Toyota to curb N. America production after quake

TOKYO (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp., the world's biggest automaker, said Thursday it expects to halt production at some of its factories in North America due to shortages of parts from Japan following a devastating earthquake.

Toyota's move adds to the spreading economic damage from the magnitude-9.0 quake and tsunami on March 11 that killed thousands of people and triggered an unfolding nuclear crisis. Japanese automakers suspended production in Japan and are still deciding when to resume full-scale operations.

In a statement released in New York, Toyota said it was unclear which North American facilities will be affected or how long the suspension might last. It gave no …

The Pushkin Handbook

David M. Bethea, ed. The Pushkin Handbook. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2005. xlii, 665 pp. Select Bibliographies. Index. $60, cloth.

North American and Russian Pushkin scholars differ in their approaches. While Russian scholars at the Pushkin House in Leningrad/St. Petersburg have historically excelled at textological scholarship, North Americans over the past fifty years have generally tried to look at larger issues, both within Pushkin's writing itself and while placing him in a literary and historical context. The brilliance of The Pushkin Handbook is that it brings together some of the best Pushkinists from both continents under one cover, juxtaposing approaches, …

Capitals Win in OT

Tomas Fleischmann scored with 2:33 left in overtime to lift the Washington Capitals past the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 on Thursday night.

Lightning goalie Karri Ramo dived for a loose puck near the net, but couldn't control it. Brooks Laich passed it to Fleischmann in the right circle for the winner.

Laich, Matt Bradley and Alexander Semin also scored for the Capitals, who remained two points out of eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Washington trails Southeast Division-leading Carolina, which has one game in hand, by two points.

Capitals center Alexander Ovechkin, who has a league-leading 61 goals and 107 points, didn't get a point. He had …

Up with purple Great recipes for the regally robed eggplant

When I was a teenager, purple was my favorite color to wear. I hadclothes in every shade from lavender to aubergine.

I've since expanded my clothing color palette beyond the colorpurple but I am still attracted to it, even in my food. When I'm inthe grocery store, which is almost a daily event, I am alwaysfascinated by eggplants and try to find an excuse to bring them home.

Thanks to Helene Stone of Highland Park, I had two good reasons topurchase a couple of these dark purple, pear-shaped fruits. Yes,fruit--actually a berry--related to the tomato/potato family. Tworecent requests for eggplant caviar and baba ghanoush, which both useeggplant, were answered by Stone, a …

Pollsters' fear: too many polls, too few answers

Much to the dismay of pollsters and market researchers, Americansare increasing inclined to hang up the phone when pollsters seektheir opinions on everything from how they'll vote to what TVprograms they watch to which brand of peanut butter they prefer.

"One of the problems facing the research industry today is thecontinuing and alarming decline in rates of participation," saidMervin Field, the veteran pollster who conducts the respectedCalifornia Poll of political races. "Polls should not be accepted ontheir face."

The Gallup Organization, perhaps America's best known surveycompany, was able to reach more than 80 percent of the people itcalled when it first …

UEFA charges De Rossi over Shakhtar clash

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — UEFA has charged AS Roma captain Daniele De Rossi with improper conduct after he appeared to strike Shakhtar Donetsk captain Dario Srna in the face during a Champions League match.

Referee Howard Webb missed the incident during Roma's 3-0 defeat Tuesday. However, the English official showed Srna a yellow card for protesting.

UEFA says its …

Boat sinking after whaling clash in Antarctica

A ship in the Japanese whaling fleet collided with a much smaller boat from a conservation group in the frigid waters of Antarctica on Wednesday and was sinking, the group said. The boat's six-person crew were safely rescued.

The clash was apparently the most serious in the several years that the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has sent vessels into far southern waters to try to harass the Japanese fleet into ceasing its annual whale cull.

Clashes using hand-thrown stink bombs, ropes meant to tangle propellers and high-tech sound equipment have been common in recent years, and collisions between ships have sometimes happened.

The society said …

Blue Jays keep on Cruz-ing

Jose Cruz Jr. hit his third home run in six games with theToronto Blue Jays and made a key defensive play to lead them to a 6-3victory Wednesday night over the visiting Cleveland Indians.

Cruz hit his 15th home run - a solo shot to right - with one outin the seventh inning off loser Albie Lopez (3-5) to break a 3-3 tie.

With runners on first and second in the eighth, Cruz chargedSandy Alomar's single to left and made a perfect throw to the plateto easily cut down David Justice with the potential tying run.

The Blue Jays added their final two runs in the eighth on ShawnGreen's 14th home run.

Pat Hentgen (12-7) allowed three runs and 11 hits in …

Archaeologists in Egypt unearth sphinx statues

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's antiquities department says archaeologists have unearthed 12 more sphinx statues along the ancient avenue connecting Luxor and Karnak temples.

The discovery was made in a newly excavated section of the Avenue of the Sphinxes, most of which is buried beneath the modern city of Luxor in southern Egypt.

The sandstone section of road dates back to the reign of Pharaoh …

Pakistanis blame US after shrine attack kills 42

Two suicide bombings that killed 42 at a popular Sufi shrine in Pakistan's east stirred outrage in this terror-scarred nation Friday. Several people blamed the U.S. presence in Afghanistan for spurring the attacks, while some faulted a minority sect that itself was viciously targeted weeks ago.

The bombings of Lahore's Data Darbar shrine, the burial site of a famous Sufi saint, struck at the heart of the moderate Islam most Pakistanis practice. The assault wounded 180 people and again demonstrated the potency of militant groups that are linked to but operate far from the northwest tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

Thousands of people had gathered late …

Soft-tissue case 44. presentation

Radiology for the Surgeon Chirurgie et radiologie

A 28-year-old man was seen in the emergency department with a 5-day history of left lower quadrant abdominal pain, which he described as severe and well localized without radiation. The pain was aggravated by movement and caused him to walk bent over. He denied experiencing nausea, vomiting, anorexia or a change in bowel habit. His medical history was significant for a left ureteric stone and sarcoidosis. He had not been on any medication.

On physical examination he was afebrile and had point tenderness in the left lower quadrant with rebound localizing to the same area. Bowel sounds were present, and no masses were …

Royal wedding: Mexican teen blocked at UK airport

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A Mexican teenager has hit another snag in her desperate quest to see Prince William and Kate Middleton heading to the altar.

British immigration officials in London have turned away Estibalis Chavez, 19, who staged a hunger strike outside the British Embassy in Mexico City for 16 days in February in an unsuccessful bid to wrangle an invitation to the royal wedding.

Octavio Fitch Lazo, a lobbyist who was moved by Chavez's determination and paid for her plane ticket to London, said Monday that the teen told him she had been sent back to Spain. Fitch said customs officers told her she didn't have enough money or a safe place to stay for the three-week trip she …

Jets' Holmes heads back to where it all started

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Rex Ryan was on the phone in his office when someone walked in and asked him the question that helped shape the New York Jets' winning season.

"Give a thumbs-up if you want Santonio Holmes," was the message from general manager Mike Tannenbaum, "and a thumbs-down if you don't."

Ryan hung up the phone and never felt so fleet of foot. The Jets coach rumbled up the stairs, his pulse racing, and charged into Tannenbaum's office with a one-word answer.

"Absolutely," Ryan said excitedly.

That was all Tannenbaum needed to hear. Not long after that huge thumbs-up from Ryan last April, Holmes — Pittsburgh's former Super Bowl MVP — was a member of the Jets for the incredibly low price of a fifth-round draft pick.

"I just wanted him," Ryan said. "I never cared about the compensation. Let Tannenbaum figure that out. I just knew that anybody that beat me that bad, that I'd just as soon have him on our team. Three games in a row when I was in Baltimore, he beat us."

Plenty of teams have felt that way about Holmes in an already productive young career that was highlighted by his diving, tiptoed catch in the corner of the end zone to give Pittsburgh the go-ahead score over Arizona in the 2009 Super Bowl.

"I'm sure everybody had the same feeling I did, was you remember that Super Bowl and how when the game was on the line, he was begging his teammates to give him a chance, to give him the football," Ryan said. "It's kind of like a guy who says, 'Hit the ball to me.' That's Santonio Holmes."

But, even now, it amazes Holmes sometimes that he's in green and white and not black and gold anymore.

"The main thing that went through my mind was what caused this to happen?" Holmes recalled. "I really didn't ask any questions when it happened. I just accepted what was going on."

Just two years after leading the Steelers to a Super Bowl win, Holmes has a chance to beat his former team and send the Jets to their first title game since 1969. Not that he's looking for revenge, or so he says.

"I think the personal game is out of the way," Holmes said, referring to New York's 22-17 win at Pittsburgh in Week 15. "I got a chance to beat those guys the first time around. This time it means everything, everything for myself, for this team, for this organization. We're trying to get to the Super Bowl. I don't care about the Steelers right now. Those guys are in my team's way, which is the New York Jets."

But it's not just a case of forgive and forget. After all, the Steelers basically dumped a talented young receiver who was coming off a season in which he set career highs with 79 catches and 1,248 yards receiving.

"Everything personal that happened (will be reflected) two or three weeks after," he said. "If we win the Super Bowl, then everything is personal. That's a slap back in those guys' face for trading me."

For all his talent, the fact is Holmes had his share of troubles in Pittsburgh.

There was a lawsuit in Florida from a woman who claimed he threw a glass at her, cutting her above the eye. He was arrested in 2008 for possession of marijuana and involved in a domestic violence incident in 2006; the misdemeanor charges were later dismissed. He was also accused of telling a fan to "kill urself" on his Twitter page, but implied that his account was hacked.

Apparently, it was all baggage the Steelers got tired of hauling around.

"Just kind of amazement," Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said of when he heard about the trade. "I was wondering what was going on, what happened? Just a lot of questions."

The Steelers were also in the middle of another messy situation with Roethlisberger, who was accused last March of the sexual assault of a 20-year-old college student, but a prosecutor in Georgia declined to bring charges.

"Nobody would think you'd trade Santonio for just a fifth-round pick, but nobody really knows what's going on with all the other factors," Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace said. "A player of his caliber and you see him go for that? You know there's a red flag. It's like, 'Something's wrong here.' You can't just let a guy like that go for a fifth-round pick. I guess everyone knew there was more to it."

After coming to the Jets, a flight attendant claimed Holmes failed to follow regulations as the plane he was aboard landed in Pittsburgh. He also was forced to sit out the first four games of this season for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

Tannenbaum acknowledged that the Jets were taking a risk, but insisted it would be worth it.

"I had talked to Hines Ward prior to that happening," Holmes said. "These type of things happen to big-time players. All you can do is just keep replenishing your career. If you get an opportunity to move somewhere else, don't give up on yourself because someone else did. That's exactly what I didn't do."

From all accounts — from Ryan to quarterback Mark Sanchez — Holmes has been an ideal teammate. He also has been a big-time playmaker in the clutch. Holmes played key roles in three straight wins earlier this season with clutch catches late in games. There was also that terrific diving catch in the end zone at New England last week, when Holmes managed to get both knees in bounds to help beat the Patriots.

"Unbelievable," Roethlisberger said of that grab. "I mean, that's what he does. He makes plays."

That's why the Jets were willing to give Holmes a second chance. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer got all he needed to put any concerns at ease when he called the star receiver after the deal was completed.

"Anytime something like that happens to a player, you're always wondering what his reaction is going to be," Schottenheimer said. "But Tone was fired up. He was really looking forward to the opportunity. He believes everything happens for a reason. When I talked to him on the phone, my excitement that I had grew because I knew that we were getting a guy that was excited about coming here and helping us win."

And maybe sticking it to his old team in the process.

"One of the reasons we brought Tone here is for these kind of games," Ryan said. "Big-time players make big-time plays in the brightest spotlight, and here it is right here: the AFC championship. This is Tone Time."

___

AP Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner and AP Freelance Writer Chris Adamski in Pittsburgh contributed to this story.

Guardiola fined (EURO)15,000 for calling referee 'liar'

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola was fined (EURO)15,000 ($17,900) on Tuesday for calling a referee a "liar" following a Spanish league match this season.

The Spanish football federation took the decision after the Catalan coach doubted Clos Gomez's work during a 2-2 draw against Almeria in March.

Guardiola was sent to the stands during the match in Almeria and said later "I understand the decision but if we appeal it then it means (they) are liars. They lie and they know it."

Barcelona, which won its second straight league title, has 10 days to appeal the fine.

Germany nominates candidate to head European bank

BERLIN (AP) — Germany says it has nominated a deputy foreign minister as its candidate to become the next leader of the European Investment Bank.

Government spokesman Steffen Seibert says the Cabinet endorsed Werner Hoyer on Wednesday in Germany's bid to lead the EU's banking arm next year.

Hoyer holds a degree in economics and has been a German deputy foreign minister for several years.

The Luxembourg-based EIB, led since 2000 by Belgium's Philippe Maystadt, finances infrastructure projects in Europe and in some 150 countries around the globe.

Prep football stats

MOUNTAIN STATE

ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

STANDINGS

School League All Rating

Cabell Midland 5-0 6-0 14.00

Parkersburg 3-0 6-0 13.67

South Charleston 5-1 5-1 11.67

Riverside 4-2 4-2 9.67

G. Washington 3-2 3-3 7.33

Hurricane 3-2 4-2 9.33

Nitro 3-3 3-3 7.00

Herbert Hoover 2-3 3-3 7.17

Capital 2-3 2-4 4.67

St. Albans 2-4 2-4 5.00

Logan 1-2 4-2 7.00

Spring Valley 1-2 2-4 4.33

Ripley 0-4 1-5 2.00

Huntington 0-5 0-6 0.00

STATISTICAL LEADERS

SCORING

Name, school TD PAT PTS

1. Josh Romeo, P'burg 19 0 114

2. Terris Baldwin, Riv 11 0 66

2. Tyler Jarrell, CM 11 0 66

4. Walter Elmore, Logan 10 3 63

5. Tyrone Robinson, Cap 9 1* 56

6. Cortez Lacy, GW 8 0 48

6. John Pelto, Hurr 7 3 48

8. Warren Beverly, SC 7 1 44

8. Steve Jones, Nitro 7 1 44

10. Josh Querry, CM 6 1 38

*-includes safety

RUSHING

Name, school Att Yds Avg. TD

1. Josh Romeo, P'burg 110 835 7.6 16

1. Terris Baldwin, Riv 100 835 8.4 10

3. Joe Mosley, SA 140 725 5.2 5

4. John Pelto, Hurr 127 672 5.3 4

5. Walter Elmore, Logan 78 526 6.7 8

6. Clarence Joyner, Nitro 80 522 6.5 4

6. Tyler Jarrell, CM 94 522 5.6 9

8. Aaron Meckstroth, SV 92 502 5.5 1

9. Warren Beverly, SC 57 495 8.7 5

10. Josh Querry, CM 66 474 7.2 6

PASSING

Name, school Comp-Att Yds TD

1. Jared Stephens, Hurr 77-121 851 6

2. Marc Kimes, P'burg 30-72 848 6

3. Casey Rankin, GW 43-97 682 7

4. John Grow, Capital 35-78 585 1

5. Ryan Starr, Logan 22-48 428 4

6. Drew Goheen, Hunt 34-80 425 3

7. Daniel Lewis, SC 22-50 393 4

8. Jason Ward, Nitro 25-58 385 7

9. Lucas Wright, Riv 16-29 307 5

10. Derek Midkiff, Nitro 26-42 289 3

RECEIVING

Name, school Rec Yds Avg. TD

1. Phillip Crum, GW 25 411 16.4 4

2. Steve Jones, Nitro 21 393 18.7 6

3. Jimmy Lawson, Cap 20 351 17.6 1

4. John Pelto, Hurr 20 195 9.8 2

5. Brock Stotts, Ripley 19 208 10.9 1

6. Wes Spradlin, Hurr 18 327 18.2 1

7. Josh Smith, SA 17 187 11.0 0

8. Josh Romeo, P'burg 14 447 31.9 2

9. Hiram Moore, Hunt 14 195 13.9 1

10. Mike Staley, Hoover 13 307 23.6 2

TEAM OFFENSE

School Average points

1. Parkersburg 40.5

2. Cabell Midland 34.3

3. Riverside 32.3

4. Logan 28.8

5. Nitro 27.8

6. Hurricane 23.3

7. G. Washington 22.0

8. South Charleston 21.7

9. Capital 20.7

10. Herbert Hoover 17.0

11. Ripley 14.8

12. Spring Valley 11.0

13. Huntington 10.2

14. St. Albans 9.7

TEAM DEFENSE

School Average points

1. Parkersburg 9.8

2. South Charleston 12.7

3. Cabell Midland 13.5

3. Riverside 13.5

5. Spring Valley 15.3

6. Herbert Hoover 19.2

7. Nitro 19.8

8. Logan 20.4

9. Hurricane 20.8

10. Capital 21.8

11. G. Washington 22.5

12. Ripley 28.0

13. Huntington 34.2

14. St. Albans 33.7

CARDINAL CONFERENCE

STANDINGS

School League All Rating

Wayne 3-0 6-0 11.67

Winfield 1-1 5-1 8.33

Poca 1-1 3-3 5.33

Sissonville 0-3 2-4 3.67

STATISTICAL LEADERS

SCORING

Name, school TD PAT PTS

1. Darrell Thomas, Poca 11 1 68

2. Robert Pratt, Wayne 8 2 52

3. Brent Taylor, Winf 8 1 50

4. Connor Robertson, Winf 7 0 42

5. Chris Coleman, Wayne 5 5 35

RUSHING*

Name, school Att Yds Avg. TD

1. Robert Pratt, Wayne 82 520 6.3 9

2. Clint Franklin, Siss 56 494 8.8 5

3. Matt Britton, Siss 78 439 5.6 0

4. Connor Robertson, Winf 61 432 7.1 2

5. Robbie Lake, Winf 36 320 8.9 2

PASSING*

Name, school Comp-Att Yds TD

1. Virgil Vanover, Winf 37-80 462 2

2. Ryan Wellman, Wayne 20-31 314 2

3. Jimmy Cavender, Siss 10-31 152 0

RECEIVING*

Name, school Rec Yds Avg. TD

1. Brent Taylor, Winf 12 156 13.0 2

2. Connor Robertson, Winf 11 118 10.7 1

3. Erik Bower, Winf 6 97 16.2 0

4. Clint Franklin, Siss 5 125 25.0 0

5. Nick Belcher, Wayne 5 69 13.8 1

* Note: Poca individual stats unavailable this week due totechnical difficulties.

TEAM OFFENSE

School Average points

Wayne 33.5

Winfield 27.0

Poca 17.7

Sissonville 14.5

TEAM DEFENSE

School Average points

Wayne 11.2

Winfield 14.2

Poca 15.7

Sissonville 32.8

BIG 5 CONFERENCE

STANDINGS

School League All Rating

Clay County 2-0 6-0 9.33

Greenbrier West 2-0 5-1 9.33

Webster County 1-0 6-0 8.17

Braxton County 0-1 1-5 2.00

Richwood 0-1 1-5 1.00

OTHER AREA TEAMS

School Record Rating

Buffalo 5-1 6.67

Valley 5-1 7.33

Fayetteville 4-2 6.50

Ravenswood 3-3 5.33

Sherman 4-2 6.00

Van 4-2 5.50

Gauley Bridge 2-4 2.33

Scott 2-4 2.67

Duval 1-5 1.17

Hamlin 1-5 1.17

Roane County 0-6 0.00

STATISTICAL LEADERS

SCORING

Name, school TD PAT PTS

1. Nate Wright, Valley 19 1 116

2. Brett Cochran, Web - - 78

3. Jason Skaggs, GB 11 2 70

4. Jarod Douglas, Clay 9 2 58

4. Steven Adkins, Van 9 2 58

6. Louie Cassis, F'ville 8 0 48

6. Mitch Winnings, GrW - - 48

8. Josh Salyers, Clay 7 2 44

9. Jeff Dickens, Sherm 6 4 40

10. Ben Chapman, Buff 6 0 36

10. Brad DeBoard, Clay 6 0 36

10. Steve Thompson, Scott 6 0 36

RUSHING

Name, school Att Yds Avg. TD

1. Nate Wright, Valley 70 940 13.4 17

2. Jason Skaggs, GB 88 918 10.4 8

3. Brett Cochran, Web 123 647 5.3 --

4. David Hart, Brax 112 631 5.6 -

5. Mitch Winnings, GrW 101 626 6.2 -

6. Steve Adkins, Van 87 616 7.1 9

7. Jeb Atkins, Hamlin 78 514 6.6 3

8. Chad Mullins, Richw 62 505 8.1 -

9. Allen Gilmour, Van 92 503 5.5 4

10. Stephen Thompson, Scott 93 493 5.3 6

11. Louie Cassis, F'ville 73 462 6.3

12. Jeremy Howard, Buff 65 443 6.8 5

PASSING

Name, school Comp-Att Yds TD

1. Andy Stewart, Brax 55-113 674 4

2. Brett Rector, Rav 45-106 619 4

3. Jason Tucker, Clay 44-75 557 13

4. Jason Brumfield, Scott 39-83 520 7

5. Walt McGrady, Hamlin 42-108 477 7

6. Joey Milam, F'ville 28-61 462 2

7. Chase Hill, Sherm 21-43 450 5

8. John Brannon, Roane 27-74 380 3

RECEIVING

Name, school Rec Yds Avg. TD

1. Heath Cook, Brax 25 280 11.2 -

2. Josh Jeffrey, Scott 24 315 13.1 4

3. Jarod Douglas, Clay 22 364 16.5 8

4. Casey Brabham, Roane 17 362 21.3 4

5. Bradley Adkins, Ham 16 137 8.6 3

6. Matt Conley, F'ville 15 263 17.5 2

7. R.J. Balis, Ravens 13 199 15.3 2

8. Shane Hylton, GrW 12 206 17.2 2

COMPILED BY

JASON MARTIN

Vt. hotel painting vanishes - and then reappears

Now you see it, now you don't. But wait! There it is again! Police in Burlington said a 6-foot long landscape painting that was stolen from a waterfront hotel has now reappeared, thanks to an unidentified man seen on surveillance video walking up to the door and putting it down before running away.

The Courtyard Burlington Harbor painting, by Malcolm Dubois, turned up missing April 27. Surveillance video showed two young men hoisting the 30-pound artwork and walking out carrying it. On Saturday, the painting was returned by a man in a hooded sweatshirt and gloves.

It was undamaged.

Joe Carton, the hotel's general manager, tells the Burlington Free Press there's no figuring out why the painting was returned, but he's glad it was.

___

Information from: The Burlington Free Press, http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com

The role of Trp side chains in tuning single proton conduction through gramicidin channels

ABSTRACT We present an extensive set of measurements of proton conduction through gramicidin A (gA), B (gB), and M (gM) homodimer channels which have 4, 3, or 0 Trp residues at each end of the channel, respectively. In gA we find a shoulder separating two domains of conductance increasing with concentration, confirming the results of Eisenman, G., B. Enos, J. Hagglund, and J. Sandblom. 1980. Ann. NY Acad. Sci. 339:8-20. In gB, the shoulder is shifted by ~1/2 pH unit to higher H^sup +^ concentrations and is very sharply defined. No shoulder appears in the gM data, but an associated transition from sublinear to superlinear I-V values occurs at a 100-fold higher [H^sup +^] in gM than in gA. The data in the low concentration domain are analyzed using a configuration space model of single-proton conduction, assuming that the difference in the proton potential of mean force (PMF) between gA and its analogs is constant, similar to the results of Anderson, D., R. B. Shirts, T. A. Cross, and D. D. Busath. 2001. Biophys. J. 81:1255-1264. Our results suggest that the average amplitudes of the calculated proton PMFs are nearly correct, but that the water reorientation barrier calculated for gA by molecular dynamics using the PM6 water model (Pomes, R., and B. Roux. 1997. Biophys. J. 72:246a) must be reduced in amplitude by 1.5 kcal/mol or more, and is not rate-limiting for gA.

INTRODUCTION

The gramicidin A (gA) monomer is a pentadecapeptide consisting of alternating L and D amino acids. The conducting form of the channel is an N-terminal to N-terminal dimer composed of two identical beta^sup 6.5^ helices. The channel is 25 Angstrom long, with a central pore diameter of 4 Angstrom (Arsenyev et al., 1990; Ketchem et al., 1997). The amino acid side chains extend radially outward, away from the helical backbone. These include four pairs of tryptophans at positions 9, 11, 13, and 15 positioned near the lipid-water interface. The tryptophan indole ring system has a dipole moment of -2.1 Debye (Gotten et al., 1999b), comparable to that of a water molecule (Duca and Jordan, 1998). The orientations and dynamics of the indoles in the membrane and their dipole moment have been studied by solid-state NMR (Hu et al., 1993, 1995; Hu and Cross, 1995; Gotten et al., 1999b) and molecular modeling (Woolf and Roux, 1997; Dorigo et al., 1999; Anderson et al., 2001). The indole dipole moments contribute substantially to the electrical potential in the pore region. There is reasonable agreement (Hu and Cross, 1995) between the approximate magnitude of the dipole potential from the atomistic force field computations (Woolf and Roux, 1997; Dorigo et al., 1999; Anderson et al., 2001) and the effects of Trp-to-Phe changes on the Na^sup +^ conductance measured experimentally (Becker et al., 1991). However, the shape of the axial potential profile from the Trp side chains depends on the force field used. The results of Anderson et al. (2001), based upon an ab initio force field, are particularly simple. They find that the indoles of each tryptophan pair stabilize cations in the pore by -0.6 kcal/ mol. This change is approximately constant throughout the channel, independent of the spatial coordinate parallel to the pore axis, and presumably is extinguished by bulk electrolyte shielding just outside the channel.

An extensive set of gramicidin analogs have been developed and investigated by Andersen, Busath, Cukierman, Cross, Heitz, Koeppe, Woolley, and others (e.g., Andersen et al., 1998; Busath et al., 1998; Cotten et al., 1999b; Quigley et al., 2000; Jaikaran and Woolley, 1995; for reviews of earlier work, see Woolley and Wallace, 1992; Busath, 1993). In gramicidin B (gB), the tryptophans at position 11 are replaced by phenylalanine. The indole residues of the tryptophans are located outside the beta helix -7 or 8 Angstrom from the pore axis (Gotten et al., 1999b). The phenylalanine side chain is not expected to have a significant dipole moment. Therefore, it appears likely that differences between the conductance properties of gB and gA are mainly due to the change in the electrical potential in the pore region due to the decreased dipole moment of phenylalanine. Replacement of Trp by Phe provides a mechanism for tuning the electrostatic environment of the pore. In gramicidin M (gM), all four pairs of Trp are replaced by Phe (Heitz et al., 1982). The electrical potential of the gramicidin pore can also be modified by fluorinating the indole ring (Gotten et al., 1999b). In contrast to the effect of replacing Trp by Phe, 5-fluorination increases the side chain dipole moment according to both experiment (Andersen et al., 1998; Busath et al., 1998; Thompson et al., 2001) and computation (Anderson et al., 2001). Lipids also make an important contribution to the electrical potential within the pore interior. De Godoy and Cukierman (2001) report a recent study of this influence on proton conduction through dioxolane-linked gramicidin analogs. Measurements of proton conduction through gA in diphytanoylphosphatidylcholine (Rokitskaya et al., 2002) provide an intriguing comparison with the results in glycerolmonooleate reported here.

The authors thank Sam Cukierman and Regis Pomes for helpful discussions. M.F.S. thanks Amd Roth for providing an updated version of his ActivityCoefficients package for Mathematics.

This work was supported by National Science Foundation Grant 9630475 (to M.F.S.) and National Institutes of Health Grant ROI A123007 (to D.B.).

[Reference]

REFERENCES

[Reference]

Andersen, 0. S. 1983. Ion movement through gramicidin A channels. Interfacial polarization effects on single-channel current measurements. Biophys. J. 41:135-146.

Andersen, 0. S. 1999. Graphic representation of the results of kinetic analyses. J. Gen. Physiol. 114:589-590.

Andersen, 0. S., D. V. Greathouse, L. L. Providence, M. D. Becker, and R. E. Koeppe If. 1998. Importance of tryptophan dipoles for protein function: 5-fluorination of tryptophans in gramicidin A channels. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 120:5142-5146.

Anderson, D., R. B. Shirts, T. A. Cross, and D. D. Busath. 2001. Noncontact dipole effects on channel permeation. V. Computed potentials for fluorinated gramicidin. Biophys. J. 81:1255-1264.

Arsenyev, A. S., A. L. Lomize, 1. L. Barsukov, and V. F. Bystrov. 1990. Gramicidin A transmembrane channel. Three-dimensional structural rearrangement based on NMR spectroscopy and energy refinement. Biol. Mem. 3:1723-1778.

Becker, M. D., D. V. Greathouse, R. E. Koeppe II, and 0. S. Andersen. 1991. Amino acid sequence modulation of gramicidin channel function: effects of tryptophan-to-phenylalanine substitutions on the singlechannel conductance and duration. Biochemistry. 30:8830-8839.

Becker, M. D., R. E. Koeppe II, and 0. S. Andersen. 1992. Amino acid substitutions and ion channel function: model-dependent conclusions. Biophys. J. 62:25-27.

Busath, D. D. 1993. The use of physical methods in determining gramicidin channel structure and function. Annu. Rev. Physiol. 55:473-501. Busath, D. D., C. D. Thulin, R. W. Hendershot, L. R. Phillips, P. Maughan,

C. D. Cole, N. C. Bingham, S. Morrison, L. C. Baird, R. J. Hendershot, M. Gotten, and T. A. Cross. 1998. Non-contact dipole effects on channel permeation. I. Experiments with (SF-indole)Trp-13 gramicidin A channels. Biophys. J. 75:2830-2844.

Chiu, S.-W., E. Jakobsson, S. Subramanian, and J. Andrew McCammon. 1991. Time-correlation analysis of simulated water motion in flexible and rigid gramicidin channels. Biophys. J. 60:273-285.

Chiu, S.-W., S. Subramanian, and E. Jakobsson. 1999. Simulation study of a gramicidin/lipid bilayer system in excess water and lipid. II. Rates and mechanisms of water transport. Biophys. J. 76:1939-1950.

Corry, B., S. Kuyucak, and S. H. Chung. 2000. Tests of continuum theories as models of ion channels. II. Poisson-Nernst-Planck theory versus Brownian dynamics. Biophys. J. 78:2364-2381.

Gotten, M., R. Fu, and T. A. Cross. 1999a. Solid-state NMR and hydrogendeuterium exchange in a bilayer-solubilized peptide: structural and mechanistic implications. Biophys. J. 76:1179-1189.

Gotten, M., C. Tian, D. D. Busath, R. B. Shirts, and T. A. Cross. 1999b. Modulating dipoles for structure-function correlations in the gramicidin A channel. Biochemistry. 38:9185-9197.

Cukierman, S. 2000. Proton mobilities in water and in different stereoisomers of covalently linked gramicidin A channels. Biophys. J. 78: 1825-1834.

DeCoursey, T. E., and V. V. Cherny. 1999. An electrophysiological comparison of voltage-gated proton channels, other ion channels, and other proton channels. Israel J. Chem. 39:409-418.

[Reference]

De Godoy, C. M. G., and S. Cukierman. 2001. Modulation of proton transfer in the water wire of dioxolane-linked gramicidin channels by lipid membranes. Biophys. J. 81:1430-1438.

Dorigo, A. E., D. G. Anderson, and D. D. Busath. 1999. Noncontact dipole effects on channel permeation. II. Trp conformations and dipole potentials in gramicidin A. Biophys. J. 76:1897-1908.

Duca, K. A., and P. C. Jordan. 1998. Comparison of selectively polarizable force fields for ion-water-peptide interactions: ion translocation in a gramicidin-like channel. J. Phys. Chem. B. 102:9127-9138.

Eisenman, G., B! Enos, J. Hagglund, and J. Sandblom. 1980. Gramicidin as an example of a single-filing ionic channel. Ann. NY. Acad. Sci. 339: 8-20.

Heitz, F., G. Spach, and Y. Trudelle. 1982. Single channels of 9,11,13,15destryptophyl-phenylalanyl-gramicidin A. Biophys. J. 40:87-89. Hladky, S. B. 1999. Can we use rate constants and state models to describe

ion transport through gramicidin channels? Novartis Found. Symp. 225: 93-107.

Hu, W., and T. A. Cross. 1995. Tryptophan hydrogen bonding and electrical dipole moments: functional roles in the gramicidin channel and implications for membrane proteins. Biochemistry. 34:14147-14155.

Hu, W., N. D. Lazo, and T. A. Cross. 1995. Tryptophan dynamics and structural refinement in a lipid bilayer environment: solid state NMR of the gramicidin channel. Biochemistry. 34:14138-14146.

Hu, W., K.-C. Lee, and T. A. Cross. 1993. Tryptophans in membrane proteins: indole ring orientations in the gramicidin channel. Biochemistry. 32:7035-7047.

Jaikaran, D. C. J., and G. A. Woolley. 1995. Characterization of thermal isomerization at the single molecule level. J. Phys. Chem. 99: 13352-13355.

Jordan, P. C. 1982. Electrostatic modeling of ion pores. Energy barriers and electric field profiles. Biophys. J. 39:157-164.

Ketchem, R. R., B. Roux, and T. A. Cross. 1997. High-resolution polypeptide structure in a lamellar phase lipid environment from solid state NMR derived orientational constraints. Structure. 5:1655-1669.

Koeppe, II, R. E., and L. B. Weiss. 1981. Resolution of linear gramicidins by preparative reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. J. Chromatagr. 208:414-418.

Mapes, E., and M. F. Schumaker. 2001. Mean first passage times across a potential barrier in the lumped state approximation. J. Chem. Phys. 114:76-83.

Markham, J. C., J. A. Gowen, T. A. Cross, and D. D. Busath. 2001. Comparison of gramicidin A and gramicidin M channel conductance dispersities. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1513:185-192.

Miller, C. 1999. Ionic hopping defended. J. Gen. Physiol. 113:783-787. Moy, G., B. Corry, S. Kuyucak, and S. H. Chung. 2000. Tests of continuum theories as models of ion channels. I. Poisson-Boltzmann theory versus Brownian dynamics. Biophys. J. 78:2349-2363.

Neher, E., J. Sandblom, and G. Eisenman. 1978. Ionic selectivity, saturation, and block in gramicidin A channels. II. Saturation behavior of single channel conductances and evidence for the existence of multiple binding sites in the channel. J. Membr. Biol. 40:97-116.

Phillips, L. R., C. D. Cole, R. J. Hendershot, M. Cotten, T. A. Cross, and D. D. Busath. 1999. Noncontact dipole effects on channel permeation. III. Anomalous proton conductance effects in gramicidin. Biophys. J. 77:2492-2501.

Pomes, R. 1999. Theoretical studies of the Grotthus mechanism in biological proton wires. Israel J. Chem. 39:387-395.

Pomes, R., and B. Roux. 1996. Structure and dynamics of a proton wire: a theoretical study of H+ translocation along the single-file water chain in the gramicidin A channel. Biophys. J. 71:19-39.

Pomes, R., and B. Roux. 1997. Free energy profiles governing H+ conductance in proton wires. Biophys. J. 72:246a (Abstr.).

Pomes, R., and B. Roux. 1998. Free energy profiles for H+ conduction along hydrogen-bonded chains of water molecules. Biophys. J. 75: 33-40.

Pomes R., and B. Roux. 2002. Molecular mechanism of H+ conduction in the single-file water chain of the gramicidin channel. Biophys. J. 82: 2304-2316.

[Reference]

Press, W. H., S. A. Teukolsky, W. T. Vetterling, and B. P. Flannery. 1992. Numerical Recipes in Fortran. Cambridge University Press, New York. 653-655; 749-751.

Quigley, E. P., D. S. Crumrine, and S. Cukierman. 2000. Gating and permeation in ion channels formed by gramicidin A and its dioxolanelinked dimer in Na+ and Cs+ solutions. J. Membr. Biol. 174:207-212.

Rokitskaya, T. L, E. A. Kotova, and Y. N. Antonenko. 2002. Membrane dipole potential modulates proton conductance through gramicidin channel: movement of negative ionic defects inside the channel. Biophys. J. 82:865-873.

Roux, B. 1997. Influence of the membrane potential on the free energy of an intrinsic protein. Biophys. J. 73:2980-2989.

Roux, B. 1999. Statistical mechanical equilibrium theory of selective ion channels. Biophys. J. 77:139-153.

Ruskeepii, H. 1999. Mathematica Navigator. Academic Press, New York. 690-691.

Schumaker, M. F., R. PomBs, and B. Roux. 2000. A combined molecular dynamics and diffusion model of single proton conduction through gramicidin. Biophys. J. 79:2840-2857.

[Reference]

Schumaker, M. F., R. Pomps, and B. Roux. 2001. A framework model for single proton conductance through gramicidin. Biophys. J. 80:12-30.

Thompson, N., G. Thompson, C. D. Cole, M. Cotten, T. A. Cross, and D. D. Busath. 2001. Non-contact dipole effects on channel permeation. IV. Kinetic model of 5F-Trp*3 gramicidin A currents. Biophys. J. 81: 1245-1254.

Urry, D. W., M. C. Goodall, J. D. Glickson, and D. F. Mayers. 1971. The gramicidin A transmembrane channel: characteristics of headto-head dimerized Tr(L,D) helices. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 68: 1907-1911.

Wallace, B. A. 1990. Gramicidin channels and pores. Annu. Rev. Biophys. Biophys. Chem. 19:127-157.

Woolf, T. B., and B. Roux. 1997. The binding site of sodium in the gramicidin A channel: comparison of molecular dynamics with solidstate NMR data. Biophys. J. 72:1930-1945.

Woolley, G. A., and B. A. Wallace. 1992. Model ion channels: gramicidin and alamethicin. J. Membr. BioL 129:109-136.

[Author Affiliation]

Joseph A. Gowen,* Jeffrey C. Markham,* Sara E. Morrison,* Timothy A. Cross,^ David D. Busath,* Eric J. Mapes,^^ and Mark F. Schumaker^^

*Zoology Department and Center for Neuroscience, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602; ^Center for Interdisciplinary Magnetic Resonance at the National High Field Laboratory, Institute of Molecular Biophysics and Department of Chemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306; and ^^Department of Mathematics, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164 USA

[Author Affiliation]

Submitted July 31, 2001, and accepted for publication May 21, 2002. Address reprint requests to Dr. Mark F. Schumaker, Dept. of Pure and Applied Mathematics, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164. Tel.: 509-335-7273; Fax: 509-335-1188; E-mail: schumaker@wsu.edu.

`One Night at McCool's features a quintet of top popular actors

`One Night at McCool's features a quintet of top popular actors

"One Night at McCool's," starring Liv Tyler, Matt Dillon, John Goodman, Paul Reiser and Michael Douglas, is opening nationwide Friday, April 27 and in area theaters.

It all started one night at McCool's -- three unsuspecting men and one woman with a dream are brought together by lust, mayhem, bingo, DVDs and the finer points of home decorating. "One Night at McCool's" is a sexy, rapid-fire black comedy and the first project from actor/producer Michael Douglas' production company, Furthur Films.

McCool's bar was hopping that night. Randy (Dillon) worked there, tending bar. Lawyer Carl (Reiser) was there until past closing. Detective Dehling (Goodman) got there once McCool's became a crime scene. Was it the dead body that tied these men together? Not as tightly as the live wire who was also there that night: the stunning young woman aptly named Jewel (Tyler).

Before the night was over, she had become all the three men could think about: she moved in with one, made the other forget his (living) wife and made the third forget his (dead) wife.

As one of the men would point our in a rare moment of clarity, "The sex and the violence, all in one night - it's a little much." With a woman like Jewel, there was more - much more! - to come. Jewel was more trouble than these three men were worth and what she wanted was bigger than all of them put together.

A steamy story told from three very different points of view that ultimately become one, "One Night at McCool's" marks the feature film debut of acclaimed commercials director Harald Zwart.

October Films presents a Further Films production. A Harald Zwart Film. "One Night at McCool's" has casting by Juel Bestrop and Jeanne McCarthy. Music by Marc Shaiman. Music supervisor, Peter Afterman. Costume designer, Ellen Mirojnick. Film editor, Bruch Cannon. Production designer, Jon Gary Steele.

Director of Photography, Karl Lindenlaub, A.S.C., B.V.K. Executive Producer, Whitney Green. Produced by Michael Douglas, Allison Lyon Segan. Written by Stan Seidel. Directed by Harald Zwart.

Article Copyright Sengstacke Enterprises, Inc.

Photo (Liv Tyler)

Envoys Seek NKorea Nuclear Timetable

BEIJING - Arms negotiators sought Thursday to secure North Korea's commitment to its offer to disable its nuclear facilities by the end of the year, preventing the communist nation from easily being able to make more atomic bombs.

Delegates at the six-nation talks began a second day of meetings in Beijing, during which the main American negotiator said they were laying out a target date for the next steps in the North's disarmament following the recent shutdown of the country's main nuclear reactor.

The talks - which include China, Japan, Russia, the U.S. and the two Koreas - were originally planned to end Thursday but were extended to Friday, delegates said.

A Japanese Foreign Ministry official speaking on condition of anonymity by protocol said the envoys decided they needed more time to discuss details "so that they can achieve some results."

At the opening session of the talks Wednesday, North Korea offered to meet a year-end deadline for disabling its nuclear programs and said it "would not drag its feet or make unreasonable demands in carrying out its obligations," South Korea's nuclear envoy Chun Yung-woo told reporters Thursday.

Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill declined to reveal specifics of the talks, but said there had been consensus on a "target timeframe" for a declaration of the North's programs followed by the disablement of its facilities.

"We missed just about every deadline and we don't want to do that anymore," he said, referring to the frequent hiccups in the negotiating process since the standoff began in late 2002. "We have to be careful about deadlines, but if you don't have deadlines you'll never get stuff done."

The North twice boycotted talks for more than a year, and missed a deadline for shutting down its reactor by more than three months due to a separate bank dispute. Pyongyang shut down its sole operating nuclear reactor Saturday - the first step it has taken to scale back its nuclear ambitions since the crisis began.

By eventually disabling its nuclear facilities, North Korea would lose its ability to easily make more atomic bombs - going beyond achievements at any previous arms negotiations with Pyongyang. The North conducted an underground nuclear test in October, confirming it could build a weapon.

North Korea has begun receiving 50,000 tons of oil from South Korea as a reward for the shutdown, and is to eventually receive the equivalent of a total of 1 million tons for disabling its nuclear facilities under a February agreement among the six countries.

Because the North can only receive about 50,000 tons of oil a month, Hill said other types of aid could be offered such as helping refurbish factories or storage facilities.

Hill said the U.S. also was interested in providing humanitarian aid to the North. Washington previously had been a large donor to the impoverished country, mainly through the U.N., but scaled back its contributions as the nuclear crisis sank into a deadlock.

"We're very concerned about the plight of the North Korean people and would like to see what can be done," he said Thursday.

The nuclear detente also has fostered improved relations between the two Koreas, who have taken unprecedented steps to lay aside decades of hostility since a 2000 summit.

South Korea said Thursday it had proposed another round of high-level talks with the North for early next month, where the countries typically discuss aid and economic cooperation. The North has yet to respond to the offer, Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Nam-sik said in Seoul.

---

Associated Press writers Jae-soon Chang and Mari Yamaguchi contributed to this report.

LAST SEASON

(Final 1992 Top 25 rankings) 1992 preseason ranking in parentheses Rank, Team Record 1. Wheaton South (4) 14-0

2. Joliet Catholic (5) 12-2 3. Naperville North 12-2 4. Loyola (25) 12-2 5. Mount Carmel (1) 12-1 6. Homewood-Flossmoor (2) 12-1 7. Waubonsie Valley (3) 12-1 8. Lake Forest (19) 11-1 9. Oswego 13-1 10. Bishop McNamara 11-2 11. Maine South 10-2 12. Naperville Central (17) 10-2 13. Marian Catholic 8-4 14. Morris (13) 10-1 15. Fremd (15) 10-1 16. Bradley (9) 9-1 17. Shepard 9-1 18. York 8-2 19. Barrington 8-2 20. St. Charles (22) 9-2 21. Simeon 9-3 22. Conant 8-4 23. Downers Grove North 8-4 24. Richards 9-2 25. Mather 13-1

UAW head says union will make more concessions

United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger says the union will have to make further concessions as Detroit's automakers try to meet the terms of government loans.

But Gettelfinger said Wednesday night that the UAW will go to President Barack Obama's administration in an effort to change some of the terms, which he in the past has called unfair to labor.

"There will be some more things that I think that we need to do, that we will recommend to our membership," he told reporters at the Automotive News World Congress. "But now how far we go, that's still out there, the jury is still out."

Under loan terms from the Treasury Department, Chrysler LLC and General Motors Corp. have targets to have labor costs competitive with Japanese automakers that have plants in the U.S. They also have to swap cash for stock for half the companies' payments into a union-administered trust that will take over retiree health care costs in 2010. There's also language about eliminating the "jobs bank" in which laid off workers get most of their pay.

But Gettelfinger said the terms are unclear, and that the UAW will seek changes.

"I don't know that we'll be talking to President Obama directly. But obviously we're going to be talking to some people in his administration," Gettelfinger said. "There's a lot of questions about what was done that no one can answer at this point in time."

Gettelfinger also said he expects Ford Motor Co. to get whatever concessions the union agrees to with the other companies.

"It would seem to me like we would not want one of the companies to be disadvantaged over the others," he said.

He also said there's enough time for the automakers to get viability plans done by the Feb. 17 deadline, but he said it would be better to have more time. Last week, he said the timetable for completing the plans was "almost unattainable."

The union, he said Wednesday night, should get credit for concessions it made to the automakers in 2005 and 2007, some of which have not yet hit the companies' balance sheets. The health care trust and lump sums in place of pay raises were among the concessions, he said.

He also said he expects Obama to meet soon with the chief executives of Detroit's automakers to discuss the industry's problems, although he had no direct knowledge of any meeting being scheduled.

Gettelfinger said he thinks Obama will bring a more straightforward approach to the auto industry than the Bush administration.

He also said in his speech that automakers faced a political lynch mob by some lawmakers when their CEOs appeared before Congress last year.

Gettelfinger also implied that UAW will resist the Treasury Department requirement to take stock instead of cash for the health care trust. He said he didn't know what the value of the companies' stock would be when the loan terms are finalized.

On Wednesday, GM received the second piece of its government loan package, a $5.4 billion installment that will allow the giant automaker to pay its bills and avoid running out of cash.

The latest installment, which came five days later than scheduled, brings to $9.4 billion the amount that GM has received in loans from the Treasury Department. The company is to get another $4 billion Feb. 17 when it submits a plan to the government to show how it will become viable.

Chrysler has received a $4 billion loan and is seeking another $3 billion.

It too has to submit a viability plan to the Treasury Department to justify the loans.

More Opaque Than Transparent

In an effort to enhance the clarity and transparency of its public communications, the Federal Open Market Committee has begun detailing its plans for short-term interest rates on a quarterly basis. According to the minutes of the group's December 2011 meeting, the subcommittee on communications recommended an approach for incorporating information about participants' projections of appropriate future monetary policy into the Summary of Economic Projections, which the FOMC releases four times a year. Specifically, the SEP will include information about the projections of the Fed's 12 regional bank presidents and five members of the Board of Governors of the appropriate level of the target federal funds rate in the fourth quarter of the current year, the next few calendar years and over the longer run. The SEP also will report projections of the likely timing of the first increase in the target rate given their projections of future economic conditions. An accompanying narrative will describe the key factors underlying those assessments as well as information regarding their expectations for the Federal Reserve's balance sheet, according to the FOMC minutes.

Most participants in the December meeting agreed that adding their projections of the target federal funds rate to the economic projections already provided in the SEP would help the public better understand the committee's monetary policy decisions and the ways in which those decisions depend on members' assessments of economic and financial conditions, the minutes stated.

"In my opinion, this is a substantial, first- order improvement in policy communications, and this greater clarity may have significant additional value for improving how the economy operates," said Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Charles Evans in a speech to the Indiana Bankers Association on Jan. 13.

Critics, however, contend that providing projections to the public will confuse the markets and create volatility. There are also concerns about the public potentially believing the information is more of a commitment than a projection of future interest rates.

The FOMC minutes state that some committee members expressed concerns about having separate projections, suggesting it would be less confusing for the public to see a consensus from the committee.

"It's not going to be perfect" because "you still have 17 possible paths" laid out by Fed officials, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard was quoted as saying in an article on Bloomberg.com.

To view the Fed's first rate projections as well as read the varying opinions on this communications strategy, go to BankNews.com and click on this column.

[Sidebar]

More Information

The Fed's first forecast for interest rates was included in its economic projections issued after its Jan. 24-25 FOMC meeting.

The Federal Reserve has released templates showing the format of the two charts it will use to report participants' projections of the appropriate target federal funds rate.

The first chart shows participants' projections for the timing of the initial increase in the target federal funds rate.

The second chart, with dots representing policymakers'individual projections, shows participants' views of the appropriate path of the federal funds rate over the next several years and in the longer run.

[Author Affiliation]

* Karl English * Senior Editor * kenglish@banknews.com

Bush's mistakes have been acts of commission which he cannot deny.

9/11 excuses won't work on Iraq

Condoleezza Rice valiantly defended President Bush from the chargeof negligence before Sept. 11 in her testimony last week. But as shespoke, U.S. troops faced a spreading revolt in Iraq, and there is nodefense for the mess the president has made in that country.

The Iraq war was his choice, his strategy, and his occupation.Before Sept. 11, he may have been lax, guilty of acts of omission.But on Iraq, his mistakes have been acts of commission for which hecannot deny responsibility.

The majority of the Sept. 11 inquiry commissioners, Republican andDemocrat alike, appear to believe that the horrors of Sept. 11 couldhave and should have been prevented. The warnings were clear, theevidence was available -- but the government didn't react.

The Bush administration was focused elsewhere -- on missiledefense, on China, on not being Bill Clinton. As the president toldBob Woodward, there was "no sense of urgency" at the top, andtherefore none through the bureaucracy.

However, Americans aren't likely to hold the president responsiblefor not stopping what seemed like a bolt from the blue. The war inIraq is a different story altogether. This is a war the White Housechose. The ideologues in the administration -- led by Vice PresidentDick Cheney and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz -- lobbiedhard for it.

The president rushed us into the war over the objections of thecounterterrorism professionals, who correctly saw Iraq as adistraction from the war on terror that could make things much worse.He overruled the strong doubts of the professionals in the militarywho thought it would take hundreds of thousands of troops to occupyIraq. The president dismissed the doubts of the diplomatic corps. Andhe ignored the opposition of his allies and scorned the cautions ofthe United Nations.

He chose to put American troops on the ground essentially alone,without allies to share the burden. He ruled the U.N. would have norole after we took Baghdad and put his own team in charge of theoccupation. He ignored military warnings that the troops were too fewto provide security, and too many to sustain for more than a year. Hesigned off on using the National Guard and the reserves in a cavalierfashion, extending their tours repeatedly at the last moment. He andhis vice president assumed that we'd be greeted as "liberators," sothat our troops didn't really need body armor or training in nationbuilding.

The president's team ignored the State Department's detailedplanning for the occupation. They chose to disband the Iraqimilitary, throwing tens of thousands of armed soldiers into thestreets and unemployment. They put together the preposterousprovisional coalition, stacked with exiles who had no legitimacy inIraq.

They fanned the fears of both the minority Sunnis who haddominated under Saddam Hussein and the majority Shiites who had beenpersecuted by him. They hid the costs from Congress and the Americanpeople. Even the president's current budget does not include the $50billion to $75 billion more that he will need for Iraq this year.

Now the liberation has turned to occupation, and the occupationhas met with revolt. What is truly stunning, however, is that theadministration has managed to do what most thought impossible: turnSunni and Shiite factions that despise each other into allies.

Here, the fact that the president skipped out of Vietnam andducked out of his commitment to the National Guard probablycontributed to the fiasco. He scorned the pros as weak-willedbureaucrats rather than warriors. But neither Bush nor Cheney norDefense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld nor Wolfowitz ever served incombat.

Now reality is proving the professionals right and Bush and hisideologues terribly, dangerously, ruinously wrong. Hopefully, theU.N. and the allies will help bail us out.

But it is already too late -- too late for hundreds of brave youngmen and women in the U.S. military. And too late to keep the war fromgenerating hatred for America and recruits for terror from across theIslamic world. We will all pay the price for Bush's mess.

Police in Azerbaijan raid opposition party HQ

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — Police in Azerbaijan have raided the headquarters of the country's main opposition party in an apparent crackdown following a series of anti-government demonstrations.

Rights campaigner Saida Godjamanli says officers spent several hours Tuesday afternoon in the Musavat party building searching for documents.

Prosecutors say the search is related to acts of vandalism allegedly committed during an unauthorized anti-government rally earlier this month.

Police aggressively broke up two demonstrations this month, arresting dozens in the process. A dozen people are facing prosecution on charges related to a rally held on April 2.

Oil-rich Azerbaijan has in recent years been a target of widespread international criticism for stifling democratic freedoms.

Turkey seeks new UN Security Council term

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey says it will bid for a new term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement says Wednesday the country is eyeing a seat for the 2015-2016 period.

The statement said Turkey was seeking a new term to "provide significant added value to global peace and security in an era of critical and rapid change" in the Middle East and the Mediterranean.

Turkey, NATO's largest Muslim voice, held a non-permanent seat for two years between 2009 and 2010, during which it voted against a U.S.-backed measure to impose new sanctions on Iran because of its disputed nuclear program.

The country has contributed to U.N. peacekeeping efforts and has mediated peace talks in the past, including between Syria and Israel.

Techvenue

A weekly heads-up from TechVenue.com about upcoming business-technology events. Programs are rated on a 1 to 10 scale, with 10being tops, for value, style and networking. For more information,contact David Flint at TechVenue.com

- - -

Chicago Trade Commission of Spain:

ILLINOIS INVESTMENT

AND BUSINESS COOPERATION Forum

WHEN

Monday, 9 to 10 a.m.

WEB SITE

www.us. spainbisuness.com/chicagoinvestmentforum

LOCATION

Mid-America Club, 200 E. Randolph

COST

Free

EVENT

Come network with 21 Spanish companies to identify

new opportunities.

VALUE

8; Style: 7; Networking: 8

- - -

Rally Software Development:

CHICAGO CERTIFIED ScrumMaster Training

WHEN

Tuesday and Wednesday

WEB SITE

www.rallydev.com

LOCATION

MicroTek Training Site: 230 W. Monroe, Suite 500

COST

$12.00

EVENT

This two-day Scru

Master certification course

provides everything you and your team need to get started withScrum and Agile.

VALUE

8; Style: 7; Networking: 7

- - -

Omni User Group

WHEN

Tuesday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

WEB SITE

www.omniuser.org

LOCATION

Embassy Suites Hotel, 707 E. Butterfield Rd. in Lombard

COST

$25 for members; $40 for non-members preregistration

EVENT

WebFacing Deployment Tool with Host Access Transformation ServiceTechnology.

VALUE

8; Style: 7; Networking: 7

- - -

Lake County Flash Association:

Flash Games

When

Saturday, 11 a.m.

Web site

http://www.neofive.com/LCFA/

Location

Warren Newport Public Library, 224 N. O'Plaine Rd. in Gurnee

Cost

Free

Event

Adobe User Groups provide a forum of support and technology toWeb professionals of all levels and professions.

Value

8; Style: 7; Networking: 7

PACIFIC EXPLORATION REVEALS EXTREMELY CLEAR WATER

An expedition to the South Pacific Ocean has revealed an area that contains the clearest ocean waters on the planet, according to researchers who visited the location. Situated near Easter Island, the patch of water is also the most lifeless ocean area in the world, the researchers say.

"Satellite images that track the amount of chlorophyll in ocean waters suggested that this was one of the most life-poor systems on Earth," notes Patrick Raimbault of the University of the Mediterranean (UM).

Raimbault and colleagues traveled from Tahiti to Chile on a three-month voyage and studied the chemistry, physics, and biology of the ocean waters they crossed. Marc Tedetti, also from …

Jazz rally past Suns in OT

Deron Williams scored seven of his 21 points in overtime, and the Utah Jazz rallied for a 104-99 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, blowing a 21-point, third-quarter lead before tying it with a frenzied comeback at the end of regulation.

Williams also had 13 assists and scored Utah's last four points during a 9-2 run to close the fourth quarter and force overtime with the game tied at 90. Williams only had one field goal in OT, but was 5-for-5 from the foul line and made all nine of his free throws for the night.

Mehmet Okur finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Jazz, who won their 14th straight at home.

Steve Nash scored 20 points …

Stocks Trade Flat After Weak GDP Reading

NEW YORK - Stocks finished largely flat Thursday after a weak reading of the nation's gross domestic product muted Wall Street's enthusiasm over a new spate of acquisitions. Technology stocks fared better than most, however.

The Commerce Department's latest estimate of first-quarter GDP was 0.6 percent, lower than the average economist estimate of 0.8 percent and the 1.3 percent the government projected in April.

The fact that first-quarter growth has been the most sluggish since the last quarter of 2002, but that the Dow Jones industrial average has nonetheless surged more than 9 percent this year, made some investors pause.

"There's friction between those two …

Energy insurers must improve service to stay afloat: Exec.(Brief Article)

Energy insurers that continue to write business for market share and ignore their policyholders' needs are going to find themselves in a no-growth situation, according to an executive with one such insurer.

In recent years, energy insurers have underperformed the property/casualty market as a whole, which has seen large underwriting losses, said Daniel S. Glaser, president of American International Group Inc.'s Global Energy Group in New York. In fact, he remarked, ``you would be hard pressed to find any insurer that has been profitable on a multiline basis'' in the last few years.

The result likely will be some ``real differentiation between pricing for …

Wakefield baffles White Sox.(Sports)

Byline: RICK GANO - Associated Press

Red Sox 14

White Sox 2

CHICAGO - Tim Wakefield's wake-up call came several years ago. To keep pitching, he needed to work on more than just his baffling knuckleball. His body needed attention, too.

And that's why at age 41, he's having one of his best seasons. He allowed just three hits over seven scoreless innings Saturday - joining teammate Josh Beckett as the majors' only 16-game winners - and leading the Boston Red Sox to a 14-2 rout of the Chicago White Sox.

"I feel the same as I did in '05 and '04 and '03," Wakefield said. "I really started taking a lot of pride six years ago."

…

DOLLS CAN'T TEACH RESPONSIBILITIES.(Perspective)

Byline: Anna Quindlen

I think sometimes about a girl I met in Brooklyn. She was 14, and pregnant and philosophical.

"If Vanise does it, I can," she said, Vanise being the neighborhood dim bulb, the girl whose conversation ranged from a giggle to a shrug, whose own mother said that if you looked in one of her ears you could see daylight.

Vanise had had a baby, and she was so dim that it was commonplace for her to order a slice at the pizza place and then discover she had no money and be obliged to cadge a buck from a boy. (There was some suggestion of a causal relationship between the slice, the cadging and the baby.)

The bottom line was …

Pusan shines spotlight on Kazakh filmmakers

The Pusan International Film Festival is shining the spotlight on Kazakh cinema.

One of Asia's leading movie festivals opened Thursday with Kazakh director's Rustem Abdrashev's "The Gift to Stalin," a touching story about a young Jewish boy exiled to Kazakhstan as part of the forced migrations of ethnic minorities during Soviet rule in 1949.

Another film from Kazakhstan, "Turmoil," is competing in the festival's New Currents competition.

Organizers announced earlier that the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award will go to Kazakh producer Gulnara Sarsenova.

Kazakh cinema has a strong tradition from the country's …

Great backup Dru Hill cool with Woody's turn to gospel

Dru Hill, Faith Evans, Total 7:30 tonight Chicago Theatre, 175 N.State Tickets, $39-$49 (312) 559-1212

From a fan's perspective, the news last month that the singerknown as Woody was leaving the R&B harmony group Dru Hill to pursue acareer in gospel music was as shocking as it was sudden.

But within the Baltimore-based group, which headlines a ChicagoTheatre show tonight, it was seen as almost inevitable - even if noneof the others wanted to see him go."We've always known Woody wanted to sing gospel," said Dru Hillmember Nokio, who, like his bandmates, uses just one name. "Wealways knew that one day a time would come, and he would get hiscalling. And we knew that …

Westwood one income drops.(Brief Article)

CBS Radio--managed Westwood One Inc.'s third-quarter net income fell more than 50%, to $3.9 million, compared with the same period in 1997. Net revenue was up 5.2%, to a record $66.7 million, which was partially offset by the elimination of certain programming, including Major League Baseball, the company said last Tuesday (Nov. 10). After-tax cash flow rose 9%, to $12.2 million. …

Football: Blues make it six points.

Bury Town 2, Potters Bar Town 1

Two second-half goals secured the Blues their second Ryamn League Division One North win of the week on Saturday.

The breakthrough came in the 49th minute after team captain James Tatham had forced in a loose ball in the six-yard box (writes Gaye Rynsard).

Bury did not sit back on their advantage and striker Steve Bugg saw his fierce strike saved by the visiting keeper Hayward.

It was then the turn of the home custodian Carl Goody to make his mark, making a great reflex save with his feet following a one-on-one with Howard.

Goody's action proved vital and soon after Bury increased their lead when …

FRAUD LAWSUIT MOVING FORWARD.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: ANDREW TILGHMAN Staff writer

A $4 million lawsuit against a high-ranking state Health Department official accused of using her former job at a not-for-profit group to collect under-the-table ``consulting fees'' can go to trial, a judge has ruled.

Susan Peerless of Albany, who left her post as executive director in 1998, is fending off a lawsuit filed against her by the Empire State Association of Adult Homes, a trade group that represents more than 250 assisted-living homes for the elderly.

Peerless, now a special assistant to Health Commissioner Antonia Novello, allegedly accepted illegal consulting fees from a company trying to do business …

MAJOR RESULTS OF 16TH SUMMIT.(Main)

Byline: Knight-Ridder

Here is a brief summary of the major results of the 16th annual summit of industrialized democracies:

SOVIET AID: Leaders of the seven nations agreed to provide "technical assistance" to help the Soviet Union move toward a market- oriented economy, but they could not agree on a collective program of direct financial aid because of U.S. opposition.

To bridge their differences, the group agreed that individual countries, such as West Germany, are free to provide immediate financial aid. At the same time, international financial institutions will send a team of experts to the Soviet Union to assess the state of the economy. The …

Clijsters continues comeback momentum

Kim Clijsters' comeback continued to gather momentum Tuesday with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Australia's Alicia Molik at the Brisbane International.

The top seed won the first eight games in the second-round match against Molik, who was playing her first top-tier tournament since the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Clijsters won the U.S. Open last September in only her third tournament back from more than two years in retirement, becoming the first mother to win a Grand Slam singles title since Evonne Goolagong Cawley at Wimbledon in 1980.

Clijsters' title inspired a comeback by fellow Belgian and former No. 1 Justine Henin, who won her first tour match since May …

Red Wings Defeat Sharks, 4-1

DETROIT - Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg each scored a goal and had two assists Saturday, leading the Detroit Red Wings past the San Jose Sharks 4-1 and within one victory of reaching the Western Conference finals. Detroit is ahead 3-2 and can close this conference semifinal Monday night in San Jose.

The Red Wings outhit and outshot the Sharks in Game 5, but they also had some luck. Datsyuk turned San Jose goalie Evgeni Nabokov's misplay into the winning goal late in the second period, and Nabokov didn't seem the same after that, surrendering a pair of third-period power-play goals.

With the Sharks circling in the Red Wings zone, Detroit cleared the puck into San …

Polyolefins Makers Give Back Hikes; More Declines are Expected.(Brief Article)

POLYOLEFINS PRODUCERS ARE BEING battered again by shrinking margins after giving back price increases obtained in the first quarter. "Polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) producers are, on average, just breaking even on a cash-cost basis," says Robert Bauman, v.p./polymers at Chem Systems (Tarrytown, NY). Margins should improve in the third quarter, however, because of expected declines in feedstock costs, says Bauman.

PE prices fell 3 cts-4 as/lb during May and June, sources say. These declines cancel out the 5 as/lb price increases achieved in March and April, sources add. A wide range of prices are quoted in the market, but market consensus is that PE prices …

Powertrain needs work, but Smart car belongs on America's streets.(News)(Daimler-Benz AG)

Byline: Richard Truett

The Smart ForTwo from Mercedes-Benz deserves its place in a greener America.

The car's motorcycle-sized powertrain needs plenty of work, but the idea of a safe, modern and well-made microcar for the United States is a good one. And the timing is right.

I felt differently three months ago after a visit to the Smart stand at the Detroit auto show. I spent a good half hour sitting in, going over and then writing off the ForTwo as a ridiculous clown car.

But since the Detroit show, I've been to traffic-choked Chicago and New York, seen the price of oil top $109 a barrel and read about London Mayor Ken Livingstone's plan …