A Friendlier Face?

Dossier: Accounting Software

TICKER: Subsidiary of The Sage Group (London: SGE.L)

EMPLOYEES: 3,000 (N. America)

RON VERNI

CEO

Hired in 1996 to be president of accounting software vendor Peachtree Software, which Sage Group acquired in 1999.

HIMANSHU PALSULE

Senior VP & GM, Accounting Solutions

Headed human-resources software for Best Software, which Sage Group bought in 2000.

PRODUCTS

Accounting software packages include Sage Accpac ERP (previously Accpac's core product line), which has general ledger, purchase order, order entry, accounts payable, payroll, human-resources and inventory features; …

Boy, 11, questioned in death of 7-year-old in Ohio

Police in Cincinnati say they have questioned and released an 11-year-old boy who they believe fatally shot a 7-year-old neighbor.

Authorities say the younger boy died Friday after being shot with a rifle in the basement playroom of his home.

No charges have been filed. Police Sgt. Gary Connor said police are investigating the death as a negligent homicide. Two other children and an adult were in the home at the …

B. W. Stevenson, 38; country-pop singer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UPI) Country-pop singer-songwriter B. W.Stevenson, best known for his 1970s hits "My Maria" and "Shambala,"died of heart disease Thursday in Veteran's Hospital. He was 38.

The Dallas-born musician had undergone heart surgery Monday,said family friend Betsy Bass. He had been ill for two months, shesaid.

Mr. Stevenson, born Louis Charles Stevenson III, was known asB.W. which stood for Buckwheat.

He enjoyed some pop success …

Moscow police arrest 500 as ethnic tensions linger

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian news agencies say Moscow police have arrested 500 people to stop them attending rival protests over the killing of a soccer fan and the ethnic violence that erupted after the slaying.

A young Moscow man was fatally shot with rubber bullets during a fight with people from the Russia's Caucasus region at a bus stop this month.

People from the Caucasus are typically darker-skinned than northern Russians and many are Muslim. They have traditionally been victims of ethnic …

English Soccer Summaries

Summaries of Sunday's English Premier League matches (home teams listed first):

Liverpool 3, Blackburn 1

Liverpool: Steven Gerrard (60), Fernando Torres (82), Andriy Voronin (90)

Blackburn: Roque Santa Cruz …

Red-hot Fontenot credits Rudy

Mike Fontenot is proving to be one of the early success stories of new hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo.

The Cubs' second baseman leads the team in hitting with a .333 average after hitting a solid .355 in spring training -- all after making adjustments suggested by Jaramillo.

''I came to camp about a week early, and after a couple days we started working on some things,'' Fontenot said. ''I got a little taller [standing] in the box. I used to not really stride in my swing. We closed up [the stance] a little and worked on rhythm and timing. It's felt good.''

Fontenot hit only .236 last season after reaching .305 in 119 games in 2008. Getting back to hitting …

GIVE VOICE TO YOUR KNOWLEDGE

AUSA's Institute of Land Warfare invites you to

Submissions

Manuscripts for candidate Land Warfare Papers, Landpower Essays and NCO Notes can be submitted either on disk (to Director, Programs, AUSA's Institute of Land Warfare, 2425 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington VA 22201) or via e-mail (to sdaugherty@ausa.org). For additional information, please call 800336-4570, ext. 226 (toll free) or 703-9072627 (direct dial).

The Association of the United States Army's professional education program is designed to identify, discuss and influence the outcome of significant issues that affect the U.S. Army and national defense. AUSAs Institute of Land Warfare (ILW) accomplishes …

Pakistan gov't says economic growth down to 5.8 percent

Pakistan's sizzling economic growth has slowed to 5.8 percent because of poor farm output and sluggish industrial expansion, the government said Tuesday.

Finance Minister Naveed Qamar said projections indicated that the economy expanded 5.8 percent in the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, compared to 6.8 percent the year before.

After years of rapid growth, Pakistan's economy is slowing amid problems from double-digit inflation to yawning budget and trade deficits and political uncertainty.

The World Bank has warned that Pakistan could tip into crisis unless the government acts quickly address the problems, which also include power …

Brownie troop scouts out Cabrini girls

Brownie Troop 784 meets in a brightly lit room near Division andLarrabee, a Chicago neighborhood that's often tough on little kidsbut is offering these girls new hope.

The girls who bound into the room, in the East Chicago Districtpolice station, are part of a newly formed Brownie troop that hasembraced the organization's long-held mission of instilling self-confidence, responsibility and accomplishment.

On a recent day, they are rehearsing for their official pinningceremony. It has been a long road to get to this point, to the daythe girls receive their first patches and vests, from last April.

"If you had asked me [how it was going] in June, when we broke …

Evaluating compost/woody material mix as biofiltration media

Kim Jones of the Texas A&M University's Department of Environmental Engineering is working with operators of the Brownsville composting facility to evaluate odor removal capacity of its compost/woody material mix. "While the compost product from the Brownsville site has valuable properties for use in biofiltration applications," writes Dr. Jones, "it is known that specially prepared biomass …

US Navy: Pirates haven't destroyed Ukrainian ship

The U.S. Navy says Somali pirates have not followed through with their threat to blow up an arms-laden Ukrainian ship they hijacked.

Lt. Stephanie Murdock, a spokeswoman for the 5th Fleet in Bahrain, confirms the vessel, with a 20-member crew and a cargo of heavy weapons, is still in one piece.

Murdock says American …

[ WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT? ]

"To Live Is Better Than to Die" (6 p.m., Cinemax): Thisdocumentary follows a Chinese family infected with HIV as it tries tomake do over the course of a year.

"Fear Factor" (7 p.m., WMAQ-Channel 5)" Worm juice, anyone?

"Nicole Kidman: An American Cinematheque Tribute" (7 p.m., AMC):Kidman brought her daughter, Bella, 10, and son, Connor, 8, to theceremony. You can imagine how she felt when everyone was treated to aclip from 1999's "Eyes Wide Shut" in which she and ex-husband TomCruise, both in their underwear, engage in an expletive-filled,sexually charged argument. USA Today reported Kidman tried to get thekids to cover their ears. Connor kept watching, so she gently …

Bush-Mulroney summit is the same old ballgame

OTTAWA Summit meetings between the president of the UnitedStates and the prime minister of Canada have about as much to do withdiplomacy as throwing out the first ball has to do with baseball.

In fact, the two countries have discovered how to demonstratethe amiable phoniness of the two by combining them.

President Bush stopped by Toronto on Tuesday. He grinned a lot.He told Prime Minister Brian Mulroney he liked Canada and was gladhis northern neighbor was taking an interest in Mexico, his southernneighbor. He said the two countries would start soon to talk aboutacid rain.

Mulroney grinned a lot as well. He did a me-too act for theassembled press, chiming in with the same answer to each question.

But the way the pair got on the front pages of Canadiannewspapers was by tossing out the first balls at the Toronto BlueJays' Sky Dome opener.

The idea of annual summit meetings between the president andprime minister was hatched nearly six years ago when Mulroney hadjust come to power. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Canada and the United States had gone through some rocky timesduring the tenure of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, who liked to tweak theeagle's tailfeathers every once in a while.

Mulroney was sure he could get along better with Washington. Hehit it off with President Ronald Reagan. The two shared an Irishbackground and an Irish sense of humor. They were pals. Bush andMulroney, by contrast, are official friends.

But perhaps official friendship works better.

At the first big Reagan-Mulroney summit meeting in Quebec Cityin 1985, a sheaf of agreements was signed, including one on acidrain, the airborne pollution thought to be caused in large part byemissions from power plants and factories. Canada produces abouthalf its own acid rain. But the other half is produced by U.S.sources and drifts across the world's longest undefended border.

In time, Mulroney discovered that Reagan didn't really believein acid rain and was disinclined to do anything about it. Mulroneyyelled at Reagan for that. Reagan grinned and the two continued tobe pals.

The Bush administration has been different from a Canadian pointof view. There's just as much grinning when Mulroney gets togetherwith the current president, but the meetings have been gettingshorter. In the latest summit, they spent just one hour alone.

But the two countries seem to be making real progress away fromthe limelight of summits. The Clean Air Act pending in Congress andits measures aimed at reducing acid rain are evidence of that.

Canada isn't content with a U.S. law; it wants an internationalagreement. That's what the com-ing talks, which may start thissummer, will be about.

Beneath the smiles, Canada is also worried about moves toward afree trade agreement between the United States and Mexico.

Mulroney's baseball meeting with Bush was a supposed to be partof a comeback strategy for the Canadian prime minister who is nowlower in the polls than any government leader in Canadian history.

But it didn't work that way either.

When the two walked onto the baseball diamond, Mulroney was metby a rolling chorus of boos, not for his pitching ability but for histax policies. The president and prime minister pretended not tonotice and kept on grinning.

Israel tells businessmen to stop visiting Georgia

Israel has told businessmen involved in military sales to Georgia to cease visits to the former Soviet republic for the time being, defense officials said Wednesday.

The decision was made this week because Israel is concerned about damage to its relations with Russia, the officials said.

For the same reason, Israel decided to stop most weapons sales to Georgia even before the Russia-Georgia war last month. At the time, Israeli officials said the policy change was largely driven by concerns that Russia could supply advanced arms to Israel's Iranian adversaries.

In a statement Wednesday, the Defense Ministry said it has not issued a formal travel ban. "The Defense Ministry does not prevent anyone from going to Georgia or forming connections there," it said.

But defense officials acknowledged they were recommending to businessmen with defense ties in Georgia not to travel there at this time. Such businessmen, typically former army officers, need government approval for their activities. Businessmen with ties to Georgia confirmed the recommendation.

The officials and businessmen spoke on condition of anonymity because the recommendation had not been made public. The officials suggested the formal denial was driven by concern about spotlighting Israel's effort to distance itself from Georgia _ a country with which it enjoyed close ties and lucrative defense business in recent years.

Since early August, Israel's official policy has been to sell Georgia only defensive systems.

In the past, Israel provided Georgia with spy drones, electronics for artillery systems and other weapons. Former Israeli generals have served as advisers to the Georgian military, and private Israeli contractors trained Georgian units in urban warfare and counterterrorism tactics.

Other nations, such as Germany, France and the U.S., have rendered similar services to the Georgians.

It appears Israel now has increasingly come to see its ties with Georgia as a liability.

Israel has expressed concern that Russia could sell Iran advanced weapons, particularly the S-300 air defense system. The system would make it more difficult to carry out an air strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, which Israel fears are being used to manufacture atomic weapons that could threaten its existence. Iran's nuclear reactor at Bushehr is being built by a Russian state-run company, Atomstroiexport.

Israel and the U.S. have said they prefer to use diplomatic pressure on Iran, but have not ruled out using military force.

Can Your Business Gain From Internet?

Do you feel guilty or nervous when friends or colleagues bragabout their adventures on the Internet?

Do you wish your business cards featured a cool electronic mailaddress? Do you worry that your business is suffering because youare cyberphobic?

Well, you are not alone.

Small-business owners across America are struggling to figureout whether they should be hooking up to the powerful, globalcomputer system called the Internet.

"There is a feeling of `Am I being left behind?' or `I'm notwith it if I'm not online,' " said Ivan Rosenberg, a Sherman Oaks,Calif.-based computer consultant and author of Making Money on theInternet, a 50-page guide for entrepreneurs.

A recent MCI-Gallup survey of 300 entrepreneurs found that only21 percent of the business owners who were aware of the Internet wereactually using it. Thirty-five percent said it was too expensive and25 percent said the technology was too complex. A whopping 46percent said they were "cyberphobic," or intimidated by the so-calledinformation superhighway.

MCI, AT&T and IBM are among the major corporations racing toprovide Internet access and information to entrepreneurs. Nynex hasalso jumped in, offering a free, online directory service thatenables users to find the names, addresses and telephone numbers of2.1 million businesses in the northeastern United States. Theservice also lets people link up with 400 businesses that use theInternet.

The Internet will let small businesses: Sell products to other businesses via online catalogs or"storefronts." Most commercial listings are located within the WorldWide Web, a graphically based, user-friendly area of the Internet. Provide services to clients, such as transmitting photographs ande-mailing lists or graphics. Provide detailed information about their expertise to potentialcustomers without a sales pitch. Use e-mail to communicate with just about anyone anywhere in theworld. With special telephonic software, one can also speak topeople via computer. Participate in real-time, online discussions about topics ofinterest.

The best thing about the Internet is that you don't have to bein a high-tech business to benefit.

For example, Karl Fetzer, Indianapolis district manager ofEskco, a maker of custom binders and advertising specialties, sayshis company uses the Internet to give customers information aboutproducts. He first went online in May, relying on CompuServe andAmerica Online to connect his computer to the superhighway."Eventually, we'll hook up with a local company and that will reducethe cost of connecting to the Internet," Fetzer said.

One of the best ways to get over your fear of the Internet is toask people you know what they use it for. Next, get acquainted withwhat's out there via one of the major online services (CompuServe,America Online, Prodigy). If you decide your business would benefitfrom a 24-hour Internet connection or more in-depth use, hire aconsultant to advise you on the right hardware and software.

And remember, while it may seem like a great idea to have accessto vast databases of information or mailing lists, if the informationwon't boost your sales, don't spend your time and money finding it.

Jane Applegate's column appears Wednesdays.

ECONOMICS OF COMPOSTING SEAFOOD RESIDUALS

In their report in this issue (p. 70), authors Michaela Archer and David Baldwin provide details on trials for composting and utilizing seafood feedstocks. They also prepared data on costs when disposal fees are about $70 to $100/ton (�400 -�60). It was estimated that $1.7 million would be the price for a 10,000 ton/year in-vessel facility with production costs per ton at $85. (A British pound (�) is equal to $1.73 U.S. dollars.) Archer and Baldwin wrote:

"Current sales prices for compost vary significantly depending on the intended market and quality of the finished product. Low grade, bulk uses such as land reclamation may pay up to �5/t while topsoil values can reach �40/t. The production of an added value, high quality or organically certified compost would add to these prices but this would have to be offset by the additional costs of improving management of the feedstocks and process.

"Given the costs of other waste disposal routes, it is considered that composting could provide a cost-effective route for seafood by-products. However with the low value for composted seafood by-products (�50 -�40/t at current prices), the potential for gaining revenue/profit appears limited without adding value to compost in some way. A partnership between seafood and waste management industries may help to reduce these costs."

GOP senator: Court nominee could incite filibuster

The Senate's No. 2 Republican on Sunday refused to rule out a filibuster if President Barack Obama seeks a Supreme Court justice who decides cases based on "emotions or feelings or preconceived ideas."

Sen. Jon Kyl made clear he would use the procedural delay if Obama follows through on his pledge to nominate someone who takes into account human suffering and employs empathy from the bench. The Arizona Republican acknowledged that his party likely does not have enough votes to sustain a filibuster, but he said nonetheless he would try to delay or derail the nomination if Obama ventures outside what Kyl called the mainstream.

"We will distinguish between a liberal judge on one side and one who doesn't decide cases on the merits but, rather, on the basis of his or her preconceived ideas," Kyl said.

The White House is preparing to announce Obama's pick to replace Justice David Souter, who plans to retire back to his beloved New Hampshire when the court's term ends. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, said Sunday that he has been told a choice is likely to be announced this week. Those involved with Obama's decision hint that it could come as early as Tuesday.

Obama, who has interviewed at least two candidates for the position, has offered hints into what he wants in a justice.

"You have to have not only the intellect to be able to effectively apply the law to cases before you," Obama said in an interview carried Saturday on C-SPAN television. "But you have to be able to stand in somebody else's shoes and see through their eyes and get a sense of how the law might work or not work in practical day-to-day living."

Obama also has said he wants someone who employs empathy, "understanding and identifying with people's hopes and struggles," when arriving at decisions that could influence the nation for decades.

That approach drew a rebuke Sunday from Kyl, who in January told the conservative Federalist Society that he reserved the right to filibuster.

"I went on to say a lot of things about what I meant by that, and I was distinguishing between a person who is just liberal _ and undoubtedly this nominee will be liberal _ and one who decides cases not based upon the law or the merits but, rather, upon his or her emotions, or feelings or preconceived ideas. That would be a circumstance in which I could not support the nominee," Kyl said.

Sen. Ben Nelson, a Nebraska Democrat who helped negotiate a compromise to avoid filibusters aimed at President George W. Bush's judicial nominees, said the law alone should be the guide on whether nominees are seated. He also kept open the filibuster option.

"We don't want to have to read judges' minds. So I think that's the test _ will they be an activist or not?" Nelson said. "I would hope that there wouldn't be any circumstances that would be so extreme with any of the president's nominees that the other side would feel the need to filibuster or that I might feel the need to filibuster in a case of extraordinary circumstances."

Under Senate rules, a single senator can mount a filibuster by objecting to consideration of a bill or nominee. It takes 60 votes to overcome a filibuster and move to a final vote. Democrats hold 59 votes in the 100-seat Senate with Sen. Arlen Specter's defection from the GOP and two Democratic-voting independents. One seat is open.

Obama's choice is expected to be confirmed, given the Democratic majority. But part of his political calculation is how smoothly the nominee will get through. At a time when his agenda is packed with big domestic items and he needs help from both parties, Obama may not want to spend political capital on a more contentious choice.

Six people are known to be under consideration by Obama: U.S. Appeals Court judges Diane Wood and Sonia Sotomayor, Solicitor General Elena Kagan, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and California Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno.

The president has been pushed by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and others to name a woman to the court. Only one of the nine justices _ Ruth Bader Ginsburg _ is a woman.

"Frankly, if it were reversed, I would be saying, appoint a man. You just need that point of view," Boxer said. "But, of course, it has got to do be the best possible person and we think there are so many great qualified women out there."

Kyl and Nelson appeared on "Fox News Sunday." Boxer appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" and Durbin on "NBC's "Meet the Press."

THE CALENDAR

Dec 18: The Electoral College chooses the president.

Jan 6: Congress convenes to count the Electoral College votes.

Jan 20: President inaugurated.

Study: Mining tax breaks costing African countries

Poor African countries that are rich in minerals lose tens of millions of dollars each year because mining companies get large tax breaks and don't pay high enough royalties to the governments, according to a report released Wednesday.

The report _ which covered Congo, Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia _ said mining contracts often are negotiated in secret or without input from lawmakers. It said parliaments should play a more active role in approving and monitoring contracts.

Governments and the mining companies also should make the details of their financial transactions public, including the breakdown of how much companies remit in royalties and taxes to each country in which they operate, it said.

"Governments are borrowing to alcoholic proportions to meet the basic needs of people. And this borrowing can be avoided if the capacity to collect revenue and the revenue that is collected is made equitable," said Brian Kagoro, Pan-African policy manager for ActionAid, one of the non-governmental organizations behind Wednesday's report.

Royalties are the percentage of the production or turnover that the company pays to the country. The percentages and the way they are calculated differ from country to country.

Ghana, a top African gold producer, is losing $68 million a year in revenue because it is receiving low royalties, the report found. Tanzania, the continent's third largest producer of gold, is losing $30 million a year in potential revenues.

Tanzanian Energy and Minerals Minister William Ngeleja declined to comment, saying he had not seen the report.

The report also estimated that low royalty rates could cost South Africa, the continent's biggest gold producer, up to $359 million a year in revenue.

South Africa currently does not receive royalties but the report based its calculations on the rates that the government is proposing in draft legislation, which has been in the works for six years.

South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel said the country will lose $195 million in deferred royalties this year. He said the government had decided not to charge any royalties this year because the current economic situation would lead to greater job losses.

His estimate of lost revenue is lower than the report's because negotiations for royalties are ongoing in South Africa and the two used different figures for their calculations.

Frans Baleni, general secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers, South Africa's largest mining union, said the union understood the reasoning but wanted it to be conditional on saving jobs. He also said that the granting of mining licenses and contracts is a relatively transparent process in South Africa and workers have a say.

The report said that in Sierra Leone tax concessions to one company will see the West African nation lose as much as $8 million dollars a year in revenues. The government granted Sierra Rutile _ a company mining titanium oxide, which when powdered is used in paints, plastics and papers _ a lower than usual tax on turnover and a reduced fuel import duty compared to what other companies are charged. These concessions are to run up to 2014.

Sierra Leone's Director of Mines Usman Boie Kamara said the government is taking another look at the mining agreement with Sierra Rutile and has for the past year been reviewing all mineral rights in the country.

"We are writing agreements that should last for 15-20 years and cannot take present circumstances in the world market to determine our position," Kamara told The Associated Press. "Commodity prices _ metal and precious minerals _ are cyclical; they go up and down _ so we have to take all that in renegotiating, and we have started with Sierra Rutile."

___

Associated Press writers Celean Jacobson in Johannesburg and Clarence Roy-Macaulay in Freetown, Sierra Leone contributed to this report.

___

On the Net:

ActionAid: http://www.actionaid.org

Reclusive playwright to speak at the forum

One of the nation's favourite playwrights will make a rare publicappearance in Bath later this year.

Alan Bennett - who wrote The Madness Of King George and TheHistory Boys - will be at The Forum in Bath in October.

Robert Topping, of new independent bookseller Topping & Company,is organising the event.

He said: "This will be the largest public appearance in thiscountry of a famously private man."

Bennett will be talking about his novel, The Uncommon Reader,which tells the story of a queen accidentally discovering the joy ofreading.

"People of all ages love Bennett, his sense of humour and hiscaptivating voice," Mr Topping said.

"He very rarely appears in public and therefore his visit is agreat honour for us and a major occasion for the city of Bath."

Mr Topping said Bennett had agreed to the event because hesupports independent bookselling.

Topping & Company, which already has an outlet in Ely,Cambridgeshire, opened in the Paragon at the end of April.

It ran an event featuring Sebastian Faulks, who wrote Birdsong andCharlotte Gray.

Kathleen Smith, from the company, said it had held a similarevening in Ely when Bennett launched his last bestseller, UntoldStories.

She added it had been popular and was good for independentbookshops to run such popular events.

"I think independent bookshops are very nice places to come," shesaid.

"They have things that the big chain stores don't have. The bigchains tend to have the same books. This one is a large independentas well.

"Although we're very much a local, independent bookshop, we're thelargest to open for more than 40 years with a huge range of titles,good publisher contacts and a sparkling author events programme."

The event, on Thursday, October 25, will be held at the Forum.Doors open at 6.30pm for a 7.30pm start.

Tickets cost pounds20 if delivered by post, but pounds15 if theyare picked up directly from the bookshop or reserved and picked up ata later date. The cost of the ticket includes the pounds10.99 bookand a glass of wine.

The Uncommon Reader is published by Profile and Faber & Faber.

For more information call the shop on 428111, call into theParagon store or visit www.toppingbooks.co.uk.

n.stone@bathchron.co.uk

Rwandan president wins election in landslide

Rwandan President Paul Kagame celebrated an overwhelming election victory by dancing with thousands of supporters into the pre-dawn hours Tuesday, a day after voters gave their leader another seven years in office.

The country's election commission said preliminary results indicated Kagame would win more than 90 percent of Monday's vote. Kagame won election in 2003 with 95 percent of the vote.

The win was expected. While Kagame faced three opponents on the ballot, analysts said none of the three presented any real competition. Opposition parties were barred from participating, part of a pre-poll crackdown that saw opposition figures arrested, a broad media clampdown and the suspicious killings or attempted killings of several people.

Tens of thousands of supporters celebrated Kagame's victory at the national sports stadium late Monday and early Tuesday. Kagame joined in the festivities, dancing on stage as bands belted out music. Preliminarily results were announced around 4 a.m. local time.

Monday's presidential election was Rwanda's second since the 1994 genocide, when at least half a million people _ mostly Tutsis and moderate Hutus _ were killed.

Much of the sharpest criticism has come from ethnic Hutus against Kagame's Tutsi-led government. One Hutu political leader, Victoire Inagbire, who was arrested earlier this year on charges of genocide ideology and not allowed to run, said that if Kagame's regime continues its repression, the country could spiral into chaos.

A former high-ranking member of Kagame's inner circle told The Associated Press on Monday the government plans and orders assassinations of political opponents, a charge the government denies. Former Rwandan external intelligence chief Patrick Karegeya, who has been living in exile in South Africa since 2008, said the West should not support "a dictator," a reference to Kagame.

Kagame has been credited with stabilizing Rwanda and for its post-genocide economic growth. Kagame has tried to downplay the role of ethnicity in post-genocide Rwanda, and people in the country rarely refer to themselves as Hutu or Tutsi and can face charges for speaking publicly about ethnicity.

In the U.S., State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Monday that the U.S. was encouraged by what appeared to be a peaceful election.

"We have expressed concerns in the run-up to these elections regarding what appeared to be attempts by the government of Rwanda to limit freedom of expression, but we'll await the results of the elections before commenting further," Crowley said.

No Choice: Canadian Women Tell Their Stories of Illegal Abortion

No Choice: Canadian Women Tell Their Stories of Illegal Abortion

THERE ARE FEW PUBLISHED FIRST-PERSON ACCOUNTS of the experience of having a back room or self-induced abortion and its aftermath. No Choice is a new book about just that.

By giving voice to those who have been too often silenced, and by placing their words and their lives in front of readers today, the editor, The Childbirth by Choice Trust, has rescued women's experiences with illegal abortions from the dark alleys and back rooms. This compelling and extraordinary book will shame those who still want the abortion issue to just go away.

The testimonials of the sixty women portrayed in the book are painful but poignant to read.

"My pain around abortion is not in the decision, but in the degrading, frightening and high-risk process which was required to implement the decision," says one woman.

Readers will find themselves captivated by the striking narrative of the women's suffering, their loneliness and their strength.

Telling stories leading up to 1969, when abortion became legal under certain circumstances (in 1988 it was completely decriminalized), the book starts with an Alberta woman in 1909. No Choice looks at the historical treatise of the times, and the experiences of Dr. W. McCallum, who provided illegal abortions in the fifties.

Haunting and compelling, the stories each give voice to a time when terror, rage, shame, panic, depression, isolation and depersonalization went hand in hand with an unwanted pregnancy. The women portrayed wanted to terminate their pregnancies - their attempts to get an abortion led to their suffering.

From a variety of ages, marital statuses, locations, social and class backgrounds, religious beliefs and political affiliations, the women in the stories show that abortion is an issue woven throughout the social fabric of Canadian society.

Knowing it was common that women butchered themselves makes it all the more powerful. "She used a firecracker or something like that, in order to open up her womb," describes one of the narrators.

Often women induced their own abortions or relied upon an informal network to find an abortionist. Sometimes their stories read like a spy novel: waiting by a phone, being picked up in an isolated location, blindfolded and alone. They were often assaulted.

And the procedures were unsanitary, expensive and primitive.

The graphic descriptions of the torturously painful procedures will outrage readers today. No Choice makes the case that a dignified approach to abortion is the only answer to the complexities of unwanted pregnancies.

"There is still no access to abortion in Prince Edward Island and in many rural areas of the country."

The Childbirth by Choice Trust has added a powerful voice to the chorus of women's health activists making sure that choice replaces no choice.

Irene D'Souza is a freelance writer and book reviewer.

Photo (Cover of No Choice, by the Childbirth by Choice Trust, Toronto, Canada)

Kameda defeats Munoz to win WBA bantamweight title

SAITAMA, Japan (AP) — Koki Kameda of Japan defeated Alexander Munoz of Venezuela by unanimous decision Sunday to claim the vacant WBA bantamweight title.

Kameda, who knocked Munoz to the canvas in the final round of the bout, improved to 24-1 with 15 knockouts. Munoz dropped to 35-4 with 27 KOs.

Daiki Kameda, Koki's younger brother, retained his WBA flyweight belt with a split decision over Silvio Olteanu of Romania. Two judges favored Daiki by scores of 116-112 and 115-113, with the other judge scoring it 118-110 for Olteanu.

Kameda improved to 19-2 with 11 KOs. Oltenanu fell to 11-3.

Bachelot reduces French World Cup players to tears

French sports minister Roselyne Bachelot says she reduced France's disgraced World Cup stars to tears with an emotional speech on the eve of their final group A match against South Africa.

With the France team on the verge of elimination from the World Cup ahead of Tuesday's match, Bachelot called an emergency meeting Monday to tell the players they had let the country down and had one last chance to redeem themselves.

Bachelot said the players "applauded me and they were crying" after her speech.

She said she asked the team: "How would you like people to remember you?" She added "What image do you want to leave behind?"

France has to beat South Africa and hope Mexico does not draw with Uruguay in the other group game to have any chance of advancing.

Malaysia: Ship with illegal cargo was Iran-bound

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian police said Friday that they had found equipment they suspect could be used to make nuclear weapons smuggled on board a ship headed to Iran.

National police chief Ismail Omar told The Associated Press that the cargo was seized from a Malaysian-registered ship traveling from China to Tehran while it was docked at a central Malaysia harbor. Authorities are investigating whether the equipment could be used to make nuclear weapons.

Malaysian International Shipping Corp. confirmed in a statement to the AP that police confiscated two containers from the MV Bunga Raya Satu on March 8. It said a freight forwarder had declared the contents as "goods used for liquid mixing or storage for pharmaceutical or chemical or food industry."

Police said they had received a tip that the items were being shipped illegally and did not have a special permit required under Malaysia's anti-trafficking law.

Malaysia passed that law last year to curb the trafficking of nuclear weapon components after being linked to the illegal supply of sensitive technology to countries including Iran and Libya.

The Malaysian shipping company said the vessel continued its journey without the seized items March 9.

Nigeria's electoral commission says more time needed to prepare for presidential election

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria's electoral commission says more time needed to prepare for presidential election.

Indonesian democracy focused on more stability

Just over a decade ago, mobs torched buildings across Indonesia's capital in an uprising that toppled a 32-year military dictatorship.

Today the world's fourth largest country, with its fragile democracy, is relatively peaceful as it heads toward Wednesday's presidential elections. The economy is bucking a global downturn, and Indonesian soldiers are posted as overseas peacekeepers instead of battling separatists at home.

The newfound stability _ in a nation that previously saw three presidents in four years, a devastating financial meltdown and a string of terrorist bombings by Islamic militants _ is the main reason voters are expected to return President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to office for a second five-year term.

"They have done a great job so far," said Henry Silalahi, a 38-year-old insurance company accountant, referring to Yudhoyono and his party. "But it is not enough."

Indonesians will be looking to Yudhoyono to make greater strides against deep-rooted corruption and widespread poverty _ major challenges facing the predominantly Muslim country of 235 million.

"Indonesia has been very, very successful," said Sunny Tanuwidjaja, a specialist in politics and social change at the independent Center for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta. "But major hurdles for real democracy are still coming, and everything is possible."

The election is a three-way race between Yudhoyono, a 63-year-old former general; Megawati Sukarnoputri, who ruled for three years from 2001-2004 and whose father was Indonesia's first president; and Vice President Jusuf Kalla, the frontman of ex-dictator Suharto's former political machine, Golkar, who has paired up with retired Gen. Wiranto. Wiranto was indicted by the U.N. for rights abuses in East Timor.

Polls indicate that Yudhoyono, who rose through the ranks during Suharto's brutal reign and has ruled for five years with the help of fundamentalist Muslim parties, has a comfortable lead and possibly enough to avoid a run-off on September 8.

Since the fall of Suharto in 1998, Indonesians have grappled with their Islamic identity, searching for a balance between religion _ 90 percent say they are Muslims _ and their secular government.

Unlike the previous election in 2004, when Indonesians were shaken by al-Qaida funded suicide attacks that killed 240 people, most of them foreigners on Bali, the threat of terrorism has barely been an issue.

Yudhoyono, Indonesia's first democratically elected leader, has won praise for a U.S.-backed security crackdown on the Southeast Asian Jemaah Islamiyah network, and it has been more than three years since a major attack.

Campaigns briefly touched on Islamic identity, but media attention focused on whose wife wears a headscarf _ the president's and his running mate's do not, while some of his opponents' do _ but stayed clear of sensitive faith issues.

More attention has been paid to how the candidates will maintain stability.

Facing total collapse just a decade ago, Indonesia is now Southeast Asia's largest and one of its healthiest economies. Reforms and tight monetary policy have produced steady growth now at around 4 percent. A peace deal ended decades of civil war in Aceh province.

But Indonesia has struggled to attract badly needed foreign investment, due to its weak legal system and concerns about corruption. The country where President Barack Obama spent four years as a schoolboy regularly tops the list of the most corrupt nations.

The Corruption Eradication Commission, seen as a key gauge of the president's success, has convicted scores of lawmakers and entrepreneurs, including the father-in-law of Yudhoyono's son _ a governor who received a four-and-a-half year prison term last month.

An immediate task for the next president, who will be inaugurated in October, will be determining the commission's future. The body has operated without its chief, Antasari Azhar, since he was detained on murder charges in May, and its mandate expires in December.

A proposal before the outgoing parliament, where the commission is widely disliked after convicting a dozen members of accepting bribes, will strip it of the independent prosecutorial powers that have made it effective.

With around 100 million Indonesians living on less than $2 a day, capturing the vote of the poor masses has been a top priority.

Yudhoyono's approval rating doubled to 50 percent in February after his government spent $2 billion on cash handouts for low-income families and reduced fuel prices, a move Dr. Marcus Mietzner of the Lowy Institute for Intentional Policy said in an analysis will likely propel him to victory.

Shortly after the measures, Yudhoyono's incumbent Democratic Party tripled its seats in parliament, a boost that should help him press ahead with reforms.

Over the past five years, Yudhoyono's coalition government has relied heavily on the support of conservative Islamic parties and faced accusations of caving into the demands of radicals. More than 150 Shariah, or Muslim-based, bylaws were passed in several districts and a new national anti-pornography bill bans "erotic" images, poems and dancing.

But intolerance of religious minorities by fundamentalists poses a threat to Indonesia's stability, said Sunny, the political analyst, referring to a decree issued by Yudhoyono's Cabinet a year ago against the Ahmadiyah Islamic sect.

The government ordered its 200,000 Indonesian followers to halt "activities that are not in accordance with interpretations of the religion of Islam."

Such political involvement in religion is "very, very dangerous for the future. We have a problem and it has to be admitted," said Sunny.

"Many regional regulations went too far in governing religious issues," Yudhoyono conceded in a final televised debate Thursday night that was watched by 80 million people. "Hopefully there will be no more bylaws that run against the constitution."

While Indonesia clearly has serious work ahead to strengthen its democracy, it can almost certainly count on five more years under Yudhoyono to do it.

Woods builds a big lead at Chevron

THOUSAND OAKS, California (AP) — Tiger Woods knows he's playing better than he has in the last two years, and he has the leaderboard to prove it.

Woods hit a half-dozen extraordinary shots Friday in the Chevron World Challenge on his way to a 5-under 67, giving him a three-shot lead over Matt Kuchar and K.J. Choi going into the weekend at Sherwood Country Club.

It was the second straight tournament that Woods had the 36-hole lead. Three weeks ago at the Australian Open, he was one shot ahead until a 75 in the third round. Woods ended up in third place at The Lakes, his best finish of the year.

With each round, it looks as though his best might not be too far behind.

Woods had two eagles, and nearly had a third with a flop shot from behind the 13th green that he was still talking about long after his round. Not even a double bogey on the par-3 15th hole when a gust knocked his ball into the water could keep him from a comfortable lead after two rounds.

"I want the lead after four days," said Woods, winless in his last 26 official starts dating to the Australian Masters in November 2009. "Two days is nice, but four days is even better. I know I'm playing better, and it's nice to see my position on the leaderboard equating to it.

"Two stroke-play events in a row I've played really well."

Woods was at 8-under 136 and will play in the final group Saturday with Kuchar, who still is trying to figure out how to finish off a good day at Sherwood.

At least this time, Kuchar only came up short and into the water on the 18th for a bogey. In the opening round, he was two shots out of the lead until a triple bogey on the 16th and a bogey on the 17th sent him to a 72. Kuchar played well again as the wind arrived in the middle of the round, and shot 67 to match Woods and Zach Johnson for the best score of the day.

"I always thought as a player, if you had a chance ... and you want to test yourself against the very best, it seemed like, man, if you could go toe-to-toe with Tiger Woods and have a chance to beat him, that's a real feather in your cap," Kuchar said. "And you want his best. You don't want to see him struggling and missing cuts. That's no fun to say, 'I beat Tiger Woods. He missed the cut and I had a 15th-place finish.' You want him at his best going toe-to-toe coming down to the wire.

"And it's fun to see him at that point."

Choi had a three-shot lead over Woods through six holes and was staying with him until hitting in the water twice on the par-3 15th, taking a quadruple-bogey 7. Choi bounced back with a birdie and salvaged a 73.

He's still very much in the mix, though Choi saw what he might be up against on the weekend.

"To put it simply, today he played like an artist," Choi said about Woods. "It's pretty clear that he's really recovered and is back in his old form again, and he missed a few putts, but it was really good to see him play well."

Johnson and Hunter Mahan (68) were four shots behind at 4-under 140 in the 18-player tournament.

Woods' only bad hole was the 15th, where he had no complaints about the shot. He hit an 8-iron just like he wanted, then could only hope that the wind swirling through that corner of the small canyon left the ball alone. It didn't. He went into the water and missed his bogey putt.

Despite a double bogey, Woods wound up expanding his lead on that hole because of Choi's mishap.

"Not exactly how I envisioned ... increasing my lead," Woods said. "But no, I hit a sweet shot in there. Unfortunately, I caught the wrong gust at the right time. There was nothing I could do."

There wasn't much wrong with the rest of his day.

On the par-5 second hole, Woods was on the side of the hill under a tree when he hit a 5-iron with a fade over the water to a front pin. He skipped sideways down the hill and clutched his fist about shoulder-high when the ball plopped down 4 feet from the cup. It's rare for anyone, much less Woods, to show that kind of emotion on the second hole on a Friday. The shot was that good, and there was more to come.

His one bad swing on the par-5 fifth was a snap hook into the trees, and he was lucky to find the ball to punch out. From 257 yards to an elevated green, Woods hit a 3-wood left of the flag, and it caught the slope and rolled to 4 feet. What looked like a possible bogey turned into an unlikely birdie chance, until he missed the putt.

He three-putted the next hole as Choi began to retake the lead, but Woods caught him with a 4-iron to about 15 feet for eagle on No. 11, followed by a 12-foot birdie putt on the next hole and that flop shot that stopped a turn from dropping on No. 13 that left him a tap-in birdie.

Woods had a four-shot lead at the Chevron World Challenge last year, and kept that lead all the way into the final round until Graeme McDowell caught him on Sunday and beat him in a playoff. Woods has said he only had one shot that day, though now he appears to have any shot he wants.

He has shot in the 60s in eight of his last nine rounds, dating to the second round of the Frys.com Open. Even so, Woods is only halfway home to ending the longest drought of his career. Kuchar, meanwhile, is coming off a World Cup win with Gary Woodland and was happy to have a chance. There was a time when Woods was five shots clear, and it looked as though the final official event of the year in America could be a two-man race between Woods and Choi.

"I had it going yesterday, had it going today," Kuchar said. "It's been a good stretch for me the last couple weeks. I felt like I certainly could throw my hat there in the ring and then hope to try to catch them. I'm still a couple shots back, but with 36 holes to play, got some time to catch up."

PRISON TO PRIZE FIGHTER.(Sport)

Byline: NICKY PARKINSON

TERRY DUNSTAN believes winning tonight's Prizefighter Series will make him just like Bernard Hopkins - a former prisoner who is still winning titles in his forties.

The 40-year-old insists he can complete an unlikely comeback by winning the cruiserweight Prizefighter, which will see eight fighters including Belfast's Darren Corbett competing for the pounds 25,000 prize, after prison looked to have finished his career in 2000.

American Hopkins is still going strong and has won world titles at light-heavyweight and middleweight after serving four years in jail for armed robbery before beginning his boxing career.

And former European king Dunstan believes he can still be a force.

Dunstan, who won the European title with a 20-second KO win in 1998, will be trying to pocket the prize money by winning three three-round bouts in one night at Earls Court.

Dunstan was jailed for eightand-a-half years in December 2000 after admitting charges of false imprisonment, blackmail and aggravated burglary.

The Londoner has fought just once in the last ten years.

BUSINESS He said: "I did my time, got out in 2004 and I've got unfinished business with boxing. I sparred with Bernard Hopkins last year before he fought Joe Calzaghe, and I can be the English Bernard Hopkins by winning titles in my forties.

"The winner of this will go on and fight for the British title and I believe I can do that.

"I have been out of prison for four years and have been training hard for the last four years, sparring people like Martin Rogan.

"You live and learn. I'm taking advice off Frank Bruno, an old friend of mine. He has told me this is my last chance, so take it.

"I was in 42 prisons in five years. It was a waste of time but it has changed the way I think and as a person too. My standards didn't drop inside.

"I let down my family but you don't mix oil and water and I don't mix crime and boxing anymore. This is just going to be a three-round tearup. Who ever wins this will go on to fight for the British title."

Five of the eight boxers are former British champions and only two are under 30 in an explosive reunion of knockout punchers.

QUARTER-FINALS: Dean Francis v Neil Simpson; John Keeton v Bruce Scott; Terry Dunstan v Ovill McKenzie; Micky Steeds and Darren Corbett.

CAPTION(S):

BELFAST BLITZER Darren Corbett aims to stop Dunstan

PRISON TO PRIZE FIGHTER.(Sport)

Byline: NICKY PARKINSON

TERRY DUNSTAN believes winning tonight's Prizefighter Series will make him just like Bernard Hopkins - a former prisoner who is still winning titles in his forties.

The 40-year-old insists he can complete an unlikely comeback by winning the cruiserweight Prizefighter, which will see eight fighters including Belfast's Darren Corbett competing for the pounds 25,000 prize, after prison looked to have finished his career in 2000.

American Hopkins is still going strong and has won world titles at light-heavyweight and middleweight after serving four years in jail for armed robbery before beginning his boxing career.

And former European king Dunstan believes he can still be a force.

Dunstan, who won the European title with a 20-second KO win in 1998, will be trying to pocket the prize money by winning three three-round bouts in one night at Earls Court.

Dunstan was jailed for eightand-a-half years in December 2000 after admitting charges of false imprisonment, blackmail and aggravated burglary.

The Londoner has fought just once in the last ten years.

BUSINESS He said: "I did my time, got out in 2004 and I've got unfinished business with boxing. I sparred with Bernard Hopkins last year before he fought Joe Calzaghe, and I can be the English Bernard Hopkins by winning titles in my forties.

"The winner of this will go on and fight for the British title and I believe I can do that.

"I have been out of prison for four years and have been training hard for the last four years, sparring people like Martin Rogan.

"You live and learn. I'm taking advice off Frank Bruno, an old friend of mine. He has told me this is my last chance, so take it.

"I was in 42 prisons in five years. It was a waste of time but it has changed the way I think and as a person too. My standards didn't drop inside.

"I let down my family but you don't mix oil and water and I don't mix crime and boxing anymore. This is just going to be a three-round tearup. Who ever wins this will go on to fight for the British title."

Five of the eight boxers are former British champions and only two are under 30 in an explosive reunion of knockout punchers.

QUARTER-FINALS: Dean Francis v Neil Simpson; John Keeton v Bruce Scott; Terry Dunstan v Ovill McKenzie; Micky Steeds and Darren Corbett.

CAPTION(S):

BELFAST BLITZER Darren Corbett aims to stop Dunstan

PRISON TO PRIZE FIGHTER.(Sport)

Byline: NICKY PARKINSON

TERRY DUNSTAN believes winning tonight's Prizefighter Series will make him just like Bernard Hopkins - a former prisoner who is still winning titles in his forties.

The 40-year-old insists he can complete an unlikely comeback by winning the cruiserweight Prizefighter, which will see eight fighters including Belfast's Darren Corbett competing for the pounds 25,000 prize, after prison looked to have finished his career in 2000.

American Hopkins is still going strong and has won world titles at light-heavyweight and middleweight after serving four years in jail for armed robbery before beginning his boxing career.

And former European king Dunstan believes he can still be a force.

Dunstan, who won the European title with a 20-second KO win in 1998, will be trying to pocket the prize money by winning three three-round bouts in one night at Earls Court.

Dunstan was jailed for eightand-a-half years in December 2000 after admitting charges of false imprisonment, blackmail and aggravated burglary.

The Londoner has fought just once in the last ten years.

BUSINESS He said: "I did my time, got out in 2004 and I've got unfinished business with boxing. I sparred with Bernard Hopkins last year before he fought Joe Calzaghe, and I can be the English Bernard Hopkins by winning titles in my forties.

"The winner of this will go on and fight for the British title and I believe I can do that.

"I have been out of prison for four years and have been training hard for the last four years, sparring people like Martin Rogan.

"You live and learn. I'm taking advice off Frank Bruno, an old friend of mine. He has told me this is my last chance, so take it.

"I was in 42 prisons in five years. It was a waste of time but it has changed the way I think and as a person too. My standards didn't drop inside.

"I let down my family but you don't mix oil and water and I don't mix crime and boxing anymore. This is just going to be a three-round tearup. Who ever wins this will go on to fight for the British title."

Five of the eight boxers are former British champions and only two are under 30 in an explosive reunion of knockout punchers.

QUARTER-FINALS: Dean Francis v Neil Simpson; John Keeton v Bruce Scott; Terry Dunstan v Ovill McKenzie; Micky Steeds and Darren Corbett.

CAPTION(S):

BELFAST BLITZER Darren Corbett aims to stop Dunstan

Down and nearly out Struggling Ritchie is convinced his days with the Sox are numbered

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.--Todd Ritchie said he feels like an unwantedman in Chicago and blames nobody but himself.

A somber and downtrodden Ritchie continues to answer questionsregarding his struggles, still refusing to make excuses for his 5-14record and 6.12 ERA.

It's just my opinion, but I don't see them trying to keep mearound," said Ritchie, who is eligible for arbitration after thisseason. That's just the nature of the game, and that's just the wayit goes sometimes. Would I like to stay around? Yes, I'd like to stayaround and try to help the team and try to do some damage controlfrom what I've done so far.

But it's a business, and sometimes things happen. …

US senators Dick Lugar and Tom Harkin have introduced bipartisan legislation to give ethanol pipeline owners the same tax benefits as petroleum pipeline owners.(Bioproducts in brief)

US senators Dick Lugar and Tom Harkin have introduced bipartisan legislation to give ethanol pipeline owners the same tax benefits as …

HUGHES WHIFFS 12 TO LIFT BETHLEHEM.(SPORTS)

Pat Hughes tossed a three-hitter and struck out 12 to pitch Bethlehem High to a 2-1 victory over Guilderland in a Suburban Council baseball game Tuesday in Delmar.

Guilderland (0-4, 2-4) 100 000 0--1 3 2 Bethlehem (4-0,4-2) 000 200 x--2 3 1

Monaco and Spenziero; Hughes and Davies. Colonie (1-3, 3-4) 101 030 0--5 8 2 Niskayuna (1-3, 4-3) 000 017 x--8 10 2

Lis, Connor (6), Scarff (6) and Stickles; Kelly, Fiedler (7) and Lackey. Highlights: Jamie Burnetter (C) double; Dave Aumand (C) 3-run double; Matt Grasso (N) 2 doubles, 3 RBI; Matt Batiste (N) 2 singles, 2 RBI; Kevin Smith (N) double. Columbia (3-2, 5-3) 010 100 0--2 8 2 Mohonasen (2-2, 4-2) 403 000 x--7 6 3

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National League Standings

…

All Times EDT
East Division
W L Pct GB
Atlanta 29 22 .569 _
Philadelphia 28 22 .560 1/2
Florida 26 26 .500 3 1/2
New York 26 26 .500 3 1/2
Washington 26 26 .500 3 1/2
Central Division
W L Pct GB
Cincinnati 30 22 .577 _

Composting projects at Australian University

The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) offers an innovative four-year degree course in environmental engineering that has particular research interests in urban waste systems that stress composting. Edmund Horan of RMIT -Australia's largest university with 40,000 students - is coordinating an international composting conference September 15-17 in Melbourne. Topics to be covered include a description of European compost processing technologies, bioconversion methods in Germany, use of composted green …

Auto News briefly.

Get your kicks on Autobahn 66

Chrysler group executives are emphasizing the bicultural aspects of the Chrysler Crossfire, which they say combines American design with German engineering. It is scheduled to go on sale in 2003 with about 40 percent Mercedes-Benz components. At the Geneva motor show, Chrysler group CEO Dieter Zetsche said the Crossfire is what happens when Route 66 meets the autobahn. Chrysler even had a sign that looks as if it were made for an ad.

LAYING RUBBER - Despite the dispute between Ford Motor Co. and Bridgestone/Firestone over Ford Explorer tires, the tires are being used in Ford Field, the new stadium for the Detroit Lions. The …

Modeling office building occupancy in hourly data-driven and detailed energy simulation programs.

INTRODUCTION

Most simple linear regression (SLR) models assume the energy use as a function of outdoor temperature only, and can be used effectively at monthly or daily time scales, and thus do not require the use of a separate variable for occupancy. However, when a data-driven model is used at an hourly time scale, including separate variables for the driving factors becomes more effective, and thus the multiple linear regression (MLR) models become better candidates (Katipamula et al. 1994, 1995a, 1995b, and 1998, Reddy and Claridge 1994), and Reddy et al. 1998). Abushakra (2001) showed the advantage of including four driving variables in the hourly modeling of the energy use: (1) outdoor temperature, (2) outdoor specific humidity potential, (3) lighting and receptacles, and (4) occupancy. Very little published work has dealt with the occupancy factor as a variable in building energy use. In the forward modeling approach, as implemented in BLAST (U.S.Army 1979), DOE-2 (DOE 1981), and most recently EnergyPlus (DOE 2005), the total number of people occupying the building is estimated, and then multiplied by a diversity factor profile. In data-driven modeling, the occupancy factor is often ignored, or implicitly considered by grouping the daily data in different daytypes such as "weekday/weekend" groups which are modeled separately (IPMVP 2001). In university buildings it is common to identify "weekday", "weekend", "semester break", and "holiday" day-types (Thamilseran and Haberl 1995, and Dhar et al. 1994 and 1998). In order to develop one model that accounts for all periods, i.e., occupied and unoccupied, on an hourly time scale, a dummy variable (regressor) can be used. The dummy variable is often used in a simplified way; for instance, having a value of 1 between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM, and 0 between 5:00 PM and 8:00 AM, for an office building. One of the DOE2.1 E manuals shows two occupancy schedules: one for weekends / holidays (0 for all 24 hours) and one for weekdays (0 from 10:00 PM to 8:00 AM, 1 from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with the exception of a "dip" of 0.8 for the lunch break, and a slope from 1 down to 0 between 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM (0.5, 0.1, and 0.1 respectively, accounting for people working overtime) (Winkelmann et al. 1993).

In this paper, the effect of using different alternatives to account for the occupancy variable in data-driven modeling of building energy use is investigated, and the resulting uncertainty in the predictions is presented. Five different options to account for occupancy in data-driven models of building energy use are considered. All five are basically methods for generating fractions between 0 and 1 to represent the fractional level of occupancy during the day. These are multipliers (i.e., diversity factors, or hourly density) when multiplied by the estimated maximum occupancy would give the occupancy level at a specific hour of the day.

PREVIOUS WORK ON OCCUPANCY

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Residential Buildings Program and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) developed the Building America Research Benchmark in consultation with the Building America industry teams (NREL 2004). A series of user profiles intended to represent the behavior of a "standard" set of occupants, was created for use in conjunction with the benchmark. Average house and detailed (living room vs. bedroom) occupancy profiles (fractions between 0 and 1) were developed for weekdays and weekends, based on the basic ASHRAE occupancy schedule combined with engineering judgment.

Keith and Krarti (1999) developed a methodology for simplified prediction of the peak occupancy rate from readily available information, specifically the average occupancy rate and number of rooms within an office building. They developed a multiple linear regression model of peak occupancy rate as a function of average occupancy rate, number of rooms, and other variables that are combinations of these two variables. This model is based on occupancy data from 195 occupancy sensors in three buildings in Boulder, CO.

…

Hannahble's demise inspires wealth of giving; Death of pet Vietnamese potbellied pig in freak auto wreck sparks creation of fund to help other pigs.(Capital Region)

Byline: KENNETH C. CROWE II - Staff Writer

BALLSTON SPA - Hannahble the pig's demise in a freak car accident Saturday morning will lead to a better life for some pigs, who will be assisted by a fund established in his memory, his owner said Monday.

A barrage of sympathetic telephone calls led Leslie Grossmann Brown to set up the Hannahble Fund to recall her pet of 12 years, a Vietnamese potbellied pig, who died when a car crashed into the room in which he was sleeping. Hanners was the pig's nickname.

Grossmann Brown said any money donated to the fund would go to place unwanted or abused pigs in animal sanctuaries.

"I'm just so grateful. …

EUGENE T. GULLY, 57.(CAPITAL REGION)

NISKAYUNA Eugene T. Gully, 57, of Troy Road died Saturday in EllisHospital in Schenectady after a short illness.

Mr. Gully was born in Brooklyn. He had lived in the Schenectady area for the past 15 years and previously lived in Rensselaer County. He was educated in the East Greenbush school system.

He was a sales representative for various real estate agencies for many years in the Capital Region.

He was an Army veteran.

Survivors include a son, Steve E. Gully …

An additive boosts FCC flexibility without catalyst changeover. (Chementator).

Engelhard Corp. (Iselin, N.J.; engelhard.com) has created a new additive that helps petroleum refiners to achieve greater operational flexibility from their fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) systems. The additive is said to help FCC systems increase unit conversion and profitability, maintain unit activity with heavier crude feedstocks, improve bottoms recovery, produce a wider range of petroleum products based on market and seasonal demand, and selectively adjust the performance characteristics of a given product, all without changing the catalyst. Converter is based on the company's Distributed Matrix Structure (DMS) technology platform. The DMS technology provides porosity for …

Stocks reverse losses after a 4 day losing streak

NEW YORK (AP) — Traders are eagerly awaiting indications from Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke that interest rate hikes aren't likely anytime soon.

The hope that Bernanke will make that clear in remarks scheduled for Tuesday afternoon is keeping stocks afloat. Stocks recovered some of their losses Tuesday after sliding for four straight days.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 53 points, or 0.4 percent, to 12,142 in early afternoon trading. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 5, or 0.4 percent, to 1,291. The Nasdaq composite rose 6, or 0.2 percent, to 2,708.

The Fed has said it will wind down its $600 billion bond-buying program later this month. But a …

INBOX Sun-Times baseball writer Chris De Luca last week looked at 10 ways to make baseball better. Here are some responses from readers:

I agree that baseball needs to get a real commissioner. However, Istrongly disagree that expanding the playoffs and creating threedivisions has helped baseball. It clearly goes against your nextpoint to set a salary cap. By expanding the playoffs, Bud Seligallowed more teams into the postseason money and thus created moremoney for the teams. They take this money and escalate contracts.

There should be two divisions and the winners should play. Thisisn't football, where there are only 16 games. If they expand itagain, as some have proposed, they might as well call it hockey. Noone even pays attention to the regular season in hockey becauseeverybody makes it.

Chris …

Belgium Muslim finds Christian Party compatible.

Summary: A young Muslim veiled woman has joined the Christian Democratic Party in Brussels to become the first and only veiled Muslim in a Christian political party with the likelihood of entering parliament,

A young Muslim veiled woman has joined the Christian Democratic Party in Brussels to become the first and only veiled Muslim in a Christian political party with the likelihood of entering parliament, Al Arabiya TV reported Saturday.

Mahinur Ozdemir, of Turkish background, said she found some of her ideals in the Christian Democratic Party's platform.

"I believe in the values of humanity and respect of religious beliefs of people, and I find the …

CINK DRAINS BIG PUTTS.(SPORTS)

Byline: STEVE CAMPBELL Staff writer

TULSA, Okla. -- The co-leader and unofficial symbol of the 101st U.S. Open is Stewart Cink. That's Cink, as in sink, which is what is happening to just about everybody who even thinks of climbing to the top of the leaderboard.

Cink is one of only six players who has broken par after three rounds at the Southern Hills Country Club. He shot an unlikely 3-under-par round of 67 on Saturday, leaving him tied with Retief Goosen for the lead. Goosen, the second-round co-leader, pieced together a resourceful 69 that left him with a 5-under score of 205 entering the final round.

Three others are one shot behind at 206 -- …

Bresnan gets amped in Montana.(Up front: latest news and insight)(Brief Article)

Bresnan Communications said it will upgrade its Great Farts, Mont. system via amplifier upgrade gear supplied by CableServ Inc.

The technology will enable Bresnan to increase its network bandwidth from 550 MHz to 750 MHz. Bresnan, like other MSOs, has been taking the amp upgrade route to boost capacity instead of taking on much more …

Eurozone inflation, unemployment rates rise

LONDON (AP) — Inflation and unemployment across the 16-country eurozone are on the rise, official figures showed Friday, confirming that the region's economic recovery remains fragile and unbalanced.

The unemployment rate edged up to 10.1 percent in September from 10 percent in August, according to Eurostat, the EU' statistics agency.

Labor market improvements in Germany were offset by higher joblesnness in Ireland, Italy and Spain. Unemployment was particularly dire for the young, with a fifth of people aged under 15 out of a job.

The data "highlights the fact that the eurozone economy is by no means out of the woods," said Howard Archer, economist at IHS Global …