New car registrations in the United Kingdom rose 27 percent in March compared to a year ago, in the last month of government-backed discounts, an industry group reported Thursday.
The number of registrations of cars built in the U.K. was up 52 percent, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said.
March was the last month of a program in which the government and the industry split the cost of 2,000-pound …
UNLV basketball on probation
UNLV's basketball program was placed on four years' probationtoday for violations that included a booster's payment of $5,600 toLamar Odom and the failure to monitor recruiting visits. UNLVresponded to the sanctions by firing coach Bill Bayno, according toFox Sports and KTNV-TV.
Woods named most powerful
Tiger Woods, who won three majors and became the youngest golferto complete an individual Grand Slam, was chosen the year's mostpowerful person in sports by the Sporting News. Woods is just thesecond athlete to head the list of 100 personalities, which has beenpublished annually since 1990. Michael Jordan was picked No. 1 …
TOP STORIES:
EGYPT-PROTEST
CAIRO — Hundreds of anti-government protesters return to the streets of central Cairo, chanting slogans against Hosni Mubarak just hours after the Egyptian president fired his Cabinet and promised reforms but refused to step down. The protests indicate Mubarak's words in a televised speech shortly after midnight have done little to cool the anger over Egypt's crushing poverty, unemployment and corruption. By Maggie Michael.
AP Photos.
AFGHANISTAN
KABUL, Afghanistan — A suicide bomber riding a motorcycle packed with explosives rams into a car carrying the deputy governor of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province , killing him and …
AMSTERDAM (AP) — The International Cycling Union says Alberto Contador has the right to defend his Tour de France title while it is appealing the Spanish cycling federation's decision to clear him of doping at last year's Tour.
The UCI said in a statement Thursday that the three-time Tour winner "has the statutory right to take part in any competition insofar as he has not been found guilty" by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The UCI and World Anti-Doping Agency have appealed the Spanish federation's decision to the CAS, which will hear it from Aug. 1-3, a week after the Tour. It was originally set for early June, but the CAS delayed it to give both sides more time to …
MORGANTOWN - Jonnie West admittedly has a strange feeling at timesbecause he's not playing basketball this season.
That's understandable.
The 6-foot-3, 170-pound West Virginia University freshman isn'tcompeting in the game he loves for the first time in about 13 years.
"I think I had a basketball in my hands when I first learned howto walk," West said recently. "But I probably started actuallyplaying when I was 5 years old.
"So, it is difficult sometimes sitting out during games, but Ihave no regrets at all about being redshirted this year."
The youngest son of Jerry and Karen West said he's really learninga lot by just sitting and watching at …
MUNSAN, South Korea - Trains departed Thursday for the first rail journey through the heavily armed border dividing the two Koreas in more than half a century, the latest symbol of historic reconciliation between the longtime foes.
The one-time test runs of trains along two restored tracks on the west and east sides of the peninsula come after repeated delays since the rail lines were linked in 2003 and despite unresolved tensions over the North's nuclear weapons.
This is a breaking news update. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - It was New Year's Eve in 1950. Koreans were fleeing the Chinese advance in …
Country music artists Charley Pride and Marty Stuart and bluesman Pinetop Perkins will headline the third annual Mississippi Grammy gala.
Other performers at the Horseshoe Casino and Hotel in Tunica ('TOON-ih-cuh) on May 28 will be R&B singer Dorothy Moore, soul-gospel performers The Williams Brothers, blues singer Eddie Cotton and pianist Eden Brent.
The gala celebrates Mississippi's …
BUCHAREST, Romania The government said Friday it would free 42anti-government activists arrested in the violence in Bucharest inmid-June, when police suppressed a 53-day opposition demonstration.
The prosecutor-general's office said the reason for thedetentions no longer exist. It did not say when the detainees wouldgo free.
The move follows the release last week of student leader MarianMunteanu after widespread student protests.
Among …
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Lionel Messi will take part in Barcelona's preseason tour of Asia but the Spanish champions' eight World Cup winners have been rested.
The Barcelona players that helped Spain win the World Cup will miss friendlies against the all-stars from South Korea's K-League in Seoul on Wednesday and against Guoan …
Solicitor General Elena Kagan asked for an unprecedented reconsideration of an appeals court ruling that government agents illegally seized drug-testing samples and records of baseball players who allegedly tested positive for steroids in 2003.
Kagan and 22 lawyers from the Justice Department and U.S. Attorney's offices asked the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals to have all 27 of its judges rehear the long-running case that involves the results of 104 players the government says tested positive during baseball's 2003 survey.
Although the names of the players in dispute are under seal and were to remain confidential, the identities of four have been leaked to the …
While Mel Thillens may be convinced that the pricy combination ofATM withdrawal fees and surcharges is a small price to pay (Letters,April 6), the vast majority of consumers in Illinois disagree withhim. According to our 1997 annual survey of Illinois voters, 70percent of those polled say that ATM fees should be regulated.
Consumer discontent should come as no surprise. ATM fees havegone through the roof in Illinois over the last year - doubling inChicago and quadrupling statewide. It has become virtuallyimpossible to find ATMs that do not charge non-account holders. Atthe same time, more and more ATMs that promise "convenience" are notequipped to perform all of a …
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Afghan government needs to see Pakistan making "tangible progress" on pledges to use its influence to help end the Taliban insurgency, a foreign ministry spokesman said Sunday.
The statement came a day after Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he was giving up on trying to talk to the Taliban directly and that the key to ending the war is mediation by Pakistan.
It underscores the Afghan officials' deep frustration over their inability to deal with a major barrier to ending the war in Afghanistan — insurgent havens across the border in Pakistan.
Already tense Afghan-Pakistani relations have been further degraded in recent weeks as U.S. and …
| Tampa Bay | 2 0 1—3 |
|---|---|
| Nashville | 2 3 0—5 |
First Period_1, Nashville, Kostitsyn 3 (C.Smith, Fisher), 6:25. 2, Nashville, Fisher 1 (Kostitsyn, C.Smith), 14:05. 3, Tampa Bay, Stamkos 5 (Purcell, Malone), 16:36. 4, Tampa Bay, Purcell 3 (Connolly, Bergeron), 19:33 (pp). Penalties_Tootoo, Nas (charging), 17:53.
Second Period_5, Nashville, Hornqvist 1 (Halischuk, Geoffrion), 7:43. 6, Nashville, Spaling 1 (Hillen, Blum), 11:20. 7, Nashville, Fisher 2 (Spaling), 12:10. Penalties_Kubina, TB (tripping), :47; Jones, TB (roughing), 12:47; Hillen, Nas (roughing), 12:47.
Third Period_8, Tampa Bay, Stamkos 6 (Bergeron, St. Louis), 17:03. Penalties_Clark, TB (interference), 6:22; Downie, TB (roughing), 10:04; Hornqvist, Nas (tripping), 18:34.
Shots on Goal_Tampa Bay 14-12-6_32. Nashville 9-9-9_27.
Power-play opportunities_Tampa Bay 1 of 2; Nashville 0 of 3.
Goalies_Tampa Bay, Garon 3-2-1 (17 shots-12 saves), Roloson (12:10 second, 10-10). Nashville, Rinne 4-4-1 (32-29).
A_16,619 (17,113). T_2:31.
Referees_Kelly Sutherland, Mike Hasenfratz. Linesmen_Mark Wheler, Brian Murphy.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Lionel Messi has been presented with the Golden Boot award for being the top scorer in European domestic leagues last season.
The Argentine forward received the prize Thursday after scoring 34 league goals to help Barcelona retain its Spanish La Liga title.
Messi joined Marco van Basten, Ronaldo and Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to win the three major individual awards: the Golden Boot, FIFA Player of the Year and the Golden Ball, given to Europe's top player.
Chelsea's Didier Drogba and Udinese's Antonio di Natale were tied for second place with 29 goals apiece.
Luis Suarez scored 35 goals last season for Ajax in the Netherlands but failed to win due to the points system that compensates for the degree of difficulty posed by the major European leagues: England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France.
Messi had failed to score a single goal at the World Cup in South Africa. Even so, former Argentina coach Diego Maradona said Wednesday that Messi deserved the award and hoped he would "win many more."
Messi is the second Barcelona player to be honored by European Sports Magazine. Ronaldo earned the club's first Golden Boot by scoring 34 goals,in the 1996-97 season.
Barcelona captain Carles Puyol applauded Messi's ability and character.
"He is the best in the world, but he is humble. He improves everyday," Puyol said before the awards ceremony. "He is the best player in the world and he demonstrated that he deserves this award."
Messi has scored two goals in three games in the Spanish league this season.
Here are highlights of different immigration packages that could come before the Senate next week. One is the product of secret negotiations among senior Democratic and Republican senators and members of President Bush's Cabinet.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., says he may use one of two alternatives - a bill written last year by the Senate Judiciary Committee, or a version the Senate passed later - as the starting point for the debate.
Package negotiated by Senate Democrats, Republicans and Bush administration officials:
-Delays any guest worker program or path to citizenship for illegal immigrants until certain "triggers" are met. They include hiring thousands of new border guards, erecting hundreds of miles of fencing and vehicle barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border and having a biometric identification system for immigrant workers in place.
-Allows illegal immigrants who paid large fines and returned to their countries of origin to earn permanent residency and eventually apply for citizenship. Narrows visa preferences for family members of legalized immigrants.
-Imposes up to a 13-year wait on illegal immigrants seeking legal status to obtain green cards for permanent residency. Visa backlogs for those already waiting in line would be cleared in eight years, and then the government would begin processing the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants over a five-year period.
-Creates a temporary guest worker program and bars immigrant workers from bringing their families to the U.S. unless their incomes exceed 150 percent of the poverty level and they have health insurance.
---
The 2006 bill written by the Senate Judiciary Committee:
-Allows illegal immigrants who were in the United States before 2004 to work legally and have a chance at permanent residency if they pay fines and back taxes, learn English and pass a criminal background check. Removes criminal penalties for immigrants found to be in the country illegally.
-Creates a guest worker program for would-be immigrants who could then apply for legal permanent residence - or green cards - without leaving the United States. Creates a temporary program for immigrant farm workers.
-Authorizes beefed-up border security, including up to 14,000 new Border Patrol agents by 2011, a "virtual wall" of unmanned vehicles, cameras and sensors to monitor the U.S.-Mexico border, and facilities to hold another 10,000 illegal immigrants who are apprehended.
---
The 2006 Senate-passed immigration bill:
-Allows illegal immigrants who have been in the country five years or more to remain, continue working and eventually become legal permanent residents and citizens after paying fines and back taxes and learning English.
-Requires illegal immigrants in the U.S. between two and five years to go to a point of entry at the border and file an application to return. Those in the country less than two years would have to leave.
-Provides 200,000 new temporary "guest worker" visas a year, and creates a special guest worker program for an estimated 1.5 million immigrant farm workers, who could also earn legal permanent residency.
-Authorizes new border security measures, including 370 miles of new triple-layered fencing plus 500 miles of vehicle barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border; 14,000 additional Border Patrol agents by 2011; and additional detention facilities for apprehended illegal immigrants. Requires employers and subcontractors to use an electronic system within 18 months to verify that new hires are legal.
Now that Karen Lewis is the new president of the Chicago Teachers Union, she says her firs priority is keeping teachers employed.
"Chicago Public Schools is trying to pit teachers against parents by suggesting that if teachers forego their scheduled 4 percent pay raise next year, (CPS) would not have to increase class sizes," Leweis told the Defender.
After a six-year run as CTU president, incumbent Marilyn Stewart was defeated Friday by Lewis in a run-off election.
In her concession speech, Stewart pledged her support to Karen Jackson, a chemistry teacher at Martin Luther King College Preparatory High School.
"I want to congratulate Karen Lewis and her entire CORE team, and want them to know they can count on me for any assistance I can offer as they take on what will be one of the toughest challenges in the 73-year history of the Chicago Teachers Union," Stewart said. "For when all is said and done, this election was never about Karen or me. It was about the 32,000 union members whose futures and well-being are now being threatened by an uncaring and insensitive Chicago Public Schools system."
Stewart, who received 8,326 votes, represented the United Progressive Caucus while Lewis, who received 12,080 votes, represented the Caucus of Rank and File Educators.
Lewis, who takes office July 1, said while her victory marks change, she is more concerned about the school district's proposal to increase class sizes to 34 students from 28, and a massive layoff of 2,700 teachers to help shrink its $600 million deficit.
"They cannot solve this budget crisis by compromising children's education because education is about building relatioships," Lewis explained.
Last week CTU filed a lawsuite against CPS in an effort to stop class sizes from increasing this fall. Stewart had said the increase violates city health and safety codes and puts students at risk should an emergency, such as a fire, occur.
Chicago Fire Department spokesman, Larry Langford, said that as long ast a classroom has adequate space, as required by city ordinace, having 34 students in a classroom poses on safety hazard.
Lewis told the Defender she has not seen die lawsuit yet, but did say one was discussed last year.
"Not sure why a lawsuit we discussed last year wasn't filed until a few days ago, before the election," Lews said.
One goal for Lewis is to improve resources to all schools, especially those located in lowincome communities.
"Fifteen years ago, this city purposely began starving our lowestincome neighborhood schools of greatly needed resources and personnel," she said. The city has willfully neglected schools in poor communities for years and now they want to completely destroy them by closing them down."
A career educator for 30 years Stewart said she is proud of her accomplishments as CTU president and hopes those achievements can be maintained and expanded by Lewis.
"I am especially proud of die enormous gains my team was able to win for our members during our six years in office. Gains culminating in a five-year-contract with 4 percent annual raises - won in these tough times - that has become the envy of teacher unions across the country," Stewart said, pointing out some union accomplishments made on her watch. "Now it's up to Karen and her team to maintain these gains and fight for future improvements."
[Author Affiliation]
by Wendell Hutson
DEFENDER STAFF WRITER
IT'S ALL RELATIVE
WADE ROUSE
Featured Excerpt
TWO FAMILIES, THREE DOGS 34 HOLIDAYS AND 50 BOXES OF WINE (A MEMOIR)
I woke with a start last New Year 's Eve after my head had fallen into the giant red enamelware popcorn bowl I was holding in my lap. Homemade caramel corn was stuck to my chin, !jerked upright and looked over at my partner, Gary, whose head was painfully tilted sideways - like a broken jack-in-thebox. "Get up!" I shouted, sta�ng at the clock. "Just look at ourselves! We 're pathetic. " "It's New Year's Eve, " Gary said sleepily. "It's what we do on New Year s Eve. It's called relaxing. " "It's S p.m.," I said. "We 're not relaxing. We 're comatose. " It seemed shocking to me that we had become our parents some time between dinner and "The Wheel of Fortune. "
- from It's M Relative." by Wade Rouse
A Finnish court on Tuesday convicted former Olympic ski jumping champion Matti Nykanen of aggravated assault against his wife and sentenced him to one year and four months in prison.
The district court in Pirkanmaa said the 47-year-old attacked his wife, Mervi Tapola, with a kitchen knife in their southern Finland home on Christmas Day last year. They have since divorced.
Nykanen denied the charges, saying he only tried to defend himself and that his wife's numerous knife cuts and scratches resulted from a struggle over possession of the knife.
The court rejected a charge that Nykanen had tried to strangle his wife with a bathrobe belt, citing lack of evidence. He was ordered to pay Tapola (EURO)10,295 ($13,000) in damages and compensation for legal fees.
Nykanen's lawyer Tero Lakka told The Associated Press that the former ski jumper would appeal.
Nykanen won four gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, was a four-time World Cup champion and winner of numerous international events, but his career has been overshadowed by problems in his private life.
In 2006, Nykanen was sentenced to four months in prison for another assault on his wife.
That attack occurred just three days after he was released from jail having served 13 months of a 26-month sentence for a stabbing offense in 2004.
SALT LAKE CITY - Instead of the second round, the Utah Jazz have Tracy McGrady and the Houston Rockets facing a Game 7. Andrei Kirilenko had his best game of the series with 14 points and five blocks to lead the Jazz to a 94-82 victory Thursday night, forcing a deciding game back in Houston.
Mehmet Okur added 19 points, including four 3-pointers, as the Jazz finally started hitting from beyond the arc.
McGrady finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds for Houston. Yao Ming scored 25, but he also had eight turnovers - two more than his rebound total - as Okur and rookie Paul Millsap constantly pressured the 7-foot-6 center.
The home team has won every game in the series, which bodes well for the Rockets, who haven't played well in Utah this season or postseason. Game 7 is Saturday night.
Carlos Boozer added 22 points for Utah, and he and Okur both pulled down nine rebounds. Deron Williams added 15 points and eight assists, Millsap scored all of his eight points in the second quarter, as the Jazz took control and then held off several rallies by the Rockets down the stretch.
After falling behind by 11 late in the third quarter, Houston twice got within a point but never quite completed the comeback.
VENDOR RELATIONS
Forming a strong working bond with your vendors helps you win the race for better service and higher revenues
Though many collision repair businesses may not admit it, vendors of supplies, parts, tools and materials are like business partners. How efficiently a business runs, its margin of profit, cycle time and even employee productivity are all linked to how well our vendors operate. Shops depend on "just-on-time" delivery of parts from a vast array of vendors, since OEM, aftermarket, LKQ/used, shop supplies, paint material and specialized items are needed for specific individual jobs.
Technicians in collision management training often think that the number one complaint of customers is "the work was not done on time." In fact, this has been a common complaint stated against the collision repair industry for years. Most shop operators, when asked why work was not completed on time, will answer with frustration in their voice that not receiving needed parts or supplies was the culprit. Shop operators who strive to regularly provide timely service should take a careful look at the systems they have in place regarding their vendors.
The first things that shops should carefully examine ate their procedures that have been set up to accommodate these potential "mine fields."Who in the shop is responsible for ordering the needed items? What items and how many should be routinely kept on hand? What are the companies' (both shop's and vendors') policies for handling back orders? How often and how will returns be handled? Most problems, even the large ones, can be either eliminated or reduced if an organization plans for them and develops operational procedures.
By developing these procedures, the time that it takes to solve them can be significandy reduced. One of the key time-reducing factors when using these procedures is that when problems arise, the decision on how to resolve them has already been made. There is no need to seek out a person to deal with the problem because everyone involved already knows what to do.
Because vendors are so much an integral part of the collision industry, having a solid, dependable working relationship with them is very important. They also realize how important your business is to them, and most are eager to supply you with not only the products that you need, but also with the service that helps you prosper. When screened carefully and directed effectively, vendors can perform services for you that will significantly reduce employee workload and increase your shop's profitability.
Choosing a vendor
There are regularly many vendors competing for your business, some doing so with price alone as a bargaining chip. In some cases, price may be the only factor a shop considers in choosing a vendor. Price is not always the best factor to go by, however. The price must be competitive, but the services that a vendor supplies can be just as important.Vendors who deliver to your shop multiple times a day will reduce the need to stock large amounts of inventory. If a vendor rarely is out-of-stock or has few, if any, back orders on the items you need, that's an advantage as well. If vendors help you develop a standard stock inventory and restock your shelves when they make deliveries, again your company saves.
When choosing a vendor, an effective tool to help you develop a good vendor relationship is a list of questions such as the following:
* How often and when will you deliver?
* If I have an immediate need, how soon can I expect to receive the item?
* Do you accept orders by phone, fax, Internet, etc.?
* Can I access your inventory on-line?
* Can I order before or after your normal business hours, and, if so, how?
* Will your delivery people properly place the bill in an assigned place?
* If provided with a stock list, will an outside salesperson come to my shop and replenish my stock on a regular basis? If so, how often?
* What is your return policy?
* Will one person be responsible for my account?
* Who will that person be?
To help vendors do their job better, a business needs to develop standardized supply lists. It should designate a centralized stock area that the vendor checks on a regular basis and that the delivery person stocks when delivering. This centralized location also will provide a place where technicians can go in the morning to restock their individual supply carts.The supplies could be kept near where the release meeting is held each day or in the lunchroom for convenience to technicians and management.
Keeping a standardized supply list also helps eliminate waste by eliminating the stocking of certain supplies for one technician and different ones for another technician.A company that uses 180-grit paper only, for example, operates more efficiently and economically than the one who has 180-grit paper on hand for one tech and 150-grit for another.
If a standardized stock list is posted on the designated cabinet door, a shop can have the vendor check on a regular basis and keep the minimum number of items in stock at all times. In some shops one of the concerns of using a system like this is fear that a vendor will "overstock" the needed items or somehow cause an overuse of materials. Keep in mind that a business can, with proper tracking and job costing, be able to tell if supplies "go missing" or are overused. By establishing a close relationship with each vendor and by monitoring materials use by job cost, then comparing supplies used, it is easy to determine overuse or pilfering. It is not na�ve for shop management to believe that an honest relationship with honest employees and vendors is possible.
When a shop has solidly established vendor relations, vendors will often provide training, at little or no cost. Usually they will arrange for a convenient time so the staff can take advantage of the training without impacting shop production time.
Parts
Ordering parts can be complex. Receiving them on time to facilitate a speedy "through time" is a necessity for a successful business. Careful development of vendor relationships and procedures also can help manage this monumental task.
Establishing ground rules and procedures with parts vendors, whether they be OEM, aftermarket or used can and should be a priority.
Surveying potential parts suppliers, negotiating a reasonable discount, and establishing when where and how parts will be delivered all factor into successful parts procurement.
Other parts strategies include opting for vendors offering same-day or overnight delivery, if needed; providing a spot where delivered parts (including those delivered after-hours) can be placed; establishing reasonable return policies; and having an established place where returns can be picked up each time deliveries are made.
Having a specific person at the parts vendor who is responsible for your account, and also having a particular person in your business responsible for each job, either a parts person or the estimator to shepherd the vehicle through the repair process, also will contribute to a smooth and speedy repair process.
Placing delivered parts in a job-specific place should be the vendor's responsibility. The shop should order parts by repair or job order and have them delivered together, placed in a specific spot (parts carts help with this task) and have the paperwork given to die responsible person at die shop. The shop needs to have the parts checked by a person responsible for that job. The invoice price should be checked and posted. Damaged or incorrect parts should be identified immediately.
Vendors should be given a "batting average" report for their performance. This report will include factors such as accuracy, on-time delivery, and number of damaged parts. Though it may seem cumbersome and time-consuming for a shop to track all this information, many collision management systems track them and provide shops with a report each month or on-demand if needed. If a business does not use such a management program, a simple spreadsheet program can be developed. Even a simple hand ledger book can be used. It is important to know real numbers to make a sound cost/benefit analysis of a vendor's value.
Paint
While paint inventory is very similar to ordering parts and supplies, paint should be ordered from a separate standardized list.The selected items should be placed by the vendor in a specific storage place and be kept in stock by the vendor on a regular basis.
What makes paint suppliers different from other venders is the important training and technical support they provide. A good working relationship with your paint vendor will help when a technical problem or warranty problem arises as well as when new products are introduced to the market. Paint suppliers, with their knowledge about a bewildering amount of products specifically designed for differing shop conditions, will help establish and supply your needs for your specific shop conditions. When paint technologies change or environmental laws cause us to switch to new products (as shops in some states are now facing with die upcoming changes related to waterborne products), vendors can be extremely helpful. It is not unusual for a paint vender to come to a shop to work hand in hand to solve specific problems or to switch over to new products.
Paint manufacturers and their representative vendors also commonly provide training through paint-specific classes and on business management and supervisory topics. Shops can send their employees to up-to-date training on subjects as diverse as operational procedures, management and leadership.
Final word: Putting it all together
Vendors are indispensably involved with the everyday operations of collision businesses. They provide not only needed parts and supplies, but also aid with productivity, efficiency, and training. Though a trusting, professional business relationship between shop and vendor must continually be monitored, close long-term vendor alliances are often forged. Vendors know how much they need your business, just as you know how much you need their products and services. With clearly established goals set for your needs and what they will provide, and with close monitoring of their "batting average" a collision business can forge profitable and stressEKe relationships with its vendors.
[Sidebar]
Because vendors are so much an integral part of the collision industry, having a solid, dependable working relationship with them is very important. They also realize how Important your business is to them, and most are eager to supply you with not only the products that you need, but also with the service that helps you prosper.
[Author Affiliation]
BY AL THOMAS, Contributing Editor
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Extradited from the Dominican Republic, wanted in Pennsylvania and indicted in Vermont for allegedly smuggling illegal immigrants, a former adviser to U.S. missionaries who were accused of taking children out of Haiti was ordered held without bail Friday.
Jorge Torres, 32, pleaded not guilty in his first court appearance since being returned to face charges that he smuggled immigrants from Canada into the U.S. in 2002. If convicted, he could get 25 years.
Torres, whose aliases include Jorge Puello, Jorge Torres-Puello and George Simard, made news this year after the Haiti earthquake, acting as a lawyer and spokesman for 10 Baptists from Idaho who were detained in Haiti on child kidnapping charges and later released.
But he became the target of an international manhunt after being identified as a man wanted in the U.S. and in El Salvador, where he allegedly led a prostitution ring.
Torres, who was born in Yonkers, N.Y., and has dual U.S.-Dominican Republican citizenship, wasn't charged in connection with his dealings with the missionaries.
The Vermont case dates to 2002, when he allegedly organized illegal border crossings in which illegal immigrants from Costa Rica and other Central and South American nations were driven across the U.S.-Canada border at unguarded rural locations.
He's been a fugitive for most of the past 10 years, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney William Darrow, who told U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III that Torres disappeared after being put on supervised release following a federal bank fraud conviction in Pennsylvania.
He moved to Canada and took the name George Simard before indicted in Vermont in 2003.
Hoping to try him, the U.S. started proceedings to extradite him from Canada, but he fled again and his whereabouts were unknown until he surfaced in Haiti, according to Darrow, who called him a flight risk if he were to be freed on bail.
Wearing blue jeans, a golf shirt and a yarmulke, Torres objected when the judge said he would give Torres' court-appointed attorney 90 days to obtain the government's evidence against him.
"The government has had eight years to give discovery," he said. "I prepared for eight years. I'm ready to go (to trial) tomorrow," Torres said.
His attorney, David Watts, declined comment on the case against Torres after the hearing.
In a story Jan. 13 about Trace Adkins' signing with the new merged record label of Show Dog Nashville and Universal Records South, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Adkins had been with Columbia Nashville. Adkins' former label was Capitol Records Nashville.
White males still hold center stage in corporate America, but asignificant number of women are waiting in the wings ready to takethe lead at Chicago companies.
More than 95 percent of senior-level managers at the nation'slargest corporations are white men, virtually the same percentagereported a decade ago, according to the study to be released soon byKorn/Ferry International, the New York-based executive search firm,and the University of California at Los Angeles.
"That number doesn't surprise me," said Lois Gallo, vicepresident of sales and service at Chicago-based Midway Airlines."I've never walked into a staff at which I wasn't the only female."
Although the study doesn't break out any numbers for theMidwest, a quick check of the larger publicly held companies inChicago turns up just two women at the top - Ellen Gordon, presidentof Tootsie Roll, and Christie Hefner, chairman and chief executiveofficer of Playboy Enterprises. Gordon is the daughter of a formerTootsie Roll president and Hefner is the daughter of the Playboyfounder.
There are, however, many Chicago women breaking through theso-called "glass ceiling" to the senior management ranks. Even moreare a few steps away.
At Hyatt Hotels, a privately held company based in Chicago, onlyseven of the 106 hotel general managers are women, but 50 percent ofthe corporate management staff is female, said President DarrylHartley-Leonard. Four of those seven women general managers areamong the top 10 performers at Hyatt, he said.
Joan Bernstein, the top-ranked woman at Oak Brook-based WasteManagement, said few women have made it to the top so far because theroad was closed until recently.
"Twenty years ago, there were the same number of women attendinglaw school as in the 1950s when I went. Now, you are seeing a numberof women in law school, accounting, finance, MBAs. For a long time,there weren't any contenders," said Bernstein, who takes over nextmonth as Waste Management's vice president of environmental affairsand ethical standards.
The federal government has launched an offensive to ensure morecontenders in the future. The Department of Labor's Office ofFederal Contract Compliance Programs is studying ways to forcefederal contractors - most of the nation's largest businesses - topromote more women and minorities to the highest corporate ranks.Those that do not could lose their federal contracts.
Already, women are more successful at smaller, moreentrepreneurial firms.
More than 80 percent of the members of the Committee of 200, agroup of top-level women in business, own their own firms.
Gordon, a member of the Committee of 200, said she believesthings are getting better.
"I think less about gender now. I remember the day when I sawso few women at business meetings or conferences. Now, I don'treally notice. They're just men and women."
Bernstein said the more progressive firms working to create adiverse culture have learned from the bad examples of the past.
"Those companies where white males in the same suits keptreproducing themselves went down the tubes. They never got a newidea in 30 years."
Gallo said she, too, believes the next generation of managerswill be more evenly divided between men and women.
"If I was to develop a succession plan tomorrow, there would bea balance of eligible men and women who can take my place."
And, she said, with so many women to choose from, "you don'thave that rare person you can eliminate. If you have 15 who arequalified and six of them are female, you're going to have to look atthem."
His gritty, muscular blues are a perfect match for his scowling,hulking demeanor and gruff voice. This bearded bear of a man has abaleful stare that could have stopped Sonny Liston cold in histracks. His albums have titles such as "The Bad Axe," and he singsabout being "Tough as Nails."
But the illusion is broken when you discover that Son Seals is .. . a nice guy.
"It's not meant to intimidate people," Seals says inacknowledgment of his persona."But it is great business. You go upon the bandstand and it's all bull aside. Daddy tried to show methat this was a business, and if I was going to learn from him that Ihad to give him my undivided attention. I try to pass that along tomy band members, too - that they've got to take care of businessfirst."
Seals will be TCB'ing tonight at B.L.U.E.S. Etc. and Saturdaynight at B.L.U.E.S. Son's seventh Alligator Records album, "NothingBut the Truth," will provide fodder for the live show. Thejust-released "Truth" contains the quintessential South Side bluesthat makes Seals' act the most consistently top-notch on the localcircuit.
As the youngest of Jim Seals' 13 children, Frank Seals learnedabout the blues firsthand at his daddy's juke joint in Osceola, Ark.Called "Little Son" in his hometown to distinguish him from "Son,"his dad, Seals began playing professionally at age 12, first on thedrums and soon after on guitar. While still in his teens, he touredas a drummer with Earl Hooker and later with Albert King, one of hisprimary influences.
By the time he moved to Chicago in 1971, he had mastered many ofKing's guitar riffs. He took over Hound Dog Taylor's regular gigs atthe Expressway Lounge on the South Side when Taylor's debut Alligatoralbum took off and Taylor took to the road. Alligator went on torecord "The Son Seals Blues Band" in 1973, making Seals the label'smost senior living artist. It's an association that has benefittedboth artist and Alligator.
"I wouldn't have the kind of relationship and the trust withanybody else that I have with Alligator," Seals says. "I couldn't bemore pleased with a company."
Seals has to laugh when he hears the so-called blues puristsquestion his use of horns in his band, which features saxophonist RedGroetzinger and trumpeter Dan Rabinovitz.
"These are people who weren't there in the '50s when I firstheard this music," he says. "If I could take them back down South,then maybe they'd have a different opinion. I've had horns eversince I could afford them in my group. Ever since I heard WillieWilkes, who was a terrific horn player with the Roscoe Gordon Band,it just grew on me. I said, `If I get my own band someday, I've gotto have horns.' I know Albert King stopped using them two or threeyears before he died - maybe he wanted to get back to the basics orsomething."
Even if he added strings to his songs, it's hard to imagineSeals not playing raw blues. "There are a couple of songs I haven'trecorded yet that I might like to try violins with," he confides.
When you're tough as nails, anything goes.
Donald Olding Hebb (1904-1985) was, during his lifetime, an extraordinarily influential figure for the discipline of psychology. His principled opposition to radical behaviourism and emphasis on understanding what goes on between stimulus and response (perception, learning, thinking) helped clear the way for the cognitive revolution. His view of psychology as a biological science and his neuropsychological cell-assembly proposal rejuvenated interest in physiological psychology. Since his death, Hebb's seminal ideas exert an ever-growing influence on those interested in mind (cognitive science), brain (neuroscience), and how brains implement mind (cognitive neuroscience).
Raised in Chester, Nova Scotia, Hebb graduated from Dalhousie University in 1925. He aspired to write novels, but chose the more practical field of education and quickly became a school principal in the Province of Quebec. The writings of James, Freud, and Watson stimulated his interest in psychology, and as a part-time graduate student at McGill University, Hebb was exposed to Pavlov's program. Unimpressed, Hebb was "softened up for [his] encounter with Kohler's Gestalt Psychology and Lashley's critique of reflexology." Hebb went to work with Lashley, and in 1936 completed his PhD at Harvard on the effects of early visual deprivation upon size and brightness perception in the rat. He accepted Wilder Penfield's offer of a fellowship at the Montreal Neurological Institute where he explored the impact of brain injury and surgery, particularly lesions of the frontal lobes, on human intelligence and behaviour. From his observations that removal of large amounts of tissue might have little impact on memory and intelligence, Hebb inferred a widely distributed neural substrate. At Queen's University, Hebb developed human and animal intelligence tests, including the "Hebb-Williams" maze, which has subsequently been used to investigate the intelligence of many different species in hundreds of studies (Brown & Stanford, 1997), making it the "Stanford-Binet" of comparative intelligence. Hebb's studies of intelligence led him to the conclusion that experience played a much greater role in determining intelligence than was typically assumed (Hebb, 1942). He would later point out that every bit of behaviour is jointly determined by heredity and environment, just as the area of a field is jointly determined by its length and its width (Hebb, 1953).
In 1942 Hebb rejoined Lashley, who had become director of the Yerkes Laboratory of Primate Biology. There Hebb explored fear, anger, and other emotional processes in the chimpanzee. Stimulated by the intellectual climate at the Yerkes Laboratory, Hebb began writing a book synthesizing different lines of research into a "general theory of-behavior that attempts to bridge the gap between neurophysiology and psychology" (Hebb, 1949, vii). Hebb returned to McGill as Professor of Psychology and in 1948 was appointed chair. His book, The Organization of Behavior: A Neuropsychological Theory, wielded a kind of magic in the years after its appearance (Hebb, 1949). It attracted many brilliant scientists into psychology, made McGill University a North American mecca for scientists interested in brain mechanisms of behaviour, led to many important discoveries, and steered contemporary psychology onto a more fruitful path.
For Hebb "the problem of understanding behavior is the problem of understanding the total action of the nervous system, and vice versa" (1949, p. xiv) and his advocacy of an interdisciplinary effort to solve this neuropsychological problem was his most general theme. When Hebb's book was published, physiological psychology was in decline, and there was a growing movement in psychology to reject physiological concepts (Skinner, 1938). The Organization of Behavior marked a turning point away from this trend. Metaphors, using non-biological devices with well-understood properties, figure prominently in the history of attempts to explain behaviour and thought. The mental chemistry of the British Associationists, hydraulics of psychotherapy, magnetic fields of Gestalt Psychology, and the computer metaphor of information processing psychology were all fruitful to a point, but then limited and misleading. Hebb's appealingly simple alternative was to explain human and animal behaviour and thought in terms of the actual device which produces them - the brain - and in The Organization of Behavior, Hebb presented just such a neuropsychological theory.
There were three pivotal postulates:
(1) Connections between neurons increase in efficacy in proportion to the degree of correlation between pre- and postsynaptic activity. In Hebb's own words, from Chapter 4 of the Organization of Behavior. " When an axon of cell A is near enough to excite B and repeatedly or persistently takes part in firing it, some growth process or metabolic change takes place in one or both cells such that A's efficiency, as one of the cells firing B, is increased" (p. 62). In Neuroscience this proposal corresponds to the "Hebb synapse," the first instances of which were later discovered in long-term potentiation (Bliss & Lomo, 1973) and kindling (Goddard, McIntyre, & Leech, 1969), whereas in Cognitive Science this postulate, often called the "Hebb rule," provides the most basic learning algorithm for adjusting connection weights in artificial neural network models.
(2) Groups of neurons which tend to fire together form a cellassembly whose activity can persist after the triggering event and serves to represent it. This proposal, illustrated by Hebb in schematic form and shown here in Figure 1, is considered by some to be Hebb's most important conceptual contribution (Milner, 1986).
(3) Thinking is the sequential activation of sets of cellassemblies.
A precis of Hebb's theory is presented in the Introduction to The Organization of Behavior: "Any frequently repeated, particular stimulation will lead to the slow development of a "cell-assembly," a diffuse structure comprising cells in the cortex and diencephalon (and also, perhaps, in the basal ganglia of the cerebrum), capable of acting briefly as a closed system, delivering facilitation to other such systems and usually having a specific motor facilitation. A series of such events constitutes a "phase sequence" - the thought process. Each assembly action may be aroused by a preceding assembly, by a sensory event, or - normally - by both. The central facilitation from one of these activities on the next is the prototype of "attention." ... The theory is evidently a form of connectionism ... though it does not deal in direct connections between afferent and efferent pathways: not an S-R psychology, if R means muscular response ... It does not, further, make any single nerve cell or pathway essential to any habit or perception" (p. xix). Hebb knew that his theory was speculative, vague and incomplete. Missing from the model, for example, was neural inhibition (Milner, 1957), a concept Hebb later incorporated (1959, 1980a). But Hebb believed that a class of theory was needed, of which his was merely one specific form - subject to modification or rejection in the face of new evidence, and that the primary role of our fleetingly correct theories was to stimulate scientific discovery. Hebb's ideas certainly were fruitful in generating new evidence, as whole literatures on the role of early experience in perceptual development (Hunt, 1979), sensory deprivation (Zubek, 1969), selfstimulation (Olds & Milner, 1954), the stopped retinal image (Pritchard, Heron, & Hebb, 1960), synaptic modifiability (Goddard, 1980), and learning without awareness (McKelvie, 1987), were provoked or fostered by them.
When philosophy and physiology converged in the 19th century, Psychology emerged with the promise of a science of mental life (Boring, 1950). By providing a neural implementation of the Associationists' mental chemistry, Hebb fulfilled this promise and laid the foundation for neoconnectionism which seeks to explain cognitive processes in terms of connections between assemblies of real or artificial neurons. Let me risk the charge of "hero worship" by predicting that as our relatively young science matures, the stature of Hebb's ideas within psychology and behavioural neuroscience will grow to match the stature of Darwin's ideas within biology.
During his lifetime, Hebb won many honours and awards and held many positions of leadership. Among these, he was named Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and of the Royal Society (London), he won the APA Award for Distinguished Scientific Contribution, and he served as President of the Canadian and American Psychological associations. Hebb's specific contributions, as well as his direct and indirect influences, have been frequently recognized in many review articles, symposia and books, and in professorships and prizes which bear his name. In Canada, for example, both the Canadian Psychological Association and the Canadian Society for Brain, Behavior and Cognitive Science award prizes for outstanding contributions to psychological science that are named in Hebb's honour.
For the reader interested in learning more about Hebb's life and the evolution of his ideas, his own articles (Hebb, 1959, 1980b) as well as those by Glickman (1996) and Milner (1986) are interesting and informative. Hebb's interest in "The Nature of Thought" was the theme of a lecture series and book (1980a) celebrating his return to Dalhousie in 1977 as an honorary professor. In an introductory chapter to that book, I had my first opportunity to provide my own appreciation of Hebb's contributions (Klein, 1980). Late in his life, Hebb became interested in the phenomena of dissociative states and disorders, confident that careful experimental analysis and thoughtful application of a cellassembly framework would yield a scientifically respectable understanding of this controversial topic. His enthusiasm encouraged Ben Doane (a Dalhousie psychiatrist and one of Hebb's first graduate students at McGill) and I to organize a symposium and edit a book on this topic (Klein & Doane, 1994) which we dedicated to Hebb's memory and contributions.
In the scientific literature references to Hebb, the Hebbian cell-assembly, the Hebb synapse and the Hebb rule, increase each year. These forceful ideas of 1949 are now applied in engineering, robotics, and computer science as well as neurophysiology, neuroscience and psychology - a tribute to Hebb's scientific acumen, foresight and courage to put forth a foundational neuropsychological theory of the organization of behaviour.
This chapter is an expanded version of Raymond Klein's entry, "Donald O. Hebb" in the MIT ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE COGNITIVE SCIENCES, ed. Robert A. Wilson and Frank C. Keil, (Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1999), pp. 366-367, which has been used with permission. The editors of this special issue are indebted to William Matheson for his assiduous assistance.
Address correspondence to Raymond Klein, Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4J1 Canada (Tel: (902) 494 6551; Fax: (902) 494 6585; e-mail: ray.klein@ dal.ca).
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Bliss, T. V. P., & Lomo, T. (1973). Long lasting potentiation of synaptic transmission in the dentate area of the anaesthetized rabbit following stimulation of the perforant path. Journal of Physiology, 232, 331-356.
Boring, E. G. (1950). A history of expenmental psychology, 2nd ed.
New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Brown, R. E., & Stanford, L. (1997). The Hebb-Williams maze: 50 years of research (1946-1996). Society for Neuroscience Abstracts (#110.15), 23, 278.
Glickman, S. (1996). Donald Olding Hebb: Returning the
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nervous system to psychology. In G. Kimble, C. Boneau, & M. Wertheimer (Eds.), Portraits of pioneers in psychology. Vol. 2. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Goddard, G. V. (1980). Component properties of the memory machine: Hebb revisited. In P. W. Jusczyk & R. M. Klein (Eds.), The nature of thought: Essays in honor of D. O. Hebb (pp. 231-247). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Goddard, G. V., McIntyre, D. C., & Leech, C. K. (1969). A permanent change in brain function resulting from daily electrical stimulation. Experimental Neurology, 25, 295-330. Hebb, D. O. (1942). The effects of early and late brain injury upon test scores, and the nature of normal adult intelligence. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 85, 275-292. Hebb, D. O. (1949). The organization of behavior: A
neuropsychological theory. New York: Wiley. Hebb, D. O. (1953). Heredity and environment in mammalian behavior. British Journal of Animal Behavior, 1, 43-47. Hebb, D. O. (1959). A neuropsychological theory. In S. Koch (Ed.), Psychology: A study of a science (Vol. 1). New York: McGraw-Hill.
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Hebb, D. O. (1980a). Essay on mind. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Hebb, D. O. (1980b). D. O. Hebb. In G. Lindzey (Ed.), A history of psychology in autobiography Vol. VII. San Fransisco, CA: W. H. Freeman.
Hunt, J. M. (1979). Psychological development: Early experi
ence. Annual Review of Psychology, 30, 103-143. Jusczyk, P. W., & Klein, R. M. (Eds.). (1980). The nature of thought: Essays in honour of D. O. Hebb. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
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Klein, R. M. (1980). D. O. Hebb: An appreciation. In P. W. Jusczyk & R. M. Klein (Eds.), The nature of thought: Essays in honor of D. O. Hebb (pp. 1-18). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Klein, R. M., & Doane, B. K. (Eds.). (1994). Psychological concepts and dissociative disorders. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. McKelvie, S. (1987). Learning and awareness in the Hebb digits task. Journal of General Psychology, 114, 75-88. Milner, P. M. (1957). The cell assembly: Mark II. Psychological Review, 64, 242-252.
Milner, P. M. (1986). The mind and Donald 0. Hebb. Scient/ftc American, 268, 124-129.
Olds, J., & Milner, P. M. (1954). Positive reinforcement produced by electrical stimulation of the septal area and other regions of the rat brain. Journal of Comparative and Physiolog ical Psychology, 47, 419-427.
Pritchard, R. M., Heron, W., & Hebb, D. O. (1960). Visual perception approached by the method of stabilized images. Canadian Journal of Psychology, 14, 67-77. Skinner, B. F. (1938). The behavior of organisms: An experimental analysis. New York: Appleton-Century.
Zubek, P. (1969). Sensory deprivation:15 years of research. New York: Meredith.
[Author Affiliation]
RAYMOND M. KLEIN, Dalhousie University
The council's plan to cut spending on drain and gulley clearingby a quarter could have a major impact on us here in Weston village.
The centre of Weston has experienced serious flooding severaltimes in recent years, and if not enough is done to keepwatercourses, drains and gullies cleared then we are certain to seethis again.
In the past couple of years, we have managed to prevent sceneslike the ones we saw a few years back when the whole of Weston HighStreet was blocked with major flooding. But this has only beenachieved by persuading both the council and Wessex Water to do moreto prevent the flooding, increase the capacity of the watercourse,and clear the drains and gullies frequently.
If the Liberal Democrats go ahead with this cut, it will provehighly short-sighted and be a huge backward step for Weston.Flooding costs money, both to the council as well as residents, interms of repairs to property, the drainage system and roads. Cuttingthe gulley cleaning budget now will only result in furtherexpenditure down the road.
The council currently clears drains and gullies at least twice ayear, and in the worst areas up to four times a year. I wouldconsider even this to be the minimum needed, but with a 25 per centbudget cut this level of service simply cannot be maintained, and somany areas will have their drains and gullies cleared just once ayear. Residents in Weston will clearly be alarmed by the prospectgiven past experience. We will be pressing the council to look againat this funding cut, as the Pounds 100,000 it saves is relativelysmall in an organisation with a budget of over Pounds 300 million.We will certainly be pressing the council on the importance ofmaintaining regular gulley clearing in Weston in particular, andwould ask residents to help us make this case forcefully.
COUNCILLOR COLIN BARRETT, COUNCILLOR MALCOLM LEES (Cons, Weston)
LOS ANGELES - Alice Ghostley, the Tony Award-winning actress best known on television for playing Esmeralda on "Bewitched" and Bernice on "Designing Women," has died. She was 81.
Ghostley died Friday at her home in Studio City after a long battle with colon cancer and a series of strokes, longtime friend Jim Pinkston said.
Ghostley made her Broadway debut in "Leonard Sillman's New Faces of 1952." She received critical acclaim for singing "The Boston Beguine," which became her signature song.
Miles Kreuger, president of the Los Angeles-based Institute of the American Musical, said part of Ghostley's charm was that she was not glamorous.
"She was rather plain and had a splendid singing voice, and the combination of the well-trained, splendid singing voice and this kind of dowdy homemaker character was so incongruous and so charming," Kreuger said.
In the 1960s, Ghostley received a Tony nomination for various characterizations in the Broadway comedy "The Beauty Part" and eventually won for best featured actress in "The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window."
From 1969 to 1972, she played the good witch and ditzy housekeeper Esmeralda on TV's "Bewitched." She played Bernice Clifton on "Designing Women" from 1987 to 1993, for which she earned an Emmy nomination in 1992.
Ghostley's film credits include "To Kill a Mockingbird," "The Graduate," "Gator" and "Grease."
She was born on Aug. 14, 1926, in Eve, Mo., where her father worked as a telegraph operator. She grew up in Henryetta, Okla.
After graduating from high school, Ghostley attended the University of Oklahoma but dropped out and moved to New York with her sister to pursue theater.
"The best job I had then was as a theater usher," she said in a 1990 Boston Globe interview. "I saw the plays for free. What I saw before me was a visualization of what I wanted to do and what I wanted to be."
She was well aware of the types of roles she should pursue.
"I knew I didn't look like an ingenue," she told The Globe. "My nose was too long. I had crooked teeth. I wasn't blond. I knew I looked like a character actress.
"But I also knew I'd find a way," she added.
Ghostley, whose actor husband, Felice Orlandi, died in 2003, is survived by her sister, Gladys.
Exploration, acquisitions, drilling and production. The oil and gas industry is in full swing with Baylor alumni serving as an integral part of satisfying consumer demands by providing dependable resources.
Lance Byrd, Co-owner of Sendero Energy & CEO of Daunis Energy
Working as a political campaign manager out of college, it wasn't long before Lance Byrd shook hands with his own destiny.
"I worked in politics for the first couple of years out of Baylor where I met several oilmen," he said. "I was fascinated by the people and personalities I met in the industry, as well as its history and charisma."
Byrd, BBA '91, absorbed as much industry knowledge as possible before pursuing a career in oil. After working as a contract landman for Enserch Exploration, he craved more in-house exposure to all components of the industry. Persistence paid off for Byrd as he got his break with Maguire oil Company and gained industry experience.
"I kept calling Gary Maguire at Maguire oil Company, and he kept telling me he didn't have anything available but might have something down the road," Byrd said. "Finally I called him one day and said, 'Look, hire me for 3 O days, and if after 30 days it doesn't work out, then I'll leave you alone.'"
Maguire agreed, and after three months of successfully accomplishing projects, Byrd was hired full time and eventually promoted to be the company's director of acquisitions and divestitures.
"It was a great experience for me," he said. "Buying and selling properties and drilling deals gave me a lot of exposure to the entire industry, and I gained a lot of specific industry knowledge. I left there in 1998 to work for another independent producer, Dale Resources, and then started my own company in 2001."
Byrd founded Sendero Energy with his business partner, David Porter, who is a petroleum engineer. Byrd also created Daunis Energy, which serves as a holding company for oil and gas assets.
"Sendero Energy is our operating company and manages the day-to-day oil and gas activities, as H well as our other business interests, which include ranching, commercial and residential real estate, and aviation," he said. "David oversees the oil and gas operational issues, and I handle more of the business development, land and legal issues."
Although not the longest-standing veteran, Byrd has witnessed the evolution of the industry since it first captured his attention.
"At the time I entered the industry, oil prices were around $10 a barrel, and there weren't a lot of job opportunities available," he said. "This was back during the early '90s high-tech boom, and everyone thought I was crazy for wanting to get into such a mature industry. I would go to industry functions and was always the youngest guy in the room by about fifteen to twenty years."
With a determined entrepreneurial spirit, Byrd encourages Baylor students to arrive prepared upon entering the oil and gas industry.
"In college, I always thought I would hire someone to handle the responsibilities of accounting and finance," he said. "You can do that to a degree, but you still have to understand every thing yourself or you are in trouble. Even if you are an entrepreneur at heart, you've got to learn the business before you can run your own company."
Byrd said the measurement of success in his life and business is defined by two questions: "I ask myself if I am having fun, and if I am glorifying God through the enjoyment and sharing of the blessings He has provided."
With those measurements In mind, Byrd said he enjoys the relationships he has built through his work the most.
"Baylor really helped me develop people skills and my ability to lead and convince," he said. "This is a very relationship-oriented business. People tend to do business with people they like and trust, and I've had some great times building and maintaining those relationships."
"Baylor really helped me develop people skills and my ability to lead and convince."
M. Jay Allison, Chairman, President & CEO of Comstock Resources
Although Jay Allison's business involves the oil fields, one could say his work ethic first went into play on the football field at Baylor.
"Playing football under Coach Grant Teaff taught me to continue to give my best - no matter what," he said. "I remember my freshman year at Baylor, we were behind at half-time against the University of Texas and overcame a 24-point deficit to beat them. We went on to play in the Cotton Bowl in 1975."
Backed by his belief of giving his best effort, Allison went on to earn not one, but three degrees from Baylor. He earned a BBA in Accounting in 1978, an MS in 1980 and a JD in 1981. Before embarking on his career, Allison built a strong academic foundation that would benefit him in the future.
"My thought was that once you start school you should stay in until you have earned all the degrees that you will need while you are in that phase of life," he said. "Once you enter the working world and have a family and incur debt, it is harder, in my opinion, to go back into the wo rid of education."
Following his football days, Allison switched to the game of finding oil and gas. Using his law degree, he gained exposure to the industry as a practicing oil and gas attorney for the firm of Lynch, Chappell & Alsup in Midland, Texas.
"Practicing oil and gas law gave me the confidence that I needed and experience to be successful in the oil and gas industry," he said. "When the opportunity presented itself, I was able to create a successful independent oil and gas company. Understanding the legal side of the industry is always an advantage especially in the beginning when you are involved with setting up a company."
In 1983, Allison co-founded a private independent oil and gas company which acquired Comstock Resources in 1987. He has experienced success first-hand through witnessing the rise of Comstock Resources, which is based in Frisco, Texas. The independent company is engaged in onshore oil and gas exploration and production and owns 49 percent of a successful offshore exploration company, Bois d'Arc Energy, Inc.
"Somewhere along the road you realize that what you had dreamed would happen has been greatly exceeded," he said. "Comstock started out over 20 years ago with virtually no assets and no financial backing, and today we have $2.4 billion in assets and great financial strength. We have closed over 35 corporate transactions and have been listed for 11 years on the New York Stock Exchange."
Along with his business ventures, Allison has maintained his ties with Baylor through serving on the university's Board of Regents for the past nine years.
Allison is grateful for his good fortune and maintains a positive outlook in life while keeping the important things in mind. "Give your best, love your family, treat all people with equal respect no matter their occupation or place in life, and honor Christ in everything."
"Playing football under Coach Grant Teaff taught me to continue to give my best - no matter what."
Danny Bowlin, Senior Vice President & CFO of Hunt Petroleum
After working at Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. (now KPMG) as an audit partner, Danny Bowlin redirected his financial expertise to concentrate on the oil industry. In 1985, he joined the Dallas-based company of Hunt Petroleum, which specializes in domestic exploration and production of oil and gas, mainly in Texas, Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico.
"With the firm, I did a lot of audit work with the oil and gas industry, and specifically for the Hunt family entities," he said. "I liked the family ownership of the company and what they stood for, so I took the opportunity to join them."
Although the company is relatively small in size, Bowlin said there is a powerful, driving force of dedicated employees standing behind it.
"At Hunt Petroleum, we employ about 350 people," he said. "We have an unusually large number of loyal employees. A big part of any successful company is creating value for shareholders with an atmosphere of camaraderie."
Bowlin, BBA '69, said he enjoys the dynamics of the industry. "I like the challenges we encounter," he said. "We're privately-owned so we do not face the same issues that publicly-owned companies have, like satisfying outside shareholders. Our operations team is constantly challenged to find niche areas for properties that will be productive in order for our company to provide resources and remain competitive."
Bowlin said that the oil and gas industry is a progressive one with technological advancements paving the way.
"I am continually amazed by the technology that is available today for exploration of resources and putting them into use to benefit others," he said. "Using this technology, our people will go out into the middle of the Gulf of Mexico in several hundred feet of water, drill a well several thousand feet deep, and find oil or gas. It is remarkable."
Bowlin understands the importance of applying a strong work ethic in business to create positive results, while remaining humble in one's endeavors.
"One of the most important things I think Baylor taught me is about taking responsibility for your own work," he said. "I think the business school instills that down-to-earth work ethic of working your way up in a respectable manner."
As he looks toward the future, Bowlin said adaptation is the key. "In the oil and gas industry, you have to learn to be flexible," he said. "Every day there are company acquisitions and mergers. There are a lot of opportunities, but with those opportunities come new responsibilities. You have to be able to move in the direction that the business takes you."
Aside from his career, Bowlin enjoys spending time with his family, especially his three granddaughters, whom he said already attend Baylor events.
"A big part of any successful company is creating value for shareholders with an atmosphere of camaraderie."
Among the new holiday gift books on topics dealing with Judaismand the Jewish heritage:
The Encyclopedia of Judaism, edited by Geoffrey Wigoder(Macmillan, $75). More than 1,000 entries, written by more than 70rabbis and scholars on subjects ranging from Abraham and adultery tozionism and the zodiac, comprise this weighty but readable referencevolume. Said to be the first such one-volume English-languageencyclopedia in more than 20 years, it puts such subjects ashomosexuality in a contemporary light. More than 300 illustrationsare included, plus an index that grants easy access to the randomquestioner and a glossary of Jewish terms.
A Temple Treasury: The Judaica Collection of CongregationEmanu-El of the City of New York, by Cissy Grossman. (Hudson HillsPress, $50). Torah pointers, menorahs and prayer shawls are amongthe artifacts documented in this handsome volume, aimed at collectorsof Judaica and students of Jewish art. Included are an interestingessay by the author on the Emanu-El building, the largest Jewishtemple in the world, and one on the history of the equally sizablecongregation of Reform Judaism by its senior rabbi, Dr. Ronald B.Sobel. The book contains 42 color plates and 192 duotoneillustrations.
The Talmud, The Steinsaltz Edition: A Reference Guide and VolumeI, Tractate Bava Metzia, Part I. By Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. (RandomHouse, $40 each). Orthodox rabbi Steinsaltz was awarded the 1988Israel Prize for his modern presentation of the Talmud. Now even greater numbers will gainaccess to the Talmud via the English translation of the first twovolumes of Steinsaltz's ongoing project. A Reference Guide provideshistorical background, guidelines for Talmadic study and otherfundamental information. The central subject of Tractate BavaMetzia, Part 1 is civil law. Along with the translation, theoriginal Hebrew text is fully presented, as are commentaries inHebrew and English. The books are the first two in a projectedseries of about 15.
The Jews in America, edited by David Cohen (Collins, $45). Aninteresting look at the diversity of a particular culture and how itmelds with and splits from other groups. Though it is aimed chieflyat Americans of Jewish heritage, non-Jews will appreciate it for itsexplanation of such Hebrew terms as Rosh Hashanah, mikvah and bris.Subjects include a Hasidic yeshiva in Brooklyn, an astronaut and aJewish cowboy.
Freezing conditions hit parts of the North-east with temperatures tumbling to -5C overnight.
The coldest recorded overnight temperature was at Aboyne.
But forecasters said there was very little chance of snow over thecoming week.
The Met Office's Duty Forecaster, Tom Masson, said: "There willhave been some …
| Wheat for May delivery lost 5 cents to $5.5025 a bushel | May corn was unchanged at $3.965 a bushel | May oats fell 1 cent to $2 a bushel | and May soybeans rose 11.5 cents to $9.52 a bushel. |
| Beef futures traded mixed and pork futures were lower on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. | |||
| April live cattle inched up 0.45 cent to 85.2 cents a pound | May feeder cattle lost 0.35 cent to 95.37 cents a pound | April lean hogs fell 0.3 cent to 61.75 cents a pound | and May pork bellies slipped 0.25 cent to 91.5 cents a pound. |
World stock markets were mixed Monday as investors started the first full trading week of the New Year, relieved that 2008 is behind them but fully aware that the economic picture around the world is grim and will likely remain so for quite some time.
The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares closed up 17.85 points, or 0.4 percent, at 4,579.64, while Germany's DAX rose 10.92 points, or 0.2 percent, to 4,983.99. France's CAC-40 was up 10.23 points, or 0.3 percent, at 3,359.92.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average dropped 69.53 points, or 0.8 percent, to 8,965.16, while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 4.39 points, or 0.5 percent, at 927.41. The losses in the U.S. were hardly a surprise following strong gains last week. The Dow in fact closed at a two-month high on Friday after a 3 percent gain.
"It's been a pretty hesitant start to the week for equity markets in Europe and the U.S.," said Neil Mackinnon, chief economist at ECU Group.
The relatively muted performance in Europe and the U.S. stood in marked contrast to the gains witnessed in Asia earlier, where investors appeared encouraged by mounting expectations of a massive $755 billion fiscal stimulus from the incoming Obama administration in the U.S. Most Asian markets were closed last Friday so much of Monday's gains in Asia were a case of catching up.
In a shortened half-day session, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 stock average gained 183.56 points, or 2.1 percent, to 9,043.12, its first finish above the 9,000-point line since Nov. 10.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng climbed 3.5 percent to 15,563.31 and Shanghai's key index gained 3.3 percent to 1,880.72. Singapore's benchmark jumped 4.5 percent, with stock measures in Taiwan, India, South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand higher as well.
Stock markets around the world enjoyed a strong rally over the last month or so, in particular since Christmas Eve, though the moves have been largely sentiment-driven as opposed to being based on any fundamental change in the economic or financial outlook.
Investors know they face a difficult first half of the year at least, as company earnings and the economic data flow remain downbeat.
Some analysts reckon that the recent resilience in the markets could be a sign that many investors have already started positioning for a possible turnaround later in the year.
"Big crises invariably lead to big buying opportunities, but not yet," Morgan Stanley equity analysts told clients Monday.
Though some investors may be tempted to be bullish, the investment bank's analysts think fundamentals are not close to bottoming out and valuations are not outright cheap yet.
"In bear markets, patience is the golden virtue, capital preservation rules. Stay patient until the next bull market starts, maybe later in 2009," they said.
Markets will certainly face tough hurdles later in the week when a raft of economic news, particularly Friday's U.S. non-farm payrolls data for December, is released.
"There are no green shoots of recovery and I think they are a long time coming," said ECU Group's Mackinnon.
One bright spot in the gloom of late 2008 in the markets was the sharp fall in the price of oil, which should act as a spur to economic growth around the world.
However, oil prices have started the New Year ticking up again amid the spiraling violence in Gaza and tentative evidence that the recent OPEC production cuts are taking hold.
Light, sweet crude for February delivery was up $0.36 at $46.70, having fallen to around $40 a barrel towards the end of 2008.
Meanwhile, the euro sank against the dollar as year-end currency movements _ which helped it rally strongly _ have come to an end. The euro was down 2 percent at $1.3637.
The dollar was up 1.2 percent at 93.09 yen.
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AP Business Writer Jeremiah Marquez in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
Mark Mulder (3-0) struck out eight, walked none and gave up fivehits as No. 1 Thornwood (12-0) swept Marist on Saturday. Thornwoodwon the first game 10-5 and the second game 18-5.
Josh Huisman crushed a three-run home run. Chris Powell knockedin two runs with a home run. Jason Huisman went 4-for-4, slugging adouble.
In Game 2, a five-inning contest, Todd Neal (2-for-3, four RBI)and Jason Huisman (2-for-2, two RBI) hit homers.
Wheaton-Warrenville South 9-15, St. Charles 5-0: Justin Donohoand John Moser each had three RBI in Game 2 as No. 2Wheaton-Warrenville South (8-2) pounded St. Charles (5-6). PitcherKen Kilian (3-0) struck out seven and allowed one …
