Poovus

SEOUL (AFP) –
North Korea has test-fired two more missiles following similar launches earlier this week, according to the defence ministry.

"North Korea test-fired two missiles this morning," a spokesman for the defence ministry told AFP.

He said the missiles were launched from a base near the eastern port of Wonsan into the East Sea (Sea of Japan).

According to Yonhap news agency, one of the missiles was a SCUD with a range of 500 kilometres (312 miles).

LONDON (AFP) –
Madonna will perform a special tribute to Michael Jackson during her London show on Saturday, at the venue where he was due to stage his farewell shows, she said in a newspaper interview.

Madonna -- known as the Queen of Pop, while Jackson was the King of Pop -- told the Sun newspaper she was "terribly sad" about Jackson's death and revealed she "used to love picking his brains about musical stuff".

She is playing London's O2 Arena Saturday and will feature extracts from Jackson's songs "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Something" plus pictures of the star, who died last week, the paper said.

Madonna and her dancers will also wear single white gloves -- one of Jackson's most famous wardrobe accessories -- during a finale of her hit "Give It 2 Me".

Jackson had been due to play some 50 sellout shows entitled "This Is It" at the O2 venue starting this month.

"I am so terribly sad about Michael Jackson's death," Madonna said in the interview. "I don't know what artist wasn't inspired by him.

"To be able to do what he did at such an early age was unearthly, everybody grew up in awe of him. To work with him and become friends and hang out with him was exciting for me.

"I used to love picking his brains about musical stuff."

Madonna said that before Jackson died, she had offered to do a duet with him at the O2 shows. "I don't know what we could have done together, I could have carried his bags for him maybe," she said.

The English word dog can be traced back to the Old English docga, a "powerful breed of canine". The term may derive from Proto-Germanic *dukkōn, represented in Old English finger-docce ("finger-muscle"). Due to the linguistically archaic structure of the word, the term dog may ultimately derive from the earliest layer of Proto-Indo-European vocabulary, reflecting the role of the dog as the earliest domesticated animal.

The English word dog, in common usage, refers to the domestic pet dog, Canis lupus familiaris. The species was originally classified as Canis familiaris and "Canis familiarus domesticus" by Linnaeus in 1758. In 1993, dogs were reclassified as a subspecies of the gray wolf, Canis lupus, by the Smithsonian Institution and the American Society of Mammalogists.

Dog Tags

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) –
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a fiscal emergency on Wednesday, forcing lawmakers to tackle a budget gap that has raised the prospect of drastic measures to keep the state working.

Lawmakers debated late into the night Tuesday but could not agree on a plan to balance California's budget -- now showing a deficit of $26.3 billion -- in time for the new fiscal year, which began on Wednesday.

That left state officials with no choice but to prepare for suspension of payments to vendors and local agencies which instead will get "IOU" notes promising payment.

The most populous U.S. state -- the eighth-largest economy in the world in 2006 -- now risks further cuts to its credit ratings, which would increase its borrowing costs when coffers are already stretched to breaking point.

"Though the legislature failed to solve our budget problem yesterday, rest assured that solving the entire deficit remains my first and only priority, and I will not rest until we get it done. I will not be a part of pushing this crisis down the road -- the road stops here," Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

California lawmakers struggle with budget deadlines nearly every year but this budget fight is taking place amid the state's worst drop in revenues from personal income taxes since the Great Depression as recession and rising joblessness worsen damage done to the state economy by the housing slump.

Democrats, who control the legislature, and Republicans agree on the need for spending cuts but are split over whether to raise taxes to help fill the gap.

Republican lawmakers and Schwarzenegger, also a Republican, have ruled out tax increases. They want deep spending cuts to balance the budget. Democrats say that would slash the state's safety net for the needy to the bone.

By declaring a fiscal emergency, former Hollywood action star Schwarzenegger is forcing lawmakers to focus on plugging the budget gap.

Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico said Democrats would press the governor to back their budget plan, which they believe some Republicans will inevitably support. "He can issue as many edicts as he wants," Torrico said. "We're going to keep sending it to him until he signs it."

California bonds due in 10 to 30 years traded stronger in the secondary municipal debt market after suffering in recent weeks on the growing crisis in California, said Municipal Market Data analyst Domenic Vonella.

CASH CRISIS LOOMS

The White House said it was keeping a close eye on California's woes but, after federal coffers were stretched with massive bailouts of the U.S. financial sector and automakers, it did not hold out an offer of help.

Officials from several states have proposed Washington help with more aid or by vouching for state debt. "We continue to watch the situation and we'll see as it develops," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

California's treasurer was preparing plans to issue short-term debt assuming Washington will not guarantee it. "We did not ask for a bailout, repeat, we did not ask for a bailout. We wanted the federal government to step in and provide a backstop for our cash-flow borrowing," said spokesman Tom Dresslar.

Meanwhile, California's lack of a budget may trigger action by Wall Street credit ratings agencies, which have warned they may lower the state's rating further.

Fitch last week downgraded California's general obligation debt by one notch to A-minus, four notches above speculative "junk" status, making it the lowest rating of any U.S. state.

Fitch and Moody's had no immediate comment on California's IOU plan or failure to pass a budget. Standard & Poor's said in a statement it affirmed its A rating on the state's general obligation debt, but kept it on CreditWatch with negative implications.

"Should the current impasse over a budget revision remain unresolved long enough that the state's cash management actions no longer are sufficient to effectively insulate its priority payments -- including debt service -- the state's GO rating will likely be lowered, possibly to below 'A-'," S&P said.

In Sacramento, tempers flared in the state Senate as the midnight start of the new fiscal year and the prospect of IOUs -- last used 17 years ago -- neared.

"There is no excuse to hold this whole state hostage," state Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg told Republicans during a floor debate.

Senate Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth countered that major cuts are urgently needed. Otherwise, "there will be entire programs that will have to be lopped off," he said.

California risks being unable to pay all of its bills this month. State Controller Chiang plans to issue IOUs by Thursday to state vendors, some local agencies and to the elderly, disabled and college students who receive state aid.

Bank of America said it would accept IOUs from customers through July 10, becoming one of the first major commercial banks to jump on board the program.

Chiang plans to send $3.36 billion in IOUs this month to help the state make $10.9 billion in other payments, including money owed to investors holding California's debt.

"California has never defaulted on its debt obligation and we don't plan to do so," he told Reuters.

California needs to reassure Wall Street it can pay its debts because state officials need to sell $7 billion to $9 billion of short-term debt once there is a budget agreement.

"Absent a credible budget revision package, we believe the state may suffer insufficient investor confidence in its finances to successfully place such an offering," S&P said.

(Reporting by Jim Christie; Additional reporting by Marianne Russ in Sacramento, Lisa Lambert and Doug Palmer in Washington; Editing by Gary Hill)

After its appearance in China, the kite migrated to Japan, Korea, Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), India, Arabia, and North Africa, then farther south into the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, and the islands of Oceania as far east as Easter Island. Since kites made of leaves have been flown in Malaya and the South Seas from time immemorial, the kite could also have been invented independently in that region.

During the 18th century tailless bowed kites were still unknown in Europe. Flying flat arch- or pear-shaped kites with tails had become a popular pastime, mostly among children. The first recorded scientific application of a kite took place in 1749 when Alexander Wilson of Scotland used a kite train (two or more kites flown from a common line) as a meteorologic device for measuring temperature variations at different altitudes.

http://www.pictureprettykites.com

The relationship between human and canine has deep roots. Converging archaeological and genetic evidence indicate a time of domestication in the late Upper Paleolithic close to the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary, between 17,000 and 14,000 years ago. Fossil bone morphologies and genetic analysis of current and ancient dog and wolf populations have not yet been able to conclusively determine whether all dogs descend from a single domestication event, or whether dogs were domesticated independently in more than one location. Domesticated dogs may have interbred with local populations of wild wolves on several occasions (a process known in genetics as introgression).

This set up a selective breeding situation that resulted in a strain of wolves having shorter and shorter flight distances, until they were eventually comfortable near humans, having domesticated themselves, so to speak. At that point, they were tolerated by humans, so long as they were also useful, in such ways as catching rats or driving away other predators. In time, other uses, such as hunting, were found for them. The Farm Fox Experiment Evolution of Dogs

http://www.boomerangtags.com/

In a 2004 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Staff Advisory letter to the Direct Selling Association it was stated that - "The amount of personal consumption in any multi-level compensation business does not determine whether or not the FTC will consider the plan a pyramid scheme. The critical question for the FTC is whether the revenues that primarily support the commissions paid to all participants are generated from the purchase of goods and services that are not simply incidental to the purchase of the right to participate in a money making venture." .

Stairstep Breakaway plans This type of plan is characterized as having representatives who are responsible for both personal and group sales volumes. Volume is created by recruiting and by retailing product. Various discounts or rebates may be paid to group leaders and a group leader can be any representative with one or more downline recruits.

Watkins

OXFORD, Fla. – A pet Burmese python measuring more than 8 feet long broke out of a terrarium and strangled a 2-year-old girl in her bedroom Wednesday at a central Florida home, authorities said. Shaiunna Hare was already dead when paramedics arrived at about 10 a.m., Lt. Bobby Caruthers of the Sumter County Sheriff's Office said.
Charles Jason Darnell, the snake's owner and the boyfriend of Shaiunna's mother, discovered the snake missing from its terrarium and went to the girl's room, where he found it on the girl and bite marks on her head, Caruthers said. Darnell, 32, stabbed the snake until he was able to pry the child away.
"The baby's dead!" a sobbing caller from the house screamed to a 911 dispatcher in a recording. "Our stupid snake got out in the middle of the night and strangled the baby."
Authorities did not identify the caller and removed the person's name from the recording.
"She got out of the cage last night and got into the baby's crib and strangled her to death," the caller said.
Authorities removed the snake from the home Wednesday afternoon after obtaining a search warrant. Once outside the small, tan home, bordered by cow pastures, the snake was placed in a bag then inside a dog crate. The snake was still alive.
Darnell did not have a permit for the snake, which would be a second-degree misdemeanor, said Joy Hill, a spokeswoman with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. He has not been charged, but Caruthers said investigators were looking into whether there was child neglect or if any other laws were broken.
Hill said the snake will be placed with someone who has a permit, pending an investigation into the girl's death.
The Humane Society of the United States said including Wednesday's death, at least 12 people have been killed in the U.S. by pet pythons since 1980, including five children.
Burmese pythons are not native to Florida, but they easily survive in the state and can reach a length of 26 feet and weigh more than 200 pounds.
Some owners have freed pythons into the wild and a population of them has taken hold in the Everglades. One killed an alligator and then burst when it tried to eat it. Scientists also speculate a bevy of Burmese pythons escaped in 1992 from pet shops battered by Hurricane Andrew and have been reproducing since.
"It's becoming more and more of a problem, perhaps no fault of the animal, more a fault of the human," said Jorge Pino, a state wildlife commission spokesman. "People purchase these animals when they're small. When they grow, they either can't control them or release them."
George Van Horn, owner of Reptile World Serpentarium in St. Cloud, said the strangulation could have occurred because the snake felt threatened or because it thought the child was food.
"They are always operating on instinct," he said. "Even the largest person can become overpowered by a python."
Oxford is about 50 miles northwest of Orlando.
___
Associated Press writers Matt Sedensky, Antonio Gonzalez and Lisa Orkin contributed to this report from Miami.

The definition and evaluation of art has become especially problematic since the early 20th century. Richard Wollheim distinguishes three approaches: the Realist, whereby aesthetic quality is an absolute value independent of any human view; the Objectivist, whereby it is also an absolute value, but is dependent on general human experience; and the Relativist position, whereby it is not an absolute value, but depends on, and varies with, the human experience of different humans. An object may be characterized by the intentions, or lack thereof, of its creator, regardless of its apparent purpose. A cup, which ostensibly can be used as a container, may be considered art if intended solely as an ornament, while a painting may be deemed craft if mass-produced.

Traditionally, the term art was used to refer to any skill or mastery. This conception changed during the Romantic period, when art came to be seen as "a special faculty of the human mind to be classified with religion and science". Generally, art is made with the intention of stimulating thoughts and emotions.

Art

Texas Sales Tax Audit

A related type of tax is the value-added tax or VAT. It is a system in which all businesses remit taxes on their sales but they are also refunded the amount of VAT remitted by their suppliers. In addition to avoiding cascading, under VAT there is no need for government to determine which sales are taxable and which are not, since all sales--retail, wholesale and intermediate--are taxed.

Some or all of these taxes may be refunded but it generates a lot of paperwork (and income). The VAT paperwork can be burdensome but it remains a major source of tax income for most of the European Union, Mexico and other countries which charge on average a 15-25% VAT rate. Canadian sales taxes range from 5% in Alberta to an effective 16.6% in Prince Edward Island where sales tax is also applied to the federal Goods and Services Tax.

KIRKWOOD, N.Y. – State police in New York say two Pennsylvania men robbed a gas station and might have gotten away if they had also fueled up. Troopers said they caught 29-year-old Lonnie Meckwood, of Carbondale, and 51-year-old Phillip Weeks, of Tunkhannock, after their getaway car ran out of gas while the were trying to escape late Monday night.
They're accused of using a knife to rob a clerk at the Quickway Convenience Store in Kirkwood, near the New York-Pennsylvania border about 80 miles south of Syracuse. The clerk wasn't hurt.
Police found the pair about a mile away. Their car was on the side of the road.
They're being held in the Broome County Jail without bail. Troopers don't know if they have lawyers.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A cross-country US Airways flight was diverted to Albuquerque after a male passenger removed his clothing mid-flight. Dan Jiron, a spokesman for the Albuquerque airport, said 50-year-old Keith Wright of New York disrobed Tuesday while sitting in his seat in the back of the aircraft. He said Wright was unresponsive when a flight attendant asked him repeatedly to get dressed and refused to be covered with a blanket.
Jiron said law enforcement employees who were passengers on the plane helped subdue and handcuff Wright before the flight landed. The FBI said Wright is in federal custody on a charge of interfering with flight crew members and attendants.
A US Airways spokeswoman said the plane from Charlotte continued on to Los Angeles after Wright's arrest.

LOS ANGELES – Karl Malden, the Academy Award-winning actor whose intelligent characterizations on stage and screen made him a star despite his plain looks, died Wednesday, his family said. He was 97.
Malden died of natural causes surrounded by his family at his Brentwood home, they told the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. He served as the academy's president from 1989-92.
While he tackled a variety of characters over the years, he was often seen in working-class garb or military uniform. His authenticity in grittier roles came naturally: He was the son of a Czech mother and a Serbian father, and worked for a time in the steel mills of Gary, Ind., after dropping out of college.
Malden said he got his celebrated bulbous nose when he broke it a couple of times playing basketball or football, joking that he was "the only actor in Hollywood whose nose qualifies him for handicapped parking."
Malden won a supporting actor Oscar in 1951 for his role as Blanche DuBois' naive suitor Mitch in "A Streetcar Named Desire" — a role he also played on Broadway.
He was nominated again as best supporting actor in 1954 for his performance as Father Corrigan, a fearless, friend-of-the-workingman priest in "On the Waterfront." In both movies, he costarred with Marlon Brando.
Among Malden's more than 50 film credits were: "Patton," in which he played Gen. Omar Bradley, "Pollyanna," "Fear Strikes Out," "The Sting II," "Bombers B-52," "Cheyenne Autumn," and "All Fall Down."
One of his most controversial films was "Baby Doll" in 1956, in which he played a dullard husband whose child bride is exploited by a businessman. It was condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency for what was termed its "carnal suggestiveness." The story was by "Streetcar" author Tennessee Williams.
Malden gained perhaps his greatest fame as Lt. Mike Stone in the 1970s television show "The Streets of San Francisco," in which Michael Douglas played the veteran detective's junior partner.
During the same period, Malden gained a lucrative 21-year sideline and a place in pop culture with his "Don't leave home without them" ads for American Express.
"The Streets of San Francisco" earned him five Emmy nominations. He won one for his role as a murder victim's father out to bring his former son-in-law to justice in the 1985 miniseries "Fatal Vision."
Malden played Barbra Streisand's stepfather in the 1987 film "Nuts;" Adm. Elmo Zumwalt Jr. in the 1988 TV film "My Father, My Son;" and Leon Klinghoffer, the cruise ship passenger murdered by terrorists in 1985, in the 1989 TV film "The Hijacking of the Achille Lauro."
He acted sparingly in recent years, appearing in 2000 in a small role on TV's "The West Wing."
In 2004, Malden received the Screen Actors Guild's Lifetime Achievement Award, telling the group in his acceptance speech that "this is the peak for me."
Malden first gained prominence on Broadway in the late 1930s, making his debut in "Golden Boy" by Clifford Odets. It was during this time that he met Elia Kazan, who later was to direct him in "Streetcar" and "Waterfront."
He steadily gained more prominent roles, with time out for service in the Army in World War II (and a role in an Army show, "Winged Victory.")
"A Streetcar Named Desire" opened on Broadway in 1947 and went on to win the Pulitzer Prize and New York Drama Critics Circle awards. Brando's breakthrough performance might have gotten most of the attention, but Malden did not want for praise. Once critic called him "one of the ablest young actors extant."
Among his other stage appearances were "Key Largo," "Winged Victory," Arthur Miller's "All My Sons," "The Desperate Hours," and "The Egghead."

Malden was known for his meticulous preparation, studying a script carefully long before he stepped into his role.

"I not only figure out my own interpretation of the role, but try to guess other approaches that the director might like. I prepare them, too," he said in a 1962 Associated Press interview. "That way, I can switch in the middle of a scene with no sweat."

"There's no such thing as an easy job, not if you do it right," he added.

He was born Mladen Sekulovich in Chicago on March 22, 1912. Malden regretted that in order to become an actor he had to change his name. He insisted that Fred Gwynne's character in "On the Waterfront" be named Sekulovich to honor his heritage.

The family moved to Gary, Ind., when he was small. He quit his steel job 1934 to study acting at Chicago's Goodman Theatre "because I wasn't getting anywhere in the mills," he recalled.

"When I told my father, he said, `Are you crazy? You want to give up a good job in the middle of the Depression?' Thank god for my mother. She said to give it a try."

In 2005, the U.S. Postal Service honored Malden by putting his name on a post office in Los Angeles to honor his achievement in film and his contributions to the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee, which meets to discuss ideas for stamp designs.

Malden and his wife, Mona, a fellow acting student at the Goodman, had one of Hollywood's longest marriages, having celebrated their 70th anniversary in December.

Besides his wife, Malden is survived by daughters Mila and Cara, his sons-in-law, three granddaughters, and four great grandchildren.

___

Associated Press writer Polly Anderson in New York contributed to this report.

ATLANTA – In a perverse twist of medical fate, Farrah Fawcett has become the poster girl for anal cancer, a rare disease often linked to a sexually transmitted virus.
Before her death last week, at age 62, the actress had come to terms with the illness and agreed to have her suffering and treatment chronicled for a television documentary.
"She knew that she had the kind of anal cancer that she wasn't going to ultimately overcome, and decided to leave as much of a legacy of awareness as she possibly could," her physician, Dr. Lawrence Piro, said Tuesday before her funeral.
It is an unexpected legacy for Fawcett, whose feathered hair and electric smile once dominated TV screens. A sexy photo of her in a red swimsuit, taken in the 1970's, was the top-selling pinup of all time. Despite her fame and work as an entertainer, friends say she was protective of her privacy.
But she was stricken by anal cancer, a rarely discussed affliction with symptoms that are sometimes mistaken for hemorrhoids. After tabloids began reporting on her illness, her family acknowledged it and a friend produced "Farrah's Story," a documentary aired in May that showed Fawcett's treatment and suffering.
It was important new information for people unfamiliar with the disease or reluctant to even talk about it, some health officials said.
Breast cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer were all once unmentionable diagnoses that gradually became commonly discussed, thanks in part to celebrity disclosures from people like First Lady Betty Ford, golfer Arnold Palmer and CBS news anchor Katie Couric, whose husband died of colon cancer.
But the anus is associated not only with defecation but also a taboo form of sex, observed Dr. Barron Lerner, a Columbia University physician who wrote "When Illness Goes Public: Celebrity Patients and How We Look at Medicine."
Lerner, an internist, said he and his patients frequently have conversations about different cancers and their potential risk factors. But anal cancer? Anal sex? "I never talk about that with my patients. It's something that might freak a lot of people out," he said.
However, in the wake of Fawcett's illness, it's likely that some patients will ask about her case and those topics will be discussed, he said.
To be sure, anal cancer is rare. Only about 5,000 cases are diagnosed each year in the United States, and there are only about 700 deaths, according to American Cancer Society statistics.
The cancer is often associated with gay men who have anal sex and immune systems weakened by HIV or other conditions. But actually, more than half of the diagnoses and deaths occur in women.
"Having anal cancer diagnosed in Farrah Fawcett makes a point that it is more common in women than men," said Dr. Mona Saraiya of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Farrah Fawcett puts a face to the cancer for women," added Saraiya, an epidemiologist who has studied anal cancer.
It's less clear whether Fawcett's story will have any effect on promotion of a vaccine that targets HPV, human papilloma virus, which is blamed for cervical cancer and linked to most anal cancers.
The vaccine — called Gardasil — came on the market in 2006 to help prevent cervical cancer. It's designed to protect against four types of HPV associated with cancers of the cervix, anus and upper throat.
Piro, Fawcett's doctor, said Gardasil is an important but underused defense against cancer, and strongly endorsed increased vaccinations. But he and others stopped short of saying it should be touted as a measure that will save women from Fawcett's fate.
HPV has been linked to roughly 70 percent of all anal cancers, and is believed to cause 90 percent of the squamous-cell form of anal cancer. Fawcett had the squamous-cell type of cancer. But in an interview with The Associated Press, Piro said "her tumor was not necessarily associated with" HPV. He declined further detail, citing her medical privacy.

She never discussed with him any feelings about whether young women should get the HPV vaccine, he said.

Studies indicate Gardasil prevents cervical cancer in women who have not been previously infected by HPV, and that it blocks HPV-caused genital warts. Scientists say it's likely the vaccine will prevent many anal cancers, too. But the first study of that question — in men — is not yet completed. Those results are expected later this year.

The vaccine's manufacturer, Merck & Co., has declined to cite Fawcett's case as a reason for women who get the vaccine, a decision Lerner applauded.

"I think that to the degree that Merck and advocates for the disease are being cautious, that's great," he said.

But all of this is educational, he added, saying Fawcett's case may have erased one of the last remaining medical stigmas. If now we're talking about anal cancer, what's still taboo? "Not much," Lerner said.

___

On the Net:

American Cancer Society on anal cancer: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/CRI(underscore)2(underscore)3x.asp?dt47

ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Blues, seeking to add depth at the goaltender position, have signed free-agent Ty Conklin.
Terms of the deal announced Wednesday were not disclosed.
The 33-year-old Conklin played in 40 games for Detroit last season, going 25-11-2 with a 2.51 goals against average and a .909 save percentage. His six shutouts tied for the sixth-most in the NHL.
The Anchorage, Alaska, native is 73-43-14 with a 2.58 goals against average and .909 save percentage in six seasons. He was originally signed by Edmonton as an undrafted free agent in 2001.
Chris Mason seized the starting job in midseason from Manny Legace and started the final 33 regular-season games and all four playoff games for the Blues.

SALT LAKE CITY – Carlos Boozer has reconsidered free agency, or at least put it off a year.
Boozer let the Utah Jazz know on Tuesday that he will stay with the team for the final year of his contract rather than opting out and becoming a free agent — which he once said he intended to do.
Boozer backed off his original statement and said when the season ended he wanted to consider all of his options.
He chose not to chance an iffy free agent market for more money and possibly a long-term deal, taking the $12.7 million he's guaranteed next season from the Jazz.
Boozer took until the final day to reach a decision.
Utah was still waiting Tuesday to hear from center Mehmet Okur, who also had the option to return for the final year of his contract.
When healthy, Boozer has been the Jazz's top scorer and rebounder and helped lead Utah to three straight playoff appearances. He's been an All-Star twice and was a member of last year's U.S. Olympic gold medal team, but injuries have taken him out for large chunks of three of his five seasons in Utah.
"We are excited that Carlos has decided to remain with the Jazz," general manager Kevin O'Connor said in a release. "We are hopeful he can continue to play at an All-Star level and will have an injury-free season."
Boozer has averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds since Utah signed him away from the Cleveland Cavaliers as a restricted free agent five years ago, but has only played in 276 of a possible 410 with the Jazz. He was limited to 37 games last season, due largely to an injury that required surgery on his left knee in January.
Utah learned Monday that reserve shooting guard Kyle Korver exercised his option to play out his contract for $5.2 million.

NEW YORK – Scott Gomez's brief New York tenure ended Tuesday when the star center was traded by the Rangers to the Montreal Canadiens as part of a six-player deal.
The key player coming back to New York is forward Chris Higgins, a Long Island native who is set to become a restricted free agent. The deal was announced one day before the NHL's free-agent shopping season opens Wednesday.
New York had been looking to clear space under the NHL salary cap and cut out a major contract that still has five years and $33.5 million left on it. The cap hit on Gomez's deal is $7.35 million.
Gomez was sent to Montreal with minor leaguers Tom Pyatt, a forward, and defenseman Mike Busto. Along with Higgins, the Rangers received defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko from the Canadiens.
"We think that Higgins is a goal-scorer and we're happy to have him," Rangers general manager Glen Sather said on a conference call. "He is from the New York area and he's excited to be coming home.
"We also got two good prospects in this deal and it gives us options (Wednesday)."
Gomez never really found his stride in New York after leaving the New Jersey Devils as a free agent two summers ago. He is signed through the 2013-14 season, but is coming off a disappointing year in which he had 58 points — his fewest since he had 55 during the 2002-03 campaign with New Jersey.
After winning two Stanley Cup titles with the Devils, Gomez was part of the Rangers' rebuilding program when he signed his big deal the same day fellow center Chris Drury left the Buffalo Sabres for a lucrative contract with New York.
Gomez had 16 goals and 54 assists in his first season with the Rangers and 16 goals and 42 assists last season.
"I have no complaints about him," Sather said. "He's a terrific guy who is going to do well in Montreal."
Higgins, a 26-year-old forward from Smithtown, N.Y., is also coming off a sub-par season. He had a career-worst 23 points — including 12 goals — last season. He played in only 57 games due to injuries that knocked him out of the lineup several times. Higgins scored at least 20 goals in the previous three seasons, his first three full campaigns in the NHL.
"I didn't expect to be traded," Higgins said. "I heard my name thrown around ever since I've been in Montreal, but I never expected it to happen. When it happened, I was absolutely thrilled."
While he is unsigned, Higgins will still come at a cheaper cost than Gomez. He earned $1.7 million in his final season with Montreal. In 282 NHL games, all with the Canadiens, Higgins has 84 goals and 67 assists.
"I am looking forward to a new challenge. It's something I take great pride in to put on a Rangers uniform," Higgins said.
He scored a career-high 27 goals in the 2007-08 season when he played in all 82 games.
"I suppose it won't be any more pressure than I had in playing in Montreal," Higgins said. "Growing up here, I know what the Rangers fans are about."

Clockmakers developed their art in various ways. Building smaller clocks was a technical challenge, as was improving accuracy and reliability. Clocks could be impressive showpieces to demonstrate skilled craftsmanship, or less expensive, mass-produced items for domestic use. The escapement in particular was an important factor affecting the clock's accuracy, so many different mechanisms were tried. Spring-driven clocks appeared during the 1400s, although they are often erroneously credited to Nürnberg watchmaker Peter Henlein (or Henle, or Hele) around 1511. The earliest existing spring driven clock is the chamber clock given to Peter the Good, Duke of Burgundy, around 1430, now in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum. Spring power presented clockmakers with a new problem; how to keep the clock movement running at a constant rate as the spring ran down. This resulted in the invention of the stackfreed and the fusee in the 1400s, and many other innovations, down to the invention of the modern going barrel in 1760.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, clockmaking flourished, particularly in the metalworking towns of Nuremberg and Augsburg, and in France, Blois. Some of the more basic table clocks have only one time-keeping hand, with the dial between the hour markers being divided into four equal parts making the clocks readable to the nearest 15 minutes. Other clocks were exhibitions of craftsmanship and skill, incorporating astronomical indicators and musical movements. The cross-beat escapement[citation needed] was developed in 1585 by Jost Burgi, who also developed the remontoire. Burgi's accurate clocks helped Tycho Brahe to observe astronomical events with much greater precision than before.

http://www.timeclockstx.com/

In utilizing the Loan Modification option to bring an asset current, can the mortgagee include all fees and corporate advances? Mortgagee Letter 2008-21 states in part: Legal fees and related foreclosure costs for work actually completed and applicable to the current default episode may be capitalized into the modified principal balance.

A mortgage loan modification is when the mortgage lender agrees to modify your existing mortgage in order to keep you in your home in lieu of your hardship. The mortgage note modification purpose was designed to help make your current loan more affordable. Usually it is accomplished by simply reducing the interest rate that lowers the monthly payment for a few years. Years ago this was only available when a borrower was seriously delinquent and suffered a hardship such as a job loss, divorce or illness. Now, homeowners can obtain loan aid from their mortgage lender for better solutions to combat unaffordable rate adjustments on adjustable rate mortgages.

http://www.modificaciones.net/

DETROIT – Gunmen in a green minivan opened fire on a group of teenagers waiting at a bus stop near a Detroit school on Tuesday, wounding seven including three who were in critical condition, authorities said.
Five of the teens had just left Cody Ninth Grade Academy, where they were taking summer classes, when they were shot at the nearby bus stop.
The gunmen exited a vehicle and "asked for a person by name" before they "opened fire at the crowd," said Detroit Public Schools Police Chief Roderick Grimes. Detroit Police were looking for two suspects in a green minivan, said spokesman Rod Liggons.
The teenagers, four boys and three girls, range in age from 14 to 17 years old, Liggons said. Three of the teens were in critical condition, he said.
Another summer school student, 15-year-old Bria Wilson, said she was standing at the bus stop when she heard the gunfire. She said she was facing away from the shooters and ran away after the shots were fired. But she saw a 16-year-old male friend lying on the ground, bleeding.
"They were so close — it almost hit me," she said.
Schools spokesman Steve Wasko said there was "nothing that we're aware of at this time" linking the shootings with any fight or dispute at the school.
He said the shootings happened about 2:15 p.m., about 15 minutes after summer school students were dismissed for the day.
Imam Abdullah El-Amin, who co-owns the Numan Funeral Home near the intersection where the shooting took place, said drug-dealing, prostitution and "hopelessness" are common in the area, he said.
"It's terrible that these things are just laying there, festering, in society — time bombs waiting to happen," said El-Amin, a Muslim minister and candidate for Detroit City Council.
___
Associated Press writers Ben Leubsdorf and David N. Goodman contributed to this report.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A man who says he was sickened by a box of raisins donated to a food program by Rhode Island's prison system can proceed with a lawsuit against the agency. The state Supreme Court said Tuesday that a lower court judge erred by dismissing a 2006 lawsuit from Thomas Adams.
Adams alleged that he suffered nausea, vomiting and diarrhea after eating a box of raisins in October 2004. He says he found an insect larva and insect dung near the bottom of the box.
The raisins were stored at the Rhode Island Department of Corrections food distribution center. They were then distributed as part of a federal food program for needy residents. Adams got the raisins in a food giveaway by a Providence church.

Investors shoved $18.31 billion into stock funds in May, surpassing April's $11.90 billion. Bond funds had record monthly inflow of $31.65 billion.
It was the third in the past five months of positive stock fund flow, according to the Investment Company Institute.
Signs pointed to further inflow this month.
May was the largest monthly stock fund inflow since February 2007. And it was the first back-to-back inflow since April-May 2008.
Funds that invest primarily in the U.S. took in $14.06 billion in new money in May. They took in $9.39 billion the month before. During the month, the S&P 500 rose 5.31%.
Stock funds that invest primarily overseas took in $4.25 billion from investors vs. $2.51 billion inflow in April.
During the month, the MSCI EAFE index rose 11.02%, while the dollar fell 6.30%.
Year to date, stock funds gave back $12.58 billion vs. $18.31 billion outflow in the year-earlier period.
ybrid funds, which invest in both stocks and bonds, had inflow of $2.80 billion in May vs. $2.07 billion inflow the previous month. For the year to date, hybrid funds surrendered $3.82 billion vs. $9.56 billion inflow a year earlier.
Bond funds' record $31.65 billion inflow in May was up from April's $28.53 billion inflow, also a record. May's inflow surpassed the $27 billion inflow for all of 2008.
Investors shifted to bonds as the yield curve steepened slightly. Rates on long-term Treasury bonds rose 0.31 percentage points to 3.47%, while three-month T-bill rates stayed flat at 0.14%.
Ballooning Bond Funds
For the year to date, bond funds had inflow of $113.62 billion vs. $78.10 billion inflow a year earlier.
Taxable bond funds took in $25.11 billion vs. $23.43 billion in April. Year to date, they had inflow of $90.30 billion vs. $63.34 billion a year earlier.
Investors put $6.54 billion into municipal bond funds vs. inflow of $5.09 billion the prior month. Year to date, inflow was $23.32 billion vs. $14.76 billion a year earlier.
Money market funds saw outflow of $25.80 billion in May vs. $23.23 billion in April, as investors shifted cash to stocks and bonds.
Institutional money fund inflow slowed to $7.19 billion from $27.71 billion inflow the month before. Money funds that cater to individuals had outflow of $32.99 billion vs. outflow of $50.95 billion the month before.
Fund assets rose by $373.8 billion, or 3.9%, to $10.074 trillion from $9.700 trillion the month before. They stood at $12.263 trillion a year earlier.

Stock fund assets rose $295.3 billion, or 8.0%, to $4.005 trillion from $3.709 trillion the prior month. They were $6.332 trillion a year earlier.

Hybrid fund assets rose $28.1 billion, or 5.7%, to $521.5 billion from $493.4 billion the month before and $719.3 billion a year earlier.

Bond fund assets rose $74.9 billion, or 4.4%, to $1.781 trillion from $1.706 trillion the month before and $1.765 trillion a year earlier.

Money market fund assets fell $24 billion, or 0.63%, to $3.767 trillion from $3.791 trillion the month before and $3.448 trillion a year ago.

June Jumps Too

Early indications were that inflow increased in June. The ICI's weekly estimates totaled $37.4 billion through June 17.

U.S. stock fund inflow was an estimated $6.8 billion. World equity funds took in $6.2 billion.

For the year through June 29, the S&P rose 0.88%, while the MSCI EAFE fell 0.40%. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose 5 basis points as the Fed stood pat on credit conditions.

Vanguard said that investors continued to shift cash into stock funds from money market funds in June.

The fund giant said it had $11 billion inflow to its stock, bond and balanced funds in May. Shareholders pulled $3.7 billion from its money market funds.

As a result of this definition, many people who use natural skin care products, generally make their own products at home from naturally occurring ingredients. While there are many wives' tales surrounding the beneifts of certain ingredients, scientific studies have proven that such ingredients as Chamomile have demonstrated healing and anti-inflammatory properties when applied topically. Many people use natural skin care recipes to make remedies to care for their skin at home. Many spas and skin care salons now focus on using more naturally derived skin care products. Over the past ten years, several companies have been started to make available completely natural products to the general public.

Kapha skin tends to have all the qualities of water and earth -- it can be oily, thick, pale, soft, cool and more tolerant of the sun. Kapha skin tends to age slower and form less wrinkles than the other two types. Kapha skin types may struggle with dull complexion, enlarged pores, excessive oil, blackheads, pimples, moist types of eczema and water retention.

Eye Wrinkles

Grill Gadgets

NEW YORK – A person familiar with the investigation into disgraced financier Bernard Madoff (MAY'-dawf) says at least 10 more people are likely to be charged by the time the probe is complete.
The person tells The Associated Press they will face federal charges over the next few months. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.
Madoff was sentenced Monday to 150 years in prison for a multibillion-dollar fraud that burned thousands of investors.
The person familiar with the probe wouldn't detail the likely charges against the others or say whether they would include Madoff's relatives or former employees.
The only other person charged in the case is Madoff's longtime accountant, who was accused of failing to make basic auditing checks and was arrested in March.
(This version CORRECTS person familiar with probe says at least 10 more people are likely to be charged sted 10 more people will be charged.)

MUMBAI (AFP) –
India's first "sea bridge" was officially opened in Mumbai on Tuesday, raising hopes that the state-of-the-art structure will ease chronic congestion on the city's notoriously choked roads.

The sweeping, 5.6-kilometre (3.5-mile) Bandra-Worli Sea Link was inaugurated by the ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi on a visit to India's financial capital.

It is hoped that the 16.5-billion-rupee (340-million-dollar) eight-lane freeway will help cut the 40-minute journey between the suburbs of Bandra and Worli to just eight minutes.

But although hailed as a triumph of engineering, the landmark bridge -- seen as a beacon of hope for other, much-needed infrastructure projects elsewhere in India -- is not fully operational.

Only four lanes will be open to traffic from 12:01 am Wednesday. Work is scheduled to be completed on the remaining section in the coming months.

MUMBAI (AFP) –
India's first "sea bridge" was officially opened in Mumbai on Tuesday, raising hopes that the state-of-the-art structure will ease chronic congestion on the city's notoriously choked roads.

The sweeping, 5.6-kilometre (3.5-mile) Bandra-Worli Sea Link was inaugurated by the ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi on a visit to India's financial capital.

It is hoped that the 16.5-billion-rupee (340-million-dollar) eight-lane freeway will help cut the 40-minute journey between the suburbs of Bandra and Worli to just eight minutes.

But although hailed as a triumph of engineering, the landmark bridge -- seen as a beacon of hope for other, much-needed infrastructure projects elsewhere in India -- is not fully operational.

Only four lanes will be open to traffic from 12:01 am Wednesday. Work is scheduled to be completed on the remaining section in the coming months.

Desert Cave Hotel in Coober Pedy, South Australia and the Cuevas Pedro Antonio de Alarcón (named after the author) in Guadix, Spain, as well as several hotels in Cappadocia, Turkey, are notable for being built into natural cave formations, some with rooms underground.

Coco Chanel made the Hôtel Ritz in Paris her home for more than thirty years, until the day of her death, at 87, in a suite now named "Coco Chanel Suite".

Myrtle Beach Hotel

DEAR ABBY: I'm 10 years old and worried about my friend "Kelly." Her father has fought in two wars and suffers from PTSD, and when he loses it, he hits her.

I really want to tell someone who can help her, but she wants to "keep it a secret." I'm afraid if I tell, my best friend will get separated from her family. What should I do? -- HOPING TO HELP A FRIEND

DEAR HOPING TO HELP: Some secrets are meant to be kept, but physical abuse isn't one of them. One of the saddest things about abuse is that the victims often come to believe they deserve it because that's what the abuser tells them (This is YOUR fault -- YOU made me do this!). Of course, when someone loses control, it isn't the victim's fault but rather the abuser's, because the abuser is unable to control his (or her) emotions.

There are worse things than being removed from a violent family situation, among them the risk of serious injury. That's why it's important that you tell a trusted adult what's happening to Kelly. This needs to be reported so her father can get the help he so desperately needs.

DEAR ABBY: In our school, we're not allowed to have our cell phones out or turned on, but of course, people do it anyway. Some of these students have extremely high-pitched ring tones. They are at such a frequency that the older teachers cannot hear them. Many adults do not hear the noise.

These "mosquito" tones hurt my ears, and just about everyone in the room cringes when someone gets a text message. I'm not sure what to do. The teachers are oblivious, and there are far too many cell phones out to report them all. Should I endure it until I graduate? -- HATING THE INVISIBLE NOISE

DEAR HATING THE NOISE: Have a private chat with the teacher, tell him or her what's going on, and explain that the tones are a distraction in class. Then talk to some of the other students you see cringing when the "mosquitoes" start buzzing. If a number of you start visibly reacting to the noise, your teacher should notice and begin to take action.

P.S. Some electronics-savvy educators insist that all cell phones be placed on their desks when students enter the classroom.

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I married in an impromptu ceremony while visiting his parents. We didn't have a ring, so his mother offered to give me the wedding ring she had inherited from her mother as a gift.

About a year ago, my husband gave me an anniversary band, which I decided to wear with the ring from my mother-in-law. However, when she heard about my new ring, she asked me to return her mother's ring. I am hurt that she wants it back because I'd like to keep it. What should I do? -- TWO-RING CIRCUS

DEAR TWO-RING: First, let me tell you what not to do. Although the ring was a "gift," do not allow it to become a bone of contention. In the interest of family harmony, return it to your mother-in-law with a sweet note thanking her for letting you wear it all this time, and telling her how much that "symbol of her love and acceptance" has meant to you all these years. Maybe she'll leave it to you in her will.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

For an excellent guide to becoming a better conversationalist and a more sociable person, order "How to Be Popular." Send a business-sized, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $6 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby -- Popularity Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Postage is included in the price.)

NEW YORK – Repaying a student loan could soon be a little less painful.
Starting this week, anyone with a federal student loan can apply for a program, run by the Department of Education, that caps monthly payments based on income, and forgives remaining balances after 25 years. Those choosing to work in public service could have their loans forgiven after just 10 years.
Eligibility for income-based repayment (IBR) is determined by a person's income and loan size. A calculator at http://www.ibrinfo.org can help borrowers determine their eligibility for the plan, which becomes available Wednesday.
"It's a way to borrow for college without going to the poor house," said Lauren Asher, president of the Institute for College Access & Success, a California-based nonprofit that runs the Project on Student Debt.
The program stems from the Education Department's College Cost Reduction and Access Act, signed in 2007, which authorized the creation of a new income-based repayment plan for both Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) and Direct Loan borrowers on all Stafford and graduate PLUS loans.
Monthly payments would amount to less than 10 percent of income for most of the estimated 1 million people expected to enroll, experts say. Payments would never exceed 15 percent of any income above about $16,000 a year (or 150 percent of the poverty level).
Those who earn less than $16,000 would not have to make any monthly payments.
The new payment option is intended to provide relief for those who earn modest salaries and struggle under the weight of student loans for years on end. By stretching repayment over a longer period, monthly payments are kept at a reasonable portion of income, though most people would not see any savings on the total cost of the loan.
IBR "can lower costs and provides light at the end of the tunnel" for such borrowers, said Asher of the Institute for College Access & Success. That gives borrowers greater financial flexibility to save for retirement, buy a home or even pay for their own children's education, she said.
The program isn't for everyone, however.
In some cases, accruing interest could push the cost of the loan higher. And since loans are likely to be paid off within 25 years, the loan forgiveness aspect of the program won't apply to most people. To save on interest costs, those who could afford to would be better served paying off loans faster, said Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org, which tracks the college financial aid industry.
If a salary jump eventually disqualifies a borrower for the capped monthly payments, they would still be responsible for the cost of the loan and the interest that accrued up to that point. Monthly payments still couldn't exceed what they would be under a standard 10-year repayment plan. Of course, borrowers could opt to pay off debts faster if they chose.
There are already some options for those who can't afford big monthly payments, such as long-term payment plans spanning up to 30 years. But eligibility requirements are stricter, and monthly payments can still be high.
The government also offers a program similar to IBR called the income-contingent repayment plan. That plan is not as lenient as the new one, however, with payments capped at 20 percent of income beyond 100 percent of the poverty level. And it's also only available for direct federal loans.
The new program will be available for direct federal loans, as well as federal loans administered through private lenders. Most of those enrolled in the income-contingent plan are expected to switch over to the new program.
Parent PLUS loans, the federal loans parents can take out to pay for their children's education, are not eligible for either payment plan.