Toys R Us reports profit collapse

TRENTON, N.J. Toys R Us Inc. on Monday reported a 75 percentplunge in profits for its second quarter as sales cooled and lossesfrom its year-old Web site cut earnings.

Still, the company beat analysts' expectations by a penny.

The Paramus, N.J.-based seller of games, toys, clothing and otheritems for children said net earnings for the three months ending July29 totaled $3 million, or 1 cent per share, beating the break-evenforecast of analysts surveyed by First Call/Thomson Financial. A yearearlier, net earnings totaled $12 million, or 5 cents per share.

Meanwhile, sales slid 9.5 percent, to $2 billion from $2.2billion. The company said second-quarter revenues …

California budget perpetuates deficit spending

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Even as California lawmakers passed a budget Friday to end an unprecedented 100-day impasse, their spending plan looked to be so tenuous that the next governor was expected to face a multibillion dollar deficit from the moment he or she steps into office next year.

Two-thirds of the budget solutions signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday afternoon are based on one-time or temporary money — some of which may never materialize.

That will leave California to face "sizable annual budget problems in 2011-12 and beyond," the Legislative Analyst's Office said in a report issued after the Senate passed the main budget bill earlier …

Springboks, All Blacks set for Soweto showdown

New Zealand is on the verge of its 10th Tri-Nations rugby title as it prepares for a landmark game against South Africa in Soweto on Saturday.

Springbok captain John Smit will play his 100th test and Richie McCaw will lead the All Blacks for the 51st time _ equaling the record of Sean Fitzpatrick.

Soweto, the famous township, will host an international rugby match for the first time.

The FNB Stadium, formerly Soccer City _ venue for the football World Cup final, is expected to attract a crowd of just under 90,000 people, the biggest rugby attendance in South Africa since 1955.

"It's going to be amazing," said South Africa …

Issues of Scale

Two recent industry developments-Genzyme's delay in gaining approval for its commercial-scale manufacturing of a new drug, and Amgen's announced layoffs-raise concerns about biotech performance at large scale. In the first case, the issue is manufacturing scale-up; in the second, it's how companies sustain long-term success once they become big. But in both cases, industry pundits are extrapolating conclusions from these issues that the facts don't seem to support.

As reported August 9 in The Wall Street Journal, Genzyme has been unable to get FDA approval for its large-scale production of Myozyme, a drug approved last year for Pompe's disease. According to the article, FDA says …

Wreckage of Missing Kenya Jetliner Found

DOUALA, Cameroon - The wreckage of a Kenya Airways jetliner that crashed with 114 people aboard was found Sunday in a mangrove forest, an aviation official said, more than 40 hours after the plane disappeared outside Cameroon's commercial capital.

The wreckage was found about six miles outside Douala, said Thomas Sobakam, chief of meteorology for the city's airport. He said there was no word yet on survivors or the condition of the jetliner, which lost contact with the radio tower between 11 and 13 minutes after takeoff shortly after midnight on Saturday.

He said local fishermen led searchers to the site.

"It's close enough that we could have seen it from the …

Renaissance painting stolen from Norwegian church

A 450-year-old painting by Renaissance artist Lucas Cranach the Elder has been stolen from a Lutheran church in the southern Norway town of Larvik, police said Sunday.

Art expert Gunnar Krogh-Hansen estimated "Suffer the Little Children to Come Unto Me" could be worth 15-20 million kroner ($2.1-$2.8 million). It was probably painted around 1540.

The theft was discovered when firefighters responded to an alarm at the church around 1:30 am (0030 GMT) Sunday, and found a broken window and a ladder outside.

Petter Aronsen, a Larvik police official, was quoted …

Lewis spurs relay mark

Carl Lewis teamed up with three other top American sprintersWednesday to break the world record in the 800-meter relay at theKoblenz (West German) international track and field meet.

Lewis, a six-time Olympic gold medalist, and teammates DannyEverett, LeRoy Burrell and Floyd Heard finished in 1 minute, 19.38seconds, besting the mark of 1:20.26 set in 1978 by a University ofSouthern California team.

Everett rocketed in front at the start of the race, handing overto Burrell. After the next handoff, Heard lost some ground to theSanta Monica Track Club II team, also competing in the race.

But Lewis, cheered on by about a crowd of 15,000, blasted downthe …

Mets Power Up in 3rd Inning vs. Cards

ST. LOUIS - Carlos Beltran's solo homer to right field gave the Mets their first run in two nights in St. Louis in Game 3 of the NL championship series on Sunday night.

Two batters later, David Wright connected on a shot that cleared the wall in left.

The home runs came in the top of the third off Cardinals starter Anthony Reyes …

With 124 dead, rescuers seek Salvador survivors

Soldiers and townspeople dug through rock and debris Monday in hopes of finding dozens of people missing in a mudslide that swept down on a town, part of a wave of floods and landslides that killed at least 124 people in El Salvador.

Days of heavy rains loosed mud and boulders that rolled down the slopes of the Chichontepec volcano before dawn Sunday, burying homes and cars in Verapaz, a town of about 3,000 people 30 miles (50 kilometers) outside the capital, San Salvador.

Hurricane Ida's presence in the western Caribbean late last week may have played a role in drawing the rain-packed, Pacific low-pressure system toward El Salvador on the other side of Central …

Actresses Move Up To $10 Million Club

HOLLYWOOD With the recent announcement that Sandra Bullock wouldmake $11 million plus gross participation for her role in New Line's"In Love and War," she entered the rarefied atmosphere of actressespassing the $10 million mark.

Bullock joins the ranks of A-list female stars including DemiMoore (who got around $12.5 million for her role in Columbia's"Striptease"), Michelle Pfeiffer, Julia Roberts, Whitney Houston,Sharon Stone and Whoopi Goldberg.

While the best-paid actresses still lag behind their malecounterparts - who are now working on the $20 million barrier -women's salaries have become a force to contend with. This is amarked difference from three …

Highveld Lions vs. Guyana result

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Highveld Lions beat Guyana by nine wickets Sunday in a Champions League Twenty20 Group B game at Wanderers:

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Highveld Lions …

Police: 4 rebels killed in southern Russia siege

Russian police say they laid siege to a house in the volatile North Caucasus region and killed four suspected rebels inside.

Police said they used grenades on Thursday to destroy the house in a town in the Kabardino-Balkaria province, near war-scarred Chechnya.

The …

Butt hits 136 for Pakistan to beat Bangladesh by 150 runs to sweep one-day series 5-0

Opening batsman Salman Butt hit a career-best 136 to help Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 150 runs in the fifth one-day international Saturday and sweep the series 5-0.

Butt led Pakistan to 329-9 off its 50 overs. In reply Bangladesh was dismissed for 179 in 40.5 overs by paceman Mohammad Asif (3-35) and Shahid Afridi (3-40).

It was the Pakistan team's record 11th straight win in limited-overs games _ one against India, five against Zimbabwe and five against Bangladesh.

Australia holds the record with 21 victories in a row.

"It's a nice feeling to create a new record for Pakistan," said captain Shoaib Malik, who received the winning trophy from president Pervez Musharraf. "The credit of this record goes to all the players, who really worked hard."

Butt hit 14 boundaries and a six in his 124-ball century. The lefthander took his tally of runs to 451 in the series after previous scores of 33, 76, 132, 74 and 136. It's the highest total by any batsman in a five-match one-day international series between two countries.

Butt's teammate Mohammad Yousuf held the previous record _ 405 runs in five limited-overs games against Zimbabwe in 2002.

Asif wrecked the Bangladesh batting lineup with three wickets in five deliveries when he removed Junaid Siddique (6), Aftab Ahmed (0) and Shakib Al Hasan (5).

Bangladesh slipped further to 71-6 when fast bowler Umar Gul, who ended with 2-41, had Tamim Iqbal (9) caught behind and Misbah-ul-Haq brilliantly caught captain Mohammad Ashraful (30) in the slips in Shahid Afridi's first over.

Mahmudullah top scored with 37 off 83 balls before he gave a simple catch in Gul's return spell.

"I came in thinking realistically that we lose 5-0," Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons said.

"Our top four batsmen disappointed in the series, but we are happy that we made at least more than 200 (runs) thrice in the series."

Earlier, Bangladesh bowlers hit back briefly late in the Pakistan innings, but not before Butt shared a 179-run second wicket stand off 178 balls with Younis Khan (69).

Pacemen Mashrafe Mortaza (4-65) and Shahadat Hossain (3-76) were the top wicket-takers, but could not prevent the hosts going over 300 for the third time in the series.

The Butt-Khan partnership broke Pakistan's previous 123-run record for second wicket against Bangladesh, set by Ramiz Raja and Saeed Anwar at Colombo during the Asia Cup in 1997.

Butt continued his run of good form after captain Shoaib Malik won the toss and elected to bat first.

Mortaza dismissed opener Kamran Akmal (10) in his third over before Khan and Butt began their partnership.

Butt got a lucky escape soon after completing his half century off 47 balls with eight boundaries when Mortaza dropped a hard two-handed catch at mid-on.

Khan _ back in the team after missing previous two games due to personal reasons _ raised his half century off 61 balls with three fours and a straight six off spinner Mahmudullah.

Butt's run-a-ball century came in the 30th over of the innings before Bangladesh struck briefly.

The visitors got some reprieve when both Butt and Khan fell in the space of 23 runs _ thanks to some brilliant catching.

Khan was caught by Farhad Reza off Hossain while Shakib Al Hasan took a superb running catch to dismiss Butt in the 38th over off Abdur Razzak.

Both teams play again Sunday in a single Twenty20 international in Karachi.

NKoreans pay tribute to founder on Lunar New Year

North Koreans marked the Lunar New Year on Monday by paying homage to the communist regime's late founder Kim Il Sung, who remains the isolated nation's "eternal president" 15 years after his death.

Footage broadcast by APTN showed a stream of people, some holding the hands of their children, offering bouquets of flowers and making deep bows in front of a huge statue of the former leader, whose son, Kim Jong Il, now rules the country.

A flower basket with a tag marked "Kim Jong Il" was also seen in front of the 75-foot (23-meter) statue on a low hill overlooking the capital city, Pyongyang.

The first day of the Lunar New Year is a traditional holiday celebrated in both Koreas. North Koreans usually visit the Kim statue on major national holidays, including the founder's April birthday, known as the "Day of the Sun."

An intense cult of personality surrounding the older Kim helped him rule with absolute authority until his death in 1994.

His son took over the country _ as well as the personality cult _ in communism's first hereditary transfer of power. Kim Jong Il hasn't named a successor yet, but experts say he will anoint one of his three sons as an heir.

North Korea is one of the world's most isolated and impoverished nations, with no freedom of speech allowed.

The country has relied on foreign assistance to help feed its 23 million people since its economy was devastated by natural disasters and mismanagement in the mid-1990s.

But the regime says it aims to turn the country into a "prosperous and powerful" nation by 2012 _ the 100th anniversary of founder Kim's birth, and has exhorted its people to work harder.

"We're sure we can do what it takes to make a prosperous and powerful nation," Pak Guk Song, a Pyongyang citizen, told APTN. "We will rely on our inexhaustible spiritual strength, even though we have to face difficulties and ordeals."

China confirms visit from Gadhafi representatives

BEIJING (AP) — China confirmed on Monday that representatives of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi visited in July in a bid to buy arms, news that could further damage Beijing's relations with the new opposition government in Tripoli.

Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Gadhafi's officials met with representatives from Chinese companies but insisted that no contracts were signed and no weapons were shipped. She said China strictly adheres to a United Nations ban on supplying arms to the toppled regime and backed the role of the U.N. in a post-conflict Libya.

"Chinese companies have not provided military products to Libya in any direct or indirect form," Jiang told reporters at a regular briefing.

Although there was no indication that the government played a role in the contacts, the fact that the meetings were held could deliver a further blow to Beijing's ties with Libya's rebels while reinforcing the belief that China may have been trying to play both sides of the conflict.

China never endorsed the U.N. resolution authorizing force against the Gadhafi regime and has yet to formally recognize the opposition National Transitional Council. Although Beijing belatedly opened up contacts with the rebels, it hosted Gadhafi's foreign minister in Beijing at the same time.

China and Russia had earlier questioned whether the supplying of weapons to rebels breached the terms of the U.N. ban. The head of the transitional council has in recent days accused Beijing of holding up the release of frozen Libyan funds held overseas, allegedly in order to first guarantee the safety of billions of dollars in Chinese investments in Libya.

While the NTC has said it will honor contracts made with Gadhafi's government, its officials have indicated they regard China as being in a separate category from the transitional government's strong backers such as France, Britain and the United States.

Asked whether China was obstructing the release of Libyan funds, Jiang said China had no problem in principle with turning them over, but wanted first to ensure there was adequate supervision of their use.

While Gadhafi obtained weapons from a number of sources, China has built a strong position as provider of small arms to many African nations, including those suffering internal conflict such as Sudan and Zimbabwe. China also sold weapons to both sides in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, apparently with no damage to its relations with their leaders.

The Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail reported last week that Gadhafi's officials negotiated to buy weapons and ammunition from Chinese arms makers China North Industries Corp., China Precision Machinery Import and Export Co., and China Xinxing Import and Export Co. It based the report on discarded Libyan government documents that opposition sources believe are authentic.

Representatives of the Chinese companies either could not be contacted or said no spokesman was available to speak with the media.

Li Weijian, a scholar with Shanghai's Institute of Foreign Studies, said such contacts likely took place without government authorization, adding that Beijing was confident of establishing good relations with the new Libyan government.

"I don't think the relations of the two countries will be affected by the incident and both sides should look to the future," Li said.

(This version CORRECTS name of Chinese company in paragraph 10 to China North instead of China Northern)

Report: China Puts Satellite Into Orbit

BEIJING - China rocketed a domestically produced communications satellite into orbit Sunday to provide wider and more advanced television services across the country, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

A Long March-3B rocket lifted off from the Xichang launching site in western Sichuan province and placed its payload, the 5.1-ton satellite, in orbit, Xinhua said.

The satellite, known as Sinosat-2, was built by the China Academy of Space Technology for the Sino Satellite Communications Co., or Sinosat, a state-run provider of satellite communications. Sinosat-2 is designed to provide broader coverage of TV signals and allow for more digital and live broadcast TV services, Xinhua said.

China's decades-old aerospace program has gathered momentum in recent years, letting the country place more advanced satellites into orbit for both commercial and military purposes.

Sinosat-1, built by the French company Aerospatiale, was launched in 1998. Sinosat plans to launch a third satellite next year mainly to provide radio and TV services, Xinhua said.

Uranium levels fall after nuclear leak in France

Tests show that uranium levels are diminishing but have not vanished from rivers in southern France after a leak from a nuclear site, regional authorities said Wednesday.

Anti-nuclear groups, meanwhile, questioned the handling of the incident at the Tricastin nuclear site near Avignon, noting inconsistent official statements about when it occurred and about how much unenriched uranium was leaked.

France's nuclear safety agency said liquid containing traces of unenriched uranium leaked from a factory at the site, and that uranium concentrations in the Gaffiere river were initially about 1,000 times the normal levels. The agency said the uranium is only slightly radioactive although toxic.

Initially the agency said the accident occurred Tuesday morning, but later said it occurred Monday night. On Wednesday, Tricastin authorities revised downward the amount of liquid that leaked.

Authorities in the Vaucluse region maintained a ban Wednesday on the consumption of well water in three nearby towns and the watering of crops from the Gaffiere and Lauzon rivers. Swimming, water sports and fishing also remain banned.

A series of tests Tuesday showed that "uranium levels (in surface water) remained well above normal but strongly diminished through dilution throughout the day," the regional administration said in a statement. The tests found no uranium in groundwater.

Tricastin authorities changed the amount that had leaked from 7,900 gallons (30,000 liters) to 4,760 gallons (18,000 liters), according to another statement from the Vaucluse regional administration. It said the liquid contained 493 pounds (224 kilograms) of natural unenriched uranium, instead of 794 pounds (360 kilograms) announced earlier.

The factory handles materials and liquids contaminated by uranium, the fuel for nuclear power plants. The liquid spilled from a reservoir that overflowed during the washing of a tank.

The Commission for Independent Radioactivity Research and Information said the leak led to the release of radioactive material 100 times that which the site is allowed to release in a year. Greenpeace said the leaked waste was more than 130 times the permitted level.

China stimulus plan fuels hopes for new investment

China's massive stimulus package is its "biggest contribution to the world," Premier Wen Jiabao said Monday, as hopes rose that heavy spending on construction and other projects would help support global growth by fueling demand for imported machinery and raw materials.

With Sunday's announcement of the 4 trillion yuan ($586 billion) package, China staked out a bold position as President Hu Jintao prepared for next weekend's Washington meeting of leaders of 20 major economies to discuss a response to the global financial crisis.

"China has really set the pace for expansionary policies elsewhere," said Tim Condon, Asia regional economist for the Dutch bank ING.

Wen, the country's top economic official, said the plan is meant to boost investment and consumer spending, maintain export growth and promote corporate competitiveness and financial reform, state television reported on its national evening news. It said he made the comments at a meeting of government leaders.

"We must implement the measures to ensure a fast and stable economic development," Wen said in comment read by an announcer. "They are not only the needs of the development of ourselves, but also our biggest contribution to the world."

The plan calls for higher spending through 2010 on airports, highways and other infrastructure, more aid to the poor and farmers and tax cuts for exporters. That could boost demand for iron ore from Australia and Brazil, factory and construction equipment from the United States and Europe and industrial components from throughout Asia.

"Faster growth in China will be better for its neighbors. For every country in the region, it's either their top trading partner or is on the way to becoming the top," Condon said. On a global scale, "countries that supply capital equipment look like they will be the front line beneficiaries of this package."

Asian stock markets surged Monday on news of the plan. Japan's Nikkei index rose 5.8 percent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 3.5 percent. In China, the Shanghai Composite index jumped 7.3 percent to 1,874.80.

The dramatic Chinese plan was motivated by growing government alarm at an unexpectedly sharp downturn in the country's fast-growing economy that raised the threat of job losses and social unrest.

China's economic growth slowed to 9 percent in the last quarter, down from last year's stunning 11.9 percent growth and its lowest level in five years. Export orders have fallen sharply as global demand weakens, leading to layoffs and factory closures.

Analysts have slashed forecasts of next year's economic growth but said Monday that with the new stimulus it should be at least 8 percent.

The slowdown has rippled through Chinese industries and outward to foreign suppliers.

China is the world's biggest steel producer but mills responded to weaker demand this year by cutting output 20 percent, which eroded demand for imported ore.

The spending package is "definitely positive news for all steel companies. It will boost demand for steel and iron," said a spokesman for steelmaker Beijing Shougang Group, who would give only his surname, Wu.

China's announcement came as economic officials from the Group of 20 leading economies, which includes major wealthy and developing nations, called Sunday for increased government spending to boost the troubled global economy.

The United States allocated $168 billion this year for tax rebates to individuals and tax breaks for businesses in addition to the $700 billion committed to bailout troubled financial institutions. Germany has set aside $29 billion for tax breaks on new cars and credit assistance for companies. Japan allotted $275 billion for loans to small- and mid-sized businesses and discounts on highway tolls among other measures.

At the weekend meeting in Brazil, G20 finance ministers and central bank governors also said emerging economies deserve a prominent role in talks to overhaul the world financial system.

Hu plans to press that demand in Washington at the leaders' meeting on Saturday, a Chinese government spokesman said last week.

Beijing's stimulus package represents another drastic step away from lending curbs and other anti-inflation measures that it imposed over the past three years but has been rolling back since mid-2008 as growth slowed.

Wholesale inflation eased in October, which gives authorities more leeway to stimulate the economy without igniting new price rises, according to data reported Monday. The government said producer prices rose 6.6 percent in October from the year-earlier period, down from August's 12-year high of 10.1 percent.

China switched its official goal in mid-2008 from a single focus on fighting inflation to a dual target of ensuring fast economic growth while also containing price rises. It has cut interest rates three times in recent weeks and lifted limits on how much each Chinese bank can lend.

The new stimulus plan depends heavily on getting the country's companies to invest, economists said.

Beijing might supply as little as one-quarter of the announced spending, or 1 trillion yuan ($145 billion), with the rest coming from state companies, bank lending or bond sales by local authorities, said Ting Lu, a Merrill Lynch economist.

That might require regulators to ease lending and investment curbs, said UBS Securities economist Tao Wang.

"With this strong signal that comes from this package that the government will put its own money on the line, that could bring about matching bank lending and promote corporate investment," Wang said.

Still, Beijing's announcement appears to exaggerate the size of its plan by including projects already under way, including reconstruction from the devastating May earthquake in China's southwest, said Sheridan Chan, an economist for Moody's Economy.com.

"The exaggeration highlights the government's desperation to revive sentiment, which is perhaps the key factor to sustaining growth amid global turmoil," Chan said in a report.

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Associated Press researcher Bonnie Cao in Beijing contributed to this report.

5 years after Rita hit, some left out of recovery

CAMERON, Louisiana (AP) — First Baptist Church in this southwestern Louisiana town is finally celebrating its reopening, five years after the community was nearly obliterated by one of the most destructive storms in U.S. history: Hurricane Rita.

It took that long for the church's members to raise money to repair the double dose of damage from Rita and then from Hurricane Ike in 2008. On Saturday, they will sing a theme song they adopted in Rita's aftermath, "Standing on the Promises."

Church treasurer Cyndi Sellers had noticed a hymn book opened to the old Baptist standard in the church's muddy wreckage.

"I just really felt like He was promising us right then that we would be able to rebuild if we just had the faith," she said.

Like the church, some coastal communities in Rita's path have faced a slow recovery — and many people have been left behind.

In Louisiana and Texas border towns like Cameron, the people who survived Rita sometimes feel as though their suffering became an afterthought in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which barreled into the Gulf Coast less than a month earlier.

Rita peaked as a Category 5 storm in the central Gulf of Mexico but had weakened to Category 3, with sustained winds of more than 120 mph (193 kph) and a 20-foot (6-meter) storm surge, when it roared ashore near the Texas-Louisiana line on Sept. 24, 2005.

The hurricane was blamed for at least seven deaths in the two states, but the prelude to the storm was even deadlier. More than 100 people died during the chaotic evacuation of Houston, including 23 nursing home patients on a bus that caught fire while stuck in traffic.

Rita left more than $11 billion in damage in its wake. But it was dwarfed by Katrina, which caused an estimated $81 billion in damage.

"We were overshadowed by Katrina," said Ray Miller, whose beachfront home in Holly Beach, La., was flattened by Rita's monster surge. "Everything in the national news was about New Orleans, and you had just as much devastation here."

Cameron had three grocery stores before Rita, but has none today. The drug store is gone. So are one of two banks and one of two gas stations. The town's post office and a restaurant operate out of trailers. Many residents are still living in mobile homes. The town has seen its population shrink from roughly 1,500 to 280 since Rita.

Millions of dollars in federal funding have flowed to the town and the rest of Cameron Parish since Rita, but residents who wanted to rebuild had to comply with new building codes far stricter than the ones in place before the hurricane.

Kirk Burleigh, president of the Cameron Parish Police Jury, said the new flood-elevation requirements and soaring insurance costs priced many of the region's poorest residents out of the rebuilding process.

"You've got to hire an engineer to do the foundation before you can put something on top," he said. "You've got to spend $80,000 in engineering and design to put a $2,000 trailer on it."

Michael Stelly, the police chief and public works director in West Orange, Texas, said Katrina may have overshadowed Rita victims' plight, but it probably saved lives in his city.

"People saw the devastation from Katrina. It was fresh in their minds to evacuate for Rita," he said.

Texas officials also learned a lesson from the botched evacuation of Houston. Before Ike hit, the city's mayor urged most residents, except those in low-lying waterfront areas, to hunker down and ride out the storm to avoid snarling evacuation routes. Those along the bays and channels that empty into the Gulf were ordered to leave.

Some residents are weary of rebuilding.

Holly Beach, a 10-minute ferry ride and a 10-mile (16-kilometer) drive from Cameron, was a popular spot for summer vacations and weekend getaways for families of modest means. Rita wiped out Ray Miller's house along with everything else in Holly Beach, leaving nothing but slabs and wood pilings jutting from the ground.

Miller and his wife, Kathy, count 24 homes that have been rebuilt in town, down from about 500 structures that Rita claimed. The couple finished rebuilding a mere six months before Ike hit, ripping apart their front porch and flooding the interior of their elevated house.

Kathy Miller can't fathom having to endure a third rebuilding project if another storm hits.

"We need a break," she said. "I can't think about it. I just try to put it out of my mind."

Storms haven't been the only obstacle to recovery in Cameron Parish and other parts of south Louisiana. The Gulf of Mexico oil spill spawned by the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig has exacted a heavy economic toll on a region closely tied to the oil and gas industry.

Ronald Nunez worked as an auto mechanic, fixing cars for the oilfield workers who passed through Cameron on their way offshore. Rita drove away many of his customers, but the spill has cost him even more work. Adding to his woes, Nunez said the Federal Emergency Management Agency wants to charge him $27,000 for the government-issued trailer that has housed his family of six since Ike demolished the trailer he bought after Rita.

"I ain't paying. They're going to have to throw me out," he said. "I don't think it's a fair shake they're giving everybody."

Rita also flooded thousands of homes in Vermilion Parish, in the heart of Cajun country. In the storm's aftermath, towns like Erath were inundated. Planners and architects floated radical ideas to rebuild.

Mayor George Dupuis Jr. said a proposal to move the entire town to higher ground generated an angry backlash from residents.

"We have different people, good Cajun people who have been here for years. You can't make them leave," he said.

Thaunia Hardie, 59, isn't leaving Cameron, even though she feels daunted by the cost of rebuilding here. She opened GG's Cafe in a trailer parked on the footprint of a restaurant that Rita leveled. Constructing a building to house her restaurant would cost at least $500,000, but she can't afford it. Business has been slow with few mouths left in town to feed.

"I attribute that to the rules and regulations that FEMA set being so strict," she said. "Nobody can afford to build down here."

Treaty turnabout insults women Bush getting advice from Ashcroft on UN bill of rights

President Bush talks a lot about how the United States liberatedthe women of Afghanistan from the repression of the Taliban.

But he's not applying the same standard to other countries,including our own.

Seven months ago, the Bush administration endorsed the UnitedNations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of DiscriminationAgainst Women. Last winter, the Bush administration told the Senatethat this document was "generally desirable and should be approved."

But earlier this month, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell wrotethe Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the Bush administrationis concerned about the treaty's "vagueness" and "complexity" and hasasked for a review by the Justice Department.

It is most disappointing that Bush is seeking the advice ofAttorney General John Ashcroft on the international bill of rightsfor women. Throughout his public career, Ashcroft has been hostile tothe political empowerment of women.

During the late 1970s, when Ashcroft was Missouri attorneygeneral, he opposed the Equal Rights Amendment. He even filed afederal lawsuit against the National Organization for Women, claimingthat they didn't have the right to organize a boycott of states thathad not ratified the ERA.

Ashcroft's frivolous lawsuit was rejected by the U.S. DistrictCourt. This decision was upheld when Ashcroft went to the U.S. Courtof Appeals. He then went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which refused tohear his case.

Right-wing activist Phyllis Schlafly, who was aligned withAshcroft in his opposition to the ERA, is seeking to defeat thewomen's rights treaty.

Bush is pandering to his party's right wing in allowing Ashcroftto have input in the decisionmaking about this human rights treaty.Ashcroft is hostile to women's rights. As governor of Missouri, hetwice vetoed funding to help victims of domestic violence. He alsovetoed legislation that would have provided maternity leave to newmothers. Ashcroft also fought to restrict a woman's right toreproductive choice.

As a member of the U.S. Senate, before he was defeated for re-election two years ago, Ashcroft was opposed to the women's bill ofrights. It is insulting to women that Bush has asked Ashcroft toreview this treaty, which the administration previously supported.

Bush showed similar poor judgment in imposing a gag rule oninternational family planning programs.

As the only industrialized nation that has failed to sign theWomen's Convention, the United States has lost credibility as anadvocate for human rights. Afghanistan, Iran and Syria are among thenations that haven't ratified the treaty.

Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), the ranking Republican on the SenateForeign Relations Committee, blocked the treaty's ratification on theflimsy argument that "it is a terrible treaty negotiated by radicalfeminists with the intent of enshrining their radical anti-familyagenda into international law."

That's nonsense.

As Senators Joseph R. Biden (D-Del.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)have argued, the failure of the United States to ratify this treaty"undermines our credibility as a leader in international humanrights. How can we demand that India and Pakistan work harder to stopbride-burning and the so-called honor killing of women by theirfamilies?"

If Bush is truly committed to the political and economicempowerment of women, he should sign this treaty that has beenapproved by 169 nations.

Sales performance of student ranks her number 2 in nation

Last summer, after completing a rigorous in-house sales training program, Baylor senior Charlotte Gabriel sold over $44,000 worth of advertising for University Directories, the country's largest publisher of college campus directories. The top 5 achievers won VIP trips to Hollywood and Warner Brothers Studios.

Charlotte, a marketing/management major from Honolulu, began the program with 200 other students from around the nation. For the 10-week selling period, her sales results placed her second in the nation for 1) volume, 2) collections, and 3) achieving percent of goal-she was 246% above her intended goal.

"At Baylor, in a videotaped role play setting, I learned to apply sales skills to selling products. The sales skills I learned in Professional Selling and Communications (MKT 3310) made the sales training provided by University Directories even more meaningful. "The company training program and the courses of Baylor's Center for Professional Selling helped me develop a keen sense of direction and confidence in approaching my customers and also helped me understand how to work with customers to find solutions that would solve their problems." After graduating in May, Gabriel will join Wallace Computer Services in Fort Worth as a sales representative.

Students get advice on how to avoid being victims

AVON and Somerset police are to target students beginninguniversity in Bristol this autumn with advice to stop them becomingvictims of crime.

Action on Street Crime, the multi-agency initiative to crackdownon robbery and street crime, has funded a number of projects whichcoincide with the new term at Bristol University and the Universityof the West of England as well as nearby colle ges.

The aim is to target students - particularly those new to Bristol -to provide them with simple, practical crime prevention advice andinformation.

Inspector Catherine Tarrant, from Action on Street Crime, said:"More than a quarter of the victims of robbery in Bristol are youngpeople, particularly men, aged between 17 and 24-years-old.

"Obviously, the vast majority of students fit into this categoryand that is why it is so vital we put our time and resources intopreventing them from becoming victims of street crime. " The policewill be at all the university's "freshers fairs" giving out crimeprevention packs and talking to students.

Avon and Somerset Police also projected crime reduction advice onthe giant screen at Bristol's annual balloon fiesta last week. Aspart of this initiative two posters were projected on the two giantscreens which stand each side of the Ashton Court stage during thefour days of the festival.

Insp Tarrant said: "The start of the autumn term is obviously avital time for us with the massive influx of new students who willneed help to find their feet.

"For many students, it is their first time away from home in acity they don't know.

"We are working closely with the universities, colleges andBristol City Council to ensure they enjoy their time in Bristolwithout becoming a victim of crime."

Henin heads home to give aging knee a well earned rest

At the ripe old age of 25, Justine Henin feels it's time to give her "old" knee a rest.

The top-ranked Henin complained of a sore knee after tumbling out of the Australian Open with a 6-4, 6-0 quarterfinals loss to fifth-seeded Maria Sharapova.

"I was really concerned about my knee for a few days," the Belgian player said. "So I was a bit anxious, because I knew I wasn't really 100 percent. Even if it's not an excuse about what happened on the court, because she was much better than me."

Now she's heading home, Henin said she'll have a chance to put her feet up.

"It's just my knee is getting old, and, yeah, probably have to rest a little bit now," she said.

Henin missed the Australian Open last year and returned to the tour with a stunning 63-4 record in '07, including titles at the French and U.S. Opens.

___

THE BODY: The normally reserved Rafael Nadal had his audience chuckling when describing his physique at the Australian Open.

When asked to compare the state of his body in Melbourne compared with last year's U.S. Open, No. 2 Nadal gave an answer many of his female fans would probably agree with.

"My body is perfect, no?" No. 2 Nadal joked before clarifying. "Physically speaking. Nothing perfect."

Nadal looked in great shape as he downed No. 24 Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 and reach his first semifinals in four trips to the Australian Open.

"This year I started very well. I don't have any problems at the U.S. Open and I'm in the semifinals without losing a set," he said. "Physically I'm very happy. I don't have any problem."

Nadal next faces Frenchman Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, who beat Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 7-5, 6-0, 7-6 (6).

___

RETURN OF THE WOODIES: Almost seven years after dissolving their record-setting partnership, Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge could be heading for another doubles title at the Australian Open.

The pair, affectionately known throughout their doubles career as "the Woodies" won't be adding to their 61 tour wins, however, as they progress through a draw of fellow-former pros in the Legends tournament.

Woodforde and Woodbridge combined to win 11 Grand Slam doubles titles and an Olympic gold medal throughout the 1990s and 2000, before Woodforde retired ahead of the 2001 season.

The pair lead their Legends round-robin group after beating 1987 Wimbledon singles champion Pat Cash and seven-time doubles Grand Slam winner John Fitzgerald in straight sets.

"It was a great thrill to be playing alongside Todd again," said Woodforde. "We're having a great time out there."

___

FINNISH ARMY LIFE: Jarkko Nieminen thinks a taste of Finnish army life has been a big factor in his best start to an ATP season.

Nieminen, who is on leave from his part-time national service in Finland, was runner up at Adelaide this month before making his first Australian Open quarterfinals, where he lost 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 to No. 2 Rafael Nadal on Tuesday.

"I feel I'm playing great," said Nieminen, ranked 24th. "I'm physically in better shape than ever, and to start a year like this, finals in Adelaide and then quarterfinals here, it's promising good for this year."

He said the basic training during the offseason helped improve his mental edge, rather than his fitness.

"I've always been in good shape, but I think maybe I'm mentally in better shape now because of that," said Nieminen, who must complete his army service on his return from the Open.

After losing the Adelaide final to Frenchman Michael Llodra, Nieminen beat Canadian Frank Dancevic, Americans Mardy Fish and Jesse Levine, and 29th-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber on his way to the Australian Open quarterfinals.

Nieminen reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2006, propelling him to a highest ever ranking of No. 13.

Portsmouth in plane scare in Nigeria as pilot aborts landing just above runway

Portsmouth had a dramatic start to its preseason tour of Nigeria on Friday, when the pilot of its private plane was forced to abort a landing in Abuja only just above the runway.

The airbus was about to land when it suddenly lurched upward. The pilot told passengers he was forced to abort the landing because he had not received permission to land from air traffic controllers.

Pompey defender Linvoy Primus said passengers had no idea what was happening until seconds before the plane was due to touchdown.

"It was a great flight and we were just above the runway, when the pilot suddenly pulled the plane out of the landing and back up into the sky" he told the club's Web site. "We were all shocked. No one knew what was happening.

"There had been no warning that there was a problem. But credit to the pilot, who told us that he had been unable to establish contact with the tower and had decided not to land."

The plane had to circle around a mountainous area in a lightning storm for 30 minutes before clearance was given.

When the pilot landed successfully at the second attempt, he was applauded by the 40-strong party, which included five England internationals.

Portsmouth plays Kano Pillars on Saturday, then faces English and European champions Manchester United on Sunday.

Hopper's wife claims coercion in divorce filing

Dennis Hopper's wife states in a court declaration that she believes the actor is divorcing her because of his declining health and influence from others.

Victoria Hopper wrote that her husband's medical and mental state have become unpredictable as he battles prostate cancer, according to the documents filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The 42-year-old is seeking full custody of the couple's 6-year-old daughter. She is also asking a judge to allow Dennis Hopper supervised visits with his daughter for up to an hour per day, depending on his health. Her filing seeks strict guidelines, including a requirement that Hopper remove all guns from the family's house and refrain from smoking medicinal marijuana before the visits.

"I do not believe that petitioner is capable of taking care of himself or his legal and financial affairs," Victoria Hopper's declaration said. "Therefore, I do not believe Petitioner is capable of making sound decisions in the best interests of our daughter."

Hopper's manager, Sam Maydew, did not return repeated calls and e-mails seeking comment on Monday and Tuesday.

Many of the filing's details were first reported by the Web site The Daily Beast.

In her filing, Victoria Hopper claims her husband told her that he didn't want to end the marriage, but he filed for divorce on Jan. 14 because "other people are insisting that he take care of them upon his death."

The "Easy Rider" star is asking for joint custody of their daughter and that he make spousal support payments. Both have cited irreconcilable differences for the breakup.

He was first diagnosed with prostate cancer a decade ago, but it returned late last year. He started chemotherapy treatments earlier this month, the filing stated.

Victoria Hopper is asking a judge to protect her and her daughter's stake in a $1 million life insurance policy and a college fund. She claims the divorce is a means to cut her out of Hopper's estate and wants a judge to nullify the couple's prenuptial agreement.

According to Victoria Hopper's filing, Dennis Hopper amended his estate plan in October in violation of the prenup agreement.

She is also asking a judge to grant her access to certain portions of the compound where the couple and Hopper's two adult children live.

Serbia TV apologizes to viewers over propaganda

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Two decades after its reporting helped fuel the worst bloodshed in Europe since World War II, Serbia's state-run television has apologized to viewers throughout the former Yugoslavia for serving as the key propaganda tool of late autocratic leader Slobodan Milosevic in the 1990s.

Radio Television of Serbia — or RTS — said in a statement posted on its web site Tuesday that the station's program was "almost constantly and heavily abused" by Milosevic's regime with the aim of discrediting his political and ethnic opponents and spreading official propaganda.

The broadcaster "apologizes to the citizens of Serbia and those of neighboring countries who were subject to insult, slander and what would now be termed as hate speech," the statement added.

The apology is the first by Serbia's state broadcaster, which was one of the symbols of Milosevic's era and a key pillar of his heavy-handed, decade-long rule, marked by wars in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo, international isolation and economic decline.

Some said it was not enough, considering the damage created by the station's former warmongering policies.

Liberal politician Marko Karadzic described the apology as a "positive step" but said the television's managing board did not distance itself clearly enough from the past.

"RTS' program was an organized campaign of support to the policies of extinction and violence which we cannot view as insult or slander," Karadzic said.

The Independent Journalists Association said that while the statement was welcome, those who took part in the spreading of warmongering propaganda have not faced consequences and should be put on trial.

When he came to power in the late 1980s, Milosevic appointed trusted associates to head the national broadcaster, firing longtime professionals and turning it into his regime's mouthpiece.

The station blatantly spread Milosevic's nationalist propaganda, portraying Serbs as the victims of the ethnic attacks in the former Yugoslavia and whipping up nationalism that helped lead to the wars.

While reporting from warfronts, RTS journalists fueled anti-Croatian hysteria by saying Croat pro-independence fighters cut off fingers of Serb children and made necklaces out of them, and that Croats suffocated Serb babies using plastic bags in a nursery in eastern Croatia.

With the post-Communist breakup of Yugoslavia, Serbs rebelled against the independence of Croatia and Bosnia, triggering the bloodshed that left more than 100,000 people dead and millions homeless before ending in Western-brokered peace agreements in 1995.

In 1998, Milosevic launched the brutal war in Kosovo to try to stop Albanian separatists, prompting NATO to intervene in 1999.

Serbia's state TV brooked little opposition during that period, accusing anyone opposing Milosevic or the war of being foreign mercenaries and traitors who are working against the country's interests.

The propaganda was so intense that it led to major anti-government protests in March 1991 in Belgrade, during which two people were killed in what was the first popular uprising against Milosevic's rule. It also prompted NATO in 1999 to declare the broadcaster a legitimate target, and it was bombed during the alliance's air war, killing 16 RTS employees.

The same building caught fire in 2000, when thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators stormed its Belgrade headquarters during an uprising that eventually toppled the autocrat and paved the way for his extradition to a U.N. war crimes tribunal to face a genocide trial, where he died in 2006.

With the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, RTS is rarely watched in the rest of the former Yugoslavia.

In Serbia, nationalist opposition parties complain the state TV remains staunchly pro-government, this time favoring the pro-Western authorities who are seeking to move Serbia closer to the European Union. RTS has dismissed the criticism.

The station conceded in its statement that "during the tragic events of the 1990s, RTS with its reporting on many occasions hurt the feelings, moral integrity and dignity of the Serbian citizens, intellectuals, members of political opposition, journalists, ethnic and religious minorities, as well as certain neighboring peoples and states."

It added the station will in the future promote "the rule of law, social justice, civic democracy, human and minority rights and freedoms."

Zarko Trebjesanin, a psychologist who is a member of the RTS' managing board, said apologies such as this one take time:

"Could it have come earlier? Probably," he said. "But I think it is never too late."

Afghans losing hope after 8 years of war

The man on the motorcycle was going the wrong way down a one-way street, gesturing indignantly for the phalanx of traffic-clogged cars in front of him to move.

"Brother, why are you angry with us?" said a passenger leaning out of one of the vehicles blocking his path. "It's you who are going the wrong way!"

"I'm not angry at you, I'm angry at Afghanistan," the man cried back, waving his arm dismissively as he negotiated his bike onto a crowded sidewalk and drove off in a trail of exhaust fumes. "These are sad days."

In Kabul, even a traffic jam can provoke a comment on this Islamic nation's dismal state, which most people here believe is at its bleakest since the U.S. invaded to topple the Taliban in 2001. It's a striking sentiment when you consider it comes after eight years of international intervention, $60 billion in foreign aid and the lives of thousands of foreign troops and Afghan civilians.

The Obama administration is hoping to reverse that trend as an additional 30,000 American and 7,000 NATO troops pour into the conflict in coming months. But "the more soldiers they send here, the worse it gets," said 19-year-old carpet seller Hamid Hashimi.

In the year after the Taliban fell, international forces numbered a modest 12,000 or so. Today that figure has swollen to well over 100,000 and will approach 140,000 with the latest troop commitments. There are also 100,000 Defense Department contractors supporting the military effort, according to U.S. lawmakers.

The insurgency has mushroomed in equal measure.

The war _ once mostly limited to Pakistan border _ has spread to nearly every corner of the country. It has also penetrated the frontier-like capital, where car bombings or other spectacular attacks like the October storming of a guest house filled with U.N. staff make news every couple of weeks.

It wasn't supposed to be this way.

When the Taliban were overthrown in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, aid groups, analysts and Afghans themselves all believed the nation was finally emerging from a quarter century of war.

In retrospect, there wasn't much of a break.

"In those days people had hope, but unfortunately everything has turned upside down since then," said Hanif Hangam, who stars in an Afghan comedy TV show called Alarm Bell. "People expected things to go forward, but we've just been sliding back."

The irony is that so much has changed in Kabul.

A vast sea of blown-out buildings in the west of the city has been completely rebuilt. Multistory shopping malls encased in glass symbolize a newfound prosperity, towering above streets lined with travel agencies, internet cafes, and even Afghan Fried Chicken, a local fast-food chain.

At night, rainbow-colored flashing palm trees climb the walls of splashy new wedding halls. Newly connected electricity lines light up mountainsides ringing the capital, whose population has tripled in the last eight years to 4.5 million as millions of refugees returned.

Residents are also embracing freedoms anew: a majority of women have shed the once-ubiquitous blue burqas mandated by the Taliban in favor of flashy headscarves that shine in the night. And from one state TV channel in 2001, there are now more than 20 private stations with 3-D graphics and talk shows that rival any abroad.

"People can finally can talk openly about what's gone wrong," Hangam said of the media boom. "They can criticize the government and warlords, point out corruption. But unfortunately, nobody is listening. We never see anything change."

Indeed, the news today is the same as it was eight years previous, there is just more of it: Car bombs and rockets rock Kabul. Civilians die accidentally in U.S. air strikes. Afghan security forces are in dire need of training. The opium trade is booming.

And just like 2001, President Hamid Karzai is derided as the "mayor of Kabul" by critics who say his authority doesn't extend much further than the city limits.

"It's a disaster," said Ramazan Bashardost, a lawmaker who came in a distant third in the country's botched August election, which was marred by fraud so widespread a third of Karzai's ballots were thrown out. "The situation is getting worse every day for ordinary Afghans."

According to Bashardost, about 80 percent of the country is without electricity and unemployment is 60 percent. Many families can only afford to eat once a day and corruption is so rampant, "it's practically legal," he said.

"People ask, 'What has democracy brought?'" he said. Besides helping keep warlords accused of war crimes in power, Bashardost added, "the answer is: insecurity."

Guerrilla attacks have made even provinces surrounding the capital unsafe. Hashimi said his family owns land in Wardak province, which neighbors the city, but he hasn't been home in years because the roads are too dangerous.

Alongside billboards advertising modern utilities like BlackBerry smartphones are others hawking armored transport. The local "Scene" magazine includes ads for shops selling bulletproof vests, and most of the people pictured inside its "Party Scene" section are foreign correspondents who came to cover the war.

Downtown, protective blast walls have grown larger outside U.S. and U.N. facilities, and some streets have been closed to public traffic. Helmeted soldiers peek out of sandbagged guard posts at government ministries. Residents like Hashimi cringe whenever they walk past _ fearful the offices will be targeted by bombers.

Outside Thai and Indian restaurants in one posh neighborhood, bodyguards in black suits stand in the middle of streets like gangsters, holding small, uzi-like automatic weapons as officials climb into black SUVs with tinted windows. And when security prevents dining out, the Wakhan cafe has signs that say: "Locked Down! No problems" _ they deliver.

The U.S. Congressional Research Service said in a recent report that foreign assistance pledged to Afghanistan since 2001 has topped $58 billion, about $38 billion of it from the U.S. alone.

But "what happened to all this money?" said Bashardost. "Has garbage been cleaned up? Have all the streets been paved?"

Many think some of those funds have been diverted to places like the city's Shirpoor neighborhood, where the powerful clique Washington brought to power eight years ago bulldozed dozens of crumbling mud-brick homes occupied by squatters and divvied the land among cronies.

Residents deride the gaudy mirrored mansions as "poppy palaces" because they are believed to have also been constructed in part with money from the drug trade. Few believe their owners could have built them with paltry official salaries; they cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and rent for $20,000 per month.

"We've built a lot of buildings," lawmaker Shukria Barakzai said with a sigh at a recent government ceremony commemorating the deaths of thousands of Afghan police and soldiers. "But we've lost a lot of hope."

Rice, U.N. Chief Address Mideast Impasse

RAMALLAH, West Bank - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday it was important for Israel and the Palestinians to establish a "common agenda" to move forward on creating a Palestinian state - an apparent break with Israel, which has ruled out peace talks for now.

Rice also said all the parties need to have a "destination in mind" to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But she conceded the sides were far apart, and had no specific proposal to get long-stalled peace talks moving.

She spoke at a news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, after their first meeting since the Islamic militant Hamas and Abbas' more moderate Fatah Party formed a new …

BABIES CAME IN BUNCHES; CROUSE HOSPITAL'S 12-HOUR BABY BOOM BRINGS TWINS, TRIPLETS AND QUADRUPLETS.(News)

Byline: Amber Smith Staff writer

*****

CORRECTION: May 16, 2004

The last name of the family that had quadruplets at Crouse Hospital Thursday was misspelled in a story in The Post-Standard Saturday. The last name was correctly spelled under photos of each of the four babies. The parents are Jodi and Jerry Corson, not Carson.

*****

It started in the darkness about an hour before dawn, catching even the most seasoned of obstetrical nurses by surprise.

First there were triplets.

And then twins.

And then another set of triplets!

And then quadruplets!!

The birth blitz ended more than three hours before sunset. By then, 12 babies - six girls and six boys, all in good health - had been born to four sets of parents during 12 hours Thursday at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse.

"There's no rhyme or reason," said nurse Joan Dadey, director of women's and children's services at the hospital. The births were spread out, with the first triplet mom delivering her first baby at 4:45 a.m. The quadruplet mom delivered her fourth baby at 4:41 p.m.

"Thank goodness they had the courtesy to be within 12 hours, and not on top of one another," Dadey said.

Still, the neonatal intensive care nursery, where 10 of the dozen were admitted, was bustling, and some nurses worked late and others came in early to cover the unanticipated baby boom.

Deb McGowan, of Skaneateles, started things before dawn with her ABCs. That's A for Aidan, who was born first; B for Brendan, who came next, and C for Curran, her last son born. They were born 11 weeks early, but they're in good condition.

Though they are identical triplets - she used no fertility drugs - McGowan said she's already starting to tell their personalities apart. "B and C are more feisty. A is more laid back." She and her husband, Michael, also have a 9-year-old and 13-year-old.

Amy and Jeff Dolan***headed to the delivery room next, for a scheduled Cesarean section to deliver their full-term twins. The babies were rooming with Mom Friday, and she was getting to know them: "The little girl is really sleepy. The little boy's a little wild," she said. "And our little girl at home (23-month-old Carly) is wild, so he takes after her, I'm afraid."

Amy Hess was scheduled to have a Cesarean section Wednesday, but that got

pushed back to Thursday. Her husband, Jonathan, stayed with her Wednesday night, bringing in a cheese pizza for their dinner.

Soon after the deliveries of their three babies, he and his mother-in-law went to the neonatal intensive care unit to see the infants.

"It was a madhouse because they were getting ready for the quadruplets to show up," he said. "They didn't ask me to get out, but I could take a hint."

Jodi Carson, of Little Meadows, Pa., started having mild contractions about eight weeks ago. Her doctor hospitalized her in Binghamton. About four weeks ago, she was transferred to Crouse, which provides high-risk obstetrical care for the region.

Carson's husband, Jerry, was about to mow their lawn Thursday afternoon when her mother pulled into the driveway with the urgent message that Jodi was about to deliver the four babies. She jumped in Carson's car. He drove 80 mph up Interstate 81 until he got snagged in a construction delay near Syracuse. He missed the births by about 10 minutes.

"I sat in traffic out here on 81 for a while. That's how I didn't make it," he said. "I felt like getting out and running."

CAPTION(S):

PHOTO

Peter Chen/Staff photographer

AMY DOLAN, of Auburn, holds her newborn babies, Kevin (left) and Maggie on Friday after Crouse Hospital delivered her twins plus two sets of triplets and a set of quadruplets in 12 hours Thursday. About 3,800 babies are born at Crouse each year, an average of about 10 every 24 hours. Thursday, seven singletons were born in addition to the 12 multiples. Color.

PHOTO

NO CREDIT

Maggie Dolan

Kevin Dolan<

Justin Corson

Jewel Corson

Jadyn Corson

Jessalyn Corson

Aidan McGowan

Brendan McGowan

Curran McGowan

Elizabeth Hess

Isabell Hess

Robert Hess

Color Color.

BABIES CAME IN BUNCHES; CROUSE HOSPITAL'S 12-HOUR BABY BOOM BRINGS TWINS, TRIPLETS AND QUADRUPLETS.(News)

Byline: Amber Smith Staff writer

*****

CORRECTION: May 16, 2004

The last name of the family that had quadruplets at Crouse Hospital Thursday was misspelled in a story in The Post-Standard Saturday. The last name was correctly spelled under photos of each of the four babies. The parents are Jodi and Jerry Corson, not Carson.

*****

It started in the darkness about an hour before dawn, catching even the most seasoned of obstetrical nurses by surprise.

First there were triplets.

And then twins.

And then another set of triplets!

And then quadruplets!!

The birth blitz ended more than three hours before sunset. By then, 12 babies - six girls and six boys, all in good health - had been born to four sets of parents during 12 hours Thursday at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse.

"There's no rhyme or reason," said nurse Joan Dadey, director of women's and children's services at the hospital. The births were spread out, with the first triplet mom delivering her first baby at 4:45 a.m. The quadruplet mom delivered her fourth baby at 4:41 p.m.

"Thank goodness they had the courtesy to be within 12 hours, and not on top of one another," Dadey said.

Still, the neonatal intensive care nursery, where 10 of the dozen were admitted, was bustling, and some nurses worked late and others came in early to cover the unanticipated baby boom.

Deb McGowan, of Skaneateles, started things before dawn with her ABCs. That's A for Aidan, who was born first; B for Brendan, who came next, and C for Curran, her last son born. They were born 11 weeks early, but they're in good condition.

Though they are identical triplets - she used no fertility drugs - McGowan said she's already starting to tell their personalities apart. "B and C are more feisty. A is more laid back." She and her husband, Michael, also have a 9-year-old and 13-year-old.

Amy and Jeff Dolan***headed to the delivery room next, for a scheduled Cesarean section to deliver their full-term twins. The babies were rooming with Mom Friday, and she was getting to know them: "The little girl is really sleepy. The little boy's a little wild," she said. "And our little girl at home (23-month-old Carly) is wild, so he takes after her, I'm afraid."

Amy Hess was scheduled to have a Cesarean section Wednesday, but that got

pushed back to Thursday. Her husband, Jonathan, stayed with her Wednesday night, bringing in a cheese pizza for their dinner.

Soon after the deliveries of their three babies, he and his mother-in-law went to the neonatal intensive care unit to see the infants.

"It was a madhouse because they were getting ready for the quadruplets to show up," he said. "They didn't ask me to get out, but I could take a hint."

Jodi Carson, of Little Meadows, Pa., started having mild contractions about eight weeks ago. Her doctor hospitalized her in Binghamton. About four weeks ago, she was transferred to Crouse, which provides high-risk obstetrical care for the region.

Carson's husband, Jerry, was about to mow their lawn Thursday afternoon when her mother pulled into the driveway with the urgent message that Jodi was about to deliver the four babies. She jumped in Carson's car. He drove 80 mph up Interstate 81 until he got snagged in a construction delay near Syracuse. He missed the births by about 10 minutes.

"I sat in traffic out here on 81 for a while. That's how I didn't make it," he said. "I felt like getting out and running."

CAPTION(S):

PHOTO

Peter Chen/Staff photographer

AMY DOLAN, of Auburn, holds her newborn babies, Kevin (left) and Maggie on Friday after Crouse Hospital delivered her twins plus two sets of triplets and a set of quadruplets in 12 hours Thursday. About 3,800 babies are born at Crouse each year, an average of about 10 every 24 hours. Thursday, seven singletons were born in addition to the 12 multiples. Color.

PHOTO

NO CREDIT

Maggie Dolan

Kevin Dolan<

Justin Corson

Jewel Corson

Jadyn Corson

Jessalyn Corson

Aidan McGowan

Brendan McGowan

Curran McGowan

Elizabeth Hess

Isabell Hess

Robert Hess

Color Color.

SuperGen plans Orathecin NDA.(pancreatic cancer prep)(Brief Article)

SuperGen Inc. said it plans to begin filing a rolling new drug application by the end of the year for Orathecin, an oral chemotherapy compound for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. The news is the outgrowth of a positive meeting between SuperGen, of Dublin, Calif., and the FDA, Joseph Rubinfeld, SuperGen's chairman and CEO, said. He said the company will seek approval for patients who are refractory to available therapies. "This filing is crucial for SuperGen because it ratifies our existence in a sense because people have discounted us in the …

BBO--BASEBAL.(Sports)

TODAY IN HISTORY

1940 - Harry Craft of Cincinnati connected for a home run, a triple, a double and two singles in seven at-bats to lead a 27-hit attack as the Reds pounded the Dodgers 23-2 at Brooklyn.

1950 - The Boston Red Sox beat the St. Louis Browns 29-4 at Fenway Park and set major league records for runs scored; most long hits, 17 (nine doubles, one triple and seven homers); most total bases, 60; most extra bases on long hits, 32; most runs over two games, 49; most hits in two games, 51, including 28 this game.

1968 - Howie Bedell's sacrifice fly in the fifth inning ended Don Drysdale's record streak of 58 2-3 consecutive scoreless innings. …

REGULATORS MOVE TO CUT PHONE RATES.(BUSINESS)

Byline: -- Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- Federal regulators agreed Thursday to move forward on a plan intended eventually to lower international phone rates and possibly save U.S. callers billions of dollars.

But while U.S. long-distance companies like the Federal Communications Commission's plan, foreign telecommunications groups are opposed and will get the chance to weigh in before the FCC takes a final vote.

The proposal is designed to bring international phone rates closer to the costs of actually providing them by setting benchmarks above which U.S. companies would not pay foreign carriers to complete calls. Countries that don't meet the …

Spain daily to run interview with Holocaust denier

A Spanish newspaper is defending its plans to publish an interview this weekend with a British writer who denies the Holocaust, despite a furious complaint from Israel.

The center-right daily El Mundo plans to run the interview Saturday with David Irving, who served 13 months in prison in Austria after being convicted there in 2006 over charges he denied the Nazis exterminated 6 million Jews.

It is part of a series of six interviews with World War II experts, timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the war's outbreak.

El Mundo said Thursday it wants to publish "innovative" views on World War II for the anniversary. The paper …

Bush's new health rules are wrong for children

Late on a Friday afternoon in the middle of the August congressional recess, after the House and Senate passed legislation reauthorizing and extending the State Children's Health Insurance Program, the Bush Administration issued harsh and restrictive rules for SCHIP that would make it virtually impossible for states to extend health coverage to many of America's more than nine million uninsured children. The Children's Defense Fund strongly opposes the administration's callous and unwise move.

The new rules issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would prohibit states from expanding SCHIP health coverage to children whose families have incomes above 250 percent of …

Servicer analysis - default loan management By M. Diane Pendley, managing director, Fitch.

The higher level of activity in the servicing market, as a result of mergers, acquisitions, transfer of servicing rights, and bankruptcies, has increased the focus on the servicers and the effect they have on the performance of structured transactions. The potential increase of defaults in portfolios, due to general economic trends, has caused all market participants to agree on the elevated importance of this role.

In 1999, Fitch introduced ratings for residential mortgage servicers that included primary, master and special servicer ratings. Fitch has been rating commercial loan servicers since 1992 and has recently announced the development of servicer assessments for a variety of Asset Backed products. This article discloses the most significant measures used in the evaluation of servicer's abilities in default loan management.

The analysis of a servicer's ability to manage loan defaults involves a close examination of three key variables: Servicer performance history by product type; current operational status and efficiencies; and stress testing for future stable execution.

Each of these three, along with how and to what extent they affect the servicer score, is further discussed below.

Servicer performance history by product type

As performance benchmarks analyzed may differ from servicer to servicer, therefore, comparing performance statistics is a difficult, but not impossible, task. In order to make the assessment relevant, as well as fair to the servicer, individual portfolio features and history …

Hope and action.(Paving Innovations)

Hope and action

Greg Udelhofen, editor

As President-elect Barack Obama continues to hammer out the details of his economic stimulus plan, his December 5th radio and YouTube broadcast certainly brought hope to the highway and bridge construction market, and more importantly America's unemployed.

Without a substantial infrastructure stimulus plan, "the U.S. highway and bridge construction market is expected to flatten in 2009, as recent increases in federal highway investment will likely be offset by weakened state and local highway budgets," according to a forecast issued by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association's top economist Dr. …

FRAUDULENT PHRASES IN U.S. POLITICS.(Main)

Byline: Thomas Sowell

If you took all the lying out of politics, there would not be a lot left. Pinocchio's nose grew longer when he lied, but there is no such easy way to tell when politicians are improving on the truth. However, there are certain buzzwords and phrases that are pretty good barometers when it comes to indicating when the accuracy level has dropped dangerously low.

Take "the trickle-down theory" - please. Supposedly some economists believe that the way to make the poor better off is to give benefits to the rich and let these benefits trickle down. If this theory sounds improbable, what is really impossible is to find a single economist - today or in centuries past - who has ever advanced any such …