Area works to offer fair deal

Cheadle is set to become a Fairtrade town - making theStaffordshire Moorlands one of the first districts to support thescheme, which offers better prices to farmers and workers in thedeveloping world.

Cheadle's Moorlands' neighbours Leek …

9/11 Mastermind Confesses in Guantanamo

WASHINGTON - Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, confessed to that attack and a chilling string of other terror plots during a military hearing at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to a transcript released Wednesday by the Pentagon.

"I was responsible for the 9/11 operation from A to Z," Mohammed said in a statement read during the session, which was held last Saturday.

The transcripts also refer to a claim by Mohammed that he was tortured by the CIA, although he said he was not under duress at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo when he confessed to his role in the attacks.

In a section of the statement that was blacked out, he …

Dutch KPN to cut 1,400 jobs at Getronics unit

Dutch computer services firm Getronics, part of telecoms company Royal KPN, said Tuesday it plans to cut around 1,400 jobs _ 10 percent of its work force _ to save money and adapt to weak market conditions.

Getronics said the move would be completed around the end of the second quarter and would help it save euro60 million ($79 million) annually.

Royal KPN NV bought Getronics, a major government contractor in the U.S., for euro766 million …

`Fun guy' Quayle pushes school message here

Vice President Dan Quayle spent nearly two hours at a Catholicinner-city school Thursday.

Then he ditched class to sneak out to the ballpark.

He blamed his truancy on former Gov. James R. Thompson. Quaylesaid Thompson told him "it would be a good idea for me to come to theopening of the White Sox because my mother and father are die-hardSox fans."

Before the game, Quayle was visiting the kids at St. ElizabethSchool at 4052 S. Wabash and talking about President Bush's "21stcentury" educational program.

"It was a great experience to meet him. . . . I was veryscared," said eighth-grader Valerie Hildebrand, 14, who gave Quayle ablue-and-gold St. …

Italy PM replaces penis on statue, angers experts

ROME (AP) — Italy's culture ministry on Friday defended Premier Silvio Berlusconi for giving ancient marble statues in his office replacement body parts, to the horror of art restorers.

The ministry, which is led by a close ally of the premier, said in a statement there's no cause for alarm: The hand added to Venus and the penis added to Mars are attached by magnets and can be removed without damage.

For decades, restorers have widely agreed that missing parts of ancient statues should not be recreated.

Rome daily La Repubblica quoted Vatican Museums director Antonio Paolucci, one of Italy's top restoration experts, as saying "it's a pity" restorers didn't say no to …

After 63 years, death photo of famed WWII reporter Ernie Pyle surfaces

The figure in the photograph is clad in Army fatigues, boots and helmet, lying on his back in peaceful repose, folded hands holding a military cap. Except for a thin trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth, he could be asleep.

But he is not asleep; he is dead. And this is not just another fallen GI; it is Ernie Pyle, the most celebrated war correspondent of World War II.

As far as can be determined, the photograph has never been published. Sixty-three years after Pyle was killed by the Japanese, it has surfaced _ surprising historians, reminding a forgetful world of a humble correspondent who artfully and ardently told the story of a war from the …

New routes for easyJet

The first easyJet flights to three new European destinations weredue to take off from Bristol International Airport today.

The company has added Madrid, Budapest and Rome to its growingnumber of low-cost routes available from the airport. MeanwhileEastern Airways' flights to Aberdeen started yesterday.

Ed Winter, easyJet's chief operating officer, …

Thrift industry posts record earnings

Back-to-back record-setting earnings years have been posted by the thrift industry, the Office of Thrift Supervision has reported.

"Last year was the best year in thrift industry history," OTS Director James E. Gilleran said, "with earnings reaching $11.8 billion in 2002, following record earnings of $10.2 billion in 2001."

Fourth-quarter 2002 earnings of $3 billion were the second best reported after the $3.1 billion record sent in the 2002 first quarter.

Annual profitability, as measured by the return on assets, broke a 56-- year record of 1.2% set in 1946 as it reached 1.21% in 2002. Return on …

Kemper makes third Olympics in triathlon

Hunter Kemper is 3-for-3 in Olympic triathlons.

Kemper claimed the last of three spots on the U.S. men's team for the Beijing Olympics by beating his main rival for the berth, Andy Potts, in the Hy-Vee Triathlon.

Tears streamed down his cheeks as Kemper, wrapped in an American flag, crossed the finish …

Calendar

Items for the Calendar must be submitted one to two weeks inadvance to: Javeen Castile, 350 N. Orleans, Chicago 60654. Fax to(312) 321-3027 or e-mail jcastile@suntimes.com

TODAY

The Illinois Certified Public Accountant Society's Chicago MetroChapter will hold a networking breakfast: "You Can't Have Too ManyFriends." The breakfast will be held at Boston Blackie's, 120 S.Riverside Plaza (Monroe and Canal), from 7 to 9 a.m., with featuredspeaker, Ted Hollander, president of COMPLUS Inc., discussing theimportance of networking. The cost is $10 (breakfast included).Business Cards are recommended. For information, call Burt Goode,(847) 541-3250 or e-mail …

Thailand: AFTA boosts imports from neighboring countries

Since the establishment of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), Thai textile manufacturers have been suffering from an increase in cheap spun fabrics and made-up goods from neighboring countries, such as Indonesia and Malaysia. Such imported …

2nd test: New Zealand-West Indies scoreboard

Scoreboard at stumps Tuesday on the final day of the second cricket test between New Zealand and the West Indies at McLean Park:

West Indies 1st Innings: 307

New Zealand 1st Innings: 371

West Indies, 2nd Innings

(Overnight 278-7)

Chris Gayle c McCullum b Patel 197

Sewnarine Chattergoon c Taylor b Patel 25

Ramnaresh Sarwan lbw b Vettori 1

Xavier Marshall c Taylor b Patel 18

Shivnarine Chanderpaul c and b Patel 0

Brendan Nash c How b Franklin 65

Denesh Ramdin c Flynn b Franklin 6

Jerome Taylor lbw b O'Brien 8

Fidel Edwards c Taylor b Patel …

ELMIA REPORT

It's not lonely at the top

In the world of forestry shows, there is Elmia Wood, and then there's everybody else. In fact that may be exactly the case, as this year's logging demo in J�nk�ping, Sweden, drew an international crowd of over 50,000 different visitors, likely more than all of this year's major North American logging events combined. With a crowd like that, nobody gets lonely.

As in past shows, the organization was outstanding, including parking, moving and feeding up to 19,300 visitors in a single day, and catering to the over 200 international journalists who cover Elmia, including yours truly.

Equipment ranged from the truly incredible to the truly bizarre, including a combination harvester head/ excavator shovel (how'd you like to dig a hole with all that money tied to the end of your boom?), and a combination yarder/processor head, just in case your yarder operator has too much spare time on his hands. Of course the remote-control Besten harvester was working to large crowds, and again there were too many firewood processors and portable mills to count, although very few are available this side of the pond.

One discernible trend is the increasing attention paid to export markets by major Elmia exhibitors, a trend most noticeable in the growing number of "Canadian" size CTL machinery (also suitable to other markets, like Germany, South America, Australia etc,..)� This included several new 300-hp harvesters, bigger forwarders (18 and 20-tonne), and bigger harvesting heads.

Over the next few issues, we'll try to cover as much of the news and gear that we can, to give readers a taste of the show, and perhaps the desire to attend the next Elmia in June of 2009. As Eric Johnson, my U.S. colleague and veteran editor of the Northern Logger said on this, his first trip to Elmia - "This show is like logger heaven." Except for the expensive beer, Eric may be onto something. - Scott Jamieson, Editor

I mean really steep

Elmia visitors got a glimpse at what Austrian and Scottish loggers are doing to tackle their ubiquitous steep slopes more efficiently. Clue number one could be seen at the Komatsu Forest site, where a Valmet 911 X3M (Extreme) was on display. This machine uses four sets of high-rise tracks in place of standard harvester tires and wheel tracks, which provides lots more contact area with the ground and a lower center of gravity thanks to the extra weight of the tracks down low. It also relies on the powerful CRH 18 boom for handling trees on adverse terrain, and a leveling cab. According to Komatsu Forest, this allows the 911 X3M to tackle up to 80% inclines with considerable efficiency and with a softer footprint than traditional steep slope track machines. Units are already working in Austria, as well as in northern Scotland, where flat ground is a rare treasure. Still, if you want to avoid cable systems altogether, you need a way to extract the CTL wood. The answer was on hand at the KWF (German machine testing organization) static site, where a Forcar steep slope forwarder was on display. This machine looks like a standard CTL forwarder, except it has a winch-assisted cable system at the rear that provides just enough pull on steep slopes to allow the machine to make headway without spinning. Now all you need are two operators crazy enough to run these things.

More info at <www.komatsuforest.com and www.kwf~online.de.

Logset goes big and leaves home

Front and center at the Logset site were two new CTL heavy hitters for such markets as Russia, Canada, and Germany. The Logset 1OH Titan harvester and Logset 1OF forwarder are designed to handle big wood, steep terrain, long hauls and whatever else eats away at the profitability of normal CTL machinery. The 1OH Titan is a 300-hp (Sisu 84 CTA diesel engine) machine with plenty of torque, but what catches the eye first is the never-ending Loglift L280V crane, a new model that combines 11 metres of reach with an incredible 270 kNm of lifting movement. This allows the 1OH to handle heavy timber in either selective cuts and/or steep terrain, while driving Logset's largest 8L harvester head with 73 cm (29 in) capacity. The head features the patented Syncro-Knife delimbing ring design which allows delimbing to very small diameter tops, something of potential interest to Quebec loggers struggling with reduced quota and stricter utilization rules. The 10H also boasts separate pumps for both crane and head, for 100% production all the time. Like all Logset harvesters, it is fitted with the Vision A/R/C large, sloped-screen cab, among the industry's best. According to Logset's Kristian St�n, the first few units are destined for the slopes of southern Germany.

The Logset 10F for its part garnered significant interest among both Canadian and Russian loggers challenged with long skids and restricted road building. Logset's first 18-tonne forwarder, it boasts a slick adjustable bunk design that allows operators to lengthen the bunk by 70 cm (28 in) to handle two or three tiers, and also widen it by 60 cm (24 in) for a more stable load in rough ground. It uses a hydrostatic tranny with twin drive motors to allow up to 13 km/hr travel speed in first gear. More info at www.iugset.com.

Have you seen the remote?

The Besten remote-control harvester made its first major public appearance at Elmia 2005, although the machine has been working for almost a year now (see CFI Sept/Oct 2004). The concept is simple - spare all the expense of building an operator cab on the harvester by allowing one or two forwarder operators to run the harvester module from the comfort of their own cabs. Aside from reducing the capital cost of the harvester, the Besten also removes the harvester operator from the jerky, high-shock environment of the harvester cab, an increasing concern in Scandinavia, and soon to be here by most estimates. Ideally, one Besten would be matched to two forwarders, whose operators would harvest the logs directly into the forwarder bunks.

Deere moves center stage; Donkey fades off left

Perhaps it wasn't as dramatic as all that, but John Deere took advantage of Elmia Wood 2005 to announce a new single-branding strategy to leverage the strong global identity associated with the John Deere brand and its trademark green and yellow colour scheme. As a result, the Timberjack brand, colours and donkey emblem will be retired across John Deere's global forest business, with the exception of three remaining Timberjack dealers in the U.S. All of the global supplier's forestry equipment will be sold under the John Deere brand.

"The John Deere brand carries a 168-year heritage for good stewardship of the land and a reputation for quality, innovation, integrity and commitment", explained Eric Hansotia, vice president, John Deere Forestry Group. "This change contributes to our single global focus on the forestry business, placing our customers worldwide at the center of everything we do."

Since John Deere acquired Timberjack in 2000, Hansotia continued, the two organizations have adopted the best practices of both organizations, through shared technology, business processes and distribution. Machines made under the Timberjack and John Deere brands already share key components, common suppliers, quality controls, and manufacturing processes.

Deere's Jim Mitchell, marketing manager, explained in a tele-conference that the move does not affect the product range, production facilities or technology now offered under the single brand. "It is a colour change only, and a recognition of what our dealers were telling us through their focus on the Deere branded side of the product line over the past few years. It is exciting to leverage the global recognition of the John Deere green and yellow colour combination, and the dealers are happy to see an end to the confusion of having two brands, now unified under the powerful Deere brand."

Still, retiring the donkey is not without its risks, especially in markets like Scandinavia and parts of Canada, where the Timberjack brand still has powerful historical and emotional currency. Yet if the crowds at Deere's massive Elmia site are any indication, there are no hard feelings in this corner of Sweden.

John Deere showed Elmia guests just what they've been up to since the Timberjack acquisition. The site included a dizzying complement of harvesters, forwarders, harvesting heads, handlers, simulators and control systems, as well as a good old Canadian full-tree system that had the locals scratching there collective heads. For the future, look for new and improved swing boom feller bunchers, the first 770 thinning harvester to work this side of the Atlantic, as well as the first bundler to go into commercial action in North America. Also introduced at Elmia were common model numbers with Waratah on felling and harvesting heads to eliminate confusion - for example, Waratah's new 4WD multistem harvesting head will be dubbed the 480 regardless of carrier. Also expect the introduction of Deere's own full-rotation felling head design in the near future. Look to future issues of CFI for coverage as this new gear hits the woods near you. More info at www.deere.com

Making tracks in Sweden?

While it was introducing its full line-up of forwarders at Elmia, the big draw at Tigercat's massive site while CFi was there was Tigercat's brand new H860C harvester. Tracks are rare in Scandinavia, and something this big on tracks is almost unheard of, although recent efforts to safely harvest the region's massive blowdown (75 million m^sup 3^) has brought in several tracked and/or swing boom machines with the extra hefting power required. The new C series from Tigercat is a common platform for a variety of forestry machines, from feller bunchers and harvesters to shovel loggers and delimber carriers. Features on all include a new design of retracting roof enclosure for excellent service access to both sides, top and bottom of engine; an advanced cooling system with fan speed matched to cooling to reduce fuel consumption and improve cold weather running; large, well-finished cab design with lots of inside storage and visibility; and a low-rpm Cummins 9-litre engine that produces 280 hp at 1,800 rpm. Both bunchers and harvesters use the ER boom for higher production and reduced fatigue.

More at www.tigercat.com

Cutting cleaner, cutting headaches

Anyone used to hanging onto a professional two-stroke chainsaw knows the emissions have not always been pleasant. For some, a day working in tight conditions or in winter snow packs can lead to evening headaches. Husqvarna has come to the rescue with its new X-TORQ engine technology, a pro saw engine with 60% cleaner emissions and 20% reduced fuel consumption for starters. Put simply, it is all accomplished via a new way of drawing fresh air and fuel into the combustion chamber and porting exhaust out, so that traces of the former are not mixed with the latter. The end result is an end to the exhausting of unburned airfuel mixture (hence the reduced fuel consumption), and an end to those headaches and nausea.

According to Husqvarna's business manager of chainsaws Jorgen Rosengren, there is little in the way of drawbacks to this new engine technology. Chainsaw weight climbs by just one pound, heft that is offset by a smaller gas tank (15% smaller but 20% less fuel consumption for similar production between fills) and improved balance and ergonomics. He adds that the X-TORQ concept delivers more torque at lower rpm's when compared to a standard two-stroke, making for easier cutting. This technology was released first in North America, and meets all existing and impending emission standards. It is available on 455 and 460 Ranchers and 575XP and 570 models.

Husqvarna also released three new heavyduty brushing saws at Elmia, all designed for handling the over-grown conditions and larger brush currently common in Sweden after years of reduced spacing investments.

More info at www.husqvarna.com

Swedes dying to clean up blowdown

A massive blowdown, a shortage of contractors, and thousands of impatient woodlot (owners can be a dangerous combination, as the forest industry in southern Sweden has discovered following this winter's Hurricane Gudrun. The storm damaged some 75 million m^sup 3^, most on private land. While the Swedish industry is highly-mechanized, the blowdown work is hard on gear, and the shortage of available or willing contractors means that many landowners are taking matters, and their lives, into their own hands. As of Elmia, 10 people had already died doing clean-up work with chainsaws in hazardous conditions. In response, forest owner associations are scrambling to promote proper training and certification in chainsaw use, and had sponsored Game of Logging events at Elmia to educate landowners to the dangers of motor-manual ielling. Ironically, the method being taught was developed in North America.

"This method was developed in the U.S., where insurance companies were pushing to increase safety and reduce accident statistics in forestry," says Mikael Sundberg of the training company Game of Logging, who adds that purchasing a chainsaw should be conditional on passing some form of training course or licensing test.

ExTe demos smarter log transport options

Front and centre at Elmia 2005 was the Com 90 system from Swedish transportation specialist ExTe Fabriks. Visitors could see an example of the remote-control operated log restraint system in action, a log trailer stake device that neatly folds over the centre of a load of logs and clasps to provide a secure tie down system. Aside from the health & safety benefits of not having to manually throw and secure tie-downs in all sorts of weather and footing, the company says the technology can save between 10 and 20 minutes per load. This may be a key factor for log haulers facing shorter hauls and lots of loading and unloading per day, where the possibility of an extra load per day may more than offset the extra cost and slightly higher tare weight.

For longer hauls where weight is more important than loading times, ExTe has a new series of lightweight aluminum bunks. The A Series of timber bunks were launched at Elmia 2005, and are 25% lighter than anything else currently on the market, according to ExTe. ExTe has North American representatives in both the east (New Brunswick) and west (Washington).

More info at www.exte.se.

Eco Log enters the fray with massive new harvester

Yes, you really do need a program to keep up with this industry. case in point is Eco Log, an independent Swedish-based company owned by Log Max and now manufacturing the old Caterpillar line of CTL equipment, which Cat bought from Skogsjan just prior to Elmia 2001. Eco Log had an impressive Elmia display, and was showing the full line of former Cat CTL gear, including four models of harvesters, all with Cat 3126 engines, and three models of Cat-powered forwarders. Still, the center of attention was a brand new 6WD harvester designed and built in-house by Eco Log, showing Elmia visitors just how serious this "new-comer" is. Eco Log bills its 59OC as the world's biggest wheeled production harvester. It boasts a 300-hp Cat engine and a purpose-built 25 tonne-metre crane with a 9.4-metre reach while sporting the powerful Log Max 7000 harvesting head. Several of the original Eco Log design machines are currently working in eastern Canada, and Eco Log president and ceo Stig Linderholm says distribution details should be worked out here in the near future. "We certainly see Canada as a significant future market for our machinery, and we have a lot of experience with the market through other equipment, so we know what's required." More info at www.eco-log.se.

Misery loves company

If that's true, then logging contractors need never be lonely. Echoing the state of affairs in Canada, the ErgoWood research project reported at an Elmia press conference that European contractors need better conditions and more security if they are to increase their efficiency and attract the next generation of loggers. The international research consortium reports that just half of Europe's contractors have written contracts with the mills they work for, and only one third have long-term contracts. The study also concludes that contractors have reached the limit of what they can achieve with current technology and work structures. You can learn more at http://www2.spm.slu.se/ergowood, where several reports will be published this year, including the Handbook to Ergonomie and Safe Forest Machines.

Bigger heads from one of CTL's pioneers

From the folks who invented the modern harvesting head comes a new big wood head designed for larger tracked carriers and bigger timber. In short, SP Maskiner's SP 751 LF is suited for a wide range of Canadian operations in bigger, limbier softwoods, and thanks to an available top saw, hardwoods as well. LF stands for Low Friction, and like all SP heads, the 751 uses a patented feed-roll system that modifies the feed rolls' angle of attack depending on the size of the tree - the larger the tree, the larger the angle of the feed-roll underneath the tree, and the more force applied to supporting the tree. "The more the tree is being supported by the feed rolls, the lower the knife pressure required, which allows us to run the tree through very fast even when dealing with large diameter trees," says Anders Gannerud, SP Maskiner export manager. The SP 751 LF is a 4WD head, with two serial connected motors in the frame and two in the grab arms. Plumbing of all hoses and wires is very neat. The maximum cutting diameter is 80 cm (32 in), maximum opening diameter is 70 cm (28 in), minimum delimbing diameter is 3 cm (1.2 in), and maximum feed force is 41-4 kN (9,300 lbf). More info at www.spmaskiner.se.

Watch out kids!

Job hunting NY man dons suit, tie, sandwich board

After nine fruitless months of looking for work, Paul Nawrocki turned to a Depression-era tactic to find a job.

Over the past few days the 59-year-old businessman has been walking the sidewalks of midtown Manhattan wearing a suit, a tie, and a large signs that reads, "Almost homeless."

"My unemployment benefits are going to run out in less than a month. I was getting a little panicked and I didn't know what to do," said Nawrocki, who was laid off from his job at a toy company last February.

"Finally I said, 'I'm going to put out a sandwich board and try to sell myself in the city,'" he said. "I had to do something dramatic, because I was getting really discouraged sending my resume out every day, and not getting anywhere."

The sight of a middle-class businessman down on his luck seems to have struck a chord with some New Yorkers.

Nawrocki said he's already landed interviews with recruiters who saw him passing out his resume on the street.

A business news blogger posted an item about him, which led to more coverage on BusinessWeek.com and an interview with the BBC.

He's gotten encouragement from regular New Yorkers too.

"People here can be very warm here when they see that someone is genuinely vulnerable," said Nawrocki. "I've seen a lot of people look at me and get scared, too. Not of me, but you see it in their eyes. They are thinking, 'Could it come to this? Could this be me someday?'"

Nawrocki, who is married with a daughter just out of college, spent 23 years in the toy industry, mostly as an import operations manager. He made a good salary at his old job, "almost six figures," he said, but has burned through his retirement savings since losing his job at the Sababa Group in February. The company filed for bankruptcy in August.

As for the "almost homeless" line on his sign, "It's not far from the truth," Nawrocki said.

His wife has health problems that limit her ability to work. The family has big health insurance and mortgage payments coming due.

"I don't know what's going to happen if I don't work in the next few weeks," he said.

Builders Push for More Affordable Homes

Jim Cromer has wanted to make the jump from apartment renter tohomeowner for about 10 of the past 14 years he has lived in the SanBernardino area of Southern California.

But he could not find a home he could afford in the area, wherehome prices are among the highest in the country.

This month, Cromer's lifestyle finally will change as he movesinto the 4-bedroom, 1,300-square-foot, single-family home he boughtfor $74,000 in the Victory Lane neighborhood of Adelanto, a growingtown some 60 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

His monthly mortgage payment of $556 will be just $30 more amonth than the rent he paid for a 2-bedroom apartment.

"You can't beat this builder," he says, hailing the quality andaffordability of his new home built by INCO Homes of Upland, Calif.

Ira Norris, founder of INCO, is one of a group of buildersthroughout the country who are succeeding in their struggle to buildhigh-quality, low-cost homes. But just as it was difficult forCromer to find such a home to buy, it also is difficult for thesebusiness people to build affordable homes.

Builders say that although there is a ready market for almostany lower-priced home they build, they only can build such houseswhen they can find low-cost land and cooperative municipalgovernments and regulatory agencies.

Norris said that despite the difficulties, his company isconcentrating on building lower-priced homes. It built 672 houses in1992 and probably will complete more than 900 homes this year, hesaid.

In 1990, the average price of the homes INCO sold was $143,000.By 1992, that average price had dropped to $103,000, Norris said.

For him, one of the keys to building affordable homes wasfinding growing desert communities that might still be considered atolerable commute to Los Angeles. Another is taking what he calls "amanufacturer's approach" to building.

"Typically, a builder gives house plans to a plumber and wants aprice for material and labor," Norris said. "But, he's a laborcontractor. We now buy the materials. We have reduced the cost ofsupplies."

In another high-growth area of the country - Atlanta - anotherbuilder succeeded in building high-quality, low-cost homes by buying145 properties in a run-down neighborhood of the city. With the helpof limited property-tax abatements offered by the city to newhomeowners in the neighborhood, Dennis McConnell and Richard Dannerof Intown Homes Inc. attracted enthusiastic buyers for their Oaklandsof Grant Park community.

Houses with 1,200 square feet of space, 2 bedrooms, 2 1/2bathrooms, 2 porches and an enclosed yard sold for about $79,900.

Although Intown prefers building inside the Atlanta city limits,McConnell said government regulation generally makes it difficult andmore expensive to do so.

"It takes 24 separate steps spread over at least three days toget one single-family building permit," he said. A study recentlyconducted by the Home Builders Association of Atlanta showed that an$80,500 house built in an Atlanta suburb would cost $89,900 in thecity just because of the added building costs city regulationsprecipitate.

Bill Edelen, president of Edelen Development in Louisville, Ky.,a company that builds many houses aimed at first-time buyers, agrees.

He said Louisville imposed a $1,000-per-lot assessment on landin one section of the city to help pay to extend water lines. Thatper-lot fee is passed on to buyers and falls more heavily on someonewho can afford only a $90,000 home than someone who can afford tospend $200,000 for a house.

Some low-income Louisville residents recently got a break onhousing prices, however. The Phoenix Hill Association is aiding indevelopment of 13 low-priced houses in that neighborhood.

Because subsidies from the association, along with state andfederal housing agencies, helped keep development costs down,builders there were able to use materials that usually are reservedfor higher-priced homes.

Houses there with just under 1,000 square feet of living spaceare selling for $43,500.

"There was a tremendous demand," says Ray Haines, owners ofAllstate Builders, one of the companies working at the Phoenix Hillneighborhood. "We could have sold 30 or 40 more."

Japan Cabinet being reshuffled after rape gaffes

TOKYO (AP) — A Cabinet reshuffle in Japan is expected soon, and is likely to include the removal of a defense minister who outraged the public with gaffes about a rape by U.S. servicemen.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda told reporters Sunday that a change in his Cabinet was coming soon. Japanese media reports said new ministers may be named Friday.

The opposition has been demanding that Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa be fired after he made a series of gaffes, including a remark that he did not know details about the 1995 rape of a schoolgirl by three U.S. servicemen on the southwestern island of Okinawa. The incident sparked one of the biggest anti-U.S. protests in Japan and raised concerns over America's military presence there.

Why she CAREs

New head of adoption rights group fights for statewide equality, family recognition

ANN ARBOR - Kim Tucker misses her old home of the San Francisco suburb of Oakland sometimes. The scenery, the weather - "by the time February gets here,�she jokes - and, most importantly, living in a state that would give her and her partner, Lisa, the opportunity to both be recognized as parents of their daughter.

After occupational changes took Tucker and her family - including Taylor, age 10 - to Ann Arbor, where they now reside, they have made a home for themselves in Michigan, albeit in a state with no legal recognition of unmarried parents. But Tucker aims to change that.

Recently, the manager at Jane Bassett & Associates Law Firm took the helm of the Coalition for Adoption Rights Equality, a group of LGBT and allied parents fighting for adoption rights equality in the state. And Tucker has big plans: more visibility, coalition building and the legalization of second-parent adoption in Michigan.

Tucker got involved with CARE when, after moving back to Michigan (where she and her partner both grew up), she realized there were no legal venues to protect their family unit. "We traveled to China and adopted (Taylor) and had started second-parent adoption in San Francisco ... and while we were in that process -we were just at the very beginning of it - some work situations changed and we relocated,�she explains. "So we got involved with CARE a couple years after we were here just because there was no secondparent adoption in Michigan and it was an organization that was focusing on that effort. O

After seven years in the state, nothing has changed. Tucker is Taylor's only "legal�parent, and the moms still face obstacles, mostly at their daughter's school. "There's always the concern and struggles at school as far as being truly recognized and listed as parents in the directory,OTucker says. "That's been something that we've had to pay extra special attention to. One of us gets dropped off on a regular basis. �

It's a familiar struggle to LGBT parents in Michigan. Tucker and her family have been lucky, she says, to have not dealt with other legal problems, and to have supportive families. "We are fortunate to have very supportive parents and the rest of our family,�she says. "We've always been seen as Taylor's parents within our own family. But legally, of course, like many others here, we're not seen that way.�

Second-parent adoption legislation would allow two unmarried parents to coadopt a child or children, giving both of them legal stake in the child's upbringing, care and future. The bill, if passed, would ensure that both parents have the right to see and raise their child, and would override custody problems in cases where a couple splits up, or where the "legal�parent passes away. Presumably, it would also make it easier for gay and lesbian couples to adopt, lessening the burden on the state and taxpayers to support those children.

But the bill has been stuck in the legislative process for years. Though there have been several second-parent adoptions condoned by Michigan district courts in the past, there is no law in place mandating that a court must do so. In April 2009, the bill passed out of the House Judiciary Committee on an 8-6 vote, but has since not made it to the House floor for a full vote. Tucker admits that with midterm elections fast approaching, the efforts of activists and supportive politicians are focused elsewhere. Second-parent adoption legislation, she says, is not likely to be passed this year. But CARE isn't giving up.

"Realistically, I don't see it passing this year,�Tucker says. "If it does not move through the system, we will reintroduce that legislation again. We're not stopping that effort.�

And, she adds, recent talks among LGBT and allied leaders at a focus group held by the Triangle Foundation/Michigan Equality merged organization made her hopeful that coalition building could help to get secondparent adoption passed - as well as anti-bullying legislation, the amendment to Michigan hate crimes law and an employment non-discrimination bill.

The key, Tucker says, is supporting each other. "I would hope that we would be able to partner up,�she says. "If the new organization - whatever the name is going to be - if there is going to be a focus on public education, I would think that CARE would be partnering with that organization and seen as an expert in the particular area of adoption rights equality.

"I hope that would extend beyond just that organization but to a mindset so that we're all working together toward the same goals. �

On CARE's part, Tucker says the group is holding a retreat April 24 to talk about their image, their objectives and how they can work with the merged organization, as well as other groups, to help win battles in Lansing and in the hearts of Michiganders.

So for those who have been wondering where CARE has gone, don't worry, Tucker says. They're not going anywhere. "We need to regroup right now,�she says. "We're going to be developing a strategy around where we go with the bill. We'll be looking at the elections that are coming up and the political landscape - the timing of it all.

"Second-parent adoption and CARE's focus on it is alive and well.�

To learn more visit www.secondparentadoption.org

[Sidebar]

"Realistically, I don't see second-parent adoption passing this year in Michigan. B" it does not move through the system, we will reintroduce that legislation again. We're not stopping that effort."

EXCHANGE OF IDEAS

Caption text only.

Vets OK sea turtle Dylan for release into wild

Weighing 150 pounds and strong enough to require five men to wrestle her out of her saltwater tank, Dylan the sea turtle is ready to be set free after nine years in captivity and a final checkup by her veterinarian.

Dylan's release has been in the works for more than a year. The loggerhead sea turtle left her home at the Georgia Aquarium in May 2007 to live at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, where the staff could prepare her to live on her own.

The turtle's caretakers planned to drive Dylan to the beach Monday and turn her loose. If she heads into the ocean as planned, she won't be expected to return to land until she starts laying eggs about 20 years from now.

"She's as ready as she's going to be," Terry Norton, head veterinarian at the Sea Turtle Center, said Sunday after returning Dylan to her tank after an hour-long last physical exam. "She's definitely strong."

Humans have raised Dylan since she was found in August 1998 as a hatchling straggler on Jekyll Island's beach, left behind by her nest mates. She spent years at two nature centers here before moving to the Georgia Aquarium in November 2005.

After 18 months, Dylan began outgrowing her surroundings. She also began to grow restless, biting at the rocks in her exhibit and getting into a scuffle with Joey, the sea turtle with whom she shared it.

"We would dive in the exhibit and she would pay us a lot of attention, try to bite us," said Jeff Krenner, an aquarium biologist who worked closely with Dylan. "This is the first turtle the Georgia Aquarium has released to the wild. It's a great thing for Dylan to be able to go back to the sea."

Unlike most turtles rehabilitated at the Jekyll Island center, Dylan didn't have to recover from illness or injury. The biggest hurdle was teaching her to feed herself.

She was used to a mixture of ground fish, shrimp and squid frozen into blocks of ice. The first time a live blue crab was dropped into her tank at the Sea Turtle Center, she recoiled and swam to the other side of her tank.

Norton said the staff began feeding Dylan whole crabs that had been frozen to get her used to breaking their shells. Over time, she learned to kill and eat live crabs.

"Now, she's a voracious eater," Norton said. "She knows they're not going to hurt her."

Loggerhead sea turtles like Dylan are classified as a threatened species. Seven other varieties of sea turtles are endangered.

During her stay at the Sea Turtle Center, the staff learned Dylan is a female. It's nearly impossible to tell a sea turtle's gender until it reaches adulthood, which can take 30 years.

But the center tested Dylan's testosterone about four months ago and found it definitely was in the lower range seen in females.

When Dylan is released Monday, instinct should kick in and prompt her to swim out to sea, Norton said. If she stays on the beach, she'll be returned to the center.

Then staff would have to decide whether to try again. There's a slim chance, Norton said, that Dylan could have to spend the rest of her life in captivity.

If she heads into the water, the center will keep a close watch on where she goes using a satellite transmitter glued to the top of her massive shell, which is the size of a small coffee table.

Mark Dodd, a wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, said satellites picking up the signal from Dylan's transmitter can plot her location within about 100 yards. It's set up to start transmitting whenever she surfaces.

Dodd said he's interested to find out whether Dylan acts her age. Baby sea turtles tend to swim far out to sea where there are fewer predators. As adults, loggerheads return closer to the coastline in the shallower waters between Florida and North Carolina.

"The best thing for her would be to hang out here, get fat eating crabs and maybe 20 years from now we'll see her again laying eggs," Dodd said.

___

On the Net:

Georgia Aquarium, http://www.georgiaaquarium.org

Georgia Sea Turtle Center, http://www.seaturtle.org

Revered Yankees PA man Bob Sheppard dies at 99

Bob Sheppard, whose elegant introductions of stars from Joe DiMaggio to Derek Jeter at Yankee Stadium for more than a half century earned him the nickname "The Voice of God," died Sunday. He was 99.

The revered public address announcer died at his Long Island home in Baldwin with his wife, Mary, at his side, the Yankees said.

Sheppard started with the Yankees in 1951 and he last worked at Yankee Stadium late in the 2007 season, when he became ill with a bronchial infection. He recorded a greeting to fans that was played at the original ballpark's final game on Sept. 21, 2008, and his audio recording still is used to introduce Jeter before each at-bat at home by the Yankees captain.

When the team moved into new Yankee Stadium last year, it honored him by naming the media dining room after him.

While Sheppard didn't like to give his age, a former Yankees official confirmed in 2006 that Sheppard was born Oct. 12, 1910.

The Yankees' lineup for Sheppard's first game on April 17, 1951, included DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Johnny Mize, Yogi Berra, and Phil Rizzuto. And the opponents that day, the Boston Red Sox, were led by Ted Williams.

Sheppard became as much as a fixture in the Bronx ballpark as the familiar white stadium facade or Monument Park, tucked behind the blue outfield wall.

On May 7, 2000, after 50 years and two weeks on the job, the team honored him with "Bob Sheppard Day" and put a plaque in his honor in Monument Park. Fans gave Sheppard a standing ovation, and legendary news anchor Walter Cronkite read the inscription. Berra, Reggie Jackson and Don Larsen were among those who stood on the field during the ceremonies.

"The voice of Yankee Stadium," read the plaque. "For half a century, he has welcomed generations of fans with his trademark greeting, 'Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Yankee Stadium.'"

He also served as the stadium voice of the NFL's New York Giants from 1956-05, and for men's basketball and football at St. John's University, where he taught, for Army football and the Cosmos soccer team. He also announced for the American Football League's New York Titans at the Polo Grounds and the World Football League's New York Stars at Downing Stadium.

But baseball is what made him famous. Babe Ruth gave Yankee Stadium its nickname, but Sheppard gave the ballpark its sound.

He announced at 62 World Series games and a pair of All-Star games, and introduced more than 70 Hall of Famers across his career. It was one of them, Jackson, who dubbed Sheppard "The Voice of God."

"A voice that you hear in your dreams, in your sleep," Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said Sunday. "Today's a sad day."

Sheppard's player introductions remained consistent throughout the decades, with Sheppard imbuing each name and number with a gravitas more in keeping with a coronation than a ballpark outing: "No. 7. Mickey Mantle. No. 7." Or even "No. 58. Dooley Womack. No. 58."

Unlike the shrill shills of later generations, Sheppard conducted himself with an understated and dignified delivery. He employed perfect diction, befitting a man who considered his real job teaching speech at St. John's. He graduated from the school in 1932 and later worked there for more than 25 years.

"A P.A. announcer is not a cheerleader, or a circus barker, or a hometown screecher," the epitome of the old-school style once said. "He's a reporter."

Sheppard's favorite Yankee Stadium moment was Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series, but his dulcet tones defined New York sports for the second half of the 20th century and beyond. He also was the stadium announcer for the "greatest football game ever played," the Baltimore Colts' 23-17 sudden-death victory over the Giants in 1958.

He was on hand when Roger Maris hit home run No. 61, when Jackson hit three homers in a single World Series game, when the Giants finally reached the Super Bowl. He never missed an opening day at Yankee Stadium from 1951 until a hip injury sidelined him in 2006.

Sheppard, who followed the Giants across the Hudson River when they moved to New Jersey, received a ring after the team won its first Super Bowl in the 1986 season; it complemented his Yankees' World Series jewelry. His football calls covered the Giants from Frank Gifford through Tiki Barber.

While few might have recognized Sheppard in person, his voice was unmistakable. Once, while ordering a Scotch and soda at a bar, Sheppard watched as heads turned his way. He often read at Mass, and was subsequently greeted by parishioners noting he sounded exactly like the announcer at Yankee Stadium.

"I am," he would reply.

At his Yankees debut, the first name Sheppard announced was DiMaggio _ Dom DiMaggio, the center fielder for the Red Sox. The Yankees' lineup included five Hall of Famers: Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Berra, Mize and Rizzuto; the Sox had three more, Williams, Bobby Doerr and Lou Boudreau.

His favorite names to announce, in order, have been Mantle, Shigetoshi Hasegawa, Salome Barojas, Jose Valdivielso and Alvaro Espinoza. He preferred the names of Latin players.

"Anglo-Saxon names are not very euphonious," he said. "What can I do with Steve Sax? What can I do with Mickey Klutts?"

But it wasn't the players who made Sheppard's work special.

"Mr. Sheppard could read Eminem lyrics and make them sound like the Magna Carta," Clybe Haberman wrote in The New York Times five years ago.

While he didn't like to reveal his age, it could be pinpointed because he was the quarterback of St. John's football team from 1928-31. The left-hander was a first baseman for the university in the springtime.

Sheppard began his announcing career at an exhibition football game, which led to a job with the long defunct Brooklyn Dodgers of the All-American Conference in 1947. When they folded a year later, he was hired by the football New York Yankees, who played at Yankee Stadium.

Management with the baseball Yankees liked his approach, and Sheppard was on board for opening day in 1951.

Even the players treated Sheppard with a degree of reverence. Mantle once said that every time Sheppard introduced him, he felt goose bumps. "Mickey, so did I," Sheppard responded quietly.

Sheppard, while proud of his work with the Yankees, also was known for his speaking as a church lector. He taught priests how to give sermons.

"I electrified the seminary by saying seven minutes is long enough on a Sunday morning. Seven minutes. But I don't think they listened to me," he told The Associated Press in 2006. "The best-known speech in American history is the Gettysburg Address, and it's about four minutes long. Isn't that something?"

He said one of his most challenging tasks as a teacher was when Jackson needed help with his Hall of Fame induction speech in 1993. Jackson planned to speak for 40 minutes, and Sheppard implored him to cut.

"Too much you," Jackson said slowly, mimicking Sheppard's voice.

When Sheppard missed the 1997 division series, ending his streak of 121 consecutive postseason games worked at Yankee Stadium, he was replaced by Jim Hall, his longtime sub. Paul Olden took over when the Yankees moved to the new ballpark in 2009.

In addition to his wife, Sheppard is survived by four children.

A wake will be held Tuesday and Wednesday, with the funeral Thursday in Baldwin.

___

Former Associated Press Writer Larry McShane contributed to this report.

Hasbro 4Q profit falls partly on stronger dollar

Hasbro Inc., the second biggest U.S. toy maker, said Monday its fourth-quarter profit fell a sharper-than-expected 30 percent on a stronger U.S. dollar and the economic slowdown that has depressed discretionary spending.

The Pawtucket, Rhode Island-based maker of the Scrabble and Monopoly games and Playskool toys earned $93.6 million, or 62 cents per share, in the October-December quarter, down from $133.7 million, or 84 cents per share, a year earlier.

Revenue fell 5 percent to $1.23 billion from $1.30 billion a year ago.

Thomson Reuters says analysts forecast profit of 75 cents per share on sales of $1.27 billion.

For the year, Hasbro earnings dropped 8 percent to $306.8 million, or $2 per share, compared with $333 million, or $1.97 per share, in the prior year.

Annual sales rose to $4.02 billion from $3.84 billion.

Some of the company's strongest categories for the year were boys, girls, preschool and tweens, helped by solid sales of Star Wars, Playskool, Nerf, Littlest Pet Shop and Easy Bake products. Board and trading card games also did well.

"We believe the underlying strength of our brands and commitment to our strategy should enable Hasbro to grow revenue and earnings per share in 2009, absent a material deterioration in economic conditions or the value of foreign currencies," President and Chief Executive Brian Goldner said in a statement.

Hasbro is second to Mattel Inc. among U.S. toy makers. Last week, Mattel said its profit fell almost by half for the key fourth quarter and more than one-third for the year.

US Under-17 team advances to title game

Michael Gilchrist, of Somerdale, N.J., had 30 points and 15 rebounds to lead the United States to a 103-80 victory over Canada on Saturday in the semifinals of FIBA's Under-17 World Championships.

The United States (7-0) will play Poland (7-0) for the gold medal on Sunday.

Gilchrist, who has signed to play at Kentucky, scored all the points in an 11-4 run that gave the Americans a 41-21 lead over Canada (5-2) with 6:50 left in the first half.

Brad Beal, of St. Louis, Mo., added 17 points for the United States, while James McAdoo, of Norfolk, Va., had 10 points and 12 rebounds.

The United States finished with a 60-45 rebound margin and grabbed 28 offensive rebounds.

Poland beat Lithuania 75-65 in the other semifinal.

Duncan Takes Over As Spurs Hold Off Suns

SAN ANTONIO - Tim Duncan had 33 points - 13 in the fourth quarter - and 19 rebounds to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 108-101 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night and a 2-1 lead in the second-round series.

Manu Ginobili also had the kind of night San Antonio needed after poor performances in Games 1 and 2. Despite a bloodied eye, he had 24 points, including 10 in less than 2 minutes in the third quarter.

Phoenix point guard Steve Nash was scoreless in the first half and finished with 16 points. He had 10 points in the fourth, but it wasn't enough as the Suns only got as close as 99-93 with 3:22 left.

Game 4 is Monday night in San Antonio.

Shawn Marion led the Suns with 26 points. Amare Stoudemire finished with 21, but was in foul trouble for most of the second half. Nash also had 11 assists.

Bruce Bowen's 3-pointer with 8 minutes left in the third was the go-ahead basket for San Antonio and put it up 62-60.

A surgical review of the priority claims attributed to Abraham Groves (1847-1935)

Background: The practice of surgery had changed little over millennia when Abraham Groves and William Osler attended medical school together in Toronto, Ontario. The invention of anesthesia sparked such rapid development that by the time of Groves' and Osler's deaths, surgical practice resembled the current model. Several priority claims have been attributed to Groves' life in surgery, including aseptic surgery (1874), suprapubic lithotomy (1878), appendectomy (1883), surgical gloves (1885) and cancer radiotherapy (1903). These claims arise from an autobiography written by Groves at the age of 87 years in 1934.

Methods: The purpose of this paper is to assess these priority claims from a modern surgical perspective. We did a systematic search of contemporary (1873-1934) and modern journals for articles by or about Groves. We searched relevant archives and museums. We reviewed the 1934 autobiography, notes held by descendants, reminiscences by contemporaries and collateral information. We assessed the information not only for priority but also for the development of organized surgical thought.

Results: Groves published frequently throughout his career; thus far we have located 36 papers, almost all of which were published in Canadian journals. He spoke regularly at regional meetings in Ontario. Many medical students apprenticed with him (including his brother, son and grandson), he established a hospital and he founded a school of nursing. His contemporaries published complimentary reminiscences, but no correspondence with his classmate, William Osler, is known. Groves' priority claims for aseptic surgery, suprapubic lithotomy and radiotherapy are supported by contemporary publications. Groves independently developed an organized surgical system that remains valid today. Priority claims for appendectomy and the use of surgical gloves are entirely consistent with that system.

Conclusion: Although Groves' impact was reduced by his location and the limited circulation of the journals in which he wrote, he demonstrated a systematic understanding of modern surgery well ahead of his contemporaries.

Contexte : La pratique de la chirurgie avait peu chang� au fil des mill�naires lorsque Abraham Groves et William Osler ont fr�quent� ensemble la Facult� de m�decine � Toronto (Ontario). L'invention de l'anesth�sie a d�clench� un progr�s tellement rapide qu'au moment de la mort des Drs Groves et Osler, la pratique de la chirurgie ressemblait d�j� au mod�le actuel. On a attribu� plusieurs premi�res en chirurgie au Dr Groves, y compris la chirurgie en condition d'asepsie (1874), la lithotomie suspubienne (1878), l'appendicectomie (1883), les gants chirurgicaux (1885) et la radioth�rapie contre le cancer (1903). Ces premi�res sont mentionn�es dans une autobiographie r�dig�e par le Dr Groves � l'�ge de 87 ans, en 1934.

M�thodes : Ce document vise � �valuer ces premi�res dans l'optique de la chirurgie moderne. Nous avons proc�d� � une recherche syst�matique, dans des journaux de l'�poque (1873-1934) et modernes, d'articles �crits par le Dr Groves ou � son sujet. Nous avons effectu� des recherches dans des archives et des mus�es pertinents. Nous avons revu l'autobiographie de 1934, des notes d�tenues par ses descendants, des souvenirs de contemporains et des renseignements collat�raux. Nous avons �valu� l'information sur le plan non seulement de la priorit�, mais aussi de l'�volution de la r�flexion chirurgicale structur�e.

R�sultats : Le Dr Groves a publi� fr�quemment tout au long de sa carri�re : jusqu'� maintenant, nous avons trouv� 36 communications, presque toutes publi�es dans des journaux canadiens. Il a pris r�guli�rement la parole au cours de rencontres r�gionales en Ontario. Beaucoup d'�tudiants en m�decine ont re�u leur formation � ses c�t�s (y compris son fr�re, son fils et son petit-fils), il a cr�� un h�pital et fond� une �cole de soins infirmiers. Ses contemporains ont publi� des souvenirs �logieux, mais on ne conna�t pas de correspondance �chang�e avec son confr�re de classe, William Osler. Les publications de l'�poque confirment les premi�res revendiqu�es par le Dr Groves en ce qui a trait � la chirurgie en condition d'asepsie, � la lithotomie sus-pubienne et � la radioth�rapie. Le Dr Groves a mis au point ind�pendamment un syst�me chirurgical organis� qui demeure valide encore aujourd'hui. Les premi�res revendiqu�es au sujet de l'appendicectomie et de l'utilisation des gants chirurgicaux concordent enti�rement avec ce syst�me.

Conclusion : M�me si le lieu o� il vivait et la diffusion limit�e des journaux dans lesquels il a publi� ont r�duit son impact, le Dr Groves a fait preuve d'une compr�hension syst�matique de la chirurgie moderne bien avant ses contemporains.

In an article published in this journal in 1961,1 C.W. Harris asked if Abraham Groves (1847-1935), a physician practising in the village of Fergus, Ont., was the first to perform an appendectomy for previously diagnosed appendicitis. The article was the first of 3 written by Harris on important late 19th-century Canadian surgeons, the other 2 being W.T. Aikins (1827-1897)2 and I.W. Cameron (1855-1933),3 both professors of surgery in Toronto, Ont. Together, these well research ed and finely written articles provide a vivid glimpse of Victorian surgery in Canada. The article on Groves is fascinating in another respect: Harris wrote that the actual appendix removed by Groves still existed and that modern histologists had examined it.

At the age of 87 in 1934, Abraham Groves (Fig. 1) published a memoir of an exceptionally long career as a surgeon in Canada. His purpose was "to preserve records of some of the earliest operations" that he believed had not been performed before and "to set forth important theories which [he thought] would improve some of even the modern methods in present-day medical practice."4 Detailed information regarding the time, place and presence of witnesses was included in his report of the events. In May 1874, before his first laparotomy, both Groves and his assistant, John Wishart, thoroughly scrubbed their hands with previously boiled water and used only instruments and sea-sponges that had been boiled in water. Groves continued to employ these precautions throughout his career as well as developing systems to wash the patient's skin preoperatively and to irrigate the bladder for urological procedures. Laparotomy was completed by copious irrigation with sterile water. This would be the first time that the aseptic surgical technique was consistently applied. On May 10, 1883, he performed an appendectomy on a 12-year-old boy with acute appendicitis; this would be the first such operation performed in North America. In November 1885, he used sterilized rubber gloves to perform an appendectomy in a patient with purulent peritonitis to prevent transfer of infection to other surgical patients. This would be first use of surgical gloves for infection control, 5 years before Halsted's use of gloves to protect against the corrosive effect of carbolic scrub. The autobiography detailed several operations that might represent North American or Canadian priority including vaginal hysterectomy (Sep. 10, 1875), suprapubic lithotomy (Apr. 20, 1878), prostatectomy (not dated) and radiotherapy (1903). Groves' autobiography was an author-paid publication of 500 copies in 1 edition and, as such, had a very limited circulation, despite positive reviews from the Lancet and the British Medical Journal.

Twenty years after Harris' article,1 a historical review of appendicitis by Andrew Seal,5 also in this journal, suggested that Groves should be remembered for the first appendectomy in North America. Both authors issued a note of caution because Groves' autobiography was written 60 years after some of the events it described. Despite the cautious approach to validation taken by these and subsequent authors,6,7 the claims have gained currency through repetition.

METHODS

The purpose of this paper is to assess priority claims attributed to Abraham Groves from a modern surgical perspective.

We did a systematic search of contemporary journals (1871-1935) for articles by or about Groves. We searched the collections of the Wellington County Museum, Archives of Ontario, University of Toronto, University of Western Ontario, the Museum of Healthcare at Kingston, the Osler Library at McGill and the Osler Collection at Johns Hopkins University, as well as contemporary newspapers from Fergus and Toronto. We reviewed the 1934 autobiography, notes held by descendants, reminiscences by contemporaries and collateral information. We assessed the information not only for evidence of priority but also for the development of organized surgical thought.

RESULTS

We found Index Medicus and journal indices to be incomplete. Thus far we have located 36 articles published by Groves, of which 5 are duplicates.8-43 These publications, which cover a very wide range of surgery, are mostly summaries of lectures given to medical societies, frequently the Ontario Medical Association. Most of his papers were published in the Canada Lancet and the Dominion Medical Monthly from Toronto, and in the Montreal Medical Journal. Groves also appeared in short-lived Canadian journals such as the Canadian Practitioner, Canadian Medical and Surgical Journal and Canadian Practice and Review. These journals often duplicated each other's articles for their respective audiences until they were superseded by the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) in 1911. Groves, who was 64 years old at the time, disappeared from view. In 1921, he spoke at the Ontario Hospital Association annual meeting. Toronto Star reporter Frederick Griffin was taken by the quick-footed 75-yearold, who he heard was still an operating surgeon. A portrait that appeared in the newspaper lead to an invitation from the CMAJ to write a review of his career.41 The review formed the basis of his memoir 12 years later. Another 2 original case reports to CMAJ complete Groves' writing career, which spanned a remarkable 60 years.

The largest collection of materials and artifacts from Groves' career are held by the Wellington County Museum. A common book kept by Groves throughout his life, autobiographical notes and Ontario public health materials used by him are in the Archives of Ontario. Although a 1926 edition of Osler's Principles and Practice of Medicine inscribed by Groves is among books held by the Wellington County Museum, no record of correspondence between the two Toronto School of Medicine classmates has been located. An amputation knife with evidence of frequent boiling is in the collection of the Dittrick Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. The museum has verified that the knife was manufactured in England in 1870, which is consistent with Groves' claim regarding aseptic surgery.44 Groves kept the appendix and stones from his first operations as trophies that were displayed in his hospital in Fergus. His widow donated the appendix in 1961, and her estate gave the stones in 1965 to the Toronto Academy of Medicine. Curator Felicity Pope told us that the appendix was contained in an authentic 19th-century container, the contents of which were almost invisible because the winespirit preservative had become cloudy. The academy considered sending the specimen to the Hunter Museum in England because it had the only experience of restoring 19th-century specimens. Mr. Penz, a technician with the William Boyd Museum at the Banting Institute, thought he could clean the specimen, but the glass container was damaged and could not be saved. The opportunity was taken to make a paraffin-fixed section of the base of the appendix, which was then placed in a modern bottle. With the divestment of the Toronto Academy of Medicine's assets in 1999, the appendix was transferred to the History of Medicine collection at the Toronto General Hospital. Following the closure of this collection in 2002, we can find no trace of Groves' appendix or stones. One explanation given was that the material was destroyed because no patient consent for storage was available.

DISCUSSION

Abraham Groves was born on Sep. 8, 1847, to an Irish family in Peterborough, Ont., 35 miles from the birthplace of William Osler (1849-1919). When Groves was 5 years old, the family moved to a farm beside the small Ontario town of Fergus. Groves attended the Toronto School of Medicine from 1867 to 1871, where he registered 1 year ahead of Osler. Records for the 1869/70 session were rediscovered in the 1940s and studied because of the fame later achieved by Osler.45 Although there were weaknesses in the clinical training available in Toronto, teaching in anatomy by J.H. Richardson was said to be superb.45 Both Groves and Osler admired and were influenced by James Bovell, lecturer in physiology, and William Thomas Aikins, who taught surgery. Bovell inspired his students to imagine future developments in medicine; the vision that laparotomy might help diagnosis was the thought that struck Groves most forcefully.4 Despite this, no abdomen was ever opened while Groves was in Toronto. Aikins, who was particularly adept at orthopedic and soft-tissue surgery, was an early proponent of listerism, but he was not above using his mouth to hold instruments that might be needed later in an operation.2 Feuding between different schools of medicine in Toronto, and a funding crisis that caused the closure of the Toronto General Hospital for the year in 1868 induced Osler to leave for Montr�al, Que., and Groves to hastily complete his apprenticeship. Osler and Groves took their Ontario licensing examinations in 1871, 1 year after a profound change had occurred in the examination. 45 Chief examiner Michael Sullivan from Kingston, Ont., had ordered all students to be examined at the anatomy table, lessening the emphasis on theoretical medicine in favour of standard core knowledge. We believe this emphasis on anatomy and physiology created an environment that permitted innovators like Osler and Groves to thrive.

The claim that in 1874 Groves was the first to consistently use aseptic surgical technique is strong. It is supported by his contemporary account,8 has a sound theore - tical basis and became his consistent practice. Groves reasoned that since typhoid was carried by water, infections after surgery might arise from infected fluids of the patient, the surgeon's hands, the instruments or the sponges. He boiled the instruments and sponges, and he thoroughly washed the patient's skin and his hands in sterilized water.8 Later on, he added small amounts of antiseptic solution to the water which had been sterilized by boiling.41 His practice is more like that of today than Lister's, which emphasized airborne infection. Groves undoubtedly heard about Lister in Toronto, but Lister's student, Archibald Malloch of Hamilton, Ont., did not introduce the carbolic spray to Canada until 2 years after Groves' graduation and 1 year before his landmark operation.44

The breadth of Groves' practice as measured by his publications is astounding. Claims that he is a pioneer in Canada of what today are classified as general surgery, urology, gynecology and radiotherapy are supported by contemporary reports, valid developmental logic and persistent practice. His priority may extend to North America in areas such as urology.46 This record alone puts Abraham Groves far ahead of his distinguished contemporaries Aikins and Cameron.2,3 The theory behind Groves' practice is entirely consistent with that outlined by Koch at the Tenth International Medical Congress in 1890. At this widely reported meeting, Lister issued a courageous retraction regarding the use of carbolic spray with the result that aseptic technique replaced antisepsis in surgery. In contrast, I.W. Cameron clung to listerism and remained reluctant to perform laparotomy.3

We did not find contemporary reports to support Groves' claims regarding the first appendectomy and the use of surgical gloves. Family records held by the Wellington County Museum suggest that John Wishart, Groves' student in 1873 who became professor of surgery at the Western University of London, Ontario, also claimed to have performed the first appendectomy in 1885, 2 years after Groves' claim. A self-written entry for Abraham Groves in the 1886 edition of Canadian Biography claims the first Canadian suprapubic lithotomy but does not mention appendectomy. In a report of 17 patients with appendix (perityphlitic) abscess in 1890, Groves was able to distinguish cases that would resolve spontaneously from those that required drainage, for which he recommended the posterior extraperitoneal route.21 He wrote a comprehensive review of appendicitis in 1903, in which we found the earliest reference to his appendectomy of 1883.32 In his 1934 memoir, Groves published a letter from Dr. E. Flath to support his use of sterile rubber gloves in 1885, but the dates are included in Groves' account and not in Flath's. Although Groves' claims are entirely consistent with the system of surgery that he had developed, we cannot verify the year when he first started to use these procedures.

In 1948, Dr. G.D. Stanley, who knew Groves as a Toronto Medical School classmate of his son William and had confidence in the 1883 date of the appendectomy, wrote that Groves reported the operation soon after to a meeting of the Toronto Medical Society.47 He was condemned as a "backwoods doctor" who must be stopped. A written record of this meeting would verify the year of Groves' claim. In 1907, the Toronto Medical Society was amalgamated with 3 other Toronto societies to form the Toronto Academy of Medicine. Unfortunately, records of the Toronto Medical Society, if they had survived the transfer to the academy, did not survive its closure. It may be that, like modern surgeons, Groves did not consider appendectomy or the use of gloves as surgical milestones until they achieved recognition later. We believe Abraham Groves should be remembered for the development of a comprehensive, logical system of surgery that remains valid today, 130 years after its inception.

Acknowledgements: This paper is dedicated to the memory of Mel Muir of Elora, Ont. We are very grateful to the librarians and archivists of the collections consulted for this paper, in particular to Felicity Pope, curator of the History of Medicine Museum at the Toronto Academy of Medicine.

Competing interests: None declared.

Contributors: Both authors contributed to every aspect of this article.

[Reference]

References

1. Harris CW. Abraham Groves of Fergus: The first elective appendectomy? Can J Surg 1961;4:405-10.

2. Harris CW. William Thomas Aikins. Can J Surg 1962;5:131-7.

3. Harris CW. Irving Heward Cameron (1855-1933), Professor of Surgery, University of Toronto (1897-1920). Can J Surg 1965;8:131-6.

4. Groves A. All in the day's work. Toronto (ON): McMillan Publishing Company; 1932.

5. Seal A. Appendicitis: a historical review. Can J Surg 1981;24:427-33.

6. Sanders P. Abraham Groves. Surg Gynecol Obstet 1987;164:179-84.

7. Spaulding WB. Abraham Groves (1847-1935): a pioneer Ontario surgeon, sufficient unto himself. Can Bull Med Hist 1991;8:249-62.

8. Groves A. Case of ovariotomy. Canada Lancet 1874;6:345-7.

9. Groves A. Case of ovariotomy. Canada Lancet 1875;7:192-3.

10. Groves A. A case of double ovariotomy. Canada Lancet 1878;10:195.

11. Groves A. Supra-pubic lithotomy. Can J Med Sci 1881;4:354.

12. Groves A. Puerperal septicaemia. Northwest Lancet 1883;13:372-4.

13. Groves A. Empyema. Canadian Medical and Surgical Journal 1884;12:696.

14. Groves A. The operative treatment of fluid effusions of the chest. Canadian Practitioner 1884;9:233-6.

15. Groves A. Removal of firmly adherent solid tumour ovary. Canadian Practitioner 1884;7:323.

16. Groves A. Renal calculi. Canada Lancet 1885;16:360-2.

17. Groves A. Prostatotomy. Canada Lancet 1887;12:240-1.

18. Groves A. Prostatotomy. Canadian Practitioner 1887;12:240.

19. Groves A. Prostatectomy. Canadian Medical and Surgical Journal 1887;15:715.

20. Groves A. Vaginal hysterectomy with abdominal ovariotomy. Canada Lancet 1889;22:6.

21. Groves A. Peri-typhlitic abscess. Montr Med J 1890;19:11.

22. Groves A. Immediate closure of the wound after supra-pubic cystotomy. Canada Lancet 1892;25:44-5.

23. Groves A. Laparo-elytrotomy. Dominion Medical Monthly 1893;10:73-4.

24. Groves A. Extrauterine pregnancy. Eclectic Medical Journal 1895;4:509-11.

25. Groves A. The local treatment of intrauterine sepsis. Montr Med J 1899;28:208-10.

26. Groves A. Operative treatment of the ruptured urethra. American Medicine 1903;5:410.

27. Groves A. The action of X-rays in diseased structures. Canada Lancet 1903;36:463-4.

28. Groves A. Estlanders operations - 3 cases. Canada Lancet 1903;37:408.

29. Groves A. Diagnosis and treatment of tuberculous peritonitis. Canada Lancet 1903;38:526.

30. Groves A. Intestine ruptures by kick of a horse. Dominion Medical Monthly 1903;20:201.

31. Groves A. Operation for traumatic epilepsy. Dominion Medical Monthly 1903;20:200.

32. Groves A. Appendiceal diseases. Dominion Medical Monthly 1903; 20:311-8.

33. Groves A. Radical cure of hernia. Canadian Practitioner 1904;29:68.

34. Groves A. The radical cure of hernia. Canadian Practice and Review 1904;29:68-71.

35. Groves A. Intra-abdominal anastomosis. Canada Lancet 1904;38:407-9.

36. Groves A. Case of acute uraemia in which decapsulation of the kidneys was performed. Canada Lancet 1905;39:609-10.

37. Groves A. Intra-abdominal anastomosis. American Medicine 1905; 9:697-700.

38. Groves A. Thyroidectomy. Canada Lancet 1905;41:524-9.

39. Groves A. Pyloroplasty. Canada Lancet 1909;43:341.

40. Groves A. Prostatectomy. Canada Lancet 1911;45:572.

41. Groves A. Evolution of surgery. CMAJ 1922;12:527-31.

42. Groves A. Rupture of the bladder. CMAJ 1923;13:319-20.

43. Groves A. Fracture of the clavicle, acromium process and surgical neck of the scapula. CMAJ 1924;14:318.

44. Edmonson JM. Groves' amputation knife. Can Bull Med Hist 1991;8: 289-91.

45. Elliott JH. Osler's class at the Toronto School of Medicine. CMAJ 1942;47:161-5.

46. Caumartin Y, McAlister VC, Luke PPW. A pioneer of urologic surgery from a small town in Ontario, Canada: Abraham Groves (1847-1935). J Urol 2007;177 (Suppl):S353-4.

47. Stanley GD. Physicians in Canadian history IX - Abraham Groves (1847-1935), a great crusader of Canadian medicine. Historical Bulletin. Calgary Associate Clinic 1948;13:4-10.

[Author Affiliation]

Christopher R. Geddes, MD*

Vivian C. McAlister, MB[dagger]

From the Departments of Surgery, *University of Toronto, Toronto, and [dagger]University of Western Ontario, London, Ont.

Presented in part to the American Osler Society, May 2006, in Halifax, NS

Accepted for publication Aug. 1, 2008

Correspondence to:

Dr. V.C. McAlister

C4-212 University Hospital

London ON N6A 5A5

vmcalist@uwo.ca

Two Mercer hospitals seeking rate increases

PRINCETON - Two Mercer County hospitals are asking stateregulators to allow them to raise rates for inpatient and outpatientservices.

Princeton Community Hospital is seeking a 5 percent rateincrease. Bluefield Regional Medical Center has requested approvalto raise rates by 5.25 percent. The state Health Care Authority isexpected to rule on the requests later this year.

Sky drops a close one to Lynx

Lindsay Whalen scored 16 points to pace a balanced scoring effort and the Minnesota Lynx held off the Sky 79-76 on Friday night at Allstate Arena.

Sylvia Fowles scored 28 points to lead the Sky (10-14), which has lost four of its last five. Tamera Young added 16.

"We need to have to have a sense of urgency," Fowles said. "We're not that good just yet to relax and take plays off and play as individuals. We have to play as a team. ... It showed tonight, everybody was scoring and getting involved."

The Sky scored six consecutive points in a 34-second span to pull to 78-76 on Eshaya Murphy's layup with 39 seconds to go, but she missed a layup with three seconds left. Taj McWilliams-Franklin made one of two from the line, and Tamera Young missed desperation three-pointer at the buzzer.

Seimone Augustus had 14 points, Maya Moore scored 13 and Candice Wiggins 12 for Minnesota (17-5), which won for the 10th time in 11 games and 12th in 14.

Sky coach Pokey Chatman said her team didn't take a moral victory from playing a close game against the league-best Lynx.

"That is not an option," she said. "They know a 'W' is what counts. I'm in that locker room and I see the disappointment."

Tennis

Djokovic remains on a roll

While other top players have fallen, top-ranked Novak Djokovic keeps cruising along at the Rogers Cup in Montreal.

The world's No. 1-ranked player from Serbia needed just 1 hour, 13 minutes to beat fifth-seeded Gael Monfils of France 6-2, 6-1 to advance to the semifinals of the ­Master Series tournament.

He will face another Frenchman, 13th-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who ousted No. 8 seed Nicolas Almagro of Spain 6-4, 6-4.

"I have played the best match of the tournament, no doubt," said the 24-year-old Djokovic, who is 15-1 against top-10 players this year and 51-1 overall. "I'm happy to see my game is progressing each day."

American Mardy Fish also advanced, surviving an error-filled second set to defeat 14th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-0.

◆  Serena Williams rallied for a hard-fought 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Lucie Safarova at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, reaching the semifinals as she continues her comeback from injury and illness.

The unseeded Williams next will play fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka, who made quick work of No. 135 Galina Voskoboeva with a 6-1, 6-2 victory.

Samantha Stosur also gained the semis, defeating Roberta Vinci 6-4, 6-1. Stosur will take on Agnieszka Radwanska, who beat No. 11 Andrea Petkovic 6-4, 6-3.

Miscellaneous

Texas A&M ponders switch

The Texas A&M System board of regents has called a special meeting Monday that includes an agenda item about conference alignment. The session comes amid speculation that Texas A&M is leaving the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference. Texas A&M considered switching to the SEC last year. The university hasn't confirmed it is again discussing a jump to the SEC, but talk has been intensifying that the Aggies are looking to leave.

◆ Defending champion Danielle Kang, 18, beat Demi Frances Runas 4 and 3 to advance to the semifinals in the U.S. Women's Amateur golf tournament at Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington, R.I.

◆  Aaron Garcia threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jeron Harvey on the final play to give the Jacksonville Sharks their first Arena Football League title with a 73-70 victory over the Arizona Rattlers in Phoenix. AP

Going Concern

PETER BLAKE, CA

CEO, RITCHIE BROS. AUCTIONEERS

COMPANY PROFILE: Vancouver-based Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers is the world's largest auctioneer of trucks and industrial equipment. From its humble beginnings in the 1950s as a small furniture store run by a trio of brothers, the company expanded its operations to more than 25 countries across the globe. Today, Ritchie Bros, has more than 625 full-time employees and 29 auction sites across North America and Europe, and in such places as the United Arab Emirates. The company conducts unreserved auctions only - meaning there is no minimum bid and owners are forbidden to bid up their own equipment - ensuring the best price from legitimate bidders. In 2002, an online site was launched to allow pre-qualified bidders anywhere to participate as equals in auctions, live and in real-time.

HOT FACTOR: Last year, Ritchie Bros, announced record auctions in California and the Netherlands and record gross auction sales in excess of US$1.79 billion. The company's business is essentially recession-proof - in a slow economy, contracting work dries up, leading to increases in equipment sold, while a strong economy leads to more purchases.

COOL PROJECTS: Ritchie Bros, is in the early stages of setting up shop in China. With a patient but persistent approach, the company believes it will be operating there within five years.

IN HIS OWN WORDS: "Our customers make their money every day by going out there, their hands are in the earth - these guys are building the foundation of the economy. When they're at an auction, they're trying to find the tools to go out and make a living. The more efficient we can make it for them in an open and honest marketplace, the better it's going to be for everyone."

Rosie Lombardi