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Mexico's Televisa network sees quick cell approval

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican broadcast television leader Grupo Televisa says it expects approval from regulators within about six months for its acquisition of a 50 percent stake in a cell phone company controlled by a rival broadcaster.

Televisa would purchase the stake in the Iusacell carrier from Ricardo Salinas Pliego, who also controls rival broadcaster TV Azteca. Together, the two companies …

Activision reports higher 1Q earnings, revenue

NEW YORK (AP) — Activision Blizzard Inc. said Monday that its first-quarter net income and revenue grew, helped by strong demand for digital offerings such as downloadable content for the popular "Call of Duty" games.

The video game publisher raised its guidance for the full year, but its outlook for the current quarter was short of analysts' expectations. Activision has a history of providing conservative guidance. CEO Bobby Kotick said he feels good about the company's business prospects.

Net income for the first three months of the year was $503 million, or 42 cents per share. That's up 32 percent from $381 million, or 30 cents per share, a year ago.

Activision's …

When Worlds Collide: The Altered State of Private Equity-A conference summary

The Federal Reserve System's Private Equity Merchant Banking Knowledge Center, formed at the Chicago Fed in 2000 after the passage of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, sponsors an annual conference on new industry developments. This article summarizes the ninth annual conference, held on June 25-26, 2009.

In his introduction, Carl Tannenbaum, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, noted what a difference a year had made. Speakers at last year's conference had noted die beginnings of financial dislocation and a rapid increase in risk aversion. However, no one could have foreseen the subsequent near collapse of the financial system, the breathless succession of dramatic market events, government …

West Indies-Sri Lanka Scoreboard

Scoreboard at stumps on the second day of the opening test between West Indies and Sri Lanka at Queen's Park Oval:

Sri Lanka, 1st Innings

(Overnight: 217 for five)

Michael Vandort c Ramdin b Edwards 30

Malinda Warnapura c Chattergoon b Edwards 35

Kumar Sangakkara c Ramdin b Edwards 10

Mahela Jayawardene b Taylor 26

Thilan Samaraweera c Gayle b Taylor 6

Tillekeratne Dilshan c Ramdin b Edwards 62

Chamara Silva c Powell b Bravo 76

Chaminda Vaas c Ramdin b Powell 1

Thilan Thushara run out 1

Muttiah Muralitharan c Bravo b Powell 8

Ishara …

Taiwan court denies ex-leader's appeal for release

A Taiwanese court on Monday rejected an appeal from former President Chen Shui-bian to be released from detention during his trial on corruption and embezzlement charges.

The 58-year-old Chen has been held in a suburban Taipei detention facility since late December. He completed the second of his two four-year terms as president last May.

Chen was indicted Dec. 12 and is standing trial on charges of embezzling 104 million New Taiwan dollars ($3.15 million) from a special presidential fund, receiving bribes worth at least $9 million in U.S. currency and laundering some of those funds overseas.

Taipei District Court spokesman Huang Chun-ming said …

FEDERAL PROSECUTORS

Leading the charge are Thomas M. Durkin, first assistant U.S.attorney, and Michael Shepard, who won convictions on every count inthe Operation Gambat trials of Chancery Court Judge David Shields,former state Sen. John D'Arco Jr., and attorney Pasquale "Pat" DeLeo.

With an Irish choirboy's face, Durkin, 38, is a thorough, highlyorganized prosecutor with a common-sense style. Also an accountant,Durkin convicted 10 soybean traders and toppled former Gov. DanWalker on tax fraud charges.

Shepard, 39, skyrocketed through the U.S. attorney's office as a"golden boy" to succeed …

Biden warns GOP on debt ceiling talks

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden said Saturday the Obama administration wouldn't let middle class Americans "carry the whole burden" to break a deadlock over the national debt limit, warning that the Republican approach would only benefit the wealthy.

Addressing Ohio Democrats, Biden said there had been great progress in talks with Republican lawmakers on a deficit-reduction plan agreement. But he insisted that his party wouldn't agree to cuts that would undermine the elderly and middle-class workers.

"We're not going to let the middle class carry the whole burden. We will sacrifice. But they must be in on the deal," Biden said in a speech at the Ohio Democratic …

Gordon wants to keep driving for Hendrick

Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick expects Jeff Gordon to drive at least "three or four" more seasons and the four-time Cup champion says he has no immediate plans to retire.

Gordon said on Friday that his achy back has improved and he's still having fun racing. Gordon is third in the points standings and has one victory this season heading into Sunday's finale at Homestead-Miami …

Pam, Jenny make Playboy blindingly blond

A weekly look at what's on the magazine racks.I t's two, two, two blonds in one. The September issue of Playboyfeatures not one, but two flaxen-haired former centerfolds.Apparently it was a tossup between the "biggest blond in America,"Jenny McCarthy, and the "biggest blond on the planet," Pam Anderson.Why not feature both?

For those only interested in the articles, we quote: "Bombshellscome in only one color. The Blonde Bombshell has been a nationalinstitution for the better part of the century. . . . There's justsomething about sun-kissed hair. So was it any wonder that Madonna'srise to stardom was fueled by a bottle of peroxide?"

Well, OK. Trouble is, when …

Clarke shoots 70, off to South Africa

COOLUM, Australia (AP) — British Open champion Darren Clarke completed his final round — a 2-under-par 70 — at the Australian PGA on Sunday more than an hour before the leading groups teed off.

Clarke's early start — the second group of the day at 6:35 a.m. — came after a self-described "brutal" 79 on Saturday, leaving him near the bottom of the …

Gastein Ladies Results

Results Tuesday from the Nuernberger Gastein Ladies, a $220,000 WTA Tour event on clay at the Europaeischer Hof (seedings in parentheses):

Singles

First Round

Patricia Mayr, Austria, def. Lenka Tvaroskova, Slovakia, 6-2, 6-0.

Julia Goerges, Germany, def. Klara Zakopalova (4), Czech Republic, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1.

Sandra Zahlavova, Czech Republic, def. …

Japan: Omikenshi Opening Shanghai Office in April

Omikenshi Co., Ltd., a viscose staple producer, is going to open its Shanghai Office in April and organize it into a local corporation by summer. The plan calls for the marketing of knitted fabrics produced in China to Japanese-affiliated firms and trading firms in the future.

No clear Tour favorite heading into Alps

MONTPELLIER, France (AP) — With the Tour de France heading toward its decisive stages, there is still no favorite in a wide open race that is fueling the passions of French fans who hope Thomas Voeckler holds his lead against all odds.

When racing resumes Tuesday after a rest day, Voeckler will open the 16th stage nearly two minutes ahead of Frank Schleck — supposedly a weaker rider than his younger brother, Andy — and four minutes ahead of three-time champion Alberto Contador.

Voeckler remains fiercely adamant he has a "zero percent chance" to become the first French Tour winner since Bernard Hinault in 1985, while doubts persist about Contador's troublesome right knee. Even the Schleck brothers seem undecided who is No. 1 on their team, while two-time runner-up Cadel Evans is conspicuously staying out of the limelight.

All of this means that it was increasingly hard to pick a favorite heading into the last week of the Tour.

"It's still a bit strange because I think people still look at the Schleck brothers as favorites, but they're two minutes down," Evans said Sunday after British sprinter Mark Cavendish won the 15th stage. "So it's still about Voeckler for now. We've got some more hills, some more racing and a time trial to go."

Evans is third overall, 2:06 behind Voeckler, 17 seconds behind second-place Frank Schleck, nine seconds ahead of Andy Schleck — the runner-up to Contador in the last two Tours — and 1:54 ahead of Contador.

"Voeckler is in incredible form," Contador said. "He has a big lead, it will be hard to make that up."

None of the Tour contenders managed to cut loose in the three Pyrenean mountain stages last week, and someone has to make a big move in three punishing Alpine stages that loom.

"I don't want to arrive in Paris with regrets," Contador said after Cavendish raced to his fourth stage victory of the race — and 19th overall in the Tour — by beating American sprinter Tyler Farrar on a 119.6-mile stage from Limoux to Montpellier.

There should be plenty of opportunities for Contador to attack the 32-year-old Voeckler in the punishing Alps later this week. But if the Frenchman does not crack, then the race is going to be decided on the penultimate stage time trial.

Not that cycling fans are complaining.

Voeckler's unexpected rise to the top adds an extra layer of intrigue because it has been 14 years since a Frenchman even got on the podium — let alone won the race. Voeckler has also become an extra, surprise, and welcome contender.

Last year's Tour was a duel between Contador and Schleck, the year before it was Contador beating Schleck again, with seven-time champion Lance Armstrong completing the podium. No great surprises there, even with Armstrong's hyped return.

This year, there are six possible contenders, with Italian rider Ivan Basso — third overall in 2004 and second in 2005 behind Armstrong — sitting 44 seconds ahead of Contador.

On Tuesday, the riders will head toward the Alps on a medium mountain stage before the first of three high mountain stages. Basso is an excellent climber, although he might not have the teammates to help him keep going.

Once Voeckler hits the Alps, he has to withstand Contador, Evans, Basso and the Schlecks on such feared climbs as Col du Galibier, Col d'Izoard and L'Alpe d'Huez — all of them known as HC climbs, or Hors Categorie, because they are too demanding to have a classification.

"I don't think I have their level in the high mountains," Voeckler said with a hint of resignation when comparing himself to his rivals. "I know what the Alps are like and I'm expecting things to be very difficult."

Voeckler is increasingly popular among French fans, but he does not think things will change for him in the peloton.

"You don't get a helping hand in the mountains, you can either follow or you can't," he said. "I'm not expecting any help other than from my teammates."

He has worn the yellow jersey before, in 2004 when Armstrong won the race for the sixth consecutive time, but adulation and expectation do not sit easily with the French star

"Maybe it would make for good publicity, I don't know, but it doesn't interest me," Voeckler said. "I'm not going to announce to the French that 'I'm in yellow, I have a chance to win.'"

Neither does the prospect of becoming the first Frenchman to win the showcase race since five-time champion Hinault.

French fans still line the roadsides and pack the mountain passes, but they rarely get the chance to cheer on any French success. You have to go back to the pre-Armstrong era to find a podium with a Frenchman standing on it.

Richard Virenque, a formidable climber, finished second to Jan Ullrich in 1997, and third the year before.

"French people have been waiting for a Tour winner since Bernard Hinault, and waiting for a Frenchman on the podium since Virenque," Voeckler said after retaining the yellow jersey on Sunday.

French hearts are clearly beating for Voeckler, but he doesn't want to raise the intensity level any higher.

"I consider myself to have a a zero percent chance of winning the Tour de France," he said.

By the time the race hits the high Alps on Wednesday in the 17th stage from Gap to Pinerolo, Contador hopes to have finally shaken off the lingering pain in his right knee sustained from crashes in the fifth and ninth stages.

"My legs felt good today, you have to make the most of every second to recover and to think of the Alps," Contador said Sunday. "I will wait, I hope my legs respond in the Alps."

___

Jamey Keaten and Naomi Koppel contributed to this report.

___

Jerome Pugmire can be reached at http://twitter.com/jeromepugmire

Community seeks jobs for Blue Line rehab project

Community seeks jobs for Blue Line rehab project

Community groups Monday praised Mayor Daley and CTA President Frank Kruesi for breaking ground on the $482.6 million renovation project for the Cermak (Douglas) branch of the Blue Line, but they've presented a list of demands, including jobs.

At a press conference held at 2005 S. Pulaski Rd. where he was joined by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-4th), Kruesi, CTA Board Chairman Valerie Jarrett, Ald. Daniel S. Solis (25th), Ricardo Munoz (22nd), Jennifer Dorn, head of the Federal Transit Administration and others, Daley said the rehabbing of the Blue Line will "restore a vital transportation artery for the people of Lawndale, Little Village, Pilsen and Cicero."

The mayor admits that these communities "have not had the public transportation they deserved. The Douglas branch structure is more than 100-years-old, and it had deteriorated to the point where trains had to creep along."

Kruesi said the task of rehabbing the line will be awesome. "The logistics alone will be formidable," he said. "The plan is to renovate the line while maintaining existing rail service."

Ald. Ed H. Smith (28th) said: "It's about time this project got off the ground. It not only feeds the city of Chicago with additional transportation, but a lot of people ride this line to get to work. It allows people to go all over the city. It's a great asset."

Jarrett thanked the community groups "which share our determination to make this project a success. Nothing of this magnitude could have been achieved without community input and many organizations and individuals have been involved."

Elected officials like Ald. Michael D. Chandler (24th) and community groups such as John Paul Jones, director of Community Outreach for the Neighborhood Capital Budget Group, and Robert Steele, executive director of the Lawndale Business and Local Development Corp., want to keep that symbiotic relationship going especially in the divvying out of jobs for that project.

Chandler is holding a monthly community meeting at 6 p.m. today at the United Baptist Church, 4242 W. Roosevelt Road, where he will discuss the Blue Line project.

He's also having Primerica's national sales director Mike Evans to discuss financial freedom and how to get and stay out of debt, as well as making and growing money. "I want our residents to also be aware of all of the pitfalls of financing and have the know how of wealth building," Chandler said.

That is why Jones and Steele are seeking input in the CTA's largest capital improvement project. "This is a great day," said Jones, referring to the CTA's Blue Line project. "It's been a struggle, a seven-year struggle." However, he said, the fight for jobs is just beginning because hiring for this project must come from the community.

Agreeing was Steele who said: "I'm very excited about this rehab project. Our concerns are to get community folks to monitor the hiring process. This is an opportunity for local organizations and residents to have some input into the contract process that can affect the future of our community."

Noelle Gaffney, a spokesperson for the CTA, said: "The CTA is committed to working with the community on this project, but also to hiring from the community. We've been meeting with aldermen and community representatives over the last few years and are creating task force with them."

Article Copyright Sengstacke Enterprises, Inc.

Former aide says he saw trainer inject Bonds

SAN FRANCISCO - Barry Bonds former personal shopper has testifiedthat she saw the sluggers private trainer inject Bonds in the navelbefore a road trip during the 2002 season. Kathy Hoskins saidThursday she was in Bonds bedroom packing his clothes for the tripwhen the seven-time National League MVP and trainer Greg Andersoncame into the room. Anderson expressed concerns about her presencebut Bonds said not to worry about Hoskins because shes my girl.Hoskins testified that she then watched Anderson inject Bonds. Shesaid didnt ask about the injection, but Bonds volunteered that itwas a little something, something for when I go on the road. Youcant detect it. Bonds is charged with lying to a federal grand jurywhen he said no one other than his doctor ever injected him withanything. The owner of Major League Baseballs records for home runsin a career and a season also is accused of lying when he said thathe never knowingly used steroids. Hoskins testified afterprosecutors called Barry Bonds orthopedic surgeon to the witnessstand a move they may wind up regretting.

Driver fights for his life A Man was fighting for his life today after a head-on smash.

A Man was fighting for his life today after a head-on smash.

The crash happened just before midnight on the A93 Aberdeen-Banchory road about half a mile west of Drumoak.

It involved a car and a taxi.

One of the drivers was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary with aserious head injury.

Two other people were also taken to hospital but their injurieswere not thought to be serious.

Today the crumpled wreckage of a blue Peugeot 106 and a blue FordMondeo were still at the roadside while police investigated thecause of the accident.

The crash happened at 11.50pm and the road was still closed at8.30am today with traffic being diverted.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Ambulance Service confirmed a manhad been taken to hospital with a "severe life-threatening headinjury".

She said: "We got the call about the accident around 11.55pm lastnight.

"It was a two-car, head-on crash and one male casualty was takento ARI accident and emergency."

Two fire engines from the Grampian Fire and Rescue Serviceattended but no cutting gear was used.

A Police spokesman said: "The collision involved a blue Peugeot106 car which was travelling eastward and a blue Ford Mondeo taxi travelling westward.

"Grampian Police, Grampian Fire and Rescue and the AmbulanceService all attended."

Vehicles heading towards Aberdeen were diverted at Crathes Bridgeon to the B9077 and then over Park Bridge to get back on the A93. Vehicles heading towards Banchory were being diverted off the A93,over Park Bridge onto the B9077 returning to the A93 at the CrathesJunction.

"Save lives by driving carefully" ... Page 6.

cshanks@ajl.co.uk

Democrats Promise Action on Ethics, Iraq

WASHINGTON - Congressional Democrats stepped hungrily to the brink of power on Wednesday, promising immediate action to limit the influence of lobbyists and pledging to constantly prod the Bush administration to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq.

President Bush pushed back against the political opposition as he contemplated divided government for his final two years in the White House. He said he would soon propose a five-year plan to balance the budget, and he challenged Democrats to avoid passing "bills that are simply political" statements.

"There is nothing political about finding a policy to end the war in Iraq, raising the minimum wage, achieving energy independence or helping kids afford college," shot back Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, due to become majority leader at the stroke of noon on Thursday. "In fact, politics has prevented progress on these issues for too many years."

Even as they prepared to take control of Congress, Democrats received a brusque reminder that they face pressure from the political left as well as resistance from Republicans.

At one point during the day, Rep. Rahm Emanuel, a member of the Democratic leadership, was addressing reporters when he was loudly interrupted by Cindy Sheehan and other anti-war activists. "De-escalate, investigate, troops home now!" they shouted, while he smiled gamely.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, in line to become the nation's first female House speaker, spent much of her day at ceremonial events. She attended a Catholic Mass in remembrance of the children of Darfur and Katrina, then a tea in her honor.

That left it to her lieutenants to outline plans for the Democrats' initial stretch in the majority.

Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the incoming majority leader, said the first six bills and a series of stiffer ethics rules would be passed within two weeks.

The first step, he said, would take place by early evening on Thursday, and consist of several measures crafted in response to the scandals that weakened Republicans in last fall's elections.

In addition to expanding restrictions on privately financed trips enjoyed by lawmakers, House Democrats said they will prohibit travel on corporate jets and require greater disclosure of earmarks, the pet projects inserted into legislation at the behest of individual lawmakers.

The rules do not prohibit lawmakers from taking trips financed by foundations that seek to influence public opinion. Those trips will require pre-approval from the ethics committee.

Current rules ban congressional travel paid for by lobbyists or foreign governments, and violations of t he existing restrictions played heavily in the scandal involving Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Democrats appeared to backtrack from their campaign-season pledge in at least one area. They were sharply critical of Republicans for keeping a roll-call vote open for hours so leaders could find enough votes to pass Medicare legislation in late 2003. But rather than ban the practice, the proposed rule declares that a vote "shall not be held open for the sole purpose of reversing the outcome."

Two months after the voters ordered a change in congressional control, Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate, as well as Bush, pledged to work in a bipartisan spirit.

"Democrats are committed to working with Republicans to get results," Reid wrote in a memo distributed to the party's rank-and-file. He said an unprecedented all-senators meeting set for Thursday morning would "allow us to start off on the right foot, as colleagues instead of adversaries."

Those promises could scarcely obscure the political jockeying under way.

After long pledging a new era of civility and openness in the House, Democrats said they would not allow Republicans the chance to amend any of the first half-dozen bills to be brought to a vote during the first 100 hours of the new Congress. The measures relate to the minimum wage, stem cell research, energy, student loans and recommendations by the commission that investigated the terrorist attacks of 2001.

"We view the first 100 hours as essentially a mandate from the American people," Hoyer told reporters, explaining the decision to safeguard those measures from Republican attack.

Republicans were quick to complain - after spending years ignoring Democratic complaints along the same lines. Rep. David Dreier, R-Calif., sent Democrats a letter saying they were violating promises Pelosi had made to allow a "fair debate consisting of a full amendment process that grants the minority the right to offer its alternatives, including a substitute."

More broadly, Republican leaders lined up to support Bush's call for a balanced budget by 2012 while protecting tax cuts passed while they held power.

"In February, the president will submit a budget to Congress that will grow the economy by making tax cuts for working families permanent, and I support those efforts," said Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, the incoming Republican leader.

Bush said at the White House that his proposal "will restrain spending while setting priorities. It will address the most urgent needs of our nation, in particular the need to protect ourselves from radicals and terrorists, the need to win the war on terror, the need to maintain a strong national defense and the need to keep this economy growing by making tax relief permanent."

"We welcome the president's newfound commitment to a balanced budget, but his comments make us wary," said Rep. John Spratt of South Carolina, the incoming Democratic chairman of the House Budget Committee. "We will simply have to scrutinize the president's budget when it comes next month to see if the rhetoric matches reality."

Cop named to revenue job for city

Douglas Ellis Jr., an accountant serving as a sergeant in thePolice Department, was named a deputy revenue director by MayorWashington yesterday.

In the civilian post, Ellis, 38, will be paid $50,000 a year.He will head efforts to enforce collections from city parkingfacilities and parking meters.

Washington also announced the appointment of Harold Baron, 55,educator and former director of research of the Chicago Urban League,as chief policy adviser, at $66,000 a year, and Octavio Mateo Jr.,former executive at the Illinois Institute of Technology, aspersonnel director of the Health Department.

HAWKS NOTES

Forward Ed Olczyk left yesterday for Moscow, where he will playfor Team USA in the World Championship tournament. Olczyk did nothave a point in the playoffs against Toronto. . . . Defenseman DougWilson and center Denis Savard have been invited to join Team Canadain Moscow. Neither is likely to go. Savard has a broken finger.Wilson's wife, Kathy, is expecting their second child any day. . . .Repeating a favorite theme, GM-coach Bob Pulford said center TomLysiak "maybe was our best player." But he would not say whetherLysiak, 32, would be back next year. "That was just a statement,"Pulford said. "I don't know if he'll be back. I don't know if hewants to be back. I do know he was one of the players who playedhard in the playoffs." Lysiak's contract expires this summer.

The Hawks will change their approach to acquiring players thisyear. They will make a strong effort to sign free agents fromAmerican colleges and universities, as the Calgary Flames have doneso successfully. The Hawks' college scout, Jim Pappin, was a strongadvocate of signing Illinois-Chicago's Ray Staszak last year.Staszak signed with Detroit, didn't make that club, and spent most ofthe year in the American Hockey League. . . . Pulford said he "hadno qualms" about starting Murray Bannerman in goal for the final gameagainst Toronto, though Bannerman aggravated a groin injury in Game2. "He assured me he was OK, and he's the type of guy who is capableof playing that big game," Pulford said. "I feel very strongly thatwas the right thing to do." . . . He did tell Bannerman to get hisright knee "fixed" this summer, though he denied Bannerman would needsurgery. "He had a bad knee all year, and I said we couldn't gothrough another year like that," Pulford said.

Pawlenty plans Middle East address next week in NY

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Pawlenty plans to weigh in on the turmoil in the Middle East during a foreign policy address next week in New York.

The former Minnesota governor's campaign announced the speech to be given Tuesday at the Council on Foreign Relations as part of the group's candidate series.

The Arab Spring uprisings have played out in bloody protests across northern Africa and Mideast nations such as Syria, Bahrain and Yemen. Pawlenty has been critical of Democratic President Barack Obama's approach to the region's instability.

It will be the second major policy address for Pawlenty. Earlier this month, he laid out his economic plan during a speech in Chicago.

Guide to Italian sauces, from Alfredo to Vongole

Q. An Italian cooking expert I'm not, so when it comes time totop the various pasta dishes I make I'm at a loss. Could you pleaseexplain the differences between Italian sauces?

A. The following is a partial list of pasta sauces adapted fromA Pocket Guide to Italian Food and Wine (A Fireside Book - Simon &Schuster; 1986, $5.95) by Spike and Charmian Hughes:

Aglio e olio: garlic, olive oil and parsley.

Alfredo: butter, cream and freshly grated cheese overfettuccine.

Amatricana: sauce of fresh tomatoes, chopped bacon, onion andgarlic, served with grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

Bolognese: rich meat sauce flavored with chicken livers, wine,vegetables and nutmeg. Served with butter and grated cheese;sometimes cream is added to the sauce. Also called ragu in parts ofItaly other than Bologna.

Burro: butter and grated Parmesan cheese.

Cacciatore: meat and vegetable sauce flavored with juniper.

Frutti di mare: seafood sauce.

Funghi e piselli: sauce of mushrooms, bacon and fresh greenpeas.

Marinara: sauce of fresh tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and basil.

Pesto: oil, grated cheese, pine nuts, basil and garlic poundedinto a paste.

Pomidoro: tomato sauce.

Romana: meat and chicken sauce with chopped mushrooms.

Tartufata: truffle sauce with Marsala or white wine and garlic.

Vongole: clam sauce with onions, tomatoes, olive oil and garlic.

Gates Seeks $190 Billion for Wars

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert Gates will ask Congress Wednesday to approve nearly $190 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2008, increasing initial projections by more than a third.

In remarks prepared for a Senate hearing, Gates says the extra money is necessary to buy vehicles that can protect troops against roadside bombs, refurbish equipment worn down by combat and consolidate U.S. bases in Iraq. A copy of the remarks was obtained by The Associated Press.

In that prepared testimony, Gates said, "I know that Iraq and other difficult choices America faces in the war on terror will continue to be a source of friction within the Congress, between the Congress and the president and in the wider public debate."

"Considering this, I would like to close with a word about something I know we can all agree on - the honor, courage and great sense of duty we have witnessed in our troops since September 11th," his testimony said.

In February, President Bush requested $141.7 billion for the wars; officials said at the time the figure was only a rough estimate and could climb. In July, the Defense Department asked Congress for another $5.3 billion to buy 1,500 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles.

Gates says another $42 billion is needed to cover additional requirements. The extra money includes:

- $11 billion to field another 7,000 MRAP vehicles in addition to the 8,000 already planned;

- $9 billion to reconstitute equipment and technology;

- $6 billion for training and equipment of troops;

- $1 billion to improve U.S. facilities in the region and consolidate bases in Iraq; and

- $1 billion to train and equip Iraqi security forces.

The $190 billion total would cover war costs for the 2008 budget year, which begins Monday. Congress was on track this week to pass a stopgap spending bill that would keep the war afloat for several more weeks, giving Democrats time to figure out their next step on the war.

Democrats say they plan to use the spending request as leverage to bring troops home, although they lack a veto-proof majority to do so.

Congress should approve the request as quickly as possible "and without excessive and counterproductive restrictions," Gates will tell the Senate, according to his testimony. Doing so, he added, helps the Pentagon to better manage its resources and avoid shifting money around, which often requires additional cash.

The $42 billion item takes into account Bush's decision to bring home five Army brigades by next summer, Gates said.

Govt Defends Remarks by Former EPA Chief

NEW YORK - The former Environmental Protection Agency chief should not be blamed for telling residents near the World Trade Center site that the area was safe after the 2001 terrorist attacks, the government told an appeals court Thursday.

Federal officials also argued that a lower court judge was wrong to force Christine Todd Whitman to face a 2004 lawsuit by people in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn who said they were exposed to hazardous dust and debris from the fallen twin towers.

"It is difficult to fathom a pull as strong as the need to calm public fears in the wake of the worst terrorist attack in our nation's history," government lawyers wrote in papers submitted to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The government lawyers rejected claims that Whitman should be held personally liable for the environmental consequences of the Sept. 11 attacks and made to pay damages to clean homes, schools and businesses, and forced to create a fund for medical monitoring of victims.

"No decision of any court remotely suggests that a public statement, even a misleading public statement, could violate the substantive due process rights of thousands of individuals," the papers filed by Department of Justice lawyers in Washington said.

Earlier this year, U.S. District Judge Deborah A. Batts in Manhattan refused to dismiss Whitman as a defendant, calling her actions "conscience-shocking."

"No reasonable person would have thought that telling thousands of people that it was safe to return to lower Manhattan, while knowing that such return could pose long-term health risks and other dire consequences, was conduct sanctioned by our laws," Batts wrote.

The government then asked for permission to appeal the decision.

In its submission Thursday, the government noted that the plaintiffs did not allege that the public statements by Whitman were intended to cause harm.

"In essence, plaintiffs invite the court to second-guess ... the policy judgments made by federal officials in the wake of the September 11 attacks," the government said.

The EPA's Office of the Inspector General eventually criticized the agency's response, saying it did not have enough information to support statements in the days after the attacks that the air was safe.

The EPA's internal watchdog found the agency, at the urging of the White House, gave misleading assurances that the airborne dust posted no health risk.

A telephone message left with lawyers for the plaintiffs was not immediately returned Thursday.

Ode to the Missing: 'Everyday Poetry' gives voice to victims of Argentina's dictatorship:

Thousands of dissidents silenced under Argentina's military dictatorship _ tortured, executed and made to "disappear" in the so-called Dirty War against dissent _ are gaining new voice through poetry.

A new book, "Poesia Diaria" ("Everyday Poetry"), tells the victims' story through the memories and verse of families who lost sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, husbands and wives. It comes as Argentines re-examine their country's dark past and push for trials of those who committed human rights abuses during the 1976-1983 junta.

For years, newspapers in this South American nation have published small notices, called "recordatorios" in Spanish, on the anniversaries of disappearances: poems and messages to the dead that Virginia Giannoni, the book's editor, said chilled her to the bone.

"To find such intimate letters published in a public space is so jarring," Giannoni said. "Many of these are beautiful texts that give voice to deep feelings. They express a need not only to remember family members, friends and colleagues who have been made to 'disappear' but to bear witness to their lives."

Giannoni first created a traveling wall of "death tributes" that toured San Diego, Toronto, Medellin, Colombia, and other cities. She then collected in "Poesia Diaria" about 200 of the more than 1,500 poems that had been published in newspapers.

Most are just a few lines saved from yellowed newsprint and old photocopies. Some recall the victims as children or moments together. Others retell their kidnappings or express longing to be reunited.

Still other tributes express anger at the junta, such as one penned by the parents of Juan Jacinto Burgos, who was kidnapped in 1976: "Trapped and murdered ... your voice silenced/ Murdered in a cowardly fashion while held captive somewhere/ We will never forget your martyred body/ We will never forgive the atrocious crimes of the military dictatorship."

"Assassin are you still free?" wonders the family of Fernando Brodsky, who disappeared inside a torture center. "Is your conscience still in need of relief?"

Nearly 13,000 people are officially listed as dead or missing from the junta's so-called Dirty War against dissent, though human rights groups put the toll at nearly 30,000 victims.

Despite renewed prosecutions under President Nestor Kirchner that have led to a handful of convictions, the Dirty War era and the unknown fates of thousands remain open wounds.

"I always think about my sister, always, always," said Cristina Diturbide, who says her younger sister Marta was abducted Nov. 22, 1976, and who visited a recent "Poesia Diaria" exhibition.

"It's a wound that will never close," Diturbide said. "I now have my own home, my work, my children, but her absence is very real."

The book aims to voice that grief and help heal those wounds, said Argentine composer Gustavo Santaolalla, winner of two Academy Awards for best original score for music he wrote for "Brokeback Mountain" and "Babel." With the backing of the famous human rights group Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, Santaolalla brought the book to press through his publishing group Retina Editores.

"This was one of the greatest experiences of my life: meeting the Mothers and seeing how they could transform some of the most horrendous things that can happen in your life _ such as losing a child, brother, sister or father _ into super-positive energy that has to do with life, not death," he told The Associated Press in an interview.

Nora Cortinas of the Mothers said the missing would be glad to be honored this way. "Our children wouldn't have wanted marble or bronze plaques," she said.

The book, which came out in mid-September, contains English versions of most of the poems, and Santaolalla said future editions could add more verses as well as French, German and Italian translations.

Meanwhile a related Web site, http://www.poesiadiaria.com.ar, collects more than 500 tributes and invites multilingual volunteers to translate the "fragments of stolen love" into English and French. Giannoni said U.S. high school students who made some translations reported learning about Argentine history in a way they will never forget.

Argentine singer and human rights activist Leon Grieco, who collaborates frequently with the Mothers, said "Poesia Diaria" takes the public behind the faded pictures they have carried in their weekly marches for decades.

"We all know the photographs but not the stories behind them," Grieco said. "This book brings us a little closer to the disappeared through the poetry of those who knew them."

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On the Net:

http://www.poesiadiaria.com.ar

Washington Mutual shares continue to plunge

Shares of Washington Mutual Inc. continued a perilous plunge on Thursday as anxiety grew on Wall Street over the financial stability of the nation's largest thrift and its options for survival.

WaMu stock dropped 26 cents, or 11.2 percent, to $2.06 in afternoon trading, after earlier hitting a low of $1.75. The company's shares plummeted about 30 percent on Wednesday to a 17-year low of $2.32.

Wall Street's edginess over the fate of major financial firms also was fanned by Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.'s plans announced Wednesday to sell a majority stake in its investment management unit, spin off its commercial real estate assets and slash its dividend. The nation's fourth-largest investment bank also said it lost $3.9 billion during its fiscal third quarter.

The company, like many others on Wall Street, has suffered from bad bets on mortgage securities and other risky assets and has seen its stock price drop about 90 percent this year.

WaMu, likewise, has seen its market value wither, as it battles rising mortgage delinquencies and defaults. Its shares have fallen more than 90 percent since early July of last year, right before the rapid erosion in the credit markets began.

Federal banking regulators, who earlier this week ratcheted up their scrutiny of Washington Mutual, are closely watching the thrift's condition.

"We're aware of it and we're monitoring it," said William Ruberry, a spokesman for the Office of Thrift Supervision, the Treasury Department agency that is WaMu's primary regulator.

With losses in its mortgage portfolio expected to peak at $19 billion, the Seattle-based bank could be Wall Street's next casualty, some analysts believe.

"The question becomes can it survive if it has billions and billions of dollars left to write down on those loans?" Ladenburg Thalmann analyst Richard Bove said. "What's going to keep it in business, what is going to keep it alive?"

"WaMu made mistakes in loan originations, to be sure, but it also had bad luck in that the bulk of its loans are in California," which has suffered some of the steepest declines in home prices and largest number of foreclosures, said Stuart Feldstein, president of SMR Research, which provides research on the lending industry.

He notes that WaMu expanded its business in the late 1990s by buying two of the largest thrifts in California, Home Savings of America and its rival Great Western Bank, "in a mad acquisition spree by ex-CEO (Kerry) Killinger."

"It was an opportunity for him to grow quickly, but in retrospect _ and hindsight is easy _ they should have had a little more geographic dispersion," Feldstein said. "He had to sit back and cross his fingers that nothing ever went bad in California."

One thing working in WaMu's favor is its valuable deposit base. Bove suspects management is "scrambling to find a buyer."

One indicator that the bank could be in trouble is the widening of its credit spreads, evidence that investors believe the debt is riskier.

Washington Mutual's spreads are greatly wider than Lehman's _ and Lehman's spreads are already wider than those of Bear Stearns Cos. shortly before its demise in March, according to Len Blum, managing director at investment bank Westwood Capital.

WaMu does not typically comment on share price, market speculation or ratings agency actions, said spokeswoman Olivia Riley. She also said the bank does not generally make comments about things such as credit spreads mid-quarter.

WaMu took a number of hits this week, starting with the removal of Killinger on Monday. He was replaced by Alan H. Fishman, the former president and chief operating officer of Sovereign Bank.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered its outlook on the bank to "Negative" on Tuesday, saying the regulatory action "highlights the challenging operating environment the company faces in managing its core mortgage franchise."

However, S&P noted that the bank's capital position remains stable.

"The strong regulatory capital cushion of over $10 billion above regulatory capital measures is considered quite solid," S&P said in a statement. "Also deposit funding trends have been stable and there has been no adverse change to the holding company liquidity profile."

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AP Business Writer Sara Lepro in New York contributed to this report.

Sporting heroes ; In brief

ESSEX: Team Essex is looking to recruit sporting heroes.

The county council's Team Essex Ambassador programme provides abursary to top-tier athletes who have the potential to compete inthe London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Thirteen successful applicants will each receive a Pounds 6,500bursary for 2011.

Download an application form from www.essexlegacy.org/teamessexbefore November 30.