Staying safe at home means securing your property - and takingsimple steps to prevent crime.
Police recommend checking to see who a caller is by looking outof your window or using a door viewer, sometimes known as a spyhole.
They also recommend fitting a door chain.
A Grampian Police spokesman said: "Make sure your door is lockedwhen you are at home and do not unlock the door until you are surewho is on the other side.
"When possible, put the door chain …
"Hold Ya Ryme" is a Tony Green CD that he cut approximately two years ago. However, he is working on another one that will be dropping soon. "Well who is Tony Green?" one asks. In the entertainment arena he's also known as the "Paraplegic MC," entertainer and articulate rapper.
His life just didn't have tacks in his path to success -- there were large nails that were preventing him from even moving. However, he possessed an overwhelming amount of intestinal fortitude and plenty of ambitions to use the innate ability with which he was born.
Green's life began with severe problems. He was born with Muscular Dystrophy in the Robert Taylor Homes, but he received a lot of love …
Mayor Michael Bloomberg faces a new fight now that he has won a major victory by convincing the City Council to back his plan to extend term-limits, clearing the way for him to run for another term.
As he gears up for a re-election campaign in 2009, the billionaire independent must try to win over his detractors _ the people he upset by the way he went about getting what he wanted.
Critics said he ignored the will of the people by going through the City Council instead of the voters to change the law by giving officeholders a third, consecutive four-year term. They also say Bloomberg disappointed New Yorkers by reversing his long-held view that voters had …
After a string of impressive performances in Bangladesh earlierthis month, Jos Buttler has retained his place in the England Lionssquad for their second winter tour, with the team now moving on to Sri Lanka.
The Somerset County Cricket star was the Lions' leading scorer inthe five-match one-day series against Bangladesh A, smashing 161runs at an average of 53.66 as the visitors lost the series 3-2.
Modest scores of 14 and 12 followed in the tied t20 series, withButtler blaming the difficult sub-continent conditions for England'sfailure to win more matches.
"The cricket in Bangladesh was a real challenge for the team,"said the …
We don't know yet what really happened in the Virginia Techmassacre of Monday -- seemingly the worst in American history -- andwhen we do know more of the details, we will still be ignorant ofthe deeper causes. From Columbine to the Washington snipers we havesupped our fill of horrors in recent years. But even when themurderers candidly describe their motives and their modus operandi,it is still a mystery as to how and why they calmly set aboutdisposing of fellow human beings as if they were so many insects.
It is curious how often the killers are described as calm. Thatseems to have been true of Monday's murderer as he calmly shot downpeople whom he knew either scarcely …
SAO PAULO (AP) — A Brazilian judge has prohibited scores of news media outlets from publishing anything related to a fraud investigation that mentions a governor running for re-election, an electoral court said Monday.
Electoral judge Liberato Povoa ruled last week that 84 media outlets cannot report on the investigation that refers to Carlos Henrique Amorim, the governor of the northern state of Tocantins.
The judge made the ruling because the investigation into alleged fraud on a government contract bidding process has not been completed and is not yet open to the public, so he said the reports were based on information obtained illegally.
Reports published prior to …
FULLERTON, California (AP) — A U.S. city has approved the hiring of a law enforcement consultant to investigate the death of a mentally ill homeless man after a violent confrontation with police that sparked outrage and protests by residents.
The Fullerton City Council on Tuesday agreed to sign two contracts with Michael Gennaco to probe the death of 37-year-old Kelly Thomas and conduct a top-to-bottom review of department policies and procedures. Gennaco specializes in examining law enforcement agencies and is chief attorney for the Los Angeles County Office of Independent Review, a civilian oversight body that monitors that county's sheriff's department.
Councilman Bruce …
Mayor Dave Bieter hits the campaign trail
At his core, Boise Mayor Dave Bieter is a small-town kind of guy. Sure, he leads the largest, most powerful city in the state, but his unassuming nature and propensity to do a little rabble-rousing with other governmental agencies makes him the political equivalent of the guy next door.
But as Bieter kicks off his re-election campaign, he's hoping Boise voters will look past his lack of political polish and focus on his grass-roots work.
The campaign will kick off with a party Wednesday on Boise's Basque Block.
Bieter entered office nearly four years ago with a promise to clean up city hall after the Brent Coles scandal …
Police were trying Tuesday to reconstruct what happened inside a small brick home were six people were found brutally killed. But answers were hard to find: They had no suspects, few clues and no apparent motive.
The bodies of two men, two women and two children were found at the home when police forced their way inside Monday night. Authorities believed the killer or killers fled, but knew little more.
"We're working with a blank sheet of paper," police spokeswoman Monique Martin told reporters at a news conference.
The killings stunned the working-class neighborhood about six miles from downtown Memphis. The community experiences some …
NISSAN have blown the bolts on a new Micra for the year 2005. Thecabriolet version of Nissan's best-seller will need big bucks to getit rolling off the production line, but funding mainly from Nissanand a regional assistance grant from the British Government hasensured that the exciting project has been green-lighted for Nissan'sSunderland plant.
Mario Canavesi, senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales forNissan Europe said: "This version of the Micra will be Nissan'sfirst European-built coupe-cabriolet, and will be a great addition tothe product lineup.
"It will retain the best elements of the existing Micra -attractive design, driving enjoyment and utility. …
Revenue keeps rolling in for USF Glen Moore Inc., a provider of truckload services for the USF group of carriers. Based in Carlisle, the company has hauled in an additional $14 million in revenue annually over the past two years.
If the company's growth continues in the same direction, it hopes to achieve its goal of being recognized as a national carrier. Such a rank requires that a firm earn at least $200 million in annual revenue, said USF Glen Moore president and chief executive officer Mark Martin.
Significant increases in revenue began when the company was acquired by USF in 1998. Prior to that time, the company operated as Glen Moore Transport, which opened initially …
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Galatasaray says it has ended its contract with coach Frank Rijkaard.
In a statement posted on its official website on Wednesday, Galatasaray also says it terminated trainer Johan Neeskens' contract.
Galatasaray made a disappointing start to the season and fans have been calling for Rijkaard's resignation.
The decision …
A Grieving dad whose soldier son was killed by a comrade today hitout at the Army.
Private Andrew Dobson, 23, was strangled to death by Portsoysoldier Anthony Stewart in the dormitory they shared.
Pte Stewart, now 27, is currently serving a life term for murder,after being convicted by a jury at Winchester Crown Court of thekilling.
An inquest yesterday in Southampton heard that Stewart had mentalhealth problems and had self-harmed.
He was believed to be jealous of Pte Dobson, who was on the pointof being promoted before the killing in 2002.
The victim's dad, John Dobson, 56, of Newton Stewart, today saidthe Army had failed to protect his son.
He said: "The Army knew he had problems months before hecommitted the murder.
"They shot themselves in the foot by saying Prince Harry could notgo to Afghanistan because he was a Royal and they have a duty of careto protect him.
"But what about my son, did they not have a duty of care toprotect him, because he was a commoner?"
The inquest heard that Stewart had drunk up to 12 bottles of lagerbefore the killing.
Detective Sergeant Steve Mardon told the hearing that Stewart offered Pte Dobson some of his Chinese food.
But as Pte Dobson sat eating the food and watching television,he was attacked from behind.
Stewart later told officers he had donned surgical gloves,placed a rifle sling in a loop and wrapped it around Pte Dobson'sneck and throttled him to death.
Stewart, the inquiry was told yesterday, suffered fromdepression, alcohol abuse and a borderline personality disorder. Hehad previously self-harmed.
DS Mardon told the inquest into Pte Dobson's death that hebelieved Stewart envied his pal's promotion.
"Pte Dobson was definitely on the up and Stewart was on the downand that may have triggered it," the detective said.
Two weeks before the murder, an Army psychiatrist told Stewart hewas recommending his discharge following self-harming incidents.
At the inquest, Coroner Keith Wiseman told how both soldiers'families had written to him criticising the Army, claiming it did nottake mental health seriously.
"The Army's grip over his problem was far, far too late," he said.
Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Birkhead, who manages personnel policyand is based at the Army's Headquarters Adjutant General offices, said lessons had been learned.
A verdict of unlawful killing was recorded.
Pte Stewart's parents, Peter and Kirsteen, refused to comment.
ee.news@ajl.co.uk
At least 19 bald eagles died Friday after gorging themselves on a truck full of fish waste outside a processing plant.
Fifty or more eagles swarmed into the truck, whose retractable fabric cover was open, after the truck was moved outside the plant, said Brandon Saito, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who coordinated the recovery operation.
The birds became too soiled to fly or clean themselves, and with temperatures in the mid-teens Fahrenheit (around -10 Celsius), began to succumb to the cold. Some birds became so weak they sank into the fish slime and were crushed.
The truck's contents had to be dumped onto the floor of the Ocean Beauty Seafoods plant so the birds could be retrieved. Some tried to scatter, but since they could not fly, wildlife officers soon retrieved them. The eagles were then cleaned with dish soap in tubs of warm water to remove the oily slime and warm them.
The survivors were taken to a heated fish and wildlife warehouse to recover, though some were in critical condition. Saito said they would be released as soon as they were dry and strong enough.
The dead birds will be shipped to a U.S. Department of Interior clearinghouse, where Native American groups could apply to be given the birds or their feathers for ceremonial purposes.
Requests for interviews from Ocean Beauty officials were not returned.
Commercial fishing is the main industry in Kodiak, a city of about 6,000 on Kodiak Island on the south coast of Alaska.
A U.S. civil liberties group sued the Texas youth prison system on Thursday, claiming girl inmates have been traumatized by practices such as solitary confinement and strip searches.
The American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit filed in Austin on behalf of five girls held at the Brownwood facility claims the Texas Youth Commission is violating inmates' constitutional rights and international standards on protecting children from abuse and cruel treatment.
"It's in the interests of both the children and TYC to stop these practices," said Lenora Lapidus, director of the ACLU's women's rights project.
TYC spokesman Jim Hurley said officials would discuss the issues with the ACLU in an attempt to resolve any dispute.
Brownwood is the only TYC facility for girls and it holds inmates on violations ranging from property offenses to serious crimes. Its estimated population was more than 19,700 in 2006, latest figures available.
According to the lawsuit, girls at Brownwood have been regularly placed in solitary confinement as punishment for days, weeks or months. Strip searches were conducted even when the girls had not left the Brownwood facility, and guards used force, such as pepper spray, handcuffs and leather straps, when they resisted, the lawsuit said.
The five inmates have histories of sexual physical or emotional abuse. The types of treatment alleged in the lawsuit can trigger flashbacks to childhood rapes and feeling degraded and humiliated, the ACLU contends.
Hurley, who had not seen the lawsuit and could not discuss specific allegations, said the agency is taking steps to improve how it deals with female inmates. He noted the agency recently ended a long-term isolation program that had been used at a different facility.
The ACLU has been a harsh critic of Texas' juvenile corrections system struggling to overcome revelations of inmate abuse and possible cover-ups that came to light in early 2007. State lawmakers ordered a massive overhaul of the agency and several top administrators were either fired or resigned.
The 1950s were this century's Golden Age, a complex andfascinating period of explosive intellectual exploration,technological achievement and social ferment. It was a decade ofincomparable challenge and accomplishment, the product of unmatchedsacrifice and daring imposed by the Great Depression and World WarII.
No decade since then - most especially the current one - hasachieved such heights. And as we turn the corner into the 21stcentury, it's possible that no decade in the near future will.So why, you may wonder, am I having this sudden outburst ofrose-colored nostalgia and generational chauvinism?It might have something to do with this week's serialization oncable's History Channel of David Halberstam's opus, The Fifties.More personally, though, it was the conclusion I reached whilewatching the thoroughly enjoyable performance of "Buddy . . . theBuddy Holly Story" at the Apollo Theater this Thanksgiving weekend.Here's a guy who, contributing to a new art form, wrote and performeda dozen hits in an 18-month-long career. What amazing creativeproductivity.More to the point, my outburst has much to do with having had myfill of youthful sages who draw unremittingly nasty characterizationsof the '50s from watching reruns (where do they see them?) of "Ozzieand Harriet." Who think of the '50s as an age inhabited byuninspired, repressed, bland and conformist simpletons. Drab people,drab lives, drab culture, drab literature,drab music, drab everything.Uh huh.Except, for this: It was the drab, uninspired '50s that dared tobe different, to create a musical form - rock 'n' roll - that doesn'tjust survive today, but is celebrated by today's preciously cool whoact as if they invented it.Of course, no age isperfect. It was immoral that blacks were segregated,that they were forced to drink from separate water fountains andride in the back of the bus.OK, so, let's talk about racism and segregation, one of thebiggest knocks on the decade. The easily discovered facts,apparently unavailable to '50s critics, are that the '50s didn'tcreate Jim Crow. But it was the first decade to seriously andsystematically try to get rid of it. The Supreme Court, in 1954,ruled school segregation to be illegal and a president risked hispopularity by sending troops South to back up the court. It was inthe '50s that Rosa Parks and thousands battled bus segregation, andit was within months of the close of the '50s that lunch counterprotests picked up steam and the Voting Rights Act passed. Bypreparing the legal groundwork and planting the seeds for aremarkable change in society's attitudes, the '50s was the incubatorfor the civil rights movement.So, it is odd that today's self-described "agents of change"fail to recognize the unparalleled cultural, intellectual andtechnological change of the '50s. It was a decade that blossomed,actually erupted, from 20 years of sacrifice and personal denialimposed by the hardest economic times and greatest external threatsever faced by this country. If Americans who made it through thosetrials decided that their reward should be to sit around the suburbanfamily room, smoking cigarettes and watching "I Love Lucy," then whothe hell are we, from our lofty and smug perches 40 years later, tosay they shouldn't?But it's no fairer to characterize the decade that way than itwould be for the social critics of 2037 to characterize the '90s bywatching reruns of "Men Behaving Badly." In fact, the '50s were aperiod rich in social criticism and change, of James Dean and AllenGinsberg, of Jack Kerouac's On the Road and J.D. Salinger's Catcherin the Rye.Yes, the decade spawned Joseph McCarthy, but the '50s also wasthe decade that got rid of him. Gone too were the last racial andethnic barriers to naturalization.This was not some intellectually barren age; it was the age ofsuch giants as William Faulkner, Carl Sandburg, Tennessee Williams,Eugene O'Neill and Archibald MacLeish. It was an age that was largeand diverse enough for beatniks and Fulton Sheen.Television was an entirely new medium; not a vast wasteland,but a vast fertile field of experimentation that rose to the heightsof live drama and Ernie Kovacs. The '50s gave birth to spaceexploration. It nurtured jazz and blues. The AFL and CIO merged;union solidarity soared.With the introduction of the jet airliner, the creation of theinterstate highway system and the building of the St. LawrenceSeaway, American mobility and commerce also soared. Experimentationin design and construction flourished. New strides were made inmaterials, providing the flexibility, endurance and safety of, yes,plastics.Yet, the '50s, having its own war and book-ended by two others,wasn't allowed the kind of complacency that today is taken forgranted. The sight of the Nike missiles in the parks and forestpreserves to shoot down Soviet bombers (which were certain to invade)were a reminder to children of the threat of nuclear death. Thecertainty of the military draft and the possiblity of a painful,lonely death in a foreign land awaited every male child.For all children, the threat of polio was real andterrifying. This was when incurable diseases arose from theunknown, and not from known, avoidable behaviors.The challenges and the terrors were great, but so were thesenses of survival, self-preservation and achievement, virtues thatproved to be useful and enduring.So, call me when the '90s make some equally great and lastingcontributions.Dennis Byrne is a member of the Sun-Times editorial board.
Olive Garden and Red Lobster customers will have to pay a bit more for their favorite dishes in the months ahead as the restaurant chains struggle to keep revenue and profit growing in a depressed economy.
On a conference call with analysts Wednesday, the parent company of both brands _ Darden Restaurants Inc. _ said its prices in the 2009 fiscal year that began this summer will be higher than in years past.
The company said its menu prices at Olive Garden and Red Lobster have typically gone up between 2 percent and 3 percent each year, with price increases usually falling in the middle of that range. But for 2009, Darden said it will have to raise prices by a percentage closer to the high end of that range.
"It's not a dramatic increase," said Chief Operating Officer Drew Madsen. "But it's a little more pricing than we have taken in the past."
Darden said the economy _ specifically higher costs for food, energy and labor _ is to blame. Most restaurants have been pressed by significantly higher costs in the past year with prices for grain and meat rising to record levels and state and federal governments boosting the minimum wage for workers.
During the company's first quarter, which ended in August, the higher costs were a factor in a big drop in profit.
After the market closed Tuesday, Darden said its profit dropped 23 percent, with food and beverage labor costs both rising in the double digits.
Besides the higher costs, the company was hurt by slower sales, particularly at Red Lobster and LongHorn Steakhouse. Overall, sales at restaurants open at least a year _ a metric known as same-store sales _ dropped 1 percent.
Gas prices were one of the main culprits for the sales decline, the company said, noting that prices spiked in July. Both Olive Garden and Red Lobster recorded falling traffic and sales during the month.
"There's no question that this has been a difficult quarter," said Chief Executive Clarence Otis on the call Wednesday, adding "it looks like it's going to be a difficult year."
Darden expects its earnings per share from continuing operations to grow between 5 percent and 10 percent in 2009, including one-time costs. The company expects costs _ including for food, energy and labor _ to rise about 2.5 percent.
To meet its profit expectations given the higher costs, the company will have to report same-store sales growth of up to 1 percent for the year.
Whether the company can increase its sales in a difficult economy will be at least partly dependent on whether consumers see dining out at one of Darden's brands a good value. Consumers have increasingly been opting against casual dining chains in favor of cheaper fast food or eating at home in order to save money.
Darden said it recognized that some customers may need more of an incentive to eat out. The company said it will offer more coupons at its LongHorn Steakhouse chain, which is pricier than some of its other brands, and will lower the prices of a few lobster-based promotional dishes at Red Lobster since lobster prices have now declined.
Darden also said it is looking for ways to offer more value to "more price sensitive" Red Lobster customers, and may have something ready by the second half of the fiscal year.
Morningstar analyst John Owens said offering some deals to those consumers could be a good idea as long as it doesn't affect the company's profits.
"You definitely want to keep that customer traffic coming," he said. "But you want to make sure that customer traffic is profitable."
"Call of Duty" games have been dominating the world of console online shooters in recent years, but another series that built much of its devoted following on the PC is making a strong push for its share of that space.
"Battlefield 3" ($59.99, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC) is the latest installment from Electronic Arts and Swedish developer Dice, and its expansive maps, amazing selection of vehicles and intense gunfights are sure to keep gamers logging their online hours.
Sure, it's war, but the game makes war look as gorgeous as it possibly can with beautifully designed maps that come to life with incredible detail and lighting.
The Xbox 360 version comes on two discs — one for campaign mode and one for multiplayer — and suggests installation of an HD texture pack to bring out its full visuals. It's well worth the storage space.
The game has a short campaign mode, but it's clearly secondary to the online play so I'll touch on that later.
"Battlefield 3" really shines in online multiplayer, offering rush, squad rush, squad death match, team death match and conquest modes that are engaging and fun,
The intense 24-person battles are particularly fun in some of the tighter urban maps such as Grand Bazaar in Tehran. My favorite is Operation Metro in Paris, particularly when your squad finds itself under heavy fire and has to duck into some of the nooks around the map's subway section.
The key to surviving and scoring some kills in the smaller maps is moving fast and finding cover, but the game takes on a much different feel in expansive levels such as Operation Firestorm. Sure, you can hoof it on foot all the way to the oil refinery, but why not jump into a fighter jet or attack helicopter to save the wear and tear on those new boots?
The selection of vehicles in the game is astounding: tanks, armored personnel carriers, Humvees, amphibious assault vehicles, rigid-hulled inflatable boats and the aforementioned aircraft. Having a few mixed into a firefight can feel like sheer chaos at times.
Games in the "Battlefield" series and its "Bad Company" counterpart have always focused on teamwork, and this installment is no exception.
The class-based system gets past the typical online shooter goal of simply firing on every bad guy that comes into the cross hairs. Players can take on different roles of providing suppressing fire, handing out ammo to comrades or reviving downed squad members.
It's nice to have a bad session in which you barely get a kill, yet still get some points for helping to secure an area or weaken an enemy before a fellow squad member gets the final kill.
The game's launch was not without its glitches, with many game owners taking to the Internet to blog and tweet about early server issues. The Xbox 360 version, a week after its debut, was still warning about a problem with the Quick Match feature and suggested choosing servers manually. But I personally didn't notice any problems jumping into battle on both EA's and Dice's online servers.
The brief campaign mode, which should take no more than six to eight hours to complete, follows a story told by Sgt. Henry Blackburn, a Marine under suspicion of treason with information on a potential terrorist attack.
It jumps right into the action, throwing Blackburn into an intense battle with members of a militant Iranian insurgency on a moving train. But then it quickly slides into a military interrogation room with him recounting the events leading up to that scene.
The rest of the campaign scenes are flashbacks of what happened before, which is disappointing because it feels like you're simply acting out events that have already taken place.
The game also offers co-op mode, allowing a player to team up with an online partner to tackle scenes loosely based on the campaign with the goal of unlocking some additional weapons.
We'll soon see what new bells and whistles "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" brings to the multiplayer online shooter arena, but until then, I'll be spending as much time as I can playing "Battlefield 3."
Three-and-a-half stars out of four.
THE world's top athletes could be set to touch down at NorthWeald Airfield when the Olympic Games come to London in 2012.
The Gazette can reveal that Epping Forest District Council, whichowns the airfield, is looking to see how the facility could be usedduring the games, which take place in just under two years' time.
The aerodrome is just half an hour's car journey from the Olympicstadium in Stratford and the council wants to assess whether it canbe used by athletes, staff and visitors flying in for the Games.
The authority's deputy leader and business champion, ChrisWhitbread, said: "Aviation is one of the airfield's core activitiesand it is natural that people will think about how that can beadapted to the needs of the games."
Concerns The news is likely to raise concerns among someresidents over increased traffic, noise and pollution.
But Cllr Whitbread emphasised he would not allow the facility tobe used in a way that would be detrimental to the community.
"It is a fantastic asset but we will need to use it sensitively,"he said.
"There is always a balance to be struck. We are not going to turnNorth Weald into Heathrow or Stansted for the Games.
"I am determined that any potential airfield use benefits localbusiness and residents."
Cllr Whitbread continued: "The airfield already generates jobsand income for the district.
"It provides important leisure facilities and has a thrivingmarket.
As the recent celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the Battleof Britain demonstrated, it is also at the heart of the localcommunity and we are determined that it should remain so."
The council stressed that its plans for the airfield are at anearly stage and said that a number of organisations, including thepolice, the Civil Aviation Authority and the Olympic OrganisingCommittee would be consulted. Cllr Whitbread added: "We will havemany people to talk to, not least the parish council and residentsof North Weald.
"The 2012 Olympics could be a great opportunity and it is up toall of us to make the most of it."
Trevor Archer, of the North Weald Airfield Users' Group, welcomedthe news.
"It gives North Weald the opportunity to show its potential," hesaid.
BRUSSELS (AP) — In a Sept. 12 story about Europe's financial crisis, The Associated Press erroneously described some figures in a new European Commission report on European public finances. The AP characterized the Commission estimates for Greece's deficits as new, when in fact they were made in the spring.
ZAGREB, Croatia A new Bosnian Serb peace offer that would requirethe mediation of former President Carter was widely viewed Thursdayas a calculated ploy to further undermine the internationalcommunity's teetering resolve in Bosnia.
But after three years of civil war and failed peace efforts, fewwere willing to dismiss the offer for fear of missing an opportunityto end the conflict.
UN officials said they were taken by surprise by the late-nightproposal from Serb President Radovan Karadzic, which was disclosed ina telephone interview with CNN Wednesday. Karadzic talked with CNNafter speaking by telephone to Carter. Earlier, Karadzic sent twoLos Angeles-area Serbian-Americans to meet with the former presidentand lay the groundwork, diplomatic sources said.
Karadzic said in the CNN interview that he was willing to imposea cease-fire in the Sarajevo area, free detained UN troops, allow themovement of humanitarian relief, release teenage Muslim prisoners ofwar, reopen Sarajevo airport and guarantee human rights. In return,he wanted Carter to fly to Bosnia to begin negotiations for apermanent settlement, possibly as early as this weekend.
UN officials were clearly miffed by the Bosnian Serbs' end-run,particularly because Yasushi Akashi, the UN special envoy in theformer Yugoslavia, had met with Karadzic earlier Wednesday and theBosnian Serb leader had made no mention of a new peace initiative.Akashi's spokesman, Michael Williams, said Karadzic refused in themeeting to accept several demands by Akashi that turned up inKaradzic's offer to Carter.
UN officials and Western diplomats said they feared Karadzic wasattempting to drive a wedge into the peace plan already approved bythe Muslim-led Bosnian government and neighboring Serbia. The planwould give the Bosnian Serbs 49 percent of Bosnian territory.
Bosnian Prime Minister Haris Silajdzic said Carter'sparticipation would constitute a "destruction" of the peace processif it focused on anything but gaining Bosnian Serb approval of theexisting peace plan.
FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III yesterday contradicted thesworn testimony of his boss, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales,by telling Congress that a prominent warrantless surveillanceprogram was the subject of a dramatic legal debate within the Bushadministration.
Mueller's testimony appears to mark the first public confirmationfrom a Bush administration official that the National SecurityAgency's Terrorist Surveillance Program was at issue in an unusualnighttime visit by Gonzales to the hospital bedside of then-Attorney General John D. Ashcroft, who was under sedation andrecovering from surgery.
Mueller's remarks to the House Judiciary Committee differed fromtestimony earlier in the week from Gonzales, who told a Senate panelthat a legal disagreement aired at the hospital did not concern theNSA program. Details of the program, kept secret for four years,were confirmed by President Bush in December 2005, provoking widecontroversy on Capitol Hill.
"The discussion was on a national -- an NSA program that hasbeen much discussed, yes," Mueller said in response to a questionfrom Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.). Mueller told another lawmakerthat he had serious reservations about the warrantless wiretappingprogram.
His testimony presents a new problem for the beleaguered attorneygeneral, whose credibility has come under attack from Democrats andsome Republicans. They say Gonzales deceived them on a number ofissues, including the NSA program and events surrounding the firinglast year of nine U.S. attorneys.
"He tells the half-truth, the partial truth and anything but thetruth," said Sen. Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.), as he and three otherDemocrats on the Judiciary Committee asked the Justice Departmentyesterday to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate whetherGonzales lied to Congress about the NSA program.
Complicating the administration's predicament, Senate JudiciaryCommittee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) yesterday issuedsubpoenas to White House adviser Karl Rove and a deputy, demandingtheir testimony by Thursday as part of the panel's long-runninginvestigation into the prosecutor firings and the allegedpoliticization of Justice Department career personnel jobs. TheWhite House has refused such requests, prompting House lawmakers tomove toward criminal contempt citations against a former Bush legalcounsel and his current chief of staff.
Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said in a statementthat Gonzales's testimony and statements about the NSA program havebeen accurate, but that "confusion is inevitable when complicatedclassified activities are discussed in a public forum."
Gonzales is under fire in particular for his testimony inFebruary 2006 that there had been no "serious disagreement" aboutthe NSA wiretapping program. Gonzales and his aides have since saidthat he was referring to the monitoring of internationalcommunications confirmed by Bush and not to other, undisclosed"intelligence activities" that attracted controversy within theadministration.
"The disagreement that occurred in March 2004 concerned the legalbasis for intelligence activities that have not been publiclydisclosed and that remain highly classified," Roehrkasse said.
Other officials, including Mueller and several Democraticlawmakers who were briefed on the NSA's activities, have said thatthe surveillance, or some part of it, was at the heart of thedispute.
Mueller declined at the hearing to discuss Gonzales's statementson the topic. "I really can't comment on what Judge Gonzales wasthinking or saying," he said. "I can tell you what I understood atthe time."
Mueller's testimony is particularly striking in light of hisopposition to Gonzales's view of the matter at issue during the 2004legal dispute. Then-Acting Attorney General James B. Comey soughtMueller's help in ensuring that an FBI security detail did not evictComey from Ashcroft's hospital room during the visit by Gonzales,then White House counsel, and Andrew H. Card Jr., then the WhiteHouse chief of staff.
Mueller was not present during the hospital visit but testifiedyesterday that Ashcroft briefed him on the conversation. Herepeatedly said he agreed with Comey's version of events, whichincluded testimony that Mueller, Ashcroft, Comey and others wereprepared to quit if the program went ahead without changes to renderit legal.
Bush agreed to make the changes after he met with Mueller anddiscussed the objections Mueller shared with Comey, according toComey's account. Mueller conveyed that promise to Comey.
Signaling that Democrats intend to keep pursuing the issue, HouseJudiciary Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) wrote to Mueller afteryesterday's hearing, requesting notes about the 2004 hospitalincident. Mueller testified that he kept records because the episodewas "out of the ordinary."
FBI officials declined to comment.
The request by four senators to appoint a special prosecutor wassent to Solicitor General Paul D. Clement. He has taken charge ofmatters relating to the U.S. attorney firings and relatedcontroversies because Gonzales and numerous other aides are recused.
Leahy also raised the possibility this week of asking JusticeInspector General Glenn A. Fine to open a perjury investigation ofGonzales if the attorney general declines to correct testimony thatLeahy considers inaccurate.
Besides demanding Rove's testimony on the attorney firings, Leahysent a subpoena to J. Scott Jennings, the White House's deputypolitical director. Rove and Jennings appear in Justice Department e-mails discussing steps in the plan to fire the prosecutors.
Research editor Alice Crites contributed to this report.
The developer is going the "full nine yards" at Camden Passage,a luxury Near North Side town-house project, said house inspectorStephen A. James.
James was describing the construction quality of the 19-unitdevelopment at 2024 N. Racine, in the Sheffield neighborhood, duringa recent On-Site inspection of a Unit A model for the ChicagoSun-Times.
The model is one of the floor plans at Camden Passage, wherethree-story town houses are built in nine- or 10-unit buildings.Base prices range from $326,500 to $368,500. A model is scheduled toopen later this month.
One of the highlights is the central courtyard. The townhouses fronting Racine back up to the courtyard, while rear townhouses (that back up to an alley) face it.
In the courtyard, developer Stephen Ballis, president of DaytonResources Ltd., has revived the stoop-lifestyle concept of theLincoln Park community.
Before wide-spread use of air-conditioning, residents in thearea's apartment buildings would sit on their front steps in thesummer.
For the landscaped courtyard, Ballis has commissioned Italianartist Virginio Ferrari to create a polished bronze and limestonesculpture, which will be unveiled in the fall.
The three-bedroom, three-bath Unit A has about 1,900 squarefeet of living area. Highlights include a fireplace, lower-levellaundry area, study, roof deck, an optional wet bar in the basementand a dry-wall-finished attached garage with automatic door opener.
James said Dayton Resources has cut neither corners nor expensesin the construction plans, citing details such as the "over-designed"floor trusses that easily can support heavy loads such as water bedsor pianos.
"The town house's insulation is virtually seamless and willprovide a weather-tight seal. The exterior wall, with a 1 1/2-inchplastic foam insulation, has a combined thermal rating of R-13,"James said.
"Metal-clad window frames will provide good maintenance-freeusage, while perimeter insulation is provided in the basement level,"James said.
He also cited Unit A's large volume ceilings (9 feet in height)that "make for open, spacious views."
Here are some of the other features of the Unit A model cited byJames: The exterior wall is composed of 4 inches of face brick with a4-inch concrete-block course for a solid masonry exterior 8-inchwall. The common firewall consists of 8-inch concrete-block masonryfor minimizing sound transmission and heat losses as well. A concrete patio and a face-brick-and-wrought-iron fence, along thefront elevation, are included. The foyer floor and the fireplace hearth and surround are marbletile. Bathroom floors have ceramic tiling, as does the tub alcove. Hardwood flooring of light oak is in the living and dining rooms. All interior doors are solid-core, not the usual hollow-core. Marble flooring and base trim are found in the master bathroom. Electrical service is 100 ampheres (120/240 volts of alternatingcurrent with 16 automatic circuit breakers in the main panel). Allthe wiring is copper. All rooms have adequate electrical wall receptacles, includingsufficient grounded outlets in the kitchen and bathrooms. Soffit lighting is provided, over the kitchen sink. The kitchen features European-style cabinetry, General Electricappliances and a butler pantry. The master bath has two dressing areas, whirlpool tub and marbleshower. The exterior door is an energy-efficient 1 3/4-inch foam-insulatedmetal type with weatherstripping. The roof insulation is batt type (fiberglass) with a thermalresistance of R-30. Eight-inch poured concrete foundation walls have 4-inch perimeterdrain tile. Metal joist hangers are installed at stairwell openings. Underlayment of the flooring is 3/4-inch plywood tongue and groove,which is nailed and glued. A 12-inch deep structural steel beam inthe garage is used to support the dead loads of offset masonry wallsabove. The forced-air heating system has a furnace with 100,000 Btucapacity. A British thermal unit is the amount of heat required toincrease the temperature of a pound of water one degree Fahrenheit.A humidifier is included in the purchase price, as is a centralair-conditioning system with a rooftop condenser.
Camden Passage's town houses have 1,900 to 2,200 square feet ofspace.
Some of the features included in the purchase price are: twolarge skylights, a woodburning fireplace, front-door intercom system,wolmanized roof deck, wall-to-wall carpeting in all bedrooms andlarge linen and bedroom closets with vinyl shelving.
Optional features include: powder room, $3,250; wet bar inbasement, $1,600; floor stain, $250 per room and upgraded carpet,$250 per room.
Information contained in this article does not constitute aChicago Sun-Times endorsement of the home's construction, nor ofother units built by the developer.
Let no one be surprised by the bullying demand of GovernmentMinister Ben Bradshaw urging councils to stand up to thosecampaigners fighting plans for a staggering 21,300 new homes in Bathand north east Somerset. Such attitudes are typical of anydemocratic-phobic government such as this New Labour one.
And it seems that Mr Bradshaw has also omitted another crucialfactor in this debate.
Evidence obtained by the English Democrats Party (and othersources) indicate that this Government's three million new homesplanned for Britain are in fact ALL to be built in England - now themost populated country in Europe.
The environmental destruction involved (let alone other factors)borders on the criminal. Well, Mr Bradshaw, is this evidence true?
Spare us the spin, Minister. Just tell us the truth, the wholeand nothing but the truth!
HARRY W BARSTOW Kidston Way Rudloe, Box
ARMY RESERVE FAMILY
For every Army Reserve Seldier, there is likely to be a spouse, children, parents, friends and employers who are affected by that Soldier's call to service. More than 140,000 Army Reserve Soldiers have been mobilized in support of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). Tens of thousands are deployed, preparing for deployment or just returning. The ripple affect of mobilization and deployment touches hundreds of thousands of Americans who love and support our Soldiers.
Meeting the needs of those families on the home front is the mission of the Army Reserve Family Programs (ARFP) office. Soldiers of the Army Reserve are often called to active duty and deploy to support our nation's missions. Separation is never easy. The ARFP office recognizes this and offers innovative programs and systems for families to receive information and assistance.
Army Reserve Family Programs provide coordinated and responsive services to commanders in support of Soldiers, civilian employees, and their families. The vision of family programs is to create an Army Reserve community empowered, sustained, and unified by informed and resilient families in support of the Expeditionary Force.
"Given the sheer number of Soldiers and community members affected by mobilization, and the understanding that taking care of families remains a vital and integral part of mission readiness, our family programs team is working hard to introduce and refine a number of initiatives to address the needs of families," said Lee Ratliff, director of family programs.
Some of these initiatives include:
Army Reserve Family Programs Web Portal www.arfp.org. The Army Reserve Family Programs Portal has been designed to give Soldiers, family, friends and employers of Army Reserve Soldiers an easy to use and easy to remember Web site that serves as the information gateway. Find news of interest to the Army Reserve community, download forms and documents, link to related Web sites and connect with others through the Insite Messenger. Information on the Web portal is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and the family programs staff is constantly adding new material to the Web portal to insure family members can get answers to questions.
According to Michael Evans, Family Programs Region Manager and project manager for the web Portal, "Our staff is reaching out to families of mobilized and deployed Army Reserve Soldiers every day; addressing concerns, providing support and connecting customers to resources so that issues raised can be remedied."
Mobilization and Deployment. Receiving orders for mobilization and deployment is often the cause of many questions that Soldiers and families have. Family programs staff organized briefings are conducted by subject matter experts to prepare both the Soldier and the family. Health and dental care are covered with TRICARE and United Concordia briefings. Soldiers and families are offered instruction on how to read the Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) and information regarding benefits and entitlements such as Servicemembers Group Life Insurance (SGLI) and Family Group Life Insurance (FGLI). Military resources available to family members are introduced.
Family Programs has also posted a Virtual Mobilization and Deployment Briefing for families on the Web portal, which provides information on ID cards, medical and dental, American Red Cross, benefits and entitlements and many more topics.
Operation Military Child Care (OMCC). Through OMCC any Army Reserve Soldier who is mobilized or deployed in support of the GWOT may be eligible for reduced childcare rates at licensed and legally operating centers during deployment and for up to 60 days after the Soldier returns. In addition, a Soldier can plan ahead to have a special date with their spouse, to conduct personal business, or to enjoy other activities, without the worry of who is watching the kids when the Soldier returns for rest and relaxation. During the two-week leave from Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom Soldiers are eligible to receive a minimum of four hours of free child care from dedicated child care providers across the country who have pledged their support by donating their time and services. Since its launch in May 2004, more than 6,000 child care providers and 200 child care resource and referrals in 37 states have joined the Operation Child Care effort. For more information visit www.naccrra.org.
Deployment Cycle Support (DCS). DCS provides valuable instruction for personnel at the unit level, as a first-line information intervention when a family member calls with a question during the mobilization, deployment, sustainment, and reunion phases of the deployment cycle.
Operation READY (Resources for Educating About Deployment and You). Operation READY is a series of training modules, videotapes, CDs, and resource books published for the Army as a resource for staff to train Army families who are affected by deployments. Operation READY materials include: Pre-deployment and Ongoing Readiness, Family Assistance Centers, Homecoming and Reunion, the Army Family Readiness Group (FRG) Leader's Handbook, and the Army Leader's Desk Reference for Soldier/Family Readiness. Activity books for children of deployed Soldiers can be downloaded for free from www.arfp.org.
Army Family Team Building (AFTB). AFTB includes 43 different classes which cover a broad range of team and individual skill building. Course topics include Basic Military Benefits and Entitlements, Military Acronyms, and Terms, Family Readiness Groups, Supporting Your Child's Education, Introduction to Financial Readiness, Volunteer Management, Communication Skills, Stress Management, Problem Solving, Time Management, Building Self-Esteem, Conflict Management, Coaching, Mentoring and Advising, Leadership Skills and many others. After AFTB training, family members are more knowledgeable about the military and develop realistic expectations resulting in less frustration and confusion. If informed families can do more to help themselves, the command can focus on its mission while assuring family members that the military support will be there.
Family Programs Academy (FPA). FPA training is divided into three parts: fundamental, developmental and resource. Fundamental FPA training includes the basics to help establish and maintain a viable, functioning FRG at the unit level. Developmental FPA training builds on those basics and enhances the participant's capability to sustain and enhance unit family programs.
Army Reserve Child and Youth Services (ARCYS) Program. The Army CYS Directorate, US Army Community and Family Support Center has extended its mission of providing services that support the readiness and well-being of families to include those families that are geographically dispersed. The Army Reserve now has a CYS staff to assist with the implementation of CYS programs and initiatives, which are designed to reduce the conflict between parental responsibilities and Soldier mission requirements.
The three areas of focus are child care, youth development and student support. These additional assets provide assistance to families in locating quality child care at reduced rates in their own communities; foster relationships between military connected youth; connect families with positive youth development activities for their school age youth; create teen leadership opportunities at local and national levels; educate community members and educators about the unique characteristics of Army Reserve families; and provide student support to Army Reserve children. The ARCYS homepage is at www.arfp.org/cys
This program is a force multiplier and retention tool through developing services and activities that are relevant to today's Army Reserve children and youth.
Well Being Advisory Council. This new, dynamic structure is designed to support all five Army Reserve constituent groups: Soldiers, families, civilians, retirees and veterans. The members of the council will include a variety of members from the commands and organizations throughout the Army Reserve, to include family member volunteers. This group will meet twice per year to consider and recommend disposition of issues to the Chief, Army Reserve.
LTG James R. Helmly, former Chief, Army Reserve, recently stated, "The Army Reserve commitment to family programs revolves around supporting Soldiers and their families at all stages of the readiness cycle - premobilization, deployment and post deployment - with the intent of minimizing disruption and anxiety. Our Soldiers and their families deserve no less."
The nearest ARFP staff member can be located by visiting www.arfp.org and select Contact Us from the navigation bar. A geographic listing of family programs staff offices will be provided.
[Author Affiliation]
BY Army Reserve Family Programs Office
U.S. Army Reserve
PHOENIX - The stench may finally be lifting from Miller Park.
Literally and figuratively.
Two weeks ago, workers at the Milwaukee Brewers' ballpark repaireda misconnected sewer line that had been sending waste down river intonearby Lake Michigan for more than six years.
And on the field, Manager Ned Yost says he believes the team is alegitimate playoff contender after mostly stinking up the Majors -figuratively speaking - by going 14 consecutive seasons without awinning record, tying them with the Pittsburgh Pirates for thelongest streak of futility in baseball.
"Finally we've got enough depth and enough talent to be able tocompete," Yost said, leaning back in his office chair days beforewrapping up his fifth spring training camp with the Brewers. "That'swhat we've been waiting for ... to get expectations, to be able tohave a team that can compete. Now we've got them, (and) we're excitedabout it.
"People want to think that you're scared when you getexpectations. What planet are you from?"
The Brewers will begin trying to live up to those ambitions thisafternoon when they open the season by hosting the Los AngelesDodgers. And like the Dodgers, pitching - especially startingpitching - will go a long way toward determining how successfulMilwaukee will be.
Opening-day starter Ben Sheets, who won at least 10 games in eachof his first five seasons but spent much of the last two summers onthe disabled list, is healthy again and tops a deep and talentedrotation that includes left-hander Chris Capuano, an 18-game winnerin 2005, and free-agent addition Jeff Suppan, who won 44 games thelast three seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Dave Bush and new addition Claudio Vargas, who each had a career-high 12 wins a year ago, fill out the rotation.
Infielder Craig Counsell said this year's Brewers team reminds himof the world champions he played on in Florida (1997) and Arizona(2001).
"If there is a common ingredient, it's pitching," Counsell said."It's a deep rotation, and one through five is really good. (But)it's about performance ultimately. It's not like everybody has tohave a career year. If guys, just for the most part, do what youexpect, that should put us right there."
Suppan, who has pitched for playoff teams in each of the last fourseasons - including the World Series winner last year - agrees.
"Every team you play on, there's some common denominators," Suppansaid. "On our team this year, it looks good. If we play the way we'recapable of playing, good things will happen.
"That's a pretty general statement. But it's a true statement. I'mexcited because you're going out there with a group that wants towin."
To make that happen, however, the Brewers will have to avoidinjuries in the field and stop avoiding the ball at the plate. Abalky right shoulder limited Sheets to a career-low 17 starts lastseason, and half of Milwaukee's starting infield had its season endedin an operating room. The lineup J.J. Hardy and Rickie Weeks leftbehind struggled without them, finishing second in the Majors instrikeouts for the second consecutive season.
If either problem persists this season, Yost says the Brewers'great expectations could turn to hard times faster than you can sayOliver Twist.
"We've been dying for expectations for the last four years," hesaid. "We could hardly wait to get them. (But) you've got to live upto them. That's the challenge."
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - The governing commission of a long-closed Nazi archive convened Monday to decide when and how to make its vast treasure of wartime documents accessible for the first time to historians.
The two-day annual meeting of the 11-nation commission, held at a 15th-century cloister in central Amsterdam, will cap a yearlong process to pry open the files of the International Tracing Service.
With the horror of the Holocaust still fresh, the files were sealed under a 1955 treaty for fear that unrestricted access to personal histories would violate the memory of the dead and the reputations of the survivors. They also were subject to German privacy laws.
The files, maintained in Bad Arolsen, Germany, were used by the Red Cross mainly to trace missing people and later to validate restitution claims.
After years of pressure from survivor organizations, the commission voted last year to distribute digitally scanned copies of the documents to member states for research purposes.
The decision was cheered by survivors and relatives as potentially breaking the bottleneck in responding to their queries for information about Nazi persecutions.
But it required ratification by all 11 nations - a process taking longer than anticipated.
Seven countries have endorsed the treaty amendments - the United States, Israel, Poland, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Britain.
Ratification is still pending by Luxembourg, Greece, Italy and France.
The commission was considering a proposal to begin transferring scanned documents to research institutions under embargo until the ratification is complete, said a statement by the archive's management.
Even then, access to the records will be limited under the terms of last year's agreement, which stipulated a single copy would be made available to each member state for use "on the premises of an appropriate archival repository."
Each government was expected to take into account "the sensitivity of certain information" the files may contain, the agreement said.
Several survivor organizations in the United States reportedly were objecting to the restricted access, saying the files should be available on the Internet and open to everyone.
Only the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington and Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem have requested copies.
Reto Meister, the archive's director, said all documents relating to concentration camp internment and deportations have been scanned and indexed - about two-thirds of the estimated 30 million to 50 million pages. The archive also has a collection of postwar files on millions of displaced persons.
The documents "offer a unique window into that black chapter of recent history," he said in a statement. "Behind each record is a personal story that puts a face on the suffering caused by Nazi persecution."
THE EGG FACTORY RISE & SHINE DAYTIME CAFE
Strip mall eateries suffer from the initial pause potential patrons may have at walking under a neon sign in search of food. And though The Egg Factory's exterior isn't exactly homey, if diners can get past it - and the 30-minute-plus weekend wait - they'll discover a menu as full as the people-packed vestibule on a Saturday morning.
Myriad egg, potato, waffle, pancake, burger, sandwich and salad options share menu bunk space, but breakfast gets the biggest room in the house. Traditional eggs Benny ($7.99) is joined by fancier siblings on the menu accessorized with Philly steak, bell peppers and mushrooms on a croissant ($8.99); bacon, Monterrey Jack cheese and avocado ($8.79); or tomato, fresh sauteed spinach, avocado and mushrooms ($7.99). But all stay true to the family name by dressing in real, if slightly under-salted, Hollandaise sauce. The traditional Benny's perfectly poached eggs gently oozed sun-colored yoke that mixed with the light sauce, softening crispy muffins and tender meat beneath. So many Canadian bacon slices dressed the dish that we committed the ultimate breakfast sin and left some on the plate.
Eggs were disappointingly cool on one plate, but forgiven after a count of more than 40 hungry heads filling the restaurant (and still more waiting) and server Judi's friendly downhome demeanor. Once smooshed on warm toast and topped with a slice of beautifully crispy bacon and a forkful of hashbrowns ($7.99), the eggs soaked up some of the other items' warmth. A buttermilk drop biscuit ($3.99) was covered in a peppery - but not quite salty enough - white gravy laden with huge chunks of sausage in a serving big enough for everyone in our party to have a satisfying forkful.
One of the weekly specials was The Egg Factory's version of a Monte Cristo ($7.99): French toast smothered in ham and melted Swiss cheese dusted with powdered sugar and sided by two eggs and choice of potatoes. A request to omit the powdered sugar caused Judi to raise an eyebrow - "But it's so delicious" - before happily obliging. An unidentifiable too-sweetness permeated the dish and after searching for a hidden pile of powdered sugar, Judi explained that The Egg Factory's French toast is dipped in a batter made with vanilla custard. Brilliant. "Factory Potatoes" are diced, lightly seasoned and fried to a rich, crispy brown, the hesitation marks on the cubes signifying home-cut spuds. A quick slide of the ham and cheese over to top the potatoes afforded separate but equally mouthwatering savory bites and sweet ones.
There's a lot riding on a restaurant with a specific food item in its name. For a place called The Egg Factory, expectations are that the eponymous product will take center stage. The Egg Factory has earned its name.
- Amy Atkins likes to break breakfast rules.
Let's start with the worst of The Egg Factory: the location. Yes, it's in an aging strip mall in a congested part of town and without a solid recommendation from a friend, you might neither notice it, nor be tempted to check it out. But it seems as though healthy word-of-mouth advertising is trumping the old location, location, location maxim. So much so, in fact, that my recent visit was the first in which I was seated without some sort of initial wait. So if it's not what's on the outside that counts when it comes to The Egg Factory, then it must be what's on the inside.
Inside, though, Egg Factory isn't much of a looker. Two rooms join awkwardly to form the dining room. The decor isn't in any way memorable and the whole place has a sort of impermanent air about it. To even-� tually secure a table, one must "sign in" . on a spiral notebook^ Despite all that, the place possesses a certain inviting familiarity. Thanks in that department is due, in part, to the waitstaff, all of whom have a penchant for cooing over guests with hot pots of coffee and the occasional "babe" or "hon" or "sweets."
The menu should also take some credit. The sheer volume of the options means diners with a morning sweet tooth can sit in happy harmony with their salty meat-loving companions, and there's so much to choose from one visit simply will not satisfy curiosity. More importantly the menu is full of stuff you'd perhaps only give a go in your own kitchen - like Key lime pancakes or oatmeal pancakes ($3.79/$4.79), with oats, raisins, walnuts and cinnamon folded into the batter. The latter were not only an indulgent hit but also conveyed a confidence to diners that said, "Hey, we're going to do something we only share with family, but we trust that you'll be open minded. And p.s. we make our own syrup." Other hits were the homemade cinnamon rolls, super-sized coils of chewy dough that easily host ladles of thin white icing, and crispy hashbrowns loaded with a web of melted cheddar, salty bits of bacon and ribbons of sour cream. Soft, fluffy biscuits properly smothered in sausage country gravy were also a mark in the hits column, as were choose-your-own-adventure omelets, which were gigantically portioned. The misses, though, equally match the hits. A hand-breaded chicken fried steak ($8.99) usurped the previous title holder of "worst chicken fried steak ever" without much competition. The Hollandaise was a bland, opaque and gelatinous substance more like a glaze than the velvety, lush sauce it should be, relegating a California Benedict ($8.79) to the "misses" list. From the lunch menu, a grilled ham, cheese and bacon sandwich called the Electric Pig ($7.59) was too well-named to resist but proved to be more of a minor shock than truly electric. So what's the draw? I haven't quite figured it out as a reviewer, but as a diner, it's one of my regular no-frills stops.
- Rachael Daigle beggs to eggsperience an eggcellent meal.
THE EGG FACTORY RISE & SHINE DAYTIME CAFE
8061 W. Fairview Ave.
208-322-0191
eggfactorycafe.com
Open seven days a week, 6:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
THE EGG FACTORY RISE & SHINE DAYTIME CAFETHE EGG FACTORY RISE & SHINE DAYTIME CAFE
Strip mall eateries suffer from the initial pause potential patrons may have at walking under a neon sign in search of food. And though The Egg Factory's exterior isn't exactly homey, if diners can get past it - and the 30-minute-plus weekend wait - they'll discover a menu as full as the people-packed vestibule on a Saturday morning.
Myriad egg, potato, waffle, pancake, burger, sandwich and salad options share menu bunk space, but breakfast gets the biggest room in the house. Traditional eggs Benny ($7.99) is joined by fancier siblings on the menu accessorized with Philly steak, bell peppers and mushrooms on a croissant ($8.99); bacon, Monterrey Jack cheese and avocado ($8.79); or tomato, fresh sauteed spinach, avocado and mushrooms ($7.99). But all stay true to the family name by dressing in real, if slightly under-salted, Hollandaise sauce. The traditional Benny's perfectly poached eggs gently oozed sun-colored yoke that mixed with the light sauce, softening crispy muffins and tender meat beneath. So many Canadian bacon slices dressed the dish that we committed the ultimate breakfast sin and left some on the plate.
Eggs were disappointingly cool on one plate, but forgiven after a count of more than 40 hungry heads filling the restaurant (and still more waiting) and server Judi's friendly downhome demeanor. Once smooshed on warm toast and topped with a slice of beautifully crispy bacon and a forkful of hashbrowns ($7.99), the eggs soaked up some of the other items' warmth. A buttermilk drop biscuit ($3.99) was covered in a peppery - but not quite salty enough - white gravy laden with huge chunks of sausage in a serving big enough for everyone in our party to have a satisfying forkful.
One of the weekly specials was The Egg Factory's version of a Monte Cristo ($7.99): French toast smothered in ham and melted Swiss cheese dusted with powdered sugar and sided by two eggs and choice of potatoes. A request to omit the powdered sugar caused Judi to raise an eyebrow - "But it's so delicious" - before happily obliging. An unidentifiable too-sweetness permeated the dish and after searching for a hidden pile of powdered sugar, Judi explained that The Egg Factory's French toast is dipped in a batter made with vanilla custard. Brilliant. "Factory Potatoes" are diced, lightly seasoned and fried to a rich, crispy brown, the hesitation marks on the cubes signifying home-cut spuds. A quick slide of the ham and cheese over to top the potatoes afforded separate but equally mouthwatering savory bites and sweet ones.
There's a lot riding on a restaurant with a specific food item in its name. For a place called The Egg Factory, expectations are that the eponymous product will take center stage. The Egg Factory has earned its name.
- Amy Atkins likes to break breakfast rules.
Let's start with the worst of The Egg Factory: the location. Yes, it's in an aging strip mall in a congested part of town and without a solid recommendation from a friend, you might neither notice it, nor be tempted to check it out. But it seems as though healthy word-of-mouth advertising is trumping the old location, location, location maxim. So much so, in fact, that my recent visit was the first in which I was seated without some sort of initial wait. So if it's not what's on the outside that counts when it comes to The Egg Factory, then it must be what's on the inside.
Inside, though, Egg Factory isn't much of a looker. Two rooms join awkwardly to form the dining room. The decor isn't in any way memorable and the whole place has a sort of impermanent air about it. To even-� tually secure a table, one must "sign in" . on a spiral notebook^ Despite all that, the place possesses a certain inviting familiarity. Thanks in that department is due, in part, to the waitstaff, all of whom have a penchant for cooing over guests with hot pots of coffee and the occasional "babe" or "hon" or "sweets."
The menu should also take some credit. The sheer volume of the options means diners with a morning sweet tooth can sit in happy harmony with their salty meat-loving companions, and there's so much to choose from one visit simply will not satisfy curiosity. More importantly the menu is full of stuff you'd perhaps only give a go in your own kitchen - like Key lime pancakes or oatmeal pancakes ($3.79/$4.79), with oats, raisins, walnuts and cinnamon folded into the batter. The latter were not only an indulgent hit but also conveyed a confidence to diners that said, "Hey, we're going to do something we only share with family, but we trust that you'll be open minded. And p.s. we make our own syrup." Other hits were the homemade cinnamon rolls, super-sized coils of chewy dough that easily host ladles of thin white icing, and crispy hashbrowns loaded with a web of melted cheddar, salty bits of bacon and ribbons of sour cream. Soft, fluffy biscuits properly smothered in sausage country gravy were also a mark in the hits column, as were choose-your-own-adventure omelets, which were gigantically portioned. The misses, though, equally match the hits. A hand-breaded chicken fried steak ($8.99) usurped the previous title holder of "worst chicken fried steak ever" without much competition. The Hollandaise was a bland, opaque and gelatinous substance more like a glaze than the velvety, lush sauce it should be, relegating a California Benedict ($8.79) to the "misses" list. From the lunch menu, a grilled ham, cheese and bacon sandwich called the Electric Pig ($7.59) was too well-named to resist but proved to be more of a minor shock than truly electric. So what's the draw? I haven't quite figured it out as a reviewer, but as a diner, it's one of my regular no-frills stops.
- Rachael Daigle beggs to eggsperience an eggcellent meal.
THE EGG FACTORY RISE & SHINE DAYTIME CAFE
8061 W. Fairview Ave.
208-322-0191
eggfactorycafe.com
Open seven days a week, 6:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
President Barack Obama urged lawmakers to pass a proposed health care overhaul during a rare visit to Capitol Hill on Saturday and later told them: "Now is the time to finish the job."
Making pitches to lawmakers in person and then from the White House, Obama pushed the House of Representatives to move ahead with his top domestic priority. After meeting with Democrats behind closed doors for nearly an hour, Obama returned to his office and appealed to lawmakers' sense of history, telling them such opportunities "come around maybe once in a generation."
"Millions of Americans are watching right now," Obama said in the White …
BAR HARBOR, Maine - An eastern Maine lobsterman caught a lobster this week that looks like it's half-cooked.
The lobster caught by Alan Robinson in Dyer's Bay that is a typical mottled green on one side; the other side is a shade of orange that looks cooked.
Robinson, of Steuben, donated the lobster to the Mount Desert Oceanarium. Staff members say the odds or finding a half-and-half lobster are 1 in 50 million to 100 million. By comparison, the odds of finding a blue lobster are about 1 in a million.
Robinson, who has been fishing for more than 20 years, said he didn't know what to think when he spotted the odd creature in his trap.
"I thought somebody …
State
An Ottawa government report for policy-makers and deputy ministers (Growth...in a Global World) issued February 1999 notes on Population Growth: "Canada's baby boom is ageing and birth rates remain low. The slowing of Canada's population growth has major implications for economic growth. The ageing of the population has profound consequences for the growth of government spending, particularly on health and pensions, that need to be explored."
As of May 7, 1999, the Family Coalition Party of Ontario had 20 candidates nominated for the June 3 Ontario election. They hope to get 20 more. Lucky those ridings where there is an FCP candidate. There, at least, …
The Ship Society of SA will show a video on Tankers of the 20th Century at their club rooms opposite F Berth, Duncan Road, at 8pm tomorrow. Entrance is R10. Call Pauline 021 434 5528.
Christ Church Constantia is holding an arts, crafts, hobbies and books morning on Saturday from 9am to 1pm. Call Robin Thompson on 021 762 3805 (for art exhibits) or John Monro on 021 788 2890 (for crafts and hobbies). Admission R5.
On Sunday, Dance for All will present their annual gala benefit …
WATERFORD -- George D. Rolfe Sr., 82, of Hudson River Road died Tuesday in his residence after a long illness.
Mr. Rolfe was born in Teaneck, N.J., and lived in Philadelphia. He also lived in Bayshore, Sayville, and for 50 years in Central Islip, all in Suffolk County. He moved to Waterford in 1978.
Mr. Rolfe operated Mom's & Dad's Hot Dog Wagon for eight years in Hauppaugue, Suffolk County. He previously operated Al's Tavern in Coram, Suffolk County, and Reed's Taxi in Central Islip.
He was a member of the Cohoes Community Center and Senior Citizens.
He would have celebrated his 61st wedding anniversary on Friday. …
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Friday urged Russians to shun imported foreign cars in favor of locally produced ones _ which the government even offered to help ship to remote regions _ in an effort to help a troubled auto industry.
With domestic and foreign companies curtailing car production in Russia and warning of potential layoffs, the Kremlin is increasingly worried about the fate of car manufacturing and its related industries, which altogether employ more than 1.5 million workers.
Putin called for setting up a national leasing company to buy locally made cars and for compensating the state rail monopoly for transporting Russian cars thousands of …
The most searched-for teams for 2001 by Internet users onLycos.com:
1. Yankees
2. Mariners
3. …
CBS announced last week that it's bringing out a new game show from the producers of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? The network has acquired the format rights from UK-based Celador Productions for the quiz show Winning Lines. CBS …
The Bank of England celebrated its tercentenary in the summer of 1994, with a variety of functions and publications, of which this is one. The initiative for this volume came from outside, but was supported by the Bank, where a conference was held. The papers presented there make up the bulk of the book.
The very praiseworthy ambition of the editors and organisers seems to have been to provide as much coverage as possible of the Bank's history in both its domestic and international setting from its founding to the present day - and to do this thematically. To a large extent this has been achieved with a long sweep of history taking place within each essay. The Opening …
Byline: JACKIE HALLIFAX Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The Florida House voted late Monday to give Gov. Jeb Bush the power to intervene in the case of a brain-damaged woman whose feeding tube was removed last week by her husband's order.
The House voted 68-23 in favor of the bill. The state Senate planned to take it up today.
The measure would give the state's governor 15 days to order a feeding tube to be reinserted in cases such as Terri Schiavo's. The governor's power would be limited to cases where a person has left no living will, is in a persistent vegetative state, has had nutrition and hydration tubes removed and where a family member …
Byline: Yancey Roy Staff writer
Rather than fight charges that he fondled two of his patients several years ago, a city psychologist surrendered his license, according to the state Board of Regents.
Joseph J. Neufeld of 2174 Apple Tree Lane had been accused of "evincing moral unfitness to practice the profession while treating" a client at his office at 1 Elm St.
According to the board, the first violation took place between April 1986 and December 1988, and the second occurred between February 1988 and April 1988. A board spokesman said the psychologist "made physical contact" with the two patients, but would not elaborate.
Neufeld signed …
