2004 Nissan Titan

Nothing like seeing a vehicle's engine made right before driving it. After touring the Echerd, Tennessee engine plant I was then tossed the keys to a 2004 Titan Kingcab. I was still taking a moment to consider the overall morale in the plant, which I found strikingly positive.

The positive attitudes of Nissan's workers in Tennessee really seem to translate to the product.

Like any truck the power plant is paramount to the overall feel of the vehicle and this one was as much fun as some rear-drive pony cars.

With the window open the exhaust noise is exactly what you'd expect a North American truck consumer would be seeking.

The exhaust tones aren't the only …

Springs appears unlikely for Redskins vs. Eagles

The Washington Redskins likely will be without two defensive starters for Sunday's NFC East game against the Philadelphia Eagles: Shawn Springs and Jason Taylor.

Cornerback Springs didn't practice Thursday because of a strained calf muscle. He joined defensive end Taylor as players receiving a pessimistic assessment from coach Jim Zorn.

"Just with his calf, it's not responding well yet," Zorn said. "The light is fading if we're expecting him to play on Sunday."

Springs contained Terrell Owens in last week's victory over the Cowboys before leaving in the second half. Carlos Rogers and Fred Smoot would be the starters if Springs …

Bont edged out in derby

KIDWELLY returned to Swalec National League action with a 19-5win over Pontyberem in the Gwendraeth Valley derby.

Jason Smith scored a try with Leighton Walters kicking 14 points.Casper Jones crossed for the …

Democrats Push Columbia on Terror Groups

BOGOTA, Colombia - Top Democratic lawmakers, including presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Chris Dodd, have urged Colombia to reverse the "infiltration" of murderous paramilitary groups at high government levels or risk losing $700 million a year in aid.

In a strongly worded letter sent last month to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, eight senators expressed "grave concern regarding the infiltration of important Colombian state institutions by terrorists and drug traffickers."

A copy of the letter was released by Sen. Dodd's office on Friday, just before President Alvaro Uribe was to appear in New York for a dinner honoring former President Clinton, part of a …

Sharks-Ducks, Sums

San Jose 1 1 0 0_2
Anaheim 0 1 1 0_3
Anaheim won shootout 2-0
First Period_1, San Jose, Mitchell 1 (Grier, Roenick), 10:32. Penalties_Schneider, Ana (hooking), 5:23	Huskins, Ana (hooking), 8:03	Anaheim bench, served by Mowers (too many men), 16:02.
Second Period_2, Anaheim, Getzlaf 5 (Perry, Schneider), 12:30. 3, San Jose, Thornton 6 (Rivet, Pavelski), 19:15 (pp). Penalties_Vlasic, SJ (holding), 13:05	Getzlaf, Ana (tripping), 17:37.
Third Period_4, Anaheim, …

Fiery attack by football fans draws inquiry

Police in the northern Italian city of Bergamo were working Thursday to identify about 500 football fans who attacked a political rally to protest a controversial fan ID card system being introduced this season.

Atalanta supporters launched small bombs and flares late Wednesday night at the event, whose speakers included Interior Minister Roberto Maroni _ who pushed for the new ID system _ and two other ministers.

The ANSA news agency reported that two police cars and three other vehicles were set on fire.

One officer suffered a leg injury and two other police …

Activity of a Two-Domain Antifreeze Protein Is Not Dependent on Linker Sequence

ABSTRACT

The reported NMR structure of RD3, a naturally occurring two-domain antifreeze protein, suggests that the two nearly identical domains are oriented to allow simultaneous binding of their active regions to the ice surface. It is implied that the nine residues linking the two domains play a role in this alignment, but this has not been established. We have designed and expressed a modified form of RD3 that replaces the nine-residue linker with a generic sequence of one serine and eight glycine residues to test the importance of the linker amino acid sequence. The modified linker is shown to have significantly different characteristics compared to the original linker. …

World Cup Results

Results Saturday from a World Cup cross-country ski meet:

Women

10 kilometers, classic style

1. Virpi Kuitunen, Finland, 28 minutes, 10.5 seconds.

2. Aino Kaisa Saarinen, Finland, 9.3 seconds behind.

3. Therese Johaug, Norway, 17.6.

4. Claudia Nystad, Germany, 19.0.

5. Justyna Kowalczyk, Poland, 28.0.

6. Riitta-Liisa Roponen, Finland, 37.2.

7. Marit Bjorgen, Norway, 39.9.

8. Petra Majdic, Slovenia, 41.4.

9. Ingrid Aunet Tyldum, Norway, 41.9.

…

Aerobics class

KINGSDOWN: A step aerobics class is held at Kingsdown Spor …

Sulzer Textil G6300F successfully launched into the market

At ITMA Asia in October 2001, Sulzer Textil Limited unveiled the G6300F, the prototype of a new terry loom based on the proven 6300 rapier loom. Since it was launched into the market in April this year, numerous leading terry weavers in Europe and Asia have opted for the G6300F, a clear indication that its exemplary performance and excellent patterning options, in combination with top fabric quality, have quickly convinced buyers.

Wherever top-quality, …

Tony Kanaan makes up for bad luck by cruising to victory at Richmond Indy race

Brazilian Tony Kanaan took advantage of an out-of-sequence pit stop by front-running teammate Marco Andretti to run away with the SunTrust Indy Challenge on Saturday for his first victory of the season.

On a night when half of the 26 cars in the largest IndyCar Series field at Richmond International Raceway went home damaged, pole-sitter Kanaan got some overdue good fortune, avoiding the near-constant mayhem caused by a record-tying nine caution flags and coasting to his 13th career IndyCar victory.

The victory came a week after Kanaan led 71 laps at Iowa before crashing, absorbing what he said was one of the hardest hits of his life and his latest …

Lost job? No insurance? Get free care at Walgreens

Anyone who lost his or her job Tuesday or who becomes jobless this year and has no health insurance can get free health services at Walgreen Co.'s in-store clinics.

The offer by Walgreens "Take Care" clinics, good through the rest of the year, includes free treatment of colds, sinus infections, strep throat, seasonal allergies, pink eye, poison ivy and other routine treatments from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through …

Dems' plea to core voters: We need you fired up

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats desperately need other Democrats — to vote.

With midterm elections in just six weeks — and Republicans fired up and ready to go — Democratic leaders are pushing issues that resonate with their constituencies, from trying to repeal the ban on gays serving openly in the military to allowing thousands of young illegal immigrants who attend college or join the military to become legal U.S. residents.

Democrats also have expressed outrage over Republican-aligned, big-money shadow groups. And they're intensifying efforts to reach out to their core backers.

"This is the time that counts," an equally fired-up President Barack Obama told Democratic donors Monday in Philadelphia as he harkened back to the energy in his 2008 campaign. "I want all of you to remind yourselves why you got involved and why you care deeply and not lose heart. But gird yourself for a battle that's worth fighting."

Two days earlier, Obama urged the Congressional Black Caucus to redouble its efforts: "I need everybody here to go back to your neighborhoods, to go back to your workplaces, to go to the churches and go to the barbershops and go to the beauty shops. And tell them we've got more work to do."

His appeal to the bedrock groups of the Democratic Party comes in the homestretch of an election season in which Republicans are poised to gain seats in the House, possibly seizing control, and the Senate. Polls show Democrats far less excited about the Nov. 2 elections than Republicans are, while independent voters tilt heavily toward the GOP. The onus is on Democrats to mobilize their core constituencies — minorities and die-hard Democrats among them — to show up at the polls.

"It's going to be very hard to win if the base doesn't turn out in big numbers," said Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent who votes with Democrats. Given the landscape, he said: "Democrats have to try to change the minds of some independents, and that's going to be hard. So, the main priority of Democrats, to avoid what could be a disastrous election, is to bring out the Democratic voters."

A recent Gallup poll shows that among self-identified members of each party, 47 percent of Republicans say they were very enthusiastic about voting while 28 percent of Democrats say the same. Republicans also now have a 55 percent to 33 percent advantage among independent voters.

Efforts by Obama and his beleaguered Democrats to rallying dispirited foot soldiers have been clear over the past week.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, locked in a close race in his home state of Nevada, dangled before the party immigration legislation that Democratic-leaning Hispanics favor. And, with the White House's support, the Democratic-held Senate forced a vote Tuesday on repealing the law banning gays from serving openly in the military, a priority for gay-rights advocates.

But neither effort went anywhere. Reid never did more than promise to try to get the Senate to act on immigration, and Senate Republicans blocked the "don't ask, don't tell" legislation in a defeat for Democrats and gay rights advocates.

Despite the failure, Democrats, nonetheless, sent a message to their rank and file: We're working for you, now work for us.

Republicans painted Democrats as desperately playing election-year politics.

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, chairman of the committee in charge of electing Senate Republicans, accused Democrats of "a blatant attempt to score last-minute votes just weeks before an election." He added, "These tactics are an insult to millions of Americans."

And Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said, "In Sen. Reid and the Democrats' zeal to get re-elected, this is a cynical ploy to try to galvanize and energize their base."

Reid, in turn, castigated the GOP for blocking the defense legislation on which he had hoped to attach the immigration and gay-rights measures, saying, "Republicans are again playing politics with our national security."

At the White House, Obama and his aides have spent the past week hammering Republicans anew for blocking legislation aimed at limiting the amount of money corporations and unions can spend on campaign advertising.

"It's politics at its worst," chided Obama in his weekly Internet and radio address last Saturday. He said Republicans want to "ride this wave of unchecked influence all the way to victory."

White House aides have been playing off that theme, vociferously objecting to GOP-aligned outside groups with anonymous donors who are spending millions to run negative advertising in Senate races across the country without having to disclose their identities.

Democratic officials say they hope the pitch will help motivate what many Democrats acknowledge is a moribund base, and, perhaps, persuade at least some independents to vote against Republicans.

From the White House to Capitol Hill, Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her top lieutenants also have been granting interviews to black and Hispanic media as well as other outlets whose listeners and viewers are heavily Democratic.

And starting next week, the president will participate in the first of four big-city rallies in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Nevada aimed at once again firing up backers of his 2008 presidential campaign.

The efforts to stoke the Democratic base are a striking turnaround from the last two national elections, when it was Republicans who were depressed and seeking to fire up enough of their core constituents in the campaign's final weeks to fend off Democrats. They didn't succeed; Democrats attracted wide swaths of voters to rise to power in Congress in 2006 and the White House in 2008.

Israel Frees 57 Palestinian Prisoners

BEITUNIYA CHECKPOINT, West Bank - Dozens of freed Palestinian prisoners kissed the ground at this West Bank checkpoint after Israel released them in a gesture to President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of a U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference.

As the 57 prisoners headed home, Israel said it was moving forward with plans to open a new West Bank police headquarters, despite U.S. concerns that development in the area harms prospects for establishing a viable Palestinian state. The Palestinians accused Israel of undermining new peace efforts.

The prisoners arrived at the army's Beituniya checkpoint, near the West Bank city of Ramallah, after a two-hour journey from the Ketziot prison in southern Israel.

They got off Israeli buses, kissed the asphalt, and then boarded a Palestinian bus. An ecstatic crowd of waiting relatives clapped and waved Palestinian flags.

Israel was expected to free 30 other prisoners in the Gaza Strip on Monday, but the release was delayed without explanation.

Most of the prisoners slated for release Monday are from the West Bank, which is controlled by Abbas and his government of moderates. The others are residents of Gaza, which has been ruled by Hamas since June, when they defeated the forces of Abbas' Fatah movement and took control of the coastal territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced the release - the second since July - as part of his strategy to support Abbas in his power struggle with Hamas. The prisoners are mostly members of Fatah, along with several who belong to smaller Palestinian factions. None belong to Hamas.

Israel is holding around 11,000 Palestinian prisoners, and their release is a central Palestinian demand. While many of those freed Monday were serving time for militant activity, none was convicted of killing or injuring Israelis.

Among those released was 66-year-old Rakad Salim, who served five years of an eight-year sentence for distributing millions of dollars from the late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to Palestinian militants and their families. His relatives and supporters held up pictures of Saddam and kissed and hugged him after he got off the bus.

"I feel that I am a new man, enjoying my freedom," said a smiling Salim. "This release is not enough, but we hope it is the beginning of emptying all the (Israeli) prisons."

The prisoners later traveled to a security compound in Ramallah, where they laid a wreath at the tomb of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

In Gaza, Israeli troops shot and wounded a 14-year-old who was waiting with hundreds of Palestinians at the Erez crossing for their relatives to be released, medics and witnesses said.

The Israeli troops began firing from watchtowers when the Palestinians began approaching a no man's zone separating Gaza from Israel, the witnesses said. The military said troops opened fire at Palestinians who approached army positions at Erez and ignored warning shots.

Hamas called Monday's prisoner release insignificant.

"We congratulate the prisoners," said Mohammed al-Mudhoun a senior aid to Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Hamas government in Gaza. "We consider this ... a humiliation for the leadership in Ramallah that considers this humble number a great achievement."

Palestinians with relatives in Israeli prisons gathered at the Red Cross offices in Gaza City, holding photographs of their loved ones.

One mother, Fatima Kaisi, said her 24-year-old son, Mohammed, is serving a 250-year sentence for involvement in the radical militant group Islamic Jihad.

"I'm happy for the mothers who are getting their sons back today, but the leaders have to know that there are hundreds of mothers and families still waiting to meet with their loved ones," Kaisi said.

Israeli troops killed two Hamas militants in Gaza on Monday in a gunbattle, Hamas said. The Israeli military said troops shot two armed Palestinian militants who attacked soldiers just inside Gaza. One soldier was slightly wounded by gunfire, the military said.

Olmert and Abbas are slated to meet Wednesday. The two leaders are trying to draft a joint vision of a peace deal to be presented at a peace conference expected to be held in November in Annapolis, Md.

The Palestinians want a detailed framework agreement, while Israel wants a statement that is shorter and more vague.

But even with peace efforts gaining speed, Israeli officials said they were determined to open the new West Bank police headquarters in an area just east of Jerusalem known as E-1.

The U.S. has blocked past Israeli efforts to develop the five-square-mile area. Plans envision 3,500 homes, hotels and an industrial park.

The E-1 project, if completed, would effectively cut off eastern Jerusalem, the Palestinians' hoped-for capital, from the West Bank hinterland. Palestinians and Israeli human rights groups accuse Israel of trying to consolidate control over West Bank land east of Jerusalem, with the help of a separation barrier and new highways.

Israel's public security minister, Avi Dichter, told the Haaretz daily that police officers would move to the new building by the end of 2007. Haaretz quoted Dichter as saying Israel was not seeking U.S. consent.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat warned that Israel is undermining fledgling peace efforts.

US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,114

As of Monday, July 7, 2008, at least 4,114 members of the U.S. military have died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

The figure includes eight military civilians killed in action. At least 3,353 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

The AP count is two fewer than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Monday at 10 a.m. EDT.

The British military has reported 176 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 21; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia and Georgia, three each; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand, Romania, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, South Korea, one death each.

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The latest deaths reported by the military:

_ No deaths reported.

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The latest identifications reported by the military:

_ Army Sgt. 1st Class Anthony L. Woodham, 37, Rogers, Ark.; died Saturday of injuries suffered in a non-combat incident at Camp Adder in Tallil; assigned to the 39th Brigade Support Battalion, 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Arkansas Army National Guard, Heber Springs, Ark.

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On the Net:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/

Aggregation of nucleosomes by divalent cations

ABSTRACT Conditions of precipitation of nucleosome core particles (NCP) by divalent cations (Ca^sup 2+^ and Mg^sup 2+^) have been explored over a large range of nucleosome and cation concentrations. Precipitation of NCP occurs for a threshold of divalent cation concentration, and redissolution is observed for further addition of salt. The phase diagram looks similar to those obtained with DNA and synthetic polyelectrolytes in the presence of multivalent cations, which supports the idea that NCP/NCP interactions are driven by cation condensation. In the phase separation domain the effective charge of the aggregates was determined by measurements of their electrophoretic mobility. Aggregates formed in the presence of divalent cations (Mg^sup 2+^) remain negatively charged over the whole concentration range. They turn positively charged when aggregation is induced by trivalent (spermidine) or tetravalent (spermine) cations. The higher the valency of the counterions, the more significant is the reversal of the effective charge of the aggregates. The sign of the effective charge has no influence on the aspect of the phase diagram. We discuss the possible reasons for this charge reversal in the light of actual theoretical approaches.

INTRODUCTION

Nucleosome core particles are the structural units of eukaryotic chromatin. They are formed by the association of a 146-bp DNA fragment coiled around a protein octamer composed of four different histones (H2a, H2b, H3, H4). The particle has the shape of a cylinder, 110 A in diameter and 60 A thick. Its structure has been determined with high resolution (LUger et al., 1997; Harp et al., 2000) with the exception of parts of the histone tails, which are highly positively charged and protrude from the particle. These nucleosome core particles are linked together by DNA to form ordered nucleosomal arrays, which are themselves highly compacted into chromatin by association with HI histones and other proteins. However, chromatin is not a homogeneous and frozen structure. Cells regulate chromatin folding both temporally and spatially, and histones are dynamic components involved in this regulation through posttranslational modifications (including acetylation, phosphorylation, methylations, etc.) which may take place on the histone tails. Many proteins have been shown to be involved in this remodeling of chromatin, which is suspected to be of great importance in the regulation of transcription or induction of mitosis for instance (Strahl and Allis, 2000). The compaction of chromatin arrays has also been extensively studied in vitro. It has been demonstrated that the polyelectrolyte character of DNA, nucleosome, and chromatin was responsible for the compaction of the fiber (Widom, 1986; Clark and Kimura, 1990). It was shown also that the condensation of the fiber can be achieved by addition of cations in the absence of HI histones, but the integrity of the histone tails is absolutely required (Fletcher and Hansen, 1996; Widom, 1998). The presence of divalent cations is also necessary to reach the ultimate states of condensation of the fiber. Nevertheless, numerous questions remain open due to the complexity of the system.

In the present work we investigate the polyelectrolyte properties of solutions of isolated nucleosome core particles over the range of ionic conditions maintaining the stability of the nucleoprotein complexes. NCP can be viewed as colloids whose charges are heterogeneously distributed at the surface of the particle: negative charges carried by the DNA phosphate groups and positive charges carried by the lysine and arginine residues on the histone tails. We analyzed the effects of divalent cations Mg^sup 2+^ and Ca^sup 2+^, which are widely distributed in biological systems and play an important role in many enzymatic activities related to replication, transcription, and recombination. These divalent cations can induce the compaction of the chromatin fiber (Widom, 1986) but are inefficient in condensing pure DNA in aqueous solution (Bloomfield et al., 1994, 2000). We show that both cations may induce the aggregation of isolated NCP under defined ionic conditions and we question the reasons for this aggregation. Indeed, the stability of the solutions of negatively charged polyelectrolytes in the presence of added multivalent salts depends on the chemical nature of the functional groups carrying the polyion charges and on their interaction with the cations. Two different mechanisms have been proposed to explain the aggregation phenomenon observed at low ionic strength in solutions of polyelectrolytes (Oosawa, 1971; Record et al., 1978). They correspond to two extreme cases depending on the value of the chemical affinity constant between the charged groups and the cations. For a low affinity, the electrostatic interaction leads to the counterion condensation in the vicinity of the macroion. In this case, the aggregation phenomenon is due to the electrostatic interaction resulting from the counterion condensation. On the opposite, for a strong affinity, a specific interaction of the multivalent cation at a particular binding site of the polyelectrolyte leads to the formation of a complex. This chemical association is thought to produce a hydrophobic complex by dehydration of the cation and of the charged group (Sabbagh and Delsanti, 2000). For an intermediate value of the affinity constant, in a static approximation, site-specific binding and condensed states can coexist.

The conditions of precipitation of nucleosome core particles have been determined experimentally and compared to the previous results obtained with spermine (4+) (Raspaud et al., 1999). The role of the electrostatic interactions in the aggregation phenomena is analyzed. Moreover, we have investigated by electrophoretic measurements the effects of the addition of multivalent cations on the effective charge of the aggregates, which let us get information on the repulsion between the nucleosome core particles, for the different added salt concentrations.

[Reference]

REFERENCES

[Reference]

Bloomfield, V. A., D. M. Crothers, and I. Tinoco, Jr.. 2000. Polymer and polyelectrolyte behavior of DNA. In Nucleic Acids: Structures, Properties and Functions. V. A. Bloomfield, D. M. Crothers, and I. Tinoco, Jr., editors. University Science Books, Mill Valley, CA.

Bloomfield, V. A., C. Ma, and P. G. Arscott. 1994. Role of multivalent cations in condensation of DNA. In Macro-Ion Characterization from Diluted Solutions to Complex Fluids. K. S. Schitz, editor. American Chemical Society Symposium Series Vol. 548, American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C. 195-209.

Clark, D. J., and T. Kimura. 1990. Electrostatic mechanism of chromatin folding. J. Mol. Biol. 211:883-896.

Delsanti, M., J. P. Dalbiez, 0. Spalla, L. Belloni, and M. Drifford. 1994. Phase diagram of polyelectrolyte solutions in the presence of multivalent salts. In Macro-Ion Characterization from Diluted Solutions to Complex Fluids. K. S. Schmitz, editor. ACS Symp. Ser. 548:381-392.

Fletcher, T. M., and J. C. Hansen. 1996. The nucleosomal array: structure/ function relationships. Crit. Rev. Eukaryotic Gene Expression. 6:149-188.

[Reference]

Harp, J. M., B. L. Hanson, D. E. Timm, and G. J. Bunick. 2000. Asymmetries in the nucleosome. Acta Crystallogr. D. 56:1513-1534.

Khrapunov, S. N., A. I. Dragan, A. V. Sivolob, and A. M. Zagariya. 1997. Mechanism of stabilizing nucleosome structure. Study of dissociation of histone octamer from DNA. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1351:213-222.

Leforestier, A., and F. Livolant. 1997. Liquid crystalline ordering of nucleosome core particles under macromolecular crowding conditions: evidence for a discotic columnar hexagonal phase. Biophys. J. 73: 1771-1776.

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Long, D., A. V. Dobrynin, M. Rubinstein, and A. Adjari. 1998. Electrophoresis of polyampholytes. J. Chem. Phys. 108:1234-1244.

Linger, K., A. W. Mader, R. K. Richmond, D. F. Sargent, and T. J. Richmond. 1997. Crystal structure of the nucleosome core particle at 2.8 A resolution. Nature. 389:251-260.

Manning, G. S. 1978. The molecular theory of polyelectrolyte solutions with applications to the electrostatic properties of polynucleotides. Q. Rev. Biophys. 11:179-246.

Nguyen, T. T., I. Rouzina, and B. I. Shklovskii. 2000. Reentrant condensation of DNA induced by multivalent counterions. J. Chem. Phys. 112:2562-2568.

[Reference]

Olvera de la Cruz, M. L. Belloni, M. Delsanti, J. P. Dalbiez, 0. Spalla, and M. Drifford. 1995. Precipitation of highly charged polyelectrolyte solutions in the presence of multivalent salts. J. Chem. Phys. 13:5781-5791. Oosawa, F. 1971. Polyelectrolytes. Marcel Dekker, New York.

Overbeek, J. Th. G. 1952. Electrokinetic phenomena. In Colloid Science. H. R. Kruyt, editor. Elsevier, Amsterdam. 194-243.

Pelta, J., F. Livolant, and J.-L. Sikorav. 1996. DNA Aggregation induced by polyamines and cobalthexamine. J. Biol. Chem. 271:5656-5662. Raspaud, E., I. Chaperon, A. Leforestier, and F. Livolant. 1999. Spermine

induced aggregation of DNA, nucleosome, and chromatin. Biophys. J. 77:1547-1555.

[Reference]

Raspaud, E., M. Olvera de la Cruz, J.-L. Sikorav, and F. Livolant. 1998. Precipitation of DNA by polyamines: a polyelectrolyte behavior. Biophys. J. 74:381-393.

Record, M. T., Jr., C. F. Anderson, and M. L. Timothy. 1978. Thermodynamic analysis of ion effects on the binding and conformational equilibria of proteins and nucleic acids: the role of ion association or release screening and ion effects on water activity. Q. Rev. Biophys. 11: 179-246.

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Rouzina, L, and V. A. Bloomfield. 1996. Macroion attraction due to electrostatic correlation between screening counterions. 1. Mobile surface-adsorbed ions and diffuse ion cloud. J. Chem. Phys. 100: 9977-9989.

Sabbagh, L, and M. Delsanti. 2000. Solubility of highly charged anionic polyelectrolytes in presence of multivalent cations: specific interaction effect. Eur. Phys. J. E. 1:75-86.

Saminathan, M., T. Antony, A. Shirahata, L. H. Sigal, T. Thomas, and T. J. Thomas. 1999. Ionic and structural specificity effects of natural and synthetic polyamines on the aggregation and resolubilization of single-, double-, and triple-stranded DNA. Biochemistry. 38:3821-3830.

Schwarz, P. M., A. Felthauser, T. M. Fletcher, and J. C. Hansen. 1996. Reversible oligonucleosome self-association: dependence on divalent cations and core histone tail domains. Biochemistry. 35:4009-4015.

Shklovskii, B. I. 1999. Screening of a macroion by multivalent ions: correlation induced inversion of charge. Phys. Rev. E. 60:5802-5812.

Solis, F. J., and M. Olvera de la Cruz. 2000. Flexible linear polyelectrolytes in multivalent salt solutions: solubility conditions. Eur. Phys. J. E. 1:1-18.

[Reference]

Strahl, B. D., and C. D. Allis. 2000. The language of covalent histone modifications. Nature. 403:41-45.

Viovy, J. L. 2000. Electrophoresis of DNA and other polyelectrolytes: physical mechanisms. Rev. Mod. Phys. 72:813-871.

Watanabe, K., and K. Iso. 1984. Magnesium binding and conformational change of DNA in chromatin. Biochemistry. 23:1376-1383.

Widom, J. 1986. Physicochemical studies of the folding of the 100 A nucleosome filament into the 300 A filament. J. Mol. Biol. 190: 411-424.

Widom, J. 1998. Structure, dynamics and function of chromatin in vitro. Annu. Rev. Biophys. Biomol. Struct. 27:285-327.

[Author Affiliation]

Marta de Frutos, Eric Raspaud, Amelie Leforestier, and Fran(;oise Livolant Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, Universite de Paris Sud, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France

[Author Affiliation]

Received for publication 27 December 2000 and in final form 20 April 2001.

[Author Affiliation]

Address reprint requests to Dr. Marta de Frutos, Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, Universit6 de Paris Sud, bat 510, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France. Tel.: 33-1-6915-5380; Fax: 33-1-6915-8004; E-mail: defrutos@lps.u-psud.fr.

Money broker seeks mercy in Times Square bomb case

NEW YORK (AP) — The money broker who unwittingly provided $7,000 to Times Square bomb plotter Faisal Shahzad (FY'-sul shah-ZAHD') says his life has been plunged into emotional and financial chaos, and he hopes he can avoid jail time for his family's sake.

Mohammad Younis of Centereach, on New York's Long Island, pleaded guilty in August to an illegal banking charge. Prosecutors say Younis provided $7,000 in $100 bills to Shahzad.

The Bridgeport, Conn., man drove an SUV to Times Square on May 1, 2010, and tried to set off a propane-and-gasoline bomb. He pleaded guilty and is serving a life sentence.

Younis is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 30. The single charge he pleaded guilty to carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison.

Newsday (http://bit.ly/tBD3di ) reports that Younis has written to U.S. District Judge John Keenan seeking leniency so he can support his family.

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Information from: Newsday, http://www.newsday.com

Burning roadblocks at 2nd day of Nigeria strike

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Angry youths erected a burning roadblock outside luxury enclaves in Nigeria's commercial capital Tuesday as a paralyzing national strike over fuel prices and government corruption entered its second day.

The flaming tires and debris sent thick, dark smoke over part of Ikoyi Island, home to diplomats and many of the oil-rich nation's wealthy elite. It also signaled the danger of spiraling violence as protests continue in the country of more than 160 million people. Police shot at least three protesters to death on Monday.

"This is oligarchy, this is not a democracy!" shouted Danjuma Mohammed, as he stood before the fire holding rocks in his hands. "We are no longer afraid of you! We are ready for war!"

The strike started Monday by labor unions upset over high fuel prices in Africa's most populous nation. Gas prices have risen from $1.70 per gallon (45 cents per liter) to at least $3.50 per gallon (94 cents per liter) since the subsidy on fuel ended Jan. 1 at the orders of President Goodluck Jonathan's administration. That spurred a spike in food and transportation prices across a country where most live on less than $2 a day

More than 10,000 people attended one rally in Lagos as the strike started Monday, while tens of thousands more marched in streets across the country. Activists also wore shirts bearing symbols for a loose-knit group called "Occupy Nigeria," inspired by those near Wall Street in New York.

Anger also extended to government corruption in Nigeria, a nation beset by politicians and military rulers who have stolen billions of dollars in oil revenues over the years. Protesters also said they want a stronger government response to ongoing violence in Nigeria by a radical Muslim sect that, according to an Associated Press count, killed at least 510 people last year alone.

While most businesses remained closed Monday and Tuesday, some flights continued to leave Lagos' Murtala Muhammed International Airport. Oil production also apparently continued in Nigeria, which produces about 2.4 million barrels of oil a day and remains a top crude supplier to the U.S. However, the unions representing oil workers have promised to also strike.

It is unclear how long the strike will last. The unions have said described it as indefinite, saying they'll stop only if the government restores the fuel subsidies. Jonathan insists that the subsidies be removed to save the country about $8 billion a year, money he says will go toward badly needed road and public projects.

Those protesting Tuesday morning on Ikoyi Island said they no longer believe in the government, shouting: "They will kill us and we will kill them!" A convoy of police escorting a member of the country's elite arrived, with officers loudly loading their Kalashnikov rifles in an attempt to drive the protesters away. Officers put out part of the flaming blockade with an extinguisher, but drove off, leaving the protesters behind.

Another convoy of unarmed officers arrived. They pleaded with protesters for calm but instead they threw stones as the officers put out the flames.

___

Jon Gambrell can be reached at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.

THE WYLDE BUNCH

The Wylde Bunch stormed their Neurolux debut Sunday. Hailing from Los Angeles, this hip-hop ensemble is compiled of 14 members, 11 of whom piled onto stage bringing with them the audible presence of L.A. urbanity. This mini hip-hop army brought sample mixed street tunes ranging from a Billy Joel cover to twist on Funky Cold Medina which set a cagey tone for their hard core inner city vibe. The Wylde Bunch definitely lived up to their name, and though they were late to take the stage, the energy made up for the wait and quickly brought bodies to the dance floor. It was a highlight to see how many musicians they could squeeze on the old crown lit stage (a plethora of hip-hoppers). Overall, Wylde Bunch kept a fast-paced entertaining performance that kept heads bobbin'. Hopefully this is a sign Boise's music scene will continue to bring variety to the stage.

Article copyright Bar Bar Inc.

Photograph (The Wylde Bunch)

Authorities Charge 4 in NYC Terror Plot

NEW YORK - Three people were arrested and one other was being sought Saturday in connection to a plan to set off explosives in a fuel line that feeds John F. Kennedy International Airport and runs through residential neighborhoods, officials close to the investigation said.

The plot, which never got past the planning stages, did not involve airplanes or passenger terminals, according to the two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the arrests had not yet been announced.

Details were to be given out at a 1 p.m. news conference.

The pipeline takes fuel from a facility in Linden, N.J., to the airport. Other lines service LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport.

A third law enforcement official said the suspects include a Guyanese man who used to work at the airport and was arrested in New York City on Friday night. Two other suspects were apprehended in Trinidad.

Investigators were seeking a fourth suspect in Trinidad.

The official said the plotters had conducted surveillance on giant jet fuel tanks at JFK and the pipeline. They had taken surveillance video of the targets and took it to Trinidad to review the tape, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the arrests were not yet announced.

The official said investigators first found out about the plot in January 2006. After that, an informant infiltrated the group.

"This was the ultimate hand-and-glove operation between NYPD and FBI," said U.S. Rep. Peter King, a Republican from Long Island.

The arrests mark the latest in a series of alleged homegrown terrorism plots targeting high-profile American landmarks.

A year ago, seven men were arrested in what officials called the early stages of a plot to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago and destroy FBI offices and other buildings.

A month later, authorities broke up a plot to bomb underwater New York City train tunnels to flood lower Manhattan.

And six people were arrested a month ago in an alleged plot to unleash a bloody rampage on Fort Dix in New Jersey.

---

Associated Press Writer Tom Hays and Pat Milton contributed to this report.

S. African exile injured in car blast; Pretoria hit

MAPUTO, Mozambique A prominent white South African exile, lawyerand writer Albie Sachs, was fighting for his life in a Maputohospital Thursday after his car blew up when he unlocked the door.

The blast destroyed the car, and shattered every window on theblock in the central Maputo district of Polana.

The Mozambique News Agency blamed the South African governmentfor the murder attempt. Pretoria denied responsibility.

Sachs, who is in his 50s, is a well-known figure in Maputo,where he works in the Mozambican Justice Ministry. He left SouthAfrica in the 1960s after a period of detention that generated hisbook The Prison Diary of Albie Sachs.

He is a member of the main South African undergroundanti-apartheid movement, the African National Congress.

Sachs is the second leading South African intellectual to suffera bomb attack in Maputo. In August, 1982, South African academicRuth First, who was director of research at the African studiescenter in Maputo University, was killed by a parcel bomb sent to heroffice. That attack was attributed to agents of the South Africangovernment.

Thursday's blast followed last week's assassination of DulcieSeptember, an ANC representative in Paris.

Diplomatic sources here said they believe South Africa islaunching a concerted effort to eliminate ANC members in Westerncapitals and southern African countries.

In a statement read on the main evening news on state-controlledtelevision in South Africa, Foreign Minister Roelof F. Botha said hisgovernment could "not accept responsibility for the conflict" inMozambique and "certainly not for the violent actions emanating fromthis."

NHL Scoring Leaders

Through May 11
GP G A PTS
Jonathan Toews, Chi 12 6 14 20
Sidney Crosby, Pit 12 6 13 19
Johan Franzen, Det 12 6 12 18
Michael Cammalleri, Mon 13 11 5 16
Joe Pavelski, SJ 11 9 6 15
Mikael Samuelsson, Van 12 8 7 15
Patrick Kane, Chi 12 7 8 15
Henrik Zetterberg, Det 12 7 8 15
Daniel Sedin, Van 12 5 9 14
Patrick Sharp, Chi 12 5 9 14
Mike Richards, Phi 10 4 10 14
Henrik Sedin, Van 12 3 11 14
Pavel Datsyuk, Det 12 6 7 13
Danny Briere, Phi 10 5 7 12
Sergei Gonchar, Pit 12 2 10 12

Kazakhstan cuts key interest rate

Kazakhstan cut its key interest rate by half a percentage point Wednesday to 8.5 percent as soaring inflation eases in Central Asia's largest economy.

The cut was the fourth so far this year and comes as authorities try to boost borrowing and reinvigorate the struggling financial sector.

This decision comes "in light of developments on the financial market and the reduction in the annual inflation rate," the central bank said in a statement.

The bank said inflation was unlikely to exceed 9 percent this year, down from 9.5 percent in 2008. That marks a stark drop from 2007, when inflation hit 18.7 percent.

Analysts believe a further easing of inflationary pressures would likely lead to further rate cuts.

A fall in global demand and prices for energy and mineral resources has had a severe effect on Kazakhstan's oil-fueled economy. Rapid growth has also been hit by excess reliance on foreign borrowing, which has dried up amid the global financial crisis.

The economy was growing at an average annual rate of 10 percent until 2007 as oil prices soared. But the Economy Ministry now predicts GDP growth could drop to 1 percent this year, down from 3.1 percent in 2008.

Russia's central bank earlier this month cut its key interest rate by half a percentage point to 11.5 percent _ the third cut since April.

U.S., Russia sign agreements on plutonium-producing reactors

VICE PRESIDENT Al Gore and Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin met in Moscow September 22-23 for the ninth session of the U.S.-Russian Joint Commission on Economic and Technological Cooperation, commonly known as the Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission. During this session, the sides completed a set of agreements to convert Russia's three remaining plutonium-producing reactors so that they no longer produce weaponsgrade plutonium. At a joint press conference in Moscow, Gore said the agreements make "a major contribution to the advancement of our non-proliferation interests."

In June 1994, the United States and Russia signed an agreement under which Moscow would shut down the three reactors at Tomsk-7 and Krasnoyarsk-26, former secret nuclear cities now called Seversk and Zheleznogorsk, by the year 2000. (See ACT, July/August 1994.) Russia, however, would not allow the accord to enter into force until alternative sources of energy had been found, arguing that the "dualuse" reactors provide most of the heat and electricity for the surrounding cities. After completing an alternative energy feasibility study in 1995, the United States and Russia determined that conversion of the reactor cores was the best way to meet civilian energy needs while also halting the production of weapons-grade plutonium. Since then, the sides proceeded with the design and engineering phase of the coreconversion project.

Under an agreement signed by Gore and Chernomyrdin on September 23, Russia is required to modify the three reactors by December 31, 2000. The modified reactors will continue to operate until they have reached the end of their normal lifetimes, taking into account safety considerations. In an effort to reduce Moscow's stockpile of highly enriched uranium (HEU), the sides agreed that fuel for the modified reactors will incorporate uranium from dismantled Russian nuclear weapons.

Furthermore, the agreement prohibits the United States and Russia from restarting any plutonium-producing reactors that have already been shut down. The United States shut down all 14 of its plutoniumproducing reactors by 1989, while Russia has ceased operating 10 of its 13 reactors. The agreement, which enters into force immediately, further stipulates that any plutonium produced between now and the completion of the core-conversion (as well as any HEU recovered after conversion) cannot be used in nuclear weapons.

In order to help ensure compliance with its provisions, the agreement contains a detailed annex on verification measures. In plutonium-producing reactors that have already been shut down, for example, the United States and Russia will be permitted to install seals and other agreed monitoring equipment to provide assurances that the reactors cannot resume operation without being detected.

Projected Cost-Sharing

In addition, the Department of Defense and the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy (MINATOM) signed a separate Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) implementing agreement to facilitate core-conversion of the reactors. In fiscal year 1997, Congress appropriated $10 million in CTR assistance for this project.

In a side letter to the implementing agreement, the Department of Defense stated that it intends to provide up to an additional $70 million in CTR assistance for core-conversion purposes. The total cost of the project, which will be divided between the United States and Russia, is expected to be about $150 million.

The United States and Russia also signed two other agreements related to the coreconversion of the plutoniumproducing reactors. The Department of Energy and MINATOM signed a memorandum of understanding dealing with liability concerns, while the chairmen of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Federal Nuclear and Radiation Safety Authority of Russia issued a joint statement emphasizing the importance of nuclear safety issues.

A Distant Shore

A Distant Shore by Caryl Phillips Knopf, October 2003 $23.95, ISBN 1-400-04109-0

This award-winning writer creates a parallel between the lives of two solitary souls from distinct races and cultures. Dorothy, a white retired school-teacher, crosses paths with Solomon, an African immigrant. Plagued by a painful past and struggling to survive in a tenuous present, each one-displaced and marginalized-instinctively reaches out to "rescue" the other.

In Part 1 of the five-part novel, we first meet Dorothy, who has recently moved into a new housing estate on the outskirts of an English village. She meets and develops a sketchy relationship with Solomon, the night watchman, who also lives on the property. As Dorothy tries to settle into her new home, she confronts the prejudices at the heart of the community.

The author's clever pacing of the novel, through sudden shifts in thought and time sequences, keeps the story intriguing. His use of descriptive detail and subtle symbolism is achingly on point. Phillips, whose literary offerings include Cambridge (Knopf, February 1992), Crossing the River (Knopf, February 1994) and The Final Passage (Faber and Faber, December 1985), was born in St. Kitts and reared in England. He brings to this novel a sensibility that helps the story transcend limitations of time and place.

In style and content, A Distant Shore, set in contemporary England, illustrates that, in the end, it is overall societal prejudices-in any place, in any time-that mar and murder the individual.

[Author Affiliation]

Reviewed by Denolyn Carroll

Denolyn Carroll is assistant managing editor at Essence magazine.

NYC 'preppie killer' gets 19 years on drug plea

New York's "preppie killer" is heading back to prison: He's been sentenced to 19 years after pleading guilty to a drug charge.

Robert Chambers was sentenced Tuesday after reaching an agreement last month in a drug deal and an assault on a police officer. He would have faced life in prison if convicted after trial.

The 41-year-old Chambers and girlfriend Shawn Kovell were arrested in October on charges of dealing cocaine. Kovell pleaded guilty in December; she was spared prison and allowed to enter rehab.

Chambers already was imprisoned for 15 years for strangling a young woman in Central Park during what he called rough sex. The slaying made headlines as a story of a handsome, privileged prep school youth gone bad.

Air and ground: Gadhafi, rebels each claim control

TOBRUK, Libya (AP) — Moammar Gadhafi's warplanes, artillery and mortar shells can control huge swaths of territory by day, including oil ports, rebel supply routes and even hostile towns. Rebels say anti-government forces can still return in darkness to take advantage of Gadhafi's own thin supply lines and overstretched ground troops.

The eastern port city of Brega has gone back and forth with the setting of the sun in recent days and is key to the battle for Libya's oil centers — so key that both sides claimed control of it nearly simultaneously on Monday. The regime offensive appears to be hampered by a lack of manpower: They can drive out rebels with barrages, but not necessarily hold the territory.

Rebels, on the other hand, didn't dare come out in the open on Monday in Brega, with a spokesman saying they were taking cover instead in the industrial oil area where they believed Gadhafi forces wouldn't fire.

Brega and the city of Ajdabiya about 35 miles (70 kilometers) away again came under government bombardment on Monday, freshly exposing their importance as key crossroads for rebel supply lines, a main weakness in the Libyan region that contains most of its oil wealth. To get ammunition, reinforcements and arms to the front, they must drive along open desert highways, exposed to airstrikes. Gadhafi warplanes struck at least three targets Monday morning in Ajdabiya, missing a weapons storage site but hitting rebel fighters at a checkpoint in an attempt to stop supplies, rebels said.

Oil installations — and the ports that allow Libyan crude exports — are just as key as supply lines, and so the government and rebels both went out of their way late Monday to claim victory in Brega at nearly the same time, with a state television reporter in the town going so far as to show the hour on his watch.

Production has been cut drastically since fighting began and new questions arose Monday about whether the OPEC member was still exporting crude at all. Marsa al-Harigah, the last major oil port firmly under rebel control, is not expecting another tanker for a month, said Rajab Sahnoun, a top executive with the Arabian Gulf Oil Co., and its two functioning storage tanks could be full soon, forcing a production shutdown.

The rebels have pleaded for the West to impose a no-fly zone. France and Britain stepped up calls Monday for other world powers to isolate Gadhafi, but other countries, including the United States, have been cautious about backing the rebels.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said NATO was drawing up contingency plans for a no-fly zone.

"Every day Gadhafi is brutalizing his own people. Time is of the essence," Cameron told the parliament in London. "There should be no let up in the pressure we put on this regime."

Meanwhile, fighting raged in Brega, said Abdul-Bari Zwei, a rebel spokesman. He said the rebels controlled the neighborhoods, but Gadhafi forces were pounding them with bombs from the air, land and sea. He said the rebels were hiding in parts of the industrial oil area, believing Gadhafi forces would hold fire there.

"They won't fire at the fuel trucks, they (Gadhafi's forces) need them," said Zwei.

Libya's east is home to roughly 70 to 75 percent of the country's reserves — the largest in Africa — and Gadhafi has every reason to try to regain control of the region quickly.

Government troops have scored victories using overpowering bombardments with artillery, tanks, warplanes and warships. Such an assault drove rebel fighters out of the oil port of Ras Lanouf several days ago.

After fleeing the bombardment Sunday, the rebels then pushed back into Brega in the evening and claimed to have captured dozens of fighters from Gadhafi's elite Khamis Brigade.

On Monday, about 2,000 rebel fighters — mainly members of a special commando unit that defected to the opposition — held Brega's residential district, while pro-Gadhafi troops controlled the industrial oil facilities some distance away, said Zwei. Rebel fighters were searching the residential area for any remaining Gadhafi troops.

Libyan state TV showed images Monday from Brega's port, claiming that it was in government control and at peace. The announcer urged Russia, China and India to invest in Libya's oil sector.

Western Libya remains Gadhafi's stronghold, centered on Tripoli where his militiamen have crushed any attempts at an uprising. But since early on in the revolt, which began Feb. 15, several cities in the west fell into rebel hands. Regime forces on Friday took back the most crucial of those cities, Zawiya, which lies on the capital's doorstep, after a reportedly bloody and destructive week-long siege.

On Monday, pro-Gadhafi forces launched an attempt to take another, nearby town, Zwara, 70 miles (110 kilometers) west of Tripoli, close to the Tunisian border.

Government troops surrounded the town of 45,000 and bombarded it with tanks and artillery for hours starting in the morning, several residents said. At least four rebel fighters were killed in the barrage, said one resident, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution against him. The sound of gunfire could be heard over the telephone as he spoke.

One rebel fighter, Shukri Nael, said he helped fend off an assault at a rebel checkpoint at one of the entrances to the city.

"I don't care how far the Gadhafi forces went east or how many cities they take back — this is a chance for me to die for this country and become a martyr," he said.

On Sunday, regime forces began shelling the most significant rebel-held city in the west — Misrata, Libya's third largest city, 125 miles (200 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli.

Troops on the city's outskirts and on ships off shore had sealed the city, cutting off water pipes to many of its neighborhoods and preventing water tankers from reaching the residents, said a local doctor and other residents. Residents were conserving existing water and food supplies, he said.

Opposition fighters were building sandbag fortifications and other defenses in anticipation that Gadhafi troops, positioned at an air base and military college about six miles (10 kilometers) from the city could launch an assault.

On Monday morning, a barrage of shelling slammed into houses on the edge of the city, said one resident. But by the afternoon the guns fell silent.

"There are divisions inside the (pro-Gadhafi) militia," said one rebel fighter, citing reports from fellow fighters closest to the government troops. "Some of the forces don't want to enter the town and attack civilians. Others want to attack the city, Others want to join the rebels. Those wanting to attack the town are attacking the refuseniks."

The report of divisions could not be independently confirmed.

The opposition has been pleading with the West to impose a no-fly zone to help balance the scales with Gadhafi's forces. But for weeks, Western nations have been divided and hesitant on the move.

France and Britain were making an accelerated push Monday for a no-fly zone as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other top diplomats from the G-8 group of prominent world economies were gathering in Paris for a previously planned foreign ministers meeting. Other countries, including the United States, have been more cautious.

___

Karam reported from Cairo. Hadeel al-Shalchi in Tripoli contributed to this report.

Red Cross reports rising violence in Pakistan

GENEVA (AP) — Aid workers are seeing a marked spike in casualties and injuries in Pakistan, fueled by intensifying violence and anti-Western suspicions in the wake of the U.S. raid in May that killed Osama bin Laden, a senior Red Cross official said Monday.

Pascal Cuttat, the departing head of the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation in Pakistan, said the "violence has increased considerably since bin Laden was killed, and has spread into urban areas" such as Peshawar and Karachi, resulting in noticeably more people dead and injured and arriving at humanitarian and medical clinics.

"More than we have seen for many years," Cuttat told reporters at the Red Cross' Geneva headquarters. "Overall, the curve of violence is increasing, and the time-link is clear."

Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden was shot and killed in an early morning raid by U.S. Navy Seals at his secret compound in the Pakistani town of Abbotabad. Since then, Cuttat said, it's gotten tougher for aid groups to operate in Pakistan — the bureaucratic hoops against getting permits and visas have multiplied — due to a marked jump in violence and anti-Western sentiment.

"We are consistently facing suspicion of any foreigner working in the country," he said. "To live and work and get permission to do anything has become more difficult. Everyone is struggling with the bureaucracy."

Cuttat said at the end of a 3-year stint in Pakistan, however, that aid workers are "struggling but not impeded" as they try to help victims of flooding and armed insurgencies.

"We can only move through Pakistan in certain areas," he said.

He said "the effects of last year's floods are not digested entirely yet" — thousands of people still suffer because of the 2010 monsoon floods. But, he said, the Red Cross is focused on providing aid for up to a quarter-million people displaced by fighting last year.

Cuttat said he regretted that his staff of 1,300 Pakistanis and about a tenth as many international workers were unable to get better access to Pakistan's thousands of prisoners and detainees.

He said he could not directly link to the Red Cross or other aid groups any expected fallout of the Obama administration's decision to suspend more than one-third of American military aid to the Pakistan's military.

Horsethief Park a hike for all seasons.(Spotlight)

Byline: Deb Acord, Special to the Rocky

When the aspen turned golden this fall, I was drawn to Horsethief Park. When the first frost covered the ground, Horsethief beckoned. And when the first early-season snow blanketed the landscape, I was lured to Horsethief. This trail - actually three trails that connect with a short but steep summit hike and a maze of other trails in Pike National Forest - is an accessible year-round destination that offers something special for each season.

Many of my favorite summer trails are hard to reach in the winter, and some of my favorite winter haunts aren't that appealing in the summer. Horsethief is as good on cross-country skis or snowshoes as it is on a mountain bike or on foot. It offers great close-in backcountry camping, and has some great little features - a waterfall, a sun-drenched meadow, and turrets and knobs of weather- beaten Pikes Peak granite.

Start at the Little Ike, a narrow tunnel built in 1893 for the Midland Terminal Railroad. The trail climbs steadily for about three-fourths of a mile. This is an old mining road, so there's plenty of room for passing others on bikes, skis or snowshoes. When the trees begin to thin out, the trail levels. Here, you have your first choice - take a left over the creek to Horsethief Park, continue ahead about a half-mile to the waterfall, or keep going to a sign for Pancake Rocks, and begin climbing up steep switchbacks to an open rock-strewn meadow at 11,046 feet.

Take the Horsethief Park turn, and you'll find yourself in a wide, protected meadow. The creek meanders through, and the trail parallels it. Cabin ruins from the days when this place was supposedly a hideout for horse thieves dot the hillsides. This is fairly level terrain and allows for great skiing or snowshoeing after a big storm. Again, you're following an old ranching road, so the trail is hard to lose. Continue through the valley about a mile and a half to where the trail forks. Head uphill into the trees and you can hook up with the miles of trails that are joined in the Ring the Peak Trail (fotp.com). Take the right fork to a trail that scales Sentinel Point, a rocky, 12,527-foot peak. The trail to the summit of this peak is sketchy, with rock cairns strewn among rock fields, but if you just head uphill, you'll be on track (check topo maps before planning this 6.5-mile trip).

Turn around and walk back through Horsethief, crossing the stream at the same point and then turning left for a short hike (.5 mile) to Horsethief Falls. In the winter, deep snow hides this petite waterfall, but in the summer, it's the perfect spot to rest and cool off. Darkly shaded by towering Douglas fir, the falls cascades merrily over granite slabs.

Get your waterfall fix and head back to where you passed a sign to Pancake Rocks. Turn and begin a series of steep switchbacks to a mountain hillside dotted with the aptly named rock formations. I know some hikers who end their trip to Pancake Rocks before they get to the actual granite flapjacks. They call the smaller formations where they stop to rest "dollar pancakes."

This trail is narrower than the one that meanders through Horsethief Park, and it climbs 2,550 feet in 2.75 miles. In the summer, it's dark and cool. In the winter, it's dark and frigid. We've hiked it in January when the temperature at the trailhead was about 20 degrees, and the temperature on the darkest parts of the trail was a bone-chilling 5 degrees.

Still, one of my best hiking days ever was the day a snowstorm moved in while we were hiking to Pancake Rocks. The snow piled up fast, the trees cast blue shadows, and the only sounds were our snowshoes in the thigh-deep powder.

INFOBOX

Horsethief Park/ Pancake Rocks

* To get there: From Denver, take I-25 south to Colorado Springs; west on U.S. 24 to Divide; nine miles south on Colorado 67 toward Cripple Creek. Pass the closed Little Ike tunnel and park in the large lot on the highway. The trail starts there and heads up and over the tunnel.

* Where: Southwest of Colorado Springs, near the historic town of Cripple Creek

* Watch for: Bighorn sheep, mountain lions, bears, beavers, golden eagles, porcupines.

* Difficulty of hike: Moderate; a little more difficult on Pancake Rocks because of elevation gain.

* Details: Not handicapped accessible; dogs, bikes and horses allowed. All of the Horsethief trails are open to dogs, but the Sentinel Point summit is too rocky for most of them, and Pancake Rocks sometimes too cold for them in the winter. Dispersed camping is popular here. No fees.

* More information: Pikes Peak Ranger District, 1-719-636-1602.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Horsethief Park / Pancake Rocks.

Horsethief Park a hike for all seasons.(Spotlight)

Byline: Deb Acord, Special to the Rocky

When the aspen turned golden this fall, I was drawn to Horsethief Park. When the first frost covered the ground, Horsethief beckoned. And when the first early-season snow blanketed the landscape, I was lured to Horsethief. This trail - actually three trails that connect with a short but steep summit hike and a maze of other trails in Pike National Forest - is an accessible year-round destination that offers something special for each season.

Many of my favorite summer trails are hard to reach in the winter, and some of my favorite winter haunts aren't that appealing in the summer. Horsethief is as good on cross-country skis or snowshoes as it is on a mountain bike or on foot. It offers great close-in backcountry camping, and has some great little features - a waterfall, a sun-drenched meadow, and turrets and knobs of weather- beaten Pikes Peak granite.

Start at the Little Ike, a narrow tunnel built in 1893 for the Midland Terminal Railroad. The trail climbs steadily for about three-fourths of a mile. This is an old mining road, so there's plenty of room for passing others on bikes, skis or snowshoes. When the trees begin to thin out, the trail levels. Here, you have your first choice - take a left over the creek to Horsethief Park, continue ahead about a half-mile to the waterfall, or keep going to a sign for Pancake Rocks, and begin climbing up steep switchbacks to an open rock-strewn meadow at 11,046 feet.

Take the Horsethief Park turn, and you'll find yourself in a wide, protected meadow. The creek meanders through, and the trail parallels it. Cabin ruins from the days when this place was supposedly a hideout for horse thieves dot the hillsides. This is fairly level terrain and allows for great skiing or snowshoeing after a big storm. Again, you're following an old ranching road, so the trail is hard to lose. Continue through the valley about a mile and a half to where the trail forks. Head uphill into the trees and you can hook up with the miles of trails that are joined in the Ring the Peak Trail (fotp.com). Take the right fork to a trail that scales Sentinel Point, a rocky, 12,527-foot peak. The trail to the summit of this peak is sketchy, with rock cairns strewn among rock fields, but if you just head uphill, you'll be on track (check topo maps before planning this 6.5-mile trip).

Turn around and walk back through Horsethief, crossing the stream at the same point and then turning left for a short hike (.5 mile) to Horsethief Falls. In the winter, deep snow hides this petite waterfall, but in the summer, it's the perfect spot to rest and cool off. Darkly shaded by towering Douglas fir, the falls cascades merrily over granite slabs.

Get your waterfall fix and head back to where you passed a sign to Pancake Rocks. Turn and begin a series of steep switchbacks to a mountain hillside dotted with the aptly named rock formations. I know some hikers who end their trip to Pancake Rocks before they get to the actual granite flapjacks. They call the smaller formations where they stop to rest "dollar pancakes."

This trail is narrower than the one that meanders through Horsethief Park, and it climbs 2,550 feet in 2.75 miles. In the summer, it's dark and cool. In the winter, it's dark and frigid. We've hiked it in January when the temperature at the trailhead was about 20 degrees, and the temperature on the darkest parts of the trail was a bone-chilling 5 degrees.

Still, one of my best hiking days ever was the day a snowstorm moved in while we were hiking to Pancake Rocks. The snow piled up fast, the trees cast blue shadows, and the only sounds were our snowshoes in the thigh-deep powder.

INFOBOX

Horsethief Park/ Pancake Rocks

* To get there: From Denver, take I-25 south to Colorado Springs; west on U.S. 24 to Divide; nine miles south on Colorado 67 toward Cripple Creek. Pass the closed Little Ike tunnel and park in the large lot on the highway. The trail starts there and heads up and over the tunnel.

* Where: Southwest of Colorado Springs, near the historic town of Cripple Creek

* Watch for: Bighorn sheep, mountain lions, bears, beavers, golden eagles, porcupines.

* Difficulty of hike: Moderate; a little more difficult on Pancake Rocks because of elevation gain.

* Details: Not handicapped accessible; dogs, bikes and horses allowed. All of the Horsethief trails are open to dogs, but the Sentinel Point summit is too rocky for most of them, and Pancake Rocks sometimes too cold for them in the winter. Dispersed camping is popular here. No fees.

* More information: Pikes Peak Ranger District, 1-719-636-1602.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Horsethief Park / Pancake Rocks.

The Auto Story

The Auto Story

If Henry Ford were alive today, where do you think he'd be makinghis cars? Besides a few other countries, definitely in India. Ifyou've already read our cover story and the special onmanufacturing's winning industries this issue, you'll know why. Onereason is, of course, the boom in domestic auto sales. The industryhas grown at a compounded annual rate of 27 per cent over the lastfive years, and now accounts for 5 per cent of the country's GDP.Over the next nine years (that is, until 2015), it is expected togrow at 10 per cent a year. By then, the industry could be worth $40-45 billion (Rs 1,84,000 crore-Rs 2,07,000 crore), with auto partssuppliers-Indian …

Lisa Pierce. (named VP-marketing for Alliance Television)(Brief Article)

Appointments at Alliance Television, Toronto: Lisa Plerce, director, marketing, Alliance International, named VP, marketing, …

SHEN DUO LEADS SIENA MEN'S SOCCER TO TITLE GAME.(SPORTS)

Two freshmen, both from Shenendehowa, connected on the game-winning goal as Siena's men's soccer team advanced to the title game of the Towson Invitational with a 3-1 victory over the host school.

Vinnie Rinella scored off a pass from fellow Shen alum Pat Wren early in the second half to give the Saints (1-0-1) a 2-0 lead. After Towson (3-1) cut the margin to 2-1, freshman Chris Dewitt converted a penalty kick with 19:31 remaining.

Siena, which will face Lehigh (3-1) in today's final, shut down a Towson offense that had scored 16 goals in its first three games. Goaltender Eric Lind made 11 saves for the Saints.

Union 1, Manhattanville 0: Ibrahim …

Prague beefs up subway security before Obama visit

Authorities in the Czech Republic have increased security measures on Prague's subway network after the attacks in Moscow and before a meeting between the presidents of the U.S. and Russia.

Prague deputy mayor Rudolf Blazek says a unit of 200 police offices has been ordered to step up surveillance as a precaution. Blazek also said a new system to …

'Fire in my belly' drove trucking firm

Dave Metzler's journey led him to establish Carlisle Carrier Corp.

After 11 years at a Colorado trucking fi rm, Dave Metzler was fi red in February 1978 following disagreements with company leadership.

It was a diffi cult split, considering the owner was like a father to Metzler, who today is president and CEO of Cumberland County-based Carlisle Carrier Corp.

From the day he was fi red, Metzler said, he had a passion to run his own trucking company.

The journey was diffi cult, but perseverance paid off, he said. Today, Carlisle Carrier is a major hauler for companies including General Mills Inc., Kellogg Co., and The Gatorade Co. But to get there, owners …

From the Outside: Mastering E-Customer Loyalty.

Allowing customers to reach you through every channel is crucial, but so is the integration of all those lines of communication. As we move into 2002, we can look back and begin to measure the continuous impact that the Internet has had on the enterprise.

Advances in technology, coupled with the explosive growth of the Internet, have changed expectations-yielding a more demanding customer.

Meanwhile the stakes have increased for businesses with an online presence, as the battle to retain customers in the crowded marketplace escalates. To achieve stability and increased profitability, the focus has turned to customer loyalty. What is the fastest way to lose a strong customer base? …

MARRIAGE IS SUCH A BASIC RIGHT.(Opinion)

On the subject of same-sex marriages, a letter-writer states, "Asking the government to change that definition [of marriage] ... satisfies the legal rights of one group and destroys the definition by which another has lived and raised its children from Day One."

We could have stated the same about recognizing the rights of women, or the rights of non-white people, many times in our history. For example: "Giving the right to vote to women/blacks satisfies the legal …

Calendar.(Religion)(Calendar)

ORTHODOX EASTER

Holy Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church Abroad

617 Sand Creek Road, Colonie PALM SUNDAY VIGIL: 6 p.m. today PALM SUNDAY: 9:30 a.m. HOLY AND GREAT WEDNESDAY: 6 p.m. HOLY AND GREAT THURSDAY: 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. HOLY AND GREAT FRIDAY: 5 p.m., 6 p.m. 7:45 p.m. HOLY AND GREAT SATURDAY: 8 a.m., 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

St. Basil Greek Orthodox Church

909 River St., Troy PALM SUNDAY VIGIL: 10 a.m. today PALM SUNDAY: 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. HOLY MONDAY: 7 p.m. HOLY TUESDAY: 7 p.m. HOLY WEDNESDAY: 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. HOLY THURSDAY: 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. HOLY FRIDAY: 9 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. HOLY SATURDAY: 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. EASTER SUNDAY (PASCHA): …

ENRAGED TAXPAYERS RAIL AGAINST DUCI.(Capital Region)

Byline: MARV CERMAK Staff writer

Mayor Frank J. Duci, under fire from irate citizens protesting 1993 property tax increases Monday, retaliated from the public side of the railing during the City Council's first meeting of the new year.

Nine people showed up at the session. City officials said hundreds of taxpayers have either called or come to City Hall to complain about a 37 percent increase, which is often compounded by the results of a new citywide reassessment.

Fred Freese said his tax bill has been boosted by 80 percent. "This is worse than being raped by the Mafia," he said putting his property deeds on the council railing.

"My home …