| WORLD SPORTS at 1330 GMT
MANCHESTER, England _ A week is a long time in soccer. Last Sunday, a flat Man United side was run ragged by Manchester City. But on Saturday, United thrashed Arsenal 4-0 in the FA Cup, handing the Red Devils the psychological advantage as they attempt to reduce the Gunners' five-point advantage atop the Premier League. BC-EU-SPT-SOC--MAN UNITED'S MISSION. Has moved. By Rob Harris. SPANISH ROUNDUP: Villarreal plays Racing Santander; Atletico Madrid faces Athletic Bilbao MADRID, Spain _ Third-place Villarreal plays No. 7 Racing Santander in the Spanish league with fourth-place Atletico Madrid looking to stretch its lead in the final Champions League spot when it faces Athletic Bilbao. BC-EU-SPT-SOC--SPANISH ROUNDUP. Expected by 1830 GMT. By Paul Logothetis. WITH _ MADRID, Spain _ BC-EU-SPT-SOC--REAL MADRID-DI STEFANO.
Bill takes aim at gaps in airport security
The proposed switch comes after federal immigration officials last week arrested more than 30 O'Hare workers who used fraudulent airport identification cards. Many of those arrested were working in the country illegally. The phony IDs were used to gain access to airplanes and other secure areas.
"This is not the way security should be run at one of the busiest airports in the United States," Kirk said.
Currently, local airport officials assign access badges to workers whose jobs include entering secure areas, including the airfield, aircraft and baggage-handling areas. Airport security guards, local police departments and the Transportation Security Administration all share responsibility for law enforcement at the airport.
But a host of problems at the TSA -- screeners failing to catch decoy bombs in undercover tests, low screener morale and high absenteeism -- raise questions about whether the federal security agency would do a better job protecting airports and passengers from terrorists and criminals than the existing security regimen.
Police briefs
Ronald Charles Cathey, 25, of 118 Korner St., was arrested on an intoxicated and disruptive charge early Thursday after being involved in a fight at his residence, according to the Mount Airy Police Department. Cathey allegedly refused to cooperate with police and cursed, and also refused an alco-sensor test at the jail, arrest records show. Additionally, he refused treatment at Northern Hospital of Surry County for a cut over his right eye which occurred during the fight, police say.A $500 bond was set for Cathey, who is scheduled to appear in Surry District Court on March 13.- Amos Demetrius Hickman, 28, of 135 W. Lebanon St., was arrested Wednesday on charges of assault and battery and resisting, obstructing or delaying an officer. Details of the alleged offenses were not available. Hickman is free under a $1,000 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in Surry District Court on April 17.
Insurance Company USAA Tops BusinessWeek's List of 'Customer Service ...
NEW YORK, Feb. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second consecutive year, insurance company USAA tops BusinessWeek's ranking of "Customer Service Champs." The BusinessWeek list ranks the best providers of customer service, and digs into the techniques, strategies, and tools they use to deliver great service. Good customer service would seem to be a simple matter. Make policies flexible. Customers don't like playing call-center tag; keep it to a minimum. Hire friendly people, train them well, and reward them with healthy pay and benefits. But delivering the right level of customer service turns out to be hard. Some companies struggle to find smiling teenagers who are willing to work for the minimum wage flipping burgers. Others have the difficult task of ensuring their customers get the same message whether they're online, on the phone, or in the store.
Reviews: Preschool to Grade 4
Grandpa's lap also has to be shared, but Grandma's hugs are big enough for everyone. Toys aren't always shared and others are blamed when something goes wrong. But regardless, these cousins have a strong bond. Rodriguez's illustrations attempt to re-create the chaos that ensues when a large family gets together, but the figures often appear stiff and lifeless. The Spanish translation has some missteps, especially the sentence, "We sing and dance in make-believe parades." The Spanish translation renders this as "…desfiles de mentira," literally "parades of lies." Surely there is a gentler way to translate this idea. This book is ultimately too simple, and the illustration and design too pedestrian, to be successful. It just doesn't capture the message of solidarity or reflect a joyful celebration of family.—Tim Wadham, Maricopa County Library District, Phoenix, AZ BLUMENTHAL, Deborah.
CPO Forum: Execs Forecast Certified Sales' Importance in Coming Year
CARY, N.C. — As experts project 2008 new-vehicle sales to come in at a lower level than the last several years, used vehicles, particularly of the certified category, are expected to take on even more importance for dealers in the coming year. "The current projections for 2008 new-vehicle sales industry wide are about 16 million cars and trucks, but the used-vehicle side is forecast at about 42 million units, two-thirds of which will be sold by franchised and non-franchised dealers," according to Mark Mathews, of General Motors. So, what better way to stay ahead of the competition than to learn the latest about the certified market at the upcoming CPO Forum to be held April 7 to 9 at the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn, Mich.? "Auto Remarketing does its best to help dealers stay successful in a challenging marketplace by offering the latest news and bringing leading experts together to discuss market challenges and ways to overcome them," highlighted Bill Zadeits, conference co-chair.
US committee backs Taiwan resolution
If the history of such House resolutions concerning Taiwan is a guide, the measure should be approved easily, possibly by unanimous consent. The resolution as passed by the panel, however, was an amended version of an earlier measure that stripped the bill of a provision saying "Taiwan's young democracy faces constant military threat and intimidation from neighboring China." The chairman of the committee's Asia and the Pacific subcommittee, Eni Faleomavega of American Samoa, objected to that provision and convinced the committee to accept the pared-down language. The original resolution was jointly sponsored by Tom Lantos, the late Democratic chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, who died earlier this month, and Republican member, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida.
Planetary Society Names Winners of $50,000 Asteroid Tagging ...
To keep mission costs low, the winning design, Foresight, proposes a simple orbiter with only two instruments and a radio beacon at a cost of $137.2 million. The spacecraft would launch aboard a Minotaur IV, leaving Earth sometime between 2012 and 2014, to arrive at Apophis five to ten months later. It would then rendezvous with, observe, and track the asteroid. Foresight would orbit the asteroid to gather data with a multi-spectral imager for one month. It would then leave orbit and fly in formation with Apophis around the Sun at a range of two kilometers (1.2 miles). The spacecraft would use laser ranging to the asteroid and radio tracking from Earth for ten months to accurately determine the asteroid's orbit and how it might change. Pharos, the winning student entry, would be an orbiter with four science instruments (a multi-spectral imager, near-infrared spectrometer, laser rangefinder, and magnetometer) that would rendezvous with and track Apophis.
Starbuck Your Business
Rising sales will make that absolute dollar mount around five percent the next year and three thereafter. My plan has allowed my business to grow and expand, while still allowing me to manage daily activities. You too can watch your business flourish without taking time away from the day-to-day operations. Remember to review and revise your plan every month, making minor alterations as required. Perhaps you can now confidently write "marketing manager" beside "CEO" on your business card, knowing full well that the job has been effectively completed in seven-minutes flat. 24-year old Ben Barry is CEO of the Ben Barry Agency, a model consultancy headquartered in Toronto, Canada and author of Fashioning Reality (Key Porter Books). His marketing column is updated every second week.
Travel Troubleshooter: What’s this mystery charge?
Question: Im trying to get a refund for my car rental insurance and I could use a hand. My wife rented a car online through Alamo for pickup in Madrid. The agreement clearly stated that the daily charges, taxes and collision damage waiver, were included. We returned the vehicle without a problem. But weeks later I discovered that we had been charged an extra $300 for something called a Super Collision Damage Waiver. We had never requested this Super CDW coverage and it wasnt reflected in the original rental agreement. In fact, I didnt think insurance of any kind was necessary, since my credit card offers coverage. After a lengthy argument to try to remove the regular CDW feature, the Madrid counter staff insisted that I retain it. And they never said I would be charged for another policy, which, strangely, was submitted as a separate unsigned credit card slip.
In the Money
This can be claimed in any foreign floating currency you wish, which is great if you need specific currency. Going to the Holy Land and strapped for Saudi Riyals? Or planning that shopping trip to Europe and need a stash of euros? This CD will give you the currency you require, regardless of the currency you deposit in the account. This CD can be liquidated but not before six months from date of purchase. Also new is the Five-by-Five, a five-year CD with a fixed monthly interest rate of 10.25 percent calculated in multiples of 100 after the first 1,000. Complementary services include a free credit card, overdraft option and the option to pay any other party. If you purchase this CD the bank can also pay zakat (calculated at 2.5 percent) on your behalf to Al-Azhar). .
Heated debate as minister makes case for renewables
But ALISON MCINNES, a Lib Dem MSP for North East Scotland, spoke out against nuclear power. She told MSPs the UK government was wrong to press ahead with a new generation of nuclear power plants.Instead, she said, the money invested in that should be put towards developing green-energy technology. .
Study: For women, heart risks fade but new cancers arise
That heart trouble associated with hormones may not be permanent is good news for millions of women who quit taking them after the government study was halted six years ago because of heart risks and breast cancer. But the new risks for other cancers, particularly lung tumors, in women who had taken estrogen-progestin pills for about five years puzzled the researchers and outside experts. Those risks "were completely unanticipated," said Dr. Gerardo Heiss of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, lead author of the follow-up analysis. The analysis focused on participants' health in the first two to three years after the study's end. During that time, those who'd taken hormones but stopped were 24 percent more likely to develop any kind of cancer than women who'd taken dummy pills during the study.
What Darwin Teaches About the Drug War
The U.S. government responds by pumping billions more dollars into the war on drugs. Federal spending for this "war without end" is more than twenty times what it was in 1980 and still the drug traffickers appear to be winning. Despite more than six billion dollars spent on "Plan Colombia" alone, cocaine production has actually increased in that country. Now the Bush Administration is asking for $1.4 billion more to aid the Mexican government's drug crackdown through the "Merida Initiative." Although it may seem counterintuitive, the "law and order" response by our politicians only intensifies the problem. Instead, they might turn to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution to glean insight as to why these "common sense" reactionary solutions often are counterproductive. As illegal drugs become easier to obtain and more potent, politicians respond in a knee-jerk manner by ramping up law enforcement.
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