghan government after being released from U.S. custody, says he uses his iPhone to surf the Internet and find difficult locations, employing the built-in GPS. He even checks his bank account balance …

Dalai Lama begins 3-day spiritual visit to France

PARIS (AP) — The Dalai Lama began a three-day spiritual visit to France on Saturday, saying that rapprochement with Beijing was possible and that if all rights are genuinely implemented "then it's in our interest to remain within" China.

The Dalai Lama, now 76, gave up his role as head of the Tibetan government-in-exile Aug. 8 when a Harvard-trained legal scholar Lobsang Sangay, was sworn in as the new official leader of his people's fight for freedom.

"Now, today I'm just a spiritual person" without political responsibilities, the Dalai Lama said in Toulouse on the sidelines of a talk on meditation that drew thousands of Buddhist followers and others.

But he quickly addressed politics in the brief remarks shown on BFM TV.

"If the Chinese government gives us meaningful autonomy, genuinely implements the rights mentioned in the constitution or ... papers regarding the rights of minorities, sincerely fully implements, then it's in our interest to remain within the People's Republic of China," he said.

China has for decades vilified the Dalai Lama, who fled to Dharmsala, in northern India in 1959, drawing hundreds of thousands of Tibetans who followed. Beijing has held nine fruitless rounds of negotiations with his representatives.

China contends he is a separatist trying to end Chinese rule over Tibet, but he insists he only seeks cultural autonomy.

The Dalai Lama is worshipped by most Tibetans as a near deity. In France, he is beloved by Buddhists and others. Thousands poured into the Zenith theater to listen to his teachings on meditation. An outdoor screen was being erected for a conference on the art of happiness.

The Dalai Lama announced in March that he would be giving up his political role as leader of the Tibetan exile movement, but remain as spiritual leader. He visited the U.S. in July and met with President Obama, which drew criticism from China. There were no official plans for a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Pinky Lee, Television's Vaudeville Comic

MISSION VIEJO, Calif. Pinky Lee, a vaudeville comic who became astar of children's television in the 1950s, died Saturday aftersuffering a heart attack. He was 85.

In a signature checkered coat and rolled-brim hat, Mr. Lee sang,danced and told stories on "The Pinky Lee Show," a half-hour programthat ran from Jan. 4, 1954, to May 11, 1956.

His prime-time TV career began at the start of the decade.Originally, "The Pinky Lee Show" was a variety program that airedduring 1950.

In between those efforts, he was the co-host of the "Those Two"comedy from 1951 to 1953 with Vivian Blaine and Martha Stewart. Hewas also a host of "The Gumby Show" for nine months in 1957.

After his network career ended, Mr. Lee was host of localchildren's shows in Los Angeles in 1964 and 1966. He later appearedaround the country in stage revues of vaudeville. During a 1989 tourin a production of the musical "Sugar Babies," he suffered a heartattack backstage in Peoria.

A native of St. Paul, Minn., he wanted to be a lawyer butabandoned the idea because people laughed at his lisp.

He got his start in burlesque in the 1930s. By 1947, the lisphad become so much a part of his comic persona that he asked Lloyd'sof London to insure it for $50,000.

Survivors include his wife, Bebe; their son, Morgan, anddaughter, Patricia.

Prince William in trouble over helicopter antics as Prince Harry grows in stature

Good prince, bad prince.

In recent years, the good prince has been Prince William, the responsible, handsome, self-effacing heir to the throne. The bad prince has been carrot-topped, pot-smoking Prince Harry, partying too hard and wearing Nazi gear on a boozy night out.

Then Harry went to war and William started flying around England in his Royal Air Force helicopter as if it were his own personal toy, bending military rules by dropping in at his girlfriend's house.

Now it's bad prince, good prince _ at least for a while.

William, 25, is seen as pampered and overindulged, and Harry, 23, as a gallant soldier who put his life on the line for queen (in this case, grandma) and country. At least that is the prevailing public view as embarrassed military officials admit they goofed by letting William take the pricey Chinook out on joy rides.

"It shows William in a bad light," said celebrity publicist Max Clifford. "It's the whole spoiled brat syndrome. If any other young officer in the RAF were to do this, they would probably be kicked out of the forces in two minutes."

"It basically says all the wrong things. It says because of who I am I can do what I want. That's the sort of message that upsets the British public."

Harry's dogged insistence that he be allowed to go into battle with his mates rather than get a cushy post back home has impressed the British public. The fact he looked terrific in uniform did not go unnoticed, either _ at least by female readers of British newspapers, which published hundreds of photos of the soldier-prince.

And William was not helped by the shortage of Chinook helicopters hindering the British war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some acid-tongued commentators pointed out that the Chinooks should be used to support British troops, not to indulge William's "top gun" fantasies.

The role reversal comes after several years in which Harry has received occasionally harsh criticism while William had been put on something of a pedestal.

To a degree, this has even applied to the young women in their lives. The press has given William's paramour, the elegant, dark-haired Kate Middleton, rave reviews as a possible future queen, but has been less kind toward Chelsy Davy, the blonde Zimbabwean who is Harry's frequent companion.

There's a great wellspring of public affection for both young princes, who suffered the sudden, traumatic loss of their mother, Princess Diana, when they were just boys. But royal watchers fear William may be squandering this good will.

"I just think in a modern monarchy you cannot do this sort of thing and expect to get away with it," said author Robert Jobson, who has written about the royals. "You have to be accountable. I think William has made a mistake and he should realize it."

William's questionable sorties took place when he was attached to a Chinook squadron as part of his Royal Air Force training. He completed his basic training several weeks ago and received his wings in a ceremony attended by his father, Prince Charles, and his girlfriend.

In addition to landing on Middleton's lawn as she and her parents watched, he used the 10 million pound (US$20 million, euro12.5 million) helicopter to attend a stag party on the Isle of Wight _ picking up Harry on the way _ and also flew low over Highgrove, his father's estate, and Sandringham, one of Queen Elizabeth II's country retreats.

The press has been poking fun at William since the flights were revealed, with some columnists pointing out that no British girl will be satisfied with a boyfriend who brings a bouquet of roses bought at a local gas station as a gift, when the future king can woo his beloved by landing a Chinook in her garden.

But some military men defended the prince and the instructors who okayed his flight plans.

Charles Heyman, a former officer who edits "The Armed Forces of the United Kingdom," said helicopter pilots have always bent the rules. He said he used to fly with a U.S. airman who used his military helicopter to scour the countryside for vintage cars he could buy for bargain prices. When he saw something he liked, he would swoop down, land, and make an offer.

"It's the sort of things helicopter pilots have done forever," Heyman said. "They've landed in their girlfriends' gardens all over the UK and all over the USA. It is illegal by service standards but they can always get away with it. Some people could say it's part of legitimate flight training, but really it's not. You'd have to really stretch to say that."

Still, he said the fact the both young princes are active in the military is important.

"It raises the status of the military and it shows the top people in society are part of it, and that's good for morale," he said.

___

Associated Press Writer Kelvin Chan contributed to this report.

No. 19 Boise St. Shuts Out Utah St. 52-0

Taylor Tharp threw for 283 yards and two touchdowns in just three quarters as No. 19 Boise State beat Utah State 52-0 Saturday.

The Broncos (9-1, 6-0 WAC) won their eighth straight and did nothing to hurt themselves in the next rankings as they try to make a late run in the BCS standings and crack the Bowl Championship Series for a second straight year.

Boise State overwhelmed the hapless Aggies (0-10, 0-6), who have lost 16 in a row and were down by two touchdowns barely six minutes into the game.

The Broncos blocked a punt for a touchdown, blocked a field goal attempt and forced four turnovers, including three interceptions of Jase McCormick, who replaced starter Leon Jackson III in the second half as the Aggies desperately tried to get the offense going.

It didn't work. Utah State finished with 236 yards. Boise State's Ian Johnson gained almost half that total by himself with 110 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown.

Titus Young ran for two touchdowns and caught a pass for another in the Broncos' second shutout of the season.

The Broncos led 31-0 at halftime and have scored 80 straight points over their last two games, counting the 28 they scored to cap a 42-7 win over San Jose State the week before.

Tharp, who completed 26 of 29 passes and was pulled after throwing a 38-yard pass to Young that put Boise State up 45-0 with 53 seconds left in the third quarter, had the second-best completion percentage in school history.

Only Jared Zabransky's 21-for-23 performance against Utah State last year was better.

The Broncos scored on the opening drive, then Ia Falo returned a blocked punt 16 yards for Boise State's second touchdown. The Broncos blocked a field goal attempt on Utah State's next series and turned it into three more points on Kyle Brotzman's 22-yard field goal with 1:30 left in the first quarter.

Other than five penalties, the only mistake the Broncos made in the first half was Johnson's fumble at the Utah State 10. But Boise State got the ball right back two minutes later when Jason Robinson stopped Diondre Borel cold after a catch and knocked the ball free.

Tharp completed 19 of 21 passes in the first half, including a 4-yard touchdown pass to Richie Brockel that put the Broncos up 24-0 with 7:53 still remaining in the first half. That made up for a touchdown pass to Brockel on the previous drive that was called back because of a penalty.

The Broncos went 72 yards on the opening drive and scored when Young took a counter 8 yards with 10:17 left in the first quarter.

(This version CORRECTS Boise State's scoring streak to 80 consecutive points.)

Slovenia's Komac expects win over US at World Cup

With Slovenia already having earned its first ever World Cup win, midfielder Andrej Komac isn't shy about predicting another victory for the tiny country against the United States on Friday.

"We are going to win this match," Komac told reporters after practice Tuesday.

He said there's "a good feeling" in the squad after Slovenia beat 10-man Algeria 1-0 to claim top spot in Group C. Komac came on as a substitute in the final minutes.

The U.S. and England have one point each after their 1-1 draw, and Slovenia will advance to the second round if it beats the Americans at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.

With a population of just over 2 million, Slovenia is the smallest nation in the World Cup, but its national team has upset bigger rivals before. It finished second in its qualifying group ahead of the Czech Republic and Poland and stunned Russia in a two-match playoff to enter its second World Cup.

Slovenia already is doing better than in 2002, when it lost all three group matches.

Captain Robert Koren secured the victory Saturday against Algeria with a long-range shot in the 79th minute that goalkeeper Fawzi Chaouchi misjudged and allowed to bounce into the net off his arm.

Komac doesn't expect the U.S. to underestimate his team, given what it's accomplished so far.

"We took three points in the first game. No one looks at us as small anymore," he said. "Now we can only go forward like this, because we are leading the group."

Slovenia produced few scoring chances against Algeria, but fielded a strong defense that the North Africans couldn't break down.

Komac said Slovenia is not going to change it's strategy when it faces the Americans.

"We are playing our style of football and we'll continue with that and we can beat the U.S. with that style," he said.

`Sunset Daze' gals talk stripper poles, reality TV

At first glance, Joanne Hauncher and Sandy Miracle-Jones do not seem like typical reality TV stars.

Both over the age of 60, the senior citizens count golf and charity work among their many hobbies and call the sprawling Sun City Grand retirement village in blazing hot Surprise, Arizona, home. Look a little closer, though, and golden girls Hauncher and Miracle-Jones are just as bawdy and ready to party as any "Real World/Road Rules Challenge" contestant.

The pastimes of Hauncher, a married, 63-year-old retired real estate agent, and Miracle-Jones, a 68-year-old widow who recently began dating again, also include downing glasses of vino and practicing their gun skills. The women star alongside a handful of other Sun City Grand residents in WEtv's "Sunset Daze," which premiered Wednesday night on the WE tv network.

While this is not the first time senior citizens have received the reality TV treatment _ 72-year-old retired Navy SEAL team leader Rudy Boesch outwitted, outplayed and outlasted almost all of the youngsters on the first season of "Survivor" _ the salacious promos for "Sunset Daze" promised an unprecedented eye-popping, jaw-dropping view of the golden years.

In the first five minutes of the premiere episode alone, an elderly couple canoodle in a hot tub, several seniors guzzle wine, and Miracle-Jones boasts about her "battery-operated boyfriend." However, the rest of the debut is more subdued, with Hauncher and her gal pals setting up Miracle-Jones on a series of blind dates with eligible bachelors.

The saucy Hauncher and saucier Miracle-Jones are ready for their reality TV close-up. In a recent phone interview, the ladies, who were friends before being cast on the docu-reality series, discussed auditioning for the show, working a stripper pole for the first time and being compared to those hard-partying twentysomethings from MTV's "Jersey Shore."

___

AP: How were you selected to be on the show?

Miracle-Jones: It was all about being at the right place at the right time. We were hanging out at our favorite place just having a pinot grigio, and someone approached us and wanted to interview us, and we said sure. As a result of that interview, I was one of the people they picked. I thought to myself, "Why not? I'm retired. Every day is a Saturday."

AP: How did the two of you become friends?

Hauncher: I've known Sandy ever since she moved down here, which has been about four or five years. Sandy is a widow. She came in one day and was just sitting there by herself, so me and my girlfriends said, "Why don't you just pull up a chair and come on over and talk to us?" Bingo. That's how the friendship started. We just started hanging out together.

AP: In the first episode, you visit a shooting range. Is that something you normally do in your real lives?

Hauncher: We belong to a gun club in Michigan, so that wasn't foreign to me, but there's a lot of things we did in the show that were foreign to me. I have never pole danced in my life. I didn't even know what it was. It's not easy. You have to have a little bit more acrobatic know-how than I do. I tried it. I was not successful. My husband just laughed at me.

AP: What does the Sun City Grand community think about the show?

Miracle-Jones: I think a lot of people are as excited about it as much as we are, but there are probably a few of them going, "Hmmm." ... I know me, personally, and some of the other members of the cast, have had people approach us and ask, "How can we be a part of this?" So I think they're pretty supportive of it.

AP: How do you feel about how folks from your generation have been portrayed?

Hauncher: When we moved here, some people said they were bored. I have not found that to be true, but it's not all fun, fun, fun. At our age, there are people, Sandy being one of them, that all of a sudden, a child comes back and lives with you. Being a senior citizen is not without its challenges, be it issues with alcohol or drugs or being handicapped.

AP: What do you think about the comparisons between "Sunset Daze" and "Jersey Shore"?

Miracle-Jones: When people compare us to "Jersey Shore," all I have to say is, "What a nice compliment. Thank you very much." To be compared to twentysomethings, what's not to like about that? I don't think we're as crazy as they are, but we're not dead, either. We have a lot to look forward to, and I think that most of us want to make the most of it.

___

On the Net:

http://www.wetv.com/sunsetdaze/

Special design gives studio visual division

Studio apartments need special design treatment for visualdivision of the sleeping and living areas.

Interior designer JoAnn Calleia designed black lacquer areadividers that serve as dressers in the executive studio model, andmultifunctional wall units in the other two furnished models, in thetwin towers Autumnwood phase at Four Lakes Village development inLisle.

The executive studio caters to young professional singles whowill eat, sleep, relax and entertain in one room.

One of the other two furnished models is a light and airyCalifornia-style efficiency created for the young, single, femaleexecutive. It is done in feminine shades of melon, celadon green andshrimp offset by ivory furnishings.

A highlight of this model is a multifaceted wall unit with atable that can be pulled up for use or hidden from view to free morefloor space during a large gathering. The complete wall systemcontains the table, storage for a television set and games and curiocabinet storage for dishes.

The third model is a one-bedroom unit designed for aprofessional couple. It has contemporary furnishings and a colorpalatte of tan, rust, ivory and teal green. It has an efficient wallunit with a television set that can be exposed or hidden with tambourdoors. A curio cabinet on the other side is lighted from above.

"Less is best, but with function," the designer said.

"You have to think about what you will be doing in thatapartment that is important to you and what your needs are, and gofrom there."

Mission Main tenants protest relocations

Mission Main tenants protest relocations

A group of Mission Main tenants staged a demonstration Friday afternoon on Ward Street in Roxbury to protest the Boston Housing Authority's plan to demolish their homes and relocate them out of Mission Main while the development is reconstructed.

"They've already removed more than 200 people from other buildings they destroyed and they haven't even started construction yet", said Maria Lebron, one of the organizers of the protest. "We want them to start construction on those empty lots before they kick anybody else out".

The Boston Housing Authority has given about 70 additional families at Mission Main until the end of August to move out of the development, so that demolition can begin on the buildings they currently occupy. All departing residents are being offered housing in other BHA sites, or Section 8 housing vouchers that subsidize market-rate rents, according to BHA officials.

Mission Main is undergoing a massive renovation as part of at $100 million U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant called Hope 6. The grant was awarded in 1993, but five years later housing units have only been destroyed. None have been built, angering HUD officials who earlier this year threatened to revoke the Hop 6 funding if construction did not commence.

In April Boston Housing authority officials announced that lingering disagreements between the BHA, HUD, tenants, and the Mission Main Development team, a private development company running the project, had been resolved and that the project would move forward.

But yesterday protesting residents said the BHA and the private development team has mismanaged Hope 6 thus far, failing to work with Mission Main tenants or involve them in development plans, and stalling on the construction phase of the project.

In a statement the group of protesters said they were "not satisfactorily represented by the current Tenant Task Force" and called for the election of new tenant leaders.

Adeline Stallings, co-chair of the Tenant Task Force, would have none of it": "Let's get off the bull- and let's get down to the facts of it", Stallings told the Banner.

"They have known since day one that they have to move, they just don't want to move", Stalling said of the protesters. "The Task Force members have to move, we all have to move", she added.

The Tenant Task Force last held an election in March of 1996, according to Stallings. HUD requires Hope 6 projects to have tenant elections every two years.

Most tenants that have moved out of Mission Main have been relocated to other BHA units, many in the Bromley-Health Housing Development in Jamaica Plain, some in subsidized private units. According to the protesters, in the latest round of relocations some tenants have been offered only Section 8 housing vouchers, which subsidize market-rate apartment rents, rather than BHA housing.

"People don't want the Section 8s because you usually have to move around year to year when landlords keep raising the rents", said Ceredo Dean, an 11-year resident of Mission Main.

"A lot of people have lived here their whole life and are afraid that if they leave they won't ever be able to come back" Dean said.

Hillary Jones, chief of staff for the Boston Housing Authority, said such fears were unfounded "Everyone who is temporarily displaced as a part of the Hope 6 project has a right to return once reconstruction is complete".

Roger Cassin, project manager for the Mission Main Development team, said construction actually began on the project on Monday. BHA officials and residents, though, said they were not aware that any construction had begun.

Photo (Victor Maitas took part in protest)

Renault first half net profit rises in changing auto market, lowers 2008 sales target

Even as Renault SA reported a 37 percent increase in six-month net profit Thursday, the French carmaker said it plans to cut jobs and scale back production to adjust for expected lower sales volumes and slowing economic growth.

Renault said it now expects to sell more than 3 million vehicles under its Renault, Dacia and Renault Samsung brands this year compared with the 3.3 million goal first expected as part of its four-year turnaround plan launched in 2006.

The carmaker blamed "the deterioration in the macroeconomic environment" which "has far exceeded the worst-case scenarios" envisaged when CEO Carlos Ghosn unveiled the plan two year ago.

"It's a good signal that Ghosn is adopting a more realistic discourse," said Pierre-Yves Quemener, a Paris-based analyst at Landesbanki Kepler. "Today we don't know whether the European market will fall 3, 4, or 5 percent this year, nor whether it will continue to fall next year."

Renault said it is talking to unions about a voluntary redundancy plan in Europe to reduce overhead costs by 10 percent. CFO Thierry Moulonguet said that could translate into job cuts of around 5,000 by 2010.

The car maker is also considering cutting back to just one shift at its Sandouville plant in Northern France, where the Laguna upscale sedan is produced. The factory currently has two shifts.

Moulonguet said Laguna sales have fallen short of expectations as environmental concerns are pushing customers toward vehicles with smaller engines or diesel engines.

Ghosn warned there could be additional cost-cutting if the situation deteriorates further. He said the measures had been discussed with French President Nicolas Sarkozy before today's announcement because the state is a Renault shareholder.

Renault is also planning to raise prices where it can, cut research spending, and halt or postpone non-priority projects. Ghosn said the carmaker will wait to revamp its Renault Espace people carrier until it fully understands how rising oil prices are changing consumption habits.

Unions voiced their opposition.

"Carlos Ghosn is signaling a new degradation of living and working conditions likely to bring about new human dramas," the heavyweight CGT union said in a press release, referring to four suicides at Renault's Guyancourt site since 2006.

Shares, which initially rose 5 percent after the results announcement, fell back and were trading down 3.7 percent at euro55.7 ($87.6) mid-afternoon.

Net income for the six months to June rose to euro1.46 billion (US$2.2 billion) from euro1.07 billion a year earlier, Renault said in a statement. The results reflect cost cuts and exclude the second quarter contribution from its 44 percent stake in Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co., which reports Aug. 1.

Revenue increased 2.3 percent to euro20.94 billion (US$32.96 billion) over the period.

The results tracked with those of other mass-market car makers. On Wednesday, French rival Peugeot-Citroen reported a 49 percent increase in first-half net profit, Volkswagen's second-quarter profit jumped 35 percent while Fiat's rose just under 2 percent for the first half. Germany's luxury carmaker Daimler AG on Thursday reported a 25 percent drop in second-quarter net profit and lowered its earnings outlook for the full year, blaming a slowing global economy and higher production costs.

"It's up to you to judge in six months who was optimistic and who was alarmist," Ghosn told journalists. "I know that my colleagues in the industry are more optimistic. I hope they are right."

While cost cuts, increased sales in developing countries and lineups of smaller, more fuel-efficient cars have helped against a tough market, some analysts are pessimistic about the future, with no sign that surging fuel and raw materials prices will abate.

Ghosn defended his track record, saying profit margin levels have increased.

Renault said it is still on track to achieve its target of a 4.5 percent operating margin in 2008 and 6 percent in 2009, although the worsening economic climate makes this more "difficult to attain."

Jim Tressel resigns as Ohio State's football coach

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — At the bottom of the stunning resignation letter that he carefully typed in his office on Monday morning, in the last lines above his characteristically neat and clear signature, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel closed with a personal note.

"We know that God has a plan for us and we will be fine," he wrote, referring to himself and his wife, Ellen.

"We will be Buckeyes forever."

But no longer will he be the Buckeyes coach.

Tressel, who guided Ohio State to its first national title in 34 years, resigned Monday amid NCAA violations from a tattoo-parlor scandal that sullied the image of one of the country's top football programs.

He said the ongoing investigations and drumbeat of almost daily, sordid revelations were a "distraction" to the university and that he was stepping down "for the greater good of our school."

Tressel is still scheduled to go before the NCAA's committee on infractions in August for lying to the NCAA and then covering it up — the most egregious of sins for a coach in the eyes of college sports' ruling body. The former coach will join school officials at that meeting.

But Ohio State is not required to pay any buyout or severance to Tressel, who made around $3.5 million a year.

Ohio State announced that assistant coach Luke Fickell, already tabbed to take over for Tressel during his self-imposed five-game suspension for his violations, will be the Buckeyes coach for the 2011 season. Ohio State will begin looking for a permanent coach who will take over next year.

It was a startling fall for a coach who won championships and sidestepped several major NCAA violations through the years. They dated to his days as the ultrasuccessful coach at Youngstown State, where he won four Division I-AA national titles, through a decade as Ohio State's coach, where he posted a 106-22 record.

The abrupt resignation, first reported by The Columbus Dispatch, capped six months of turmoil in the program.

In December, five Ohio State players — including star quarterback Terrelle Pryor — were found to have received cash and discounted tattoos from the owner of a local tattoo parlor who was the subject of a federal drug-trafficking case. All were permitted by the NCAA to play in the Buckeyes' 31-26 victory over Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl, with their suspensions to begin with the first game of the 2011 season.

After the team returned from New Orleans, Ohio State officials began preparing an appeal of the players' sanctions. It was then that investigators found that Tressel had learned in April 2010 about the players' involvement with the parlor owner, Edward Rife.

A local attorney and former Ohio State walk-on player, Christopher Cicero, had sent Tressel emails detailing the improper benefits. Tressel and Cicero traded a dozen emails on the subject.

Tressel had signed an NCAA compliance form in September saying he had no knowledge of any wrongdoing by athletes. His contract, in addition to NCAA rules, specified that he had to tell his superiors or compliance department about any potential NCAA rules violations. Yet he did not tell anyone, except to forward emails to Ted Sarniak, reportedly a "mentor" for Pryor back in his hometown of Jeannette, Pa.

Also on Monday, The Columbus Dispatch reported that Pryor is the subject of a "significant" inquiry by the NCAA and Ohio State regarding cars and other improper benefits he may have received.

Later Monday, Sports Illustrated reported that the memorabilia-for-tattoos violations actually stretched back to 2002, Tressel's second season at Ohio State, and involved at least 28 players — 22 more than the university has acknowledged. Those numbers include, beyond the six suspended players, an additional nine current players as well as other former players whose alleged wrongdoing might fall within the NCAA's four-year statute of limitations on violations.

After the article's release, athletic director Gene Smith issued a statement.

"During the course of an investigation, the university and the NCAA work jointly to review any new allegations that come to light, and will continue to do so until the conclusion of the investigation," he said. "You should rest assured that these new allegations will be evaluated in exactly this manner. Beyond that, we will have no further comment."

Ohio State called a hurried news conference on March 8, during which it handed Tressel a two-game suspension (later raised to five games), fined him $250,000, and required him to publicly apologize and attend an NCAA compliance seminar.

Smith and Ohio State President Gordon Gee, though, heaped praise on Tressel and said they were behind him 100 percent. Gee even joked when asked if he had considered firing the coach: "No, are you kidding? Let me just be very clear: I'm just hopeful the coach doesn't dismiss me."

Gee was not joking about the Tressel situation over the weekend. Ohio State released a letter from Gee to the university's board of trustees which said, "As you all know, I appointed a special committee to analyze and provide advice to me regarding issues attendant to our football program. In consultation with the senior leadership of the university and the senior leadership of the board, I have been actively reviewing the matter and have accepted coach Tressel's resignation."

Tressel's downfall came with public and media pressure mounting on Ohio State, its board of trustees, Gee and Smith.

Smith said in a video statement Monday, "As you all know, we are under NCAA investigation. We will not discuss any of the matters around that case or any further accusations that may emerge. We will do what we always do. We respond to them, we collaborate with the NCAA and try and find the truth."

Ohio State will go before the NCAA's infractions committee Aug. 12.

As for Tressel, he was in trouble with the NCAA, even before coming to Ohio State. In fact, he was the coach at Youngstown State when it received scholarship and recruiting restrictions for violations involving star quarterback Ray Isaac.

Yet before that investigation had played itself out, Tressel was hired in 2001 at Ohio State.

Introduced at an Ohio State basketball game in 2001, Tressel vowed that fans would "be proud of our young people, in the classroom, in the community, and most especially in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Mich., on the football field."

His first team went just 7-5, but the unranked Buckeyes shocked No. 11 Michigan 26-20. Tressel would go 9-1 against Ohio State's archrival and 6-4 in bowl games.

In 2002, with a team led by freshman tailback Maurice Clarett, the Buckeyes won everything. They went 14-0, winning seven games by seven or fewer points. Ranked No. 2, they took on top-ranked Miami in the Fiesta Bowl for the Bowl Championship Series national title. In the second overtime, Clarett bulled over the middle for a touchdown and the Buckeyes held to clinch their first national title since 1968. After the game, Tressel held aloft the crystal football.

The following summer, Clarett reported that a used car he had borrowed from a local dealer was broken into and that he had lost thousands of dollars in the theft. Clarett's call to police came from Tressel's office. Clarett admitted he had made up the break-in call and later took a plea deal. But the NCAA began looking into Clarett and the team. Soon after, he was declared ineligible. He would never play another college game.

There had been a stream of players getting in trouble at Ohio State, but in December 2004 backup quarterback Troy Smith was suspended for the bowl game and the 2005 regular-season opener for accepting $500 from a booster. Smith would go on to win the 2006 Heisman Trophy, leading the Buckeyes to a 12-0 record and a seasonlong No. 1 ranking. Despite being a heavy favorite in the national title game, the Buckeyes were routed by Florida 41-14.

They also were beaten badly in the national championship game the following year, 38-24, by LSU.

Tressel's latest brush with NCAA violations was just too much — for him, for the university, for a program that prides itself on being somehow cleaner and better than others.

The author of two books about faith and integrity, he remains a scapegoat to many and a hypocrite to others. Even though he has many backers, a rising chorus of detractors had stepped forward during the ongoing NCAA investigation. There were also questions about his players and their friends and family members receiving special deals on more than 50 used cars from two Columbus dealers.

But at the same time, his image was that of an honest, religious man who never said or did anything without thinking it through first. His nickname was "The Senator" for never having a hair out of place, praising opponents and seldom giving a clear answer to even the simplest of questions.

___

Rusty Miller can be reached at http://twitter.com/rustymillerap

2 young French tourists said missing in Bolivia

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Two young French tourists have been missing nearly four weeks in Bolivia's Beni region in the Amazon bordering Brazil, the French ambassador said Wednesday in launching a public appeal for help finding them.

Ambassador Antoine Grassin said the couple was in the midst of a tour of several Latin American countries when they were last seen Aug. 28, leaving a child in the small city of Guayaramerin on the border with Brazil.

"This is a strange case because the young couple was staying in a house and the last day that they were seen they left her child in this house and nothing more is known," Grassin told The Associated Press.

The couple was identified as Fanny Blancho, 23, mother of the child, and her partner, Jeremy Bellanger, 25.

Police in both Bolivia and Brazil were alerted about the couple's disappearance, the ambassador said.

The French Embassy published a notice about the couple in Thursday's editions of Bolivian newspapers.

Twitter to have paid tweets show up in searches

Twitter announced Tuesday that it is introducing advertising by allowing companies to pay to have their messages show up first in searches on its site.

The debut of "Promoted Tweets" comes as Twitter increasingly faces questions about how it can turn its wide usage into profits.

The ads apparently won't bring in much money during the experimental phase of Twitter's commercial push. Virgin America, one of the advertisers that Twitter invited to test the concept, isn't paying for its first burst of promotional messages, according to Porter Gale, the airline's vice president of marketing.

"I would expect that it would turn into a paid model in the future," Gale told The Associated Press.

Twitter declined to comment when asked whether it's charging the test group of advertisers. Besides Virgin America, Twitter identified Best Buy Co., Sony Pictures and Starbucks Corp. among the other companies using Promoted Tweets.

The ads will be rolled out gradually, with fewer than 10 percent of Twitter's users likely to see them Tuesday. The company says the ads should be appearing in all relevant searches within the next few days.

Twitter has grown quickly in popularity since it started in 2006, with celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Ashton Kutcher "tweeting" messages of 140 characters or less alongside everyday users. About 69 million people worldwide used Twitter.com last month, up from roughly 4 million at the end of 2008, according to comScore Inc.

The site has been slow to capitalize on that success _ even though the investors who have backed the site have valued it at $1 billion.

Twitter has been making an undisclosed amount of money by providing Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. with access to messages for their search engines. Many people expected Twitter would eventually introduce advertising.

In a blog post Tuesday, company co-founder Biz Stone said the company took its time "because we wanted to optimize for value before profit."

These tweets are to be "called out" as ads on top of search results on Twitter, much as sponsors can pay for listings atop rankings on search engines such as Google, Microsoft's Bing and Yahoo. That means Twitter users would see the new ads when they search broadly for topics being tweeted about.

However, many users connect with the service not through such searches or even visits to the site. Rather, scores of outside programmers have written mobile and desktop software that can access the feeds of Twitter messages that users get from people they are "following" on the site.

Twitter said it might take the Promoted Tweets service further and make them also show up on those feeds.

Stone said Promoted Tweets will need to resonate with users. If a Promoted Tweet isn't replied to or forwarded by other users, it will disappear.

___

On the Net:

http://blog.twitter.com/2010/04/hello-world.html

___

AP Technology Writers Barbara Ortutay and Peter Svensson in New York contributed to this report.

BBC Reporter Home After Gaza Captivity

LOCHGOILHEAD, Scotland - BBC reporter Alan Johnston was reunited with his family Saturday after four months as a hostage in the Gaza Strip and said one of the hardest parts about his ordeal was imagining his parents' anguish.

"I felt that I had brought the very worst of the world's troubles into their normally peaceful lives," Johnston, still looking gaunt, told reporters outside his parents' home in Scotland.

But "one of the better moments" was when one of his captors allowed him to watch television and he saw his father, Graham, speaking at a news conference.

"It was just dad at his best, in the depth of a crisis, calm and dignified and so strong. I was so relieved, he said. "And I felt a bit, looking into mum's eyes, that she was coping with it too somehow."

Johnston, 45, was seized in March by a small armed group, the Army of Islam, and freed Wednesday. He had covered Gaza for the British Broadcasting Corp. for three years, the only foreign reporter to live in the coastal strip.

"Coming home has just never, never felt so very good," said Johnston. "This strange dark period is coming to an end."

Johnston, who was held in captivity far longer than any other foreigner kidnapped in Gaza, said he intends to take a few months rest. But he made clear that he was also looking forward to getting back to work.

"I've been in journalism for the better part of 20 years and it is the strangest, strangest thing to be the focus of the story," he added. "It will be very good to be back in there with you lads on the other side of the microphone quite soon."

Wight Turns Green

SUSTAINABILITY

Britain's Isle of Wight, located about three miles off England's south coast, is mainly famous for its annual music festival. But now, with backing from the government, it aims to be the U.K.'s largest sustainable energy project. Just 23 miles long and 1 3 miles wide with a population of 142,500, the island seeks to become a net exporter of energy, cutting residents' energy bills by half and eliminating waste going to its landfill - all by 2020. The so-called Ecoisland partnership includes some impressive corporate names, including Toshiba, IBM, Cable & Wireless, Silver Springs Networks and wind-turbine maker Vestas, which has a large research center on the island. A $3.9 million solar energy project would provide electricity to 3,500 homes, and power also would come from geothermal, wind, and tidal sources. Electric cars, smart-grid technology, improved building insulation, and a rainwater-capture system would be part of the mix. The island has a head start on its green future. Impressively, it already recycles half its trash. - TG

[Sidebar]

Britain's Isle ol Wight seeks to become a net exporter ol energy.

Real Madrid's Robben out for 3 weeks

Real Madrid midfielder Arjen Robben will be sidelined for up to three weeks with a leg injury, meaning he will miss a vital league match against Barcelona.

The Netherlands midfielder was replaced nearly 20 minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute in Tuesday's 3-2 win over Getafe with what was determined to be a muscle tear in his right calf.

Madrid currently trails Spanish leader Barcelona by six points with six games to play, including a "clasico" at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium on May 3.

This is Robben's ninth injury since a euro36 million (then $49 million) move from Chelsea in August 2007.

Number of dengue cases in Brazil state doubles

SAO PAULO (AP) — Dengue cases have risen sharply in at least one key Brazil state, officials said Thursday, building on a steady increase over the past year nationwide.

The number of dengue cases in Rio de Janeiro state rose to 3,582 cases in January, more than double the 1,447 registered in January 2010, which itself was the start of a year that saw dengue cases triple across Brazil.

Alexandre Chieppe, head of Rio state's epidemiological service, said by telephone that the increase is mostly due to the resurgence of the Type 1 dengue strain that had largely been absent in the state. As result, residents have not been able to develop immunity to it as they have for Types 2 and 3, which have been the most common.

He said that exposure to a single strain of the disease helps create immunity to that particular variant, but subsequent infection by a different strain can cause the sometimes fatal hemorrhagic dengue.

Preliminary figures provided by the national Health Ministry show that the number of dengue cases nationwide rose from 324,000 in 2009 to nearly one million in 2010.

A ministry spokeswoman also attributed that rise to the reappearance of Type 1 dengue after an absence of at least 15 years. She asked not to be identified in line with departmental regulations.

Chieppe said that the Rio numbers do not indicate an epidemic in the making, "but we are on the alert because dengue hits its peak in March and April."

"This is the time of year when health services must intensify preventive measures and work harder to detect people with the symptoms of the disease like high fever, headaches, and severe muscle and joint pain," he said. "It is the time of year when everyone, rich or poor, must be aware that they can come down with dengue."

He said one of the measures adopted combat the mosquitoes that spread the disease is the weekly fumigation of the Sambodromo stadium that next month will host Rio's famed carnival parade.

A Hair Here

MANUFACTURING

THE WORLD'S tiniest holes have been "drilled" by engineers at Cardiff University. Researchers in the school's Manufacturing Engineering Center have developed machinery that can produce holes in stainless steel narrower than a human hair. The team has drilled holes as small as 22 microns; a human hair is between 50 and 80 microns in thickness. The process is called electrodischarge machining (EDM), and the holes are made with an ultrathin electrode with a diameter of just 6 microns. "The electrode is an electric discharge that wears away the metal, but it produces a very regular hole, which is tubular," says Frank Marsh, spokesman for the center. Near-nano-size holes will help engineers working in medical and computing engineering. "Engineers are trying to shrink the mechanical aspect of their products to catch up with the electronics, which have already been shrunk," Marsh says. -TG

HELL WEEK: HUDDLE UP, LINE UP, HUSTLE UP AND SHUT UP OPENING WEEK PUTS AREA FOOTBALL PLAYERS TO THE TEST

Whether you're the 260-pound offensive lineman gasping through100-yard sprints or the coach evaluating a group of raw recruits,football's notorious opening week of practice is loaded with sweatand surprises.

They don't call it hell week for nothing.

All area high school teams started practice Monday on atypically hot and humid August day. There was a morning sessionfollowed by an afternoon workout. The emphasis was on conditioning,learning how to huddle up, line up, hustle up and shut up -especially when the coach is talking.

Yet in between all the wind sprints and long-distance runs,football teams are being built, and questions are being answered.

At Camarillo High School, for instance, coach Carl Thompson islooking for a few good skill players to take some of the heat offquarterback Joe Borchard. The likely candidates are tight end JustinDenham and wide receivers Mike Anger and Justin Holce.

"In his first year, we couldn't catch the ball for him,"Thompson said of Borchard, who will start for his third straightyear. "We started to improve a little last year, and I think thisyear we've surrounded him with some real good players."

On defense, the Scorpions coach sees plenty of holes that needfilling to be more competitive in a league that features at leastfive outstanding quarterbacks.

Thompson is high on linebacker Sam Choi (6-1, 220) and defensiveback Eugene Jackson. "They're all-league type players," Thompsonsaid.

At Westlake, things seem slightly more settled than atCamarillo. The Warriors ended last season on a relatively high note,advancing all the way to the Southern Section Division III semifinalsdespite a third-place Marmonte League finish.

Westlake's loss to cross-town rival Newbury Park in thesemifinal game did little to dampen the team's optimism heading intothe new year.

"I think everybody's ready to get going," said coach JimBenkert, who spent the final days before "Hell Week" with his familyon a water skiing trip.

Although the Warriors are set at a number of positions, mostnotably at quarterback (Casey Preston), wide receiver (Joey Cuppari),linebacker (USC-bound Bobby DeMars) and running back (Jon Weems),Benkert hopes the first few weeks of practice will offer some insightinto what he can expect when Westlake takes the field on game nights.

"I think the biggest question we have is finding out whatplayers we can count on to step up for us," Benkert said. "We needto find out if the returning guys are a year better then last yearand which players from the JV team can make the step up to thevarsity."

Benkert admits that some of those questions won't be answereduntil the second or third week of the season.

"Hopefully, by then there will be some pleasant surprises,"Benkert said. "Sometimes you just can't tell until the gamesstart.

HELL WEEK: HUDDLE UP, LINE UP, HUSTLE UP AND SHUT UP OPENING WEEK PUTS AREA FOOTBALL PLAYERS TO THE TEST

Whether you're the 260-pound offensive lineman gasping through100-yard sprints or the coach evaluating a group of raw recruits,football's notorious opening week of practice is loaded with sweatand surprises.

They don't call it hell week for nothing.

All area high school teams started practice Monday on atypically hot and humid August day. There was a morning sessionfollowed by an afternoon workout. The emphasis was on conditioning,learning how to huddle up, line up, hustle up and shut up -especially when the coach is talking.

Yet in between all the wind sprints and long-distance runs,football teams are being built, and questions are being answered.

At Camarillo High School, for instance, coach Carl Thompson islooking for a few good skill players to take some of the heat offquarterback Joe Borchard. The likely candidates are tight end JustinDenham and wide receivers Mike Anger and Justin Holce.

"In his first year, we couldn't catch the ball for him,"Thompson said of Borchard, who will start for his third straightyear. "We started to improve a little last year, and I think thisyear we've surrounded him with some real good players."

On defense, the Scorpions coach sees plenty of holes that needfilling to be more competitive in a league that features at leastfive outstanding quarterbacks.

Thompson is high on linebacker Sam Choi (6-1, 220) and defensiveback Eugene Jackson. "They're all-league type players," Thompsonsaid.

At Westlake, things seem slightly more settled than atCamarillo. The Warriors ended last season on a relatively high note,advancing all the way to the Southern Section Division III semifinalsdespite a third-place Marmonte League finish.

Westlake's loss to cross-town rival Newbury Park in thesemifinal game did little to dampen the team's optimism heading intothe new year.

"I think everybody's ready to get going," said coach JimBenkert, who spent the final days before "Hell Week" with his familyon a water skiing trip.

Although the Warriors are set at a number of positions, mostnotably at quarterback (Casey Preston), wide receiver (Joey Cuppari),linebacker (USC-bound Bobby DeMars) and running back (Jon Weems),Benkert hopes the first few weeks of practice will offer some insightinto what he can expect when Westlake takes the field on game nights.

"I think the biggest question we have is finding out whatplayers we can count on to step up for us," Benkert said. "We needto find out if the returning guys are a year better then last yearand which players from the JV team can make the step up to thevarsity."

Benkert admits that some of those questions won't be answereduntil the second or third week of the season.

"Hopefully, by then there will be some pleasant surprises,"Benkert said. "Sometimes you just can't tell until the gamesstart.

HELL WEEK: HUDDLE UP, LINE UP, HUSTLE UP AND SHUT UP OPENING WEEK PUTS AREA FOOTBALL PLAYERS TO THE TEST

Whether you're the 260-pound offensive lineman gasping through100-yard sprints or the coach evaluating a group of raw recruits,football's notorious opening week of practice is loaded with sweatand surprises.

They don't call it hell week for nothing.

All area high school teams started practice Monday on atypically hot and humid August day. There was a morning sessionfollowed by an afternoon workout. The emphasis was on conditioning,learning how to huddle up, line up, hustle up and shut up -especially when the coach is talking.

Yet in between all the wind sprints and long-distance runs,football teams are being built, and questions are being answered.

At Camarillo High School, for instance, coach Carl Thompson islooking for a few good skill players to take some of the heat offquarterback Joe Borchard. The likely candidates are tight end JustinDenham and wide receivers Mike Anger and Justin Holce.

"In his first year, we couldn't catch the ball for him,"Thompson said of Borchard, who will start for his third straightyear. "We started to improve a little last year, and I think thisyear we've surrounded him with some real good players."

On defense, the Scorpions coach sees plenty of holes that needfilling to be more competitive in a league that features at leastfive outstanding quarterbacks.

Thompson is high on linebacker Sam Choi (6-1, 220) and defensiveback Eugene Jackson. "They're all-league type players," Thompsonsaid.

At Westlake, things seem slightly more settled than atCamarillo. The Warriors ended last season on a relatively high note,advancing all the way to the Southern Section Division III semifinalsdespite a third-place Marmonte League finish.

Westlake's loss to cross-town rival Newbury Park in thesemifinal game did little to dampen the team's optimism heading intothe new year.

"I think everybody's ready to get going," said coach JimBenkert, who spent the final days before "Hell Week" with his familyon a water skiing trip.

Although the Warriors are set at a number of positions, mostnotably at quarterback (Casey Preston), wide receiver (Joey Cuppari),linebacker (USC-bound Bobby DeMars) and running back (Jon Weems),Benkert hopes the first few weeks of practice will offer some insightinto what he can expect when Westlake takes the field on game nights.

"I think the biggest question we have is finding out whatplayers we can count on to step up for us," Benkert said. "We needto find out if the returning guys are a year better then last yearand which players from the JV team can make the step up to thevarsity."

Benkert admits that some of those questions won't be answereduntil the second or third week of the season.

"Hopefully, by then there will be some pleasant surprises,"Benkert said. "Sometimes you just can't tell until the gamesstart.

HELL WEEK: HUDDLE UP, LINE UP, HUSTLE UP AND SHUT UP OPENING WEEK PUTS AREA FOOTBALL PLAYERS TO THE TEST

Whether you're the 260-pound offensive lineman gasping through100-yard sprints or the coach evaluating a group of raw recruits,football's notorious opening week of practice is loaded with sweatand surprises.

They don't call it hell week for nothing.

All area high school teams started practice Monday on atypically hot and humid August day. There was a morning sessionfollowed by an afternoon workout. The emphasis was on conditioning,learning how to huddle up, line up, hustle up and shut up -especially when the coach is talking.

Yet in between all the wind sprints and long-distance runs,football teams are being built, and questions are being answered.

At Camarillo High School, for instance, coach Carl Thompson islooking for a few good skill players to take some of the heat offquarterback Joe Borchard. The likely candidates are tight end JustinDenham and wide receivers Mike Anger and Justin Holce.

"In his first year, we couldn't catch the ball for him,"Thompson said of Borchard, who will start for his third straightyear. "We started to improve a little last year, and I think thisyear we've surrounded him with some real good players."

On defense, the Scorpions coach sees plenty of holes that needfilling to be more competitive in a league that features at leastfive outstanding quarterbacks.

Thompson is high on linebacker Sam Choi (6-1, 220) and defensiveback Eugene Jackson. "They're all-league type players," Thompsonsaid.

At Westlake, things seem slightly more settled than atCamarillo. The Warriors ended last season on a relatively high note,advancing all the way to the Southern Section Division III semifinalsdespite a third-place Marmonte League finish.

Westlake's loss to cross-town rival Newbury Park in thesemifinal game did little to dampen the team's optimism heading intothe new year.

"I think everybody's ready to get going," said coach JimBenkert, who spent the final days before "Hell Week" with his familyon a water skiing trip.

Although the Warriors are set at a number of positions, mostnotably at quarterback (Casey Preston), wide receiver (Joey Cuppari),linebacker (USC-bound Bobby DeMars) and running back (Jon Weems),Benkert hopes the first few weeks of practice will offer some insightinto what he can expect when Westlake takes the field on game nights.

"I think the biggest question we have is finding out whatplayers we can count on to step up for us," Benkert said. "We needto find out if the returning guys are a year better then last yearand which players from the JV team can make the step up to thevarsity."

Benkert admits that some of those questions won't be answereduntil the second or third week of the season.

"Hopefully, by then there will be some pleasant surprises,"Benkert said. "Sometimes you just can't tell until the gamesstart.

Iran Partially Suspends Nuke Cooperation

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran announced Sunday that it was partially suspending cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog while hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the latest U.N. sanctions would not halt the country's uranium enrichment "even for a second."

Iranian state television quoted Ahmadinejad as saying the additional Security Council sanctions imposed on Saturday "stem from the hostility by some powers against Iran."

"It is not a new issue for the Iranian nation. Enemies of the Iranian nation have made a mistake this time too," Ahmadinejad said, adding the new sanctions "will not halt Iran's peaceful nuclear program even for a second."

Meanwhile, government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham said the Cabinet on Sunday decided to suspend "code 1-3 of minor arrangements of the safeguards" with the Vienna-based U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The suspension would "continue until Iran's nuclear case is referred back to the IAEA from the U.N Security Council," Elham said.

Tehran's scaling back of cooperation with the IAEA was in apparent retaliation for the sanctions unanimously approved by the Security Council over Tehran's refusal to stop enriching uranium, a process that can be used in the production of nuclear weapons.

The West strongly suspects Iran's nuclear activities are aimed at producing weapons though Tehran says they are exclusively for the production of energy.

The U.N. sanctions are meant to send Tehran a strong message that its defiance will leave it increasingly isolated and open to even tougher penalties.

But Iran remains defiant. The suspension was a response to "Saturday night's illegal and bullying resolution by Security Council," said Elham, adding the government was acting fully within law in the move.

In New York, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said "a few select countries don't have the right to abuse the Security Council" and described the new sanctions as "illegal, unwarranted and unjustified." He said they undermine the credibility of the Security Council.

Mottaki said Iran has repeatedly sought negotiations with the powers that drafted the resolution against his country: the five permanent council members - the U.S., Britain, France, Russia and China - and Germany. But he accused them of lacking the political will to reach a breakthrough.

"If this political will existed, the other side wouldn't have imposed preconditions on the talks," Mottaki said, referring to demands by the U.S. and its allies that Iran first halt enrichment before they engage in negotiations on its nuclear program.

Mottaki said the world has two options to proceed on the nuclear issue: continued negotiations or confrontation and the resolution was the wrong choice.

"Of course, it will have its own consequences," he said.

In Tehran, citizens brushed off news of the latest sanctions.

"Why should we care about sanctions?" asked Ali Reza, a 21-year-old shopping for a digital camera Sunday with his girlfriend. "We've become accustomed to this kind of news. As long as I can remember, there have been such reports in the air."

Saeed Laylaz, an Iranian political commentator, said that until the sanctions hit normal Iranians like Reza - and the drafters of the U.N. resolution went to great pains to point out that they did not - Iranians would continue to shrug them off.

"Neither Western people nor Iranians would benefit from such confrontation," said Lida Anvari, who was jogging with her husband in a downtown park. Her husband nodded in agreement, and both said they were fed up with the news.

Elham said that until now, Iran's cooperation with the IAEA went beyond requirements under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which Iran is a signatory to. He added that Iran has in the past promptly informed the IAEA about its nuclear plans.

It was not immediately clear what the suspension of cooperation would entail.

Under Iran's Safeguards Agreements with the IAEA, part of its commitments under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Tehran is obligated to report to the agency six months before it introduces nuclear material of any kind into any facility.

Beyond that, Tehran has committed itself to informing the agency of any planned new nuclear construction before such construction begins - a commitment it has not always kept. For instance, Tehran delayed informing the agency three years ago that it was building tunnels in the central city of Isfahan to house parts of its uranium enrichment program.

Former U.N. nuclear inspector David Albright said Sunday's decision could clear the path for Iran to do clandestine nuclear work related to its enrichment program - a possible pathway to nuclear arms.

Albright, whose his Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security tracks Iran's nuclear program, said that Iran may be looking to build a "backup facility" for enrichment that would remain undetected - and safe - in case of attack by the United States or Israel.

IAEA officials were not immediately available for comment.

The new, moderately tougher sanctions on Tehran include banning Iranian arms exports, and freezing the assets of 28 people and organizations involved in Iran's nuclear and missile programs. About a third of those are linked to the Revolutionary Guard, an elite military corps that answers to Tehran leadership.

They also ask countries to restrict travel by the individuals subject to sanctions, as well as arms sales to Iran and new financial assistance or loans to the Iranian government.

The measure also said all sanctions would be suspended if Iran halts enrichment and made clear that the country can still accept a package of economic incentives and political rewards offered last year if it complies with the council's demands.

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Associated Press writers Justin Bergman in New York and George Jahn in Vienna contributed to this report.

Planning, user-friendliness keys to successful Web sites

REGION

In today's world, a Web site is a must-have for any successful business. But if it's not meeting the customers' needs, it can also be the kiss of death.

"The immediacy of the Web can be both good and bad," said Chris Edwards, chief operations officer with Creata Vivendi, a marketing, public-relations and consulting company in Conewago Township, York County.

If it's up to date, easy to navigate, interactive and visually appealing, a Web site canbe a valuable tool in providing customer service, he said. If not, it could lead to the loss of business.

In creating a customer-friendly Web site, each of the following businesses incorporated two simple strategies: plan carefully and design with the user in mind. The result, they said, was a valuable business tool that serves the clients' needs and, in turn, the company's needs, as well.

Virtual interaction

For Kathy fordan, a gymnastic coach in Connecticut, the ability to custom design her teams' uniforms online was the main reason she chose Alpha Factor, a division of gymnastic- apparel maker Perform Group (formerly Tighe Industries) in York County.

"Their Web site blows the competition away," fordan said. "It just makes ordering so much easier."

That's exactly the type of response the company was looking for with the launch of its new Web site - www. alphafactor.com - which features a virtual design studio where coaches from anywhere in the world can customize leotards with their choice of colors, fabrics and rhinestones.

"In designing the site, we put our customers' needs first," said Wendy Martin, Alpha Factor's business manager.

Enabling users to virtually serve themselves with interactive tools is one way a Web site can enhance customer service, said Denny Miller, president of Pipeline Interactive, the Lebanon-based company that designed the Alpha Factor site.

Easy navigation

After three redesigns, Mark Barocco, president and owner of Renaissance Conservatories, learned what would make his company's Web site - www.renaissanceconservatories .com - more user- friendly.

"I realized it wasn't necessary to use our site to tell customers every- thing I knew," Barocco said. "Ulti- mately, we want to talk to potential customers. Keeping the design simple with examples of our best work will draw visitors in and prompt them to call."

Based in Upper Leacock Township, Lancaster County, the company manufactures and builds conservatories, sunrooms, greenhouses, skylights, glass lanterns, pool enclosures and garden windows. With so many services, the site has to be easy to navigate, Barocco said.

"While it's important for a Web site to look attractive, if the usability isn't there, it will fall apart," Edwards said. His company worked with Barocco to design the site.

Other customer- friendly features include a gallery slideshow, a secure area for clients to view projects and downloadable design guides for architects. Barocco said he is considering adding more features.

"I'm not enamored withhaving the latest and greatest unless it's a valuable tool," Barocco said. "I feel with an introductory video or animated slideshow, visitors will be encouraged to go deeper into the site."

High-tech usability

To better serve its clients, distributers, service centers and salespeople, Morgan Corp. is going high tech with its Web site - including 360degree videos, webinars and message centers.

"We want our Web site to serve as our company's main communication channel," said Stephen Vaj da, marketing manager for the truck body manufacturer. Based in Morgantown, Berks County, the company has locations nationwide, including a plant in Ephrata, Lancaster County.

JPL Productions, a Web-site design firm based in Swatara Township, worked on the redesign of Morgan's site. The goal was to use high-tech features to enhance usability.

"Our new site makes it easy for customers to evaluate, compare and select the truck body they want," Vajda said. "They can see different products and call up a closer view and short description right from the homepage."

JPL also developed a variety of Web-based tools to streamline business processes. From a secure area on the site, reward programs for distributors can be easily managed, service centers can report all service work, and salespeople can set up new customer databases that go straight to accounting.

"A lot of research, focus groups and planning went into creating a Web site that met everyone's needs," Vaj da said. "But it's an ongoing process. We're always looking for feedback on ways to improve."

Visual appeal

When it came to the redesign of her Web site, wedding and studio photographer Leslie Bistline was all about first impressions.

"In this business, a picture really is worth a thousand words," said Bistline, who is based in Mount joy Lancaster County.

The new Web site - www. lesliegilbertphotography.com features an assortment of rotating images that best represent her style and versatility. Visitors can easily navigate to view different collections, starting prices and contact information, Bistline said.

To catch the eyes of potential customers, Bistline wanted the site to be funky, fresh, visually appealing and user- friendly. There's also something else she said she's hoping it will accomplish.

To achieve that personal touch, the site includes a regularly updated blog that describes photo shoots in detail, highlights things she does in her free time and provides a glimpse of new things she's trying. Visitors can even post comments, Bistline said.

"I want it to give people a sneak peek of who I am, not only professionally, but personally, as well," Bistline said. "If they're able to make a connection with me from my site, they're more likely to feel comfortable enough to call and ask questions."

YOUR TAKE

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[Sidebar]

Experts weigh in

Thinking of redesigning your Web site? Chris Edwards of Creata Vivendi in York County and Denny Miller of Pipeline Interactive in Lebanon offer these tips on how businesses can get the most from their Web sites:

Know your audience. "Identify what types of users you might have and what functionality they want from the site," Miller said. "Build the site around those users."

Ensure speedy downloads. If your site doesn't download in eight seconds, chances are a viewer will give up and go elsewhere, Edwards said.

Reach a wider audience. Miller and Edwards agree that making your Web site search-engine friendly will improve the chances of it being found.

Invite dialogue. Encourage contact via e-mail, online forums and blogs, Edwards said. Use online surveys to generate feedback. Invite visitors to subscribe to an enewsletter.

Invest in Web analytics. 'These tools allow you to track how many people visit the site and what pages they're looking at," Miller said.

[Author Affiliation]

BY KARREN L. JOHNSON

Contributing Writer