ABC's prime-time schedule for the fall:
Monday
8 p.m. _ "Dancing With the Stars"
10 p.m. _ "Castle"
Tuesday
8 p.m. _ "Shark Tank"
9 p.m. _ "Dancing With the Stars Results"
10 p.m. _ "The Forgotten"
Wednesday
8 p.m. _ "Hank"
8:30 p.m. _ "The Middle"
9 p.m. _ "Modern Family"
9:30 p.m. _ "Cougar Town"
10 p.m. _ "Eastwick"
Thursday
8 p.m. …
Truck maker Navistar International Corp. today reported itsfourth straight quarterly loss and said it expects to shut down truckassembly operations for four to five weeks in its fiscal fourthquarter.
A one-week shutdown of Navistar's Springfield, Ohio, assemblyplant occurred in early August, and Navistar workers will get aroutine vacation week off next week, said spokeswoman Mary Moster.
She said further shutdowns of three to four weeks could affectas many as 4,000 hourly workers - 3,200 at the Springfield plant and800 at a smaller assembly plant in Chatham, Ontario. Navistaremploys about 13,000 people worldwide, Moster said.
Despite cost-cutting and a …
German airline Air Berlin PLC says it will increase its stake in Austrian carrier Niki Luftfahrt GmbH, to 49.9 percent from 24 percent.
Air Berlin said late Tuesday it will pay euro21.1 million to lift its stake.
Niki offers mainly holiday flights to European and North …
I believe in the democratic process as much as the next guy, so Iwas happy to sign those two neighborhood petitions aimed at puttingmodest updates'' for Wrigley Field and a slight increase in thenumber of night games'' on the November ballot. I do think, however,it would have been sporting of the Cubs to note somewhere on thepetition that they were sponsoring them.
Hold your coats, guys? I see where Enron is suing TribuneCorporation. There are Cubs fans who don't know whom to root for inthat one.
I take Jerry Reinsdorf at his word when he says he isn't involvedin the baseball negotiations, but with Padres owner John Moores onthe job, he doesn't have to be. Just as …
Sifting out the best matzah: Testers taste the difference
Mix flour and water; roll, shape and bake, all within 18 minutes.
The result?
Matzah.
Give such a simple procedure, with so few ingredients, how different can one brand of mass-produced, machine-made matzah be from another?
The Jewish Star decided to find out.
We purchased seven different brands of machine-made matzah and invited seven men and women to participate in a blind taste test.
While we were at it, we also purchased a variety of macaroons to be tested, since Pesach isn't Peach without those tins of macaroons.
Our testers were given unmarked samples of each brand of …
Household products maker Henkel KGaA said Wednesday that its second-quarter earnings dropped by nearly 84 percent as a result of costs related to a restructuring program.
Henkel, which makes Persil detergent and owns Dial Corp., said it earned euro38 million (US$59 million) in the April-June period _ a decline of 83.8 percent from last year's figure of euro234 million.
Henkel's operating profit declined by two-thirds _ dropping to euro113 million (US$175 million) from euro339 million.
The company said it took restructuring …
DAILY MAIL WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON - House members from steel-producing states haveintroduced legislation that would encourage struggling domesticsteel companies to merge, something that has been advocated forNorthern Panhandle steel producers, Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp.and Weirton Steel. Reps. Alan Mollohan and Nick Joe Rahall, both D-W.Va., have signed onto the U.S. Steel Revitalization Act, which wasunveiled Thursday in a Capitol Hill press conference by theCongressional Steel Caucus. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, who also is amember of the caucus, has not signed onto the bill. A spokeswomansaid Capito, R-W.Va., "knows there is a real crisis out there" andis …
WASHINGTON -- Railing against the delayed relief for victims of Hurricane Katrina, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan said Saturday that the federal government should be charged with "criminal neglect of the people of New Orleans."
"For five days, the government did not act," Farrakhan said at the 10th anniversary of the Million Man March. "Lives were lost. We charge America with criminal neglect."
A crowd of thousands cheered as dozens of prominent speakers -- academics, activists, artists and media pundits -- spoke, recited poetry and sang songs in the 12-hour program on the National Mall.
Pointing to the broad spectrum of participants, Farrakhan said the …
Guus Hiddink took charge of his first training session as Chelsea manager on Monday and already appears to be addressing some of the failings that apparently cost Luiz Felipe Scolari his job.
The Dutch coach oversaw what Chelsea called "a fast-paced (and) competitive" practice match, a week after his predecessor was ousted amid reports that senior players including John Terry and Frank Lampard were unhappy at a lack of intensity in training.
As Brazil and then Portugal coach before joining Chelsea in the offseason, Scolari would have been used to his players already being fit for games because of the work they did with their clubs. Terry and …
WASHINGTON The "green book" is one of the few unclassifieddocuments put out by Congress that is not available to the public.
A peek at the subject matter makes it pretty obvious why that'sthe case.
The thick, looseleaf book, named for its cover, lists for the435 congressmen and 100 senators all the goodies they're entitled toduring their stays on Capitol Hill.
The bountiful perks of congressional office - a perennial targetof do-gooder government reformers - have become an issue again. Thistime because a special presidential commission has recommended thatmembers of Congress should receive 50 percent pay raises to $135,000a year.
In exchange …
GRAND FALLS-WINDSOR, Newfoundland (AP) — The trial of an American woman who said she shot and killed her husband because she thought he was a bear began in Eastern Canada on Monday.
Lambert Greene, a hunting guide, testified at the first day of the trial that Mary Beth Harshbarger became hysterical after the shooting.
Harshbarger told authorities that she mistook her 42-year-old husband for a bear while the two were hunting in central Newfoundland in 2006. She has pleaded not guilty.
Canadian officials have charged her with criminal negligence causing death. They say it was too dark to fire a gun safely.
If convicted, the 45-year-old homemaker from Pennsylvania …
WASHINGTON - Conflicts of interest may still be rampant on Wall Street, with a new study showing that nearly two-thirds of investment-firm analysts received favors from executives of companies they cover and suggesting that the companies get favorable ratings in return.
The academic study published Friday outlines a culture of blatant back-scratching on Wall Street as company executives bestow professional and personal favors on analysts - putting them in touch with top executives of other companies, recommending them for a job - and their companies receive positive ratings and evade stock downgrades. At the same time, executives punish analysts for negative reports by refusing to answer their phone calls or their questions.
For their study, management professor James Westphal of the University of Michigan and accounting professor Michael Clement at the University of Texas sent 4,500 questionnaires to financial analysts between 2001 and 2003 and follow-up surveys to hundreds of executives at the large and mid-size public companies covered by the analysts.
The 51-page study, to be presented at the Academy of Management's annual meeting next month, found that the more a company's earnings slipped below analysts' consensus forecasts, the more favors the company's executives showered on the analysts covering it - especially at big investment firms.
The study comes four years after a crackdown by the Securities and Exchange Commission, then-New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and other state regulators exposed Wall Street conflicts that skewed analysts' research, and forced the big investment firms to alter their research practices and pay a total $1.4 billion in a landmark settlement. The regulators found that analysts at the powerhouse investment firms - including Citigroup, Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse - misled investors with stock recommendations designed to win their firms investment-banking business and lucrative fees.
As part of the settlement, the investment firms agreed to sever the links between analysts' research and investment banking, and to pay hundreds of millions of dollars for independent stock research for their customers and to compensate them for losses caused by biased recommendations.
Wall Street's biggest lobbying organization, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, on Friday downplayed the significance of the new study.
Its authors "are using old data from a survey conducted before many of the new rules on analysts' behavior had been fully implemented," said spokesman Travis Larson. He cited a December 2005 study by the New York Stock Exchange and the NASD, the brokerage industry's self-policing organization, which found the analyst conflict-of-interest rules that came after the crackdown have been effective and brought more accurate research for investors.
"Therefore we don't think this is a systemic issue, but where individual problems are found we expect the regulators to vigorously enforce the rules," Larson said.
Kurt Schacht, executive director of the Center for Financial Market Integrity at the CFA Institute, which represents financial analysts, said the sort of favor-trading depicted in the study "would be a flat-out violation of our standards and our code of ethical conduct."
The organization has not heard of many instances of such behavior, Schacht said, noting that many securities analysts are not members of it.
Spokesmen for the SEC had no immediate comment.
The new study found that doing two favors for an analyst after a company released lower-than-forecast earnings reduced by half the likelihood of the analyst downgrading the company's stock. Sixty-three percent of the analysts surveyed received favors from CEOs, chief financial officers and other top executives.
Frequent favors done by corporate executives for analysts, according to the study:
-Putting the analyst in touch with a top executive of another company, the most frequently reported favor representing 28 percent of all favors.
-Giving the analyst career advice, 20 percent.
-Offering to meet with an analyst's clients, 13 percent.
-Providing advice to the analyst on a personal matter, 11 percent.
-Providing industry information to the analyst, 10 percent.
-Recommending the analyst for a job, 8 percent.
-Helping the analyst gain access to a private club or non-professional organization, 6 percent.
"Our findings provide multifaceted evidence for social influence and reciprocity in relations between top executives and the analysts who cover their firms," Westphal and Clement wrote. "The results suggest that favor-rendering is used as a social-influence tactic by top executives in their relations with (securities) analysts."
In addition, they say, bestowing such favors brings more positive stock recommendations from the analysts who receive them. Negative recommendations lead to retaliation by executives - which in turn deters such "non-cooperative behavior" on the part of other analysts.
"Our theory and supportive results contribute to an understanding of how corporate leaders influence the behavior of external constituents toward their firms," the two experts wrote. "In some respects, the social-influence process examined in this study could be likened to an act of bribery."
--
On the Net:
Academy of Management: http://www.aomonline.org
Elusive Chippenham striker Dave Gilroy ended an almost year-longpursuit by penning a two-year Bath City contract at Twerton Park lastnight.
City manager John Relish first made a move for the former BristolRovers man last June, but bids of pounds4,000 and pounds5,000 wererejected by the Bluebirds who saw their top-scorer as vital to anypromotion push.
But with Town contemplating another year in the BGB PremierDivision and Gilroy a free agent, the 24-year-old front man turneddown improved terms to pen a deal with newly-promoted Blue SquareSouthern side City, despite interest from Twerton tenants TeamBath.
Gilroy has agreed a two-year contract and admitted Bath's recentpromotion was key to his decision.
"Bath did really well last year and they're a club that's showinga lot of ambition. I'm also an ambitious person so it seemed theright move to make," he said.
"Adie (Britton, assistant manager) sold the club to me because itwas a big decision. I had a chat with Andy Tillson (TeamBath headcoach) and TeamBath made me an offer, but at this stage of my careerI want to be playing at the highest level possible.
"I had a chat with Adie (Mings, Chippenham boss) to explain myreasons and he wished me all the best."
Britton admitted it was a relief to finally get their man.
"He was interested in our club from the outset and me and Johnhave been interested in him since we were at Merthyr and he was atBristol Rovers," said Britton.
"We wanted to get him on loan, then he went to Weston (super-Mare) and when he left there we came in with an offer, but he went toChippenham.
"Dave is a player who will improve. He can play at least one levelhigher and of the strikers we've got we believe he will complimentthem all.
"He's a quiet lad. He's intelligent, he thinks about his footballand wants to improve.
"We're delighted to get him on a free because we were prepared topay money for him," he added.
ABSTRACT
Oxidative modification of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) increases atherogenic potential to induce the accumulation of lipids and cells in the vascular wall. Previous studies reveal that hypertensive patients have a higher susceptibility to LDL oxidation. As animal models indicate that vitamin E protects LDL from oxidation, here we study the influence of vitamin E on the resistance of LDL to oxidation (lag time) in 47 subjects (31 normotensive, 16 hypertensive) before and after oral administration of vitamin E (400 IE) daily for two months. LDL was isolated and oxidised by incubation with copper ions. The time course of oxidation was measured by continuous photometric monitoring of die formation at 234 nm. At the beginning of this study, normotensive subjects showed a lag time of 108+/-26 minutes and hypertensive patients a lag time of 85+/-24 minutes (P<0.05). Vitamin E caused a significant increase in the lag time in both groups: normotensive subjects 128+/-33, hypertensives patients 114+/-27 minutes (P<0.01). At completion of the study, lag times in both groups were similar (P=not significant). The data presented here suggests that vitamin E protects against the increased risk of vascular disease in patients with hypertension by reducing the susceptibility to oxidative modification of LDL. Vitamin E may therefore act as an inhibitor of atherogenesis.
KEY WORDS: Atherosclerosis. Hypertension. Vitamin E.
Introduction
Hypertension is a risk factor for atherogenesis.1 The increased risk of cardiovascular disease in hypertensive patients correlates with blood pressure and may be related to other factors.2 Studies show an association between hypertension and the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and particularly the fact that its susceptibility to oxidation is greater in patients with essential hypertension than in normotensive subjects.3,4 It is suggested that oxidative modification of LDL could promote and accelerate the development of atherosclerosis.5,6 Animal experiments reveal that oxidative modification of LDL is a crucial early step in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.6,7
When LDL is chemically modified, an uncontrolled uptake of oxidised LDL by the scavenger receptors in macrophages occurs. As a consequence, they dedifferentiate into foam cells that accumulate in the arterial wall, forming early sclerotic lesions.8
Randomised control studies indicate the benefit of safe and effective blood pressure (BP) reduction methods.9 Optimal preventive management should be multifaceted, with reduction of saturated fat and cholesterol intake, restriction of salt and alcohol consumption, weight control, increased physical activity, smoking cessation and eventually antihypertensive medication considered as treatment options.9,10
Several studies show that vitamin E decreases LDL-- oxidation.11,12 Additionally, vitamin E may enhance endothelial function by preserving nitric oxide activity.13 These factors suggest an antiatherogenic effect.14 Assessment to determine whether or not vitamin E deficiency produces an additional risk factor in the development of vascular disease is still in progress;15 however, observational data suggests that patients who have risk factors for the development of atherosclerotic vascular diseases benefit from antioxidant supplementation.16,17
Short-term oral high-dose antioxidant therapy in hypertensive animals and patients reduces BP, possibly by increasing endothelium-dependent vasodilation.13,18
Furthermore, vitamin E inhibits smooth muscle proliferation, platelet aggregation and improves arterial compliance.19,20 Thus, vitamin E may act to inhibit atherogenesis in hypertensive patients, and antioxidants are now proposed as an adjunct to antihypertensive therapy.
The aim of the present study is to evaluate the influence of vitamin E on LDL oxidation in hypertensive patients and whether or not it decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease in hypertensive patients.
Materials and methods
A total of 47 subjects (31 normotensives, 16 hypertensives) were investigated with full informed consent. The protocol was approved by the ethics committee on the use of human subjects in clinical investigations of the University Hospital, Zurich. Hypertensive patients, with BP >140/90 mmHg, were recruited in the division of hypertension at the hospital. The normotensive group (controls) comprised nurses, doctors and some volunteers from a sports club. The subjects were divided into two groups depending on BP, according to the joint national committee for detection, evaluation and treatment of high BP.
Hypertensive patients were treated according to clinical practice with antihypertensive medication: three patients received beta-blockers, two patients were administered diuretics with calcium antagonists or beta-blockers and four patients took diuretics, beta-blockers and calcium antagonists or angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. All patients were receiving the antihypertensive treatment prior to being enrolled in the trial.
Subjects with diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolaemia, impaired renal function or other concomitant diseases, as well as pregnant subjects, were excluded from the study. Subject characteristics are shown in Table 1.
The subjects took 400 IE (268 mg; Antistress SA, Rapperswil, Switzerland) of natural vitamin E daily with breakfast for two months, otherwise their diet did not change. An intravenous blood sample was taken (between 8.00 am and 10.00 am) at the beginning and end of the study period. Total cholesterol, LDL and vitamin E were determined by standard laboratory techniques. LDL oxidation was measured photometrically.
Results are expressed as means standard deviation (SD). Differences between the control group and the study group were analysed using the unpaired t-test.
Determination of LDL oxidation
Venous blood (10 mL) was collected into Vacutainer tubes containing EDTA. Plasma was recovered by centrifugation for 10 min at 1000 xg at 4 deg C and stored at -70 deg C. Thirty-six hours prior to the determination of oxidation susceptability, LDL was isolated by ultracentrifugation and purified by dialysis at 4 deg C in the dark with three changes of 1.5L 0.15 mol/L NaCl (pH 7.4) within 24 h to remove EDTA. The LDL-- protein content was determined using the Lowry method.21
In order to measure LDL oxidation kinetics, 175 (mu)g LDL was placed in a quartz cuvette containing 1 mL phosphatebuffered saline (PBS) and 1.67 mmol/L copper.22 LDL oxidation was monitored by the change in spectrophotometric absorbance (A; 234 nm) at 22 deg C. Assay variance was 10%. Initial A was taken as a baseline and any change was recorded every 10 min for 30 cycles.
In vitro oxidation of LDL was induced with copper. Oxidation kinetics typically showed three distinct periods: an antioxidative, a propagation and a decomposition phase. The first phase was characterised by the consumption of endogenous LDL antioxidants. Once the antioxidants were consumed, the unsaturated fatty acids in LDL were rapidly oxidised in an autocatalytic process (propagation phase). In the decomposition phase, lipids and polypeptides broke down to different end-products (e.g. various aldehydes). The lag phase was expressed as the intercept given by the tangent of the slope of the A curve in the propagation phase with the baseline (Figure 1). A longer lag phase indicated reduced susceptibility of the LDL particle to oxidation and signified increased antioxidative resistance of LDL.22
Results
The results are summarised in Table 2. There were no differences in cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels between the groups before and after the study period. Furthermore, oral administration of vitamin E (400 IE/daily) did not significantly increase the concentration of the antioxidant in the blood.
At the beginning of the study, the mean values for resistance of LDL to oxidation in normotensive subjects and hypertensive patients were 108+/-26 rains and 85+/-24 min, respectively (P<0.05). Vitamin E produced a significant increase in this parameter in both groups: normotensive patients increased to 128+/-33minutes and hypertensive patients increased to 114+/-27 minutes (P<0.01). Thus, at the end of the study period, no significant difference between the lag phases in normotensive subjects and hypertensive patients was demonstrated.
Discussion
Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in industrialised countries. Hypertension and LDL, specifically oxidised LDL, are risk factors for atherogenesis and cardiovascular disease.23 Oxidative modification of LDL increases its uptake in macrophages by scavenger receptors, leading to their increased accumulation in the arterial intima that, in turn, contributes to accelerated atherogenesis.4,22
Oxidation of LDL is a lipid peroxidation process: the polyunsaturated fatty acids of LDL are successively degraded to different products. It is possible to measure the oxidation of LDL, which is strongly catalysed by metal ions,24 in vitro by continuously monitoring increasing A at 234 nm. The oxidative susceptibility of LDL is increased when combined with cardiovascular risk factors.11 Generally, measurements of the susceptibility of LDL to oxidation may be used to assess the risk of atherogenesis.
Patients with hypertension may have increased lipid peroxidation.25,26 The lag time is significantly shorter in patients with hypertension independent of BP, as in normotensive subjects.4 One explanation for the differences in oxidative susceptibility may be the distribution of LDL subfractions. There is evidence of a genetic influence on the LDL subfraction patterns, which vary in chemical composition, density, size, metabolic properties and possibly atherogenic potential.27,28
The three LDL subfractions isolated by density ultracentrifugation differ in their susceptibility to lipid peroxidation in vitro, indicating that dense LDL and light LDL are less well protected against oxidation than is very light LDL.29,30 Hypertensive patients may have a preponderance of small, dense LDL particles;4 a phenomenon associated with an atherogenic lipoprotein profile and a three-fold increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Prevention of LDL oxidation may be an effective strategy to prevent or slow the process of vascular disease. A lipophilic antioxidant, such as vitamin E, protects polyunsaturated fatty acids against oxidation and thus prevents the beginning of the oxidation cascade.22,37 Therefore, this specific substance may exert its greatest effect on early atherosclerotic lesions.32 However, the vascular endothelium is the primary site of dysfunction in cardiovascular disease.
Supplementation with antioxidants in some animal models has been shown to protect the vascular endothelium from oxidised LDL-mediated dysfunction and genesis of atherosclerosis,33,34 and oral applications of antioxidants reduce the susceptibility of LDL oxidation in patients with coronary artery disease.35,36 However, susceptibility to LDL oxidation depends on polyunsaturated fatty acid and vitamin E content.
Results of the present study demonstrated that vitamin E decreases LDL susceptibility to oxidation in both normotensive subjects and hypertensive patients. Prior to natural vitamin E supplementation for two months, there was a significant difference in lag phase between the two groups. At the end of the two-month period, however, no significant difference could be demonstrated.
A possible limitation of the present study could be that hypertensive patients were treated according to clinical practice with antihypertensive medication. Calcium antagonists, beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors are known to increase LDL resistance to oxidation.37,38 However, antihypertensive therapy prevents the oxidation of LDL rather than decreases lag times of LDL oxidation.
Our data suggests a protective effect for antioxidative treatment with vitamin E on the increased risk of vascular disease caused by a reduction in the oxidative modification of LDL. Thus, as LDL oxidation plays a key role in the development of atherogenesis, antioxidants may act as potential antiatherogenic medications.
This work was supported by a research grant to CB (BR 1423/2-1) from the National Research Foundation of Germany.
[Reference]
References
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1 Kannel WB, Sorlie P Hypertension in Framingham. In: Paul 0, ed. Epidemiology and control of hypertension. New York: Stratton International Medical Book Cooperation, 1975: 553-92.
2 Allemann Y, Weidmann P Cardiovascular, metabolic and hormonal dysregulation in normotensive offspring of essential hypertensive parents. J Hypertens 1995; 13: 163-73.
3 Pierdomenico SD, Constantini F, Bucci A, De Cesare D, Cuccurullo F, Mezzetti A. Low-density lipoprotein oxidation and vitamins E and C in sustained and white-coat hypertension. Hypertension 1998; 31: 621-6.
4 Bracht C, Locher R, Suter P, Vetter W. LDL-Oxidation bei essentieller Hypertonie. Kardiovaskuldre Medizin 1997; 1: 54-8.
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6 Steinberg D, Parthasarathy S, Carew TE, Khoo JC, Witztum JL. Beyond cholesterol: modifications of low-density liproproteins that increases its atherogenicity. N Engl J Med 1989; 320: 1196-7.
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8 Witztum JL, Steinberg D. Role of oxidized low-density lipoprotein in atherogenesis. I Clin Invest 1991; 88: 1785-92.
9 Veterans Administration Cooperative Study Group on Antihypertensive Agents. Effects of treatment on morbidity in hypertension. II. Results in patients with diastolic blood pressure averaging 90 through 114 mmHg. JAMA 1970; 213: 1143-52.
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10 Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. The fifth report of the Joint National Committee on detection, evaluation and treatment of high blood pressure UNC V). Arch Intern Med 1993; 153: 154-83.
11 Devaraj S, Jialal I. The effects of alpha-tocopherol on critical cells in atherogenesis. Curr Opin Lipidol 1998; 9: 11-5.
12 Odeh RM, Cornich LA. Natural antioxidants for the prevention of atherosclerosis. Pharmacotherapy 1995; 15: 647-59.
13 Kinlay S, Fang JC, Hikita H et al. Plasma alpha-tocopherol and coronary endothelium-dependent vasodilator function. Circulation 1999; 100: 219-21.
14 Swain RA, Kaplan Machlis B. Therapeutic uses of vitamin E in prevention of atherosclerosis. Altern Med Rev 1999; 4: 414-23.
15 Austin MA, Breslow JL, Hennekens CH, Buring, JE, Willett WC, Krauss RM. Low-density lipoprotein subclass patterns and risk of myocardial infarction. JAMA 1988; 260: 1917-21.
16 Odeh RM, Cornish LA. Natural antioxidants for the prevention of atherosclerosis. Pharmacotherapy 1995; 15: 648-59.
17 Pryor WA. Vitamin E and heart disease: basic science to clinical intervention trials. Free Radic Biol Med 2000; 28: 141-64.
18 Pezeshk A, Derick Dalhouse A. Vitamin E, membrane fluidity and blood pressure in hypertensive and normotensive rats. Life Sci 2000; 1: 1881-9.
19 Keaney JF, Simon DI, Freedman JE. Vitamin E and vascular homeostasis: implications for atherosclerosis. FASEBJ 1999; 13: 965-75.
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20 Mottram P, Shige H, Nestel P Vitamin E improves arterial compliance in middle-aged men and women. Atherosclerosis 1999; 145: 399-404.
21 Lowry OH, Rosebrough NJ, Farr AL, Randall RJ. Protein measurement with the folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem 1951; 193: 265-75.
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22 Esterbauer H, Striegl G, Puhl H, Rotheneder M. Contiuous monitoring of in vitro oxidation of human low-density lipoprotein. Free Rad Res Commun 1989; 67-75.
23 Pyorala K. Interpopulation correlations between serum cholesterol level and the occurrence of coronary heart disease.
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24 O'Leary VJ, Tilling L, Fleetwood G, Stone D, Darley-Usmar V The resistance of low-density lipoprotein to oxidation promoted by copper and its use as an index of antioxidant therapy. Athersclerosis 1996; 119: 169-79.
25 Digiesi V, Oliviero C, Gianno V et al. Reactive metabolites of oxygen, lipid peroxidation, total antioxidant capacity and vitamin E in essential hypertension. Clin Ter 1997; 148: 515-9.
26 Maggi E, Marchesi R, Ravetta V, Falaschi F, Finardi G, Bellomo G. Low-density lipoprotein oxidation in essential hypertension. J Hypertens 1993; 11: 1103-11.
27 Krauss RM, Burke DJ. Identification of multiple subclasses of plasma low-density lipoproteins in normal humans. J Lipid Res 1982; 23: 97-104.
28 Shimano H, Yamada N, Ishibashi S et al. Oxidation-labile subfraction of human plasma low-density lipoprotein isolated by ion-exchange chromatography. J Lipid Res 1991; 32: 763-73.
29 Jun-Jun W, Xiao-Zhuan L, Yi-Yi Z, Lu-Yan L. Correlation between susceptibility of LDL subfractions to in vitro oxidation and in vivo oxidised LDL. Clin Biochem 2000; 3: 71-3.
30 Vasankari T, Ahotuba M, Toikka J et al. Oxidized LDL and thickness of carotid intima-media are associated with coronary atherosclerosis in middle-aged men with lower levels of oxidized LDL with statin therapy Atherosclerosis 2001; 155: 403-12.
31 Lengfelder W Antioxidative vitamin: Pra.vention von kardiovaskularen Erkrankungen. Dtsch Med Wschr 1998; 123: 1014-7.
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32 Steinberg D. Clinical trial of antioxidants in atherosclerosis: are we doing the right thing? Lancet 1995; 346: 36-8.
33 Bunout D. Therapeutic potential of vitamin E in heart disease. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2000; 9: 2629-35.
34 Brown AA, Hu FB. Dietary modulation of endothelial function: implications for cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr 2001; 73: 673-86.
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35 Mosca L, Rubenfire M, Mandel C et al. Antioxidant nutrient supplementation reduces the susceptibility of low-density lipoprotein to oxidation in patients with coronary artery disease. I Am Coll Cardiol 1997; 30: 392-9.
36 Rimm EB, Stampfer MJ. Antioxidants for vascular disease. Med Clin North Am 2000; 84: 239-49.
37 Croft KD, Dimmitt SB, Moulton C, Beilin LJ. Low-density lipoprotein composition and oxidizability in coronary artery disease apparent favourable effect of beta-blockers. Athersclerosis 1992; 97: 123-30.
38 Lupo E, Locher R, de Graaf J, Vetter W In vitro antioxidant activity of calcium antagonists against LDL oxdition compared with alpha-tocopherol. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1994; 203: 1803-8.
[Author Affiliation]
C. BROCKES, C. BUCHLI, R. LOCHER, J. KOCH and W. VETTER
[Author Affiliation]
University Hospital, Division of Hypertension, Ramistr. 100, CH-8091 Zurich, Switzerland
[Author Affiliation]
Accepted: 9 December 2002
[Author Affiliation]
Correspondence to: Dr Christiane Brockes
Email: christiane.brockes@epost.de
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Chris Smelley threw a career-high three touchdown passes in the first half and No. 7 South Carolina withstood a late rally to beat North Carolina 21-15 on Saturday.
The redshirt freshman improved to 4-0 as a starter, helping South Carolina (6-1) build a 21-3 lead through three quarters and successfully defend its first top 10 ranking since 2001.
But the Tar Heels (2-5) made things interesting late. T.J. Yates threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Greg Little on the first play of the fourth quarter, then ran 3 yards for another score to make it a six-point game with 3:03 remaining.
The Gamecocks gave North Carolina one last chance, after Ryan Succop's 48-yard field goal bounced harmlessly off the right upright with 46 seconds left.
Yates threw three quick completions to move the Tar Heels to the South Carolina 31, but misfired on his last two throws toward the end zone, with his final pass deflected away by Kenny McKinley at about the 1.
Yates finished 22-of-42 for 285 yards against the nation's best pass defense, and Hakeem Nicks had eight receptions for 114 yards for the Tar Heels.
North Carolina had 398 total yards to South Carolina's 282, had nearly a 10-minute advantage in time of possession and stopped the Gamecocks on 12 of 13 third-down chances. But the Tar Heels couldn't overcome three interceptions - one thrown on a trick play in the fourth by quarterback-turned-receiver Joe Dailey in the red zone.
Smelley completed 17 of 26 passes for 172 yards with scoring passes to three different receivers, covering 3 yards to Dion Lecorn, 30 yards to McKinley and 12 yards to Jared Cook.
Cory Boyd rushed 20 times for 95 yards for South Carolina, helping Steve Spurrier remain unbeaten in four games against the Tar Heels. His previous three wins came when he was at Duke from 1987-89, and his last - a 41-0 rout - was memorialized with a team photo by the scoreboard, a snapshot that still hangs in his office.
The Gamecocks clicked early in jumping out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead. They scored on two straight possessions, with Smelley's 20-yard pass to Cook setting up his 3-yard strike to Lecorn.
Then, Smelley and Cook hooked up again for 23 yards one play before he found McKinley behind cornerback Jermaine Strong, and the receiver spun toward the right sideline and pulled down his team-leading sixth touchdown of the season.
South Carolina made it 21-3 at halftime when Captain Munnerlyn's 38-yard punt return in the final minutes of the half set up Smelley's scoring pass to Cook with 15 seconds left.
North Carolina's Connor Barth missed a field goal for the first time since 2005 when he pulled a 49-yard attempt wide left in the first quarter, snapping a streak of 19 straight conversions. He made a 45-yarder on his next try early in the second.
BNSF Railway Co., the nation's top hauler of container rail freight, is parking miles of railcars in Montana and elsewhere because there isn't enough freight to keep them rolling.
Cars that often carry 40-foot containers of goods shipped from Asia stand like an iron fence between the Missouri River and this Montana burg known for world-class fly fishing. They stretch as far as Sandee Cardinal can see when she stands outside her home on the river's west bank between Helena and Great Falls.
"What is that but a symbol of how America is down in the dumps right now?" Cardinal asked as she gazed at the cars that haven't moved for about three months.
The cars parked are the type that haul cargo from ships on the coast to points inland, mainly imported goods _ an area that's starting to slow down due to the weak economy. Analysts say transportation usually is among the first sectors to show signs of a downturn in the economy and with Americans feeling pinched _ employers eliminated 63,000 jobs last month amid declining consumer confidence _ it could be a while before the idle cars move.
"If you take a look at transportation, both trucking and rail, you will see that things started softening last summer," said Arnold Maltz, associate professor of supply-chain management at Arizona State University. "The reason you are seeing all those cars parked is that the consumer economy translates into slower imports."
Texas-based BNSF Railway, a division of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., has parked upward of 1,000 cars in Montana alone, spokesman Gus Melonas said. More are parked in other parts of the company's 32,000-mile system, which operates in 28 states and two Canadian provinces.
"There's been a downturn in international business and therefore this equipment is not necessary at this point," Melonas said.
The cars standing between Helena and Great Falls constitute 5 percent of the BNSF fleet, Melonas said. He declined to say what percentage of the fleet is parked elsewhere, citing confidentiality issues.
Seasonal car storage is common, he said, but the number of cars now idle is exceptional.
Most of the parked cars are designed for intermodal transportation, when containers filled with imported goods are taken off vessels at U.S. ports and then transported by train, truck or both to distribution centers around the country.
For the first two months of 2008, the volume of intermodal rail freight in the United States was down 3.4 percent compared to the same period last year, according to the Association of American Railroads, an industry group based in Washington, D.C. Last year, intermodal traffic was flat as railroads began to feel the effects of slowing retail orders and the dollar's decline.
While shipments of store-ready consumer goods such as clothing have dipped, movement of coal, grain and ore have risen, according to the association. The latter are less sensitive to swings in the economy and help balance out the bottom line.
Excluding intermodal traffic, rail freight rose 1.7 percent for the first two months of 2008 compared to the same period a year earlier. Coal was out in front last month with 576,012 carloads, or an increase of 5.7 percent.
"The railroads have actually performed relatively well when you look at their entire portfolio," said transportation analyst Todd Fowler of KeyBanc Capital Markets in Cleveland.
For 2007, BNSF Railway's parent company, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., reported about $15.4 billion in total freight revenues, compared to about $14.6 billion the previous year. That growth was carried largely by coal and agricultural segments.
The annual revenue generated from hauling domestic freight was down about 1 percent from 2006, while international traffic was up 2 percent. Meanwhile, coal and agricultural revenue each grew about 12 percent.
Union Pacific Railroad spokesman James Barnes said the Nebraska-based company's intermodal business is "just a little down, but that's not unusual for this time of year." The company's total commodity revenue was $15.5 billion in 2007, compared to about $14.9 billion in 2006. The agricultural segment posted an 8 percent increase over 2006.
Another major rail company, CSX Corp. in Florida, said its car storage is not out of the ordinary. The company's total revenue from surface transportation was up 5 percent, from about $9.6 billion to $10 billion in 2007.
One of the nation's leading trucking companies, Schneider National in Green Bay, Wis., says it believes a freight recession began about 20 months ago, well before signs of a downturn closed in on consumers.
"We have been in a freight recession longer than people have been expressing deep concern about the economy," said Bill Matheson, Schneider's president for intermodal transportation.
Trucking companies are in a unique position. They often compete with railroads for long haul contracts, while also carrying rail freight from the nearest railhead to its final destination.
Schneider is not parking trucks, but neither is it buying new ones to the usual extent, Matheson said.
In Long Beach, Calif., home of the nation's busiest port complex with Los Angeles, the movement of goods has been somewhat stagnant. About 7.3 million containers passed through the Port of Long Beach in 2007, the same as in 2006, port spokesman John Pope said.
"That was a big decline from the growth we'd seen in the past decade or so," Pope said. "Typically, there had been double-digit growth from year to year."
In January, Long Beach posted a decrease of about 12 percent in overall volume compared to January 2007. The situation was less extreme last month, with a 2 percent drop in overall volume compared to a year earlier.
While retailers have imported less goods to be hauled by rail or truck nationwide, exports leaving Long Beach rose as the weak dollar strengthened overseas purchases of U.S. goods, Pope said. Rising export volume _ including grain and wheat shipped by rail _ helped balance falling container imports for most of last year.
"It's a barometer of the economy," Pope said. "We're going to see the ebb and flow that mirrors what happens in the rest of the nation."
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On the Net:
BNSF Railway: http://www.bnsf.com
Association of American Railroads: http://www.aar.org
The Bean is finally set to pop out of its shell.
On Aug. 28, "Cloud Gate," British artist Anish Kapoor's 66-foot-long, 33-foot-high sculpture in Millennium Park, is scheduled to shedthe giant tent that has shielded much of it from public view formonths while workers continued to grind and polish the seams betweenthe stainless-steel plates of its mirrorlike surface.
Although the Bean remains only 70 percent complete, most of thedetail work on its top and sides is done, making those areas appearperfectly smooth.
The Bean, whose projected cost has ballooned from $9 million toabout $20 million because of construction delays, will be entirelyaccessible to the public through Oct. 3. Workers will return then tofinish polishing the "omphalos," the vortex-like opening in thesculpture's underbelly, closing off its entrances with clear plastic.But the tent will be gone for good.
"The idea was to get the external part finished so it can beexposed to the public as soon as possible," Millennium Park directorHelen Doria said. "We definitely wanted it to be open for Labor Day,since September is such a great month in Chicago."
Long process got even longer
The Bean was first revealed to wide acclaim (though in incompleteform) when the park opened last summer, only to be concealed insidethe tent again when work resumed a few months later. The current re-unveiling is the latest milestone in an unexpectedly lengthy buildingprocess, which is being managed by Chicago-based U.S. EquitiesRealty.
U.S. Equities chief Robert Wislow said construction was slowed byseveral factors, including the discovery that more of the sculpture'scurving surface had to be sanded and polished than originallythought.
"Test samples showed that we had to grind and polish roughly 3 to4 inches on each side of each seam," Wislow said.
"When reality set in, we realized that in many cases we had to goas much as 12 inches on each side, which multiplied the squarefootage to be covered almost fourfold."
Completion is now expected by the end of winter.
"It's frustrating that it's taken as long as it has," said HenryKleeman, vice president of Millennium Park Inc., the group of privatedonors that is paying for the project.
"On the other hand, we're thrilled that it's about to be unveiledagain. It looks spectacular."
Stephen Frears took a playful swipe at Hollywood while discussing why Gemma Arterton, the star of his comedy "Tamara Drewe," could not make it to his movie's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
"She's doing `The Princess and the Pea,'" Frears wisecracked to reporters Tuesday, unable to remember the name of the big studio flick whose Los Angeles premiere had forced Arterton to miss the festival.
Frears was not entirely off on the title. Arterton is co-starring with Jake Gyllenhaal in "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," attending the premiere in Hollywood on Monday, a day before "Tamara Drewe" screened at Cannes.
"For some reason, they have first crack, and we are second," British director Frears said.
Frears, the director behind such heavyweight dramas as "Dangerous Liaisons" and "The Queen," has joined the comic-book game so popular in Hollywood now, though he's hardly doing the latest superhero adaptation.
With "Tamara Drewe," Frears adapted Posy Simmonds' graphic novel, featuring Arterton in the title role as a former ugly duckling returning to her hometown as a bombshell after plastic surgery to fix her honker of a nose.
A rising British star, Arterton previously played a Bond girl in Daniel Craig's 007 adventure "Quantum of Solace" before her current breakout year co-starring in the action hit "Clash of the Titans" and "Prince of Persia," the latest from blockbuster producer Jerry Bruckheimer that begins its worldwide rollout this week.
Casting Arterton as the gorgeous Tamara Drewe was an easy task, Frears said.
"Gemma came to see me, and she sat down beside me, and I said to my casting directing, `Is she any good? Because if she is, book her,'" Frears said. "What else was there to say? I mean, she was clearly gorgeous, she was clearly very witty, and she was nice, warm, likable. You're lucky when things like that happen. It was easy."
Inspired by Thomas Hardy's novel "Far From the Madding Crowd," "Tamara Drewe" tells an offbeat tale of the title character's hometown, a quiet village where a best-selling novelist runs a writer's retreat.
The return of Arterton's Tamara to sell her late mother's home stirs up old romantic inclinations and stokes new ones involving the pompous novelist (Roger Allam), his steadfast wife (Tamsin Greig), a Hardy scholar (Bill Camp), Tamara's old flame (Luke Evans), a spoiled rock star (Dominic Cooper) and a fanatic teen (Jessica Barden) in love with the musician.
Frears, whose films include John Cusack's "High Fidelity," Judi Dench's "Mrs. Henderson Presents" and the Irish family comedies "The Snapper" and "The Van," said the comic sensibilities of "Tamara Drewe" are just what he wants in a story.
"All this modern stuff they have in the cinema and all this self-referential stuff. I can't be doing that," Frears said. "I just like films that make me laugh."
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On the Net:
Jobber, small business tracks also added to conference program
?Se habla espanol? (Do you speak Spanish?)
If you or your techs speak Spanish as your primary language, you can take classes in your mother tongue at NACE this year, slated for Dec. 5-8 in Dallas.
For the first time, NACE is offering a limited bilingual program.Two NACE technical sessions and two I-CAR classes will be offered in Spanish. After repeated requests during the past several years for classes and sessions to be taught in Spanish, the trade show's advisory committee decided to introduce a few classes to meet this need.
"I think Dallas is a good place to try this on," says Ellen Pipkin, NACE conference manager. "In the Dallas area and other parts of the country, the Spanish population is growing." Pipkin also says that because this year's conference and trade show is in Texas, conference planners are expecting to draw a large attendance from Mexico and Central America because of their geographical proximity. Last year, 9 percent of the NACE attendance was international.
"Techs may lose a little in the translation so we're trying to focus on their specific needs," Pipkin adds.
Spanish-language classes won't be the only new offerings this year at NACE. The NACE 2002 conference guide will have icon indicators listed next to each portion of a program track and some new tracks. Some of these include ones developed specifitally for jobbers and small body shops. Each track will also be designated with an icon in the conference guide to help attendees keep track of the program they are following.
Pipkin says that smaller shop owners have indicated that they would like a track specifically tailored to their needs. She says many small-shop managers and owners have said that the conference sessions seemed geared toward only the large shops.
"Many have said they felt they had to have an MBA, a certain level of experience or a certain revenue stream to keep up with the courses being offered...they felt they were only being offered for people with bigger businesses than their own," she says. "They didn't feel their specific needs were being addressed, so we wanted to get courses in the mix that address their needs and are being taught by down-to-earth, smaller shop owners.. and make it something they can take back to the shop and apply immediately."
Dana Bellantone, NACE show director, says that if you analyze body shop statistics, 85 percent to 90 percent still employ fewer than seven people per facility. "You also have a lot of small shops in smaller towns...so we decided to address this issue."
An afternoon jobber session is also being offered with a panel of shop owners, during which they will discuss "things they wish the jobbers did and ways of doing business that they would like them to do when working with them," Pipkin says. It's particularly important to include practical information to keep them part of the trade show, she says, because they are significant to the exhibition. "They are the channel between the manufacturer and the shop," Pipkin says. "But we didn't offer any education for jobbers-now we are."
Both Bellantone and Pipkin stress that although new courses have been added and some are also being taught in Spanish, nothing has been taken away. The industry, management and lifestyle classes are still available. Last year, 42 classes were offered. This year, 50 will be offered. "And every year it keeps growing," Bellantone says.
Some other highlights of this year's NACE will be the following:
* Automotive Repair Management System program (ARMS) 2000-an updated, two-part version of the former ARMS program popular in the early 1980s. Some former ARMS instructors will help teach these sessions. "We decided to offer some of these, but in an updated fashion," Bellantone says.
* Welcome party and rodeo-A live rodeo, including bull riding, that will take place at Resistol Arena, located in Mesquite, Texas, about 15 minutes from downtown Dallas. A barbeque dinner will be served prior to the rodeo. There will also be live music and dancing.
* General session/recognition session-On Friday, Dec. 6, 18 people and 27 companies who have been to all 20 NACE shows, including this year, will be honored.This year is the 20th anniversary of NACE. "We appreciate their support," Bellantone says. "It's a big commitment to be there 20 years in a row, so we want to give them some recognition." Designated shops will also receive credit from the Automotive Management Institute (AMi) for the AccreditedAutomotive Manager (AAM) program.
Harley attendee giveaway: Attendees with have 10 different opportunities to get a key that will start a Harley on the afternoon of Dec. 7. This is being done in honor of the 100th anniversary of Harley and the 20th anniversary of NACE. The Harley being given away will have a custom paint job, which is being sponsored by Valspar.
For more information on NACE visit its official Web site at www.NACEEXPO.com.
[Author Affiliation]
By Tina Grady
Senior Associate Editor
EUGENE, Ore. - Stanford's Andrew Luck and Oregon's Darron Thomasare two very different quarterbacks, indeed two very differentpeople, yet they share an enduring bond as high school competitors.
Both played prep football for opposing teams in Houston, whereLuck grew up and his dad, West Virginia Athletic Director OliverLuck, once played for the Oilers.
"Oh yeah, that's my boy," Thomas said.
The two face off for the first time as college athletes onSaturday night when the No. 4 Ducks host the No. 9 Cardinal in agame that Stanford Coach Jim Harbaugh has called "monumental."
While Stanford (4-0, 1-0 Pac-10) is fighting for national statureafter several down years, Oregon (4-0, 1-0) is looking to prove itbelongs among the elite after several oh-so-close seasons. Thomasand Luck will be at the center of the storm at Autzen Stadium.
There was definitely some mutual admiration being tossed aboutbetween the two as both teams prepared this week.
"There have been some very good quarterbacks to come out ofHouston and Darron Thomas is definitely one of them," Luck said.
Luck started at Stratford High School, where he was also classvaledictorian, while Thomas played at Aldine High.
The last time the two met on the field was on Oct. 5, 2007.Luck's Spartans defeated Aldine 34-24. Thomas, a dual-threatquarterback who originally committed to LSU before switching toOregon, completed 14 of 25 passes for 168 yards and he ran foranother 101 yards.
Luck, a pro-style quarterback, completed 13 of 25 passes for 149yards.
"We played three years against each other on varsity. We'd seeeach other at Houston recruiting functions and things like that,"Luck said this week. "He's a great guy, a great competitor and aheck of a quarterback. He's definitely exceeded expectations in thefirst four games with Oregon."
While Luck is cerebral (he's studying architectural design atStanford) with a "natural humility," as Harbaugh once said, Thomasis brash and confident.
Thomas took over as starter for the Ducks this season afterwinning the job over fifth-year senior Nate Costa in fall camp. Lastseason's starter, Jeremiah Masoli, was dismissed from the team afteroffseason legal trouble.
Thomas has exceeded expectations so far, throwing for 10touchdowns in Oregon's first four games. He put together a completegame in Oregon's 42-31 victory over Arizona State last weekend,passing for 260 yards and two touchdowns, while also running for ascore.
Coach Chip Kelly said he's "excited" about Thomas' performance.Kelly knows his quarterbacks: he developed Dennis Dixon whileserving as Oregon's offensive coordinator and helped Masoli thrivein the team's innovative spread-option offense.
"I think Darron is managing the game very well. I think he'splaying with great poise," Kelly said. "We've been down 10 atTennessee, we were down 10 at Arizona State, and there's no panicfrom the quarterback. I think other players on the offensive thriveoff that."
Luck made his splash last season, when Stanford relied heavily onpowerful running back and Heisman runner-up Toby Gerhart. Thisseason Stanford looks to Luck.
Luck has completed 64 of 102 passes for 912 yards and 11touchdowns this season. He leads the Pac-10 and is ranked 11thnationally in passing efficiency (169.5). He's also shown somescrambling ability - he ran 52 yards for a score in Stanford's 68-24 victory over Wake Forest two weeks ago.
"The guy can pass," said Oregon defensive lineman Brandon Bair."He's got an unbelievable arm and he's just an awesome quarterback.He's going to be a challenge for us and we have to make sure wehandle it well."
Last year the Ducks were ranked No. 7 when they visited Palo Altoand lost 51-42. Gerhart ran for a school-record 223 yards and threetouchdowns, while Luck passed for 251 yards and two scores.
This season the game couldn't get any bigger, nationallytelevised Saturday evening after an early morning visit from ESPN'sGame Day.
A win would mean so much more than last season, Harbaugh said,because of Oregon's status as the defending Pac-10 champions.
"They're the champs," the Stanford coach said. "As one of thegreat philosophers of the 20th Century, one of my favoritephilosophers of the 20th Century, Ric Flair would say, 'If you wantto be the man, you have to beat the man.' "
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Hamas fighters launched a fierce offensive on Gaza City Wednesday, firing mortars and rockets at Fatah's main security bases and the president's compound as the Islamic group appeared close to taking control of the entire Gaza Strip.
Fatah's forces were crumbling fast, with some fighters seen fleeing their security posts and hundreds of others surrendering, hands raised, to masked Hamas gunmen.
A Hamas military victory in Gaza could split Palestinians into a Hamas-controlled Gaza and a Fatah-run West Bank, and push the prospect of statehood even further away. It could also set the stage for a bloody confrontation with Israel, which might intervene to prevent attacks from Gaza.
In the southern town of Khan Younis, Hamas militants surrounded a security headquarters and warned everyone inside to leave or they would blow it up, witnesses said. The building was then destroyed by a bomb planted in a tunnel underneath it, said Ali Qaisi, a presidential guard spokesman.
An Associated Press reporter saw defeated Fatah fighters streaming out of the building after turning over their weapons to Hamas militants. Hamas took weapons, clothes and vehicles and flew a green Islamic flag over the building, then celebrated by firing in the air and passing out candy.
Security forces later said they had lost control of the town.
"Khan Younis is finished," said Ziad Sarafandi, a senior security official.
At least 20 people were killed in fighting Wednesday. A Hamas militant was killed in a clash early Thursday in the southern town of Rafah, hospital officials said, bringing the total in four days of infighting to over 60. Among those killed Wednesday was a man shot when Hamas gunmen fired on a peaceful protest against the violence, witnesses said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah called the fighting "madness" and pleaded with the exiled leader of Hamas to halt the violence.
Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas issued a joint statement after nightfall, calling on all sides "to halt fighting, and to return to language of dialogue and respect of agreements," according to a statement from Abbas' office. The call was broadcast on Palestinian TV.
Hamas radio denied the two had agreed to a truce, and clashes intensified in the hour after their statement was broadcast.
Hamas and Fatah nominally share power in a coalition government, while Fatah runs most of Gaza's security forces. But no one was listening to the elected leaders' pleas for calm as the focus of power passed to street militias.
Hamas gunmen neutralized the main strongholds of the Fatah-linked security forces, ruling the streets and taking control of large parts of Gaza in the process.
Abbas' forces - desperately trying to cling to their besieged bases in Gaza - lashed out at the president, saying he left them with no directions and no support in the fight.
Hamas and Fatah have waged a sporadic power struggle since Hamas won parliament elections last year, ending four decades of Fatah dominance of Palestinian affairs. But the battle is now verging on civil war, as Hamas wages a systematic assault on security forces.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he discussed the possible deployment of a multinational force in Gaza with the Security Council on Wednesday after the Israeli and Palestinian leaders raised the idea.
With fighting raging on rooftops and streets in nearly all corners of Gaza, residents huddled in fear in their homes.
Hamas, already in control of much of northern Gaza, seized Khan Younis on Wednesday and began a coordinated assault on the southern town of Rafah, security officials said.
Hamas militants blew up a security building near Rafah after a long gunbattle, said Col. Nasser Khaldi, a senior police official.
"What can I say? This is a fall, a collapse," he said.
Fayez Abu Taha, 45, a businessman in Rafah, said he was trapped in his apartment building with his family after Hamas fighters took over a nearby rooftop and Fatah responded by taking over the roof of his building.
"I don't know what they are battling for now," he said. "I can see the bullets flying from my windows. Coming and going."
The rout of the security forces was so bad that 40 Palestinian security officers broke through the border fence in Rafah and fled into Egypt seeking safety, Egyptian police said.
In the afternoon, Hamas forces attacked the three main compounds of the Fatah-allied forces in Gaza City - the headquarters of the Preventive Security, the Intelligence Service and the National Forces - in what could usher in the final phase of the battle.
Hamas fighters, firing rockets and mortar shells, took over the rooftops in nearby houses and cut off the roads to prevent reinforcements from arriving. They called on the beleaguered Fatah forces to surrender.
Hamas gunmen in high-rise buildings also fired at Abbas' Gaza office and house and his guard force returned fire. Abbas was in the West Bank at the time of the fighting.
During the battle at the Preventive Security Service base, both sides fired wildly from high-rise rooftops.
Dr. Wael Abdel Jawad, a physician trapped in his apartment, said he heard Fatah fighters shouting at colleagues on an adjacent roof to send them more ammunition.
"All of us are terrified here. Shooting came through the windows of our apartment, children are screaming. We are hearing from a nearby mosque the call by Hamas to surrender," he said.
"Those fighters on rooftops are like Don Quixote, tilting at windmills. They don't know where to shoot," he said.
In another dramatic battle in Gaza City, hundreds of members of the Fatah-allied Bakr clan, which had fought fiercely for two days, surrendered to masked Hamas gunmen and were led, arms raised, to a nearby mosque. Footage broadcast on Hamas' Al Aqsa TV showed some of the Bakr women trying to enter the mosque. Hamas gunmen later drove off with some of the Bakr fighters, witnesses said.
Two women from the clan tried to leave the area to take a sick girl to a hospital and were shot and killed by jittery Hamas gunmen, a clan member said.
After nightfall, Hamas militants blew up the house of one of the Bakr clan's leaders, witnesses said.
Early Thursday, Fatah officials said their forces withdrew from some bases in central Gaza and destroyed them, rather than allow them to fall into Hamas hands.
In Washington, U.S. officials condemned the fighting.
"Violence certainly does not serve the interest of the Palestinian people, and it's not going to bring the peace and prosperity that they deserve," White House spokesman Tony Snow said.
"They are shooting at anyone and everyone who is Fatah," said Youssef Abu Siyam, a Preventive Security officer in Rafah.
The fighting spilled into the Fatah-dominated West Bank. Hamas and Fatah gunmen exchanged fire in the city of Nablus and a nearby refugee camp after Fatah gunmen tried to storm a pro-Hamas TV production company. Hamas said 12 of its fighters were wounded.
Hamas charged that Fatah-linked security forces were rounding up Hamas activists in the West Bank early Thursday.
On Wednesday, Abbas spoke by phone with the Damascus-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal to try to stop the crisis, said Abbas aide Nimr Hamad.
"This is madness, the madness that is going on in Gaza now," Abbas told reporters.
The U.N. Relief and Works Agency, which provides aid to Palestinian refugees, said it would curtail its operations after two of its Palestinian workers were killed by crossfire.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, said the clashes could have been avoided if Abbas had given the Hamas-led Cabinet control over the security forces, which he blamed for a wave of kidnappings, torture and violence in Gaza.
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AP reporter Diaa Hadid contributed to this report.
The New York Times Co. said Thursday its second-quarter profit climbed nearly 85 percent, as it cut costs aggressively to deal with a worsening decline in advertising. Its stock jumped in premarket trading.
The company said it cut its operating costs by 20 percent to manage the revenue falloff, following a pattern that also emerged in recent earnings reports from fellow newspaper publishers Gannett Co. and McClatchy Co.
The publisher of The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The International Herald-Tribune and 15 other daily newspapers said Thursday that it earned $39.1 million, or 27 cents per share, from April through June. That compares with a profit of $21.1 million, or 15 cents per share, in the same quarter a year ago.
The company was helped by a favorable tax adjustment, which boosted earnings by $37.7 million, or 26 cents per share.
But even after one-time events, the company said it would have earned 8 cents per share. On that basis, analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected a loss of 4 cents per share.
Times Co. revenue fell 20 percent to $584 million. Analysts were expecting $603 million.
Advertising revenue plunged 30 percent from the second quarter of 2008. The Times Co. had seen a 27 percent year-over-year decline in the first quarter, leading to a net loss of $74.5 million.
Times Co. shares were up 88 cents at $7.50 in trading before the market opened.
Alex Frei and Gelson Fernandes scored a goal each Saturday to give Switzerland a 2-0 win over Moldova in a World Cup qualifier.
Frei gave the visitors the lead in the 32nd minute by going through the Moldovan defense and beating goalkeeper Stanislav Namasco with a shot from 12 meters (yards) out. Fernandes added the insurance goal in injury time on a counter attack.
Switzerland dominated possession in both halves, with no real scoring chances for the home team.
The win gives the Swiss 10 points after five matches in Group 2, while Moldova remained on a single point. The two teams play again on Wednesday in Geneva.
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Lineups:
Moldova: Stanislav Namasco, Sergiu Lascencov, Alexei Sabinov, Igor Armas (Vitalie Manoliu, 87), Victor Golovatenco, Alexandru Epureanu, Alexandru Gatcan, Artur Ionita (Eugen Cebotaru 56), Igor Bugaiov, Serghei Alexeev, Denis Calincov.
Switzerland: Diego Benaglio, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Ludovic Magnin, Philippe Senderos, Stephane Grichting, Benjamin Huggel, Tranquillo Barnetta , Gokhan Inler, Alexamder Frei, Blaise Nkufo (Gelson Fernades, 79), Marco Padalino (Eren Derdiyok, 79).
With the 1993 baseball season officially under way, cigarette adsare being snuffed out of the parks - a trend that may cost thetobacco giants their last best bastion of advertising.
Ever since tobacco advertising was banned from television in1971, critics contend tobacco makers have tried to weasel around thelaw by strategically placing huge billboards in the TV camera's eye.The two biggest sellers - Philip Morris' Marlboro and R.J. Reynolds'Winston - are in practically every ballpark that will let them in.
"It's the box seats of sports marketing," said one ad executivewho formerly sold ballpark ad space to Philip Morris, maker ofMarlboro. "And the tobacco makers have become addicted to them."
But the tobacco giants may have to find alternate ad venues. Atthe Houston Astrodome Monday, fans saw an odd sight in center field:the familiar Marlboro sign has been covered with black plastic. Itwill remain that way until the Astros find a new advertiser. Tobaccoads have been banned from the park.
Beginning next season, the Seattle Mariners will outlaw tobaccoads in their ballpark. And the 1995 season will be the last one thatthe Boston Red Sox will allow tobacco ads in Fenway Park. Already, ahandful of major league teams refuse to accept tobacco advertising,including Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium and San Diego's Jack MurphyStadium.
With anti-tobacco sentiment on the rise, Dodger Stadium has alsobanned smoking in the seating areas and rest rooms.
Anaheim Stadium - which also banned smoking in the ballpark -may eventually be pressured to dump the Marlboro billboard. TheAngels do not have a policy on tobacco ads, said Bob Wagner, directorof sales and marketing, "but it may well become an issue in Anaheimvery soon."
The question is moot in Chicago at least for the present, as theCubs don't have any advertising signs that can be seen by the TVcameras. The White Sox have a huge Winston sign over right field butthe contract runs for eight more years and the Sox plan to honor it,said Vice President Rob Gallas.
Meanwhile, New York's Shea Stadium, home of the Mets, is itselfhome to a heated controversy over its center-field Marlboro sign.One anti-tobacco group, SmokeFree Educational Services, is running abiting radio ad campaign that compares the Marlboro billboards to adsthat push drugs to children. The group is urging New York's MayorDinkins to dump the signs.
Last year, the group offered to pay $250,000 if the Mets wouldtake down the Marlboro sign and replace it with an anti-smokingmessage. The Mets declined that offer - and declined to return phonecalls for this article.
And even though the scoreboard at Seattle's Kingdome wasoriginally paid for - at least in part - by giant Marlboro ads,tobacco advertising at the venue has been banned after the season asa result of a new county ordinance. The advertiser replacingMarlboro: McDonald's.
In fact, McDonald's will eventually be paying $220,000 annuallyfor the signage - some $10,000 more than Philip Morris paid for itsMarlboro signs, said Paul Isaki, vice president of businessdevelopment for the Seattle Mariners.
The navy sank nine Tamil separatist vessels Wednesday in a fierce battle off Sri Lanka's northwest coast that killed 40 rebels and one naval officer, the military said. One navy craft sank, the rebels said.
Separately Wednesday, ground battles in the north left 26 guerrillas and two soldiers dead, the military said.
The sea clash erupted early Wednesday after naval patrol boats attacked a rebel flotilla transporting weapons off northern Mannar district, said the military's spokesman, Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara.
Backed by helicopter gunships, the navy sank nine of the 16 rebel boats, killing 40 guerrillas, Nanayakkara said.
"One navy craft was also severely damaged as two suicide boats rammed into it," he said adding, at least one navy officer died and 10 sailors were missing.
The rebels said their fighters sank one naval craft and damaged two others in the three-hour clash, according to an e-mailed statement from rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan. Four Black Tigers, the rebel group's suicide fighters, died in the attacks, it said.
Calls to Ilanthirayan for comment went unanswered Wednesday.
The two sides often give widely divergent death tolls, exaggerating their enemies' casualties while undercounting their own. No independent confirmation of the battle was available.
On Tuesday, the navy spotted an Indonesian ship drifting about 160 kilometers (100 miles) off the east coast Tuesday morning, and troops boarded the ship to investigate, a defense ministry official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The navy was questioning the 12-member Indonesian crew, the official said Wednesday, adding it was trying to determine if the ship was linked to the Tamil Tiger rebels, who occasionally use foreign ships to smuggle arms.
In September, the navy claimed it sank three rebel ships packed with weapons and light aircraft, nearly destroying what remained of the separatists' smuggling fleet.
The Indonesian ship's captain said his vessel was sailing from Mumbai, in western India, to Thailand and the vessel started drifting when it ran out of fuel, according to the official, who declined to give further details.
Meanwhile, soldiers fought a series of gunbattles with Tamil Tigers along the northern front lines Wednesday, killing 26 rebels, the official said. Fighting killed two soldiers and wounded 12 others.
There was no comment from the rebels on the ground battles. Independent verification of the military's claims was impossible because the region is off limits to the media.
Fighting across northern Sri Lanka _ where the separatist rebels control a de facto state _ has intensified in recent months.
The Tamil Tiger rebels have been fighting since 1983 to create an independent homeland for Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamil minority after decades of discrimination from governments dominated by the Sinhalese majority. An estimated 70,000 people have been killed in the fighting.
Dett, R(obert) Nathaniel, distinguished black American composer, conductor, and anthologist; b. Drummondville, Quebec, Oct. 11,1882; d. Battle Creek, Mich., Oct. 2,1943. He came from a musical family; both his parents were amateur pianists and singers. In 1893 the family moved to Niagara Falls, N.Y., where Dett studied piano with local teachers. He earned his living by playing at various clubs and hotels, then enrolled at the Oberlin (Ohio) Cons., where he studied piano with Howard Handel Carter and theory with Arthur E. Heacox and George Carl Hastings (B.Mus., 1908). He also conducted a school choir; eventually, choral conducting became his principal profession. He taught at Lane Coll. in Jackson, Term. (1908–11), the Lincoln Inst. in Jefferson, Mo. (1911–13), the Hampton Inst. in Va. (1913–32), and Bennett Coll. in Greensboro, N.C. (1937–42). Concerned about his lack of technical knowledge in music, he took lessons with Karl Gehrkens at Oberlin in 1913; also attended classes at Columbia Univ., the American Cons, of Music in Chicago, Northwestern Univ., the Univ. of Pa., and, during the academic year 1919–20, at Harvard Univ., where he studied composition with Foote. In 1929 he pursued training with Boulanger at the American Cons, in Fontainebleau; during 1931–32, he attended the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. (M.Mus., 1932). In the meantime, he developed the Hampton Choir, which toured in Europe in 1930 with excellent success, receiving encomiums in England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland. He also periodically led his choir on the radio; in 1943 he became a musical adviser for the USO, and worked with the WAC (Women's Army Corps) on service duty at Battle Creek. His dominating interest was in cultivating Negro music, arranging Negro spirituals, and publishing collections of Negro folk songs. All of his works were inspired by black melodies and rhythms; some of his piano pieces in the Negro idiom became quite popular, among them the suite Magnolia (1912), In the Bottoms (1913), which contained the rousing Juba Dance, and Enchantment (1922). He also wrote a number of choral pieces, mostly on biblical themes, such as the oratorios The Chariot Jubilee (1921) and The Ordering of Moses (Cincinnati, May 7, 1937). His choruses Listen to the lambs, I'll never turn back no more, and Don't be weary, traveler became standards in the choral repertoire. He publ. the anthologies Religious Folk Songs of the Negro (1926) and The Dett Collection of Negro Spirituals (4 vols., 1936). His piano compositions were ed by D.-R. de Lerma and V. McBrier (Evanston, 111., 1973).
V. McBrier, R.N. D.: His Life and Works: 1882–1943 (Washington, D.C., 1977); A. Simpson, Follow Me: The Life and Music ofR.N. D. (Metuchen, N.J., 1993).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire
Several Pleasanton Heat runners qualified for the U.S. Track &Field Association Junior Olympic national finals at the Region 14finals.
The Region 14 champion Pleasanton Heat intermediate boys 4x800-meter relay team (ages 15-16) of Drew Callen, James Langford, SeanColaco and Toshi Kellogg qualified, as did Simon …
Iraq's national security adviser said Tuesday his country will not accept any security deal with the United States unless it contains specific dates for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces.
The comments by Mouwaffak al-Rubaie were the strongest yet by an Iraqi official about the deal now under negotiation with U.S. officials. They came a day after Iraq's prime minister first said publicly that he expects the pending troop deal with the United States to have some type of timetable for withdrawal.
U.S. President George W. Bush has said he opposes a timetable. The White House said Monday it did not believe al-Maliki was proposing a rigid timeline for U.S. troop …
By Peter Passi, Duluth News-Tribune, Minn. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Dec. 11--You can question Sean Kacsir's business judgment, but not his chutzpah.
It takes guts for a pharmacy to sever all ties to insurance companies at a time when insurers have their hands in about 90 percent of all prescription drug transactions.
Yet Kacsir, president of MedSave Discount Pharmacy, did just that earlier this week by opening Duluth, Minn.'s first cash-only drugstore.
His business at 210 N. Sixth Ave. E., formerly part of the Medicine Shoppe chain, no longer will wrestle with insurance forms or wait weeks for claims to be processed. Kacsir said the upshot for customers will be lower prices, particularly for generic drugs.
The new business model has enabled Kacsir to slash his pharmacy's operating costs by about 50 percent. The store operates with a fraction of the …
New Duluth, Minn., pharmacy severs ties to all insurance companies.By Peter Passi, Duluth News-Tribune, Minn. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Dec. 11--You can question Sean Kacsir's business judgment, but not his chutzpah.
It takes guts for a pharmacy to sever all ties to insurance companies at a time when insurers have their hands in about 90 percent of all prescription drug transactions.
Yet Kacsir, president of MedSave Discount Pharmacy, did just that earlier this week by opening Duluth, Minn.'s first cash-only drugstore.
His business at 210 N. Sixth Ave. E., formerly part of the Medicine Shoppe chain, no longer will wrestle with insurance forms or wait weeks for claims to be processed. Kacsir said the upshot for customers will be lower prices, particularly for generic drugs.
The new business model has enabled Kacsir to slash his pharmacy's operating costs by about 50 percent. The store operates with a fraction of the …
Charles Inlander's voice filled with anger as he discussed how hospitals treat patients who struggle with medical bills. The consumer advocate believes the system is skewed against people who cannot afford insurance.
"No one pays the retail price except for the uninsured," said Inlander, president of the People's Medical Society in Allentown.
Hospitals nationwide are facing increasing criticism for not doing enough to help uninsured patients who cannot pay their bills. At a federal hearing in late June, lawmakers heard testimony that uninsured people often get stuck paying more for hospital services than their insured counterparts. They also heard about the aggressive …
When William Clay Ford Jr. and Jac Nasser inked their first deal together, they both got what they wanted.
With the purchase of Volvo Cars, Chairman Bill Ford advances his campaign to put a socially responsible, green face on Ford Motor Co. Simultaneously, Ford president Nasser accelerates his global growth strategy by creating a trio of luxury brands with worldwide marketing clout.
Bill Ford and Nasser are spending $6.45 billion of the company's $24 billion cash horde to pursue their corporate game plan. That leaves enough in the checkbook to continue shopping.
Even as he announced the Volvo deal on day 28 of his administration, CEO Nasser held out the possibility of more acquisitions.
"It's a very good time to be expanding the business. We're very eager to look at any opportunity that makes good sense for us," he said. But, he cautioned, any potential deal has to fit Ford's culture, brand strategy and geographic needs. …
Easter egg hunt
The town Department for Youth Services and Recreation and the East Greenbush Youth Commission will sponsor Easter egg hunt activities with support from Columbia High School beginning 10:30 a.m. on March 31 at East Greenbush Town Park. Participants need to bring their own bags or baskets for egg collection. For more information, call 477-4194.
Summer camp jobs
The North Greenbush Youth Department is accepting applications for …
Byline: Dean Betz Staff writer
Indictments have been thrown out against four employees of a formerdrug-counseling center in East Greenbush, and major counts against three others have been dismissed.
Citing flaws in a complex case involving Tools Project Inc., Albany County Court Judge Thomas W. Keegan last Thursday
dismissed 20 of the 100 counts handed up in October 1988, including some of the most serious felony charges. The case had been presented to a grand jury by the state attorney general's office.
About four months ago, the judge dismissed four counts of grand larceny, according to Albany attorney Stephen R. Coffey, who represents the three defendants still facing charges.
"We're both happy and somewhat disappointed. We were hoping that the whole indictment would be …
Tiger Woods intends to play in this year's Buick Open and will host a golf clinic at Comerica Park in Detroit on June 24, two days before the tournament begins.
Buick golf …
