Irish banks, bonds hit as EU eyes survival plan

DUBLIN (AP) — Shares in Ireland's banks hit record lows and national borrowing costs reached new euro-era highs as the government presented its latest plans for financial survival to the European Union's economic commissioner, who has the power to order changes.

Investors are shunning Ireland's government and bank debt in expectation that the country will eventually require a bailout by the EU and International Monetary Fund, as happened to Greece in May.

"It is increasingly looking like the European Financial Stability Facility is the most likely scenario," Brian Devine, chief economist at NCB Stockbrokers in Dublin, said Monday after another day when buyers boycotted Irish …

French utility EDF sees 2011 profits triple

PARIS (AP) — Electricite de France's profits last year nearly tripled over 2010's, when sluggish demand in the wake of the global recession forced the utility to set aside billions of euros.

The state-controlled utility's bottom line of €3 billion ($3.9 billion) reported Thursday was also helped by an increase in its nuclear output in France and Britain, where energy produced rose by 3 and 15 percent, respectively. The nuclear output offset a drop in hydropower and exceeded the company's targets for both countries.

But sales were stagnant at €65.3 billion ($85 billion) amid what CEO Henri Proglio called a "troubled environment" that includes Europe's raging debt crisis and the …

RE-IMAGINING THE "INDIAN" AND THE STATE: INDIGENISMO IN COLOMBIA, 1926-1947

Abstract. This article examines the development of indigenismo in Colombia from 1927 to 1947. As a national and state-sanctioned cultural movement, Colombian indigenismo did not achieve the same development and importance as its Peruvian and Mexican counterparts. However, Colombian indigenismo created a cultural and political space mat rediscovered and valorized the indigenous communities and their culture. More importantly, this cultural movement had a significant political impact in that it created links between the new national intellectuals of the 1930s and the social indigenous movement in the southwestern department of the Cauca. The present-day success of the indigenous movement in …

Latin Presidents Move to End Crisis

South American presidents reached a testy compromise Friday to resolve a dangerous crisis triggered by a Colombian military attack in Ecuador, stepping back from a week of insults, troop movements and talk of war.

After an emotional debate followed on live television throughout Latin America, the presidents of Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador offered one another stiff handshakes and joined other Latin American presidents in approving a declaration resolving to work for a peaceful end to the crisis.

The statement notes that Colombian President Alvaro Uribe apologized for the March 1 raid that killed 25 people including a senior rebel commander, and that he …

Older workers, hurt by recession, seek new jobs

In these scary economic times, older workers are putting off their retirement and hanging on to a paycheck.

Some retirees struggling to make ends meet are scanning help-wanted ads for the first time in years.

About a week ago, Jeff Rollison, a 60-year-old employee at the General Motors Corp.'s plant in Lordstown, Ohio, told the automaker he was retiring. Now, he's changed his mind.

Rollison is worried that something could happen to his retiree health benefits before he would become eligible for Medicare at age 65. Rollison is the sole breadwinner for himself and his wife. But he also is concerned about his grown children, including a son with three …

James Deering Danielson

James Deering Danielson, a descendant of a once-prominent Chicagofamily, died of cancer Thursday in a Gainesville, Fla., hospital.

Mr. Danielson, 76, was the great-grandson of William Deering,who in 1870 founded Deering Manufacturing in Chicago. The company,which made harvesters and other farm machinery, later became a partof International Harvester Co., with Deering serving as boardchairman.

Mr. Danielson, of Coral Gables and Gainesville, spent 16 yearsin the U.S. Foreign Service and was active in political affairs inMiami. He also spent years restoring art collections and property inSpain, …

Series of earthquakes strike Big Island of Hawaii

WAIMEA, Hawaii (AP) — A 4.5-magnitude earthquake struck the north part of the Big Island on Wednesday, and the shaking was followed by a series of smaller temblors.

The first quake struck 13 miles southeast of Waimea at about 2 p.m. Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was centered at a depth of 11.7 miles. At least a dozen smaller quakes ranging in magnitude from 1.7 to 3.6 followed within an hour.

No tsunami alert was issued and there were no immediate reports of damage. Residents across the island reported feeling light to moderate shaking.

"When you feel a four-and-a-half at close range, it feels …

Oil prices dip with consumers leery over economy

Oil prices fell Tuesday on a new report suggesting that U.S. consumers remain unsure about the economy's direction and one day before the government releases data expected to show a build up in crude supplies.

Benchmark crude for November delivery fell 33 cents $66.51 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Crude has doubled in price since February, pulled higher by a six-month rally on Wall Street and a battered dollar. The U.S. currency is near its lowest point in the past year against the euro, and that makes dollar-based crude cheaper.

But in the past two weeks, oil has given up about $6 a barrel as supplies continue to build and demand remains …

MORNINGLINE

Results Should aging inmates be released from prison?Yes: 9%No: 91% Question Would you vote for the Republican Party's candidate or theDemocratic Party's candidate for Congress in your district?(Story, Page 15)GOP: (312) 408-3641Dems: (312) …

OECD wants EU to embrace more farm reform

BRUSSELS (AP) — The watchdog for the world's most developed economies has urged the European Union to step up free market reform of agriculture and further wean farmers off subsidies and support that have distorted world prices.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said in Wednesday's report that …

Falling branch kills baby in NYC's Central Park

Police say a 6-month-old baby has been killed and her mother injured by a falling tree branch at the Central Park Zoo in New York City.

The 33-year-old New Jersey woman and her baby were struck Saturday by the falling branch.

Police said the two were taken to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where the baby was pronounced dead. The mother …

26 workers missing in flood in illegal China mine

BEIJING (AP) — Twenty-six miners have been trapped for two days in a flooded coal mine in northeastern China and it could take several more days for rescuers to pump the shaft clear, state media reported Thursday.

The illegal mine in Qitaihe, in Heilongjiang province, filled with water on Tuesday when workers broke through into an adjacent flooded pit, newspapers and the official Xinhua News Agency said. Nineteen miners made it back to the surface.

Rescuers had yet to make contact with the trapped workers, who could be stuck in any of four places inside the mine, the reports said.

Seven officials have been detained over the mine's operation and the head of surrounding Boli county and his deputy have been dismissed from their posts, the reports said.

The mine had been ordered shut in 2007 but was reopened without permission on Aug. 16, Xinhua said, citing the provincial bureau of occupational safety.

China's mines are notoriously deadly, although safety improvements have cut annual fatalities by about one-third from a high of 6,995 in 2002 despite a tripling in the output of coal used to generate the vast majority of China's electrical power.

MILESTONE

With his 100th RBI on Saturday, Sammy Sosa became the first Cub tohave six consecutive 100-RBI seasons.

Player years No.

Sammy Sosa 1995-2000 6

Hack Wilson 1926-1930 5

Cap Anson 1884-1887 4

Ernie Banks 1957-1960 4

Pope: German trip can boost hope

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday said his trip to his German homeland this week can help generate hope there.

Benedict expressed excitement over the four-day pilgrimage as he spoke in German at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo near Rome. He asked Germans to pray for him during the trip, which begins Thursday. Benedict said he can help them be "witnesses to hope and orientation for the future."

About 100 German lawmakers plan to boycott Benedict's speech to Parliament. The Vatican's No. 2, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone promised Sunday that speech will be "very beautiful."

In a message broadcast on a German public television station, Benedict invited Germans to renew their faith.

But critics point to the declining number of Catholics in Germany.

Benedict's pilgrimage "takes place during the greatest worldwide crisis of the Roman Catholic church since the Reformation," the Catholic reform movement We Are Church said in a statement, in reference to exposes of systematic cover-ups by hierarchy of clergy sex abuse of minors.

The "pressing problems and defects of the church cannot and must not be cut out of the picture," in terms of what Benedict should grapple with during his trip, the group said.

Ditka `not worried,' but London game in doubt

TAMPA, Fla. The fate of the Bears' scheduled Aug. 3 pre-seasongame in London against the Cowboys could be affected by the currentLibyan-U.S. military crisis.

"It's a whole new ballgame," said Dallas general manager TexSchramm yesterday, referring to the dramatic escalation of U.S.-Libyahostilities and the effect it could have on security conditionsthroughout Europe this summer. "I won't risk the lives of young men."

Bears head coach Mike Ditka was decidedly more blunt when askedabout Libya and the Bears' trip to London.

"I wish I had a machinegun on the plane," he said. "To me it'ssilly. I agree totally with our country and our actions. I don'thave any qualms about it."

Asked specifically about terrorist threats in London, he said,"That's OK with me. I love it. What are they gonna do? Bomb thestadium?

"We'll all go down in history as martyrs fighting for a causethat was beyond the control of most American people. People'll bewriting about us for years if that happens. I'm not worried aboutit."

After a pause, Ditka added, "I get too excited. You got me on abad topic."

But, he continued, "like people say, they should have done alittle better job cleaning up last (Monday) night."

Then he repeated: "You got me on a bad topic."

Like Schramm, Bears president Michael McCaskey also voicedheightened security concerns. But, he said, "I don't intend tochange the Bears' plans to fly to London and play Aug. 3. For us andthe NFL, the smartest thing to do is wait and see.'

The NFL was guarded. "It's too early to say whether this willhave an effect on the London game," said spokesman Dick Maxwell."Security will be part of our concern. It always has been."

Report: Riders out of Vuelta for drinking alchohol

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Team Saxo Bank rider Andy Schleck says he has been removed from the Spanish Vuelta because he and teammate Stuart O'Grady drank alcohol.

Schleck says he broke a team rule "by going out for a drink" and says he is "responsible for my actions."

The Luxembourg rider told Cyclingnews.com on Tuesday that the Danish team's boss Bjarne Riis decided to remove the pair. Schleck said the decision was "too harsh."

Denmark's TV2 said neither Schleck nor O'Grady was at the start of the 10th stage of the Vuelta a Espana on Tuesday in Tarragona.

Riis was not available for comment.

Salud y Medicina; La Migraña (Segunda Parte)

(SEGUNDA PARTE)

Como la clasificaci�n del s�ndrome del dolor de cabeza requiere sistem�tico an�lisis basada en la historia del paciente, su examen f�sicos, los estudios de laboratorios o la utilizaci�n de radiograf�as para poder dar un diagnostico mas preciso. Por esta raz�n nuestra clasificaci�n del dolor de cabeza seria:

1) La Migra�a con todos sus variedades (este es nuestro tema)

2) El dolor de cabeza de grupo (El dolor de cabeza de Horton)

3) El dolor de cabeza de estress o de tensi�n debido a contracciones de los m�sculos de la cabeza.

4) El dolor de cabeza debido a otras patolog�as (tumores, trauma, etc.)

5) S�ndromes de dolores de cabeza espec�ficos (dolor de cabeza al toser).

El dolor de cabeza que enfocaremos ser� LA MIGRA�A. Y constituye una de las afectaciones m�s antiguas conocidas por la humanidad. La primera definici�n data de la era mesopotamica alrededor de 4000 a�o antes de Cristo y fue Hipocrate (El padre de la medicina) el primero en rese�ar los s�ntoma visuales. El describi� una luz brillante, generalmente percibida con un ojo, seguido de un dolor muy intenso, iniciando a veces en un lado de una cabeza y que luego puede ser irradiarse a toda la cabeza y el cuello.

Actualmente se sabe que la migra�a es un proceso de evoluci�n cr�nica, que se caracteriza por la presencia de crisis de dolores de cabeza (cefalea), separada entre s� por intervalos m�s o menos prolongados. A finales de los a�os 80 la sociedad internacional de cefalea form� el comit� de la clasificaci�n de la cefalea, el cual fijo en nuevo criterios sobre el diagn�stico para la migra�a y otros tipos de dolores de cabeza. Basados en dichos criterios, se han realizado diversos estudios de investigaci�n, una de las cuales consideradas la m�s grandes, estudio a 9.000 personas en diferentes pa�ses como Italia, Canad�, Inglaterra y Suecia, encontr�ndose que el aumento de este mal es del orden de 12% en los hombres y en dos terceras partes en las mujeres y la mayor�a entre los 25-54 a�os de edad. Estas personas experimentaron como promedio un ataque de migra�a al mes, con una duraci�n de cerca de 18 horas.

Como se puede ver la migra�a es un trastorno que afecta de manera principal a adultos j�venes, nueve de cada diez experimentar�n su primer ataque ante de los 40 a�os, sin embargo se puede sufrir el primer episodio a cualquier edad incluso en la infancia. Esta enfermedad es causada por la excesiva liberaci�n de serotonina (neurotransmisor), producida ante determinadas circunstancias en el sistema nervioso, lo que inicialmente produce el flujo de sangre en una determinada parte de las arterias cerebrales o intracraneales (dentro del cr�neo), luego se produce una vasodilatacion (dilataci�n de un vaso, especialmente de las arteriolas que determinan el paso de mayor flujo de sangre a una determinada parte), lo que genera una pulsaci�n tan caracter�stica en el 47% de los casos.

Article copyright El Bohemio News.

Agreement Near on Iraq Funding Bill

WASHINGTON - Flinching in the face of a veto threat, Democratic congressional leaders neared agreement with the Bush administration Tuesday on legislation to pay for the Iraq war without setting a timeline for troop withdrawal.

Several officials said the emerging compromise bill would cost about $120 billion, including as much as $8 billion for Democratic domestic priorities - originally resisted by the White House - such as disaster relief for Hurricane Katrina victims and farmers hurt by drought.

After a bruising veto struggle over war funding, congressional leaders in both political parties said they hoped the compromise would be cleared for President Bush's signature by Friday.

Despite the concession, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told reporters that the legislation would be the first war-funding bill sent to Bush since the U.S. invasion of Iraq "where he won't get a blank check."

Reid and other Democrats pointed to a provision that would set standards for the Iraqi government in developing a more democratic society. U.S. reconstruction aid would be conditioned on progress toward meeting the goals, but Bush would have authority to order the money to be spent regardless of how the government in Baghdad performed.

He said Democrats would look to a different defense bill later this summer to "continue our battle - and that's what it is - to represent the American people like they want us to represent them, to change the course of the war in Iraq."

Republicans said that after weeks of struggle, they had forced Democrats to give up their demand for a date to withdraw the troops.

"I'm optimistic that we will achieve the following: a full four-month funding bill without surrender dates. I think there's a good chance of that," said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, the House Republican leader, added, "Democrats have finally conceded defeat in their effort to include mandatory surrender dates in a funding bill for the troops, so forward progress has been made for the first time in this four-month process."

Republicans paid a price, too, in terms of billions of dollars in domestic spending that Democrats wrung from them and the administration.

Officials said the final details of the measure remained in flux. They spoke on condition of anonymity, saying that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi intended to present the proposal to her rank and file at an evening meeting.

In all, officials said the measure included about $17 billion more than Bush initially requested. Of the $17 billion, about $9 billion would go for defense-related items and veterans' health care. The balance would be for other domestic programs.

The bill would also include the first increase in the federal minimum wage in more than a decade. Both the House and Senate have passed measures raising the current level of $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour in three separate 70-cent increases over 26 months. Those measures included modest tax breaks, mainly aimed at helping businesses that hire low-skilled or handicapped workers.

The Iraq war has dominated the early months of the Congress that took office in January, as majority Democrats promised to pressure Bush to change course. While Republicans have largely backed Bush, they, too, have grown nervous over the prospect of supporting a war that is increasingly costly and unpopular with the public.

The collision led to a veto of legislation that contained a timeline for a troop withdrawal. The House failed to override the veto, and that led to negotiations involving the administration and key lawmakers in both houses.

While agreement on legislation appeared close, it was not clear whether either Pelosi or Reid would vote for the war funding. Democrats in the House were discussing the possibility of breaking the legislation into two pieces, one containing war money and the other billions for domestic programs.

That would allow anti-war Democrats to vote against money for military operations and allow the bill to pass on the strength of Republican support. Democrats would then vote for the second bill.

Under this scenario, the two bills would be merged into one in the Senate, leaving Reid and other war critics without the luxury of opposing part and supporting part of the spending.

Facing up to change

In 1992, composer-lyricist Lou Rosen wrote a song called "WhiteFlight." As he listened to his own words, he realized they werefilled with the weight of unchallenged assumptions that he'd beencarrying around, in his heart and in his head, for more than twodecades.

Rosen, 43, had grown up on the South Side in a neighborhood nowcalled Calumet Heights, a triangular area that stretches from 83rdStreet to 95th Street and from Stony Island Avenue on the west to theChicago Skyway on the east.

In the 1950s and early '60s, this was a predominantly Jewish,middle-class neighborhood anchored by a thriving synagogue, a Jewishcommunity center and strong public schools. By the summer of 1968,when the National Guard was patrolling Stony Island and Cottage Grovein the wake of the riots that followed the assassination of the Rev.Martin Luther King Jr., the racial balance had shifted swiftly andradically. And by 1970, the doors of the synagogue had closed andthe building was sold to the Chicago Board of Education.

The blacks who had moved into the neighborhood were middle class(as they are today), just like the Jews they were replacing. But inthe society at large, there was an atmosphere of fear. And the lackof any tradition of integrated living only fed that fear.

Looking back, Rosen believed that things didn't have to turn outas they did. And he realized he still harbored resentment againstsome of the Jewish families, as well as the charismatic young rabbi,who fled at the first signs of change. He remembered the dynamics ofthe shift from white to black at his own high school. And he thoughtabout his parents, who, along with a small number of other families,did not move out, at least not right away.

"With everything I did, the road eventually led back to thissingle event, this single period in my life," Rosen said. And fromthis obsession emerged a book, The South Side: The RacialTransformation of an American Neighborhood (Ivan R. Dee, $25).Mixing historical fact and fiction, it's a dramatic, multivoiced lookat what went wrong.

Rosen, who has lived in New York for many years, spent much ofthe 1980s and early '90s writing music for the theater, includingnumerous productions at the Goodman Theatre, as well as the New YorkShakespeare Festival, the Guthrie Theatre and Lincoln Center Theatre.In 1995 he received a grant of $10,000 under the National Endowmentfor the Arts' New American Works program, which was designed toencourage innovative projects in opera and musical theater.

Rosen's proposal to the NEA contained the seeds of what wouldbecome his book. But by the time the money came through, he hadalready begun traveling and interviewing people, black and white,about their memories of the neighborhood and about the time thatcontinued to haunt him. And the final shape of the project changed.

"It had become a consuming experience, and a very emotional one,for myself, as well as for the people I talked to," Rosen recalledduring a recent visit to Chicago. "In the 30 years that hadintervened, no one had ever talked to any of the people who were partof this whole change - about what had happened, why it had happened,what they remembered, what they regretted. And few had askedthemselves about the upheaval. So I became the fortunate recipientof tremendous self-revelation. And the passions still burned deeply- the sense of loss and anger and of a missed opportunity."

Rosen quickly gave up on the idea of musicalizing his material."Just the plain voices on a printed page seemed most direct andaffecting," he said.

One of Rosen's crucial decisions was to create 15 compositecharacters from the nearly 70 people spanning two generations (hisparents' and his own) he had questioned. Nine of the characters inthe book represent the Jewish community (including the narrator, aclear stand-in for Rosen himself); six represent the black community,most of them Rosen's teenage contemporaries, now in their 40s. Therealso is one brief but pivotal monologue by the rabbi (with afictional name, Aaron Fineman), whose presence hovers powerfully.

Rosen is well-aware of the recent discussions about thepotentially unholy mixing of history and fiction, but he said the useof composites in what is essentially a dramatic "script" wasessential.

"Coming from a theatrical background, I understood that I neededto lead people through a very direct story line by letting themfollow a limited number of individuals," Rosen said. "And what wasstartling was how similar many of the conversations I had were - tothe point where nearly all the whites I spoke to referred to their`dream house' and all the blacks talked about coming to `dreamland.'"

The book turned into a voyage of discovery and revelation forRosen.

"I went back to the synagogue, which is now a school," Rosenrecalled. "And the principal, a black woman who had not livedthrough the changes in the neighborhood, took me on a tour of theplace, which was essentially unchanged. I sensed her tremendouspride in the school, and felt she wanted me to have a good impressionof it and to know it was being taken care of. She was curious aboutthe building's transformation. And there was this feeling, in bothof us I think, that we were trying to make each other feel welcome."

Rosen had no direct contacts with the black community of CalumetHeights.

"I had some black friends in school, but we didn't socializebeyond the classroom," he said. "That was the nature of thecommunity and of the volatility of the times. But there was ateacher I'd always liked who had lived on my block since the late1960s, and I looked him up in the phone book and started with him.We hadn't spoken for 24 years when I arrived at his door, and wespent the next five hours talking. Up until then, I had never had aclue about what happened as seen from the other (black) perspective.

"One of the things I learned was that the middle-class blackswho moved into the area didn't have integration as their main goal.They just wanted a better home and a better community, and if it wasto be mixed, fine, but if not, that was fine, too. However, many ofthem didn't trust the public schools, so they put their kids inprivate or parochial schools. And that, along with the flight of theJewish community, led to a sharp fall in enrollment and academicstandards in the public schools. I had never understood all this.

"Look, the reality of it is this," Rosen said. "Few of us,black or white, live our lives as foot soldiers for the largersocietal good. We tend to focus on what's best for our families andour kids."

To some extent, this realization has also allowed Rosen to makepeace with the "organized religion" that was closest to him.

"I suppose on some deep level this book is a metaphor for theson confronting the father," Rosen said. "Like many of mygeneration, I blamed the Jewish community for not living up to itsideals. But as the rabbi said to me, `There comes a time when everygeneration of fathers disappoints the sons . . . and the sons mustlearn that the fathers have clay feet.'

"I began to realize that I was on a very Jewish search and thatI had to find my way to some level of acceptance of fallibility, tosome form of deep compassion for my own community," Rosen said.

"I also realized this book had become an imaginary conversationbetween two communities - a conversation that should have happened,but never did."

US Supreme Court will decide identity theft case

The US Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether people picked up on immigration violations also can face charges of identity theft if they had used Social Security and other identification numbers that happened to belong to others.

Federal prosecutors increasingly have been bringing the more serious identity theft charges against undocumented immigrants, including many who were arrested in raids on meatpacking plants.

Federal appeals courts have split over whether the defendant must know that the phony ID numbers belong to real people. On Monday, the court said it will resolve the question.

Diverse Pathways of Psychology Majors: Vocational Interests, Self-Efficacy, and Intentions

The authors examine the differences in vocational interests and self-efficacy of 254 undergraduate psychology majors organized by 7 career intention groups (e.g., psychological research). The explanatory power of individual General Occupational Themes (GOTs), Basic Interest Scales (BISs), and Personal Style Scales (PSSs) of the Strong Interest Inventory (L. W. Harmon, J. C. Hansen, F. H. Borgen, & A. L. Hammer, 1994) and the General Confidence Themes (GCTs) of the Skills Confidence Inventory (N. E. Betz, F. H. Borgen, & L. W. Harmon, 1996) is examined. Results show overall group differences in Holland themes. The BISs, PSSs, and GCTs appear to augment GOTs when used with clients considering psychology or other fields with diverse pathways.

The importance of specialty choice within professional fields such as medicine, engineering, and psychology has received more attention recently (Borges, Savickas, & Jones, 2004; Hartung & Leong, 2005; Leong & Geisler-Brenstein, 1991; Zachar & Leong, 1997). In particular, psychology is a typical field offering a broad variety of career pathways, ranging from psychotherapy to marketing, law, medicine, and ncuropsychological research. Offering a general guide for assisting college students in choosing a major, Rosen, Holmberg, and Holland ( 1994) assigned a Holland code of SIE (Social, Investigative, Enterprising) for psychology majors. As with other professional fields such as medicine (Hartung, Borges, & Jones, 2005), broad Holland-type designations have limited utility in assisting psychology students with postgraduate plans. However, counselors can incorporate more refined career assessments to facilitate individualized pathways for clients. This brief report addresses the benefits of more basic vocational interests and skills confidence in explaining career intentions of psychology majors.

Although psychology is one of the largest majors in U.S. higher education, the majority of baccalaureate degree recipients in psychology obtain employment outside of the field (American Psychological Association, 2003). A recent analysis of work activities of graduates with a BA or BS in psychology indicated that most perform management, sales, and administration activities (44%), followed by professional services (24%), teaching ( 13%), computer applications (11%), and research and development (8%; National Science Foundation, 1999). These varied career pathways of psychology graduates underscore the importance of using precise and thorough assessments to assist students in making career plans beyond college.

Previous studies addressing differences among psychology majors used samples of already specialized graduate students (e.g., Zachar & Leong, 1997). In contrast, the present investigation of undergraduates allows for examination of individual differences in a broader range of career pathways (e.g., business, medicine) upon graduation. Moreover, research has demonstrated the combined utility of Holland-theme-organized vocational interests and self-efficacy (Betz & Borgen, 2000) in explaining occupational and educational choices. In addition to investigating the broad Holland-type level, this study incorporated basic interests (Day & Rounds, 1997). Because these more precise measures of interests enhance the predictive validity of vocational interest measures (Ralston, Borgen, Rottinghaus, & Donnay, 2004), assessing basic domains (e.g., science, medicine, teaching) can further equip career counselors and advisers in assisting psychology majors establish career plans.

This brief report examined the roles of interests and self-efficacy in explaining the career intentions of graduating psychology majors. Similar to career aspirations, or "goals given ideal conditions" (Rojewski, 2005, p. 132), the term intentions is used in this article to reflect occupational goals of our participants who are nearing a decision point prior to graduation. First, Holland codes of participants grouped by their intentions are reported. Next, the explanatory power of the General Occupational Themes (GOTs) and the more specific Basic Interest Scales (BISs) and Personal Style Scales (PSSs) of the Strong Interest Inventory (SII; Harmon, Hansen, Borgen, & Hammer, 1994) is examined along with measures of vocationally relevant self-efficacy.

Method

Participants

The present sample was composed of 254 psychology majors from a large midwestern university who were enrolled in a required psychological measurement course. This sample contained 183 (72.0%) women and 71 (28.0%) men. Seven (2.8%) were African American, 8 (3.1%) were Asian/Pacific Islander, 228 (89.8%) were European American, 5 (2.0%) were Latino/a, 1 (0.4%) was Native American, and 5 (2.0%) did not respond to the question regarding race/ethnicity. (Percentages do not equal 100% because of founding.) This sample consisted of 1 (0.4%) sophomore, 40 (15.7%) juniors, and 213 (83.9%) seniors. Their career intentions included psychological research (n = 25), psychological practice (n = 115), education (n = 21), business (n = 26), law (n = 10), medicine (n = 23), and military/law enforcement (n = 10); there were 24 unclassified participants (primarily undecided students who listed multiple career intentions, with 3 participants seeking government-related positions). Unclassified participants were not included in the analyses.

Measures

Demographic and Career Planning Questionnaire. Participants reported their gender, ethnicity, year in school, and specific career intentions. They also chose among the aforementioned seven job categories (e.g., education), established by pilot studies, and an "other" category to specify career intentions.

5II. The SII is an empirically based instrument that measures vocational interests by using Holland's six types (GOTs), 25 BISs, and 4 PSSs. The GOTs represent a global view, assessing preferences, work environments, co-workers, and activities, whereas the BISs add greater specificity by examining subdivisions of the GOTs. The PSSs examine one's orientation toward particular aspects of learning and working, including work style, learning environment, leadership style, and risk taking/adventure. In the development sample, Cronbach's alpha reliabilities ranged from .90 to .94 for the GOTs, .74 to .94 for the BISs, and .78 to 91 for the PSSs. Moderate to strong test-retest reliabilities were reported in the SII manual for all scales (Harmon et al., 1994).

Skills Confidence Inventory (SCI; Betz, Borgen, & Harmon, 1996). The SCI is a 60-item measure of self-efficacy, or perceived confidence, for Holland's six RIASEC (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, Conventional) domains. Response options ranging from 1 (no confidence) to 5 (complete confidence) are averaged, resulting in six 10-item General Confidence Theme (GCT) scales. Cronbach's alpha reliability estimates range from .84 to .88 (Betz et al., 1996). Three-week test-retest reliabilities for a college sample ranged from .83 for the Realistic Confidence scale to .87 for the Social Confidence scale (Parsons & Betz, 1998).

Data Analysis

Following standard practice (Harmon et al., 1994), we determined Holland codes for each intention group using rank-ordered mean GOT scores. Univariate F tests and eta-squared values were used to calculate effect sizes of variables under investigation. Post hoc analyses using Tukey's honestly significant difference (HSD) test were used to examine differences between the groups. A Bonferroni adjustment was made to account for inflation in Type I error, resulting in a new critical value of .001 (.05/41).

Results

The means, standard deviations, and effect sizes for all six Holland GOTs and additional variables demonstrating significant differences are reported in Tables 1 and 2 by intention group. Variables with eta-squared values exceeding .06 and .14 meet Cohen's (1988) thresholds for medium and large effect sizes, respectively. Examination of the mean GOTs for each group revealed the following mean Holland interest codes: psychological research (ISA), psychological practice (SAE), education (SAE), business (ESC), law (AEC), medicine (SIA), and military/law enforcement (RSE). Post hoc analyses, using Tukey's HSD test, showed significant differences between groups at the .001 level for both the Investigative GOT and the Investigative GCT. For the Investigative GOT, the psychological research group scored significantly higher than the psychological practice, education, and business groups, and the medicine group scored significantly higher than the education group. For the Investigative GCT, the psychological research group scored significantly higher than the education and business groups, and the law group scored significantly higher than all the other groups except the psychological research and medicine groups.

Significant differences (p < .001) between groups emerged for 10 BISs: Military Activities, Mechanical Activities, Science, Mathematics, Medical Science, Social Service, Medical Service, Law/Politics, Organizational Management, and Data Management. Space does not allow for a detailed reporting of post hoc analyses for the BISs; nonetheless, Table 2 supports the validity of these scales in differentiating intention groups. Figure 1 depicts the mean BIS scores for all seven groups to highlight these noteworthy differences.

Among the PSSs, there were significant differences between groups at the .001 level for the Work Style and Learning Environment scales. For the Work Style scale, the psychological practice group scored significantly more in the direction of working with people (vs. ideas/data/ things) than did the psychological research group. For the Learning Environment scale, the law group scored significantly more in the direction of preference for academic learning environments than did the business and medicine groups.

Discussion

Results from this investigation augment understanding of the varied interests and skills confidence among undergraduate psychology majors. Our study provides a snapshot of variability that exists between groups organized by their intended career pathways. The medium to large effect sizes (Cohen, 1988) reported herein highlight the distinctions among intended career pathways of undergraduates enrolled in such a broad field.

In general, the GOT findings were consistent when compared with a previously established Holland code, SIE, for psychology majors (Rosen et al., 1994). Specifically, each intention group except the law (AEC) group yielded two of these three letters. However, there were differences between the groups at this level of classification, which is expected from Holland's (1997) theory. For example, participants intending to pursue research careers averaged an ISA code, reflecting an interest in analytical tasks. Those aspiring to business careers (ESC), incorporating E and C, reflected greater interests in marketing, sales, and finance.

The BISs provided a more refined differentiation than did the GOTs, with specific content mirroring group differences. In fact, each group obtained its highest scores on BISs that were consistent with the content of their career intentions. For example, the medicine group scored highest on the Medical Science and Medical Service scales, and the military/ law enforcement group scored highest on the Military Activities scale. When BIS scores were rank ordered from highest to lowest, disparities between the groups emerged. For example, psychology majors intending to pursue a job in law following graduation obtained the highest scores on the BISs of Law/Politics, Public Speaking, and Writing, whereas those seeking psychological research scored highest on the BISs of Social Service, Science, and Music/Drama. These results support earlier studies addressing the benefits of the BISs in explaining more specific criteria (Day & Rounds, 1997; Ralston et al., 2004).

Training in psychology prepares students to enter a wide variety of occupations and specialty areas within the field. Although certain commonalities were present at the Holland theme level, remarkable differences for the BIS and PSS scores highlighted the distinctiveness of each group.

Results from this study have important implications for practitioners, researchers, and students alike. Counselors working with psychology majors must consider more than the three-letter Holland code. For example, a student with an interest in medicine may have a Holland code that is similar to the Holland code of someone intending to pursue a research career. However, his or her medically related BIS scores will likely be elevated and his or her scores on the Learning Environment PSS will likely be lower compared with the scores of a student seeking a psychology research career. A focused discussion of these more specific scales with undecided students can clarify career concerns and help clients construct more coherent career narratives, especially when addressing nuances among career possibilities within broad disciplines such as psychology.

Like members of many large professions, psychology majors do not represent a homogeneous group. The pathways people take beyond undergraduate training are individualized and often mirror discernible subtleties from commonly used career assessments. In addition to examining traditional Holland themes, this brief snapshot highlights the importance of other specific levels of analysis. Future research examining intentions and specialty choices within other fields such as medicine, engineering, and law might also assist counselors in their work with clients.

[Reference]

References

American Psychological Association. (2003). Careers for the twenty-first century [Brochure]. Retrieved April 26, 2006, from http://www.apa.org/students/brochure/ brochurenew.pdf

Betz, N. E., & Borgen, F. H. (2000). Integrating vocational interests with self-efficacy and personal styles. Journal of Career Assessment, 8, 329-338.

Betz, N. E., Borgen, F. H., & Harmon, L. W. (1996). Skills Confidence Inventory. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

Borges, N. J., Savickas, M. L., & Jones, B. J. (2004). Holland's theory applied to medical specialty choice. Journal of Career Assessment, 12, 188-206.

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Day, S. X., & Rounds, J. (1997). "A little more than kin, and less than kind": Basic interests in vocational research and career counseling. The Career Development Quarterly, 45, 207-220.

Harmon, L. W., Hansen, J. C., Borgen, F. H., & Hammer, A. L. (1994). Strong Interest Inventory: Applications and technical guide. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

Hartung, P. J., Borges, N. J., & Jones, B. J. (2005). Using person matching to predict career specialty choice. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 67, 102-117.

Hartung, P. J., & Leong, F. T. L. (2005). Career specialty choice. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 67, 1-3.

Holland, J. L. (1997). Making vocational choices: A theory of vocational personalities and work environments (3rd ed.). Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.

Leong, F. T. L., &: Geisler-Brenstein, E. (1991). Assessment of career specialty interests in business and medicine. Career Planning and Adult Development Journal, 7, 37-44.

National Science Foundation. (1999). Table C-6. Employed U.S. scientists and engineers, by level and field of highest degree attained, sex, and primary/secondary work activity: 1999. Retrieved November 16, 2004, from http://srsstats.sbe.nsf.gov/ preformatted-tables/1999/tables/TableC6.pdf

Parsons, E., & Betz, N. E. (1998). Test-retest reliability and validity of the Skills Confidence Inventory. Journal of Career Assessment, 6, 1-12.

Ralston, C. A., Borgen, F. H., Rottinghaus, P. J., & Donnay, D. A. C. (2004). Specificity in interest measurement: Basic Interest Scales and major field of study. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 65, 203-216.

Rojewski, J. W. (2005). Occupational aspirations: Constructs, meanings, and application. In S. D. Brown & R. W. Lent (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (pp. 131-154). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Rosen, D., Holmberg, K., & Holland, J. L. (1994). The educational opportunities finder. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.

Zachar, P., & Leong, T. L. (1997). The changing nature of the science of vocational psychology. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 59, 262-274.

[Author Affiliation]

Patrick J. Rottinghaus and Abigail R. Gaffey, Department of Psychology, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale; Fred H. Borgen and Christopher A. Ralston, Department of Psychology, Iowa State University. The authors thank the staff of CPP Inc. for their support of this project. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Patrick J. Rottinghaus, Department of Psychology, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, 222C Life Science II, Carbondale, IL 62901-6502 (e-mail: rpatrick@siu.edu).

FIG bans gymnast, fines Taiwan body in doping case

The governing body of gymnastics has fined and criticized the Taiwanese federation for its conduct in a doping case involving a teenage athlete.

The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) banned Chiu Shih-Hui after the 18-year-old aerobic gymnast tested positive for the banned diuretic hydrochlorothiazide. The ban was applied retroactively from the day of the doping test and runs through Nov. 2, 2010.

In a ruling issued Saturday, FIG harshly criticized the Taiwan federation, which was "reprimanded with an accompanying heavy fine" of an undisclosed amount.

It was sanctioned for "repeatedly failing to communicate with the FIG and neglecting to assist its gymnast," the sport's governing body said.

Feds Crack Down on Employers Over Abuses of 401(k) Accounts

Is the boss dipping into your retirement nest egg?

More than 20 million Americans are saving for their golden yearsthrough 401(k) plans - tax-sheltered accounts that siphon pretaxpayroll deductions into investment vehicles such as mutual funds.

Most savers assume that their 401(k) funds are safe and growing- but that's not always the case.

Consider what happened to Robert Lindsay of Palatine.

In February, Lindsay discovered that his newborn son neededsurgery and a monthlong hospital stay to correct a throat problem.He didn't think twice about having it done - but he checked hishealth and pension benefits in advance, just to be sure.

"I went directly to the top officers of (Regina Appliance) toask them directly. And they assured me they were fine."

That was in late February. In early March, before theoperation, Lindsay got a phone call from a company employee tellinghim - secretly - that the health insurance was actually canceled Feb.28, and that no money had been paid into the plan or his 401(k) sinceDecember.

Angered, Lindsay protested to managers at the company,Atlanta-based Regina Appliance, where he is a sales representative.But for his son, there was no time for delay. He got the surgery andhospital care - they ended up costing more than $200,000.

This month, Lindsay filed a $250,000 lawsuit against Regina andhealth insurer Aetna over the loss of health care and pensionbenefits. Regina has since filed bankruptcy and was bought by Dutchelectronics giant Philips N.V.

Lindsay has this warning for workers:

"As bad as it sounds, the days of company loyalty are dead. Ifyour company says you're covered, check it out," he said.

Lindsay's case is a textbook example of the problem U.S. LaborSecretary Robert Reich is attacking: employers who fail to depositworkers' funds into their company's 401(k) plans. Regina was one ofthe targeted companies in the current crackdown.

"It is illegal for an employer to delay transfer of funds froman employee to their 401(k) plan. It is your money, not their freechecking account," Reich said in an interview.

Most 401(k) plans - and corporate benefits - are safe, expertssay. Most employers collect the money as they should, and put thefunds where their workers want them.

But last month, the Labor Department announced it has more than300 open cases where companies and business owners have eitherdelayed transfer of payroll-deducted employee funds into 401(k)plans, or stolen the money altogether.

Since March, the department says it has recovered $3.2 millionfor 2,800 workers through the probe, ranging from $1,000 to hundredsof thousands. Seven area companies have settled with the government.

Since they were created under U.S. tax law in 1978, 401(k) planshave been the nation's fastest growing vehicle for retirementsavings. If your employer sponsors a 401(k) plan, you can designatea percentage of your pretax income to be placed in a selection ofinvestment instruments, usually mutual funds. Your investmentreduces your taxable income, and the money is allowed to growtax-deferred until its withdrawal is authorized when you reach age 591/2 or leave your job.

By the end of 1992, 401(k) assets grew to $553 billion, withsome 20.5 million participants, the Labor Department said. In 1984,there were just 7 million participants, with $92 billion in assets.

While traditional defined benefit plans are insured by thefederal government through the Pension Benefit Guarantee Board, thereis no similar insurance for 401(k) plans, named after the section oftax code that created them.

However, 401(k) payments are often the first to lapse atcompanies that get into financial trouble, said one employer thatmade restitution in the probe.

Clay Spanjer, one of the owners of former Chicago-based signcompany Spanjer Brothers, incurred the Labor Department's wrath afterthe company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last year.The operation has been bought by a new company where Spanjer works,and the Labor Department says that its $53,518 401(k) debt has beenmade whole.

"We never intended to create a deception among our employees,but we had filed Chapter 11, and even though that's one of the thingsyou never want to get behind on, we did," Spanjer said. "Now that wehave new owners, we're OK."

But 401(k) shareholders, unlike employees in traditional pensionplans, don't necessarily have a guarantee of getting all their moneyback if a company goes belly up. The lack of federal insurance on401(k) plans is the reason.

Reich and pension experts emphasize that the cases the LaborDepartment found represent only a tiny fraction of the whole.Indeed, the big offenders aren't major corporations. The most commonviolator is a small employer - a company with 500 employees or less.And the common denominator is cash-flow trouble.

"The pattern seems to be that the employer is late in payingbills, and views the 401(k) as a pool of money from which he or shecan borrow," Reich said. "And sometimes, that person never getsaround to paying back."

Under pension law, employers must turn over employee funds tothe designated plan accounts as soon as the employee makes thosefunds available for transfer. Last week, the Labor Departmentannounced a tightening of the compliance period for that requirement,from 90 days to 30 days.

Reich said some companies were treating the 90-day maximum as a"grace period, which it is not."

The Profit Sharing; 401(k) Council of America - a pensionindustry group - argues that the tighter deposit requirement imposesa hardship on law-abiding companies.

Said David L. Wray, the group's president: "The overwhelmingnumber of participants are really prospering in the 401(k) planenvironment. The abusive situations have affected only a tinyfraction of those involved, and most of the abusers have beencompanies in financial trouble."

Benefits consultants also argue that the new rules may be tootough.

"More than 99 percent of plans are well-managed according to therules. Fortunately (the Labor Department investigation) doesn'tapply to the vast majority of plan participants," said Brian Irion, acommunication consultant with Deerfield-based Hewitt Associates. "Ithink information's great, but the big concern is that this may besetting up many companies for attack when they're doing a good job."

Reich said he thinks most companies are doing a good job, but headds that all parties should be better informed on what theircompanies are doing with their money.

Reich suggests these steps if you feel your pension funds arebeing tampered with: Check your pay stub: If you've received your recent 401(k)statement, check your pay stub to see that the contributions made toyour plan match the total on your 401(k) statement. If the figuresdon't match, ask your employer's human resources office about theproblem. It could be a simple mistake - but one worth watching. If you can't get an answer from your company: Call the local officeof the U.S. Labor Department, Reich said. You will have to prepare afile of pertinent records on your case before you can get thegovernment involved, but if you do, a simple phone call from adepartment employee to the company can sometimes straighten out theproblem.

Jesse: 'Working on King's unfinished agenda'

Forty years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s march on Washington, leaders like the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. on Thursday said they are working hard to complete King's unfinished business--social and economic maladies that oddly mirror the 1960s.

"Out of that march came fundamental public policy changes that still exist, but, there is also some unfinished business we must address now," Jackson said, reflecting on the march he attended while a stu- dent under the training of Dr. King.

Referring to the more than 2.2 million incarcerated in America, most of whom are Black, coupled with the high unemployment rate, the unequal schools, inadequate health care, workers right to organize, and the right to a clean and safe environment, Jackson said these issues need to be addressed.

In a teleconference call from Yale University where he marched with striking workers, Jackson, who attended King's march with the Rev. Calvin Morris, who heads the Community Renewal Society, said then the theme was jobs and freedom; and yet 40 years later, "we're struggling against jails for profit..." and facing high unemployment rates.

"More young Black men are in jail than in college in every state, and today we remain number one in jails, in unrestored voters, in racial profiles, in HIV, in cancer, in school expulsions, in predatory exploitation..."

"While the media focuses on the `I Have a Dream' climax to [Dr. King's] speech, the real focus is on the broken promise.

"The issue is not where is Dr. King's dream. The issue is where is America's commitment of the promises made coming out of the victory of Gettysburg, promises made not only to end slavery, but to protect those who've been enslaved...commitments made to repair damage done..."

Agreeing was Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD) about the state of Black America. He said Blacks "have made tremendous gains--gains not only for African Americans, but for all Americans.

"By expanding opportunity access for all of its citizens, America has become a model of democracy for the rest of the world," said Cummings.

"America's progress, while positive, must not render its citizenry content with the way things are today. We must continue to push this country until it realizes its full potential and true greatness.

"We will never be able to pursue happiness if inequality denies us the enjoyment of the liberty we fought so hard for.

"To those who ask, `When will you be satisfied?' I respond by saying as long as our childrens' education is determined by the affluence of their neighborhood, I will never be satisfied. As long as there exist disparities in the incidence rates and treatment of life-threatening diseases, I will never be satisfied," the chairman stated.

Immigrants find educational oasis

Shiva Singh Khalsa and his wife, Shabad Kaur Khalsa, went through more than a dozen schools before they found the perfect fit for their son, Amar Dev.

The Khalsas are Sikhs and Amar, 6, wears his long hair tied in a ball and practices a vegetarian diet. They finally decided on Passages Charter, an elementary school founded to serve a diverse immigrant student population.

"My wife looked at 13 schools--the best schools in the city--and nothing held a candle to Passages," Khalsa says.

Since it opened in 2001, Passages has become an educational haven for immigrants and refugees from four continents. It also attracted non-immigrants who liked the school for its small class sizes and diversity. Asian Human Services, a multiservice social service agency, got the idea to open the school after years of watching immigrant Asian students and their parents struggle through their transition to new communities and new schools.

"We had a city-funded program where our counselors went to the schools and they were finding immigrants having a very difficult time adjusting," says CEO Abha Pandya.

At first, Asian Human Services envisioned a school where students speak in their native languages while easing into American culture. "But, lo and behold, when we did these focus groups, we found that parents were saying, 'We really want our children to learn English. We want them to mainstream,'" Pandya recalls. After assessing parents' concerns, the agency opted instead to develop an English immersion model.

Over the years, Passages has continued to grow. With 229 students this year, enrollment is up 51 percent since 2002. But shifting demographics have changed the composition. "Our focus was essentially on the Asian community," Pandya says. As the world's geo-political situation has changed, Passages has served waves of Bosnians, Croatians, and now refugees from Sudan and Ethiopia, she says.

On the decline is the proportion of Passages students who live in Uptown. The number of community residents enrolled has remained stable, but with more children attending who live elsewhere, the percentage of resident students is only 24 percent. Pandya says more and more of the population that Asian Human Services works with lives in West Ridge, Rogers Park and the western suburbs.

She speculates increasing housing costs in Uptown is forcing more and more immigrants out of Uptown. "We find them being pushed farther north or farther northwest or literally out of the city into the suburbs," Pandya says. In Uptown, "they had good networks; they had reasonably good housing; they had jobs. Now, suddenly, they're getting dislodged."

Non-immigrant African Americans and Latinos comprise a sizable chunk of Passages student body, too. Among the students attending Passages this year, 34 percent are Asian, 27 percent are African or African American, 19 percent are Latino, and 20 percent are white, Arab or Eastern European, according to school officials.

'HE FITS IN BETTER'

The diversity of students makes for an interesting mix of ideas and increases students' comfort level.

When teacher Michael Tajchman holds his writer's workshop for 3rd-graders, the class includes Tobi, whose family is from Nigeria, Nasreddine from Algeria and Jada from Rogers Park.

Khalsa says his son's best friends from school are Nigerian, Korean and Japanese. "Passages is authentic diversity," he says. Amar Dev "fits in better than he would at a Montessori school."

Amar Dev has a teacher, whom he calls Mr. Karl, who is an African American with dreadlocks--long hair just like his.

Amar Dev accepts the school's diversity as no big deal. He's more concerned about seeing Mr. Karl and his friends and playing with the four Hermit crabs in the classroom aquarium.

Some parents at Passages got wind of the school through Asian Human Services; others found out by word of mouth. "My neighbor told me it's a good school," said Zeenath Unissa, whose daughter Masnah, 4, is in pre-kindergarten. Masnah's family is from India and two languages--Urdu and Hindi--are spoken at home.

While many immigrant families encourage their children to concentrate on English, Principal Sally Ewing encourages families to speak their native language at home.

A 5-year-old who is used to doing things in Vietnamese and is suddenly told she can only speak English loses the thinking skills she's been relying on, says Ewing. "A lot of families don't understand. They want their children to learn English and move on."

Article copyright Community Renewal Society.

Photograph (Students assume the lotus position in their yoga class, a physical education course offered at Passages Charter.)

Canada cuts interest rate amid U.S. recession fears

The Bank of Canada, confronted by fears of a U.S. recession, reduced interest rates Tuesday by one-quarter of a percentage point.

The Canadian central bank's scheduled decision came less than an hour after the U.S. Federal Reserve Board announced a three-quarter-point cut in its benchmark policy rate.

The Canadian bank's 25-basis-point move was widely expected, and it made clear that more cuts are coming. It is the second consecutive cut for the Bank of Canada, and marks the first time it has had back-to-back reductions since 2004.

"The bank has decided to lower the target for the overnight rate and further monetary stimulus is likely to be required in the near term," it said in a statement.

The bank said the Canadian economy slowed in the fourth quarter. It said the weaker U.S. outlook will cut into Canadian exports and overall growth will be weaker than previously projected, but will regain strength in 2009.

"Financial market conditions have deteriorated since October, leading to a tightening of credit conditions in industrial countries," it said.

Egypt permanently opens Gaza border crossing, easing 4-year blockade of Palestinian territory

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Egypt permanently opens Gaza border crossing, easing its 4-year blockade of Palestinian territory.

Hot water ballet

((PHOTO …

Lyuboslav Penev named Bulgaria coach

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Former Valencia forward Lyuboslav Penev has been appointed to replace Lothar Matthaeus as coach of Bulgaria ahead of its qualification campaign for …

HAS BUDGET DEAL EVAPORATED? DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS FEUD AFTER ANNOUNCING AGREEMENT WAS REACHED.(News/National/International)

Byline: Robert Pear The New York Times

WASHINGTON -- Was there, in fact, a budget agreement between President Clinton and congressional Republicans? And what, precisely, did it contain?

Those questions have reverberated around Capitol Hill this week as one problem after another has hampered the process of translating the oral agreement into writing. The accord was announced by Clinton and Republicans on May 2.

Since then, Democratic leaders have accused Republicans of reneging on parts of the agreement, while Republicans have complained that Clinton is trying to stuff his entire domestic agenda into the pact.

By week's end, some wondered …

HAS BUDGET DEAL EVAPORATED? DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS FEUD AFTER ANNOUNCING AGREEMENT WAS REACHED.(News/National/International)

Byline: Robert Pear The New York Times

WASHINGTON -- Was there, in fact, a budget agreement between President Clinton and congressional Republicans? And what, precisely, did it contain?

Those questions have reverberated around Capitol Hill this week as one problem after another has hampered the process of translating the oral agreement into writing. The accord was announced by Clinton and Republicans on May 2.

Since then, Democratic leaders have accused Republicans of reneging on parts of the agreement, while Republicans have complained that Clinton is trying to stuff his entire domestic agenda into the pact.

By week's end, some wondered …

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Broad Institute Purchases Fluidigm Access Array&#8482; System to Automate Sample Preparation for Targeted Resequencing.

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The Access Array System enhances the capabilities of powerful next-generation sequencing platforms by allowing the preparation of several sample libraries in parallel. The multiplexed Access Array sample prep system enables parallel amplification of 48 samples - the equivalent of 48 sequencing libraries - in a few hours. The system is used for target enrichment, sample barcoding for multiplexed sequencing, and sequencing library preparation using amplicon …

Hidden poison; MTBE tainting water across state.(Main)

Byline: MATT PACENZA STAFF WRITER

More than two years after New York banned the gasoline additive MTBE, hundreds of public drinking wells across the state remain tainted with the toxic chemical.

Worse, neither state nor local government has any reliable information about how many private wells are at risk, although 1.3 million New Yorkers get their water from private wells. Even though it's gone from gasoline, methyl tertiary butyl ether - still unknown to many New Yorkers - has quietly become the state's single largest water pollution problem and a public health threat expected to linger for years.

The bitter irony is clear: MTBE was put in our gasoline to make our air cleaner, but it is poisoning our water.

A four-month investigation by the Times Union found that state authorities have frequently reacted slowly and have failed to protect the public from MTBE spills. Worst of all, many residents who live near leaking storage tanks, sources of most of the MTBE that enters the environment, say they were never told they might have a problem - or urged to have their wells tested.

MTBE has been found at levels above the state safety limit in 46 public water supplies since 2004, when New York first required tests for the chemical, according to state computer records. At least 172 water supplies were found to have at least some MTBE. Untold numbers of private wells across the state have dangerous levels of MTBE.

"MTBE is an issue from the end of Long Island to Buffalo," said Bill Cooke of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment. "All you have to do is look for it."

New York has been wrestling with the threat posed by MTBE for at least 15 years, ever since evidence grew that the gasoline additive moved swiftly into groundwater from sites like gas stations with underground storage tanks. Unlike other toxins found in gasoline, MTBE dissolves in water, doesn't cling to soil and persists for years underground - properties that make it a potent threat to groundwater.

The danger posed by the toxin could soon become much more worrisome: Federal officials have considered reclassifying MTBE as a "likely carcinogen," a move that would put it in the same category as potent poisons like DDT and benzene. The toxin is currently considered only a "potential carcinogen," based on research that showed mice and rats develop higher rates of certain cancers after ingesting it.

A16 Possible links to cancer.

Most experts say there has not been enough research about MTBE to determine how dangerous it is. One exception is Mobil's former worldwide director of environmental health, Myron Mehlman.

"MTBE causes cancer," said Mehlman, a retired toxicologist. "Most regulatory bodies have totally miscalculated what the threat levels should be."

Since the MTBE problem was first discovered, staff from the state Department of Environmental Conservation have …

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Lawyer: Khodorkovsky sent to unknown prison

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They had been transferred back to Moscow more than two years ago and held in a detention center during their second politically driven trial, which ended in December with them being found guilty of stealing tens of billions of dollars worth of oil from Khodorkovsky's company, Yukos.

Their transfer back to prison had been expected following the rejection of their appeal on May 24.

Khodorkovsky's elderly …

Unions may be S. African catalyst

There is bloodshed around some of the pits of "black gold,"meaning coal; and terrible violence and meanness around mines loadedwith real gold - all because some 340,000 black miners have gone onstrike in South Africa.

Still, these are golden days for the black majority in the landof apartheid. Simply because this strike is setting an example ofunity and determination that oppressed South African blacks have notshown before. And especially because these black laborers haveillustrated that they have the capacity to wound severely theindustries that have for generations given the white minority aremarkably high standard of living, and thus helped to secure thepower of …

Italcementi closes sale of Set Group to Turkey's Limak.

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The deal, announced on February 25, was subject to approval by the competent Turkish authorities.

The cash consideration paid at closing on March 25 stood at EUR …

Schulman Names New CEO.

A. Schulman says it has appointed Joseph Gingo as president and CEO, effective January 1, 2008. Gingo will succeed chairman, president, and CEO Terry L. Haines, who previously announced his intentions to retire by March 1, 2008. Gingo most recently served as executive v.p./quality systems and chief technology officer at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. "We …

INVESTING IN WOMEN IN BUSINESS.(BUSINESS)

Byline: MARLENE KENNEDY

Robin Prever grew up believing she one day could be president.

That was the figurative if not literal life lesson from her father -- to think big.

So Prever, former chief executive officer of Saratoga Beverage Group Inc. in Saratoga Springs, doesn't blanch at the benchmark she has set for herself as a venture capitalist: a $200 million-plus fund providing so-called growth or expansion capital to woman- and minority-owned businesses. She's part of a new trend in venture financing in which female fund managers seek to help women business owners.

Those efforts are taking many shapes, from the Women's Technology …

UBS, Merrill Launch Gulfside Casino Deal.(Grand Casino Gulfport)(Brief article)

UBS and Merrill Lynch launched syndication last Tuesday of a $230 million credit facility for Gulfside Casino Partnership. The deal includes a $185 million, six-year term loan priced at Libor plus 325 bps and a $45 million, five-year revolver priced at Libor plus 275 bps.

Proceeds from the deal will refinance Gulfside's existing debt as well as support the refurbishment and redevelopment of Mississippi's Grand Casino Gulfport, a casino that Gulfside purchased from Harrah's Entertainment in …

Austria: 2 German men arrested for bank scam

Police say they have arrested two German men who tried to deposit fake bills and silver-backed certificates worth $202 million (euro156 million) into an Austrian bank.

Police in the western valley of Kleinwalsertal in Vorarlberg province say the scam came to light Wednesday afternoon when a local bank could not confirm the authenticity of the …

Empirical Research on the Relationship between the Subdivided Indicators of the Sustainable Development Rate and the Enterprise R&D Input1/RECHERCHES EMPIRIQUES SUR LA RELATION ENTRE L'INDICATEUR SUBDIVISE DU RYTHME DU DEVELOPPEMENT DURABLE ET LA CONTRIBUTION DE R&D DES ENTREPRISES

Abstract:

This paper divided sustainable development rate into return on total assets, equity multiplier, retained earning ratio, and tested their relationships with the R&D input. By applying the cross-section regression method, it builts up the regression model through the empirical research on 93 listed high-tech companies in electronic, medical, and new material industries, in which the influence of those three indicators on the R&D input was tested. The results implied that the coefficient of return on total assets, retained earnings ratio, and the equity multiplier was 0.101, 0.0018 and -0.007 respectively. Finally, this paper analyzed those coefficients and proposed …

Softel MediaSphere playout platform streams to 50 million households.(Brief article)

Softel has announced its iTV MediaSphere playout platform is now streaming applications to more than 50 million households every week.

The MediaSphere iTV platform helps developers, creative agencies, operators and programmers create, test and demonstrate interactive apps, then verify them in iTV infrastructures, as well as stream them to viewers' premises.

MediaSphere playout systems are deployed by many operators and programmers, …

Events focus on pressures, problems that girls face: Girls Inc. workshops give participants chance to talk about issues, hopes.

May 16--SCHENECTADY -- Girls Inc. of the Greater Capital Region recently marked Girls' Rights Week, which included a series of workshops designed to address day-to-day pressures and stereotypes that girls encounter as well as chances to explore perceptions of beauty and self-image.

Workshop participants discussed the pressures girls face regarding self image, confidence and goals. The workshops acknowledged findings from The Supergirl Dilemma, a research report from Girls Inc. on the mounting pressure of expectations for girls today.

At a young age, "Supergirls" are expected to be everything to everyone at all times, according to the study, which generated …