Midday & Evening

** until 2-16-09 **

016  017  018  025  026  027  034  035  036  045  048  057  124  125  126  129  134  135  138  147  156  169  178  179  189  234  237  246  259  268  269  278  279  349  358  359  368  369  378  458  459  468  489  579  678  007  008  115  116  117  223  224  225  228  133  233  044  144  448  449  255  558  066  669  277  088  188  288  588  399 

  

Wednesday 2-11-09

829, 110, 054, 128, 713, 801, 301, 302, 790

512, 780, 178, 103, 401, 856, 108, 954, 154

044, 064, 053, 055, 701, 803, 318, 482, 111

3297, 7960, 6828, 6574, 4801, 4701, 5555

Police: Man lets boy drive for a 'bonding moment'

BRADENTON, Fla. – Police in southwest Florida arrested a man they say let his 8-year-old son drive a van. Police in Bradenton arrested 34-year-old Mark A. Belanger just before midnight Sunday on charges of child abuse and permitting an unlicensed driver to drive.

A police report said the boy hit two trees and nearly hit two people in a parking lot. Belanger told police he'd taken Xanax, used to treat anxiety and panic attacks, and was "feeling woozy and didn't want to drive." He said he thought letting his son drive would be a "bonding moment."

The boy told police his father took "liquid medicine" to feel better, pointing to an empty whiskey bottle in the vehicle. Belanger remained in jail Wednesday on a $10,120 bond. Jail records did not show if he has an attorney.

Body dragged nearly 20 miles on NYC highways

NEW YORK – A van traveled for nearly an hour over busy New York City roads before its driver discovered the horrific cargo it had dragged almost 20 miles: the partially scraped-away body of a man who was plowed over by an SUV just before he got caught under the van.

Police said the gruesome episode was accidental and that they have no plans to charge the drivers at this time.

But that did not diminish the shock of seeing a dead man hooked under a van that had just traversed some of the busiest roads in the city. Police said the driver, Manuel Lituma Sanchez, had no idea he hit the victim until the end of his trip, when a bystander told him something was dragging under his van.

Investigators were working to identify the body, which was found largely intact but horribly battered. The man's heels were shorn off. His clothes and several layers of skin on his legs and buttocks were worn off. The back of his head was worn through to the scalp.

A business card, Western Union receipt and a broken iPhone were found in the man's pockets, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said.

The man was first hit around 6:15 a.m. while apparently crossing against a stop light in the Corona section of Queens by the driver of a black Ford Expedition, Gustavo Acosta, who immediately called 911. When police arrived, the victim was gone and no damage was found to the SUV.

Lituma Sanchez, who was about two vehicles behind, said he had noticed cars swerving but didn't see the initial accident and assumed the drivers were simply avoiding a pothole.

He drove over the victim, who was facing up, and the man's chest was hooked by a steel plate under the van known as the skid plate, used to protect the transmission and undercarriage. It's not clear whether the victim was alive at that point.

"The van comes and rides right over the body and as it goes by there's no body there," Browne said. "The body was basically fish-hooked by the plate."

Lituma Sanchez stopped shortly after the accident to check his car but noticed nothing and went on his way. The vehicle has a low ridge around the wheels for stepping inside, making it difficult to see under the van.

Lituma Sanchez drove on the Grand Central Parkway, the Van Wyck Expressway and the Belt Parkway, winding from Queens to Brooklyn and ending up in Brighton Beach, where he works as a delivery man, Browne said. On the residential streets at a slower speed, he suspected something was wrong with his engine, and he stopped, opened the hood and checked the oil. But he did not look under the car.

He got back in and drove a few more blocks before a pedestrian flagged him to say something was dragging under his 1998 Chevrolet van. Lituma Sanchez got out of his car again, looked underneath, discovered the body and called 911 from his cell phone.

Police jacked up the vehicle and pulled the body from under the van. The battered corpse, found face up with the shirt and pants shredded, was covered with a white sheet as officers investigated and talked to the shellshocked, exhausted driver in a police car. The victim's bruised and bloody legs could be seen protruding from the sheet in front of the van.

An autopsy was planned for Thursday. Both drivers have clean records, police said.

Police retraced the van's route and recovered a blue jacket believed to have belonged to the victim, who was described as Hispanic, in his 20s or 30s and between 5 feet 2 and 5 feet 4 inches tall.

Police had initially believed it was a 17-mile journey, but did a closer examination of the route realized it was 19.8 miles instead.

Month of February

** or until hit falls **

(North & South Carolina )

873   876   836

573   576   536

973   976   936

SI cover girl Refaeli nudges her swimsuit south

NEW YORK – The world knows a lot more about Bar Refaeli today than it did yesterday, including where her tiny tan line falls. Sports Illustrated Swimsuit unveiled the 23-year-old Israeli, who has been romantically linked to Leonardo DiCaprio, as a first-time cover girl on Tuesday.

This gig, more than top fashion or entertainment magazines, can be career-altering as it puts a model's face (not to mention, her fantastically toned body) in front of millions of eyeballs, appealing to both men and women, sports fans and fashionistas.

It's the cover that matters most, says SI group editor Terry McDonell, but each model — 19 for this issue — gets an equal shot at the cover. Refaeli wears a string bikini by Missoni — and the strings on the bikini bottom are being tugged south.

"The cover has to reflect the athleticism and sexiness of the culture. This photo is modern, her hair and swimsuit look natural. You see her freckles. Her body is amazing and she looks intelligent," McDonell said.

It's also purposeful, he noted, that the models have healthy, sometimes curvy, figures. "A skinny waif won't work here."

McDonell, along with Swimsuit editor Diane Smith and SI creative director Steve Hoffman, sifted through 90,000 photos this year. In consumer testing, it's inevitable that the raciest one is the favorite, but that's not the one that lands on the front. "There are marketplace considerations," McDonell explained. "I want to be at the front of the store, not the back."

Refaeli told The Associated Press that she had the feeling that this particular shot of her in the water on Canouan Island in the Grenadines was her chance to be on the front.

"This is the one I felt the most comfortable with," said Refaeli, who twice before was featured on the inside pages of the magazine. "You have the beach, blue water and a body. That's it. I liked that the top of the suit was on."

You can be sexy without revealing too much skin, said veteran supermodel Cheryl Tiegs, who first appeared on the Swimsuit issue cover in 1970 — and then again in 1975 and 1983.

That shot happened at the end of a full day shooting in Hawaii, and she was cold. Someone gave her long-sleeve top to warm her up and when the photographer asked her to take it off, Tiegs refused — and she wouldn't take off her sunglasses either, she recalled. That photo, she said, really captured a moment, though.

"I remember walking by the newsstand and seeing I was on the cover and picking up a copy or two. That was the celebration then. ... But I'm still signing covers for fans," Tiegs said.

SI's swimsuit issue began in 1964, when February marked the low point of the sports seasons. The NFL ended in December, there were no national televised hockey games and the NBA had only a half-dozen teams. After putting safe-driving tips and dog shows on the cover, SI decided to put an attractive female on the cover and call it a "skin-diving story," recalls Smith.

It was popular from the start, but Smith thinks it was Tiegs' cover that made it a phenomenon. However, it was Kathy Ireland in a white strapless bikini in 1989 that remains the best-selling cover.

"I've done many, many, many different covers in the fashion world ... but never had as big a splash as Sports Illustrated," said Heidi Klum, the cover model in 1998. "I went to `(The Tonight Show with Jay) Leno,' the morning shows in New York and LA — it was a huge thing — suddenly I became a household name," she said.

But more than the fame, Klum said she appreciates from SI the professionalism shown to a relatively untested model wearing next to nothing. "I had wanted it to be so good. I'd arch so hard ... but they'd say, `Look sexy with your eyes. Don't overpose. Be yourself and have fun.'"

There's a balance between wholesome and sexy the editors are always straddling, without ever being sleazy, Hoffman said.

The magazine spends an average of three days shooting each model, each with an average wake-up call of 4:30 a.m. because the light is best at dawn, and have about 10,000 bathing suits to choose from.

And even with the outfits so small, SI spends an average of $2,000 in overweight baggage fees per location.

"The logistics are horrifying ... but the Swimsuit issue is probably the healthiest of all the Sports Illustrated franchises, and it's good to be with things that work, especially these days," said McDonell.

Tuesday 2-10-09

301, 401, 559, 810, 543, 549, 333, 138, 637

603, 011, 010, 649, 497, 273, 372, 702, 470

713, 076, 607, 980, 170, 178, 502, 444, 777

4701, 0782, 0285, 6828, 8722, 1907, 7277

   "Men build too many walls and not enough bridges."

 - Isaac Newton -

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) -- Myrtle Beach leaders are considering a tougher indecent exposure law that would allow officers to issue tickets or make arrests the first time they see someone baring too much skin.

The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reports that the current so-called "thong ordinance" requires officers to issue a warning before issuing tickets. Myrtle Beach has banned thongs on the beach for 16 years.

City spokesman Mark Kruea says the tougher law is not in response to May motorcycle rallies along the Grand Strand, although he acknowledges the biker events bring an increase in illegally exposed skin. The city has approved a number of ordinances to restrict the biker activities.

The Myrtle Beach City Council will consider the new rules for the first time Tuesday.

  

Monday 2-9-09

685, 123, 036, 893, 651, 166, 541, 424

301, 302, 401, 607, 942, 076, 034, 143

780, 187, 872, 372, 777, 444, 000, 555

333, 0285, 6574, 6828, 7960, 2129, 8769

Monday, February 9, 2009
Radmanovic relishes trade to Bobcats
ESPN.com news services

Technicalities kept Vladimir Radmanovic on the bench a day after he was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Charlotte Bobcats.

 

They didn't keep him from voicing his displeasure over his former team's game planning.

 

"Being a Laker was a great experience," Radmanovic told the Charlotte Observer before Sunday's 96-92 loss in Miami. "But it was also frustrating not knowing when and how I'd play."

 

The small forward said the trade that sent him to the Bobcats for forward Adam Morrison and reserve guard Shannon Brown was a blessing in disguise.

 

"Phil's system, great as it is, doesn't give a role player much opportunity," Radmanovic said. "For Kobe Bryant, it's great. For Pau Gasol, it's great. But role players don't do much.''

 

In 2½ seasons with the Lakers, Radmanovic started 84 of the 166 games he apppeared in, averaging 17.9 minutes, 22.8 and 16.8 in each season starting in 2006-07. Before the trade, the eight-year veteran was averaging 5.9 points per game this season.

 

The Serbian pointed to the value of his versatility Sunday. He told the Observer he's comfortable at power forward or small forward.

 

"I've been playing 3 and 4 my whole career,'' Radmanovic said. "Obviously I'm a little quicker than most 6-10 guys, so I can guard smaller players.''

 

Radmanovic was not eligible to play against the Heat on Sunday. Radmanovic was in Miami and hoping to play, but the Lakers did not get physicals for Morrison and Brown done, so the deal couldn't be officially complete.

 

"I just hope it works out for everybody," Bobcats coach Larry Brown said before Sunday's game.

 

Radmanovic was being checked by team doctors in Charlotte's locker room two hours before tip-off, and the team even added him to the active list in case he was cleared to play.

State Dept.: More lives lost than in any other country outside combat zones

HOUSTON - More than 200 American citizens have been killed since 2004 in Mexico's escalating wave of violence, amounting to the highest number of unnatural deaths in any foreign country outside military combat zones, according to the U.S. State Department.

The deaths included a 22-year-old Houston man and his 16-year-old friend who were hauled out of a minivan and shot execution style. They also included a 65-year-old nurse from Brownsville found floating in the Rio Grande after visiting a Mexican beauty salon and a retiree stabbed to death while camping on a Baja beach, reported the Houston Chronicle in a story published Sunday, which examined hundreds of records related to the deaths.

The State Department tracks most American homicides abroad but releases few details about the deaths. Most, however, occurred in border cities, including Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez and Nuevo Laredo, where violence has spiked with drug cartel feuds in recent years.

The Chronicle analysis showed some American homicide victims were involved in organized crime. At least two dozen American victims were labeled as cartel hitmen, drug dealers, smugglers or gang members. Others were drug users or wanted for crimes in the United States.

But in at least 70 other cases, the Americans were killed in Mexico while there on seemingly innocent business: visiting family, vacationing or living and working there.

Mexican Congressman Juan Francisco Rivera Bedoya of Nuevo Leon said he believes most American victims get killed after crossing the border for illegal activities or venturing into unsafe areas.

"Tourists visiting cathedrals, museums and other cultural centers are not at risk," he said.

'Travel alerts' for border communities
The State Department last year issued "travel alerts" for several border communities, warning that dozens of U.S. citizens had been kidnapped or killed in Tijuana, though it gave no details.

"We're not trying to scare anybody off, but we sure as heck want people to be aware of the dangerous conditions that they might encounter in certain parts of the country," said former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza in an interview before he left his post.

Meanwhile, Mexico said over the weekend that 100 more federal police officers had been assigned to the capital's airport following a series of assaults on travelers who exchanged money.

Five of the victims have been foreigners, including a French scientist who was killed.

Federal Police official Brig. Gen. Alfredo Fregoso said the reinforcement brings to 500 the number of federal officers patrolling the airport.

Prosecutors say at least 18 people who were recently robbed outside the airport were apparently followed after exchanging money inside.

The French scientist was shot in the head last month after assailants intercepted his car and stole $6,336.

Fregoso's announcement Saturday came a day after a Colombian man became the 18th reported victim.

 

Gruesome deaths
Across Mexico, more than 5,000 people were killed last year, authorities report. Some of the deaths of police and other public officials have been public and gruesome, with bodies posed in public places.

The Chronicle found that among the American deaths, at least 40 were killed and had their bodies dumped in the methods favored by drug cartels.

Few of the killers are caught.

Only about 20 percent of homicides in Mexico result in arrests, the Chronicle found in its analysis of data from the Citizens' Safety Institute. The Mexico City-based nonprofit surveys prosecutors across Mexico.

Records from the prosecutor in Baja California Norte, home to Tijuana, show none of the cases from 2004 to 2006 have been closed. More than 90 Americans have been killed in the state south of San Diego since 2003.

"A wise man will make haste to forgive, because he knows the true value of time, and will not suffer it to pass away in unnecessary pain."

- Samuel Johnson -

Saturday 2-7-09

937, 001, 821, 657, 345, 686, 466, 842

168, 363, 646, 301, 302, 401, 920, 940

970, 130, 331, 319, 126, 011, 010, 333

026, 6574, 6828, 0285, 7960, 8355, 1166

                  "Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm"

- Edward Bulwer-Lytton -