1. Justine Henin, Belgium, 6,105 points.
2. Ana Ivanovic, Serbia, 4,157.
3. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia, 3,905.
4. Maria Sharapova, Russia, 3,876.
5. Jelena Jankovic, Serbia, 3,770.
6. Anna Chakvetadze, Russia, 2,665.
7. Venus Williams, United States, 2,586.
8. Elena Dementieva, Russia, 2,305.
9. Serena Williams, United States, 2,296.
10. Daniela Hantuchova, Slovakia, …
Which sounds better, the first-place White Sox or the division-leading White Sox? I confess, my keyboard had a little trouble withboth phrases. Or perhaps the problem is with my fingertips. Or mypride.
I never thought I'd be writing about the first-place White Sox.Not this season. I gave up on this team in June. I was wrong. (Yes,these three words were even more difficult to write than "first-place White Sox.")
Oh, me of little faith. Mea culpa.
I remember the day I gave up on the Sox. It was June 2, when theyplayed the Cleveland Indians at Jacobs Field. Not only did the Soxlose 5-2, the Sox played as if they expected to lose. They lookedemotionally …
Century-old cottonwoods shade the Mennonite Collegiate Institute, which was founded in 1889. On August 30, MCI student leaders planted seven cottonwood saplings as a symbol of the school's commitment to fostering growth in Christ. Tim Wiebe wrote a poem for the occasion, based on I Corinthians 3.
The namesakes of Paul and Apollos, Priscilla and Aquila, latter day youth-full …
Finland's prime minister called for stricter gun laws Wednesday as investigators revealed that a 22-year-old's shooting spree at a trade school hit women especially hard, killing eight female students and leaving another with a gunshot wound to the head.
The slaughter Tuesday, which killed 10 people and the gunman, was Finland's second deadly school shooting in less than a year.
Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said it was time to consider restricting access to guns in a country that has more than 1.6 million firearms in private hands.
"We need to study if people should get access to handguns so freely," Vanhanen told reporters in Kauhajoki, …
Finland rebounded from an early deficit to a 5-1 victory over Russia in Olympic women's hockey.
Marjo Voutilainen scored the go-ahead goal for the Finns in the second period of Sunday's game. Nina Tikkinen had two third-period goals, and Saija Sirvio and Venla Hovi also scored.
The Finns are a medal contender, ranked third in the Olympic …
WASHINGTON A $265 million plan to expand the Capitol with amassive underground visitor center is taking definitive shape aftermore than a decade of on-again, off-again consideration by thenation's lawmakers.
The Capitol Visitor Center is designed to contain auditoriums, amuseum-size exhibition hall and space for future congressional use aswell as the usual visitor facilities. It will be the biggest and mostsignificant addition to the Capitol in nearly a century and a half.
But the 588,000-square-foot center will be largely invisible fromabove ground, for it is to be constructed underneath the paved plazadirectly to the east of the historic building.
The …
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — As the Christian Broadcasting Network turns 50, evangelist Pat Robertson says he's getting out of the political endorsement game.
Robertson's decision marks a significant departure for the founder of the Christian Coalition, who was once a central figure in Republican politics. The 81-year-old was frequently sought out by GOP candidates hoping to curry favor with religious …
Cancer survivors, better work up a sweat.
New guidelines are urging survivors to exercise more, even _ hard as it may sound _ those who haven't yet finished their treatment.
There's growing evidence that physical activity improves quality of life and eases some cancer-related fatigue. More, it can help fend off a serious decline in physical function that can last long after therapy is finished.
Consider: In one year, women who needed chemotherapy for their breast cancer can see a swapping of muscle for fat that's equivalent to 10 years of normal aging, says Dr. Wendy Demark-Wahnefried of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
In other …
Careful analysis of data reveals no shrinkage of tropical cloud anvil area with increasing SST
Lindzen et al. (2001, hereafter LCH) present observational analysis suggesting that the area coverage of anvil clouds associated with tropical convection is less extensive when sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are higher. This conclusion is based on a negative correlation between the fractional area coverage by high clouds and the average SST under the clouds. LCH observe this correlation in about 20 months of Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS) radiance data for the oceanic regions in the domain between 30 deg S-30 deg N and 130 deg E-170 deg W. LCH then used this correlation to …
Steve Nash scored 15 of his season-high 37 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Phoenix Suns past the Milwaukee Bucks 114-105 on Tuesday night.
The Suns (30-12), who have the NBA's second-best record behind Boston (33-6), became the first Western Conference team to notch 30 victories. Phoenix has won four straight since its 97-90 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers last Tuesday.
Amare Stoudemire added 19 points, including 10 in the final period, and grabbed 12 rebounds, while Raja Bell scored eight of his 19 points in the final quarter.
Grant Hill was also back in the Suns' starting lineup, less than two weeks after undergoing an appendectomy. He …
Culter were handed a dream start in the Grill League Cup finalwhen they went in front inside the opening two minutes.
Scott Johnston made a hash of his clearance and the ball fell toJohn BROWN, who rounded Sweeney before knocking the ball into theempty net.
The Sunnybank defence were looking nervous and they almost fellfurther behind when Sweeney's clearance was blocked by Shand, but the keeper was able to gather before any Culter attackers couldpounce.
Moments later Bank were back on level terms. Fraser was giventime and space in the middle to pick out the run of Neil REID andthe striker slotted the ball past Pirie, despite Rattray's efforts to …
NEW YORK (AP) — Adam Moore once drove 500 miles just to eat a burrito at a Chipotle he'd never been to.
Alan Klein is working on a smartphone app to help fellow enthusiasts track down the transient McRib sandwich.
And Ben Skelton made an unusual choice for best man in his upcoming wedding: the Chick-fil-A cow.
"I've already told my best man that he's going to be my second-string best man," said Skelton, a 28-year-old chaplain's assistant in the Air National Guard. "I just haven't told him that he got beat out by a cow."
Call it fanaticism or simply dedication, but these are the type of ultra-enthusiastic fans that every restaurant craves. Restaurant groupies have always been around, but they're more valuable at a time when the economy is forcing consumers to choose carefully when they eat out, and a few online posts can inform the opinions of thousands. While there are no known statistics on these fanatics or even agreement on who qualifies as one, restaurant chains realize that influencing a few hyper-excited fans with free food and T-shirts can sometimes be more effective — and much cheaper — than a big advertising campaign.
"You really can't buy publicity like that," said Chris Arnold, spokesman for Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc., referring affectionately to "lunatic customers" who do things like dress up as burritos to score free meals at the Colorado-based chain. He adds that the company tries to cultivate "loyalty and, in extreme cases, even evangelism."
Fast food has indeed become the gospel for many. About 23 percent of Americans eat fast food at least 20 times a month, according to Jeff Davis at Sandelman & Associates, and another 20 percent indulge 12 to 19 times a month. But few restaurants inspire cult-like dedication. Those that do usually offer only one or two main products, or they're able to create an aura of scarcity.
That's why the ubiquitous McDonald's usually sells its pork sandwich, the McRib, in only a few markets at a time. Last year, when McDonald's briefly made the McRib available at all U.S. locations, it said that the "obscure availability," as well as the barbecue sauce, led customers "to perform extraordinary feats" for a taste of the sandwich. McDonald's Corp. said the McRib helped fuel November sales, but declined to give details.
Perhaps no one knows that better than Alan Klein, a 29-year-old meteorologist in the Minneapolis area. He'd never go out of his way for a Big Mac, which are hawked at every McDonald's. But he loves the McRib because it's hard to get. He even created a website, the McRib Locator, so fellow fans could report sightings.
"That's the whole lure of it," said Klein, whose enthusiasm for the pork sandwich started when he was a child, growing up in a hog-raising family. "If it's around, you never know when it's coming back."
His website is a labor of love that's hard to police. For accuracy's sake, check marks indicate that someone has sent a receipt proving their McRib purchase. But, Klein warns on the website, "Please call ahead to confirm the McRib is available before traveling any great length to purchase one."
According to the McRib Locator, the sandwich is currently being sold in parts of Canada, but Klein doesn't have a passport. "If someone's making a trip across the border, we'd definitely be interested in them bringing us one," said Klein, whose wife, Kimberly, is also a fan.
Some restaurant groupies are willing to go great lengths for the object of their affection. Take Moore, the Chipotle fan. He got the idea to visit all 71 restaurants in Colorado while eating lunch with his sister at, naturally, Chipotle.
It took almost three years. By the end, Moore had logged 3,839 miles on his 1987 BMW and spent $528 on burrito bowls.
"There would be periods of lethargy," he said, "and then periods of 'OK, let's get this done.'"
Moore, 25, divides his time between Denver and Lake Placid, N.Y., where he is training to try out for the 2014 Olympic skeleton team. He had hoped Chipotle would let him eat lunch with founder Steve Ells when he completed his quest, but the restaurant sent the head of customer relations instead.
"Steve's schedule is very, very busy and as much as he loves to meet great customers, he has many demands on his time," said Arnold, the Chipotle spokesman.
Chick-fil-A, an Atlanta-based chain with a big presence in the South, has a whole rulebook for how to reward super fans.
Whenever it opens a new restaurant, the first 100 customers get 52 coupons for free meals. Fans usually have to be in line 24 hours in advance to make the cut __ and sometimes even that's not enough.
The restaurant turns the overnight wait into a party in the parking lot, with hula hoop contests, karaoke, and lots of free chicken. It does line checks to make sure people don't leave, and distributes wristbands to make sure they don't split shifts. Sometimes Dan Cathy, the president and chief operating officer, shows up in Chick-fil-A pajama pants.
"There's no better way to get to know your customers," said spokesman Mark Baldwin.
John Ruck, an 82-year-old retiree in St. Petersburg, Fla., has road-tripped to 48 Chick-fil-A openings __ not for the coupons but for the camaraderie. He went to his first in January 2006, while grieving his wife's recent death, and found them therapeutic.
He said he doesn't mind sleeping in parking lots because he brings a comfy chair. The only time he suffers is during the karaoke. "I've never been subjected to such torture for 52 meals," he said with a laugh.
Still, Ruck plans to keep coming "as long as the good Lord lets me," and compares the parking lot gatherings to a family reunion where he sees friends he's met at other openings. Last year, he drove more than 1,000 miles round trip to an opening in Louisiana, then turned around and did it again the following week.
Ruck is so enamored that he decided to make Chick-fil-A part of his wife's memory. A couple years ago, he had their wedding bands melted into one ring. When the jeweler asked him if he wanted an insignia, he had it stamped with the Chick-fil-A logo. Though his wife, Joanne, never slept in a Chick-fil-A parking lot, the chicken chain "was the only place she'd let the grandkids eat when she took them to the mall."
Skelton, who will stand beside the Chick-fil-A cow at his wedding, certainly understands the desire to marry his favorite restaurant fare with the love of his life. The managers at a Chick-fil-A in Concord, N.C., who will provide his bovine best man, are also enthusiastic, Skelton said. Conveniently, Chick-fil-A already has a cow tuxedo, which it designed last year for some marketing programs during the Oscars.
Skelton's fiancée, Heather Harmon, said she's on board too. "I'm more than OK with it, I'm super excited," said Harmon, a 26-year-old preschool teacher. "We'd been working really hard to put a lot of personal touches in this wedding. We didn't want it to be stuffy."
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration approved an oral contraceptive Friday from Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. that includes a folate supplement.
The FDA approved Beyaz to prevent pregnancy and to treat moderate acne in females who are 14 or older and symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder for those who want to use an oral contraceptive. It was also approved as a contraceptive that will increase folate levels — aimed at lowering the risk of a neural tube defect in a pregnancy that occurs while using or not long after stopping the drug.
The FDA said its approval was based on that which it had given for another Bayer oral contraceptive, Yaz.
Paulo Mendes da Rocha of Brazil is the 2006 winner of the $100,000Pritzker Architecture Prize, the world's most prestigious prize forarchitects.
The award, which will be formally presented May 30 in Istanbul,Turkey, is administered by the Chicago-based Hyatt Foundation onbehalf of the Windy City's billionaire Pritzker family.
Mendes da Rocha, 78, is the second Brazilian to receive the prize,following Oscar Niemeyer, the 1988 co-laureate. Mendes da Rocha isknown for his avant-garde designs for the Brazilian Sculpture Garden,the Forma Furniture Showroom and the renovation of the Pinacoteca doEstado museum, all in Sao Paulo. He also designed the Brazilianpavilion for Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan. Currently he's developing amaster plan for the Technological City, a project of the Universityof Vigo in northwestern Spain.
His designs, ethics-minded and informed by modernism, are knownfor their signature use of simple, often raw materials and "a deepunderstanding of the poetics of space," according to the prizecitation.
EU foreign ministers on Monday pushed Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe to ensure free and fair parliamentary and presidential elections later this month.
However, EU ministers said they were increasingly worried the African nation's dire political and economic state will endanger a vote that would meet international standards.
"We want to see elections that are properly free and fair," British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said. "That's very difficult when you have got 3 to 4 million refugees outside the country."
Mugabe's government has not invited a European election monitoring mission to observe the March 29 vote amid still icy relations between the president and the 27-nation bloc, which has a long-standing travel ban and assets freeze in place against Mugabe and his top officials.
Miliband said economic and social conditions were continuing to deteriorate, but insisted Mugabe allow Zimbabwe citizens to vote freely.
"The voice of the people of Zimbabwe needs to be heard in free elections, in which they cast their votes done without ... fear," Miliband said.
The EU ministers in a statement said they would closely monitor the situation in Zimbabwe and "support efforts toward ensuring democracy, stability, economic recovery and respect for human rights."
Zimbabwe's economy continues to shrink amid rocketing inflation, shortages of basic food supplies and collapsing public services.
Problems began eight years ago when Mugabe ordered the seizure of white-owned farms, which caused a massive collapse in food production. Mugabe's political opponents, meanwhile, are regularly jailed, beaten and harassed.
Foreign aid and investment have dried up in seven years of political and economic turmoil.
Mugabe blames the crisis on economic sanctions imposed by Britain, Zimbabwe's former colonial power, and its EU counterparts to protest his land reforms.
The EU has a slew of sanctions in place against Zimbabwe, including a travel ban against Mugabe to protest his poor human rights record.
The sanctions include a ban on 125 Zimbabwe government officials, ministers and those from Mugabe's Zimbabwe African Union-Patriotic Front party from traveling to the bloc.
The sanctions first were imposed in 2002 to protest human rights violations in Zimbabwe and Mugabe's dictatorial rule. The punitive measures also include a ban on arms sales and freeze on Zimbabwean assets in European banks.
BOSTON Researchers have found that ordinary vitamin E pillsmodestly slow Alzheimer's - the first time any treatment has beenshown to change the course of the disease.
Patients with moderately severe Alzheimer's who took high dosesof the vitamin in a two-year study delayed such major events as goinginto a nursing home by about seven months.
The study - the largest ever involving Alzheimer's - also foundthat selegiline, or Eldepryl, a standard prescription drug forParkinson's, does the same thing and seems to work about as well asvitamin E.Both appear to help by protecting brain cells from the damagingeffects of oxygen. Experts say this offers an important clue forfinding other drugs that will be even more effective.Dr. John Growdon of Massachusetts General Hospital, one of theresearchers, said, "This is not an overwhelming effect, but it is thefirst time we have seen long-term benefit. I find that veryencouraging."
WASHINGTON - Efforts to reach an immigration compromise faltered Thursday as Democrats and Republicans staked out divergent positions and prepared to blame each other for scuttling the best chance for a broad overhaul this year.
Talks continued on a possible deal that would tie residency for millions of illegal immigrants to tougher border security and a crackdown on employing undocumented workers. At the same time, however, Republicans and Democrats set the stage for a partisan battle next week that could squash any agreement.
Democrats plan to force a debate starting Tuesday on last year's Senate-passed immigration measure. Most Democrats supported that plan, which a majority of Republican senators opposed.
The move is designed to pressure Republicans to cut a deal or risk being blamed for undermining one.
President Bush is "going to have to tell his Republicans, 'I want a bill,'" said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "If we lose this opportunity to do immigration reform, (Bush) can't go around the country saying, 'I believe in comprehensive immigration reform.'"
GOP senators are promising to block the move, saying the series of secretive talks attended by the White House and a few Democrats needed more time to yield a compromise.
"It would be a shame if that arbitrary deadline resulted in the process coming to a halt," said Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., the No. 3 GOP leader.
The developing impasse could prevent the Senate from even opening debate next week on reshaping immigration laws.
The issue is fraught with political risks and rewards for both parties and is a priority for Bush. Absent a bipartisan deal, Democrats would almost certainly be unable to get the 60 votes they would need to overcome GOP opposition and bring up the bill, which was to be considered over the next two weeks.
Bush will continue to speak in favor of comprehensive changes in immigration policy and urge Congress to enact legislation he can sign into law this year, White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said in a statement.
"Top members of his staff and Cabinet meet almost daily with senators from both parties to work out the details of a comprehensive immigration reform package that will attract broad bipartisan support," Stanzel said.
For some lawmakers, their appetite for a bargain is waning.
The GOP position has "moved far to the right" since last year, said Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., who has attended the talks.
"We have serious concerns about the workability and fairness of certain elements of the White House plan," Menendez added. He said the GOP proposal was "a huge step backward" from the 2006 measure, which 23 Republicans supported.
Talks have bogged down in a tangle of details. That has led officials in both parties to play down the chances for a breakthrough.
Publicly, Republicans remained sunny about the prospects of a compromise, reluctant to be seen as obstacles to achieving an item that polls show has broad support.
"I think it's pretty clear that the vast majority of Republicans want an immigration bill," said Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., said Democrats are concerned the emerging bipartisan measure is going too far to placate GOP conservatives at the risk of alienating Democrats.
"Our frustration is, we look around the table of the negotiators, and they are trying to please Republican senators who were totally opposed to comprehensive immigration reform," said Durbin, the second-ranking Senate Democrat. "As a consequence, they are leaving behind a lot of mainstream Democrats and Republicans."
Republicans, many of whom considered last year's measure unduly lenient toward illegal immigrants, said they were bent on supporting the new approach under discussion in the bipartisan talks.
Modeled after a White House draft circulated in late March, it would impose large fines, long waits and trips home on illegal immigrants seeking to gain legal status. It would shift the immigration system toward one based more heavily on skills and employment criteria, eliminating or curtailing opportunities for immigrants to bring their families to the U.S.
"Republicans need to stand firm for this framework," said Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. "The danger for Republicans would be that somehow they felt weak and defensive, and accepted so many compromises on this framework that it really is not true to the ideals it proposes."
The negotiations have been extraordinarily sensitive for both sides. Democrats are wary of committing to anything stricter than last year's bill. Republicans are concerned about embracing anything that gives illegal immigrants a chance at citizenship - decried by conservatives as "amnesty."
NEW YORK - Judging by the ratings, daytime's biggest stars may want to think twice about venturing into prime time.
The Daytime Emmy awards show, on ABC last Friday, was seen by 6.1 million people, according to Nielsen Media Research. That ranked it No. 70 among primetime shows last week, behind such entries as reruns of Wife Swap and The King of Queens.
That's down from 7.6 million viewers last year, and less than half what the audience was in 2000. The awards show's peak audience of just under 22 million people came in 1993, when people were still wondering whether Susan Lucci would ever win.
It's a distressing sign for organizers, who tried to pump up the entertainment value this year by moving the show to Los Angeles for the first time and opening with a performance by Rick Springfield. ABC also lengthened the show to three hours and moved it up from its usual mid-May broadcast.
CBS and Fox again dominated as the May ratings sweep began; the two networks had 22 of the 30 most-watched prime-time programs last week. Fox's House is particularly on a roll, scoring its biggest audience ever with 24.5 million viewers.
CBS averaged 13.1 million viewers (8.6 rating, 14 share), while Fox had 10.3 million (6.3, 10), and won among the 18-to-49-year-old viewers sought by advertisers for the 10th straight week. NBC had 8.9 million (5.9, 10), ABC 8.2 million (5.4, 9), the WB 3 million (2.0, 3), UPN 2.9 million (1.9, 3) and Pax TV 450,000 (0.3, 1).
NBC's Nightly News dominated the evening news ratings race, averaging 8.6 million viewers (6.1, 13). ABC's World News Tonight had 7.5 million viewers (5.3, 11) and the CBS Evening News had 7 million (5.0, 10). AP
That Chicago's baseball teams have had the worst collective startin memory hasn't dampened the historical rivalry of Cubs and Soxfans. The only difference is that this year, they're fighting overwho has the right to feel more miserable.
Cubs fans probably figure that they've got a lay-down, havingset a National League record for the longest season-opening losingstreak. But White Sox fans can argue that the Cubs, being the Cubs,are expected to lose, year after stinking year. This was to be theSox' year. The only thing that's worse than being hopeless from thestart, and living down to expectations, is being shown the mountaintop and getting kicked into the abyss.
Only in Chicago can such questions be debated. Players,managers, announcers and commentators who haven't spent their livesin this valley of darkness can't be expected to understand why.It was a sensitivity lacking in, for example, the explanationoffered by someone for why the Cubs started the season so poorly:They went against two tough teams, including the Florida Marlins.The Marlins?! A team that has been around only - what? - four years.Compared with the Cubs, who have been around for 120? Here it is, 89years since the Cubs last won the World Series, and we're supposed tobelieve that 1997 still is a rebuilding year? How the hell long doesit take to figure it out?No other American city having a history of two or more baseballteams has come even close to our record of futility. The New Yorksand Los Angeleses have soared to the heights of personal and teamgreatness. But Chicago meekly prostrates itself at the Hall of Famegates, like some Charles Dickens orphan huddled against the storm,supplicating year after year, please, please, grant us this one boon- take in Nellie Fox.My father's despair begat my despair, which begat my son'sdespair. Despair here is biblical.My Sox haven't won a World Series in almost 80 years. (Thatcould have been 78 years, but they threw that one.) Their gettinginto one almost 38 years ago set off great rejoicing because the lastone they played in was 40 years before that. At this pace, we're duefor more appearances in 1999 and 2039.Consider the Cubs. The last time they won a World Championshipwas 1908. If the fans back then had to be as patient as today's, theprevious World Series win by the Cubs would have been in 1820, beforethere was a Chicago to play in.I have no truck for out-of-towners - in baseball or the media -who tell us how bad our teams are. They haven't lived it or earnedit. The year of my birth - 1942 - must have been an omen, when theCubs and the Sox combined for a total of 134 wins and 168 losses, areally special .444 record. It was merely a prelude for disasters tofollow. From 1947 through 1951, the teams combined to lose aboutthree out of every five games they played and regularly occupied thecellar. The worst was 1948, when both teams glided to last-placefinishes, with the Cubs finishing with a 64-90 record, 27 1/2 gamesout of first, and the Sox, at 63-91, 44 1/2 games out.I was 6 and my big brother Bill was 8. These are our formativeyears, when boys are fashioning their self-worth, seeing themselvesas their heroes, stroking one over the left-field fence or divinginto the hole for a stop. Instead we were a generation burdened withthe sights and sounds of a booted grounder, a double-play ball peggedinto the grandstands and runners stranded on third.The climate was grim. When I'd visit the family upstairs, I'dbe warned, "Don't bother Grandpa Fassenmeir now. He's listening tothe Cubs and's in a bad mood." Remember, this was when the "nationalpastime" was virtually the town's only sport. We had no Bulls torescue us from our despond, to ease us through childhood, to defineour collective spirit.This is not to berate the players, managers or owners. But aswe seem prepared to surpass the worst-ever 1948, this is to help themunderstand our frustrations. And why, if they don't get off theirdamn butts, we're coming out onto the field to kick a few.Dennis Byrne is a member of the Sun-Times editorial board.E-mail: dbyrne@suntimes.com
