Sri Lankan Human Rights Advisers Quit

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Four prominent activists have resigned from a government advisory panel on human rights, saying Monday that officials were more interested in fighting separatist rebels than protecting human rights.

The 10-member panel, formed last year, hoped to push the government to investigate and prosecute soldiers, police officers and other gunmen blamed for an ongoing wave of assassinations, illegal detentions and disappearances of civilians in the country's civil war.

"It is with deep regret that we note that this has not been the case," said a letter submitted by the four resigning panel members.

"The best efforts of the committee to contribute to …

Commodities weigh on world stocks as dollar rises

Mining and oil stocks pushed world markets lower Monday as the strength of the dollar following weekend comments from Russia's finance minister depressed commodity prices.

In Europe, stock indexes fell quite sharply following earlier losses in Asia, with the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares down 70.58 points, or 1.6 percent, at 4,371.37 and Germany's DAX 106.40 points, or 2.1 percent, lower at 4,962.84. The CAC-40 in France was down 54.28 points, or 1.6 percent, at 3,271.86.

The selling pressure is set to continue when Wall Street opens later. Dow futures were 88 points, or 1 percent, lower at 8,650 while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 …

This Bluebird Happily Nests In a Beautiful Floral Display

This beautiful bluebird will truly bring happiness tocross-stitchers everywhere! Snugly perched in its nest on a floralwreath, the bluebird is the focal point of an intricately shadedcounted cross-stitch picture worked from a chart.

Cotton floss is used on 14-count Aida cloth. When completed,this appealing picture measures 17 by 16 inches. The size makes thedesign suitable for a pillow top as well.

To obtain directions for making the Bluebird Floral Picture,send your request for Leaflet No. Z-082993 with $2 and a long,stamped, self-addressed envelope to: Pat Trexler …

Leading indicators post 1st drop since June 2010

NEW YORK (AP) — A private research group's forecasting gauge suggests some bumps in the U.S. economic recovery this summer.

The Conference Board says its index of leading economic indicators dropped 0.3 percent in April, the first decline since June 2010.

The index has moved steeply higher in four of the past five months as the job market improved and the …

Rays beat Orioles to inch closer to AL East crown

Jason Bartlett doubled in the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays took another step toward their first AL East title by beating the Baltimore Orioles 4-2 Monday night.

The victory reduced the Rays' magic number for winning the division crown to four after the Red Sox lost to the Indians, 4-3. Any combination of Tampa Bay wins and Red Sox losses totaling four would make the Rays champions of the AL East.

The Rays lead the Red Sox by 2 1/2 games.

Tampa Bay has already clinched a playoff spot for the first time in franchise history. The victory left the Rays (93-62) one win shy of tying the 1991 Atlanta Braves for most …

Restaurants playing chicken with prices Wholesale costs have taken wing in the last year

Monday was a very good day at Yak-Zies on Clark Street.

The Wrigleyville bar was packed for Cubs opening day and thebuffalo wings were selling like, well, hotcakes.

"Two tons yesterday alone," owner Joe Spagnoli said Tuesday.

But chicken-lovers may have a harder time swallowing this:

Wholesale chicken prices have risen sharply in the past year, upby nearly a third, according to industry estimates -- and expertsdon't see that changing anytime soon.

"It's ridiculous," said D.J. Johnson, 52, a South Sidetelecommunications employee shopping Tuesday at the Jewel-Osco inRiver North, where boneless, skinless chicken breasts were sellingfor between $4.99 …

Benefits and Impacts of Using Tactical Sensor Payloads

The U.S. Army is accelerating its effort to develop and field unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at the brigade, division and corps levels. This effort will enhance the Army's capability to find, identify, attack and destroy enemy troop concentrations and simultaneously reduce U.S. force vulnerability. The synthetic aperture radar/moving target indicator (SAR/MTI) sensor payload is being developed to perform UAV reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA) missions.

Product Manager Robotic and Unmanned Sensors (PM RUS), part of Project Manager Night Vision/Reconnaissance Surveillance and Target Acquisition (PM NV/RSTA) under Program Executive Officer (PEO) Intelligence, …

US stocks soar as government pledges bank aid

Wall Street snapped back Monday from last week's devastating losses after major governments announced further steps to support the global banking system, including plans by the U.S. Treasury to buy stocks of some banks. All the major indexes rose about 7 percent, and the Dow Jones industrials rose as much as 600 points.

The hope on Wall Street was that the market was finding a bottom after eight sessions of devastating losses that sent the Dow down nearly 2,400 points. But while a rebound had been expected at some point, investors can expect to see back-and-forth trading in the coming days and weeks as investors work through their concerns about the banking sector, …

Midwest Fishing Report

BEST BET: Chicago lakefront perch: They arrived over the weekend,particularly at Montrose and Navy Pier. On Tuesday, the hot spot wasBelmont, according to Henry's. The best method has been slowretrieving or dragging a minnow along the bottom; but spikes andsmall jigs also will work. Key is having enough weight to find andfeel the bottom. It's the usual winter fishery; finding keeperstakes sorting through smaller perch, but there has been some jumboscaught, too.

AREA LAKES: In between: Rain and warmth already knocked out theice fishing south of the city and will shortly do the same north.

AREA RIVERS: Changing: Ice buildup and ice floes are or will behistory on …

Ex-Lawman Indicted in 1964 Slayings

WASHINGTON - A former Mississippi sheriff's deputy was arrested Wednesday in the 1964 slayings of two black teenagers who were long believed to have been kidnapped and killed by the Ku Klux Klan.

The former deputy, James Ford Seale, of Roxie, Miss., was named in a federal indictment charging him in connection with the teens' disappearance and deaths while they were hitchhiking in a rural area of the state east of Natchez.

Until recently, Seale was thought to be dead, and the investigation into the two deaths had long been abandoned.

Seale was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon and was taken to Jackson, Miss. He is expected to be arraigned Thursday on …

South Africa drop McKenzie, Morkel from test squad

South Africa's opening batsman Neil McKenzie and off-form fast bowler Morne Morkel have both been dropped for the third and final test against Australia in Cape Town, but Ashwell Prince returns to captain the side in place of the injured Graeme Smith.

Left-handed opener Imraan Khan and seamer Wayne Parnell will both get caps for the first time in the third test at Newlands, Cape Town beginning March 19.

Australia lead the test series 2-0.

Prince, who was vice-captain until he was forced out of the team with a broken thumb in Australia in December, will now lead the team after Smith himself was ruled out with a broken finger.

…

New town boutique open in High Street ; Shop set to feature in The Only Way Is Essex [Edition 2]

CHAMPAGNE flowed as some of Essex's most glamorous girls and well-groomed guys gathered for the opening of a new boutique in Ongar.

Stars from the hit TV show The Only Way Is Essex mingled withfriends and relatives of Cherie Bacon, as she officially opened hershop in the High Street on Wednesday.

Cast members Lydia Bright and Adam Ryan joined in thecelebrations as Le Cherie Boutique of Essex prepared to open itsdoors to the public for the first time on Thursday.

Cherie, 20, revealed the boutique would be featuring in thesecond series of The Only Way Is Essex, the filming of which is setto begin later this month.

She told the Gazette: "Because …

Bands raise pounds1k for kids' charity

Bands in Aberdeen have drummed up pounds1,000 at a gig for achildren's charity.

Some of the city's top rock bands came together for the event atCafe Drummond in support of Children 1st.

Event organiser Bryan Morrison, who also plays bass in Statue OfMisery, said: "It was a great success.

"I want to thank Cafe Drummond for their venue support and allthe bands and supporters, because without them it would not havebeen possible to raise pounds1,000 for Children 1st.

"I know that this money will be used to help vulnerable childrenin Scotland and I hope to raise further funds for a charity that Itruly believe in."

In the North-east, Children 1st's Corrieneuchin services inAberdeen and Aberdeenshire work with children to help them recoverfrom abuse and trauma.

The charity's Fraserburgh Families service protects childrenaffected by parental drug or alcohol abuse.

Other bands who took part included Element 106, Downfall andBonethaw.

Saudi move clears way for outside investment

Saudi Arabia has decided to give outsiders limited access to the country's stock market _ a move that could open up the Middle East's largest exchange to increased foreign investment.

The decision, announced Wednesday by the country's Capital Market Authority, will allow certain authorized market players such as local branches of global investment banks to enter into financial transactions known as swap agreements with foreigners. The rules apply to both institutional and individual foreign investors.

Although the new regulations do not allow foreigners to own shares of Saudi companies outright, they do for the first time let outsiders reap economic benefits of shares traded on the Riyadh-based exchange, known as Tawadul.

"Here is a clear intention to open up the Saudi equity market to foreign investors," said Timothy Gray, chief executive of HSBC Holdings PLC's Saudi Arabian division. "This is a fairly significant move."

Previously, foreign traders outside the Gulf could only invest in Saudi stocks indirectly through mutual funds.

Investors have been eager to invest more directly in the Saudi economy, which like its oil-rich neighbors is being flooded with cash thanks to soaring energy prices.

The new rules could provide a fresh injection of capital into the Tawadul, which has slumped 23 percent since the start of the year, and calm some of the market's volatile tendencies.

The arrangement, however, ensures that legal ownership and shareholder voting power remain within Saudi Arabia.

A number of questions about the plan have yet to be resolved. For example, Gray said, it is not clear if certain types of stocks will be off limits, or whether there will be minimum holding requirements or other restrictions.

It is also uncertain when banks can begin offering the swaps to customers.

"We could get clarification very quickly or it could take some time," Gray said. "No one has formal approval from the CMA, as yet."

Despite the uncertainties, analysts see the move as a prelude to further opening of the kingdom's economy in the future.

"We think the move is a clear sign of greater liberalization in Saudi Arabia," Credit Suisse analyst Mohamad Hawa said in a note to investors. "This strengthens the case for Saudi Arabia fully opening its equity markets to foreigners in the short to medium term."

France selling 1,700 buildings to help cut debt

Fancy setting up house in a French government ministry? Or retiring to a royal hunting lodge? Line up now for a supersize sale of 1,700 properties by the French state, seeking to shed dilapidated, expensive-to-maintain buildings and chip away at the country's record-high debt.

Foreigners are welcome to join the bidding, Budget Minister Francois Baroin said in announcing the sell-off Wednesday _ but their cash must be clean. Any buyer, whether a movie star, foreign government or ordinary taxpayer, will undergo thorough background checks.

By releasing a long-term list of state properties for sale publicly for the first time, the government appears determined to avoid the kind of controversies and secrecy that dogged some past sales of French property, both public and private, to shady magnates or deposed despots.

The properties in question include chateaux, such as one in Thonon-les-Bains built in 1800 and perched on the shore of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. Another is a royal hunting lodge and guest house built the century before in the Saint-Germain-en-Laye forest west of Paris. "Buildings unoccupied for many years. Needs restoration," reads the government's listing for that property.

France, with its historically strong, centralized state, has too much property, Baroin said, disproportionate compared with other countries. The state must get rid of "useless and unadapted buildings." The plan announced Wednesday lays out planned sales from now through the end of 2013.

"Contributing to the reduction of debts" is part of the reason for the sales, Baroin said, though he wouldn't give an overall estimate of the value of the 1,700 properties. And it does not appear that the state's real estate profits will make much of a dent in France's euro1.49 trillion debt, which is worth about 77 percent of the country's gross domestic product, according to the state statistics agency.

Less than 20 percent of the property sale proceeds will go directly to debt payments, with the rest for new government investments. Of the euro3 billion in revenue from sales of state property since 2005, the minister said, just euro427 million went toward the debt.

The sale is part of a larger effort to streamline bureaucracy in a country where more than a third of workers are employed by the state.

A large chunk of the properties for sale belong to the Defense Ministry, which is undergoing a sweeping rehaul to make the military smaller, more modern and technology focused. The Defense Ministry itself is moving to a new facility under construction on the southwest edge of Paris that some dub a "Pentagon a la francaise," after which the old Defense Ministry buildings along the elite, Left Bank artery, Boulevard Saint-Germain, will be sold off.

Local authorities get first dibs on the properties for sale, but if they are not interested, the bidding is open to anyone. All sales will be subject to verification that "the origin of the funds is not likely to pose difficulties regarding anti-money laundering laws," according to materials on the sell-off from the Budget Ministry.

That is a sensitive issue at the moment in France, where Panamanian ex-dictator Manuel Noriega is going on trial this month on charges he laundered cocaine trafficking proceeds via French banks and three Paris apartments bought by his wife in the 1980s.

Anti-corruption groups are awaiting a French appeals court ruling on a lawsuit they filed against the presidents of Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of Congo, accused of buying properties in France worth millions of euros that human rights groups say was embezzled from state resources.

The president of one of the groups, Daniel Lebegue of Transparency International France, stressed that the properties involved in the African presidents' case were private, not public.

He welcomed the government's proposals to verify the origin of any money used to buy state properties.

"If the government had been more proactive in enforcing checks before then we could have avoided a situation whereby these African leaders were able to squander public funds ... in total impunity," he told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Francis Cahuzac, president of the French Commission for the Protection of Historic and Rural Heritage, said the "copious" government property sale was "a sign that the state no longer had the means to maintain valued property."

"What matters is that the properties are protected, never mind if the owner is a foreigner or the government. In most cases, foreigners are very good at restoring old buildings," he said.

The budget minister, speaking to mayors and legislators at his ministry Wednesday, sought to assuage fears that France, so proud of its culture and history and status as the world's most popular tourist destination, was selling its soul.

"Our goal is not to sell just to sell, without any respect for the future of our heritage," he said.

___

Associated Press writer Christina Okello contributed to this report.

Blues' Sutter Hungering For Revenge

ST. LOUIS There is vengeance in the Blues' bones, St. Louis wingerRich Sutter said Friday, confirming a feeling Blackhawks defensemanSteve Smith has expressed.

"I wouldn't call it hatred. But I've been here four years, andI think we've lost enough to these guys," Sutter said, recalling howSt. Louis blew 2-1 leads in playoff series against the Hawks in 1990and 1992. "This is the first time I've actually felt that way towardanother hockey team."

Sutter, who was a big part of St. Louis' sweep of the first twogames in Chicago, said he likes the expanded role the Blues' grindersare enjoying. While scorers such as Brett Hull and Craig Janney havebeen sitting, checkers such as Sutter, Bob Bassen and Ron Wilson havebeen frustrating the Hawks.

"You want the pressure," Sutter said. "You're a lot more tiredthe next morning, but I don't mind it at all.

"This time of year, you want to be in the middle of it all."

BLUE IN FACE: Jeremy Roenick said he doesn't need any extraincentive to hate the Blues.

"I've always hated this team, ever since I lost my teeth thattime in my first year," Roenick said, referring to a high stick byGlen Featherstone that rearranged Roenick's teeth in the 1989playoffs.

"We have to make them feel pain," Roenick said. "And to dothat, you do have to hate them. I like playing against them. But Ihate them, too.

"Anybody who doesn't have that feeling of vengeance shouldn'tbe in our locker room. Because if you don't, you don't have prideand determination. And there's not one guy in our locker room whodoesn't have that feeling."

EYE ON ZOMBO: After the Hawks showed him a tape, John D'Amico,the supervisor of officials for this series, promised to advise hisreferees to keep an eye on Blues defenseman Rick Zombo.

The Hawks were upset with what they considered cross-checkingand slashing by Zombo on Brent Sutter in the slot during athird-period Hawks power play in Game 2. The Hawks thought theydeserved a five-on-three.

"You expect to take a pounding in front of the net," Hawks coachDarryl Sutter.

"But it can't be an infraction. What Zombo has been doing isdangerous."

MATTEAU OUT: Dave Christian replaced Stephane Matteau in thelineup Friday, the Hawks' only lineup change. Christian, who waspicked up from St. Louis in the waiver draft last October, has beenscratched for 19 of the Hawks' last 23 games, including the first twogames of this playoff series.

Birth of the Modern: Style and Identity in Vienna 1900

NEUE GALERIE

February 24- June 27

Curated by Jill Lloyd and Christian Witt-D�rring

The nineteenth century - and its bourgeois democratic ideals - experienced a spectacular demise in Vienna around 1900. This major exhibition at the Neue Galerie, and its accompanying scholarly catalogue, promises to shed new light on the material expressions brought forth by this profound crisis of cultural identity. Considering ornamented surfaces across the media of painting, fashion, architecture, music, and decorative objects alike as key sites for the negotiation of self, psyche, gender, and sexuality, the exhibition will portray the visual power of a historical moment that sought to mute distinctions between the fine and decorative arts. With more than 150 works by some 30 artists, including Alfred Kubin, Egon Schiele, and the Wiener Werkst�tte, this show will enlist the material solidity of things to reveal modern culture's evanescent vision of interiority. - Andr� Dombrowski

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome after an emergency operation for acute appendicitis perforation

Case report

A 62-year-old man with no history of psychiatric or neurological problems came to hospital after 3 days of severe abdominal pain and constipation. Diagnosed with acute abdomen secondary to acute appendicitis perforation, he underwent an emergency operation anesthetized with sevoflurane, propofol, sucdnylcholine chloride and cis-atracurium. On the fourth day after, he began to show symptoms of delirium and agitation. He was given haloperidol (3 mg orally and then a 5-mg ampoule intramuscularly), with good results. Within a few hours he was mildly lethargic but confused, responding to verbal stimuli but not answering questions appropriately. He had diffuse rigidity. His baseline temperature climbed to 38�C and he developed persistent hypertension (180/100 mm Hg), tachypnea (24 breaths/min) and tachycardia (110-140 beats/min). Neurological and physical examinations revealed no source of infection or intracranial pathology; results of cranial CT were normal. His leukocyte count rose from 11.4/mm^sup 3^ to 14.2 (normal range 3.6-9.6/mm^sup 3^), and other serum concentrations were high: creatinine phosphate 335 (normal 24-195) U/L, alanine aminotransferase 78 (normal 1-42) U/L and aspartate aminotransferase 64 (normal 1-37) U/ L. Serum electrolyte results were normal.

We entertained a diagnosis of neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) and administered bromocriptine (15 mg/d for 15 days). The patient's confusion resolved, and his vital signs returned to normal.

Discussion

The cause of NMS is unknown. It is attributed by some to a primaiy dopamine-receptor blockade in the basal ganglia and hypothalamus, and to a disturbance of calcium uptake in skeletal muscle by others.1 The disease may be caused by a spectrum of inherited defects in genes responsible for a variety of calcium regulatory proteins within sympathetic neurons or the higher-order assemblies that regulate them.2

The clinical picture in NMS includes muscular rigidity, altered mental status and severe autonomie dysfunctions. It is associated with hyperthermia, elevated levels of plasma creatinine phosphate and leukocytosis.3

In recent years, there has been an increased awareness of the occurrence of NMS in surgical patients.l'4HS Its causative factors include an interruption or alteration of the administration of neuroleptic drugs, the added use of narcotics, and physical stress such as infection, dehydration, malnutrition and tissue injury.4

In emergency surgical patients whose condition is associated with severe tissue injury and infection, NMS symptoms are easily attributed to a surgical complication when these patients had no psychiatric or neurological history. We recommend that surgeons bear die possibility of NMS in mind.

Competing interests: None declared.

[Reference]

References

1. Liberman A, Pastcrnack P, Colvin S. The ncuroleptic malignant syndrome after open heart surgery: successful treatment with bromocriptine. NT State J Med 1987;87:362-3.

2. Gurrera RJ. Is neuroleptic malignant syndrome a neurogenic form of malignant hyperthermia? CHn Neuropharmacol 2002; 25:183-93.

3. Byrd C. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome: a dangerous complication of neuroleptic therapy. / Nearosci Nurs 1993;25:62-5.

4. Honda M, Ueo H, Inoue H, Nanbara S, Arinaga S, Asoh T, et al. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome occurring after an emergency operation for traumatic duodenal perforation: report of a case. Surg Today 1994;24:276-9.

5. Khun WF, Lippmann SB. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome as a possible postoperative complication: a case report. Gen Hasp Psychiatry 1987;9:179-81.

6. Brown FE, Nicrenberg DW, Nordgrcn RE, Taylor RM, Rozychi AA. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome: occurence in a child after reconstructive surgery. Plast Reconstr Surg 1991;87:961-4.

[Author Affiliation]

Ayse Tunca, MD;* Meral Sen, MD;[dagger] Cenap Dener, MD;[dagger] Ayca Bozoklu, MD;[double dagger] Orhan Murat Kocak, MD�

[Author Affiliation]

From the Departments of * Neurology, [dagger] General Surgery, [double dagger] Ancesthesiology and � Psychiatry, Fatih University Medical School, Ankara, Turkey

Accepted for publication Nov. 17, 2003

Correspondence to: Dr. Ayse Tunca, Fatih �niversitesi Tip Fak�ltesi, Ciftlik Caddesi No: 57, Emek 06510, Ankara, Turkey; tax +90 312 22-13-276; etunca@e-kolay.net

PREVENTING FALLS

Tips for preventing falls from windows: Install window guards in lower half of windows, but not on windowsthat are needed to escape fires. If you don't have window guards, open windows from the top, not thebottom. Keep furniture away from windows to prevent kids from climbing ontowindow sills. A screen will not stop a child from falling out a window. Install locks that prevent sliding windows from opening more than 4inches. SOURCES: Perfectly Safe catalog; N.Y. Health Department; SUN-TIMES U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Girls ... Leap for joy at popping the question!

Victoria Byres' wedding anniversary will be extra special - asshe'll only be able to officially celebrate it every four years.

Bride-to-be Victoria was due to marry fiance Bryan Morrison today- February 29.

The 27-year-olds had to wait four years for her big day at StMachar's Cathedral today after she popped the question on February29, 2004. The hairdresser, who met Bryan while they were bothstudying at St Machar Academy, said: "We have waited four yearsbecause there was no other day that was so special for us.

"We had talked about getting engaged a few weeks before but Iwent out and bought him a ring and took him for a meal andproposed."

February 29 is traditionally the day when a woman is allowed topropose to a man because it is a leap year. The extra day is addedto the end of February to give the year 366 days instead of 365 tokeep the Gregorian calendar in synch with the earth's revolutionsaround the sun.

Today is even more unusual than most leap years because thisFebruary had five Fridays in the month - something that lastoccurred in 1980 and will next occur in 2036.

And Victoria, who lives with offshore worker Bryan and son TylerMorrison, three, in Moir Green, said she did not mind having ananniversary every four years.

She said: "I have told Bryan that he still needs to buy me apresent every year! We will just get an extra special one for eachother on a leap year."

The pair were to have a reception at the Northern Hotel tonightand plan to honeymoon in Hawaii later this year.

Another happy couple due to wed today were David Watson and Sara-Louise Watt.

They chose February 29 for their ceremony at Aberdeen Townhouseto add "something different" to their wedding. The couple first metin an internet chat room in March 2006. And their face-to-facemeeting that April led to a whirlwind romance seeing them engaged bythe following July.

But they are not planning to wait four years to celebrate again.

David, 26, said: "We wanted to do it on February 29 - noteveryone can say they got married on a leap year. But we will stillcelebrate our anniversary on February 28 each year."

The finance assistant from Cults can't wait to move in with Sara-Louise, 27, at her Faulds Gate home.

And the pair plan to take kids Nathan, 10, Bailey, six, twinsDominic and Abigail, nine, and Ben, four, on a summer holidayinstead of a honeymoon.

ktaylor@ajl.co.uk

McCain: Rivals Lack Military Experience

John McCain, a Vietnam war prisoner, argued Friday that his top rivals for the GOP nomination aren't qualified to deal with issues like torture _ or to be president in wartime _ because they never served in the military.

The Arizona senator's position on an interrogation technique that simulates drowning _ he says it constitutes torture and is illegal _ puts him at odds with Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson, who haven't taken such a hard line.

"There's a clear division between those who have a military background and experience in these issues and people like Giuliani, Romney and Thompson who don't _ who chose to do other things when this nation was fighting its wars," McCain told reporters after touring a shipyard and taking questions from workers wearing hard hats and blue jeans.

He stepped up his criticism of his opponents in the midst of a three-day visit to an early voting state with a heavy military population and as a new Winthrop University/ETV poll in South Carolina shows him in single digits and trailing the trio.

In Iowa, Romney said that while he respected McCain's service in Vietnam and in the Senate, his own service in the private, public and non-profit sectors was "highly relevant to lead the nation at a time where we face such extraordinary challenges."

Aides for Giuliani and Thompson dismissed the criticism.

McCain questioned his rivals on their lack of military service even though he suggested during the 2004 election that military experience shouldn't be an issue.

Standing in a shipyard warehouse Friday, he focused on comments Giuliani made a day earlier on CNBC. The former New York mayor said "waterboarding" should not be used in every circumstance, but he also left the door open to it.

"I'm very reluctant to take away presidential prerogatives and decision making, maybe because I've faced crisis more than the other ones have," said Giuliani, who was praised by many for his performance in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

McCain, a former Naval aviator who was tortured in his 5 1/2 years in a North Vietnamese prison, responded: "Mayor Giuliani just contradicted himself because anybody who has experience in warfare knows that waterboarding is by any definition torture and cannot be condoned. I do not know which crisis the mayor may have been talking about. My experience goes back to the Cuban missile crisis and every conflict we've been in since."

Then, McCain broadened his broadside to also castigate Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, and Thompson, the former Tennessee senator, as well as Giuliani on Iraq. He argued they were "nowhere to be seen when we were fighting a war with the wrong strategy."

"I never saw Romney, Giuliani or Thompson say a word about it, except supporting what I clearly pointed out was a failed strategy," McCain added. He said he has called for more troops in Iraq since 2003 and saw President Bush embrace that proposal earlier this year.

"I don't think there's any greater indication of experience and knowledge of how wars should be fought and how crisis should be handled."

Giuliani's spokeswoman, Maria Comella, said her boss has clearly stated that "if we're going to defeat the terrorists then we must use aggressive questioning. And in those extraordinary circumstances, the president needs all options available to ensure the safety and security of Americans."

Said Thompson spokeswoman, Karen Hanretty: "We all respect Senator McCain's military service, however, there are many great Americans who have served this country and not worn its uniform."

None of the three enlisted. Draft deferments kept Giuliani out of Vietnam while he attended law school and worked for a federal judge; he had twice been eligible for the draft. Romney received a draft deferment while serving as a missionary in France during the war. He was eligible for the draft later, but was not selected. Thompson, with a wife and child, was deferred from service.

McCain assailed his rivals on torture even as he defended his decision to vote for Michael Mukasey's nomination to be attorney general despite being troubled by the nominee's initial answers about waterboarding. McCain said he was confident that Mukasey would not allow the method because of his answers to written questions.

____

Associated Press Writer Amy Lorentzen in Waterloo, Iowa, contributed to this report.

Cards alone in Central lead

Todd Stottlemyre took a no-hitter into the seventh inning andreceived offensive support from Gary Gaetti's home run and BrianJordan's two-run single Sunday as the St. Louis Cardinals completed athree-game sweep of the visiting Florida Marlins with a 5-3 victory.

The triumph moved the Cardinals into sole possession of firstplace in the bunched Central. They lead the Houston Astros by agame, the Cincinnati Reds by 3 1/2 and the Cubs by five.

Stottlemyre (11-8) held the Marlins without a hit until DevonWhite singled with one out in the seventh. He allowed four hits in 72/3 innings, struck out seven and walked four. Dennis Eckersleyloaded the bases with one out in the ninth, but he got Gary Sheffieldto hit into a game-ending double play to notch his 21st save.

Reds 9, Rockies 4: Kevin Mitchell's three-run home run and JoeOliver's three-run double powered host Cincinnati past Colorado.

The victory was the Reds' third against the Rockies in 24 hours.The Reds swept a doubleheader by scores of 5-3 and 9-5 onSaturday.The Rockies have lost seven of their last eight games andare 22-43 on the road.

Braves 2, Pirates 1: Chipper Jones, who was hitless in his firstsix at-bats, singled home Marquis Grissom with the winning run in the14th inning to help Atlanta post its first three-game sweep ofvisiting Pittsburgh since July, 1991. The Braves have won four in arow and seven of their last eight; the Pirates have lost three in arow and eight of their last nine.

Padres 8, Mets 0: Ken Caminiti, who was receiving intravenousfluids 90 minutes before the game to fight the effects ofdehydration, hit two home runs to support a strong outing by JoeyHamilton (11-7) and help San Diego blank New York in Monterrey,Mexico. The Mets played without catcher Todd Hundley, who wassuffering from food poisoning brought on by bad steak.

Expos 7, Dodgers 3: Rondell White had three hits, including hissecond career grand slam, and Mark Leiter (7-10) won his thirdconsecutive start since being acquired from the San Francisco Giantsas visiting Montreal ended a modest three-game skid by whipping LosAngeles.

Phillies 7, Giants 6: Rookie Wendell Magee Jr. went 2-for-4 anddrove in two runs as host Philadelphia averted being swept in thethree-game series by rallying from a 4-0 deficit to nip SanFrancisco.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY; (BW staffers and freelancers rat out their music collections)

Confession is good for the soul, or so they say. Last year for BWs music issue, we printed everybody's top five favorite albums. This year we're going under the skin and dishing the aural dirt on ourselves. So here it is: staffers and freelancers are offering up three titles apiece from their album collections: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The question was interpreted variously {"Bad as in crappy, or as in badass?") and it's up to you, Gentle Reader, to decide what it means. One man's Donovan is another man's Franz Lehar.

- Sara Beitia

AMY ATKINS (listings editor)

G: Split Enz, Conflicting Emotion

B: Jeffrey Osborne, Stay With Me Tonight

U: The Sound of Banjos and Ping Pong Percussion

BINGO BARNES (editor)

G: Tom Waits, Rain Dogs

B: The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, Walk Alone

U: Hooked on Classics I, II and More Hooked on Classics (three CD set)

SARA BEITIA (staff writer)

G: Pink Floyd, Atom Heart Mother

B: Melvins, The Colossus of Destiny

U: Shane MacGowan and the Popes, Live at the Forum, London 2/11/94

NICHOLAS COLLIAS (news editor)

G: Dexy's Midnight Runners, Searching for the Young Soul Rebels

B: Dexy's Midnight Runners, Don't Stand Me Down

U: Dexy's Midnight Runners, Live at the BBC, Vol. 1

KATY DANG (freelance writer)

G: The Dying Californian, We Are the Birds That Stay

B: Fu Manchu, The Action is Go

U: Cher, All I Really Want To Do

JENNIFER GELBAND (freelance writer)

G: The Tragically Hip, Road Apples

B: Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Question the Answers

U: Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot

ELIJAH JENSEN (scenester)

G: Of Montreal, Satanic Panic in the Attic

B: Skinny Puppy, Bites and Remission

U: Sir Mix-A-Lot, Seminar

JEN PARSONS (A&E editor)

G: Neil Young, Harvest

B: Roxette, Look Sharp

U: Yanni, If I Could Tell

ROSE REIFSNYDER (freelance writer)

G: R.E.M., Life's Rich Pageant

B: Abba Oro {Abba's greatest hits, recorded in Spanish)

U: A Currier and Ives Christmas (Favorite Holiday Instrumental)

ERIN RUIZ (freelance artist):

G: The Good Life, Novena on a Nocturne

B: Debbie Gibson, Greatest Hits

U: Britney Spears, Baby One More Time

ERIN RYAN (freelance writer)

G: Dispatch, Silent Steeples

B: Paula Abdul, Forever Your Girl

U: Rick Astley, Whenever You Need Somebody

CHRIS SCHNOOR (freelance writer)

G: The Rolling Stones, The Rolling Stones Now

B: Paul and Linda McCartney, Ram

U: Ancient Future, Passion Planet

NICK SCHUG (freelance writer)

G: Minor Threat, Out of Step

B: Flipper, Blow'n Chunks

U: Pay Toilets, Freedom Rock or Wet & Wild U.S.A.

ERICH WALTON (owner, the Bouquet)

G: Mother Love Bone, Apple

B: Nightranger, Dawn Patrol

U: Ratt, Out of the Cellar

BEN WILSON (freelance artist)

G: Rogue Wave, Out Of A Shadow

B: Pat Benatar, Best Shots

U: Soundgarden, Down On The Upside

TRUDY YOUNG (manager, Paylface)

G: Paylface, self-titled

B: Counting Crows

U: Crash Test Dummies

Article copyright Bar Bar Inc.

Monkey Steals Tourist's Glasses in India

LUCKNOW, India - A South Korean tourist has filed a formal complaint against a monkey he says stole his reading glasses during his visit to the Hindu holy city of Varanasi in northern India.

Kim Dang Hoon says he opened his hotel room window for fresh air when the monkey made his move.

"He headed straight to the table where my glasses were kept and took it away," Kim said in the statement.

Part of the frame later was recovered by hotel staff and Kim said he filed the report so he can make a damages claim on his travel insurance.

Thousands of wild monkeys roam Varanasi, dotting the trees on the banks of the Ganges River and scampering through the city's many temples, where they are venerated as manifestations of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman.

On Tuesday, police combed Varanasi's alleys searching for the monkey.

"It is difficult to trace the monkey but I am trying my best to locate the rogue," investigating officer Inspector Govind Singh said from Varanasi, some 185 miles southeast of Lucknow.

Problems with monkeys harassing tourists in the city are common, Singh said.

"But we can't do anything. We cannot shoot them or beat them as Hindus worship monkeys," he said.

Bonds Hits 754th Home Run, 1 From Aaron

SAN FRANCISCO - Barry Bonds hit his 754th career home run Friday night, moving within one of tying Hank Aaron's record.

Bonds sent a 2-1 pitch from Rick Vanden Hurk over the wall in left-center in the first inning against the Florida Marlins, giving the Giants a 2-1 lead on his 20th homer of the season.

The 43-year-old Bonds connected off his 444th pitcher - the first hailing from the Netherlands.

Some Internet porn sites in China now accessible

Word leaked out slowly, spread by Web-savvy folks on Twitter: Internet porn that once was blocked by Chinese government censors was now openly available.

"Are they no longer cracking down on pornographic websites? A lot of porn sites and forums are accessible," technology blogger William Long wrote on his feed.

Messages like that startled Chinese Web surfers, long accustomed to the authorities' Internet blockades. The country had been in the midst of highly publicized anti-pornography sweeps, and there had been no announcement of any change in government policy.

Yet eight weeks later, the porn sites are still accessible. Still unanswered are questions about whether it's an official change in policy, a technical glitch or some sort of test by the usually disapproving Chinese Internet police.

"This has never been done with the (Chinese) Internet before," said Beijing-based Internet analyst Zhao Jing, who goes by the English name Michael Anti.

Whatever the reason, the change has thrown into sharper relief what many people see as the main mission of China's aggressive Internet censors: blocking sites and content that might challenge the political authority of the communist government. Websites about human rights and dissidents are also routinely banned.

"Maybe they are thinking that if Internet users have some porn to look at, then they won't pay so much attention to political matters," Anti said.

The government has not said why the porn sites were unblocked. Repeated calls to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology went unanswered, and the Ministry of Public Security and State Council Information Office _ all involved in Web monitoring _ did not respond to faxed requests for comment.

China has the world's largest online population of 420 million _ more than the entire U.S. population. While the Internet is the most freewheeling of tightly cosseted media in China, the government has the most extensive Internet policing system, from technical filters that block sites based on certain words to human monitors who scan bulletin boards and micro-blogging posts.

Censorship issues led Google Inc. to clash publicly with China earlier this year and eventually close its China search engine and redirect users to Hong Kong.

Tired of the controls, many Chinese have learned to get around "the Great Firewall," or GFW, as the system is known.

Few Chinese will admit to surfing for porn because it is illegal. Many sites are still inaccessible, and of those, sites that somehow evade control are usually blocked within hours. But the demand is there.

"The more they restrict something, the more people pay attention," said a 29-year-old employee at a state-owned logistics company who did not want to be identified because he surfs for porn on business trips.

Sites that suddenly became available around late May include the English-language YouPorn and PornHub, along with numerous Chinese sites offering downloads, though Anti and others say well-known Chinese-language sites remain blocked.

Wen Yunchao, a popular blogger who writes about social issues and the Internet under the name Beifeng, said even more porn sites have become available in recent days, including a well-known Chinese site called "Xingba," or "Sex Bar."

"In the past, the GFW would use pornography as an excuse" for censorship, Wen said. "Now they're not even trying to cover it up."

Chinese society's conservative attitudes about sex are rapidly changing, especially among the young, who make up the majority of Internet users. The trial and conviction this year in southern China of a college professor who used the Internet to organize orgies touched off a debate about privacy and sexual freedom.

A poll of 900 female graduates at 17 Shanghai universities showed that 70 percent think one-night stands aren't immoral, and more than half said they could understand if a girl became a rich man's lover, according to state media.

Liao Shengqing, a journalism professor who led the study, was cited by the People's Daily newspaper as saying that "students' attitudes come from their respect for individual privacy. They regard sex as a private matter and respect other people's choices."

Some speculate the proliferation of social networking sites and Twitter-like services was taxing the Great Firewall, requiring the government to unblock some porn sites to free up capacity for other snooping.

"I think when the GFW realized they were not able to block all domain names, they reallocated resources to block more urgent or political sites," said Long, the tech blogger who is based in Shenzhen and would not give his real name in Chinese.

As part of the change, employees in the office that cracks down on pornography and unauthorized publications no longer have to report overseas-based porn sites to police because of the difficulties in tracking down Chinese involved, the state-run magazine Oriental Outlook reported in May. Censors only need to note the sites, the report said.

Because a dozen or so agencies regulate the Internet in China, the porn availability may have resulted from a shifting of responsibilities, said Xiao Qiang, director of the Berkeley China Internet Project at the University of California-Berkeley.

"The Great Firewall is not that serious toward blocking porn sites. It never was," he said. The true targets, he said, include political information, current affairs, negative reports about leaders, and anything that may trigger a protest.

"That kind of information is where the censorship focus is really," Xiao said. "Porn, they're just halfheartedly doing it."

___

Associated Press researcher Xi Yue contributed to this report.

TB Patient ID'd As Atlanta Attorney, 31

DENVER - The tuberculosis patient under the first federal quarantine since 1963 is a 31-year-old personal injury attorney who practices law with his father in Atlanta, a federal law enforcement official said Thursday.

The official, who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to talk about the case, identified the patient as Andrew Speaker. A medical official in Atlanta also confirmed the name on condition of anonymity.

The man has a rare and dangerous form of tuberculosis that has proved resistant to drugs. He arrived at Denver's National Jewish Medical and Research Center for treatment Thursday, walking under his own power after flying from Atlanta with his wife and federal marshals, hospital spokesman William Allstetter said.

He looked healthy and tan, and "he said he still felt fine," Allstetter said.

Doctors plan to begin treating the man immediately with two antibiotics, one oral and one intravenous. He also will undergo a basic physical exam, a test to evaluate how infectious he is and a CT scan and lung X-ray, Allstetter said. Doctors hope to also determine where he contracted the disease.

He will be kept in a special unit with two rooms and a ventilation system, Allstetter said.

"He may not leave that room much for several weeks," Allstetter said.

According to a biography posted on a Web site connected with Speaker's law firm, he attended the U.S. Naval Academy, graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in finance, then attended University of Georgia's law school.

His father, Ted Speaker, unsuccessfully ran for a Fulton County Superior Court judgeship in 2004, the same year his son was admitted into the Georgia Bar.

Andrew Speaker recently moved from an upscale condominium complex in anticipation of his wedding, former neighbors said. He also wrote in an application to become a board member of his condo association that he was going to Vietnam for five weeks as part of the Rotary club to act as an ambassador.

"He's a great guy. Gregarious," said Pam Hood, a former neighbor. "He's a wonderful guy. Just a very, very pleasant man."

In a phone interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution from an Atlanta hospital earlier this week, he explained that he knew he had TB when he flew from Atlanta to Europe in mid-May for his wedding and honeymoon, but that he didn't find out until he was already there that it was an extensively drug-resistant strain considered especially dangerous.

Despite warnings from federal health officials not to board another long flight, he flew home for treatment fearing he wouldn't survive if he didn't reach the U.S.

Health officials in North America and Europe are now trying to track down about 80 passengers who sat near him on the two trans-Atlantic flights, and they want passenger lists from four shorter flights he took while in Europe. Patients on the shorter flights are not expected to be as much at risk, health officials said.

Among those being tested are more than two dozen University of South Carolina Aiken students, school spokeswoman Jennifer Lake said Thursday. Two were apparently sitting near him, possibly in the same row, she said.

One of those students, Laney Wiggins, said she is awaiting her skin test results, expected Friday.

"I'm very nervous," Wiggins told The (Columbia) State newspaper. "It's kind of sad that this is overshadowing the wonderful time we had in Europe."

The infected man had flown to Paris on May 12 aboard Air France Flight 385, also listed as Delta Air Lines codeshare Flight 8517, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

He and his bride also took four shorter flights while in Europe - Paris to Athens on May 14; Athens to Thira Island May 16; Mykonos Island to Athens May 21; and Athens to Rome May 21 - but CDC officials said there was less risk of infection during the shorter hops compared to the trans-Atlantic flights, which each lasted eight hours or more.

It was while they were in Rome that he learned further U.S. tests had determined his TB was the rare, extensively drug-resistant form, far more dangerous than he knew. Officials told him turn himself over to Italian health officials and not to fly on any commercial airlines.

Instead, on May 24, he flew from Rome to Prague on Czech Air Flight 0727, then flew to Montreal aboard Czech Air Flight 0104 and drove into the U.S., according to CDC officials.

Officials are trying to contact people who sat within five rows of him on the two longest flights for testing.

Other passengers are not considered at high risk of infection because tests indicated the amount of TB bacteria in the man was low, said Dr. Martin Cetron, director of the CDC's division of global migration and quarantine.

The infected man told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he wasn't coughing and that doctors initially did not order him not to fly and only suggested he put off his long-planned wedding. "We headed off to Greece thinking everything's fine," he told the newspaper.

Dr. Charles Daley, head of the infectious disease division at National Jewish Hospital, said the hospital has treated two other patients with what appears to be the same strain of tuberculosis since 2000, although that strain had not been identified and named at the time. He said the patients had improved enough to be released.

"With drug-resistant tuberculosis, it's quite a challenge to treat this," Daley told CNN Thursday. "The cure rate that's been reported in other places is very low. It's about 30 percent for XDR-TB."

"This is a different patient, though. We're told that this is very early in the course, and most of the time when we get patients that it's very extensive and very far advanced. So I think we're more optimistic," he said. "We're aiming for cure. We know it's an uphill battle, but we hope to get there."

---

Associated Press writers Lara Jakes Jordan in Washington, and Mike Stobbe, Greg Bluestein and Daniel Yee in Atlanta contributed to this report.

---

On the Net:

CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/

Public Health Agency of Canada: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/

US swimmer Hardy declared eligible for London 2012

DENVER (AP) — U.S swimmer Jessica Hardy, who missed the Beijing Olympics because of a doping violation, has been cleared for the London Games after the International Olympic Committee told her she would not be subject to a contentious rule that threatened her eligibility.

Hardy, a world champion in the breaststroke, was banned from the Beijing Games only a few weeks before they started after she tested positive for clenbuterol.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport later ruled that she was not at fault for taking a contaminated dietary supplement. But she still received a one-year suspension, which subjected her to the IOC's "Six Month Rule" that bars any athlete who has been banned for more than half a year from competing in the next Olympics.

Last week, the IOC notified her that she was not subject to the rule because it went into effect so close in time to the positive test. The IOC also looked favorably on the fact that Hardy voluntarily withdrew from the Beijing Olympics while her case was still pending, in hopes of not also having to miss London.

Now she can swim at Olympic trials for a spot on the U.S. team and compete in London.

"I am ecstatic that the IOC has recognized my unique situation, and that this rule does not apply to me," Hardy said in a statement released through her lawyer, Howard Jacobs. "With this final hurdle now behind me, I can now focus 100 percent of my efforts on preparing for and representing my country at next year's Olympic Games, a lifelong dream that was taken away from me in 2008."

News of her reinstatement came Thursday, a day after the IOC and U.S. Olympic Committee agreed to let CAS rule on the validity of the "Six Month Rule," which is viewed by many critics as a rule that penalizes athletes twice for a single doping violation.

American sprinter LaShawn Merritt's Olympic fate will be tied to that decision. Merritt, the defending Olympic and world champion in the 400 meters, is serving a 21-month suspension that ends in July. He would be eligible for the Olympics under that timeline but must wait to see if the CAS upholds the IOC rule.

The IOC and USOC agreed it would be better to figure out this rule well before the Olympics to avoid confusion in the lead-up to trials and the Olympics next year.

Hardy won't even have to wait that long.

"Jessica's obviously thrilled," Jacobs said. "We're happy to be able to close this chapter and know she can prepare for the Olympics without any ambiguities."

As for the rule itself, Jacobs, who also represents Merritt, said, "I think the issue of the validity of the rule being decided by CAS well before the next games is a good thing for everyone."

USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky said the federation welcomed the news about Hardy and didn't expect it to have any effect on the case impacting Merritt.

"We see these as totally separate issues that are unrelated and have no bearing on each other," Sandusky said.

PACK EXPO NAMED TO INTERNATIONAL BUYER PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE TO HELP EXHIBITORS AND INTERNATIONAL BUYERS CONNECT.

Arlington, VA -- The following information was released by the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute:

PACK EXPO International has again been named to the U.S. Department of Commerce's (DOC) International Buyer Program (IBP), bringing global business to the show floor.

"PACK EXPO is truly an international event, and the Department of Commerce's IBP is a big part of that," said Jorge Izquierdo, vice president of market development, PMMI. "We have more than 30 delegations coming to this year's show, and the DOC is on hand to help exhibitors and buyers make the most of their time on the show floor."

As part of the IBP, PACK EXPO International 2010 will welcome delegations from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Central America, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Germany, India, Iraq, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine, Venezuela and more.

The DOC will also provide guidance at the PACK EXPO International Business Center (Room N427). Staffed with trade specialists as well as staff from PMMI's China and Latin America offices, this location will be a hub for international activity. Services will include international attendee registration, aid in sales negotiations, matchmaking advice and other resources that can connect exhibitors and buyers from around the world on the show floor. The International Business Center also provides interpreter services and export counseling for exhibitors.

Throughout the year, the U.S. Commercial Service uses its 109 offices across the U.S. and U.S. Embassies and Consulates in more than 77 countries, to connect international buyers with American companies that can meet their needs.

"The tools exhibitors and attendees find on the show floor are only extensions of the services we perform year-round to make American manufacturers successful," said Janet Bauermeister, International Trade Specialist, U.S. Department of Commerce. "PACK EXPO is a great place to get your foot in the door to trading on a global scale, but the Department of Commerce's efforts go beyond the show floor."

In addition to the resources available in the IBP and IBC, the U.S. Department of Commerce provides critical guidance and opportunity to increase international sales in the U.S. Export Pavilion (Booth N-4300). From market research to financing international buyers, agencies represented at the U.S. Export Pavilion give American businesses all the resources they need to succeed in the global marketplace. Representatives from the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Export Import Bank and other groups are available to discuss trade opportunities with exhibitors and attendees.

Visit www.packexpo.com to register for PACK EXPO International 2010. Exhibitors can also visit www.buyusa.gov to participate in IBP programming.

Export Match Made at PACK EXPO

Distributor CGS (Thailand) Co. Ltd. was part of the IBP-sponsored Thai buying delegation to PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2009. The company was on a mission to find suppliers of robotic palletizing systems and made the International Business Center one of its first stops.

IBP representatives launched CGS's visits. to the show floor by connecting the company with a number of exhibitors. As a result, CGS was able to find a partner at PACK EXPO u Schneider Packaging Equipment Company.

By January 2010 u just three months after PACK EXPO u the companies had entered into an agreement allowing CGS to represent Schneider Packaging Equipment in Thailand.

With knowledgeable support staff at the show, finding foreign customers or partners at PACK EXPO is easy. Visit the International Business Center (N-427) to learn how the Department of Commerce can assist you.

About PMMI

PMMI is a trade association of 560-plus member companies that manufacture packaging, processing and related converting machinery in the United States or Canada; machinery components and packaging containers and materials. PMMI's vision is to be the leading global resource for packaging, and its mission is to improve and promote members' abilities to meet the needs of their customers.

PMMI organizes the PACK EXPO trade shows: PACK EXPO International, PACK EXPO Las Vegas and EXPO PACK Mexico, connecting participants in the packaging and processing supply chain with their customers around the world. Coming Up: PACK EXPO International, Oct. 31--Nov. 3,2010, at Chicago's McCormick Place; EXPO PACK Mexico at Mexico City's Centro Banamex, June 21--24, 2011, and PACK EXPO Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Convention Center Sept. 26--28, 2011.

Learn more about PMMI and the PACK EXPO trade shows at PMMI.org and Packexpo.com.

PACK EXPO NAMED TO INTERNATIONAL BUYER PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE TO HELP EXHIBITORS AND INTERNATIONAL BUYERS CONNECT.

Arlington, VA -- The following information was released by the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute:

PACK EXPO International has again been named to the U.S. Department of Commerce's (DOC) International Buyer Program (IBP), bringing global business to the show floor.

"PACK EXPO is truly an international event, and the Department of Commerce's IBP is a big part of that," said Jorge Izquierdo, vice president of market development, PMMI. "We have more than 30 delegations coming to this year's show, and the DOC is on hand to help exhibitors and buyers make the most of their time on the show floor."

As part of the IBP, PACK EXPO International 2010 will welcome delegations from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Central America, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Germany, India, Iraq, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine, Venezuela and more.

The DOC will also provide guidance at the PACK EXPO International Business Center (Room N427). Staffed with trade specialists as well as staff from PMMI's China and Latin America offices, this location will be a hub for international activity. Services will include international attendee registration, aid in sales negotiations, matchmaking advice and other resources that can connect exhibitors and buyers from around the world on the show floor. The International Business Center also provides interpreter services and export counseling for exhibitors.

Throughout the year, the U.S. Commercial Service uses its 109 offices across the U.S. and U.S. Embassies and Consulates in more than 77 countries, to connect international buyers with American companies that can meet their needs.

"The tools exhibitors and attendees find on the show floor are only extensions of the services we perform year-round to make American manufacturers successful," said Janet Bauermeister, International Trade Specialist, U.S. Department of Commerce. "PACK EXPO is a great place to get your foot in the door to trading on a global scale, but the Department of Commerce's efforts go beyond the show floor."

In addition to the resources available in the IBP and IBC, the U.S. Department of Commerce provides critical guidance and opportunity to increase international sales in the U.S. Export Pavilion (Booth N-4300). From market research to financing international buyers, agencies represented at the U.S. Export Pavilion give American businesses all the resources they need to succeed in the global marketplace. Representatives from the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Export Import Bank and other groups are available to discuss trade opportunities with exhibitors and attendees.

Visit www.packexpo.com to register for PACK EXPO International 2010. Exhibitors can also visit www.buyusa.gov to participate in IBP programming.

Export Match Made at PACK EXPO

Distributor CGS (Thailand) Co. Ltd. was part of the IBP-sponsored Thai buying delegation to PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2009. The company was on a mission to find suppliers of robotic palletizing systems and made the International Business Center one of its first stops.

IBP representatives launched CGS's visits. to the show floor by connecting the company with a number of exhibitors. As a result, CGS was able to find a partner at PACK EXPO u Schneider Packaging Equipment Company.

By January 2010 u just three months after PACK EXPO u the companies had entered into an agreement allowing CGS to represent Schneider Packaging Equipment in Thailand.

With knowledgeable support staff at the show, finding foreign customers or partners at PACK EXPO is easy. Visit the International Business Center (N-427) to learn how the Department of Commerce can assist you.

About PMMI

PMMI is a trade association of 560-plus member companies that manufacture packaging, processing and related converting machinery in the United States or Canada; machinery components and packaging containers and materials. PMMI's vision is to be the leading global resource for packaging, and its mission is to improve and promote members' abilities to meet the needs of their customers.

PMMI organizes the PACK EXPO trade shows: PACK EXPO International, PACK EXPO Las Vegas and EXPO PACK Mexico, connecting participants in the packaging and processing supply chain with their customers around the world. Coming Up: PACK EXPO International, Oct. 31--Nov. 3,2010, at Chicago's McCormick Place; EXPO PACK Mexico at Mexico City's Centro Banamex, June 21--24, 2011, and PACK EXPO Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Convention Center Sept. 26--28, 2011.

Learn more about PMMI and the PACK EXPO trade shows at PMMI.org and Packexpo.com.

PACK EXPO NAMED TO INTERNATIONAL BUYER PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE TO HELP EXHIBITORS AND INTERNATIONAL BUYERS CONNECT.

Arlington, VA -- The following information was released by the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute:

PACK EXPO International has again been named to the U.S. Department of Commerce's (DOC) International Buyer Program (IBP), bringing global business to the show floor.

"PACK EXPO is truly an international event, and the Department of Commerce's IBP is a big part of that," said Jorge Izquierdo, vice president of market development, PMMI. "We have more than 30 delegations coming to this year's show, and the DOC is on hand to help exhibitors and buyers make the most of their time on the show floor."

As part of the IBP, PACK EXPO International 2010 will welcome delegations from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Central America, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Germany, India, Iraq, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine, Venezuela and more.

The DOC will also provide guidance at the PACK EXPO International Business Center (Room N427). Staffed with trade specialists as well as staff from PMMI's China and Latin America offices, this location will be a hub for international activity. Services will include international attendee registration, aid in sales negotiations, matchmaking advice and other resources that can connect exhibitors and buyers from around the world on the show floor. The International Business Center also provides interpreter services and export counseling for exhibitors.

Throughout the year, the U.S. Commercial Service uses its 109 offices across the U.S. and U.S. Embassies and Consulates in more than 77 countries, to connect international buyers with American companies that can meet their needs.

"The tools exhibitors and attendees find on the show floor are only extensions of the services we perform year-round to make American manufacturers successful," said Janet Bauermeister, International Trade Specialist, U.S. Department of Commerce. "PACK EXPO is a great place to get your foot in the door to trading on a global scale, but the Department of Commerce's efforts go beyond the show floor."

In addition to the resources available in the IBP and IBC, the U.S. Department of Commerce provides critical guidance and opportunity to increase international sales in the U.S. Export Pavilion (Booth N-4300). From market research to financing international buyers, agencies represented at the U.S. Export Pavilion give American businesses all the resources they need to succeed in the global marketplace. Representatives from the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Export Import Bank and other groups are available to discuss trade opportunities with exhibitors and attendees.

Visit www.packexpo.com to register for PACK EXPO International 2010. Exhibitors can also visit www.buyusa.gov to participate in IBP programming.

Export Match Made at PACK EXPO

Distributor CGS (Thailand) Co. Ltd. was part of the IBP-sponsored Thai buying delegation to PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2009. The company was on a mission to find suppliers of robotic palletizing systems and made the International Business Center one of its first stops.

IBP representatives launched CGS's visits. to the show floor by connecting the company with a number of exhibitors. As a result, CGS was able to find a partner at PACK EXPO u Schneider Packaging Equipment Company.

By January 2010 u just three months after PACK EXPO u the companies had entered into an agreement allowing CGS to represent Schneider Packaging Equipment in Thailand.

With knowledgeable support staff at the show, finding foreign customers or partners at PACK EXPO is easy. Visit the International Business Center (N-427) to learn how the Department of Commerce can assist you.

About PMMI

PMMI is a trade association of 560-plus member companies that manufacture packaging, processing and related converting machinery in the United States or Canada; machinery components and packaging containers and materials. PMMI's vision is to be the leading global resource for packaging, and its mission is to improve and promote members' abilities to meet the needs of their customers.

PMMI organizes the PACK EXPO trade shows: PACK EXPO International, PACK EXPO Las Vegas and EXPO PACK Mexico, connecting participants in the packaging and processing supply chain with their customers around the world. Coming Up: PACK EXPO International, Oct. 31--Nov. 3,2010, at Chicago's McCormick Place; EXPO PACK Mexico at Mexico City's Centro Banamex, June 21--24, 2011, and PACK EXPO Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Convention Center Sept. 26--28, 2011.

Learn more about PMMI and the PACK EXPO trade shows at PMMI.org and Packexpo.com.

PACK EXPO NAMED TO INTERNATIONAL BUYER PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE TO HELP EXHIBITORS AND INTERNATIONAL BUYERS CONNECT.

Arlington, VA -- The following information was released by the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute:

PACK EXPO International has again been named to the U.S. Department of Commerce's (DOC) International Buyer Program (IBP), bringing global business to the show floor.

"PACK EXPO is truly an international event, and the Department of Commerce's IBP is a big part of that," said Jorge Izquierdo, vice president of market development, PMMI. "We have more than 30 delegations coming to this year's show, and the DOC is on hand to help exhibitors and buyers make the most of their time on the show floor."

As part of the IBP, PACK EXPO International 2010 will welcome delegations from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Central America, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Germany, India, Iraq, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine, Venezuela and more.

The DOC will also provide guidance at the PACK EXPO International Business Center (Room N427). Staffed with trade specialists as well as staff from PMMI's China and Latin America offices, this location will be a hub for international activity. Services will include international attendee registration, aid in sales negotiations, matchmaking advice and other resources that can connect exhibitors and buyers from around the world on the show floor. The International Business Center also provides interpreter services and export counseling for exhibitors.

Throughout the year, the U.S. Commercial Service uses its 109 offices across the U.S. and U.S. Embassies and Consulates in more than 77 countries, to connect international buyers with American companies that can meet their needs.

"The tools exhibitors and attendees find on the show floor are only extensions of the services we perform year-round to make American manufacturers successful," said Janet Bauermeister, International Trade Specialist, U.S. Department of Commerce. "PACK EXPO is a great place to get your foot in the door to trading on a global scale, but the Department of Commerce's efforts go beyond the show floor."

In addition to the resources available in the IBP and IBC, the U.S. Department of Commerce provides critical guidance and opportunity to increase international sales in the U.S. Export Pavilion (Booth N-4300). From market research to financing international buyers, agencies represented at the U.S. Export Pavilion give American businesses all the resources they need to succeed in the global marketplace. Representatives from the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Export Import Bank and other groups are available to discuss trade opportunities with exhibitors and attendees.

Visit www.packexpo.com to register for PACK EXPO International 2010. Exhibitors can also visit www.buyusa.gov to participate in IBP programming.

Export Match Made at PACK EXPO

Distributor CGS (Thailand) Co. Ltd. was part of the IBP-sponsored Thai buying delegation to PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2009. The company was on a mission to find suppliers of robotic palletizing systems and made the International Business Center one of its first stops.

IBP representatives launched CGS's visits. to the show floor by connecting the company with a number of exhibitors. As a result, CGS was able to find a partner at PACK EXPO u Schneider Packaging Equipment Company.

By January 2010 u just three months after PACK EXPO u the companies had entered into an agreement allowing CGS to represent Schneider Packaging Equipment in Thailand.

With knowledgeable support staff at the show, finding foreign customers or partners at PACK EXPO is easy. Visit the International Business Center (N-427) to learn how the Department of Commerce can assist you.

About PMMI

PMMI is a trade association of 560-plus member companies that manufacture packaging, processing and related converting machinery in the United States or Canada; machinery components and packaging containers and materials. PMMI's vision is to be the leading global resource for packaging, and its mission is to improve and promote members' abilities to meet the needs of their customers.

PMMI organizes the PACK EXPO trade shows: PACK EXPO International, PACK EXPO Las Vegas and EXPO PACK Mexico, connecting participants in the packaging and processing supply chain with their customers around the world. Coming Up: PACK EXPO International, Oct. 31--Nov. 3,2010, at Chicago's McCormick Place; EXPO PACK Mexico at Mexico City's Centro Banamex, June 21--24, 2011, and PACK EXPO Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Convention Center Sept. 26--28, 2011.

Learn more about PMMI and the PACK EXPO trade shows at PMMI.org and Packexpo.com.

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