Pierce leads Celtics' rally from 24-point deficit in Game 4 victory over Lakers

Beating the team he grew up idolizing, Paul Pierce celebrated leading Boston back from a 24-point deficit to a 97-91 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the NBA finals Thursday.

"It's a dream if I can come out here and win on Sunday," said Pierce, who scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half, when the Celtics erased most of the deficit. "It's definitely a great win, one that you're going to put up there in the library and break back out one day for your kids to watch. But I want nothing more than that ring right now and I'm not going to get overexcited."

The longest-tenured member of the Celtics, Pierce lived through …

Campaign redefining 'disability'

For years, Schaumburg-based Pro Financial Services has beenproviding sports teams with high-end disability insurance to covertheir star athletes in case of serious injury.

Now, the company is offering audience disability insurance aimedat others, such as surgeons, attorneys, entertainers and evencorporate executives. To help promote this new offering, ProFinancial turned to Hadrian's Wall/Chicago to develop a new printcampaign that debuts this month.

Each ad in the series carries a straightforward headline:"Disability Isn't Always What You Think." In each execution, afamiliar disability icon, such as the tag occasionally seen hangingfrom a car's mirror, has been …

The cultural GAAP

How do you work with foreign clients whose ideas of accounting and reporting are usually quite different from - if not virtually irreconcilable with - your own?

The client was from Damascus,Syria,and his father was very rich. Dad had sent him to Canada to learn how to do business here, and he ended up in the office of Regent-Yves Desjardins, senior partner at Martel Desjardins in Montreal. "The son had thought it might be a good idea to buy some property and flip it for a profit" says Desjardins. But since he knew nothing about Canada, he followed the advice of some developers and invested in a property outside Montreal that seemed made to order. Only later did he discover the …

India declares, gives England 41 to chase down 403

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni declared India's second innings at 251 for seven when opener Gautam Gambhir was …

Better blackjack starts with basics

For players who really want to make a difference in their casinoresults, who want to maximize their chances to win while minimizingtheir expected losses, there is little they can do that compares withlearning basic strategy in blackjack.

The average blackjack player spots the house and edge of about 2to 2.5 percent, leaving a game that's a little better than CaribbeanStud, Let It Ride or pai-gow poker, but not as good a bet as baccarator the best bets in craps. But the player who takes the time to learnand practice basic strategy slashes the house edge in a multiple-deck game to about half a percent, give or take a couple of tenths ofa percent depending on house …

Bulls beat Heat -- will city get day in the sun?; Jake and Elwood think we're already there

All those Miami Heat fans in all those white T-shirts, sitting ontheir hands as the Bulls completed a stunning four-game sweep of thedefending NBA champs -- it reminded me of the 1991 EasternConference Finals, when the young Bulls defeated the aging DetroitPistons, 4-0.

That Bulls team went on to win the NBA championship. This squadmight not equal that fate -- but like the 2006 Chicago Bears, theycould at least get to the championship.

Could be yet another strong showing for yet another Chicago team,further diminishing that horribly outdated "city of losers" tag.

A double tragedy?

Memo to those of you who contacted me wondering if it's truth …

20 sailors rescued off eastern China, but 11 others still missing

A Chinese fishing boat rescued 20 Indonesian sailors after their ship sank off eastern China, but 11 Chinese fishermen were still missing after their boat sank in a separate accident, state media reported Monday.

Xinhua News Agency said the 20 crewmen were rescued after their Panama-registered ship sank early Sunday off the coast of Zhejiang province. Their ship was going from Papua New Guinea to Jiangsu province …

Ex-Marines arrested in Los Angeles weapons scheme

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal agents have arrested three retired Marines suspected of selling illegal assault weapons to a notorious Los Angeles street gang, authorities said Tuesday.

The suspected ringleader, Adam Gitschlag, who served in Iraq and was once based at Camp Pendleton, was arrested at his Orange County home Nov. 2 as part of an operation carried out by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as military investigators and local police.

The arrests were announced a week after a Navy SEAL in San Diego and two others were charged with smuggling machine guns from Iraq for sale on the black market.

Investigative documents state that Gitschlag …

Ollie M. Knight named HRDI's interim president/CEO

New Leadership! - Human Resource Development Inc., better known as HRDI, one of the nation's leading behavioral health and human services organizations, has selected Ollie M. Knight, a 29-year veteran of HRDI and an expert in African American mental health and substance abuse issues, as its interim president and CEO. Knight officially accepted her role in November, when the previous president and CEO, Dr. Terra Thomas, died as a result of a fatal car accident. Knight is the third person to lead the prestigious organization in its 34-year history.

"Although I regret the circumstances of which I have been passed this torch," Knight said, "I humbly accept the responsibility to lead …

UN says Iraqis driving up asylum requests around the world

A surge of Iraqis seeking refuge in Europe and North America pushed asylum applications in rich countries up by 10 percent last year, the U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday.

Some 338,000 people applied for asylum in industrialized countries last year, and 45,000 of them came from Iraq, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said.

In 2006 only 22,900 Iraqis applied for asylum in the 43 countries covered by the report.

The rise in the number of Iraqis asking for asylum has reversed a five-year downward trend in overall applications, UNHCR said.

It warned that if the number of Iraqi asylum seekers continues to grow it could rise above its …

Throwing light on possessions

May I, through your paper express my thanks for the gift of anIdentilite torch with which I can 'see' the Ultra Violite (U.V.)code numbers I have marked on some of my possessions.

The actual marker pen is easy to find and at only pounds2.25quite affordable.

The light to see what you have marked, however, is quite …

Magic Marker

Magic Marker DEAR PRUDENCE: NEW AND SELECTED POEMS BY DAVID TRINIDAD NEWYORK: TURTLE POINT PRESS. 512 PAGES. $19.

In his first book, Pavane (1981), David Trinidad included a poem titled "The Peasant Girl," derived from Charles Perrault's fairy tale "Diamonds and Toads." The poet presents an unwanted girl who stoically keeps house for her stepmother until the day she is visited by a hideous crone who begs for a drink of well water; the girl complies, and, for a reward, die crone says, "Whenever you speak, / beautiful flowers and priceless gems shall flow / into the world with your words." The girl rushes home, anxious to tell

about the fairy and how I had passed her …

Stocks head to higher opening as investors regain some optimism; market awaits inflation data

Wall Street headed for a slightly higher open Wednesday on easing concerns about the global credit market turmoil, and ahead of government data that might give more hints about the economy.

Investors regained some optimism Tuesday after Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said it does not expect further writedowns from the credit crisis. That propelled the Dow Jones industrials up nearly 320 points.

Meanwhile, Bank of America Corp. said it will take a $3 billion (euro2.05 billion) debt-related writedown during the fourth quarter. Shares of the company rose on expectations this might be the brunt of BofA's credit-related troubles.

However, British bank HSBC Holdings on Wednesday said it would have to write off a further $3.4 billion (euro2.33 billion) from its U.S. business during the third quarter because of exposure to subprime loans. However, strong growth from Asia and the Middle East are offsetting those losses.

Economic data, which has been in short supply in recent sessions, was expected to be a focus of Wednesday's trading. The Labor Department issues its Producer Price Index, which measures the costs of goods before they reach stores shelves; it is forecast to have risen 0.3 percent in October, according to the consensus estimate of Wall Street economists surveyed by Thomson/IFR. The index is due out at 8:30 a.m. EST (1330 GMT).

Dow futures rose 11, or 0.06 percent, to 13,341.00, while Standard & Poor's 500 futures added 0.50, or 0.03 percent, to 1,453.70. Nasdaq 100 index futures rose 2.75, or 0.13 percent, to 2,069.50.

A barrel of light sweet crude rose 93 cents to $92.10 in premarket trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average closed up 2.47 percent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 4.90 percent. In afternoon trading in Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 added 1.36 percent, Germany's DAX index fell 0.86 percent, while France's CAC-40 shed 1.48 percent.

____

On the Net:

New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com

Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com

E. German party rejects Oct. 14 unity

EAST BERLIN A compromise that would set Oct. 14 for German unitywas rejected Tuesday when East Germany's second-largest party defiedits leader and voted against the agreement.

The rebellion by members of the Social Democratic Party'sparliamentary caucus once again threw the unification timetable intodoubt since their party, as the second largest faction in parliament,could easily block the two-thirds majority needed for formalapproval.

Christian Democratic Prime Minister Lothar de Maiziere had said12 of the country's 14 parliamentary party leaders approved the Oct.14 unification date, including the Social Democrats' floor chief,Richard Schroeder, at a special meeting.

Only the former Communists, now called the Party of DemocraticSocialism, and the small civil rights group Alliance 90 opposed thedate, favoring merger on Dec. 2 when all-German elections are to beheld.

The Oct. 14 date had been disputed for weeks, and Tuesday'sagreement appeared to clear the way to concentrate on easing EastGermany's rocky transition to a market economy after 40 years ofcentral planning.

But the Social Democrats' chairman, Wolfgang Thierse, said hisparty would stick to its original quest for East Germany's accessionto West Germany on Sept. 15, three days after the expected completionof international talks on the status of the future united Germany.

"We will introduce this proposal in parliament at theappropriate time and seek a majority for it," Thierse said. "Sept. 15corresponds to objective political logic."

East and West German Social Democrats contend that speedierunion is necessary to head off East Germany's accelerating eco nomic collapse.

Christian Democrats in East and West Germany say Oct. 14 is bestfor organizational and international reasons.

CERN: Damage to new collider forces 2-month halt

The world's largest atom smasher _ which was launched with great fanfare earlier this month _ has been damaged worse than previously thought and will be out of commission for at least two months, its operators said Saturday.

Experts have gone into 17-mile (27-kilometer) circular tunnel housing the Large Hadron Collider under the Swiss-French border to examine the damage that halted operations about 36 hours after its Sept. 10 startup, said James Gillies, spokesman for CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research.

"It's too early to say precisely what happened, but it seems to be a faulty electrical connection between two magnets that stopped superconducting, melted and led to a mechanical failure and let the helium out," Gillies told The Associated Press.

Gillies said the sector that was damaged will have to be warmed up well above the absolute zero temperature used for operations so that repairs can be made _ a time-consuming process.

"A number of magnets raised their temperature by around 100 degrees," Gillies said. "We have now to warm up the whole sector in a controlled manner before we can actually go in and repair it."

The $10 billion particle collider, in the design and construction stages for more than two decades, is the world's largest atom smasher. It fires beams of protons from the nuclei of atoms around the tunnels at nearly the speed of light.

It then causes the protons to collide, revealing how the tiniest particles were first created after the "big bang," which many theorize was the massive explosion that formed the stars, planets and everything.

Gillies said such failures occur frequently in particle accelerators, but it was made more complicated in this case because the Large Hadron Collider operates at near absolute zero, colder than outer space, for maximum efficiency.

"When they happen in our other accelerators, it's a matter of a couple of days to fix them," Gillies said. "But because this is a superconducting machine and you've got long warmup and cool-down periods, it means we're going to be off for a couple of months."

He said it would take "several weeks minimum" to warm up the sector.

"Then we can fix it," Gillies said. "Then we cool it down again."

CERN announced Thursday that it had shut down the collider a week ago after a successful startup that had beams of protons circling in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions in the collider.

It was at first thought the failure of an electrical transformer that handles part of the cooling was the problem, CERN said. That transformer was replaced last weekend and the machine was lowered back to operating temperature to prepare for a resumption of operations.

But then more inspections were needed and it was determined that the problem was worse than initially thought, said Gillies.

The CERN experiments with the particle collider hope to reveal more about "dark matter," antimatter and possibly hidden dimensions of space and time. They could also find evidence of a hypothetical particle _ the Higgs boson _ which is sometimes called the "God particle" because it is believed to give mass to all other particles, and thus to matter that makes up the universe.

Smaller colliders have been used for decades to study the makeup of the atom. Scientists once thought protons and neutrons were the smallest components of an atom's nucleus, but experiments have shown that protons and neutrons are made of quarks and gluons and that there are other forces and particles.

The LHC provides much greater power than earlier colliders.

Its start came over the objections of some who feared the collision of protons could eventually imperil the Earth by creating micro black holes _ subatomic versions of collapsed stars whose gravity is so strong they can suck in planets and other stars.

AP Interview: Design wunderkind Cortazar takes on Ungaro

French fashion label Emanuel Ungaro, which has been struggling for direction since the retirement of its founder, is gambling on U.S. design wunderkind Esteban Cortazar to bring it the elusive "It" factor.

At 23, the Colombian-born Cortazar becomes the youngest designer to head a major fashion label. In an interview with The Associated Press, the newcomer to Paris said he was taking it all in his stride.

"I think the younger you are, the less pressure you feel," Cortazar said between fittings at Ungaro's headquarters on the swish avenue Montaigne. "It's definitely a challenge, but it's a fun challenge."

Cortazar is used to making history; in 2002, he became the youngest-ever designer to show at New York Fashion Week.

Celebrities including Eva Longoria, Paris Hilton and Beyonce Knowles are fans of his work and his designs have been featured on the TV show "Sex and the City."

In Europe, however, Cortazar is still an unknown quantity. He takes the helm at Ungaro after a period of turmoil; the label changed designers three times in as many years.

For his first collection, he avoided delving into the archives and just followed his instinct.

"I felt that I was so naturally and organically inspired by this house, because it is very much my aesthetic as a designer, to dress a woman that loves to be a woman. So I felt comfortable to just come in and give my vision," he explained.

Cortazar's effortlessly sexy designs are inspired by the city of Miami, Florida, where he moved from his native Bogota at the age of 10. The son of a jazz singer and an artist, he showed his first creations at his elementary school at 13.

The ebullient designer would seem a natural fit for Ungaro, which is famed for its vivid prints and Grecian-style draping, but has lost its sizzle in recent years. Cortazar is keenly aware that the label needs a shot in the arm.

"No. 1, I want to make Ungaro cool," he bluntly said. "But I think the most important thing here is unapologetic femininity. This woman is unapologetically feminine, she's sensual and she's alluring. It's an ultimate celebration of life."

Slain Rantisi targeted 'all Jews' but also offered '10-year truce'

The bearded doctor stared from behind his glasses and defendedanother mass killing in monotonous, slightly robotic tones.

"We are very clear, our enemy continues to kill our civilians sothey should not expect us to stop the martyrdom operations," saidAbdel Aziz Rantisi, then the chief spokesman for Hamas.

With a single bodyguard, he sat in the living room of his modesthome in Gaza City as tea was handed to his visitors. Barely 24 hoursearlier, one of Rantisi's followers had walked into a pool hall inthe Israeli town of Rishon LeZion.

The Hamas operative carried a suitcase packed with explosives andlaced with ball bearings to increase its destructive power. Sixteenpeople died in the resulting blast.

To adopt Rantisi's chosen euphemism, this attack was another"martyrdom operation," executed at the height of the Palestinianuprising in May 2002.

At that time, Israel had not begun killing Hamas leaders one byone and Rantisi took few precautions. He would receive any journalistin his home, where Quranic verses hung from the walls.

Few visitors were searched, and every passerby in the streets ofGaza seemed to know where he lived.

Once seated on Rantisi's sofa, a visitor would hear him expound onthe Palestinian cause. His answers, delivered in English that was farfrom fluent, would bear no relation to the questions.

After the Rishon LeZion bombing, he claimed that Hamas had strucka military target. "We always targeted soldiers. Sometimes they werewearing civilian uniform, but they were soldiers," he said. Two 60-year-old women were among the dead.

Rantisi's inscrutable demeanor and robotic answers meant that itwas almost impossible to discern his true feelings.

Rantisi, who trained as a pediatrician in the 1970s but neverpracticed, traded in hard-line rhetoric. When Israel made a bungledattempt to kill Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the late Hamas leader, lastSeptember, Rantisi said "all Jews" were his targets.

He was one of the seven founding members of Hamas in 1988. Later,Rantisi spent years in Israeli jails and was among 400 militantsconsidered dangerous enough to be deported to Lebanon in 1992.

He became the chief spokesman for this group of exiles and rose tothe highest levels of the Hamas leadership when he returned to Gazafive years later.

For all his extreme rhetoric, Rantisi was also a realist who onlythree months ago offered Israel a "10-year truce" if it pulled backto its 1967 borders.

He dropped hints that the destruction of the state of Israel couldbe left to future generations.

Daily Telegraph

Save Meigs Field@head.letters:Save Meigs FieldBoard fails logic test Deluge of doctors Unfair to Ameritech An ounce of truth

The editorial "Time to reverse course on Meigs" [July 27] wasabsolutely factual and to the point. There are more business aircraftbeing produced than ever before, and the senseless destruction ofthe perfectly placed, 3,950-foot runway that can accommodate mostbusiness jets is absolutely without cause! The idea of another parkwhen acres of surrounding parkland remain rarely used and offer noattractions during the winter is insane.

What readers should be aware of are the mayor's most deviousactivities regarding the planned demise of Meigs Field during thepast few years. The candy counter has been removed, there is only anancient coffee machine available, restrooms are filthy and the once-beautiful terminal building, with a never-occupied restaurant on thesecond floor, has been allowed to remain in disrepair.

Landing fees have been tripled in the past few years and fuelprices are the highest in the country. The fixed-base operator whoservices Meigs is surly, and instead of welcoming business travelers,ignores them.

All this has resulted in decreased usage so the mayor can advisecity leaders that "Meigs isn't even busy anymore." The mayor shouldnot be allowed to determine the future of the airport. The easternseawall is crumbling so badly that half the aircraft parking spaceshave been unavailable.

This beautiful airport could be restored at little expense andshould be! It is part of Chicago and is important to the ever-increasing number of business air travelers.

Charles H. Wenk, member,

Illinois Aviation Advisory

Commission, Highland Park

I suggest instituting a standardized test for Chicago Board ofEducation administrators. The first question is this:

In the midst of a critical teacher shortage (3,000 teachers shortone month before school begins), to preclude consideration foremployment a large pool of talented, dedicated teachers who alreadylive right here simply because they have suburban addresses, while atthe same time expending precious resources to recruit teachers fromforeign countries thousands of miles away, is:

a) A brilliant excuse for a major boondoggle.

b) A textbook example of brainless, bureaucratic myopia.

c) Par for the course at the Board of Education.

d) All of the above.

In the spirit of the board's "teach for the test" educationalphilosophy, here's a helpful hint: It's the first answer.

Jim Morris, Evanston

Although I appreciate the value of regular annual checkups, at myage--almost 87--my experiences with the medical profession have beendisastrous.

As every driver knows, once you have one or more accidents, yourautomobile insurance goes up. The same is true for medicalmalpractice liability policies. So the friendly family physician--already plagued with overwhelming paperwork for Medicare, insurancecompanies, government agencies and other bureaucrats--must protecthimself or herself from often frivolous lawsuits by taking out theseextremely expensive policie

s.

So two things happen: The doctor passes on some of his new extraexpenses to his patients. To avoid any suspicion that he did not useevery possible precaution when treating a patient, he refers thatpatient to a great number of specialists--nobody should be able tosay he overlooked a problem.

Over the last few years, I was told to see an ophthalmologist, acolon specialist, a cardiologist, a urologist (who diagnosed prostatecancer), and I still feel as well as before I was exposed to allthese experts. I feel that I greatly contributed to the economy ofthe United States, since my doctors are collecting a fortune, and soare the laboratories that had to work up all those tests I had totake, and the pharmacies that sold me all those medicines prescribed--not to mention the manufacturers of prescription drugs.

Sometimes I think the Middle Ages healers who put bloodsuckingleeches on people's wounds and used herbs and various concoctionswere not so bad after all. At least they didn't have to fill outMedicare forms.

Hank R. Schwab, Douglas

I was disappointed because the Chicago Sun-Times chose to ignorethe facts of Ameritech's progress in serving our customers andinstead manufactured a sensationalized headline that was not at allsupported by your own survey or the facts ("Public hangs up onAmeritech," news story, July 27).

The facts are very clear: Ameritech continues to make significantprogress in serving its Illinois customers. The Illinois CommerceCommission and Citizens Utility Board have acknowledged thisprogress. Indeed, your story detailed how Ameritech is meeting ICCstandards for service this year.

Even your survey showed that a majority of customers ratedAmeritech service as above average. Fifty-four percent rated ourservice an "A" or "B." And 74 percent said service improved orremained at the same level. According to your survey, Ameritech rankssecond in customer satisfaction out of all utilities in the area.

We promised our customers that we would improve service and wetook dramatic steps to ensure the progress we have shown to date. Ina time when the news is filled with corporate downsizing and layoffs,Ameritech added more than 1,080 employees to its network organizationin Illinois alone. Our employees work hard every single day to ensureour customers receive quality service.

The truth is our customers are not hanging up. Rather, we haveheard their call and responded in full force.

Carrie J. Hightman,

president,

Ameritech Illinois

Regarding the letter ["Get with the program: Go metric," July 29],I can't help but notice something about the metric system. If themetric system is so good, why are 99 percent of the metric nationswelfare recipients of this old-fashioned, out-of-touch country?

Jim Reitmayer,

Antioch

Bomb Kills 49 in Iraqi City of Karbala

A female suicide bomber struck Shiite worshippers in the holy city of Karbala on Monday, an official and a witness said, killing at least 49 people and leaving pools of blood on the street leading to one of Iraq's most revered mosques.

The blast was the deadliest in a series of attacks that left at least 78 Iraqis dead, including six youths killed when mortar rounds slammed into a soccer field in eastern Baghdad.

Two U.S. soldiers also were killed Monday in a roadside bombing north of Baghdad, bringing the American death toll closer to 4,000 as the U.S.-led war enters its sixth year. At least 3,990 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

The violence marred overlapping trips by Vice President Dick Cheney and Sen. John McCain to Baghdad. Their visits were aimed at touting recent security gains and stressing Washington's long-term commitment to fighting insurgents in Iraq.

The U.S. Embassy and military issued a joint statement blaming al-Qaida in Iraq for the Karbala attack.

The bomber struck after the worshippers had gathered at a sacred historical site about half a mile from the golden domed shrine of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad who was killed in a seventh-century battle.

A police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information, said the attacker was a woman _ as did a witness.

The U.S. military described the attack as a suicide operation but put the casualty toll at 40 Iraqis killed and 65 wounded. The U.S. statement said the identity of the bomber remained unknown.

Brig. Gen. Raed Shakir Jawdat, Karbala's police chief, said 43 people were killed and 73 wounded. He denied it was a suicide attack, saying a bomb had been planted in the area.

Karim Khazim, the city's chief health official, put the death toll at 49 and said seven of those killed were Iranian pilgrims who had traveled to the holy site.

The discrepancies could not immediately be resolved.

AP Television News footage showed a man carefully picking up pieces of flesh and wires apparently from a fuse as evening prayer services were broadcast from loudspeakers nearby.

The witness, who did not identify himself, told AP Television News that a woman in the crowd had blown herself up.

If true, it would be among the deadliest attacks carried out by women during the Iraq conflict.

Female suicide bombers have been involved in at least 20 attacks or attempted attacks since the war began, including the grisly bombings of two pet markets in Baghdad that killed nearly 100 people last month.

The U.S. military has warned that insurgents are using female attackers because they can more easily avoid checkpoint searches and can hide the explosives under traditional all-encompassing black Islamic robes.

Police closed the area around the twin golden dome mosques and blocked all roads leading to the sites, which include tombs of Imam Hussein and his half brother, also a Shiite saint.

Ali Hassan, 30, a clothing merchant who was wounded in the blast, said he was standing near his stall "when I heard a big explosion and I felt strong fire throwing me in the air."

"The only thing I know is there was a big explosion and I saw bodies flying in the air," said Hassan Khazim, 36, who was wounded in the face. "All the tight security measures designed to protect us were in vain."

The predominantly Shiite city of Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad, enjoys tight security. Monday's attack was the deadliest in Karbala since a suicide car bomber killed at least 63 people on April 28, 2007.

Explosions also struck earlier Monday not far from the capital's heavily fortified Green Zone, shortly after Cheney arrived. Helicopter gunships circled central Baghdad.

Despite several high-profile bombings, violence levels have dropped sharply in recent months with a U.S. troop buildup, a Sunni revolt against al-Qaida in Iraq and a cease-fire by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia.

But noting the fragility of the security gains, Cheney warned against large drawdowns of American troops, saying it is very important that "we not quit before the job is done."

McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee who has linked his political future to military success in Iraq, also promised to uphold a long-term military commitment to the country so long as al-Qaida in Iraq is not defeated.

Both men met in back-to-back meetings with Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whose government has been accused of failing to make sufficient political progress.

Al-Maliki said he and the vice president discussed ongoing negotiations over a long-term security agreement between the two countries that would replace the U.N. mandate for foreign troops set to expire at the end of the year.

"This visit is very important. It is about the nature of the relations between the two countries, the future of those relations and the agreement in this respect," the prime minister told reporters. "We also discussed the security in Iraq, the development of the economy and reconstruction and terrorism."

McCain stressed it was important to maintain the U.S. commitment in Iraq, where a U.S.-Iraq operation is under way to clear al-Qaida in Iraq from what the military says is the terror group's last urban stronghold of Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad.

"We recognize that al-Qaida is on the run, but they are not defeated," McCain said after meeting al-Maliki. "Al-Qaida continues to pose a great threat to the security and very existence of Iraq as a democracy. So we know there's still a lot more of work to be done."

McCain, who arrived in Iraq on Sunday, told reporters that he also discussed with the Shiite leader the need for progress on political reforms, including laws on holding provincial elections and the equitable distribution of Iraq's oil riches.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., speaking to reporters from Kuwait after a visit to Iraq, said Iraq should begin picking up more of the bills.

"We're paying for things that Iraqis clearly should be paying for," Levin said. "They have the capability, the surplus funds to do their own reconstruction, and to do their own weapons purchases and other things which we're paying for and they need to pay for."

___

Associated Press writers Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Sameer N. Yacoub contributed to this report.

Factions vie for control of Bulgarian church here

Communism may have fallen in Eastern Europe, but its legacy stillhaunts St. Sophia Bulgarian Orthodox Church here.

Factions in the 8-year-old dispute for control of thecongregation at 3827 N. Lawndale squared off Tuesday in Cook CountyCircuit Court, arguing over local vs. hierarchical, spiritual vs.administrative rule.

One group of members, with the backing of the diocesan bishopfrom Akron, Ohio, filed suit asking that three defendants stop"interfering" with church operations and turn over its records andbank accounts.

Most importantly, they want the church declared under thereligious and canonical jurisdiction of the Bulgarian OrthodoxChurch, governed by Bishop Joseph Velichky of Akron.

Defendants contend the church is independent. They and othersfounded the St. Sophia Corp. in 1946 and erected the church in 1973in a former two-flat, free of hierarchical control, they said.

The bishop is at worst a communist agent or at best acollaborator, they contend. The hierarchy in Bulgaria, where he isfrom, aligned itself with the former government, they said.

Further, they contend the bishop was never elected by laity ofthe diocese as bylaws require, and St. Sophia members can - and have- hired and fired priests without hierarchical approval.

St. Sophia is the only Eastern Orthodox church in Chicagoserving Bulgarians. It is a community of a few thousand people,litigants said.

The case began in 1983 when a female parishioner accused theparish priest, the Rev. Valentine Notzkov, of sexual harassment.

A majority of members voted to oust Notzkov, the third priest tobe removed in about a decade.

The bishop got involved in the dispute, but was asked to leaveby some parishioners. He later order the removal of the church'sexecutive committee, named a new governing group and kept the priestin office.

A Circuit Court judge ruled in favor of the current plaintiffsin 1984, but was reversed in 1987 by the Illinois Appellate Court.Since then, two judges in the case have died. A gag order has beenin effect most of the time.

Accusations of communist collaboration and squabbles overproperty rights have plagued other Eastern Orthodox national churcheshere, especially the Serbs, for much the same reasons as those facingthe Bulgarians.

Illinois does have a statute recognizing "corporation sole,"which gives title to all church property to a local bishop. However,it applies only to the Roman Catholic Church.

The case is likely to be continued until the end of month toallow the bishop, currently in Bulgaria, to testify, said Sherman F.Jaffe, the plaintiffs' attorney.

Tiger shows world how not to be a player

I didn't want to say a word about Tiger Woods.

But that's all people keep asking me: "What's up with Tiger?"

Years ago, when Woods -- who was poised to rake in billions in endorsements for being the very best dark-skinned man ever to pick up a golf club -- married a nanny, I asked that same question.

It struck me as incredibly odd that Woods would tie his billion-dollar future to that of a part-time model and nanny.

The woman who caught Tiger, Elin Nordegren, was born in Stockholm, Sweden. She came to the U.S. with the wife of a Swedish golfer as an au pair, a fancy word for a nanny or baby-sitter.

I'm not saying Nordegren was a gold-digger. But she wasn't being introduced to broke men.

She was positioned to meet men with money -- and she did.

During the President's Cup in South Africa six years ago, Woods proposed to Nordegren at a luxury game reserve. At that time, she had been on one magazine cover and had held jobs as a clerk in a boutique and as a nanny.

You know how that must have made young, gifted and black women feel?

At the time, Woods was calling himself a "Cablinasian," a designation that stopped some people from referring to him as an African American.

But even those black women who cut Woods some slack for marrying Nordegren were shocked that every woman that has jiggled out of the closet in this sex scandal has been white.

NOT EVEN SCRAPS FOR A SISTER

The point, which is a bit bizarre, is that if Woods was going to cheat with that many women, couldn't he have cheated with at least one black woman?

Woods' appetite for white women who are cocktail waitresses, nightclub hostesses and porn and reality stars has some sisters buzzing.

It doesn't seem to matter that the women Woods messed around with were what black women would call "skanks."

For instance, Jamie Jungers, a 26-year-old who claims an 18-month affair with Woods, told a London publication that she was with Woods wearing "nothing but a pair of panties" when he learned that his 76-year-old father had died.

That's even worse than when South Carolina's disgraced governor, Mark Sanford, referred to his Argentinian mistress as his "soul-mate."

But Sanford had enough pull that he could keep his mistress out of sight while he publicly dealt with the collapse of his marriage.

The women Woods slept with were totally out-of-pocket, and he is getting what he deserves.

For one thing, Woods tried to be a player without knowing the rules.

Even old-school players know not to hook up with someone who doesn't have as much to lose as they do.

Wood's penchant for dipping down and picking up women beneath his social standing is really what is going to do him in.

All those steamy sex-texts he sent from his cell phone are now fogging up Nordegren's lawyer's office.

Those erotic notes, saved by women who obviously expected to get more than a good time out of the tryst, will cost Woods in endorsements.

Can the brand swing back?

Indeed, the faster the truth comes out, the faster his sponsors will flee.

Over the weekend, Accenture announced that Woods is no longer the right "representative for its advertising."

That deal was pegged around $7 million a year.

But there's another, and potentially bigger, problem for the Tiger Woods brand.

This sex scandal has him looking too much like a troubled black athlete.

Any day now, commentators are going to be dissing the great Tiger Woods as just another oversexed, irresponsible, spoiled black athlete.

Then, what Woods chooses to call himself will hardly matter.

Because when a "Cablinasian" marries a stunning white woman and publicly dogs her with a long list of other white women, he is going to pay for his shortcomings for a long time.

The more the public hears about Woods' tawdry private life, the less people are going to like him -- on and off the course.

He has put himself in a no-win situation.

So even if his wife forgives him for being such a hound, Tiger Woods' love affair with his public will never be the same.

Court lowers award for Loop flood damage

Chicago taxpayers will take a roughly $16 million hit, while Loopbusinesses are out $14 million, under a federal appellate courtdecision released Friday that reduces what insurers must pay for themassive 1992 Loop flood.

The opinion, written by U.S. Court of Appeals Judge FrankEasterbrook, slashes Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co.'s liability from$150 million to $40 million.

The city blamed Great Lakes for the flood when it drove a pilinginto a subterranean tunnel while doing repairs, eventually sendingChicago River water pouring into Loop basements.

The decision "wipes us out," said William Harte, who representsmore than 100 flood-damaged Loop businesses in a class actionlawsuit.

Harte vowed to appeal. The businesses still will be getting about$13 million from other settlements.

Bomb explodes outside Shiite mosque in Pakistan

Police say a bomb has exploded outside a Shiite mosque in northwest Pakistan, killing at least four people and wounding five.

Police officer Abdul Ghafoor said the bomb exploded near the outer wall of the mosque in Dera Ismail Khan as worshippers were leaving after Monday evening prayers.

The blast shattered the mosque's front wall and damaged its dome.

Police cordoned off the area as people sifted debris looking for survivors.

India, Pakistan see progress in resumed talks

NEW DELHI (AP) — High-level Indian and Pakistani officials held talks Tuesday against the backdrop of a recent terror attack that killed 20 people in India's financial capital.

Just five months after the nations resumed bilateral discussions, both countries said they viewed the efforts so far as positive and the groundwork for further improvement.

Tuesday's talks between both foreign secretaries lasted a few hours. The discussions were not detailed afterward but had been expected to focus on confidence-building measures including cross-border trade and visa protocols before the countries' foreign ministers meet Wednesday.

"This is essentially a preparatory round," Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told reporters before meeting Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir in New Delhi. "We had a very good meeting in Islamabad last month, and this has, in a sense, set the trend for our discussions here today."

The South Asian neighbors resumed talks in February after almost a two-year break following the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack in which 10 Pakistani gunmen killed 166 people.

In this month's attack, suspicion has fallen on the Indian Mujahideen, an Islamic militant group linked to Pakistan's Lashkar-e-Taiba that has claimed past attacks using similar explosives. Indian officials say they are still investigating the case, however, and it was not clear if India and Pakistan would be discussing it this week.

"We have every reason to be satisfied with our joint endeavors for the cause of peace and stability and for good relations between our two countries," Bashir said.

Since February, Indian and Pakistani officials have discussed a range of issues including terrorism threats, cooperation on the 2008 Mumbai attacks investigation and the divided Himalayan territory of Kashmir, which both sides claim in its entirety.

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told reporters Tuesday in Islamabad that the talks were the "only way forward to improve ties with India."

His newly installed foreign minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, said she hoped Wednesday's meeting with Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna is productive. The two are expected to review progress so far made on issues including security, water sourcing and commerce while also looking for ways to further boost cooperation.

It is in the "interest of Pakistan that the dialogue should be result-oriented," Khar told reporters in Lahore, Pakistan, before boarding a flight to Delhi. "We should be positive in our engagement, and we are."

India's defense minister also said the two sides would hopefully "be able to find a solution in the long run," but would plan for contingencies.

"We will continue dialogue on the one side and on the other side, we will strengthen our national security apparatus," Defense Minister A.K. Antony said.

___

Associated Press reporter Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.

Holdout juror at Blagojevich trial explains vote

The juror who was the lone holdout on some counts at former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's political corruption trial has said she had a responsibility to follow her conscience and that she stands by her vote.

"I could never live with myself if I went along with the rest of the jury," JoAnn Chiakulas told the Chicago Tribune in her first media interview since the trial ended. "I didn't believe it was the correct vote for me."

The jury last week deadlocked on 23 of 24 counts against Blagojevich and convicted him of lying to the FBI. On Thursday, Judge James Zagel said Blagojevich's retrial would start the week of Jan. 4. Prosecutors have dropped charges against the former governor's brother, Robert Blagojevich.

At the first trial, jurors deliberated for 14 days before the judge declared a mistrial on those 23 charges.

Rod Blagojevich is accused of attempting to sell or trade an appointment to President Barack Obama's former U.S. Senate seat.

Chiakulas said she did not believe Blagojevich committed a crime with regards to the seat. Blagojevich's recorded statements on the Senate vacancy were so disorganized that his actions did not amount to a criminal conspiracy, she said.

In voting him not guilty, however, Chiakulas stressed that she did not find him innocent.

"I thought he was narcissistic," she told the Tribune. "I thought he was all over the place. I thought he was just rambling."

The 67-year-old juror said she also became concerned because some key witnesses against Blagojevich had cut deals with prosecutors before testifying.

"Some people in (the jury room) only saw black and white," Chiakulas said. "I think I saw, in the transcripts and in the testimony, shades of gray. To me, that means reasonable doubt."

Being the holdout caused a great deal of stress, and Chiakulas said she suffered headaches and stomach pains.

"I can't explain how badly I felt," she said. "I didn't sleep at night. I thought about it on the train. I wanted to make sure my reasonable doubt was reasonable."

Elway reaches highest levels

MIAMI - This was not about Denver. This was not about Atlanta.This was not about Miami.

This was about Montana.

Of all the places represented here on a glorious evening Sunday,John Elway clutched and tugged and dramatically dragged us to theonemost unimaginable.To the man considered the greatest quarterback ever.To a point where we must now wonder if it is him.Creating as many memories as he summoned, a supposedly slippinghero turned a farewell party into a passionate, three-hour lecture.During a 34-19 victory by his Denver Broncos over the AtlantaFalcons in Super Bowl XXXIII, John Elway's voice carried through thebalmy south Florida sky like a hurricane warning."I'm not finished," he screamed with a pass that twirled 50 yardsbefore landing in the arms of Rod Smith for an eventual touchdown."Here's your weak link," he shouted with a 3-yard dive across thegrass through 300-pounders for another touchdown.These were the same sorts of words that Joe Montana, generallyconsidered the greatest quarterback ever, once used in games likethese.These were also his actions."This is a champion," Elway finally stated Sunday with a strolloff the field with 49 seconds remaining.His helmet was off so the 74,803 fans at Pro Player Stadium couldsee his messy blond hair and shining face. His arms were raised sothey could share his joy."That's the kind of walk you kind of dream of as a kid," he said."That's a walk I'll remember for the rest of my life."It was so perfect; near-flawless passing for 336 yards, his firstSuper Bowl MVP award, his second consecutive Super Bowl triumph, his16th year of trying"If it was me," said Denver center Tom Nalen, "you would never seeme anymore."That was the plan. Before the game, Elway was about 99 percentcertain that he was retiring afterward.Even standing on the sidelines during Cher's emotional renditionof the national anthem, tears trickling out the sides of his eyes,helooked like a man beginning one last slow walk."I thanked God I could be here," he said.But seemingly as quick as bullets to Smith and Shannon Sharpe inthe first 12 minutes that led to the Broncos' first touchdown, thatplan changed.Suddenly he wasn't 38, he was 28. And this was not a walk, it wasa sprint.Much later, Neil Smith grabbed Elway as he walked off the fieldfor the last time here and reminded him of his accomplishments.From the stands, you could see Elway turning Smith around andpatting him furiously on the back."I told him, 'Gimme some back to back, because we just did back toback,' " Smith said. "It was special."But it can be even more special.Now that his team has a chance to become the first in NFL historyto win three consecutive Super Bowls, now that a man who loveschallenges has just been presented with an ultimate oneIn the end, for a farewell party, this one set the unofficialrecord for fewest goodbyes."This definitely throws a kink in it," Elway said, placing theretirement on hold. "You've got to love those challenges."Indeed he does. If the world had forgotten this about Elway, theworld has now remembered.It started last week, the talk from the Falcons that they neededonly to stop Terrell Davis, the buzz that Elway had gone cold.Citing Elway's struggles in the AFC championship game against theNew York Jets, I agreed with the Falcons that Elway could be theirdownfall.By the end of the Broncos' first series, a touchdown drive inwhich he hit on 3-of-4 passes with one dropped ball for 67 yards,those words were worth far less than 25 cents."We heard all week that the Falcons were going to make John Elwaybeat them," said Rod Smith with a smile. "To me, in my opinion, thatwas just dumb. That was a challenge."Elway relished it, dodging the supposedly fearsome Atlantadefensive linemen even with no blockers in the backfield, dumpingenough passes to stun their tough linebackers.And, yes, he kicked a prone Eugene Robinson, the Atlanta safetywho was arrested Saturday night for soliciting a prostitute.Robinson was beaten or missed tackles on three key plays in thefirst half, including the 80-yard touchdown pass to Rod Smith.Said Elway: "I don't think we were doing anything to himspecifically, but, in this game, you take advantage of every littlething you have."Rod Smith translated that bit of political correctness with, "Iwas kind of happy when I heard what had happened to (Robinson),because we knew it might weigh on them a little bit."And to think, in typical Elway fashion, the touchdown play was noteven in the playbook. Elway noticed Robinson cheating to the line ofscrimmage, told the coaches, and they made the Falcons pay.After his sneak gave the Broncos a 31-6 lead early in the fourthquarter, Elway ran off the field pumping his fist like Kirk Gibsononce did.With 1:34 remaining, the fans erupted in the baseball-type chantof "El-way, El-way, El-way."About the only thing that didn't work was a final minutes pass toSmith that would have given Elway the 22 yards necessary to passMontana for the most single-game passing yards in Super Bowlhistory.Smith turned inside, Elway threw long and outside."My fault," said Elway, shrugging. "But I didn't know about therecord."It was Elway's inability to imitate Montana on this stage thatalways kept him in his shadow.The complexion has changed.Elway now has half of Montana's four Super Bowl victories, and hasplayed in one more Super Bowl game (five), and on Sunday finally wona Super Bowl MVP.Add this to career statistics that are matched only by title-freeDan Marino, and let the arguing begin.While Montana had the likes of Jerry Rice, John Taylor and RogerCraig, Elway succeeded Sunday by throwing to the likes of third-string tight end Byron Chamberlain and Howard Griffith, and handingto Derek Loville.Davis was often stopped. Sharpe left after the first quarter witha knee injury. Elway ruled."The best ever?" asked Denver veteran Seth Joyner. "You look atwhat both guys have worked with and, yeah, Elway had to beconsideredahead of Joe Montana."From a postgame interview podium, the supposedly slipping herosmiled, sighed and said, "I am just relishing the moment.""We'll see you tomorrow," said an official, ending postgameinterviews. "When you pick out your car.""Just what I need," said Elway, one of Denver's largest autodealers. "Another car."Then John Elway laughed. And despite security guards asking himto follow them to the locker room, he stayed right there.

Windies set to recall Gayle, Roach for quarters

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Chris Gayle and Kemar Roach are set to return to bolster the West Indies and Shivnarine Chanderpaul could be recalled to give the batting lineup some balance for Wednesday's World Cup quarterfinal against Pakistan.

Big-hitting Gayle missed Sunday's match against India with an abdominal strain, while fast bowler Roach has had a fever. Experienced batsman Chanderpaul was dropped for the losses to England and India in which West Indies' batting proved vulnerable.

West Indies captain Darren Sammy said Gayle and Roach practiced well on Tuesday, and that Chanderpaul, a renowned but cautious run accumulator, was "most likely" to be recalled against Pakistan.

"They participated in practice today, Kemar Roach bowled and Gayle batted, and obviously everybody is in good spirits," Sammy said. "I liked the way Chris was hitting balls in the nets.

"Chris is a very committed fellow, he will do whatever it takes to put the team in a position to win. So come tomorrow, I have no doubt he will do the best thing for the team."

West Indies missed Gayle and the experience of Chanderpaul in the losses to England and India. In both matches, the West Indies put themselves into a winning positions only to slump in late batting collapses.

Now Sammy's squad faces a Pakistan team buoyed by Saturday's win over defending champion Australia.

Chanderpaul "is part of the team, he has a big role to play in the quarterfinals, most likely we will see him feature in tomorrow's game," Sammy said. "He's continued to work in the nets. We have not counted Chanderpaul out."

The return of Roach and Chanderpaul will leave West Indies selectors with difficult decisions regarding team composition.

Ravi Rampaul replaced Roach and took five wickets against India in his first appearance in the showcase tournament. Legspinner Devendra Bishoo came in for Chanderpaul for the last two games and performed well in both.

Sammy wasn't giving away any clues as to the makeup of Wednesday's team.

"We will assess the conditions and discuss it amongst ourselves before finalizing the team," he said. "We will put out the best possible team, which can deal with the conditions. We will come up with the best combination to go out there and win the quarterfinal."

West Indies is back at the scene of its nine-wicket win over Bangladesh in the group stage, after which its team bus came under attack from angry home fans throwing stones, apparently believing the bus carried the Bangladesh team.

"Since we've been back here, we feel loved by the people," Sammy said. "Obviously it's unfortunate what happened but we've put that behind us. We know Bangladesh people, they support cricket."

Sammy said the team would find motivation from its performance against Bangladesh, when it skittled the hosts out a mere 58.

Asked if it might give his team an edge against Pakistan, Sammy replied: "I would say that, yes. I think it was a perfect demonstration of plans being executed on this ground. We'll be taking confidence from that and looking to go out there and put in an equally good performance."

Mickelson's emotional win a win for golf, too

Phil Mickelson was doing his best not to cry again as he slipped on another green jacket and tried to put into words things that he couldn't possibly put into words.

He had already shed a tear on the 18th green, though he wasn't alone. Anyone who knew the story had to shed a few, too, as Mickelson latched onto the tiny blonde woman who had been through so much and shared an embrace that neither seemed willing to end.

He had struggled on the golf course all year, but that meant nothing. Not compared to the struggles Amy Mickelson went through while battling breast cancer.

There would be plenty of time later to talk about the shot that will live in Masters lore, plenty of time to reflect on what a third title means to his career. As the fading sun added some drama to the victory ceremony on the practice putting green, though, Mickelson wanted to talk about something closer to his heart _ his wife.

"We've been through a lot this year; it means a lot to share some joy together," he said. "She's an incredible wife, an incredible mother. She's been an inspiration for me this past year, seeing what she's been through."

It couldn't have been more sincere. It could hardly have been more appropriate.

All week long the talk at the Masters was of another golfer and other women. The circus that surrounded Tiger Woods blew into town on Monday, and the tent was still up as the leaders teed off on a Sunday afternoon brimming with drama.

Mickelson hadn't been ignored, but he had certainly been overlooked. He wasn't alone, because the drama surrounding the comeback of Woods overshadowed the entire week at Augusta National.

Until early Sunday evening, that is. That's when the week that golf feared suddenly became the week golf fans will always remember.

It started with a shot a Vegas high-roller would have never dreamed of betting on. It ended with a scene so touching it washed away any lingering memories of the stain Woods had put on this Masters.

The man who stands for everything Woods doesn't stood wearing the green jacket Woods so desperately coveted. Even better, when he looked up on the 18th green, his wife _ who had been bed-ridden most of the week _ and his children were there to share it all with him.

"I was just really glad she was there," Mickelson said. "I wasn't sure if she was going to be there today. I knew she would be watching. I didn't know if she would be behind 18. To walk off the green and share that with her is very emotional for us."

If it was emotional for Mickelson, it was also therapeutic to golf. The throngs who crowded every hole as the leaders made their way around Augusta National may not have been quite sure how much emotion they were going to invest with Woods, but with Lefty there was no doubt.

They cheered him on every shot, pulled for him at every turn. And when he hit the shot on No. 13 no one will ever forget, they roared with delight.

The swashbuckler danced with danger and pulled it off. Mickelson couldn't help himself because, while the risk was great, the reward was even greater.

He could have lost this Masters, too, something caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay was thinking as he debated the wisdom of the shot with his boss of 18 years.

"I begged him to lay up on 13," Mackay said. "He said, 'Get out of the way.'"

Mickelson was in the pine needles off the right side of the 13th fairway with two large trees right in front of him and 207 yards to the hole. He had a 6-iron in hand, and a narrow chute of just a few feet to feed the ball through while making sure he hit it pure enough to clear the water in front of the green.

No one else would have even attempted it. Mickelson didn't give it a second thought.

"I just felt like at that time, I needed to trust my swing and hit a shot," Mickelson said, "and it came off perfect."

The ball flew out of the pine needles, settling just 4 feet from the hole. Mickelson missed the eagle putt but made the comebacker for birdie and didn't miss another shot the rest of the way in.

"It's one of those shots, really, that only Phil can pull off," playing partner Lee Westwood said. "Most people would've just chipped that out. But that's what great players do. They pull off great shots at the right time."

Indeed, the shot was a reminder of just what a great player Mickelson is. The other reminder is that he's now won four major championships, three of them at the place where he first broke through with a win in 2004 that broke a long scoreless streak in big tournaments.

That tournament will be remembered for the leap Mickelson took on the 18th green after sinking a 20-footer to win. He then scooped up his daughter, Amanda, and told her something she likely couldn't comprehend at the time.

"Daddy won!" he said. "Can you believe it?"

Amanda is 10 now, and Saturday night she had to have her wrist put in a splint because of a hairline fracture from a roller skating fall. Life isn't always perfect for the perfect family man, but that was a mere blip compared to the cancer issues both his mother and his wife face.

Mickelson, who has for the most part kept Amy's condition and treatment a private matter, said earlier this week that her long-term prognosis is very good, though she still deals with unspecified quality-of-life issues. Once a fixture in the crowd following Mickelson, she hasn't been on the course with him at a tournament since being diagnosed last year.

On this memorable day, she walked hand-in-hand with her husband off the 18th green, waving to everyone along the way. People stood and cheered, yelling out well wishes to both.

___

Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg(at)ap.org

Royals end losing stresa with win over Athletics

AP Worldstream
08-21-2005
Dateline: OAKLAND, California
The Kansas City Royals ended baseball's longest losing streak in 17 years Saturday, defeating the Oakland Athletics 2-1 to snap a club-record 19-game skid.

Emil Brown doubled in a run, Matt Stairs added an RBI groundout and Mike Wood (4-4) pitched five effective innings, helping the Royals stop their slide two shy of the American League record. They also ended a 12-game road losing streak that tied the franchise single-season mark.

It didn't come without a couple of bloopers that so defined the play of the lowly Royals for 23 days since their previous victory, a 6-5 win over the Chicago White Sox in 13 innings on July 27.

Kansas City (39-82), which owns the majors' worst record, beat A's ace Barry Zito (11-10) and got clutch outs when Oakland had a runner on third base with fewer than two outs in the fifth and sixth.

Mike MacDougal got four outs for his 15th straight save and 16th in 18 chances _ his first since July 24.

Angels 4, Red Sox 2

At Anaheim, California, rookie Ervin Santana took a two-hit shutout into the eighth inning, and Los Angeles beat Boston in a matchup of AL division leaders.

The loss was the sixth in 22 games for the Red Sox, who lead the New York Yankees by three games in the AL East. Boston will move Curt Schilling back into the rotation Thursday night in Kansas City, ending his inconsistent stint as the team's closer.

Santana (7-5) gave up five hits and two runs in 7 2-3 innings. Scot Shields allowed a two-run single to Edgar Renteria before striking out David Ortiz with two on to end the eighth.

Francisco Rodriguez worked the ninth for his 28th save.

Yankees 5, White Sox 0

At Chicago, Shawn Chacon throttled Chicago's punchless offense and Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run double as New York sent the White Sox to their seventh straight loss.

Chacon (2-1) allowed four hits in eight sharp innings for his second straight win, and the Yankees again beat former teammate Orlando Hernandez, who had a frustrating day.

El Duque was warned for throwing a pitch behind Rodriguez, committed his first two errors in 109 games and was also called for a balk. He gave up six hits and five runs _ four earned _ in six-plus innings.

Hernandez (8-6) lost to his former team for the second time this month. He's dropped three straight starts and five of six decisions.

Mariners 8, Twins 3, 10 innings

At Minneapolis, Richie Sexson hit a grand slam in the 10th inning, and Seattle snapped Minnesota's six-game winning streak.

Seattle rookie Felix Hernandez allowed five hits and struck out nine in eight innings. Sexson added a solo homer in the seventh and had five RBIs.

Jamal Strong led off the 10th with a pinch-hit triple off Matt Guerrier (0-2) and scored on Yuniesky Betancourt's single to give the Mariners the lead. Sexson removed all doubt with a bases-loaded blast _ his second grand slam of the season and eighth of his career.

The Mariners' six-run 10th snapped an 18 1-3 innings scoreless streak for Guerrier and a 23 2-3 innings scoreless streak for the Twins' bullpen and gave Seattle its fourth win in six games.

George Sherrill (2-2) pitched a scoreless inning for the win.

Indians 6, Orioles 1

At Cleveland, Cliff Lee remained unbeaten since July 8, pitching seven superb innings as Cleveland stayed with the rest of the AL wild-card pack by beating the Baltimore.

Lee (13-4) allowed one run and four hits, but only two after the first inning. The left-hander hasn't lost in his last seven starts, going 4-0.

Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez each hit a two-run homer off Rodrigo Lopez (12-7). Cleveland (67-56), which is 11 games over .500 for the second time, is 8 1/2 games behind AL Central-leading Chicago _ the closest the Indians have been since June 19.

The Orioles made four errors and bobbled several other balls, perhaps still feeling the effects of a 5-4 loss in 10 innings on Friday.

Devil Rays 4, Rangers 2

At St. Petersburg, Florida, Jorge Cantu homered and tied a career high with four RBIs, Scott Kazmir (7-8) allowed one run and struck out 10 in six innings, and Tampa Bay beat Texas.

Cantu hit a two-run homer in the fourth and drove in two more runs with a single one inning later. He has a team-best 19 homers and 81 RBIs.

Chad Orvella, Joe Borowski and Danys Baez, who pitched the ninth for his 28th save, completed Tampa Bay's fourth straight win. The Devil Rays have won seven of eight and are 22-12 since the All-Star break.

Gary Matthews and Alfonso Soriano homered for Texas, making the Rangers the third major league team with 200 homers in five consecutive seasons. The Rangers are 1-11 on a 13-game road trip.

Tigers 3, Blue Jays 2, 13 innings

At Detroit, Magglio Ordonez doubled in the winning run with one out in the 13th inning, leading Detroit past Toronto for its third straight victory.

Placido Polanco singled off Miguel Batista (5-4) to open the inning, then moved to second when Chris Shelton walked. Ordonez's hit sailed over left fielder Reed Johnson to the wall.

Franklyn German (4-0) worked the last 1 1-3 innings for the Tigers, who have won six of seven.

Tigers starter Jason Johnson gave up two runs _ one earned _ and four hits in eight innings. It was the eighth time in 25 starts Johnson has worked at least eight innings.

Copyright 2005, AP News All Rights Reserved
Royals end losing stresa with win over Athletics
AP Worldstream
08-21-2005
Dateline: OAKLAND, California
The Kansas City Royals ended baseball's longest losing streak in 17 years Saturday, defeating the Oakland Athletics 2-1 to snap a club-record 19-game skid.

Emil Brown doubled in a run, Matt Stairs added an RBI groundout and Mike Wood (4-4) pitched five effective innings, helping the Royals stop their slide two shy of the American League record. They also ended a 12-game road losing streak that tied the franchise single-season mark.

It didn't come without a couple of bloopers that so defined the play of the lowly Royals for 23 days since their previous victory, a 6-5 win over the Chicago White Sox in 13 innings on July 27.

Kansas City (39-82), which owns the majors' worst record, beat A's ace Barry Zito (11-10) and got clutch outs when Oakland had a runner on third base with fewer than two outs in the fifth and sixth.

Mike MacDougal got four outs for his 15th straight save and 16th in 18 chances _ his first since July 24.

Angels 4, Red Sox 2

At Anaheim, California, rookie Ervin Santana took a two-hit shutout into the eighth inning, and Los Angeles beat Boston in a matchup of AL division leaders.

The loss was the sixth in 22 games for the Red Sox, who lead the New York Yankees by three games in the AL East. Boston will move Curt Schilling back into the rotation Thursday night in Kansas City, ending his inconsistent stint as the team's closer.

Santana (7-5) gave up five hits and two runs in 7 2-3 innings. Scot Shields allowed a two-run single to Edgar Renteria before striking out David Ortiz with two on to end the eighth.

Francisco Rodriguez worked the ninth for his 28th save.

Yankees 5, White Sox 0

At Chicago, Shawn Chacon throttled Chicago's punchless offense and Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run double as New York sent the White Sox to their seventh straight loss.

Chacon (2-1) allowed four hits in eight sharp innings for his second straight win, and the Yankees again beat former teammate Orlando Hernandez, who had a frustrating day.

El Duque was warned for throwing a pitch behind Rodriguez, committed his first two errors in 109 games and was also called for a balk. He gave up six hits and five runs _ four earned _ in six-plus innings.

Hernandez (8-6) lost to his former team for the second time this month. He's dropped three straight starts and five of six decisions.

Mariners 8, Twins 3, 10 innings

At Minneapolis, Richie Sexson hit a grand slam in the 10th inning, and Seattle snapped Minnesota's six-game winning streak.

Seattle rookie Felix Hernandez allowed five hits and struck out nine in eight innings. Sexson added a solo homer in the seventh and had five RBIs.

Jamal Strong led off the 10th with a pinch-hit triple off Matt Guerrier (0-2) and scored on Yuniesky Betancourt's single to give the Mariners the lead. Sexson removed all doubt with a bases-loaded blast _ his second grand slam of the season and eighth of his career.

The Mariners' six-run 10th snapped an 18 1-3 innings scoreless streak for Guerrier and a 23 2-3 innings scoreless streak for the Twins' bullpen and gave Seattle its fourth win in six games.

George Sherrill (2-2) pitched a scoreless inning for the win.

Indians 6, Orioles 1

At Cleveland, Cliff Lee remained unbeaten since July 8, pitching seven superb innings as Cleveland stayed with the rest of the AL wild-card pack by beating the Baltimore.

Lee (13-4) allowed one run and four hits, but only two after the first inning. The left-hander hasn't lost in his last seven starts, going 4-0.

Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez each hit a two-run homer off Rodrigo Lopez (12-7). Cleveland (67-56), which is 11 games over .500 for the second time, is 8 1/2 games behind AL Central-leading Chicago _ the closest the Indians have been since June 19.

The Orioles made four errors and bobbled several other balls, perhaps still feeling the effects of a 5-4 loss in 10 innings on Friday.

Devil Rays 4, Rangers 2

At St. Petersburg, Florida, Jorge Cantu homered and tied a career high with four RBIs, Scott Kazmir (7-8) allowed one run and struck out 10 in six innings, and Tampa Bay beat Texas.

Cantu hit a two-run homer in the fourth and drove in two more runs with a single one inning later. He has a team-best 19 homers and 81 RBIs.

Chad Orvella, Joe Borowski and Danys Baez, who pitched the ninth for his 28th save, completed Tampa Bay's fourth straight win. The Devil Rays have won seven of eight and are 22-12 since the All-Star break.

Gary Matthews and Alfonso Soriano homered for Texas, making the Rangers the third major league team with 200 homers in five consecutive seasons. The Rangers are 1-11 on a 13-game road trip.

Tigers 3, Blue Jays 2, 13 innings

At Detroit, Magglio Ordonez doubled in the winning run with one out in the 13th inning, leading Detroit past Toronto for its third straight victory.

Placido Polanco singled off Miguel Batista (5-4) to open the inning, then moved to second when Chris Shelton walked. Ordonez's hit sailed over left fielder Reed Johnson to the wall.

Franklyn German (4-0) worked the last 1 1-3 innings for the Tigers, who have won six of seven.

Tigers starter Jason Johnson gave up two runs _ one earned _ and four hits in eight innings. It was the eighth time in 25 starts Johnson has worked at least eight innings.

Copyright 2005, AP News All Rights Reserved

Taming terrorism // Technology alone not the answer

It's 6:22 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, 1983, in Beirut. Near theinternational airport, hundreds of U.S. marines are asleep in alightly guarded, four-story office building they call the BeirutHilton.

A yellow, 2 1/2-ton Mercedes-Benz stakebed truck passes aLebanese army checkpoint and rolls into a public parking lot in frontof the building. It accelerates, careens easily through aconcertina-wire obstacle, and as two marine sentries fumble withunloaded M-16 rifles, the smiling driver speeds past them, crashesthrough the sergeant-of-the-guard shack and comes to a stop in thelobby of the Beirut Hilton.

Some experts believe a cheap electrical relay, like those inpinball …

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Philip Kamrass/Times Union

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In a letter to Governor …

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Quick Hits

MONDAY MEANDERINGS

BEARS 'O' SUCKING WIND

Going for a stroll on the treadmill and watching the Bears' first-half offense Saturday night, Quick Hits had a tough time figuring out which was a bigger exercise in futility.

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- A safety on a blocked punt and a punt return for a touchdown against the Seahawks. The Bears need to figure out how to have their special-teams units on the field more often.

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- …

Pierre Fabre Seeks EMEA Nod for Milnacipran in Fibromyalgia.

BioWorld International Correspondent

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The application follows the Castres, France-based company's presentation of positive results from a pivotal Phase III trial of the drug in Europe.

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