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Thinking about my Tuskegee Airman

We have just completed another Black History Month and the talk and remembrance of the Tuskegee Airman revved up to great heights once again. This year at the end of March, the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II will receive the Congressional Gold Medal. This will make us all very proud.

This talk and ceremony gets very personal to me. You see, one of the original four Tuskegee Airmen graduates was my father-in-law.

He, more importantly, conceived and raised the most beautiful woman to ever walk this earth - my Kay. His blood runs in the veins of our two sons. His personal story belongs to me and a few others. A "Hero?" Yes, indeed.

Pops, Charles Henry DeBow Jr., never …

Hong Kong stocks jump on Wall Street gains, optimism about China recovering from snowstorms

Hong Kong stocks surged Monday morning as investors were heartened by gains on Wall Street last week and other Asian markets.

The blue chip Hang Seng Index rose 3.1 percent to 24,876 by midday after earlier jumping as much as 4 percent.

Sentiment got a boost from speculation that China might relax its credit tightening measures after the country was hit by recent snowstorms. China also announced a $700 million fund Friday to help farmers recover from devastating snowstorms.

"Previously people were talking about damage caused by snowstorms, now they're talking about rebuilding," said Y.K. Chan, fund manager at Phillip Asset …

Top of the 2nd

WVU women win exhibition over Lions

MORGANTOWN - The 18th-ranked West Virginia University women'sbasketball team pulled away in the second half to down Concord 89-56, in an exhibition game here Sunday.

Senior center Olayinka Sanni led WVU with 21 points and sixrebounds in only 17 minutes. Meg Bulger, who came off the bench andplayed a team-high 22 minutes, had 11 points and five rebounds. WVUopens the regular season Friday night at home against Canisius.

Baker leads Herd women to exhibition win

HUNTINGTON - Junior Casey Baker, fresh off of a 13-point, six-steal game Wednesday against Kentucky State, backed that up with a17-point, five-steal performance …

Music and world events

I am writing this barely one month after the momentous and tragic events of 9/11/01, and all that has transpired since. I, like the rest of the world, am grappling with the new reality, and am searching for direction and motivation. I find strength in music.

Two weeks after the attacks on the World Trade Center I went to New York City to play with Rob McConnell's Tentet. Even though I grew up just across the river, New York remains an exotic locale. For a jazz musician, arriving in New York is like a child entering Disney World; it takes your breath away. New York is the ultimate city, the centre of the jazz universe. The legacy of all the great New York jazz musicians, past and …

Calcavecchia, Rinker lead US charge at Senior Open

WALTON ON THE HILL, England (AP) — Americans Mark Calcavecchia and Lee Rinker and Canadian Rod Spittle shared the second-round lead in the Senior British Open on Friday.

Calcavecchia — one of three overnight leaders — made six birdies in his 3-under 69. He was joined at 7 under by Rinker and Spittle, who each shot 67 at Walton Heath.

It's the first time since 2004 that at least three players have held a share of the lead after 36 holes of a Senior British Open.

Australian Peter Fowler was two shots back after a 68, with American pair John Cook (67) and Mike Goodes (70) tied at 4 under. Defending champion Bernhard Langer faded with a 76, nine shots off the …

East Timor makes case for oil industry development

East Timor's government has designated land to be developed into a regional petrochemicals hub, its top resources official said Thursday, in the latest push to bring disputed offshore oil and gas to its coast rather than to Australia.

The neighbors share proceeds from the Bayu Undan field in the Timor Sea, but there is disagreement about a larger, untapped field called Greater Sunrise, which contains an estimated 240 million barrels of light oil and 5.4 trillion cubic feet (154 billion cubic meters) of natural gas.

It is worth billions of dollars in commercial oil and gas sales and the country that hosts the processing facilities will also generate billions …

Illinois Tool Works to Solicit Elco Merger Support

Glenview-based Illinois Tool Works Inc., whose $27-a-sharetakeover bid for Rockford-based Elco Industries Inc. was snubbed lastweek, said today it plans to nominate three new Elco directors whowould support the merger.

Illinois Tool, which makes engineered parts and industrialsystems, will demand a list of Elco's stockholders so it can solicitsupport for its offer. The three new directors would constitute athird of Elco's …

Correction: Africa-Business Climate

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — In a Dec. 8 story about barriers to commercial success in Africa, The Associated Press …

Bases aim for air-combat jets, some fear noise

The F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter is tardy, over budget and its jet engine roar could eclipse planes it's due to replace.

Even so, Air Force officials at eleven bases in seven states _ and civilian leaders in surrounding communities _ aim to convince Pentagon brass to choose them for the latest air-combat bling.

For bases, getting the planes could mean survival in a post-Cold War …

The happiest place on earth; For Corvette fans, Bowling Green, Ky., is the ultimate destination

It would be more appropriate if Route 66 instead of Interstate 65ran through this college town of 53,000, especially if your idea ofShangri-La is driving a classic Corvette like the guys from theearly "Route 66" TV series.

And it would be nice if "Life begins at 180 mph" T-shirts weresold instead of "Bad to the Bone."

But, hey, where else can you see the only 1983 Corvette inexistence or tour a plant the size of 22 football fields to watch anAmerican icon born in metallic shades of Atomic Orange (new in 2007)and seven other colors?

Bowling Green is home to the world's only Corvette assemblyplant, producing 148 of the sporty numbers each weekday ($44,600 …

Franchitti, Villeneuve, Carpentier lead foreign invasion of NASCAR

Is the increasingly diverse face of American stock car racing ready for a French-Canadian who started out racing on speedskates? How about another French-Canadian whose family has a history in Formula One? And what about the Scotsman with an Italian name who's married to actress Ashley Judd?

Jeff Burton, a veteran of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) worries about a possible backlash over the growing number of foreign-born drivers rubbing fenders and trading paint in a racing series that until a little more than a decade ago was fiercely guarded as a icon of the southeastern United States.

"The controversial thing of it is at …

Hopman Cup results

Results Monday at the eight-country Hopman Cup mixed teams tennis tournament (women's singles, men's singles, mixed doubles) on hard courts at the indoor Burswood Dome:

Britain 2, Kazakhstan 1

Yaroslava Shvedova, Kazakhstan, def. Laura Robson, Britain, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.

Andy Murray, Britain, def. Andrey Golubev, Kazakhstan, 6-2, 6-2.

…

Anti-war protesters loathe American ideal This war would be over today if we did not care about Iraqi civilians.

Those Americans who continue to protest the war in Iraq, now thatit has begun and our forces are on the ground, are protesting Americaitself.

Susan Sarandon and friends, call your offices.

Once again, the truth of America's basic goodness was driven homewith the dramatic rescue of Pfc. Jessica Lynch. Our troops regularlyput their lives on the line for those of us here at home, and fortheir comrades on the battlefield.

Compare that to the Iraqi regime, which welcomes opportunities tomurder its own citizens, including women and children, particularlyif it can engineer it so it causes international outrage against theUnited States.

We now know, thanks to the Fox News Channel, that it was SaddamHussein's henchmen who forced women and children into a van, thencoerced a terrified driver behind the wheel by threatening to murderhis family if he didn't comply. He drove straight into an Americanmilitary checkpoint in Iraq, ignoring warnings to stop. Sure enough,U.S. soldiers had no choice but to finally shoot into the car,killing several inside, all according to the regime's plan.

These are people who not only wouldn't rescue a fellow Iraqi, mostparticularly a woman, they would see her killed to advance theirmurderous cause.

OK, so the Americans are more generous than the Iraqi military--even America's war protesters might grant that point. So what? Well,the fact is, we're more generous than anybody. Unlike any othercountry that has ever existed, we fight wars only when we trulybelieve we have to defend ourselves or others, and we do our best tospare civilians and to rebuild the place when we leave.

Sure we've made big--make that huge--mistakes, like allowing Iraqiinsurgents to get slaughtered after the last Persian Gulf War andleaving Afghanistan way too soon after we helped wrest it from theSoviet grip.

Still, the fact remains that this war would be over today if wedid not care about Iraqi civilians. But we do, and far more than theIraqi leadership does. Further, the world will be a better place, andAmerica in particular will be a safer place, when the Iraqi regime isousted.

So why do I get the distinct impression that many of the Americanwar protesters, despite their cynical claims that they love theircountry, would actually be pleased if somehow America lost this war?

Because, apparently like the French and the Germans these days,these protesters see America as a power not for good in the world,but a power which has to be checked before it "gets out of line."

And just what would an America run amok bring to the world anyway?Freedom, prosperity, unleashed ingenuity, a regard for the dignity ofhuman life, the rule of law, a hope for a future?

Sheesh--now that's scary.

American liberals did not protest American military action inSomalia or Bosnia, precisely because no U.S. national interest was atstake. But with an American interest in the balance, as in Iraq,comes the fear that an American victory would advance the cause ofthe United States in the world, and that is something Americanliberals most vehemently protest.

Such liberals would argue that a too-powerful America wouldunleash more capitalist exploitation and environmental degradation.I've got news for them. For each of the thousands of peopleprotesting this war in the United States, there are at least tens ofthousands of people around the world who would risk their very livesif they had to to trade places with them.

Maybe we should try an exchange program?

Joe Klein of Time magazine paid homage to America, calling it "themost benign superpower in history." But that's not right. As asuperpower, America has been a powerful and energetic force for good,unrivaled by any country that has gone before us. The world would bea darker and uglier place if America were not such a powerful nation.And that truth is what American war protesters are really protesting.

White House suffers loss in e-mail case

A federal judge on Monday ruled against the Bush administration in a court battle over the White House's problem-plagued e-mail system.

With two-and-a-half months remaining before the Bush administration leaves office, U.S. District Judge Henry Kennedy ruled that two private groups may pursue their case as they press the government to recover millions of possibly missing electronic messages.

Kennedy rejected the government's request to throw out the lawsuits filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the National Security Archive.

The government had argued that the courts did not have the authority to order the White House to retrieve any missing e-mails.

Kennedy, an appointee of President Clinton, said the two private groups seek precisely the relief outlined in the Federal Records Act and upheld in a previous case by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

CREW and the National Security Archive want a court order directing the archivist of the United States to initiate action through the attorney general to restore deleted e-mails.

Meredith Fuchs, the National Security Archive's general counsel, said that because of the ruling, a court order directing the White House to preserve 65,000 computer backup tapes remains in place.

Fuchs said that when the Bush administration surrenders its records to the government on Jan. 20, the incoming administration of Barack Obama can "do the right thing here and clean up this mess by ensuring that any missing e-mails are restored from computer backup tapes."

A White House document obtained by The Associated Press in August says the White House is missing as many as 225 days of e-mail dating to 2003.

The nine-page draft document about the White House's e-mail problems invites companies to bid on a project to recover missing electronic messages. The end date for the work was listed as April 19, 2009. The White House has not said whether it has hired a contractor.

CREW executive director Melanie Sloan called the court ruling "a clear victory for the American people. The Executive Office of the President does have to answer for the missing e-mail."

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said the opinion is under review and that presidential aides are conferring with the Justice Department about the next steps in the case.

Sheila Shadmand, a Washington lawyer representing the National Security Archive, said the ruling enables protection of records "before they get carted off or destroyed as the current administration packs its bags to leave."

In February, a former White House computer expert told Congress the White House had no complete inventory of e-mail files, that there was no automatic system to ensure that e-mail was archived and preserved, and that until mid-2005 the e-mail system had serious security flaws.

Researchers at the National Security Archive disseminate historical materials to the public. CREW argued that the Bush administration is harming the private organization's efforts to gain future access to important historical documents that would shed light on the conduct of public officials.

2009 tourism down but NYC is top US destination

The number of visitors to New York City fell last year for the first time since 2001 when terrorists struck. But tourism declines elsewhere across the U.S. made it the most popular destination in the country for the first time in almost two decades, tourism officials said Monday.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg painted the 3.9 percent decline _ an estimated 45.3 million visitors _ as a victory, saying that amid the recession the city had anticipated losing as much as 10 percent of tourists. The city expects to recoup most of the loss this year and remains on track to hit its longstanding goal of 50 million yearly visitors by 2012, the mayor said.

Other hot spots were hit harder, making New York America's No. 1 destination for the first time since 1990, the mayor said. For nearly two decades that title was held by either Las Vegas or Orlando.

"We have made our city cleaner, safer and more exciting than ever," Bloomberg said at a press conference at a Brooklyn restaurant. "I do think we'll continue to see even more tourists on our streets as the economy improves, and I think that we'll continue to fare better than other cities."

While many travelers stayed home simply because money was tight, the mayor also attributed the decline in international visitors to swine flu fears and concerns over border security measures.

Foreign visitors _ traditionally the biggest spenders _ fell to 8.6 million in 2009, a drop of almost 10 percent from the year before. That echoed a milder national trend, with international visitors to the U.S. down 7 percent in the first 10 months of the year compared to the same period the year before.

Still, some attractions, including the Statue of Liberty, reported jumps in visitation. And the city's leisure and hospitality industry _ which provides one-tenth of the city's private sector jobs _ actually grew in 2009.

The decline in visitors was modest partly because the city's hotels offered deep discounts, with some dropping rates by as much as 40 percent, said Bjorn Hanson, a professor at New York University's Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management.

"The lodging industry really is using discounting to stimulate demand," he said, adding that the price drops have significantly boosted "the city's ability to maintain the level of tourism that it's had."

While the final numbers aren't in, Hanson estimates that New York City hotels dropped their average daily rate about 29 percent to between $200 and $235 last year. In a city where even mid-range hotels often have an initial investment of $500,000 per room, the discounting has come with a price.

Of the city's hotels, "more than half will not be able to meet their debt service obligations in total this year," Hanson said.

2nd round of trials begins in China gang crackdown

A second round of trials began Tuesday as part of an ongoing assault on organized crime in the western city of Chongqing, state media reported.

Leaders of four alleged gangs comprising dozens of members are being tried on charges including murder, illegal gun possession, racketeering, and money laundering, the China Daily newspaper and China News Service news agency said.

An initial round of trials produced lurid details of collusion between gangsters and local officials and resulted in sentences being handed down last month of up 18 years.

Separately, a Chongqing gang boss was executed last month after being convicted of heading a criminal organization that ran various scams, sold drugs, operated illegal casinos, and demanded protection money.

Up to 2,900 suspects, including 14 high-ranking government and police officials, have been detained in the crackdown, details of which remain somewhat sketchy.

In what appeared to be the single largest trial, hearings began Tuesday at the Chongqing No. 2 Intermediate court into 22 charges, including murder, assault, loan sharking and running illegal casinos in high-class hotels, brought against 26 members of a gang headed by Chen Zhiyi.

A court clerk confirmed the trial had begun, but refused to give any details or his name.

Three other trials opened elsewhere in the city, China Daily reported, although it didn't say how many suspects were due in court.

People who answered calls to city government offices, courts, and police headquarters refused to release any information as is common among Chinese bureaucrats under strict orders to maintain secrecy.

China Daily said a third round of trials was being readied to include wealthy gang boss suspects who had been appointed to seats on local legislative and government consultative bodies.

In a separate report, CNS said Chongqing's mayor was replacded on Monday, although there was no clear link to the organized crime crackdown.

Longtime Chongqing politician Wang Hongju, who took office in January 2008 is one of a half-dozen provincial and district officials rotated out of office in recent days. Wang, who was being replaced by a vice mayor, Huang Qifan, was just short of the standard retirement age for local officials of 65.

Kearns' hit in 11th gives Indians sweep of Tigers

Austin Kearns lined a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Cleveland Indians a 2-1 win and doubleheader sweep of the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.

Fausto Carmona (9-7) outlasted Justin Verlander in a matchup of All-Star right-handers to win the opener 4-3.

Rafael Perez (2-0) pitched 1 1-3 scoreless innings in the second game for the win.

Jayson Nix singled off Robbie Weinhardt (0-1) to start Cleveland's two-out rally in the nightcap, which was halted for 1 hour, 53 minutes by rain in the top of the ninth.

Weinhardt then walked Carlos Santana and Kearns, with the runners in motion on a 3-2 pitch, lined a single to left, easily scoring Nix.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

CLEVELAND (AP) _ Fausto Carmona tried to outpitch fellow All-Star Justin Verlander and lost his command _ but won the game.

Cleveland's right-hander walked six over seven innings, but backed by superb defense and a two-out RBI single by Trevor Crowe in the seventh, Carmona and the Indians beat the Detroit Tigers 4-3 in the first game of a day-night doubleheader Saturday.

"Fausto did such a good job without his best stuff and kept putting up zeros until we could get Verlander out of there," Crowe said.

Crowe came through in the seventh with a tiebreaking single against reliever Phil Coke (5-1). The hit scored Matt LaPorta, who doubled with two outs.

Carmona fell behind 3-0 in the first inning, but got stronger while Verlander faded.

"I tried too much and was overthrowing," Carmona admitted. "The defense really helped me win."

Third baseman Andy Marte started three around-the-horn double plays to thwart Tigers threats in the second, third and fifth. His backhand stop of a smash by Miguel Cabrera in the third helped halt the Detroit slugger's hitting streak at 20 games. Cabrera went 0 for 3 with a walk.

"That was a huge swing inning," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "Cabrera hit a bullet down the third-base line with two guys on and it looked like it was going to bring another run in and we would have second and third with no out. Marte made a great play on it. Then they scored two in the bottom half."

Carmona left in the eighth after yielding a leadoff double to Johnny Damon. Joe Smith got Magglio Ordonez to ground out and fanned Cabrera. Left-hander Rafael Perez then retired Brennan Boesch on a groundout.

"Smitty was huge, fantastic," Indians manager Manny Acta said.

Chris Perez worked the ninth for his eighth save. He closed in place of veteran Kerry Wood, put on the disabled list before the game due to a blistered right index finger.

Carlos Guillen had a two-run single and Brandon Inge followed with an RBI double in the Tigers' first. Guillen was thrown out at the plate on a close play to end the inning.

Carmona walked five over the first three innings, but settled down. He allowed three runs and six hits, striking out three. Acta went to the mound after Carmona walked Damon to open the third. Carmona then walked Ordonez, too, before Marte bailed him out.

"I told Fausto to forget those three early runs because they were gone," Acta said. "He was a little agitated but I said, 'Just calm yourself.' He did and gave us the chance to win."

Verlander fanned nine and walked five over six innings, allowing six hits and three runs. He also threw two wild pitches in the sixth that enabled Cleveland to tie the score at 3.

"For the most part I felt pretty good, but five walks is way too much," Verlander said.

The hard-throwing right-hander struck out three over two hitless innings before the Indians cut it to 3-2 in the third. Jason Donald had an RBI double and scored on a single by Michael Brantley. Tigers center fielder Austin Jackson preserved the lead with a running catch in right-center to take away LaPorta's bid for extra bases with two on and two outs.

Cleveland loaded the bases with one out in the fifth on a single by Brantley and two walks. Verlander then struck out cleanup hitter Travis Hafner on three pitches and fanned LaPorta on a 1-2 pitch in the dirt.

"His curve and changeup were nasty all day," Crowe said. "But we hung in there. This was a good win against a great pitcher."

The Indians loaded the bases again in the sixth. Shelley Duncan singled, went to second on a two-out single by Donald and both runners moved up on a wild pitch. Verlander walked Brantley and uncorked another wild pitch, scoring Duncan.

Tigers catcher Alex Avila took the blame.

"It was a slider where it was supposed to be," Avila said. "I just didn't get down in time."

NOTES: Detroit called up RHP Rick Porcello from Triple-A Toledo to start the second game against Mitch Talbot. The Tigers optioned LHP Daniel Schlereth to Toledo. ... Wood's trip to the DL is the 14th of his career and second this year. ... RHP Jensen Lewis was recalled from Triple-A Columbus to replace Wood. "I left Norfolk (Va.) at 5:30 this morning so this is a real long day, but I wouldn't want it any other way," Lewis said. ... Verlander is 9-10 in his career against Cleveland. He went 4-0 with a 0.90 ERA in four starts against the Indians in 2009. ... Acta said the Indians will call up RHP Jeanmar Gomez on Sunday to make his major league debut. But win or lose, it will only be a spot start. Gomez pitched a perfect game for Double-A Akron last year.

Chile to probe torture, death of Bachelet's father

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — A Chilean judge has agreed to investigate the death of a general who was tortured and imprisoned for supporting President Salvador Allende before the 1973 military coup.

Alberto Bachelet, whose daughter, Michelle, later became Chile's first female president, died in prison in 1974 after Gen. Augusto Pinochet's military convicted him of being a traitor.

Judge Mario Carroza said in an interview with Chile's Radio Cooperativa on Thursday that he has agreed to review a complaint alleging that Bachelet was tortured to death. The complaint was presented by relatives of political prisoners executed during Chile's 1973-1990 dictatorship.

Carroza already has been investigating the events surrounding the death of Allende and hundreds of his allies who were killed or disappeared as Pinochet consolidated power.

General Bachelet was 51 when he died. He had told his family of being tortured by the same young air force members he had trained.

"They broke me from the inside," Bachelet wrote in a letter from prison. "At one point they had morally torn me apart. I never thought to hate anyone, I always thought that the human being is the most marvelous of this creation and should be respected as such, but I found myself confronted with air force comrades whom I've known for 20 years, my own students, who treated me like a delinquent or a dog."

In 1972, as other high-ranking military officers were conspiring with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to lay the groundwork for the coup, Allende put Bachelet in charge of Chile's commerce agency, where he was responsible for overseeing food sales nationwide. Food and many other products were in short supply partly because Allende's right-wing opponents held goods back to create a sense of chaos.

Bachelet remained loyal to Allende to the end, refusing to endorse the Sept. 11, 1973 coup even after Allende committed suicide while taking his last stand in the bombed-out presidential palace. He was arrested the same day, convicted that December and survived in prison until March 12, 1974.

Pinochet's junta also arrested the general's wife, Angela Jeria, and Michelle Bachelet in 1974. They were tortured in a secret jail for two weeks before leaving Chile. Michelle Bachelet returned in 1979 and served as president from 2006-2010. She now runs the United Nation's women's agency.

Messages left with the U.N. agency's representatives in New York seeking comment from Bachelet were not immediately returned.

Vatican says pope's health improving, He is eating now, but it is unclear if he will give his Sunday address from the hospital

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II's health continues to improve andhe has begun eating, the Vatican said Friday, but it would not say ifthe pope would give his weekly Sunday address from the hospital,where he's being treated for the flu and respiratory troubles.

A papal spokesman said tests confirmed that the 84-year-old pope'slatest health crisis had stabilized, and that there was a "favorableevolution" of the breathing troubles he suffered earlier in the week.

"The state of health of the Holy Father has improved," JoaquinNavarro-Valls told reporters, reading from a brief Vatican medicalbulletin.

It was unclear when the pope began eating. Navarro-Valls, whorefused to elaborate on virtually any point of the health bulletin,said only: "Certainly today, maybe yesterday evening, but certainlytoday."

Underscoring the sense that the frail pontiff was not in immediatedanger, Navarro-Valls said the Holy See would not issue anothermedical update until Monday.

But he would not confirm that John Paul would give his weeklyaddress via an audio hookup from his papal suite at Rome's GemelliPolytechnic hospital rather than from his usual perch in a windowhigh above St. Peter's Square.

"It's very important to him and something he does not want tomiss," Navarro-Valls said.

Vatican Radio said John Paul spent a third restful night at thehospital, but said the pope canceled a Friday meeting with JosepBorrell, the president of the European Parliament.

The pope's age and Parkinson's disease make his flu moredangerous, and doctors were watching him closely for any signs ofcomplications.

The Rev. Federico Lombardi, who heads Vatican radio, told Italianstate broadcaster RAI in an interview Friday: "The pope has shown agreat courage in sickness, in old age, and we can say, going towarddeath."

On Thursday, Navarro-Valls suggested the pope might spend up to aweek at the clinic's tightly guarded papal suite, telling reporters,"When I've had the flu, it lasts seven days."

Since the pope fell ill, good wishes have poured in from aroundthe world - even from the Turkish gunman who shot the pope in abotched assassination attempt in St. Peter's Square in 1981. MehmetAli Agca's handwritten note from prison wished the pope "a speedyrecovery."

The Islamic Cultural Center of Italy sent a note to the pope onFriday relaying "our most ardent and sincere wishes for a speedy andcomplete recovery that can permit you to carry on the preciousmission of peace, brotherhood and dialogue."

The assassination attempt was the first major health crisis forthe pontiff, once a sportsman fond of skiing and hiking. He suffersfrom crippling hip and knee ailments as well as Parkinson's, whichhave left him in frail health for years.

The pontiff was rushed by ambulance to Gemelli late Tuesday aftersuffering what the Vatican called an inflamed windpipe and spasms ofthe larynx, or voice box, which had made it difficult for him tobreathe.

John Paul has for some time been cutting back on his activities,letting aides read his speeches or represent him at events abroad.Still, before coming down with the flu he had not missed a scheduledaudience in 16 months, despite his ailments.

"We all are praying for him," said German Cardinal Karl Lehmann,attending a Mass at Rome's Saint John Lateran basilica. "He is agreat pope because also his suffering is a message."

Butler's basket helps Wizards win Game 5 in Cleveland

Caron Butler saved Washington's season. Butler made a layup with 3.9 seconds left and the Wizards held their breath as LeBron James missed a potential series-ending layup at the horn, giving Washington an 88-87 victory Wednesday night and adding at least one more game to this overheated NBA playoff series.

After Butler scored on a drive past James, the Cavs had one more chance but their superstar couldn't get a banked runner to drop and the Wizards headed home for Game 6 on Friday night down 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.

Butler scored 32 points and DeShawn Stevenson had 17 for the Wizards, who played without guard Gilbert Arenas. Agent Zero announced before the game that his season was over because of a bothersome knee. Arenas' absence figured to be the decisive blow for the Wizards, but they fought to the finish and, at least for now, prevented the Cavs from ending their season for the third straight year.

James scored 34 points _ 24 in the second half _ but was unable to make a final shot in traffic that would have sent the Wizards, who began talking trash weeks ago and haven't stopped, quietly into the summer. The Cavaliers led by five with 1:47 left, but Washington scored the final six points to end a five-game playoff losing streak in Cleveland.

The Cavaliers were keen on closing out the Wizards. Last year in the playoffs, Cleveland led New Jersey 3-1 and failed to put away the Nets before finally doing it on the road. The Cavs seemed to have learned their lesson and took an 87-82 lead on Delonte West's three-point play with 1:47 to go.

Butler scored on a layup sandwiched between two missed 3-pointers by Cleveland, and Antonio Daniels hit two free throws to pull the Wizards within 87-86 with 43 seconds left. Joe Smith then missed a short inside shot and Zydrunas Ilgauskas couldn't steer in a tip.

Following a timeout, the Wizards cleared the floor for Butler, who burst past James and got an arching layup that danced briefly on the rim to fall.

Washington has been beaten by so many last-second shots from Cleveland in the playoffs, and as James drove by Stevenson to the basket on the Cavs' last possession, it looked as if the Wizards were going to go down in heartbreaking fashion again.

But James, who was bumped by Darius Songaila, didn't come through and Stevenson, whose running feud has been one of the subplots in a series as juicy as a day-time TV soap, ran to midcourt and celebrated the Wizards' good luck.

This series has had it all: trash talk, villains, heroes, rap stars and, of course, the Stevenson vs. James feud that seems personal and professional. And now, it will continue.

Arenas was casually sitting in a chair in Washington's locker room discussing a recent movie he had seen, when he stunningly announced his lost season was over. The three-time All-Star, who missed 66 regular-season games following knee surgery, played in the first four games in the series despite a painful deep bone bruise.

But he wasn't himself, and Arenas decided to start getting ready for next season a little early.

His teammates had other plans.

On Tuesday, the Wizards were visited by Abe Pollin, their 84-year-old owner who talked to them about past playoff successes and failures. Pollin spoke of times when Washington has overcome 3-1 deficits, and the Wizards have a chance to do it again.

The Cavaliers reeled off 11 straight points in the third quarter to open a 59-53 lead, but the Wizards regrouped as Butler and Antawn Jamison made 3-pointers in a 16-6 run that put Washington ahead 69-65 entering possibly its final 12 minutes of the season.

As if on cue, the Wizards and Cavaliers were at each other's throats early.

With 3:20 left in the first quarter, James was fouled on a baseline drive by Songaila, whose left forearm caught James on the chin. James threw his head back and Songaila was assessed a technical foul for the latest rough foul of the series.

Both teams barked at each other and Stevenson and Anderson Varejao drew "Ts" for too much banter.

Butler scored 14 points in the first quarter on 5-of-6 shooting, forcing the Cavaliers to make a defensive switch and put James on the forward.

Notes:@ Only eight of 174 teams have overcome 3-1 deficits to win. ... Cavs F Sasha Pavlovic, sidelined since April 16 with a sprained left ankle, was active but didn't play. Arenas sat on the bench in street clothes, cheering on every miss and make by his teammates. ... Cavs coach Mike Brown was saddened but not surprised to learn that Dallas coach Avery Johnson was fired, two seasons after being NBA coach of the year. "The reality of it is, we get paid a lot of money to handle pressure," Brown said. "Avery is going to get another job whenever he wants it. He's just that good. There's nothing out there that's forever."

(This version CORRECTS Wizards 88, Cavaliers 87. corrects to "cue" in 17th graf.)

Swiss police follow blood trail and find bacon

Swiss police can be excused for fearing the worst. Acting on emergency calls Monday night, they hurried to a rural road in northern Switzerland where horrified motorists reported a long trail of blood _ what they believed was evidence of a brutal crime.

A police statement Tuesday said officers followed the blood for 12 miles to the town of Kuettigen only to find that a butcher's supply van had spilled its cargo.

A barrel of pork blood had overturned inside. The van had been headed for a local sausage factory.

Protesters block car traffic to French airports

PARIS (AP) — Demonstrators have blocked car traffic outside airports in Paris and several smaller French cities to protest France's decision to raise the retirement age.

About 100 protesting airport workers played music, chanted slogans and blocked cars from accessing one of the terminals at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport on Thursday.

A similar demonstration took place in Toulouse, and another blockage was reported in Nantes.

France's unions are angry about the government's plans to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62. They have waged massive strikes this month that disrupted travel and caused gasoline shortages.

The protests have mostly died down by now. Parliament has already approved the bill, and President Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to sign it in mid-November.

Djokovic out of Davis Cup with sore knee

HALMSTAD, Sweden (AP) — Top-ranked Novak Djokovic has withdrawn because of a left knee injury from his singles match for Serbia against Sweden in the Davis Cup quarterfinals.

The Wimbledon champion will be replaced by Janko Tipsarevic, who will face Ervin Eleskovic. Sweden's Michael Ryderstedt will play Viktor Troicki in the opening match on Friday.

It was unclear whether Djokovic would be back for the reverse singles on Sunday.

Reader Demands Straight Answer

Conversations with readers:

"Dear Mr. Byrne: You are such a sexist, stupidly conceited pig,you obviously think having b - is the same as having guts, becausethat would be your only claim to having guts. If you had any guts,you'd stop beating around the bush like a pansy and say what youreally think. Is the Church right or wrong when it says women mustsubmit to their husband's authority? Is it sinful to disobey him?How about a straight answer, you moral weakling. No fan of yours,"

Pat McCartney (No return address)

As I always do in matters relating to spousal authority, Iturned your letter over to my wife, Barb, for directions on how toreply. She wants to know if you're the Pat who is on Saturday NightLive.

A half-dozen calls and a letter arrived, all saying essentiallythe same thing: Byrne, you bonehead, Larry Demery, one of the guyscharged with killing James Jordan, isn't white, as you said; he's aNative American of the Lumbee tribe. You should know better.

My mistake, I apologize. But if Demery is of the Lumbee tribe,things are more complex than my angry correspondents would haveeveryone believe. Most historians agree that Lumbees are a mixtureof peoples - white, black and Native American. The Encyclopedia ofNative American Tribes says the Lumbees may have descended from thelost Roanoke colonists, who were white, and Algonquian-speakingIndians who lived along Cape Hatteras in North Carolina.

None of this, of course, invalidates my point that we shouldn'tjump to the conclusion that Jordan's death was the consequence ofsome white, racist plot. And all of this demonstrates anew thedangers of making too much of someone's race. Maybe somedaysomeone's race won't matter. But then what would those who've made acareer of stirring up racial animosities do for a living?

"Dear Dennis: As I reclined in a comfortable lawn chair, I beganreading your reflective prose about the need of lawns to completeman's manifest destiny. Suddenly there it was again, Byrne whiningabout city homeowners who have unmetered water. Dennis, you wouldnot believe how fast our organization, `Friends of Open LiberatedWater' (FLOW), reacted to your sinister tactics. We immediatelycalled a BYRNE ALERT, and everyone turned on all of their hoses forthe entire evening. Unfortunately, that evening witnessed a colossaldeluge in our neighborhood. This, combined with the hoses going fullblast precipitated (pun intended) all of our homes to be washed intoneighboring Evanston. Consequently, we no longer have unmeteredwater."

Sincerely, Bill Haig, chairman

Every time I write about this subject, I look forward toreceiving another witty letter from you defending the right ofChicagoans whose water use isn't metered to mooch off everyone else.Because my water is metered, my celebration of the arrival of yourletters has to be much more modest than your BYRNE ALERTS. I justflush twice.

"Life - What a beautiful choice" - Unsigned note that came withthe clippings "Parents Sought in Nabbing at Shelter," "Mother Fit forTrial in Hanging Death," "Mom Charged in Death."

I was wondering how long it would be until I got the first nastyletter about the pro-life TV commercials that close with the line,"Life: What a beautiful choice." If abortion is simply an issue of"choice," who could object to a commercial that simply tries topersuade, and not legislate?

Apparently those who believe that life is an awful choice - forsomeone else. It must be wonderful and great to be smart enough toknow in advance who is deserving enough to be allowed into thisworld, and who, for his own sake, should be kept out.

Dennis Byrne is a member of the Chicago Sun-Times editorialboard.

Dove Bar account flies to Grey

Yet another Chicago-based advertiser is taking its ad businessout of town. Dove Bar International, the ice cream confectionscompany based in west suburban Burr Ridge, has assigned its $10million account to Grey Advertising, New York.

Dove Bar, now a unit of the global Mars Inc. candy company,moves the chocolate-covered ice cream bar that was the originalproduct for the company to Grey, as well as Rondos, a bite-sizedchocolate-covered ice cream bon-bon.

Rondos, which gets close to half of the ad budget, was a clientof Tatham-Laird & Kudner, Chicago. Sources close to the competitionfor this account say that Forever Yours ice cream sundaes, which hada $2.3 million ad budget last year according to published reports,will be dropped from the company's product line. TLK also handledForever Yours.

Dove Bar has not really had an ad agency since late last yearwhen Mars suddenly fired Leo Burnett Co. because of what it called acompetitive conflict with another Burnett client, H.J. Heinz Co.Burnett also handled many Mars candy products.

Mars, a very secretive privately held company, has been strivingsince that time to consolidate its advertising business with a fewagencies around the world that can work in all of the productcategories in which it markets products.

Grey, which up until now did not have any U.S. advertisingbusiness from Mars, is a major agency for the McLean, Va.-basedcompany in Europe. In addition to working on several candy brandsfrom its offices in most European capitals, Grey also handles MarsInc. pet foods and Uncle Ben's rice in Europe.

The other two primary agencies for Mars are D'Arcy Masius Benton& Bowles and Backer Spielvogel Bates. Both of these shops picked upmajor brands earlier this year when the business from Burnett wasreassigned.

At Dove Bar, a new top marketing man, Kevin Martin, has beeninstalled by Mars management, and ad agency executives involved inthe review say that it is Martin, rather than President MichaelStefano, who is making the calls.

Consumers probably remember best the Dove Bar advertising fromChicago agency Zechman & Associates that launched the popularconfection into mass-market distribution. The Zechman ads told thestory of the Stefano family's local ice cream shop, where the firstcalorific bars were hand-dipped.

Still to be decided is which ad agency will handle new productsplanned to cross Mars confections with ice cream desserts. To date,Mars has introduced a Three Musketeers ice cream confection thatcurrently is handled by Backer Spielvogel Bates.

At Tatham-Laird & Kudner, President and Chief Operating OfficerWilliam Youngclaus said Monday that his agency had not yet beeninformed by Dove that it no longer had the account.

Tatham has had a difficult year of account losses withoutcounterbalancing gains, and its staff already is pared to the bone.Many of the losses were, like this one, the result of corporatemaneuverings on the part of the client, rather than reflecting poorlyon the agency's work. The effect, however, is that several majorpackage goods companies, on which TLK had been counting for futuregrowth, no longer are on its client list.

Other local companies moving their ad business out of the cityin the past year include Hyatt Hotels, Quaker Oats (hot cereals),Motorola and NutraSweet's Equal. PFIZER BUYING ORAL LABS

Oral Research Laboratories, the marketer of Plax plaque-removingdental rinse, will be acquired by Pfizer Inc.

Pfizer acquired 20 percent interest in the company last year,and now will pay another $200 million to acquire the remaining share.

Edmund T. Pratt Jr., Pfizer chairman and chief executiveofficer, said Plax will become his company's biggest consumer brandand "fits well with our strategy to expand our consumer health carebusiness."

Plax currently is advertised by Ally & Gargano, New York.

Nancy Millman writes Monday through Friday.

Top Africa cardinal: next pope could well be black

A prominent African cardinal said Monday there was no reason why the next pope couldn't be black, particularly following the election of President Barack Obama.

Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson of Ghana is playing an important role in guiding a three-week meeting at the Vatican on the challenges of the Catholic Church in Africa.

At a news conference Monday, Turkson was asked whether he thought the time was right for a black pope, especially in light of Obama's election.

"Why not?" Turkson replied. He argued that every man who agrees to be ordained a priest has to be willing to be a pope, and is given training along the way as bishop and cardinal. "All of that is part of the package."

He also noted that former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan was from Ghana.

"He had problems, but he still did it," Turkson said. "And now it is Obama of the United States. And if by divine providence _ because the church belongs to God _ if God would wish to see a black man also as pope, thanks be to God!"

Speculation about the possibility of a pope from the developing world has swirled for years, as that is where the Catholic Church is growing most: In Africa, between 1978 and 2007, the number of Catholics grew from 55 million to 146 million. By contrast, Catholic communities in Europe are in decline.

In 1978, the Polish-born Pope John Paul II became the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. Cardinals followed in 2005 by electing German-born Pope Benedict XVI.

Whether the European-heavy College of Cardinals will look outside Europe for Benedict's successor is an open question. Benedict enjoys good health at 82, and there are no signs the job will become open soon.

But Turkson may well be in the running when the time comes. The 60-year-old archbishop of Cape Coast, Ghana, was appointed by Benedict to be the relator, or key discussion leader, of the synod on Africa.

It's a high-profile position _ important for letting cardinals get to know prelates from regions other than their own.

During the press conference Monday, he was deft in handling delicate questions about the church in Africa, including one about priests who stray from their vows of celibacy and live openly with women.

"I might say I knew that question would come up," he quipped.

He said the matter was not something to hide or be ashamed of. Rather, he said, the aim should be to help priests who are struggling and support them in living out their vows.

Turkson also was asked about the Catholic Church's position on the use of condoms as a way to fight HIV, which has ravaged the continent. The Vatican opposes condoms, as well as any form of artificial birth control. Critics say the church's position has only worsened the HIV problem.

Turkson didn't rule out condoms outright, suggesting they could be useful in a situation of a married, faithful couple where one partner is infected.

But he said the quality of condoms in Africa is poor, and can engender false confidence. He said abstinence and fidelity were the key to fighting the epidemic, along with refraining from sex if infected.

He also said the money being spent on condoms would be better spent providing anti-retroviral drugs to those already infected.

"Let's talk clearly," he said. "We're talking about a product of a factory, and there are different qualities. There are condoms that arrive in Ghana which in the heat will burst during sex. And when that is the case, then it gives a false sense of security which rather facilitates the spread of HIV/AIDs. And when that is the case, we are reluctant _ even in the case of conjugal relations of people who are faithful," to suggest condom use as a way of preventing AIDS.