Israel faces surveys another such unravels test as it negotiates with Hamas for the Palestinian militant group's release of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who was captured in June 2006 and is reportedly alive in the Gaza Strip. Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader who runs Gaza, warned Wednesday that Israel, which is balking at the group's demand that it free thousands of Palestinian prisoners, will have to "pay the price" for Shalit's return. But first the Goldwassers and Regevs have unfinished business with Hezbollah. People want you to get things done, and they want you to work across the political spectrum to get things done," he said. At the Florida conference, Alameda Mayor Beverly Johnson said she wished Villaraigosa and California's other big-city mayors would become more involved with the Conference of Mayors to ensure that issues facing the state are addressed. It was reported to the Associated Press by Mousa abu Marzouk, a top official at Hamas' headquarters in Syria, and confirmed by aides to Abbas. A new government would not strip Abbas of the presidency, to which he was elected in January 2005 after the death of longtime leader Yasser Arafat. He was white as a ghost. "Thomas McFall was laid to rest with a Guinness beer stein and a Big Dog barbecue shirt in the Riverside National Cemetery, where his grandmother and great-aunt are buried.

The Bay Area Council may also confine itself to set topics, but its approach may solidify after its summit. Or, in theory, as a fitting example of California's dysfunction, there could be dueling conventions . The secretary can also override a state decision if he deems the project necessary for national security. Federal officials "take the test very seriously and they try to do a really objective analysis on . This is the kind of proposal one might expect from a party candidate seeking to differentiate himself from the policies of an unpopular predecessor . Ryder Cup standings and one in the FedEx Cup standings. He has all but guaranteed he'll reach his goal of playing for his country in his home state and improving his chances to win $10 million in the PGA Tour's playoff. Before Perry gets a chance to win the loot, though, he will get an opportunity in September to live a dream. "My only goal was to make the Ryder Cup team, and that's really got me focused for whatever reason," he said. ------Loren Roberts shot a three-under-par 68 to cap a one-stroke victory over Nick Price and Lonnie Nielsen in the Commerce Bank Championship in East Meadow, N. Y. Roberts had three second-place finishes on the Champions Tour this year, including last week to Jeff Sluman, but his 12-under 201 total gave him his eighth title on the over-50 circuit, matching his total from his PGA Tour career. The 53-year-old Roberts earned the winner's share of $240,000 from the $1. 6-million purse in the event he finished second in last year. Price matched the tournament's low round with a six-under 65 and finished tied for second at 11-under with Nielsen, the defending champion, who had a closing 66. .

PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA — With our noses pressed to the windows of the bus, we could see festive garlands of lights twinkling along the main road as though it were Christmas . Instead, the agency stalks informants around the edges of such quarry -- moderate Muslims troubled by the radical message at their mosques; mercenary shipping companies that might accept illicit nuclear components as cargo; chemists whose colleagues have suspicious contacts with extremist groups. Agency officials declined to respond to questions about the front companies and the decision to close them. "Cover is designed to protect the officers and operations that protect America," CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano said . The KCRW basement studios have been remodeled, with better equipment . Michigan has acted to move its primary a week ahead of New Hampshire's, but the final voting days remain very much in flux. Why, many ask, should a state with barely 1. 3 million residents and little ethnic diversity wield so much influence? "We've given New Hampshire the best seat in the house . Smith," "The Da Vinci Code") is at once an admirer of those old-school sci-fi twists and dubious about translating such tales -- "O. Assembly Republicans have turned that notion into surprise tax credits for movie studios and other industries. "It hurts families and it hurts the person unable to care for themselves. "Jimenez's case is among many cited by advocates of a bill that would require the state Department of Public Health to fully investigate most complaints against nursing homes within 40 business days. The bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles), passed the Legislature last month and is now on the desk of Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger.

He felt that the timing, for him, could not have been better. " * . Oscar voters may reach a similar conclusion. "We're in the process right now of figuring it out," DiCaprio says . Fitch Ratings forecast that inflation would average more than 5% this year. The U. S . commanders are drawing down troops. "The Taliban and extremists are more sophisticated and effective," Mullen said . His gubernatorial and mayoral candidates were expected to win solid, if reduced, majorities in the nation's statehouses and city halls. Nearly 17 million Venezuelans were eligible to vote in the balloting for 327 mayoralties and 22 governorships, and polls stayed open past the 4 p. m deadline.

With four of the top eight seeded players eliminated before Andy Roddick took the court Thursday for his second-round match in the Countrywide Classic at UCLA, Roddick decided he better win quickly. In front of nearly 7,000 fans, Roddick beat Serbian Dusan Vemic, 6-2, 6-2, in just over an hour to set up a third-round match with Marc Gicquel. "It's tough to judge the night because you feel like you're a little uncomfortable, a little unpredictable and all of a sudden it's 6-2, 5-2 and you're in control, but there's no real pattern to the point, no set way the match is going," Roddick said. Roddick entered the tournament having played in only one event since falling in the second round at Wimbledon . YouTube is also in talks to add shows from other networks and feature-length films. Advertisers haven't always been comfortable linking their products to YouTube content, much of which is user-generated and only a few minutes long, notes Jupiter Research analyst James McQuivey. For YouTube, that meant running relatively few ads in unobtrusive places for fairly low prices . Finnish design isn't confined to shops and museums . The orange ones are sweeter and more moist than the golden ones, which are drier, starchier and nuttier in flavor . And you'll also want to ascertain a trend line, so you'll need to go from a 12-month analysis to a six-month review and then to a three-month survey. And with nearly 98% of the children at Circle V attending the program on similar scholarships, Garcia says, those from even the roughest backgrounds are able to profit from the experience. "When the kids arrive at Circle V, it's a very egalitarian society because everybody's on equal financial ground.

A cozy field once dominated by powerful librarians and dedicated female editors who luncheoned in "proper white gloves and smart little hats" is now ruled by marketing departments so confident of the power of branding that critics' opinions are of no importance. That's the potted version of the history of American children's book publishing, but Leonard S . They'll be happy if Matthews comes close to matching a career year (. 313, 19 homers, 79 runs batted in) he had for Texas and moved quickly to replace injured Juan Rivera, signing Shea Hillenbrand, who has averaged 18 homers and 82 RBIs for five seasons, to be their designated hitter. Kendrick, who hit . 285 with four homers, 21 doubles and 30 RBIs in 72 games last season, should be a considerable upgrade offensively over Kennedy, and catcher Mike Napoli showed power potential as a rookie despite his second-half slump. Veteran left fielder Garret Anderson said he's fully recovered from a foot injury that nagged him throughout 2006, and the Angels still have the prolific Vladimir Guerrero in right field. They didn't add that 40-homer threat to protect Guerrero, but in Anderson, Matthews, Hillenbrand, Napoli, Kendrick and Kotchman, they have six other players with the potential to hit 15 to 20 homers each, far more than they had the past two seasons. Could a balance of power throughout the lineup compensate for the absence of one big bat?"I think so," Shields said . "Sex sells," says one potential viewer when asked if she will watch Jones, "I guess now it sells the news. "But the dumb blond who maybe ain't so dumb was cliché when Judy Holliday did it back in the 1940s, and Jones ain't no Judy Holliday . I would rather help reduce consumption by 5% or 10% now than 60% later . Perhaps people somehow learn to count their blessings. "Am I crazy (or, more likely, experiencing the edges of middle-age grouchiness) or is this sciencey-speak for what we can figure out on our own? Doesn't Oswald mean that part of getting older is recognizing that you're never going to be a rock star/compete in the Olympics/marry a supermodel, and that this knowledge becomes less of a bummer as the years go by and you're just glad not to be dead?What is noteworthy and, I dare say, just a tiny bit groundbreaking in this study is that the researchers aren't blaming external factors for people's discontent.

The tribes dispute all this. The Democrats' loudest public argument against the compacts is that they don't allow for an independent audit of slot machine profits, which determine the state's payoff. "That's absolutely false," says the Morongo attorney, George Forman . I could not stay quiet. "Schwarzenegger: "I stayed quiet. "Kennedy then says that McCarthy, who is leaving the Assembly this year, ignored the governor's specific requests on transportation funding. "He doesn't care There's no price," Kennedy says "Anyway, don't get me started again . There was more naysaying when he acquired the parent of MySpace. com . "One day we were watching North Carolina play basketball and Phil Ford does this 360-degree dunk . Paired with a medication that is meant to work before the disease has announced its presence, though, early diagnosis may turn out to be just what many of us are -- and all of us should be -- waiting for. But for that to happen, something else is necessary. He's all fired up about that, but he's really the only one. "That includes Wade Belak, who hails from Saskatoon, about 150 miles from the Regina home of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. "I'm NFL, too," Belak said. Trivia timeToday is the 57th anniversary of the lowest scoring game in NBA history. The question is: What are we going to do about it?Are we going to continue down our current path, pouring money into gridlocked streets and freeways, bickering endlessly about our pathetic urban rail system?Or are we going to embrace a grander -- and much costlier -- plan to redefine quality of life in Southern California?In other words, subway or monorail?Brian C Brooks, an L. A.

Cisco Systems Inc . The network is launching just one show, a new comedy called "Rules of Engagement" starring David Spade The fairly traditional-looking sitcom begins airing Feb . Sometimes chosen as the greatest British rock album of all time. OASIS"(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" (1995)The band is more famous than it has any right to be, but this record still stands up for its anthemic, Beatlesque force. BADLY DRAWN BOY"The Hour of Bewilderbeast" (2000)Damon Gough, who grew up in Bolton and now lives in Manc, makes folky, sometimes rambling songs that resolve into perfect melodies . Long billed as a second-rate alternative to neighboring Silver Lake and Los Feliz, Atwater Village finally has come into its own .

He didn't regain consciousness for 31 days. "Broken legs and arms mean nothing to me anymore," he later told the Journal . Bishara, who speaks no Arabic, plays for a Chilean team named Palestino (Spanish for Palestinian) . To work in a higher anaerobic zone, calculate 85% of the maximum heart rate . Earlier this month, a Citigroup analyst said losses from bad debts might lead E-Trade into bankruptcy, spurring customers to withdraw about $6 billion, or 15% of the cash in client accounts at the end of September, Lilien said Thursday. "The company was getting awfully close to violating their regulatory capital ratios," said Jaime Peters, an analyst at Morningstar Inc . But in the cyber clubhouses they're filling by the millions, kids rig elections, sell fake products and scam each other out of every virtual-worldly possession. Sophia Stebbins recently joined one such online community, Webkinz, which lets its young members create avatars, play games and hang out.

In "The Crystal Skull," LaBeouf's teenage Mutt Williams character is a motorcycle-riding rebel who is wearing the same hat when we first see him racing alongside Indy's train. "This movie is set in 1957, so the theory is he'd probably seen 'The Wild One' as a kid and modeled himself after Brando," said Zophres, whose credits include "Catch Me if You Can" and "No Country for Old Men. "Few items define character as indelibly as a hat . Saleem Nawaz, a commander of Pakistan's Frontier Corps, said in Quetta. He said officials were trying to determine the identity and motives of the kidnappers Earlier reports had differed on the number of abductees. . But the mood around town shifted as he chatted with diners in coffee shops, dropped off absentee ballots at nursing homes and talked about labor concerns with local union officials. When the ballots were counted in May, McClafferty came in third with 664 votes -- just behind city Planning Director Linda Kovacs with 665 votes, and Councilman Thomas Wagner, with 670. The losers grumbled over McClafferty's success. "Six months before he ran, he didn't even know where the City Council meeting room was," said Councilman Chuck Kocisko, 66, who came in fourth. Local leaders and the public later gathered to review the town's charter . "We could have chosen to pursue either of the two private sector options .