Capital succeeds even in a rebuilding season

State High School Soccer Tournament WHEN: Friday at 9 a.m. GirlsSemifinal: Elkins (21-0-3) vs. Fairmont Senior (21-1-1); Friday atabout 11:30 a.m. Girls Semifinal: George Washington (10-6-8) vs.Parkersburg (19-3-1). Friday at 4 p.m. Boys Semifinals: Martinsburg(17-4-3) vs. Fairmont Senior (21-1-0); Friday at about 6:30 p.m. Capital (17-2-3) vs. Parkersburg (21-1-1). WHERE: YMCA Soccer Complexin Beckley NOTE: Championship games will be played Saturday at thesame site, with the girls starting at 11 a.m. and the boys startingat about 1:30 p.m.

DAILY MAIL SPORTSWRITER

Last year was supposed to be the team at Capital.

The defending state champs had experience, …

Heart Infection Sidelines Wayne Newton

Wayne Newton had been sidelined with a recurring heart infection.

The Las Vegas icon and "Danke Schoen" crooner has cardiomyopathy, a viral infection of the heart muscle, said Deanna Pettit, a spokeswoman for Harrah's Entertainment Inc., on Friday. Pettit said Newton has been previously treated for the virus.

The 65-year-old singer has canceled a two-month holiday engagement at Harrah's Las Vegas and won't be performing on the Nov. 27 finale of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," Pettit said.

Calls to Lori Jonas, Newton's spokeswoman in Los Angeles, weren't immediately returned.

"I really want to apologize to the fans …

General Election - 2003: Nova Scotia

GENERAL ELECTION - 2003

�LECTION G�N�RALE

Legislature / L�gislature : Thirty-sixth/Trente-sixi�me

Voting / Scrutin: August 5, 2003 / le 5 ao�t 2003

Legend / L�gende: Ind: Independent/Ind�pendant; Lib: Liberal/Lib�ral; MP: Marijuana Party / Parti Marijuana; NDP: New Democratic Party/Nouveau parti d�mocratique; NSP: Nova Scotia Provincial Party; PC: Progressive Conservative/Progressiste conservateur.

Annapolis

McNeil, Stephen (Lib.) ................................................ 4,522

Chipman, Frank (PC) .................................................. 2,795

Nette, Adrian (NDP) ................................................... 1,395

Wilson, Harry (NSP) ...................................................... 185

Antigonish

MacIsaac, Angus (PC) ................................................. 4,256

Cameron, David (Lib.) ................................................. 3,650

O'Toole, MarTerry (NDP) .......................................... 1,755

Purdy, Gene (MP) .......................................................... 560

Argyle

d'Entremont, Chris (PC) .............................................. 2,345

d'Entremont, Aldric (Lib.) ........................................... 1,946

Muise, Charles (NDP) .................................................... 595

Bedford

Christie, Peter (PC) ..................................................... 4,114

Zurawski, Richard (Lib.) ............................................. 3,208

Watson, Robert (NDP) ................................................ 2,055

Cape Breton Centre

Corbett, Frank (NDP) ................................................. 3,929

McGillivray, Basil (Lib.) ............................................. 3,456

Tighe MacLeod, Rita (PC) ............................................. 373

Cape Breton North

Clarke, Cecil (PC) ........................................................ 3,754

White, Michael (Lib.) .................................................. 3,169

Snow, Cecil (NDP) ...................................................... 1,714

Cape Breton Nova

Gosse, Gordie (NDP) .................................................. 3,168

Crowe, Mel (Lib.) ........................................................ 3,094

Marsman, Todd (PC) ..................................................... 684

Cape Breton South

MacDonald, Manning …

Federal judge strikes down 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

Days later, Sen. Reid schedules Senate hearing for repeal

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips in Riverside, Calif, struck down the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on open gays in the military Sept. 9.

Phillips found that the ban violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantees of free speech and due process under the First and Fifth Amendments.

"The 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Act infringes the fundamental rights of United States servicemembers in many ways," Phillips wrote in her 86-page opinion. "The act denies homosexuals serving in the Armed Forces the right to enjoy 'intimate conduct' in their personal relationships. The act denies them the …

Iraqi Leader to Address UN Today

UNITED NATIONS - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will address the United Nations General Assembly today as the high-level meeting of world leaders continue. Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque is also expected to speak. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had been slotted to speak in the afternoon, but he pulled out at the last minute, leaving his foreign minister to take his place.

Yesterday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told world leaders his country will defy any further U.N. Security Council resolutions imposed by "arrogant powers" seeking to curb its nuclear program, accusing them of lying and imposing illegal sanctions against Tehran.

He said it is …

Stocks waver as investors worry about US debt load

Stocks wavered Friday morning after a slide in the previous session as investors fretted over the health of government balance sheets.

Trading was quiet ahead of the long Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Investors are asking how the U.S. will pay for its programs to revive the economy and stabilize the banking system after a credit rating agency on Thursday issued a warning that Britain's credit rating could be lowered because of its huge debt load.

Those fears spilled over to the U.S., which is also selling debt at a rate of billions per week to bankroll programs aimed at fighting the recession. That helped push the dollar to its weakest level …

Year After Russia Coup, Diversity Has Strong Hold

MOSCOW Many political illusions have been shattered, andPresident Boris N. Yeltsin's popularity has slumped in the year thathas followed the collapse of communism in the former Soviet Union.But Russia has changed in one way that may profoundly affect thecountry's future: The Russian people no longer think and actuniformly in the political arena.

As long as the communists were in power, public opinion tendedto be unanimous. Most people were afraid to express anything butsupport for the regime. But when Mikhail S. Gorbachev, as theSoviet leader, inaugurated his policy of glasnost, or openness, therewas an outpouring of grievances. The stage was set for a strugglebetween …

Farmers adding plants to attract, nourish bees

DEL REY, Calif. (AP) — Dozens of farmers are starting to replace some crops with flowers and shrubs that benefit bees, hoping to lower their pollination costs and restore a bee population devastated in the past few years.

The effort comes as bees are perishing in great numbers. Bees are essential pollinators of about a third of the country's food supply and are especially important in California, the …

Jordan faces challenges in owning the Bobcats

NBA commissioner David Stern said Saturday he expects Michael Jordan to be approved as majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats by the end of next month.

Minutes before his exclusive negotiating window expired late Friday night, Jordan struck a deal with owner Bob Johnson to take over the money-losing team in his home state.

It puts the biggest basketball star of his generation in charge of a 6-year-old team that's never made the playoffs, has struggled to win over fans and has more than $150 million in debt.

Can Jordan's streak of business success continue?

"If he's going to be an absentee owner, just like Bob was, it's not going …

The Week Ahead

Out-of-townerPlans are in place for Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji to visit Chicagoon Monday and two days next week as part of a mission to increaseIllinois-China trade. Zhu is scheduled to meet with Mayor Daley,Gov. Ryan and the heads of companies that have or seek business withChina. However, the Chinese government is reportedly reconsideringthe visit.Bookie sentenceFormer Northwestern University football player-turned-bookie BrianBallarini is scheduled to be sentenced Monday by U.S District JudgeAnn Williams. Ballarini began taking bets and ran a campusbookmaking operation after an injury ended his career.DuPage 7 on trialJeanine Nicarico Opening statements in the DuPage 7 trial, …

Vettel fastest in Chinese GP practice

SHANGHAI (AP) — Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel gave another strong signal that he is the man to beat at this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix by setting the fastest time in Friday's practice sessions.

Vettel's best time was almost two tenths of a second faster than McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who in turn was a tenth faster than teammate Jenson Button in an afternoon session that was shrouded in Shanghai smog.

Vettel's performance added to a sense of inevitability about a victory for the German this weekend. In both the opening two grands prix, he won the race after setting pole position, and had also claimed pole in the past two races in China.

Should he succeed on Sunday, …

Upton, Crawford, Aybar homer as Rays beat Jays 4-1

B.J. Upton, Carl Crawford and Willy Aybar hit solo homers and the Tampa Bay Rays won their seventh straight game, 4-1 over the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 on Tuesday night.

Matt Garza (6-5) allowed one run and seven hits in seven innings, walked two and struck out three to win consecutive starts for the first time since April 30 and May 5. The right-hander is 4-2 with a 0.60 ERA in his past six starts against the Blue Jays. He is 2-2 with a 0.91 ERA in four career starts in Toronto.

J.P. Howell worked the ninth for his sixth save.

Upton hit the first pitch of the game from Scott Richmond (6-5) over the wall in left-center for his seventh homer.

…

Mixture of views on skaters

A Tour round the city by skateboarders was met with mixedreactions.

Twenty-five North-east skateboarders took part in A Wee DirlAboot the Toon Likes event.

Starting at Transition Extreme Sports at the beach the boarderstoured a secret itinerary of city skate spots to celebrate global GoSkating Day.

However, skateboarder Craig Mitchell said reactions were notalways positive.

He said: "People's reaction has been mixed.

"A few people asked us to leave but there's been others who havebeen quite happy."

Military intercepts missile off Hawaii in first such test since Feb. satellite shootdown

The U.S. military intercepted a ballistic missile Thursday in the first such sea-based test since a Navy cruiser shot down an errant satellite earlier this year.

The military fired the target, a Scud-like missile with a range of a few hundred miles (kilometers), from a decommissioned amphibious assault ship near Hawaii's island of Kauai.

The USS Lake Erie, based at Pearl Harbor, fired two interceptor missiles that shot down the target in its final seconds of flight about 12 miles (19 kilometers) above the Pacific Ocean.

The target was shot down about 100 miles northwest of Kauai in its final seconds of flight, about five minutes after it was fired.

The $40 million test showed Navy ships are capable of shooting down short-range targets in their last phase of flight using modified missiles the service already has, the military said.

The Navy and the Missile Defense Agency have already demonstrated that ships equipped with Aegis ballistic missile defense technology can intercept mid-range targets in midcourse of flight.

The Lake Erie in February shot down a U.S. spy satellite that had lost power and become uncontrollable. Military commanders worried the satellite would break up and spread debris over several hundred miles if it fell to Earth on its own.

The shootdown was the Aegis ballistic missile defense program's first real-world mission.

Rear Adm. Brad Hicks, the program's director, told reporters in a conference call after Thursday's test that the Lake Erie fired two interceptors to increase the probability of interception.

The Navy does that when a target is close to hitting the surface, he said.

Over the next 20 months, the military plans to install terminal-phase missile interception capability on all 18 Navy ships equipped with Aegis ballistic missile defenses, Hicks said.

He said the technology would give commanders more options to defend against missiles, particularly if the Patriot missile defense system _ a land-based technology designed to shoot down missiles in their final phase of flight _ was unavailable.

"If I don't have a Patriot nearby on a shore station to do a short-range threat, near the defended area, I have nothing," Hicks said. "The flexibility of having a ship to complement the Patriot, or to be there when it can't be, is very high on a warfighter priority."

In the last Aegis missile defense test, in November, the Lake Erie fired two interceptors to destroy two ballistic missile targets simultaneously in space.

That marked the first time the U.S. missile defense system shot down two ballistic missiles at once in space.

In December, a Japanese naval vessel equipped with the Aegis ballistic missile defense system shot down a missile target off Hawaii. Japan became the first U.S. ally to intercept a missile from a ship at sea in that test.

Morrison triples twice, Marlins beat Braves 6-1

MIAMI (AP) — Logan Morrison hit two stand-up RBI triples, Andrew Miller worked five innings for his first win in more than a year, and the Florida Marlins beat the Atlanta Braves 6-1 on Friday night.

Atlanta's loss, combined with Philadelphia's 1-0 win over Milwaukee, cut the Braves' NL East lead over the Phillies to one game.

Morrison became the eighth player to hit multiple triples in a game this season, according to STATS LLC, after hitting only one in his first 126 at-bats. Both came off Atlanta starter Kenshin Kawakami (1-10), who gave up five hits — all for extra bases — five runs and four walks in three innings.

Chad Tracy had two hits and two RBIs for Florida. Miller (1-0) allowed seven hits and one run for his first victory since July 4, 2009, and four relievers combined to finish with four no-hit innings.

The Braves have been alone in first every day since beating Philadelphia on May 31, when they held a half-game lead that eventually ballooned to as much as seven games.

By Saturday night, they may have company.

Roy Halladay will try for his 17th win in Philadelphia against the Brewers — while Atlanta faces Marlins' ace Josh Johnson, who has an 0.75 ERA in two starts against the Braves this season.

The Marlins were without manager Edwin Rodriguez, who served a one-game suspension handed down earlier Friday after baseball completed its review of incidents that took place in Florida's game against Washington on Wednesday night.

Florida pitcher Chris Volstad was suspended for six games, pitcher Alex Sanabia for five, first baseman Gaby Sanchez for three. All three Marlins are appealing, and Sanchez drew loud ovations each time he appeared at the plate after clothes-lining Washington's Nyjer Morgan during the melee.

The Marlins landed plenty of hard shots against Kawakami on Friday.

Florida's first six hits all were either doubles or triples, including Morrison's long triples in the first and third innings.

Morrison's first-inning triple to the right field corner scored Cameron Maybin, and then the Marlins' left fielder came home on Hanley Ramirez's double for a 2-0 lead. Kawakami got his first career RBI in the second, cutting Atlanta's deficit in half.

But Morrison struck again in the third, this time going to deep center for his triple, and Tracy followed four batters later with a two-run double that helped Florida extend its lead to 5-1.

Dan Uggla made it 6-1 in the fourth with another RBI double.

NOTES: Atlanta OF Rick Ankiel struck out four times, the third time he's done that in his career. ... Troy Glaus hit a pinch-hit single for the Braves in the fourth inning, his first at-bat since Aug. 17 after a stint on the DL with left knee inflammation. ... Ramirez stole two bases, giving him 30 for the fourth time in his five full major-league seasons. ... The Marlins recalled RHP Chris Leroux and OF Scott Cousins before the game. ... Uggla returned after missing two games with a right groin strain. He made a stellar defensive play in the second, diving to knock down Matt Diaz's chopper, then throwing him out at first.

Late, tying safety dooms Steelers against Giants

Four interceptions by Ben Roethlisberger and half a dozen injuries to key players _ the Pittsburgh Steelers just might have overcome that.

An injured long snapper, however, was another story.

James Harrison centered the ball out of the end zone on a punt attempt for a tying safety, and Eli Manning drove the Giants for a go-ahead TD pass to Kevin Boss in their 21-14 win Sunday.

"I was nervous about snapping for the first time in a game," Harrison said. "But my feeling was that even if I shot it over his head, we still had a chance to stop them."

Pro Bowl linebacker Harrison, playing center due to long snapper Greg Warren's torn anterior cruciate ligament, snapped the ball over punter Mitch Berger's head with 6:48 to play.

Manning, who went just 19-of-32 for 199 yards, found Steve Smith for 25 yards to the 25 on the decisive drive before the TD pass to Boss with 3:11 remaining.

In Sunday's other NFL games, it was New Orleans 37, San Diego 32; Cleveland 23, Jacksonville 17; Seattle 34, San Francisco 13; Houston 35, Cincinnati 6; Miami 25, Buffalo 16; Dallas 13, Tampa Bay 9; Carolina 27, Arizona 23; New England 23, St. Louis 16; Philadelphia 27, Atlanta 14; Washington 25, Detroit 17; N.Y. Jets 28, Kansas City 24; and Baltimore 29, Oakland 10.

John Carney kicked four field goals for New York, hitting from 26, 35, 25 and 24 _ an indication of how many times the Giants threatened.

The Steelers (5-2) were already playing without injured left tackle Marvel Smith, left guard Kendall Simmons, running back Willie Parker and cornerback Bryant McFadden and suspended wide receiver Santonio Holmes. Then they lost safety Ryan Clark (dislocated right shoulder) during the physical game.

The Steelers had won their previous nine home contests against NFC teams, and Roethlisberger (13-of-29, 189 yards) had been 13-3 against the conference, but Pittsburgh couldn't hold on despite getting two big-play touchdowns from backups.

But another backup made a big play of another sort.

"Nobody has two long snappers on their team; what you have are emergency snappers," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "James Harrison is regarded as the lead candidate. We got some snaps on the sideline and we felt comfortable.... We just weren't able to get it done. That was the first game I have been involved in that we didn't have a snapper."

Saints 37, Chargers 32

In Wembley, England, a trans-Atlantic trip was just what Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints needed to get their season back on track.

Brees went 30-of-41 for 339 yards and three touchdown passes against his former team, leading the Saints to a 37-32 win over San Diego on Sunday at Wembley Stadium.

The Saints (4-4) held off a late comeback by the Chargers (3-5), who came from 37-20 down early in the fourth quarter and were driving for the tying touchdown. But linebacker Jonathan Vilma picked off a pass by Philip Rivers with just over a minute to go.

Browns 23, Jaguars 17

In Jacksonville, Fla., the Browns had just enough offense, even without Kellen Winslow. Jamal Lewis ran for 81 yards and a touchdown and Derek Anderson completed three huge passes.

It was Cleveland's second victory without the outspoken Pro Bowl tight end, who missed the game after criticizing the team following his staph infection. The Browns (3-4) played their best game of the season two weeks ago while Winslow was in the hospital and beat the Giants.

Anderson finished 14-of-27 for 264 yards and a touchdown against the Jaguars (3-4).

Seahawks 34, 49ers 13

In San Francisco, fullback Leonard Weaver made two lengthy touchdown catches, Josh Wilson returned an interception 75 yards for a TD and the Seahawks ruined Mike Singletary's debut.

Seneca Wallace passed for 222 yards in his third career victory as a starter, including short passes turned into scores of 43 and 62 yards by his fleet-footed fullback. T.J. Duckett had an early 1-yard TD run as the Seahawks (2-5) calmly snapped their three-game losing streak and evened the season series with the Niners (2-6), who lost their fifth straight.

Texans 35, Bengals 6

In Houston, Kevin Walter scored two touchdowns against his former team, setting a career high by getting his fourth and fifth touchdowns of the year against Cincinnati (0-8).

Walter had help from a bevy of strong Houston performances led by Matt Schaub's three touchdown passes and Andre Johnson's fourth straight 100-yard game.

The win gave Houston (3-4) three consecutive victories in a single season for the first time in franchise history, and dropped Cincinnati to 0-8 for the fourth time. The Bengals are two losses away from their team-worst 0-10 start, which came in 1993.

Dolphins 25, Bills 16

In Miami, Ted Ginn had a breakout game with seven catches for a career-high 175 yards, and the Dolphins overcame a nine-point third-quarter deficit. Ginn's first 100-yard game was by far his biggest impact since Miami's much-mocked decision to take him with the ninth pick of last year's draft.

Ginn set up Miami's first two scores with receptions of 46 and 64 yards. Those completions were part of an efficient day for Chad Pennington, who was 22-of-30 for 314 yards with no picks.

Dan Carpenter kicked field goals of 43, 45 and 35 yards, all in the final 23 minutes after the Dolphins (3-4) fell behind 16-7.

Buffalo (5-2) committed four turnovers, all in the fourth quarter.

Cowboys 13, Buccaneers 9

In Irving, Texas, Brad Johnson made up for several missed chances at touchdowns by throwing one to newcomer Roy Williams at the end of a drive sustained by four defensive penalties. The maligned Dallas defense made it hold up.

The Cowboys (5-3) gained only 173 yards, but put the clamps on Jeff Garcia and the Bucs (5-3). Tampa Bay got two first-quarter field goals and another in the third quarter.

Johnson, starting for the second straight week because Tony Romo has a broken pinkie on his throwing hand, was 19-of-33 for 122 yards. His longest pass went for just 14 yards, on a dump-off to running back Marion Barber.

Panthers 27, Cardinals 23

In Charlotte, N.C., Kurt Warner put up the better numbers, but Jake Delhomme engineered the comeback that kept the Panthers unbeaten at home and atop the NFC South.

Delhomme threw for 248 yards and two scores, including a go-ahead 65-yard strike to Steve Smith. The Panthers (6-2, 5-0 at home) rallied from a 17-3 third-quarter deficit despite Warner's big day.

He threw for 381 yards _ by far the most given up by Carolina this season _ and two touchdowns to Anquan Boldin. But the Cardinals (4-3) continued their road woes in part thanks to a botched fake field goal and a missed extra point.

Patriots 23, Rams 16

In Foxborough, Mass., the Patriots (5-2) got by the Rams on a fingertip touchdown catch by Kevin Faulk. Their best pass-catching running back hung onto Matt Cassel's 15-yard pass on the left edge of the end zone with 3:19 remaining.

A juggling interception by Deltha O'Neal with 1:08 left ended the Rams' last threat.

The Rams (2-5) couldn't overcome the absence of Steven Jackson, their leading rusher and receiver who missed the game with a strained right thigh muscle. And defensive end Leonard Little left in the first half with a hamstring injury.

They lost for the first time since Jim Haslett replaced the fired Scott Linehan.

Eagles 27, Falcons 14

In Philadelphia, Brian Westbrook returned to his All-Pro form and rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns as part of a dynamic all-around effort. Westbrook missed two of the last three games with broken ribs and had been bothered by an ankle injury.

Westbrook scored on a 16-yard run early in the third quarter that gave the Eagles (4-3) 17 points in an 8 1/4-minute span.

Rookie Matt Ryan was 23-for-44 for 277 yards with two interceptions for Atlanta (4-3). He threw two TDs to Roddy White.

Redskins 25, Lions 17

In Detroit, Santana Moss had a go-ahead touchdown reception in the third quarter and returned a punt for another score in the fourth. Jason Campbell threw for 328 yards and a touchdown, connecting with Moss nine times for 140 yards.

Clinton Portis joined O.J. Simpson in the NFL record book with his fifth straight game with at least 120 yards rushing. He had 126 yards for the Redskins (6-2).

Detroit (0-7) got the ball at its 23 with no timeouts left _ needing a touchdown and 2-point conversion to force overtime _ but the drive ended near midfield on fourth down.

Jets 28, Chiefs 24

In East Rutherford, N.J. _ Brett Favre connected with Laveranues Coles for a 15-yard touchdown pass with 1 minute left. The heavily favored Jets (4-3) overcame three interceptions by Favre and an upset-minded Chiefs (1-6) team using its third-string quarterback.

Favre finished 28-of-40 for 290 yards and two touchdowns and the three INTs. Washington caught a pass for a score and ran another in, and Thomas Jones also ran for a touchdown.

The Chiefs, in former Jets coach Herm Edwards' return to the Meadowlands, appeared on their way to victory when rookie cornerback Brandon Flowers returned his second interception of the game 91 yards for a touchdown.

Ravens 29, Raiders 10

In Baltimore, the unquestionable highlight was a 43-yard pass from one Ravens quarterback to another. Baltimore (4-3) unveiled its own version of the single wing, inserting Troy Smith at quarterback and using starting quarterback Joe Flacco as the wide receiver on the left side.

In the third quarter, Smith heaved a pass down the sideline to Flacco, who made an excellent grab on the run after getting behind linebacker Ricky Brown.

The completion set up a field goal for a 22-3 lead.

Baltimore limited the Oakland Raiders to 35 yards while building a 19-point halftime lead, and the Ravens got a safety and four sacks. The win was particularly sweet for Bob Ryan, whose twin brother Rob is defensive coordinator for the Raiders (2-5).

Bulgaria holds Italy to 0-0 draw

Bulgaria held injury-weakened Italy to a 0-0 draw on Saturday in a World Cup qualifier.

With half of their first-choice lineup out with injuries, the reigning world champions struggled in the Group 8 match at Sofia's Vasil Levski Stadium.

"The guys played with authority and good personality," Italy coach Marcello Lippi said. "We tried everything we could to win. But (Bulgaria) has good players and we're content with this result."

Bulgaria came close to scoring in the 13th when Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov took a cross from Blagoi Georgiev, but his strong volley was blocked by Italy goalkeeper Marco Amelia.

In the 59th, Alberto Gilardino's header from a corner was saved by Dimitar Ivankov, and a few minutes later the striker _ who has scored seven goals for Fiorentina this season _ dribbled past the defense before shooting narrowly wide.

In the 79th, Daniele De Rossi's long, dipping shot sailed just over the bar.

"The game was equal and we are glad we achieved this result against the world champions," Dimitar Berbatov said.

Italy has seven points from three matches, and Bulgaria two points from two games.

Bayern Munich forward Luca Toni, who came in to replace Gilardino, will miss Italy's match against Montenegro on Wednesday after getting a second booking.

____

Lineups:

Bulgaria: Dimitar Ivankov, Zhivko Milanov, Aleksandar Tunchev, Valentin Iliev, Lucio Wagner (Ivan Ivanov, 36), Blagoi Georgiev, Velizar Dimitrov, Dimitar Berbatov, Stilian Petrov, Chavdar Yankov, Martin Petrov.

Italy: Marco Amelia, Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluca Zambrotta, Andrea Dossena, Giorgio Chiellini, Gennaro Gattuso, Ricardo Montolivo (Simone Perrotta, 68), Daniele De Rossi, Simone Pepe, Antonio Di Natale (Giuseppe Rossi, 68), Alberto Gilardino (Luca Toni, 73).

Joan Burnham

Joan Burnham, 57, a marketing representative for a bloodprocessing firm, died of cancer Monday at Northwestern MemorialHospital.

Mrs. Burnham, who lived in St. John, Ind., was employed byUnited Blood Services, 1211 N. La Salle, a subsidiary of BloodServices Inc., Scottsdale, Ariz. The company collects and processesblood and distributes it to medical facilities and physicians.

"Her life was devoted to meeting and liking people. She was agourmet cook and anyone always was welcome in her home for a meal,"said her husband, Frank.

Also surviving are her mother, Magdelena Coppola, and a brother,Lazurus Coppola.

Mass will be offered today in St. Anthony Catholic Church,Schenectady, N.Y.

Schumacher to defend lead in 5th stage of Tour

German rider Stefan Schumacher wore the overall leader's yellow jersey for the start of the fifth stage of the Tour de France on Wednesday.

Schumacher took the jersey after winning Tuesday's fourth stage. He held a small lead as cyclists embarked on the longest and flattest stage of the race, a 144-mile trek from Cholet to Chateauroux that favors sprinters.

Schumacher, who is not among the favorites to win the Tour, led Kim Kirchen of Luxembourg and David Millar of Britain by 12 seconds.

Cadel Evans, last year's runner-up, is 21 seconds behind in fourth place and in a strong position for the first medium-sized mountain stage on Thursday.

Spanish rider Alejandro Valverde, who is also among the Tour contenders, fell about 50 miles into the stage but got back on his bike with cuts on his right arm.

Colombian rider Juan Mauricio Soler, who has ridden with injured wrists since crashing in Saturday's first stage, pulled out of the race early into the stage. He was the King of the Mountains champion as the Tour's best climber last year.

Ecuador auditor urges debt default

The official overseeing an audit of Ecuador's foreign debt said his committee found evidence of abuses and irregularities tied to almost all of the country's bonds and will recommend a default on $10.3 billion in national debt.

Auditors have uncovered "indications of illegality" in the debt contracts and negotiation processes, said Hugo Arias, coordinator of the Special Commission for Foreign Debt Audit, in an interview published Monday by the Ecuadorean newspaper El Universo.

Arias did not respond to telephone calls Monday.

If Ecuador defaults, one debtor left holding the bill will be the government of close Correa ally Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, though it is unclear how much of the debt Venzuela holds.

Ecuador has delayed $30.6 million in interest payments that was due Saturday on 2012 bonds, using a 30-day grace period to assess the results of the audit scheduled for release on Thursday.

President Rafael Correa suggested that previous governments mishandled debt negotiations and abused privileged information for personal financial gain, ordering the audit in 2007. Finance ministers allegedly forced down the price of Ecuador's bonds by threatening to default, then bought them on the cheap before refinancing the nation's debt and restoring the value of their holdings.

Arias, the auditor, did not give names, but called the debt "a giant and unpayable monster" and said a default on the bonds _ held by foreign governments, private investors and others _ would be "a historic achievement for the country."

Suspending the interest payment already sent Ecuador's benchmark bonds plummeting and will likely freeze already tight credit flows and investor interest in the nation's oil and mining sectors.

Standard & Poor's has slashed Ecuador's long-term debt rating.

Correa ran for president in 2006 vowing to default on Ecuador's foreign debt and use the money to fund anti-poverty programs. He has not acted on that threat, but recently warned that falling oil prices may force his hand. Oil is Ecuador's top source of foreign income, and prices have dipped 60 percent since July.

Exactly how many Ecuadorean bonds Venezuela holds is unknown, but market speculation is that the country could lose up to $800 million in the case of a default, said Enrique Alvarez, head of research for Latin American financial markets at IDEAglobal in New York.

"At no time do I believe we are going to get a solid figure, these are mere speculations of the market born from parties with a stake in the matter," Alvarez told The Associated Press from New York.

Chavez and Correa have called for a new brand of "21st century socialism" and have agreed to develop joint oil and natural gas projects in Ecuador.

Alvarez said defaulting on the debt would be an unprecedented and isolating decision, though he does not expect Correa to go through with it.

Analysts say despite falling oil prices, Ecuador has the resources to make the payment due Saturday, including $6.5 billion in foreign currency reserves.

But budget shortfalls are expected for next year, as oil is now trading at less than half of what the government anticipated in its 2009 budget and the country's new constitution calls for more social spending programs.

Irregular activity was identified under every administration the country has had for more than 30 years, with the exception of Abdala Bucaram's six-month presidency in 1996-1997, which did not negotiate any debt, Arias told the newspaper.

According to the audit, the most troublesome debt is the country's so-called Global 2012, 2015 and 2030 bonds, which Arias called "the most expensive and the most corrupt."

The 2012 and 2030 paper was sold in 2000 in exchange for so-called Brady Bonds, which had been issued in 1994 to refinance the country's overdue loans.

Ecuador's total foreign debt reached $10.3 billion in August, or 21 percent of gross domestic product. Just one-fifth of those bonds were issued to raise money for development, while the rest correspond to refinancing costs, Arias said.

Iceland cometh

LETTER

THE DAY I ARRIVED in Reykjavik the Kitchen Motors art and music collective hijacked the local Bonus supermarket's sound system and replaced its consumer-friendly Muzak with an "audio environment" of sonic glitches, twitches, and textures. While the music was intended to snap shoppers out of their anesthetized state, most went about their business, perusing the bins of cheese bread and racks of smoked fish, seemingly unfazed. This oblivion proved either that consumerism trumps the conceptual or that Icelanders have grown accustomed to finding the avant-garde in the everyday.

The Kitchen Motors intervention, which wove together music, politics, and a sort of upscale street theater, was the most conceptual offering at last October's fourth annual Iceland Airwaves music festival, a four-day showcase of local rock and electronic-music artists that attracts adventurous international music professionals. Since many writers and producers caught their first glimpse of Sigur Ros at the first two Airwaves and rock quartet Leaves signed a major-label deal after last year's fest, the cool radar was in full sweep.

Following the Kitchen Motors event that same frigid, windy evening, the biggest Icelandic independent record label, Thule Musik, presented a program of live electronic music that crystallized the character of today's native musicians: Though hapless, hopeless young romantics at first glance, their plaintive, shimmering soundscapes ana tumbling, at times piercing rhythms demonstrated an informed, even evolved, take on the world scene. A young man who records as ILO "played" his laptop and mini-mixer in front of a projected video shot from a camera that had circled a generic plaza over and over, in a sort of visual elegy to public space worthy of a Chelsea gallery. The next night, breakout band the Funerals channeled latter-day bluesmen Nick Cave and Syd Barrett in a dive called Vidalin, mixing irony and alcohol into a mesmerizing cocktail.

The next day I set off to meet the scene's key players, including Funerals leader and performance artist Ragnar Kjartansson (whom the New York Times followed around the island for a 2001 feature story); Johann Johansson, Kitchen Motors cofounder and an accomplished film- and theater-score composer; and Kristin Bjork Kristjansdottir, a fellow Kitchen Motors cofounder who is building the most intricate bridges between sound, video, and reality-overlap performance in this city of barely 100,000. Judging by what I'd encountered onstage around town, I figured we'd talk about technology, decomposition, innovation, clicks, cuts-all the phenomena informing any innovative music community in 2002. Maybe the fluidity between Icelandic music and art or the influence on both of unearthly landscapes and democratic socialism would come up. Or we'd talk about how Icelandic artists, unlike their European and American counterparts, are spared the burden of tradition, given their relative dearth of culture historically. (Music and dance were banned by the all-powerful Lutheran church until the nineteenth century.) Soon enough I'd have Reykjavik pegged as the next Berlin or Barcelona-with Olafur Eliasson its native art star and Roni Horn, who has visited and photographed Iceland regularly since 1975, its pioneering expat-- a city newly awakened to the arts and populated by artists utterly free of constraints. As it turns out, what appeared thoroughly modern, even avant-garde on the surface has roots a thousand years deep. Yes, even now, with their enviably progressive conditions-100 percent literacy rate; geothermal heat generating 70 percent of the volcanic island's energy; the world's first democratically elected woman president-Iceland's artists are consistently indebted to, of all things, Old Norse literature.

You can't throw a lava rock in Iceland without hitting a devotee of the sagas, a series of about forty stories written between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries populated by a rotating cast of Icelandic farmers, Norse Vikings, Celts, and myriad kings and queens. The sagas' heroes and dramatic plots-Ketill Flatnose and his daughter Auour the Deep-Minded wage a feudal-land battle; Gunnlaugur Serpent-Tongue the poet courts Helga the Fair-recall Greek or Roman mythology, and their integration into Icelandic society as both historical document and timeless folklore is no less seamless. "What we have is the sagas-- that's the great literary foundation of Icelandic culture," says Johansson. "It's only literary, there's no visual element, there's no musical element, so that's been totally lacking until this century. . . . In Iceland it's almost like we're building history now." Reykjavik's little scene, in short, is imposing the art of the story onto the contemporary template with a singular mix of magic and humility.

Kristjansdottir, a sound artist, experimental musi cian, and puppeteer who possesses the deep dark eyes, sprightly grin, and intense modesty typical of Icelandic women, remembers the sagas with wonder. "When I was little my dad would read the sagas to me; he never read Walt Disney or any of that," she says. "I still find those stories of drifters in the highlands and Icelandic ghosts quite charming." In college Kristjansdottir pursued what she calls "diary studies," searching out private records of daily life. "If you're going to understand the soul of a community, diaries are a secret door," she explains. "Our most honest way to get in touch with our history is by studying and looking at it through detail rather than the world story of kings and queens and presidents."

Kristjansdottir inherited both her mother's obsession with dream interpretation and her knack for clairvoyance, so dream logic-blended with a unique take on history-is a recurring theme in her projects. Take Malfur Skinnytoe, 2002, a puppet show she performed at the ICA in London. Although its title and cartoonish characters reference the sagas, the piece's surreal narrative of a man's search for darkness to complement his bright side is presented with a flair for the paranormal. In Last Breath, 2002, Kristjansdottir transformed the narrow corridor to the former city apothecary's sixth-floor storage room (a room she later learned was haunted) into a darkly disorienting sound installation by playing back distorted recordings of people with lung problems, which she procured from a local surgeon. Musically, in her former group Big Band Brutal and now on her own as Kira Kira, she gives a multimedia upgrade to hackneyed punk rock, brandishing slide projectors like machine guns while banging out confrontational rhythms on synthesizers and laptops.

A well-versed devotee of the sagas, Kjartansson has been blurring the line between tradition and its mockery since he was a teenager, when with Ulfur Eldjarn he formed Kosy, a kitsch barbershop-- style quartet. The week of the Airwaves Festival Kjartansson's cherubic face was inescapable: drunk and singing the blues at the Funerals gig; barechested and shimmying like a stripper with his other band, Trabant; impersonating a Russian diplomat in a powder-blue tux with silver bow tie at Apparat Organ Quartet's mock press conference.

The Funerals "really started as a joke," as Kjartansson tells it. "Let's call this bunch of friends, drink a lot of whiskey, and do an album one weekend.... We go out to the country and dress up in country clothes and drink a lot. We're not in the real world." The New York Times said the band's music "revels in a beautiful self-pity," and both on their debut album, Pathetic Me (Thule Musik, 2001), and in their sloshed live shows, separating the authentic from the ironic is impossible.

Reinforcing this dynamic, Kjartansson showed me a video of his most recent life-as-art piece, Death and the Children, 2002. As his girlfriend's kindergarten class entered a local Reykjavik cemetery for a field trip, Kjartansson emerged from a tomb dressed in a black cloak and white face paint and carrying a scythe. "I said, 'Hello children, I am Death,"' he recounts. "They asked really brutal questions, like, 'Are you an enemy of God?' I said, `No I am not an enemy of God, we are really good pals.' Death was like Santa Claus. They were really interested in death. One of them was like, 'I expected a light at the end of the tunnel, not you.'"

For his art-school graduation show in 2001 (after a one-year stint as the first male student in Iceland's housewives' school), Kjartansson decorated a gallery like a rococo theater and sang "Italian gibberish" opera five hours a day for ten days straight. In 1999 he invented Rassi Prump, a Bruce Springsteen-esque alter ego in the Icelandic-troubadour tradition who traveled to rural villages and pubs to sing songs of love and longing (and hit on the local ladies). Some drunk villagers enjoyed Rassi's appreciation of tradition; some beat the shit out of him. It's not easy mixing fact and fiction.

Fresh from his coup at the Bonus supermarket, Johansson hipped me to the origins of Kitchen Motors and Apparat Organ Quartet, his emerging synthpop group. (The Iceland-born Snorri brothers, who directed R.E.M.'s "Daysleeper" video, are filming the clip for "Stereo Rock & Roll," the lead single from Apparat's new album, and the band recently opened for Stereolab.) These endeavors, he says, are the next chapter in a story that started when people like Magnus Palsson, a satellite Fluxus artist, first integrated music and art in Iceland in the late '70s. In the '80s, Hordur Bragason (now a member of Apparat) and Finnbogi Petursson (now a sound-- installation artist of international renown) formed a performance-music outfit called Bruni BB, inspired by the Austrian Actionist Hermann Nitsch. Their violent, controversial happenings, performed at Reykjavik's Living Art Museum, an artist-run gallery cofounded in 1978 by Palsson and others, were part bacchanalia, part lighting of the fuse. Put simply, out of this mash-up of music and art came the Sugarcubes, and later Bjork's rise to fame as the world's favorite teller of techno folktales.

Johansson sees the current crop of musicians as writing their own sagas, from a twentieth-century perspective. "If you feel some mode of expression is not strong anymore, not viable for you, then you have to grow new forms out of old ones, make these strange little mutants," he said, referring to Reykjavik's esoteric music community. For one Kitchen Motors event, "Junkyard Alchemy" (2000), the crew asked sculptor Borkur Jonsson to create musical instruments that could also exist as sculptures, then invited an improvisatory musician to play each piece. One was acoustic-fashioned from a nylon string stretched over an air-conditioning duct; for another, a few plastic barrels became water drums that produced both aquatic sounds and reflective shadows.

Apparat Organ Quartet also reclaims the material past, recycling cast-off and obsolete synthesizers, some supplied by a friend at the sanitation department. The artwork for their self-titled debut album renders each band member as a Playmobil figurine, and onstage the Quartet effects a distinctly Kraftwerkian robotic presence. When the group orchestrated its mock press conference for their new album's release, dressing up in brightly colored suits reminiscent of the humans in Scooby-Doo, I wondered if maybe they didn't relish inventing characters and role-playing more than making music.

Heading out the next day on the airport bus through the Icelandic wilderness, I thought of Kristin Bjork, Ragnar, and Johann and imagined them riding in a lunar module, bouncing along the craggy craters and testing the wild frontier. Maybe it has something to do with Iceland's virtually homogeneous gene pool and its shared sense of history, but it seems impossible that a more tightly knit aesthetic community exists anywhere. This proximity of the personal and the professional has bred a cross-fertilization of ideas and disciplines that could serve, like so many elements of Icelandic society, as a model for other cultures. And by reaching into the past in order to create this bold new identity, they're taking part in a tradition as time-honored as progress itself. "Maybe that's it," Johansson says. "You just decide to approach things with a sense of wonder and newness, as if no one's done this before, even though someone probably has."

[Author Affiliation]

ERIC DEMBY REPORTS FROM REYKJAVIK

[Author Affiliation]

Eric Demby is a New York-based writer.

Habitat Now 17th Largest U.S. Builder

Habitat for Humanity International, the nonprofit builder oflow-income housing, was the 17th largest home builder in the countrylast year.

Builder magazine says Habitat, whose best-known volunteer isformer President Jimmy Carter, jumped from No. 22 in 1992 and No. 113in 1989.

Builder ranks home builders by the number of houses sold in theU.S. Habitat sold 2,705 last year, and took in $38.6 million indonations.

It has built 30,000 homes worldwide since 1976. The Chicagoarea Habitat chapters have constructed more than 100 houses.

The first joint construction project of the SouthWest SuburbanHome Builders Association and Habitat will be a single-family ranchhouse in Chicago Heights.

The house, according to Susan Delani, administrative director ofthe Chicago South Region of Habitat, is the first Habitatconstruction project in the southwest suburbs.

"It's exciting," she said, "because all of the labor andmaterials are being donated by professional tradesmen this time.They do this for a living. And they're doing it this time to helpput a woman and her three children into a brand-new home."

The house, at 512 Parnell, is for Paulette Coley, who works fora Chicago Heights beauty product manufacturer.

"One of the things a new owner must do in order to get a Habitathome is to work a certain number of hours of `sweat equity,' " Delanisaid.

"Ms. Coley will do 350 hours of `sweat equity' to help with her home, and another 100 hours to help another person get into theirHabitat home."

Habitat serves as its own mortgage company for the buyer,charging them over a fixed-payment time period for the materials thatwent into the house. Buyers have to establish a steady source ofincome.

Several SSHBA member companies offered their carpenters, twomore donated lumber and another two, the concrete.

Anyone wishing to contribute time, building materials or moneycan contact any of the following Habitat chapters: Albany Park, (312) 509-6034. Pilsen-Little Village, (312) 226-0074. Uptown, (312) 509-6034. Westside, (312) 638-1516. Fox Valley, (708) 896-7500. Lake County, (708) 623-1020. Northern Fox Valley, (708) 836-1432. Chicago South Region, (708) 756-2015. Will County, (815) 740-2047.

Measuring distances in supported bilayers by fluorescence interference-contrast microscopy: Polymer supports and SNARE proteins

ABSTRACT Fluorescence interference-contrast (FLIC) microscopy is a powerful new technique to measure vertical distances from reflective surfaces. A pattern of varying intensity is created by constructive and destructive interference of the incoming and reflected light at the surface of an oxidized silicon chip. Different levels of this pattern are probed by manufacturing silicon chips with terraces of oxide layers of different heights. Fluorescence collected from membranes that are deposited on these terraces is then used to measure the distance of the fluorescent probes from the silicon oxide surface. Here, we applied the method to measure the distance between supported lipid bilayers and the surface of oxidized silicon chips. For plain fluid phosphatidylcholine bilayers, this distance was 1.7 +/- 1.0 nm. The cleft distance was increased to 3.9 +/- 0.9 nm in bilayers that were supported on a 3400-Da polyethylene glycol cushion. This distance is close to the Flory distance (4.8 nm) that would be expected for a grafted random coil of this polymer. In a second application, the distance of a membrane-bound protein from the membrane surface was measured. The integral membrane protein syntaxin1A/SNAP25 (t-SNARE) was reconstituted into tethered polymer-supported bilayers. A soluble form of the green fluorescent protein/vesicle-associated membrane protein (GFP-VAMP) was bound to the reconstituted t-SNAREs. The distance of the GFP from the membrane surface was 16.5 +/- 2.8 nm, indicating an upright orientation of the rod-shaped t-SNARE/v-SNARE complex from the membrane surface.

Abbreviations used: DiI, 1,1-dioctadecyl-3,3,3,3-tetramethylindocarbocya-- nineperchlorate; DMPE, 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine; DOPC, 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine DPS -DMPE-PEG-- triethoxysilane; FLIC, fluorescence interference-contrast; FRAP, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching; GFP, green fluorescent protein; HEPES, N-[2-hydroxyethyl]piperazine-N'-[2-ethanesulfonic acid]); NBD-- eggPE -N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)-egg phosphoethanolamine; beta-OG, beta-octylglucoside; PEG, poly(ethylene glycol); POPC, 1-palmitoyl2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; RB, reconstitution buffer (25 mM HEPES/KOH, 100 mM KCl, pH 7.4); SNAP, soluble NSF (N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor)-attachment protein; SNAP-25, synaptosome-- associated protein of 25 kDa; SNARE, SNAP receptor; t-SNARE, target SNARE; v-SNARE, vesicle SNARE; VAMP, vesicle-associated membrane protein.

INTRODUCTION

Supported lipid bilayer membranes (Tamm and McConnell, 1985) have found wide application as models of cellular membranes in fundamental and applied biophysical research (see Sackmann and Tanaka, 2000; Boxer, 2000, for recent reviews). Interest in supported membranes ranges from studies of lipid-protein interactions and membrane selfassembly to the design of membrane-based biosensors and modeling interactions between cell surfaces in the immune system and elsewhere. We have recently been interested in reconstituting biological, i.e., protein-mediated membrane fusion in a supported bilayer membrane format (Hinterdorfer et al., 1994; Wagner and Tamm, 2001).

A common problem of membranes that are directly supported on hydrophilic glass or other hard substrates is that integral membrane proteins, such as cell surface receptors are not laterally mobile in these systems. To overcome this problem, several investigators have suggested supporting the membranes on soft polymer cushions that are intercalated between the hard surface and the lipid bilayer membrane. To detach the membrane proteins from the glass support in a physiological environment, the polymer must be well soluble in water (i.e., water must approximate a theta solvent for the polymer of choice) and must exhibit minimal interactions with the supporting glass and the lipids and proteins of the supported membrane. We have chosen polyethylene glycol as a polymer that fulfills these criteria. To achieve a stable attachment of the cushioned bilayer to the solid support, we have designed a tripartite molecule (DPS), which consists of a lipid, a 3400 molecular weight polyethylene glycol, and a reactive silane for covalent attachment to glass or quartz supports. Supported lipid bilayers containing 3 mol % of DPS in the leaflet facing the solid substrate could be stably attached to quartz or glass, were uniformly fluorescent, and allowed membrane lipids and proteins to diffuse relatively freely in the plane of the membrane (Wagner and Tamm, 2000; 2001). In this previous work, we estimated from simple polymer theory that the distance between the support and bilayer should be of the order of 4.8 nm, i.e., the Flory diameter of PEG3400. Although some membrane proteins diffused laterally, the bilayer-support separation distance has not been directly measured in this system.

Neutron reflectivity with deuterium-labeled components is a relatively established technique to measure distances of layers of different scattering density in supported membranes (Naumann et al., 1996; Wong et al., 1999). However, the technique requires relatively large amounts of material, expensive equipment, and a model-dependent data analysis. Neutron reflectivity measurements also have a poor lateral resolution. Ellipsometry unfortunately works only in samples exposed to air. Surface plasmon resonance and quartz crystal microbalance techniques simply detect refractive index and surface mass changes, respectively, and therefore are insufficient to resolve structural details of the supported layers.

A very promising new optical technique to probe details of stratified layers on reflective surfaces is fluorescence interference-contrast microscopy (Lambacher and Fromherz, 1996). In this technique, an interference pattern between the incoming and reflected light is generated on the surface of an oxidized silicon chip. The fluorescence intensity of a deposited layer varies depending on the distance of the layer from the reflective surface. To simultaneously probe several distances in the same sample and thereby provide for an internal standard, Fromherz and co-workers suggested using patterned silicon chips with oxide layers of different thickness. These workers showed that supported lipid bilayers (without an interstitial polymer layer) are supported on a 1-2 nm thin film of water (Fromherz et al., 1999), as had been suspected from lateral diffusion measurements (Tamm and McConnell, 1985) and later measured by neutron reflectivity (Johnson et al., 1991). In the present work, we are using FLIC microscopy to measure the distance between the silicon dioxide surface of an oxidized silicon chip and a DPS-polymer supported bilayer. We also demonstrate the first application of this method to measure the surface distance of a fluorescent labeled protein ligand (GFP-VAMP) after its specific binding to integral membrane receptors (t-SNAREs) that were functionally reconstituted into polymer-supported bilayers. Fig. 1 illustrates the general configuration of the two types of experiments.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We thank Dr. P. Fromherz (Max-Planck-Institute for Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany) for allowing us to manufacture FLIC chips in his laboratory and for providing the FLIC fitting software, and Drs. J. Rothman and T. Melia (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York) for the generous gift of the SNARE proteins used in this study. We also thank Drs. D. Braun and A. Lambacher for helpful discussions on the FLIC theory.

This work was supported by National Institutes of Health (AI30557). V.K. was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.

[Reference]

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Braun, D., and P. Fromherz. 1998. Fluorescence interferometry of neuronal cell adhesion on microstructured silicon. Phys. Rev. Let. 81:5241-5244. de Genres, P. G. 1987. Polymers at an interface: a simplified view. Adv. Colloid Interface Sci. 27:189-209.

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Hinterdorfer, P., G. Baber, and L. K. Tamm. 1994. Reconstitution of membrane fusion sites. A total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy study of influenza hemagglutinin-mediated membrane fusion. J. Biol. Chem. 269:20360-20368.

Jellison, G. E., and F. A. Modine. 1982. Optical constants for silicon at 300 and 10 K determined from 1.64 to 4.73 eV by ellipsometry. J. Appl. Phys. 53:3745-3753.

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Kalb, E., S. Frey, and L. K. Tamm. 1992. Formation of supported planar bilayers by fusion of vesicles to supported phospholipid monolayers. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1103:307-316.

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Lambacher, A., and P. Fromherz. 2001. Orientation of hemicyanine dye in lipid membrane measured by fluorescence interferometry on a silicon chip. J. Phys. Chem. B. 105:343-346.

Lambacher, A., and P. Fromherz. 2002. Luminescence of dye molecules on oxidized silicon and fluorescence interference contrast microscopy of biomembranes. J. Opt. Soc. Am. B. 19:1435-1453.

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Parlati, F., T. Weber, J. A. McNew, B. Westermann, T. H. Sollner, and J. E. Rothmann. 1999. Rapid and efficient fusion of phospholipid vesicles by the a-helical core of a SNARE complex in the absence of an N-terminal regulatory domain. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 96:12565-12570.

Sackmann, E., and M. Tanaka. 2000. Supported membranes on soft polymer cushions: fabrication, characterization and applications. Trends Biotechnol. 18:58-64.

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[Author Affiliation]

Volker Kiessling and Lukas K. Tamm

Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908-0736 USA

[Author Affiliation]

Submitted June 21, 2002, and accepted for publication September 25, 2002.

Address reprint requests to Lukas K. Tamm, Dept. of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 800736, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0736. Tel.: 434-982-3578; Fax: 434-982-1616; E-mail: lkt2e@virginia.edu.

Barron, Bill(actually, William Jr.)

Barron, Bill(actually, William Jr.), tenor and soprano saxophonist, brother of Kenny Barron; b. Philadelphia, March 27, 1927; d. Middletown, Conn., Sept. 21, 1989. He took up the saxophone at age 13 and in 1945 was in the concert band alongside Coltrane at the Ornstein School of Music; about 1952, he and Coltrane were taped jamming with Hassaan, but the tape was lost or destroyed. Barron also played with Jimmy Heath, Red Garland, and many others before moving to N.Y. in 1958. He directed the Muse Jazz Workshop at the Children's Museum in Brooklyn and taught at City Coll. in the 1960s and 1970s, then served as chairman of the Wesleyan Univ. Music Department in the mid–1980s. He died after a long illness in 1989. He was a highly original player who never achieved much fame but was well liked and respected by such musician friends as John Coltrane. He was adaptable enough to record in bop and hard bop contexts, yet also work with Cecil Taylor and co-lead a band with Ted Curson.

Discography

Tenor Stylings of B.B. (1961); Modern Windows (1961); Leopard (1962); Hot Line (1962); West Side Story Bossa Nova (1963); Now Hear This (1964); Motivation (1972); Jazz Caper (1978); Variations in Blue (1984); Next Plateau (1987); Nebulae (1988).

—Lewis Porter

Australia in gold-medal game for 3rd year in row

Belinda Snell has scored 16 points to help Australia beat host China 90-56 Thursday night and reach the Olympic gold medal game for the third straight time.

Lauren Jackson adds 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Australians, who were without Penny Taylor. The team's third-leading scorer is sidelined with a sprained ankle suffered in the quarterfinal win over the Czech Republic. It's unclear whether she will be ready to face the United States in Saturday's final game.

Australia has lost to the Americans in the medal round of the past three Olympics, taking home silver in the past two games.

Bian Lan scores 20 points for China, which faces Russia for the bronze medal Saturday. Miao Lijie _ who came in averaging a tournament-best 19.5 points _ finished with 10 but got off just four shots.

China's only loss of the tournament had come against the United States in group play. But despite playing in front of a vocal home-country crowd, the Chinese never stood much of a chance against Australia, falling behind by 16 points at halftime and never challenging afterward.

Australia outscored China 21-7 in the second period, holding China to just a pair of field goals in the quarter. Miao found few openings against a defense that had been holding teams to 60.8 points per game, while second-leading scorer Chen Nan went scoreless in the opening half.

China shot 32 percent for the game.

The Australians managed a balanced offensive showing, with five players scoring in double figures, while dominating the boards for a 56-34 advantage.

China can still win its first medal since taking home silver at the 1992 Barcelona Games. Its only other women's basketball medal was the bronze in Los Angeles in 1984.

Coffee shop sandwiches perk up lunch options

THE streak continues! The city's downtown lunch options keepgrowing and I continue to be impressed with the offerings.

This week's restaurant critique took me to the charming CapitolRoasters Cafe, a new coffee shop on the corner of Quarrier andSummers streets. This latest hot spot not only offers great fresh-roasted coffees and organic teas, but also serves up delicioussandwiches and an impressive array of gourmet baked goods.

With wide open spaces filled with robust colored walls, a cozyfireplace, hip decor and more, this place is big on ambiance.

And the paninis are hot, too. (Get it? Paninis ... hot sandwiches... never mind.)

I've tried - and loved - nearly all of them.

The Verona offers a savory blend of prosciutto, Fontina cheese andsun-dried tomatoes, while the Cuban features pork tenderloin andthinly sliced ham accented with dill pickles, Monterrey jack cheeseand a cracked pepper and chipotle mayonnaise that, surprisinglyenough, lacked the spicy kick you'd expect.

The Turkey Chutney comes with smoked turkey and Danish havarticheese topped with seasonal chutney, a sweet-and-tart relish ofassorted fruits, vinegar, sugar and spices.

The best, though, has to be the Italian Roast Beef filled withslow-roasted beef, smoked Provolone, red onion, tomato relish and asun-dried tomato pesto.

The ones I haven't gotten to yet are a California BLT with bacon,cheddar, lettuce, tomato and spicy avocado spread and the Vegan withhearts of Romaine, red onion, Roma tomato relish, cucumbers, squashand avocado spread drizzled with balsamic vinegar and oil.

There are also a variety of deli sandwiches and soups for lunch,or bagels, muffins, breads, pastries and breakfast sandwiches.

On the sweet side, I've been impressed with an impossibly moistslice of Banana Cake with Bavarian Cream, an individual-sized OperaCake with multiple chocolate and coffee-flavored layers, and the mostdecadent wedge of Mochachino Creme Brulee Cheesecake. Each bite wasan otherworldly experience.

Try any of the above with a cup of Almond Joy - a creamy coffeedrink with chocolate, coconut and almond flavorings - for totalsensory overload!

The Hazelnut Torte looks impressive, too, but the piece I triedhad an aftertaste and didn't quite live up to its appearance.

The desserts, I'm told, come from three different sources, whichmight explain the hits and misses.

Some are baked on-site, some done by a local woman and others areordered through gourmet food services.

Whether you stop in for morning coffee and a scone, a soup andsandwich for lunch, or an afternoon sugar-spiked pick-me-up, a visitto Capitol Roasters is well worth your time.

Writer Steven Keith can be reached at 348-1721 or by e-mail atdailymailfoodguy@aol.com.

Shootin' from the hip

Tampa Bay

at Minnesota

Bryce Casto joins Tampa staff for this game.

MINNESOTA, 27-21

The NFL finds out what Muncie already knows.

MINNESOTA, 24-20

Dungy will find a way barely.

TAMPA BAY, 23-20

Moss will score, but Viking defense can't stop the Pewter Pirates.

TAMPA BAY, 31-27

The Bucs balanced their offense by adding the NFL's best rookiewideout.

TAMPA BAY, 24-20

Randy Moss hasn't even started, so he certainly isn't Dunn.

TAMPA BAY, 28-24

Avast, ye! Scurvy Bucs keelhaul the Vikes' swashbuckling offense!

TAMPA BAY, 31-28

Carter, Reed and Moss vs. Abraham, Parker and Young. Touchdown!

MINNESOTA, 28-17

Hey, Trent Dilfer, you can wake up this year.

MINNESOTA, 34-17

Bucs are one of a few teams who didn't have chance to draft Moss.

MINNESOTA, 31-21

Minnesota,

26-23

China's Surplus Forecast Over $100B

BEIJING - A senior government economist says China's trade surplus for the first half of this year is expected to top $100 billion, a state news agency said Monday, amid calls by U.S. lawmakers for punitive action against Beijing.

Total trade with the United States for the first half is expected to top $1 trillion, up 24 percent from the year-earlier period, the Xinhua News Agency said, citing Yao Jingyuan, chief economist for the National Bureau of Statistics.

"The trade surplus reached $85.7 billion in January-May, and for the first half of the year will exceed $100 billion," Xinhua said, citing Yao.

…

TEARS OF JOY FOR STAR: He didn't let down his fans or the people who love him; JACKO FANS THRILLED BY JURY'S DECISION.(News)

Byline: By JIM DOYLE

FANS and friends of Michael Jackson rejoiced around the globe as a jury in California yesterday cleared the pop star of child molestation and conspiracy charges.

As fans in Santa Maria screamed with delight, in Britain Jackson's friend psychic Uri Geller said he couldn't believe the resounding not guilty verdict.

Geller, who helped set up the TV interview in which the singer said he sometimes shared a bed with children, said: "I can't believe it, I'm just so pleased I'm lost for words.

"I always said I want to believe that he's not guilty, and he's not guilty.

"I'm trembling, this is so important, he did not let down his fans and all the people that love him."

Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe said after hearing the verdicts: "I would never have married a paedophile. And the system works."

In Skovde, Sweden, Kent Vilhemsson, 21, returned home yesterday from the United States where he had been waiting outside the courtroom in Santa Maria for two weeks. Vilhemsson, a freelance journalist writing for computer magazines, who was watching the verdict live on television from his apartment in Skovde, added: "The minutes before the verdict were the most nervous moments of my life.

"Now, these are the happiest moments of my life. Now we're going to party."

Media interest in the case was intense around the globe throughout the trial.

In Germany, several news channels carried the verdict live, and the top-selling Bild newspaper quickly posted the headline "Acquittal!" on its website.

Martin Stock, 29, the founder of a Jackson fan club in Germany who stayed up late to watch the outcome, said he was overjoyed, even though he had expected his idol's acquittal. Stock, a 29-year-old employee at Frankfurt's international airport, added: "The whole trial was laughable, and Michael was treated inhumanly. I think people were trying to throw him into prison to get at his money."

He said he would try to organise a party with others among his 40-strong "JAM" fan club.

An overwhelmed Liam Cassidy, speaking for the UK-based Michael Jackson worldwide fan club, said he was "ecstatic" at the verdict. He added: "This is a vindication for Michael but also a vindication for the fans who have stood by him. It's amazing, it's great news."

Mr Cassidy, from Greenwich, south east London, who edits the magazine produced by the fan club, added: "It's exactly what we expected though.

"From the very start we have said nothing but that the whole thing, the trial, the allegations, everything about it was a farce. It was completely untrue." Mary Marsh, director of the NSPCC, said: "It's important that allegations of abuse are fully tested in courts.

"However, it's equally important that this doesn't deter people from raising their concerns about child abuse.

"It's vital that everybody is vigilant about inappropriate behaviour towards children.

"Children need to understand that behaviour that makes them feel uncomfortable isn't acceptable and that talking to someone they trust could help stop any abuse they suffer."

Publicist Max Clifford said: "I'm not surprised at the verdict. Obviously Michael Jackson fans must be delighted and he must be hugely relieved.

"But I think there are a lot of things that came out in the trial which have left a bad taste in the mouth of the general public.

"I don't think it is a foregone conclusion that Michael Jackson is, if you like, back on top.

"Certainly some of the stuff that emerged has really left a big question mark with a lot of people. Although he has been found innocent of all charges, I think that the verdict is still slightly mixed for the world's public." Steve Corbett, a reporter on the Santa Maria Times, said he was "stunned" at the verdicts.

He added: "I am stunned that all of the jury have agreed that Michael Jackson has done no wrong.

"I believed they'd be split down the middle. The prosecution made a good case for some of the charges, but Michael Jackson is a free man.

"Now he can go and do whatever he wants. The jurors believed Michael Jackson was victimised by this horrific family who set out to take his money.

"The jury apparently believed this was a family of evil hustlers and they backed Jackson's defence completely.The jurors didn't believe any of the alleged victims, their parents, brothers, sister, or any of the staff at Netherland."

"I was sat beside the Jackson family and it was an odd scene in the courtroom. Although there was the odd tear, by and large the emotion did not erupt. There wasn't the great relief that I expected. But people react in different ways.

Michael Jackson looked a broken man as he left court. Now he must put the pieces back together."

CAPTION(S):

DELIGHT: A fan after the verdict; PARTY TIME: News reaches New York; RELIEF: Agony is over for this fan; VICTORY: Micahel waves to fans after the verdict yesterday; CAPTION: Pal Uri Geller

TEARS OF JOY FOR STAR: He didn't let down his fans or the people who love him; JACKO FANS THRILLED BY JURY'S DECISION.(News)

Byline: By JIM DOYLE

FANS and friends of Michael Jackson rejoiced around the globe as a jury in California yesterday cleared the pop star of child molestation and conspiracy charges.

As fans in Santa Maria screamed with delight, in Britain Jackson's friend psychic Uri Geller said he couldn't believe the resounding not guilty verdict.

Geller, who helped set up the TV interview in which the singer said he sometimes shared a bed with children, said: "I can't believe it, I'm just so pleased I'm lost for words.

"I always said I want to believe that he's not guilty, and he's not guilty.

"I'm trembling, this is so important, he did not let down his fans and all the people that love him."

Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe said after hearing the verdicts: "I would never have married a paedophile. And the system works."

In Skovde, Sweden, Kent Vilhemsson, 21, returned home yesterday from the United States where he had been waiting outside the courtroom in Santa Maria for two weeks. Vilhemsson, a freelance journalist writing for computer magazines, who was watching the verdict live on television from his apartment in Skovde, added: "The minutes before the verdict were the most nervous moments of my life.

"Now, these are the happiest moments of my life. Now we're going to party."

Media interest in the case was intense around the globe throughout the trial.

In Germany, several news channels carried the verdict live, and the top-selling Bild newspaper quickly posted the headline "Acquittal!" on its website.

Martin Stock, 29, the founder of a Jackson fan club in Germany who stayed up late to watch the outcome, said he was overjoyed, even though he had expected his idol's acquittal. Stock, a 29-year-old employee at Frankfurt's international airport, added: "The whole trial was laughable, and Michael was treated inhumanly. I think people were trying to throw him into prison to get at his money."

He said he would try to organise a party with others among his 40-strong "JAM" fan club.

An overwhelmed Liam Cassidy, speaking for the UK-based Michael Jackson worldwide fan club, said he was "ecstatic" at the verdict. He added: "This is a vindication for Michael but also a vindication for the fans who have stood by him. It's amazing, it's great news."

Mr Cassidy, from Greenwich, south east London, who edits the magazine produced by the fan club, added: "It's exactly what we expected though.

"From the very start we have said nothing but that the whole thing, the trial, the allegations, everything about it was a farce. It was completely untrue." Mary Marsh, director of the NSPCC, said: "It's important that allegations of abuse are fully tested in courts.

"However, it's equally important that this doesn't deter people from raising their concerns about child abuse.

"It's vital that everybody is vigilant about inappropriate behaviour towards children.

"Children need to understand that behaviour that makes them feel uncomfortable isn't acceptable and that talking to someone they trust could help stop any abuse they suffer."

Publicist Max Clifford said: "I'm not surprised at the verdict. Obviously Michael Jackson fans must be delighted and he must be hugely relieved.

"But I think there are a lot of things that came out in the trial which have left a bad taste in the mouth of the general public.

"I don't think it is a foregone conclusion that Michael Jackson is, if you like, back on top.

"Certainly some of the stuff that emerged has really left a big question mark with a lot of people. Although he has been found innocent of all charges, I think that the verdict is still slightly mixed for the world's public." Steve Corbett, a reporter on the Santa Maria Times, said he was "stunned" at the verdicts.

He added: "I am stunned that all of the jury have agreed that Michael Jackson has done no wrong.

"I believed they'd be split down the middle. The prosecution made a good case for some of the charges, but Michael Jackson is a free man.

"Now he can go and do whatever he wants. The jurors believed Michael Jackson was victimised by this horrific family who set out to take his money.

"The jury apparently believed this was a family of evil hustlers and they backed Jackson's defence completely.The jurors didn't believe any of the alleged victims, their parents, brothers, sister, or any of the staff at Netherland."

"I was sat beside the Jackson family and it was an odd scene in the courtroom. Although there was the odd tear, by and large the emotion did not erupt. There wasn't the great relief that I expected. But people react in different ways.

Michael Jackson looked a broken man as he left court. Now he must put the pieces back together."

CAPTION(S):

DELIGHT: A fan after the verdict; PARTY TIME: News reaches New York; RELIEF: Agony is over for this fan; VICTORY: Micahel waves to fans after the verdict yesterday; CAPTION: Pal Uri Geller

Asian automakers' success creates boon for suppliers.(News)(Brief Article)

Byline: Amy Wilson

Asian suppliers are sharing the wealth that Asian automakers have mined in the North American market.

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. and Toyota Motor Corp. gained U.S. market share in 2002, and investors benefited. Suppliers to those automakers saw corresponding share value gains during the year.

``The vehicle manufacturers in Asia-Pacific are gaining ground and generating profitability, and their key suppliers are sharing in that profitability,'' said Mike Burwell, a PricewaterhouseCoopers partner.

Japanese suppliers occupied seven of the top 10 spots on the one-year index and posted strong results on the three-year index. …

AZERBAIJAN`S AMBASSADOR TO GREAT BRITAIN MEETS BRITISH PARLIAMENT MEMBER.

Baku, 26 June (AzerTAc) - Azerbaijan`s ambassador to Great Britain Mr. Fakhraddin Gurbanov met with member of the British Parliament Angus Robertson. The discussion focused on the relations between Azerbaijan and Great Britain and other issues of mutual interest. The Azerbaijani Ambassador told of the ongoing processes in his country, as well as regional projects. He …