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SOUTHMEAD: Free computer training is available for people aged 19and over at Southmead Development Trust's …

JAZZ HANDS

JAZZ HANDS

Preservation Hall Jazz Band joins TMP on stage

Just days after 2011's Mardi Gras celebrations quiet down, Boise-based dance company Trey Mclntyre Project and the famed New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band will rev the festivities back up. The two performance powerhouses will join forces in an exuberant mix of artistry, energy and visceral spirit on Saturday, March 12, at the Morrison Center.

This collaboration has been in the subconscious making for years. New Orleans is a beloved stomping ground for TMP Artistic Director Trey Mclntyre, who for years enjoyed the city's easily accessible proximity to his dance alma mater, the Houston Ballet. During his …

Lawyer says Khodorkovsky may appeal for early release after presidential change in Russia

A lawyer for the jailed founder of the Yukos oil company said Thursday he he has advised his client to appeal for early release from his Siberian prison now that Vladimir Putin is no longer Russia's president.

Yuri Schmidt said on Ekho Moskvy radio Thursday that tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who turned 45 Thursday, hasn't made up his mind on the issue yet.

Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man, was convicted in 2005 of fraud and tax evasion and sentenced to eight years in prison in a case that many critics called Kremlin revenge for his criticism and apparent political ambitions.

Schmidt said Khodorkovsky felt it was useless to lodge such an …

Quick fix is no cure

In yet another day of crisis management, Mel Gibson has now thrownhimself on the mercy of the very people he maligned in his drunkentirade. Many people are stopped while driving under the influence ofalcohol or some other drug; few people respond by launching into anattack on some ethnic or religious group. In this case it's the Jews,in other cases it could be the honkie cop who stopped you or theentire population of African Americans -- hate speech knows nobounds.

The issue, of course, is that Gibson is well within his rights todislike a group of people and to …

Vivid Account of Black Troops in WWI Combat

Vivid Account of Black Troops in WWI Combat The American Foreign Legion: Black Soldiers of the 93d in World War I. Frank E. Roberts. Naval Institute Press. 263 pages; photographs; maps; notes; index; $29.95 (ALiSA member's cost, $23.96).

In this book, Frank E. Roberts provides a chronicle of the experiences of the four black regiments that served with distinction in the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) but were assigned to French divisions throughout their combat service.

America entered World War I at a time when Jim Crow laws and racism permeated the society and politics of the country. Blacks hoped that their participation in the war effort would help tear down the …

Judges rap prosecutor at Khmer Rouge trial

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — An internal debate over the targets of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge genocide tribunal turned into a public dispute Wednesday, when judges ordered a prosecutor to retract his call for further investigations.

The fight at the United Nations-backed tribunal added to mounting fears that prosecutions are being quashed for political reasons.

The two investigating judges, from Germany and Cambodia, on Wednesday ordered British co-prosecutor Andrew Cayley to withdraw a statement he issued last week citing specific crimes that deserved further investigation. They said the statement violated tribunal rules and must be retracted within three days, without specifying …

Stars play cricket for ex-Sri Lanka child soldiers

Stars of Indian cinema and Sri Lankan cricketers will play a celebrity cricket match on Friday to raise funds for reintegrating former child soldiers into their communities.

Bollywood stars Hrithik Roshan and Sunil Shetty are set for a celebrity cricket match involving Kumar Sangakkara's Sri Lankan lineup that will be one of the key features of the International Indian Film Awards scheduled to be held this weekend in Colombo.

Part of the proceeds from the match will be donated to "Cricket for Children," an initiative of the Sri Lanka Cricket authority and UNICEF, the U.N. Children's Fund.

Earlier this year, former child soldiers and …

New DNR fisheries chief wants to focus on research

DAILY MAIL OUTDOORS EDITOR

WEST Virginia has a new bass czar.

The official title for Bret Preston is the Division of NaturalResources' "assistant chief of the Wildlife Resources Section, incharge of warmwater fisheries." Around the agency and around thestate, however, he'll simply be the "warmwater chief."

That means he'll be in charge of all the state's bass fisheries,its muskie fisheries, its catfish fisheries, its walleye fisheries -well, you get the point. If it's a fish and not a trout, Preston willbe in charge of it.

He replaces Bert Pierce, who retired in early November. ForPreston, who had served as Pierce's assistant since 1995, thetransition …

Falcioni's luck begins to turn at Boca Juniors

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Boca Juniors' new coach, Julio Cesar Falcioni, is starting to see his luck turn.

Boca Juniors picked up their second consecutive victory on Sunday, defeating league-leading Estudiantes 2-1 on a goal in the last minute by substitute Lucas Viatri.

Falcioni sent on Viatri and fellow forward Pablo Mouche in the second half, and it was Mouche's cross that found Viatri before he headed home the winner.

Boca won only one of its first six matches, but has now won two straight with a match coming up next week against Lanus.

Rodrigo Lopez gave Estudiantes a 1-0 lead in the 7th minute, but Boca's Juan Roman Riquelme equalized in the 16th on a …

Supreme Court Judge Breyer joins architecture jury

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer has a new judging gig where he'll be focusing on matters architectural rather than constitutional.

Organizers of the Pritzker Architecture Prize — often referred to as the Nobel Prize for building design — announced Wednesday that Breyer and British architect Zaha Hadid were joining the jury that picks the award's annual winner.

The Hyatt Foundation, …

LGBT youth invited to speak out about their experiences

Students are invited to help GLSEN inform education policymakers and the public about what's really going on in the nation's schools. By completing the 2009 National School Climate Survey, GLSEN's sixth national survey about the experiences of LGBT youth in school, youth can speak out about their lives in school.

The National School Climate Survey aims to shed light on the real experiences of LGBT youth. It touches on issues like verbal and physical bullying, attitudes of other students, faculty and …

Barcelona's Spanish league chances fade with 0-0 draw against Espanyol

Second-place FC Barcelona drew crosstown rival Espanyol 0-0 at Camp Nou on Saturday and continued to diminish its hopes of winning the Spanish league.

Barcelona, the 2005 and '06 champion, has won just one of its last eight games and will trail Real Madrid by 11 points if the leader wins at Racing Santander on Sunday.

"We haven't given up because we could win our remaining games," Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard told news agency Efe. "We are a bit disappointed with the result because we gave our all."

Also, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla each suffered heavy home defeats which dented their hopes of playing in next season's …

US stocks mostly higher after mortgage deal

A deal that would prevent more mortgage foreclosures has pulled Wall Street out of a deep early slump and given the market a most higher close. Democratic lawmakers reached an agreement with Citigroup Inc. on a plan to let bankruptcy judges alter home loans in an effort to prevent foreclosures. Other lenders are expected to follow suit.

Wall Street had traded lower for much of the session after a profit warning from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. intensified fears that consumers are even worse off than thought. Their reluctance to spend _ evident in Thursday's retail sales reports from many of the nation's biggest merchants _ could make it harder for the nation to recover from the recession.

Although the Dow Jones industrial average is down 27 at 8,742 level, broader indicators are higher and there are more advancing than declining issues on the New York Stock Exchange.

Blatter says English FA could have punished Rooney

NEWPORT, Wales (AP) — FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Saturday that England's Football Association could have retrospectively punished Wayne Rooney for elbowing an opponent and urged managers — including Manchester United's Alex Ferguson — to show referees more respect.

Ferguson questioned the integrity of referee Martin Atkinson who failed to send off Chelsea defender David Luiz for fouling Rooney and then awarding a penalty kick against Chris Smalling, which led to United losing 2-1 in the Premier League on Tuesday.

But the weekend before admonishing Atkinson for not being "fair or strong," Ferguson was pleased to see United striker Rooney avoid being sent off for his elbow on Wigan's James McCarthy.

Only a free kick was awarded by referee Mark Clattenburg, whose vision of the incident was restricted, and the FA said that FIFA's rules prevented them from taking action against Rooney by reviewing video evidence.

But Blatter maintains that it was possible to act retrospectively, appearing to go against the advice given to the FA by FIFA's disciplinary unit.

"This is up to the discretion of the national association," Blatter said. "They can use video evidence in the discipline and control committee.

"They can impose or change a decision if a red or yellow card has been given to the wrong player. If there's violence the national association can intervene and punish a player — this is permitted at the discretion of the national association."

But FA chairman David Bernstein, who was sitting next to Blatter during a media briefing following the International Football Association Board meeting, insisted that his organization followed FIFA's rules.

"In the Wayne Rooney situation, under FIFA regulations if the referee sees the incident — which in this case he did do — the FA has no authority except in what is called exceptional circumstances, really exceptional," Bernstein said. "If you open the door to 'halfway exceptional' the floodgates will open."

What the FA can do is sanction manager after matches for their criticism of referees. Ferguson was charged with improper conduct for his criticism of Atkinson.

Blatter was asked Saturday whether he is concerned by senior managers like Ferguson questioning the integrity and fairness of referees.

"Everyone deserves fair play," Blatter responded. "Respect starts with self discipline. This is what we are asking everywhere, from youth teams upwards and it is also valid for personalities.

"The higher your position, the higher your responsibility. Those that have more power should be more responsible towards others. This is a principle in life."

If Ferguson is found guilty, he would have to serve a suspension of at least two matches. Half of a four-match penalty for questioning referee Alan Wiley's fitness last season was suspended until the end of this campaign.

First Koreas Train Crossing Since 1950

SEOUL, South Korea - It was New Year's Eve in 1950. Koreans were fleeing the Chinese advance in the North when American soldiers halted their train at the South Korean border - shooting bullets into its steam tank to prevent it from ever running again.

That ill-fated train was the last to try to cross the Demilitarized Zone that divides the peninsula, which has remained in a state of conflict since the 1953 cease-fire that ended the Korean War. On Thursday, two trains are expected to cross the border again in a highly symbolic test-run seen as another step toward healing the wounds between the North and South.

"It's a historic day. I hope that from today the two Koreas will wash away the pain of tension and open the future of hope," Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung said as he arrived Thursday to lead the South Korean delegation on the ride into the North.

The train test will be the latest hole punched through the DMZ since the two Koreas embarked on an unprecedented reconciliation with their first summit in June 2000. Roads have also been restored since 2005, and thousands of South Koreans cross annually to visit Diamond Mountain as tourists or to work in the joint Korean industrial zone in Kaesong.

For South Korea, restoration of rail travel would help end its virtual island status, given that the only land route out is through North Korea. A rail link could reduce delivery costs for its export-driven economy.

Two rail lines have been restored across the border. On the western side, 17 miles of track have been laid between the South's Munsan and Kaesong in the North. The new eastern line links North Korea's Diamond Mountain with Jejin in the South across 16 miles of track.

About a dozen South Koreans whose relatives have allegedly been abducted by North Korea staged a protest outside the Munsan train station, demanding the Seoul government do more to bring their loved ones home.

"I wish the train would come back with my son if he is still alive," said Lee Kan-shim, 72, bursting into tears as police kept her from the site.

Seoul wants to connect to Russia's Trans-Siberian railroad. That will be difficult, but the opening of rail service on the two short routes just across the border could be possible "if the South gives a lot to the North in return," said Park June-young, an expert on North Korea at Ewha Women's University.

The tests are scheduled to begin around midday Thursday with 150 people aboard two five-car trains- one departing from the North and another from the South. Both trains will return later Thursday after spending a few hours on the opposite side.

The rail test has been beset by delays, mainly due to the objections of North Korea's military. But it now appears to finally be set after North Korean officers signed off on the plan last week.

The test comes with a price. The North agreed only after South Korea said last month that it would provide raw materials for making clothes, shoes and soap to North Korea - a project that Seoul refused to start last year when the rail tests were called off by the North. The South will get the rights to explore mineral resources in the North in return.

The goods North Korea received in return for the test run are worth $86.5 million, said Nam Sung-wook, a North Korea expert at Korea University. And for agreeing to begin regular service, he added, the North would make "much bigger demands."

North Korea's communist government is also extremely reluctant to allow many foreign influences into the country as it seeks to maintain its grasp on power.

"It's still very early to tell whether we can take (the rail test) as a sign of North Korea opening up to the outside world, but it's certainly a change," the unification minister told reporters Wednesday.

Analysts said the South Korean government appears eager to have the rail test go forward to claim a success in its policy of engagement with the North, which has been dogged by setbacks due to the international standoff over its nuclear weapons program.

Trains still crossed between the North and South even after the division of the peninsula at the end of World War II. It was not until after the North invaded, starting the Korean War in 1950, that U.S. forces destroyed the tracks at the border, as well as the North's rail and road connections to China, to try to prevent infiltration by hostile forces, Korea Railroad Museum director Sohn Gil-shin said.

Sohn expressed hopes the test would presage a new regional network linking Russia and China to the entire Korean peninsula.

A model of the last train that tried to cross stands at the museum outside Seoul. A plaque bears the slogan that has become associated with its halted journey: "The iron horse wants to run."

---

Associated Press reporter Jae-soon Chang contributed to this report.

Blue Jays 9, Braves 5

99Blue Jays 9, Braves 5
ATLANTA @ TORONTO @
ab r h bi @ab r h bi
GBlnco cf 5 1 4 1 Eckstin ss 3 1 1 1
Gotay 3b 5 0 0 0 Inglett 2b 5 0 2 2
KJhnsn 2b 4 1 2 1 Rios rf 4 1 0 0
Tixeira 1b 2 2 1 2 VWells cf 5 1 3 3
Norton dh 4 0 0 0 Stairs dh 3 1 2 0
McCan c 4 0 1 1 Rolen 3b 4 1 2 0
Frncur rf 4 0 0 0 Ovrbay 1b 3 1 0 1
Lllbrdg ss 4 0 1 0 Brajas c 4 3 2 1
BJones lf 4 1 1 0 ALind lf 3 0 0 1
Wlkrsn lf 0 0 0 0
Totals @ 36 5 10 5 Totals @34 9 12 9
Atlanta 000 010 040_5
Toronto 010 014 03x_9
DP_Toronto 1. LOB_Atlanta 6, Toronto 7. 2B_McCann (23), BJones (5), VWells (9), Stairs (8), Rolen (17), Barajas (13). 3B_GBlanco (3). HR_Teixeira (16), VWells (8), Barajas (6). SF_ALind.
IP H R ER BB SO
Atlanta @
THudson L,8-6 5 7 6 6 3 3
JBennett 1 1 0 0 0 1
Ohman 1 1 0 0 0 2
Acosta 1 3 3 3 1 0
Toronto @
Parrish W,1-0 6 4 1 1 2 4
Downs 1 0 0 0 0 2
Tallet 1 4 4 4 0 2
BJRyan 1 2 0 0 0 0
THudson pitched to 4 batters in the 6th.
HBP_by JBennett (Eckstein). WP_THudson. PB_McCann.
Umpires_Home, Laz Diaz	First, Wally Bell	Second, Paul Schrieber	Third, Kerwin Danley.
T_2:58. A_28,518 (49,539).

Spanish Football Results

Results from the 25th round of Spain's first-division football league (home teams listed first):

Saturday's Games

Deportivo La Coruna 3, Tenerife 1

Almeria 2, Barcelona 2

Real Madrid vs. Sevilla

Sunday's Games

Malaga vs. Xerez

Espanyol vs. Villarreal

Mallorca vs. Sporting Gijon

Osasuna vs. Getafe

Athletic Bilbao vs. Valladolid

Zaragoza vs. Atletico Madrid

Monday's Game

Valencia vs. Racing Santander

Saturday March 13

Getafe vs. Mallorca

Sporting Gijon vs. Athletic Bilbao

Sevilla vs. Deportivo

Sunday March 14

Villarreal vs. Xerez

Tenerife vs. Espanyol

Racing Santander vs. Zaragoza

Almeria vs. Malaga

Barcelona vs. Valencia

Valladolid vs. Real Madrid

Monday March 15

Atletico Madrid vs. Osasuna

New Credo: Over 50 But Not Over the Hill

Ten or 15 years ago, normal people in their 50s, 60s and 70sdidn't go hiking in the Rocky Mountains or learn to paddle a seakayak off the coast of New Zealand. They didn't sell their houses tobuy a van and camp around Europe or stay with a family in Japan.That was for kids.

A lot of Americans believed that once you hit 50, it wasdownhill into retirement and old age. Maybe there'd be a bus tour ortwo along the way - with fellow travelers shouting for the guide toturn up the microphone. If you were a widow or had a non-travelingspouse, the only acceptable vacation was a week with Aunt Thelma oryour grown children - surely not a study tour to Nepal or aMediterranean cruise.

Lately, however, the travel industry has begun to notice thatnot everyone in their maturing years is stamped from the traditionalcookie cutter. Birth-certificate dates do not determine travelpreferences.

Perhaps tourism is paying closer attention because thepopulation of 50-plus Americans - already spending 80 percent or moreof U.S. vacation dollars by some estimates - will double to more than125 million over the next 35 years. The travel industry isdiscovering that this new breed of seasoned traveler is healthier,longer lived, better educated and more adventurous than ever before.

So travel companies are racing to keep up with the demands ofpeople like Jack and Ruth Monteith, who sold their home and camped inEurope after retirement; Ona and Bob House, who took to the road withthe Retreads, an organization for older motorcyclists; George Utzig,who has volunteered for overseas projects to improve Third Worldeconomies, and Lloyd Lambert, founder of the 70 Plus Ski Club.

These people adapted their travels to their personal interests,enthusiasms and skills.

When Jack Monteith worked as a design artist at General Motors,rumors flew that the automotive giant would begin a wave ofearly-retirement offers. A friend asked Ruth Monteith what wouldhappen if Jack were on the list.

"I told her we'd sell our house, buy a van and bum around Europelike the kids," Ruth says. "My answer surprised me. That dream hadnever surfaced before, but it set things in motion." When Jackretired early, the Monteiths sold their house, ordered a camping vanfor pickup in Germany, and began a year of roaming Europe.

For Jack, it meant a chance to paint and draw; Ruth lookedforward to the famous sights and museums.

But what the Monteiths remember most is the people they met: afamily of circus performers who gave them tips about sightseeing andloaded their larder with goose, sausages and eggs; British camperswho took them to an RV rally in Belgium; a French artist who invitedthem over for a three-hour lunch that "looked like an Old Master'sstill life," Ruth recalls.

"I believe that any middle-aged or retired couple in reasonablehealth and with a spirit of adventure could do what we did," Jacksays.

Ona and Bob House, from Topeka, Kan., have that adventurousspirit, but prefer a less conventional mode of transportation thanthe Monteith's camping van. These grandparents in their mid-70s areofficers of the 20,000-member Retreads, a club for motorcycleenthusiasts 40 and older. The oldest member, now 102, rode aHarley-Davidson until he was 95.

Like other older Americans, Bob and Ona found that once theirchildren were grown, they had the desire and disposable income totravel. But unlike most other seasoned travelers, they decided thatmotorcycling was the way to go. They ride a three-wheeler powered bya Volkswagen engine that was custom-made by a friend.

The Houses have gone to the Retreads' international rallies andto regional chapter get-togethers and trips. They've vacationed bymotorcycle on their own, too.

"When we pull up to a motel, we take off our helmets before weget off the cycle," Ona says, "and when people behind the desk seetwo white heads, the expression on their faces sure does change."

George T. Utzig, of Dubuque, Iowa, has seen some satisfied lookson the faces of people he has met on his travels since his 1977retirement. George, 77, has volunteered for overseas assignmentswith the nonprofit International Executive Service Corps (IESC),which acts something like a free-market Peace Corps.

Retired executives and technical workers, usually with theirspouses, go to developing and former Communist countries to advisebusinesses. Each year, IESC sends more than 700 retirees to work on800 or more projects lasting two to three months on average. They'repaid a per-diem living allowance but no salary.

Utzig, whose professional background is in wood buildingproducts, has designed a factory in Sri Lanka, lectured on the usesof wood in Chile, and developed factories that make doors in CostaRica and kitchen cabinets in Guatemala. When he first arrived, theCosta Rican company was bankrupt, employed six people and used handtools. Now it has a 650-person payroll and annual sales of $10million.

Lloyd Lambert, a 90-year-old ski writer and broadcaster fromBallston Lake, N.Y., began a nonprofit organization to assist olderskiers.

"People came to me and said they couldn't affort to ski anymorebecause of fixed incomes," Lambert recalls. So in 1977, he began the70 Plus Ski Club.

For a $5 lifetime membership fee, downhill skiers 70 and olderreceive a card, an identifying patch and a 10-page listing of whereto ski free or at discounts in the United States, Canada, Australia,France and Switzerland. The organization also sponsors reasonablypriced ski trips to overseas and U.S. slopes.

These seasoned travelers are examples of the diversity ofinterests, abilities, needs and desires that characterize today'smature Americans.

Marcia Schnedler, wife of travel editor Jack Schnedler, isauthor of The Seasoned Traveler, a new guidebook published by CountryRoads Press. It is available at The Savvy Traveller and otherChicago area bookstores.

Jason rues World Cup mauling by Pumas

Scotland skipper Jason White admits the World Cup was a missedopportunity for his side.

The Scots bowed out at the quarter-final stage after a 19-13defeat to Argentina in Paris.

White admits the team only have themselves to blame for notreaching the last four.

"The Argentina game was a missed opportunity for us to get to thesemi-finals," said the Sale Sharks skipper, who began his careerwith Aberdeen Wanderers.

"We could have beaten them, but we made too many individualmistakes.

"We didn't play well enough to win it, so that is a tough lessonfor us to learn."

Wins over Portugal, Romania - at Murrayfield - and Italysealed a last eight encounter with The Pumas, who surprisinglytopped their group after beating hosts France in the opening game.

But it was defeat to New Zealand in Edinburgh in the penultimategroup match that caused controversy.

Hadden decided to rest his top players ahead the must-win gameagainst the Azzurri, opting instead to field a shadow side.

Despite a 40-0 reverse, White insists his boss got it right.

White was a doubt for the event after injuring an anteriorcruciate ligament against

Romania in November 2006.

But the 29-year-old battled back to fitness to lead his countryon the biggest stage of all.

Walk to raise funds for Diabetes UK ; In brief

SOUTH WEALD: Residents are being invited to join a scenic walk inaid of Diabetes UK.

People can choose from a 5km route or a 2km trip at Weald CountryPark on Sunday, September 25, both setting off from the cricket clubentrance.

The walks begin at noon, and walkers must raise at least Pounds30. To register call 01376 501390 or visit www.diabetes.org.uk/wealdpark2011