Euro leaders surprise with crisis deal

BRUSSELS (AP) — After harrowing late-night negotiations, the leaders of the 17-country eurozone thrashed out a strategy on how to deal with the debt crisis that has crippled the currency union over the past year and already pushed two of its members into multibillion euro bailouts.

The region's bailout fund, the European Financial Stability Facility, will be able to lend the full euro440 billion that it was initially promised, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Up to now, the EFSF was only able to lend out about euro250 billion because of several buffers required to get a good credit rating — fanning fears that it would …

Stony Brook beats Albany NY 68-59 in AEast tourney

Tommy Brenton posted a double-double with 13 points and 16 rebounds and Stony Brook beat Albany (N.Y.) 68-59 on Saturday in the first round of the America East Conference tournament.

The top-seeded Seawolves (22-8) advance to the semifinals against winner of Saturday's second game between No. 4 Boston University-No. 5 Hartford. A Stony Brook win next round would have the Seawolves, the regular season champions, hosting the league …

Ex-cop brags about brutality during secret tape recording

A black juror winced Tuesday when she heard former Chicago PoliceOfficer Joseph Miedzianowski boast in a secretly tape-recorded phonecall that he bashed an innocent black driver in the head with a 20-pound sledge hammer.

Miedzianowski-on trial in federal court for allegedlymasterminding a Chicago-to-Miami drug ring and turning ganginformants into crime partners-used a racist slur to describe thedriver in the Dec. 5, 1998 recording.

In his conversation with Cook County Sheriff's CorrectionalOfficer Billy Jarding, Miedzianowski said he was helping execute asearch warrant at a house when a 6-foot-5, 300-pound man pulled up ina car and started honking his horn.

"I …

Official: Japan nuke plant pool at or near boiling

TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese nuclear safety official says a pool for storing spent fuel at the crippled nuclear plant is heating up, with temperatures around the boiling point.

Nuclear safety agency official Hidehiko Nishiyama told reporters Tuesday that the high temperatures in the spent fuel pool are believed to be the cause of steam that has wafted from Fukushima Dai-ichi's Unit 2 since Monday.

The hot storage pool is another complication in bringing the plant under control and ending a nuclear crisis that followed the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the northeast coast.

If water in the pool bubbles away and exposes fuel rods, more radiation would be thrown …

Israel confirms 1st case of swine flu

Israel's Health Ministry on Tuesday confirmed the country's first case of swine flu, saying a 26-year-old man who recently returned from Mexico had contracted the virus. Hospital officials said he has fully recovered.

Health Ministry spokeswoman Einav Shimron said ministry laboratory tests confirmed that a patient at Laniado Hospital in the coastal city of Netanya had contracted swine flu. The strain was the same one as the one found in Mexico, Shimron said.

The patient, Tomer Vajim, has recovered and is in "excellent condition," said Dr. Avinoam Skolnik, Laniado's medical director. He will remain hospitalized until the Health Ministry approves …

Pupils raise thousands

Pupils, staff and parents at Bath's Monkton Prep School haveraised Pounds 17,576 for Save The Children.

The money was raised last year during the school's annual 22-mile sponsored walk to Wells.

Organiser, teacher David Sibley, said he was delighted with thesuccess of the walk.

"The Wells Walk is an important part of our charitable giving andthe children love it.

"It is a family occasion and I am always surprised by thecommitment and determination of the …

India Bus Accident Kills 20, Injures 12

PATNA, India - A bus plunged nearly 30 feet into a riverbed in eastern India early Friday, killing at least 20 people and injuring 12, an official said.

The accident occurred on a highway near Patna, the capital of Bihar state, said B.K. Singh, a state administrator.

The driver, who was among the dead, lost control …

Chairman says Tokyo's bid strong in ailing economy

The chairman of Tokyo's bid for the 2016 Olympics says the global economic crisis hasn't hurt his city's petition to host the Olympics because it has $4 billion in reserve and won't have to purchase land for new venues.

"We have not been influenced by the economic situation nowadays and we don't have to buy any land for the Olympic Games. …

Could Milken be the next Carnegie?

WASHINGTON Imagine turning on the TV in the year 2030 and seeing aspeech to the nation by President Milken.

No, not the Michael Milken who pleaded guilty last week tocharges of stock fraud and manipulation and who faces up to 28 yearsin jail. He's 43 now, and it's unlikely that Americans even in thenext century would vote for a president in his 80s.

But what about a Milken son, or daughter? (Custom might changeby then, who knows.)

Or maybe we'll pick up a newspaper and read about a study by theMilken Institute for Peace or a grant to a museum by the MilkenFoundation or a concert at the Milken Center.

Can't happen? Take a look back.

Andrew …

Energy topic sparks testy exchange in Ind. debate

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — Indiana's Democratic Senate candidate accused his Republican opponent Friday of working as a Washington lobbyist to support cap and trade legislation both have opposed as candidates.

Republican Dan Coats and Democrat Brad Ellsworth debated for the second time Friday night in their race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh.

They had a particularly testy exchange during a question about energy policy, even though both agreed there should be more investment in clean energy.

Ellsworth alleged Coats pushed for the cap and trade legislation aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions during his former role as a lobbyist. He said the Republican …

Norway 1st in Europe to raise interest rates

Norway's central bank raised its key interest rate by a quarter percentage point to 1.5 percent Wednesday, making the oil-rich country the first European economy to boost rates since the height of the global financial crisis.

Norges Bank said in a statement that its decision was due to a sharper-than-expected rise in inflation and lower unemployment.

"The world economy is in a deep slump, but there are signs of new growth," said Svein Gjedrem, governor of Norges Bank. "The Norwegian economy has gotten moving again faster than anticipated."

The Nordic country of 4.8 million, which is not a member of the European Union, escaped …

Hriniak ignores outside `advice'

CLEVELAND White Sox coach Walt Hriniak doesn't get ruffled whenothers suggest ways to pitch his batters.

He had no problem when Yankees television analyst and futureHall of Famer Tom Seaver said the way to pitch 6-5 Frank Thomas is upand in "to tie him up." Or when Detroit pitcher Walt Terrellsaid he pitches all the Sox in "because they jump out across theplate."

Hriniak: "That's fine; that's their opinions. We happen tothink we can hit all kinds of pitching - up and in, down or away,whatever.

"We don't start Frank up and have him hit down on the ball. Westart him low and he swings into the ball. We don't teach anyone tohit down. What would be the …

Planned Community Act worries lawyers

The devil, they say, is in the details. And at least one attorney believes the details of the year-old Uniform Planned Community Act could become a nightmare for some of his clients.

Attorney William H. Poole Jr. of York said the act expands the definition of a planned community to include small single-family developments, and that could cause some trouble down the road for those residents. And Poole said his clients aren't prepared to deal with bureaucratic and legal snafus that could result from the change.

The Uniform Planned Community was an effort to consolidate a number of laws which governed condominiums and other types of residential developments, according to Poole. The act included a definition of a planned community, something that had not existed previously in the other laws.

That definition is the crux of the problem, according to Poole.

Say, for example, you move into a development with a restrictive covenant in which all of the residents have agreed to pay for any future repairs to a retention pond in the development. If the pond needs repairs in the future and you are assessed fees for that, you will now fall under the act.

What triggers the act, Poole said, is the creation of a homeowners' association and the assessment of fees. So, if the retention pond holds water and you are never assessed any fees for repairs, you're not subject to the act, according to Poole.

Home buyers who ask for disclosure statements with special homeowners' association covenants might run into problems because the agreements are often made orally and no documentation exists, Poole said.

Poole also believes a municipality may have some financial responsibility under the act. For example, he said, if a homeowners' association builds a retention pond and later abandons maintenance on it, the municipality may be forced to assess taxpayers a fee to pay for any pond repairs, if needed.

UPCA's chief draftsman David Haas, an attorney with the Philadelphia law firm of Duane, Morris and Heckscher, sees things differently.

According to Haas, UPCA was an effort to serve as a "comprehensive guide" for the creation, governance management and marketing of all planned communities, especially those communities that didn't fall under previous state regulations governing condominiums and cooperatives.

The definition of a planned community in the act, according to Haas, is one having common facilities or improvements, such as streets, water management, recreational facilities, etc., whose maintenance or repair is the responsibility of the development owners under terms of covenant, easements or agreements imposed on the property.

A planned community must also be "declared" -- plats and plans filed say the area is being developed as a planned community -- and common elements are defined, Haas said. Also, the act creates a governing body for the planned community.

In addition, other interests are spelled out: rules governing ways the community can be expanded or changed; time requirements for selling any rights and responsibilities to common areas; anything agreed to be done for the community association must be done or have a promise of its being completed, including a third-party guaranty, bond, escrow or letter of credit.

The UPCA protects the rights of property buyers, Haas said. Disclosure statements containing a community description, options reserved by the property's owners, financial information, how the community is organized and other critical information are the chief means of buyer protection. Any deposits made on the property prior to its purchase remain in escrow until closing.

"The UPCA reflects a balancing of the interests of developers, lenders, homeowners, managers of planned communities, government authorities and those who provide service to planned communities in Pennsylvania," according to Haas. "While it does create substantive requirements for existing and newly created planned communities, it places significant emphasis on disclosure as a means of promoting market-based controls."

Haas said UPCA's greatest contribution is that it serves as a "comprehensive framework for all common interest ownership communities and developments in Pennsylvania ..." and that it replaces "a hodge-podge of common law schemes based on private restrictive covenants with no consistency, community-to-community or project-to-project."

Pete Andrews, a York attorney with Countess, Gilbert and Andrews, shares some of Poole's reservations about UPCA.

"The biggest problem is that it is a disruption of the orderly transfer of property," Andrews said. "Sellers don't know what obligations are to be met. Buyers don't know how to meet the proper obligations."

Andrews said the bill is meant to impose a condominium-like set of rules on any development. Andrews sees UPCA as very similar to existing state condominium and resort regulations. "It almost mirrors them," he said. "The structure is the same, it's complicated, difficult for people who didn't know they were in a planned community to comply."

Andrews said trying to use condominium regulations to resolve a "relatively small" problem of defining and regulating properties that were planned with common ground is part of UPCA's problems.

Andrews also said many area home buyers and homeowner associations don't know about UPCA's regulations. Realtors are aware of the regulations, he said.

Rob Sowers, residential and condominium manager and vice president for Clabell Management, part of Lancaster's Horst Group, said UPCA is not a problem for his business. Sowers manages a number of homeowners associations and 3,500 condominiums.

"Most statues are written to protect people from people who would take advantage of them," Sowers said. "UPCA is not at all a problem for us. We've always done business that way."

Sowers said UPCA helped clarify some nebulous issues surrounding planned communities by bringing regulations governing homeowners associations more into alignment with those covering condominiums.

He said Horst/Clabell was already using disclosure statements and other documentation similar to UPCA's requirements.

"We found that this was really just good business. The new act didn't do anything all that strange," Sowers said.

"I'm not a big believer in lots and lots of rules," Sowers said. "But the Condominium Act helped clarify some significant problems before this. UPCA is a good attempt to get everything under same umbrella."

Walt Zehring of Rausch Real Estate in Lebanon manages nine residential units. Zehring said he had no problems with UPCA regulations. However. keeping people up on current information within the homeowners association is not easy unless people get active and go to association meetings, Zehring said.

Zehring could understand why municipalities would have problems with UPCA, especially when they might be asked to cover costs of properties formerly governed by association rules.

Haas said UPCA's future is linked to an education process about the bill. As more people become aware of the bill's provisions and how these rules affect them, the process will get smoother.

Rosty rules out '89 mayoral bid

Rep. Dan Rostenkowski (D-Ill.) said he will not become acandidate for mayor in the 1989 special election for the second halfof the late Mayor Washington's unexpired term.

"That horse left the barn a long time ago," Rostenkowski said."I'm not going to be a candidate for mayor."

Rostenkowski, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee,and the major architect of the 1986 tax reform law, said he isreluctant to give up his national leadership role to seek localpolitical office.

For more than a decade, Rostenkowski has been touted byDemocratic leaders as a potential mayoral candidate. Ald. Edward M.Burke (14th), Loop lawyer William Daley, state Senate PresidentPhilip J. Rock of Oak Park, Chicago Board of Trade President ThomasDonovan and Illinois Attorney General Neil F. Hartigan have beenamong Rostenkowski's boosters.

With Rostenkowski removing himself from consideration,Democratic politicians suggested that U.S. Rep. William O. Lipinskiand Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan now have theopportunity to emerge as contenders for 1989.

Mayor Sawyer has not disclosed whether he will seek the post inthe 1989 special election. Lipinski declined comment when askedwhether he was pondering a mayoral bid. Madigan also has declined tospeculate about his political future.

Ald. Timothy C. Evans (4th), who was Washington's City Councilfloor leader, has indicated that he will probably seek thenomination. Former Mayor Jane M. Byrne, now running for CircuitCourt clerk, is expected to be a candidate for mayor if she wins theDemocratic nomination in March and defeats new Republican Edward R.Vrdolyak in the general election.

Cook County State's Attorney Richard M. Daley, heavily favoredto win a third term in 1988, also is seen as a likely candidate forthe mayor's office, which was held by his father for more than 21years.

After a meeting with Sawyer last week, Rostenkowski voiced hissupport for the new administration. Rostenkowski's longtime protege,Ald. Terry M. Gabinski (32nd), was a major player in Sawyer'selection, and the Northwest Side congressman has indicated that hemight support Sawyer's candidacy for the remainder of Washington'sterm.

"I'd like to see Mayor Sawyer afforded a chance to govern," saidRostenkowski. "I'll help him in any way I can."

Rostenkowski has had strained relations with Sawyer's twopredecessors, Washington and Byrne. He endorsed opponents of bothmayors when they sought re-election.

In recent years, Rostenkowski has scaled down his involvement inlocal politics. He recently decided to step down in 1988 asDemocratic committeeman of the 32nd Ward, ending a half centuryfamily tradition. His father, the late Joseph Rostenkowski, servedas committeeman from 1936 until 1960 when he was succeeded by hisson.

Flyers' coach has bone cancer

PHILADELPHIA Flyers coach Roger Neilson has bone marrow cancer andwill need several months of chemotherapy. He said he does not expectto miss any games and is upbeat because the disease was caught early.

The 65-year-old coach said he told his players after practicetoday in Voorhees, N.J.

"Cancer is never good news, but at least it looks optimistic forthe future," Neilson said in a statement. He and a team physicianplanned to discuss his health later in the day.

Neilson said he has multiple myeloma, a kind of bone cancer thatis considered incurable with conventional chemotherapy.

He will receive chemotherapy as an outpatient and could require abone marrow transplant, though doctors told him he could use his ownmarrow and would not need a donor.

"If I did have to take a day or a week off or something, we're ingood shape here with assistant coaches Craig Ramsey and WayneCashman," he said.

"There should be no problems," he said. "Everything should be ableto continue the same."

Neilson had been sick for several months, including duringtraining camp and the early part of the season. Though he nevermissed a game, he coughed a lot and missed several practices.

"I was sick for a while because my blood count was down," he said."But I feel fine, so we're all ready to go," he said.

Neilson ranks ninth in NHL career wins with 431 and has coachedseven NHL teams in 15 seasons. He was hired as the Flyers' coach inMarch 1998. Before that, he was an assistant with the St. LouisBlues.

Since joining the Flyers, he has a 64-43-25 regular-season record.

Multiple myeloma strikes about 15,000 people a year and causesabout 10,000 U.S. deaths annually. The disease usually strikes theelderly, and with traditional treatment they generally survive 2 1/2to three years. When combined with a bone marrow transplant,chemotherapy can prolong life.

"They're optimistic they've caught it early," Neilson said.

Tokyo: No protest over China jets nearing islands

TOKYO (AP) — Japan will not lodge a complaint against China for sending two warplanes into airspace near disputed islands in the East China Sea but is concerned by the incident and Chinese military activity in the area, a senior official said Thursday.

Tokyo's top spokesman said the Chinese planes did not actually enter Japanese airspace before Japanese F-15 fighter jets were scrambled to intercept them. He said they were not a security threat but Tokyo will watch closely for further activity in the area.

Japan's Defense Ministry says it scrambled the fighters Wednesday as the Chinese planes — a Y-8 surveillance aircraft and a Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft — approached the disputed islands.

"The planes were flying outside of Japanese airspace and so we do not intend to lodge a formal protest," said chief Cabinet spokesman Yukio Edano. "But we intend to continue to closely monitor Chinese military activity."

According to Japanese media reports, the Chinese naval aircraft came within 30 miles (50 kilometers) of the disputed islands, called the Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in China. The islands are uninhabited and lie between Taiwan, China and southern Japan.

The islands have long been a flashpoint in relations between Tokyo and Beijing.

Japan's arrest of the Chinese captain in a maritime collision near them last September inflamed nationalist emotions in both countries, with China suspending ministerial-level contacts and thousands taking to the streets for angry anti-Japanese protests.

Japan eventually let the captain go home without charges.

Japanese fighters were scrambled in response to suspected Chinese air incursions 38 times in the year up until the end of last March, the most recent period for which statistics have been compiled. Fighters were scrambled 299 times in total in that period, primarily because of Russian military activity.

It was not clear if the number of scrambles has gone up since then.

Still, Tokyo has expressed increasing concern over China's rapidly improving military capabilities and its more assertive stance toward disputed islands such as the ones in the East China Sea.

As a counterbalance, Tokyo is planning to increase the number of submarines in its fleet and bolster its troops and radar capabilities on the southern Okinawan islands.

Greece tightens rules on bank aid plan

Greece's conservative government said Thursday it will scrap bonuses and cap salaries of top managers whose banks join the country's 28 billion euro ($36 billion) bailout plan.

The plan was set up to guarantee banks' debt and infuse them with capital to protect them from the global financial crisis. But the help comes with string attached.

"All bonuses are abolished for the duration of the program," Economy Minister George Alogoskoufis said Thursday.

Top managers' wages will not exceed the salary of the Governor of the Bank of Greece, the country's central bank, Alogoskoufis said. Officials at the Bank of Greece refused to say how much their governor earns.

State-supported banks will also not be allowed to distribute more than 35 percent of their profit to shareholders.

Thursday's measures were added to a voluntary bank aid law which has been submitted to parliament. The law allows the government to boost lenders' liquidity by as much as 28 billion euros in loan guarantees, bonds and equity injections.

To qualify for the plan, Greek lenders must sell the government preferred stock for up to 5 billion euros ($6.5 billion), Alogoskoufis said.

A state representative will be appointed to the boards of assisted lenders to make sure the extra liquidity will be channeled to Greek businesses.

Greek banks have so far not reported any significant losses from toxic investments associated with the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis. But their exposure to East European countries such as Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia, which might be affected by the crisis, has raised concerns.

Hurt by falling bank shares, the Athens Stock Exchange has lost about two thirds of its value since the beginning of the year.

ADULT LIFE; Jenna Jameson sings the body pornographic

Maybe you've heard the name Jenna Jameson dropped like some sort of self-explanatory manna by a late-night talk show host or early-morning shock jock. Maybe you haven't, though it gets less likely by the day. Maybe you, like untold thousands of mag-readers, videophiles and single-handed typists worldwide, know the self-handed typists worldwide, know the self-proclaimed "Queen of Porn's" Body almost as well as your own but wouldn't dream of mentioning it to anyone. Well, final category inhabitants, now you can read the fruits of your investment. Your online credit card deductions and brown paper-wrapped mail deliveries have done more than just make Jameson the most famous sex starlet ever to lapdance her way into America's mainstream consciousness. They've also paid for enough meth-frosted debauchery in a 30-year life to produce the 580-page memoir How to Make Love Like a Porn Star" A Cautionary Tale.

In case it isn't already obvious, Jameson's literary debut is not an incisive psychological study of America's media-engorged sex life. It is, well, a lot like a porn movie: muddled in narrative and careless in organization, except in its surgically graphic naughtiness. Detailing Jameson's sexual awakening as a 16-year-old latchkey kid in Las Vegas through her semi-retirement from adult films in early 2004, she and coauthor Neil Strauss employ all manner of literary styles to spin the profane yarn. They try straight biographical writing (as well as gay), humorous educational cartoons, verbatim transcripts of interviews with Jameson's family and male co-stars and even several fake "10 Commandment" sections on how to date a porn star or how to give the best, um, knob-polishing with which to land a husband. No kidding.

But is this cautionary tale a good read? That depends largely on the mindset of the reader - which is true for most books, but especially How to Make Love Like a Porn Star. Those looking only for horrifying stories from a horrifying life will find plenty of filth in which to revel. Jameson's father, a widowed ex-military assassin and police mafia expert, left young Jameson and her brother to wander the streets of Vegas for what seems like years at a time, resulting in shocking drug use, violence and crime galore. She has dated, berated, abused and been abused by all manner of bikers, tattoo artists and would-be pornographers. She has been addicted to uppers and downers and has survived eating disorders so severe that her father didn't recognize her at the end of them. She has been fawned over by the likes of Marilyn Manson, Tommy Lee, Nicholas Cage, Howard Stern and Bruce Willis an is eager to spill a defining sexual secret about each. On the shady merits of these submissions alone, the book is destined to become a classic of lowbrow nonfiction.

On the other hand, readers who just want to see some nudie pictures in their book club selection and worry that the Jameson's "cautionary" title precludes them, will immediately have their horny fears assuaged. Jameson is surprisingly uncritical of the pornography industry, it bizarre standards of female beauty, and is more than willing to bare what "Dr. Canada" gave her.

The price of this exposure, however, is constant discomfort. Topless glamour shots are arranged back to back with elementary school portraits, and lipstick-lesbian layouts with scrawled preadolescent diary entries. The assumption seems to be that the sex shots, surrounded by tales of woe and somewhat "human" images, can be something more triumphant, sad, nostalgic and powerful than mere porn. I, however, was just creeped out.

The again, I can't say with any real certainty what assumptions or visions power this overwhelming mess of self-abuse and self-glorification. One moment, Jameson calls the porn trade a "game" and the lonely men it depends on "creeps" and "perverts." Pages later, she equates a layout in Penthouse to getting into heaven and expounds step-by-step instructions on how young women should go about selling their bare asses to those same lonely men. When talking about a profitable period of her life, Jameson will laud pornography as the one job that allows women to be truly self-sufficient and self-defining. Then she will unleash a straight-faced line like "If a guy in a strip club said that I'd think he was a creep, but coming from a director and authority figure it was the greatest compliment in the world." What exactly the guy said is inconsequential; it had something to do with boobs and is repeated by a hundred lesser dopes who get drinks kicked in their faces by Jameson. Creepiness, it appears, is in the eye of the g-string wearer.

But perhaps this moral ambiguity is why most cultural icons wait a few decades longer than Jameson to pen their memoirs. She is still too close to the mythology of porn, to its money and its ideas of success, to present a fresh take on her own significance. Read her book for titillation, and you'll be in the company of millions. Read it for anything more, and you'll be disturbed and confused. Hopefully.

Article copyright Bar Bar Inc.

Photograph (Book jacket; How to Make Love Like a Porn Star by Jenna Jameson)

Egypt pledges in Olmert-Mubarak talks not to reopen Gaza crossing till Israeli soldier is free

Israel obtained a pledge from Egypt on Tuesday that the Arab country will not reopen its border crossing with the Hamas-run Gaza Strip until a captive Israeli soldier is set free, Israeli officials said.

The pledge came during talks between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik. The meeting came on the sixth day of an Egyptian-mediated truce between Israel and Hamas.

It was a gesture toward Israel that Egypt would try to get Sgt. Gilad Schalit, held by gunmen affiliated with Gaza's Hamas rulers for two years, freed soon.

The fragile truce has mostly held, but Israeli authorities said that Palestinian militants fired at least three rockets into southern Israel on Tuesday _ the first such attack since the cease-fire took effect.

Israel's national rescue service said two people were lightly wounded in the barrage, and Olmert's office called the attack a violation of the truce. There was no word on how Israel would react.

The Islamic Jihad militant group claimed responsibility for the violence, saying it was avenging an Israeli military raid that killed two Palestinians in the West Bank. However, the Gaza Strip's ruling Hamas group said it remains committed to the truce.

After two hours of Mubarak-Olmert talks, Olmert's spokesman Mark Regev told Egyptian media, "Rafah crossing will not be open and return to normal business unless Schalit is released."

Hamas had wanted the crossing opened before an eventual release.

An Israeli official with Olmert's delegation said Egypt gave "assurances" the border crossing would not open without Schalit's release. The official also said that an Israeli negotiator on prisoners was to come to Egypt by the end of the week for "intensive negotiations" on Schalit.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity as no formal statement was released by either side.

Mubarak's spokesman Suleiman Awwad said Rafah would not be open until European border monitors can return _ a step that would require Israeli consent. The monitors were deployed at Rafah after a 2005 deal but withdrew when Hamas took over Gaza.

"There are contacts underway ... to create circumstnces for the return to the November 2005 protocol," Awwad said.

He described Mubarak-Olmert talks as "transparent, frank and clear" and added that Egypt was "determined to strike the deal of a prisoners' swap between the two sides."

Mubarak was to give an interview to Israeli Television later Tuesday on the talks.

Before heading into talks with Olmert, Mubarak said Egypt "was making efforts" for Schalit's release and would continue to do so. Olmert, meanwhile, lauded Egypt for trying to "achieve the conditions to end the terror from Gaza toward residents of Israel."

In exchange for Schalit, Hamas wants Israel to release 450 prisoners it is holding. Israel has balked at freeing most of the militants Hamas wants, saying they were involved in deadly attacks on Israelis.

Arms smuggling into the coastal Gaza Strip was also discussed by the two leaders, Awwad said. Israel has sought assurances that Egypt will do more to fight the smuggling.

The Egyptian-brokered truce started last Thursday, with the immediate aim to end the fighting that has killed seven Israelis and more than 400 Palestinians _ many of them civilians _ since the Islamic Hamas militants overran Gaza a year ago.

Egypt acted as middleman for the six-month truce because Israel, like much of the international community, shuns Hamas for refusing to recognize Israel or renounce violence.

In agreeing to the truce, Israel dropped an earlier demand that Hamas free Schalit as a condition for the cease-fire. Hamas militants seized Schalit in a cross-border raid in 2006, killing two other members of his tank crew.

Egypt's pledge on the Gaza crossing was also a win for Schalit's parents, who asked Israel's supreme court on Saturday to block the truce deal so long as their son remains in captivity.

Noam and Aviva Schalit petitioned the court on behalf of their son, claiming that the deal included the opening of the Gaza crossing. They said this would allow their son's captors to smuggle him out and harm efforts to free him.

Other violence coincided with the Olmert-Mubarak meeting, this time in the West Bank, ruled by the more moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Israeli troops killed a senior Islamic Jihad commander in a West Bank raid early Tuesday, and the militant faction vowed reprisal.

A neighbor said a Palestinian bystander was also shot to death by troops when he opened the door of his apartment during the raid in the town of Nablus. The Israeli military spokesman's office said the man was a militant killed during a gunbattle with troops.

Islamic Jihad is party to the truce between Israel and Hamas, although that arrangement does not apply to the West Bank.

In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum accused Israel of trying to "disrupt the atmosphere of calm that started five days ago" with the latest incident.

Gaza is a tiny, impoverished seaside territory of 1.4 million people that Israel evacuated in 2005 after a 38-year military occupation.

___

Associated Press Writers Amy Teibel from Jerusalem, Maggie Michael from Cairo and Ali Daraghmeh from the West Bank contributed to this report.

Blake's victory over Youzhny gives U.S. a 2-0 Davis Cup advantage

Even when James Blake was struggling in his Davis Cup match, he knew his teammates were behind him.

Blake fed off their support and held off feisty Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (3) Friday night to give the United States a 2-0 lead over Russia in the Davis Cup final.

"They've believed in me the whole year, so I wanted to prove them right, to be honest," Blake said of the U.S. team. "They've had confidence in me every time."

Blake's victory got the U.S. within one win of its first Davis Cup title since 1995. Earlier, Andy Roddick cruised past Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in the opening match on the hard court at Memorial Coliseum.

Bob and Mike Bryan can wrap it up for the U.S. by winning their doubles match against Russia's Nikolay Davydenko and Igor Andreev on Saturday.

The crowd was on its feet when Blake went ahead in the final tiebreaker and Youzhny hit into the net for the U.S. victory.

Blake, ranked 13th in the world, took a 5-2 first-set lead in a game that featured him making a spectacular return, running back to the baseline and hitting backward over his head. After the point Blake pumped his fists and Roddick joined the spectators in wild cheers.

But Blake appeared to tire in the second set, and 19th-ranked Youzhny went up 4-3. Blake talked out loud to himself, saying `C'mon, c'mon."

Blake recovered to win the second set, but ran into trouble again in the third, when Youzhny won the tiebreaker.

It was U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe and his teammates who pulled him through.

"Every time I came over I saw Patrick with a fist pump saying, `Keep doing what you're doing,' That's the best feeling," Blake said. "That's the confidence I talked about that my teammates have, that if I play my game I'm going to give myself the best chance to win."

The marathon match, which Blake called the biggest win of his career so far, lasted 3 hours, 28 minutes.

Roddick threw his hands up in triumph after Tursunov's final return landed long in the first match. Roddick, ranked No. 6 in the world, improved to 6-0 in Davis Cup play this year.

"It's kind of like `so close but so far away.' There's no celebration," he said. "It's one match. The celebration will be saved for when we win, if we win."

Roddick took the first set after he hit an 146-mph serve that No. 34 Tursunov returned long, ending a game that went to deuce four times. Roddick let out a growl after holding serve, and the U.S. fans roared their approval.

Roddick broke Tursunov early in the second set and again to start the third. While he high-fived McEnroe, Tursunov threw up his hands in disgust.

"If there are 12-and-a-half thousand people behind you and you can use them to help you win a tennis match, you would be stupid not to, right?" Roddick said. "Other than cheating, I'll do anything I can to win."

Roddick had 25 aces in the match, which lasted 1 hour, 53 minutes. Tursunov had eight aces.

"I wasn't playing my game," Tursunov said. "I was playing way too passive. I was playing not to miss."

The best-of-five final is a culmination of a year's worth of international competition.

The once-dominant United States has 31 Davis Cup titles but none in 12 years, the longest span without an American victory. Pete Sampras last led the team to victory over Russia on clay in Moscow in 1995.

Russia's captain Shamil Tarpischev pulled a surprise at the draw, leaving fourth-ranked Davydenko out of the singles matches _ setting up the first match between Roddick and Tursunov.

Tarpischev didn't say whether he'd stay with Davydenko and Andreev as his doubles team on Saturday.

"I haven't thought about it except that the ones that I have posted to play, and that is Andreev and Davydenko," the captain said.

Davydenko comes into the Davis Cup final at the center of an investigation into unusual betting patterns during a loss to Martin Vassallo Arguello of Argentina in August.

Betfair, an online gambling company, voided all bets on the match after unusually large amounts were wagered on the lowly ranked Argentine throughout the contest in Poland, even after he lost the first set 6-1. Davydenko retired with an injury in the third set.

Davydenko denies the allegations.

No. 34 Tursunov is the lowest-ranked member of the Russian team, following Davydenko, No. 19 Youzhny and No. 33 Andreev.

"The Americans have very good chances tomorrow," Tarpischev said through a translator. "But as they say, the ball is round so anything can happen."

Both Davis Cup teams include the same players from the semifinals, when the United States beat Sweden 4-1 and Russia defeated Germany 3-2.

The United States last hosted the Davis Cup final in 1992, in Fort Worth, Texas. Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Pete Sampras and John McEnroe defeated Switzerland.

Memorial Coliseum, which seats about 12,800, has hosted two previous Davis Cup events, in 1981 and 1984, both U.S. semifinal victories over Australia.

Friday's event was full of pageantry _ as well as enthusiastic fans. With an obviously pro-United States crowd, the Russians had their own smaller, but very boisterous, contingent.

Billie Jean King presided over the coin toss for Roddick's match, and Nike co-founder Phil Knight was among the spectators.

Should the U.S. win the doubles match, the reverse singles on Sunday would be shortened to best-of-three sets.

Marriage shows shift in Trinidad in Roffey's novel

"The White Woman on the Green Bicycle" (Penguin), by Monique Roffey: There's a point in every tropical vacation where it seems brilliant to stay indefinitely, to stay bronzed and warm, lingering over the local cuisine, believing it's possible to become a local.

The bloated, leathery, spotted skin of George and Sabine Harwood, the central couple in Monique Roffey's novel "The White Woman on the Green Bicycle," should serve as a caution against staying in the sun too long.

The British couple moved to Trinidad as newlyweds in 1956, just as the Caribbean island began its transition from a British colony to an independent nation. Through the Harwoods' turbulent marriage, Roffey explores the harsh legacy of slavery and colonialism, along with the disappointments and corruption that follow.

The novel opens in 2006, far from the tourist beaches. Sabine has suffered too long from the poisoning effects of the sun and a womanizing husband who failed to keep his promise that they would one day return to England. For years, she channeled her frustrations into letters to Eric Williams, whose government reforms captivated Trinidad when she had first arrived.

George's discovery of her secret trove of letters, never sent, sets in motion a series of unfortunate events that reveal the pervasive racial and economic inequalities in a country that had hoped for something better than the shadow of colonialism. Trinidad's racial segregation and the damage sustained by the Harwoods' marriage are further explored in flashbacks to the couple's early years on the island, when Sabine gains fame as the white woman who dares to pedal through Port-of-Spain on her green bicycle.

Roffey, born in Trinidad and now living in London, offers no easy way off the island. Instead of depicting the Caribbean's famously clear blue sea, her novel reflects the harsh glare of a blistering sun on the water. Everyone gets a little burned.

___

Online:

http://www.moniqueroffey.co.uk/

Spring brings net gain for anglers who savor smelt

What Johnny-come-lately to Lake Michigan is commonly fried inbeer batter, but is tastier than tempura and brings hungry hordes offishermen to the lake shores most April evenings?

It's the silvery little smelt, and its presence is a sure signthat spring is here.

There are uncounted millions of them scattered through the lake,but in spring they migrate into shallow water to feed and spawn, saidWayne Brofka, research biologist with the Illinois Natural HistorySurvey, Zion.

"When the water gets to 40 degrees or above, they start moving,"he said. So far, the water has hovered around 39 or 40, according tothe Chicago Park District, so smelting has only been so-so.

The smelt follow the water as it warms around the edges of LakeMichigan, first in the southern end and then up the Wisconsin shore.The little fish school in search of shallows and streams to lay theireggs.

"They spawn in extremely large numbers," laying countless eggsbecause bigger fish eat them, Brofka said. "Most heavily predatedspecies have astronomical numbers of offspring," he said.

The large schools tend to come inshore at night to feed oninsect larva and zooplankton, he said, but they will "run" also onvery cloudy days or when the water is murky.

Right on their tails come the predators, trout and salmon thatfollow the smelt run and are already being caught off city harborsthis spring.

The bigger game fish not only eat the smelt but, in a roundaboutway, are responsible for smelt being in Lake Michigan.

Smelt are what fishery biologists call "exotics," foreign fishnot native to their present habitat. They were originally anAtlantic Ocean fish, but they did not invade the Great Lakes byascending the St. Lawrence River.

Instead, smelt were stocked in Crystal Lake, Mich., in 1912 tobe food for salmon that fishermen planted for their private preserve.

The salmon died, but the smelt thrived and found their way downa stream into Lake Michigan. By 1931, they were found as far southas Kenosha, said Brofka, and now are everywhere.

In Illinois, smelt mainly are a game fish caught for fun, butthere are some commercial smelt fishermen in Green Bay and off TwoRivers, Wis.

Spouses must agree on having third child

Dear Diane: I am 30 and my husband is 31. We have twodaughters, 2 and 4. I want to have another baby but he doesn't.He once agreed provided I would lose the extra weight from our secondchild. I have done that, but now he says no to a third child.

Since I've provided birth control (IUD no longer available) forthe past 10 years, I suggested he have a vasectomy. He refuses to doso. I planned on having my tubes tied after having the third child.

This is something we can't compromise on, and getting a puppywon't satisfy the desire for another baby.

I'm giving serious thought to going ahead and getting pregnant,but I'm afraid it may drive him out of the house.

Can you offer any advice? MOTHER OF ONLY TWO

Dear Mother: You and your husband need some adult communicationabout the issue of having a third child, not more scrapping in adangerous game of "Gotcha."

Your husband played foul in reneging on his promise. If hedid not want a third child, he should have said so frankly instead ofplaying games with you about losing weight.

And where did the puppy idea come from? Whoever came up withthat one is trivializing the conflict and needs some sensitivity tohis spouse's feelings.

On the other hand, getting revenge by becoming pregnant willresult in more dangerous brinksmanship.

If your husband is unable or unwilling to discuss these matterswith you seriously, seek counseling together (or by yourself, ifnecessary) to resolve the issue of a third child and questions ofbirth control choices and responsibilities.

Any baby brought into the world deserves to have two parentseagerly waiting to love him or her. Unless your husband becomeswilling to welcome a third child, devote your love to your twodaughters.

Dear Diane: This is in response to Suffering Secretary's letterof Aug. 4. Like her, I worked in a small law office. We womenworked late almost every night as well as weekends with no overtimepaid. However, the men in the office were compensated for latehours, and this was flaunted in our faces. It was the last strawwhen they instituted a time clock and tried not to pay overtime.

I filed a complaint with the U.S. Labor Department based onillegal deductions (we never were given paycheck stubs and did notknow our deductions or gross salaries). Guess what? I was fired. I contacted the Labor Department again and they recommended awonderful lawyer who specializes in these cases.

So, even though my boss fired me and gave me a bad reference(which was against the law because he defamed my character), I didhave legal recourse.

Now, in addition to the complaint filed with the LaborDepartment, my boss will have to deal with his immaturity in court. HAVING THE LAST WORD

Dear Last Word: Good for you for pursuing your rights. And thanksfor writing.

Dear Diane: I've recently been labeled by my friends as"heartless." The problem is I have a very hard time keepingconsistent feelings for my boyfriend of one year (minus a two-monthbreakup in December when I decided we were through).

I'm considering breaking it off again. I love him - most ofthe time, anyway - but it seems dangerous for my feelings to keepfluctuating so.

I'm not heartless, just a 14-year-old deeply confused. Whatshould I do? MISUNDERSTOOD

Dear Misunderstood: Fluctuating feelings are normal for14-year-olds. But sending a boyfriend up, down and around on aroller-coaster romance can be heartless.

See if you can find even ground for the romance for a while.Break it off until your feelings for this fellow (or someone else)become a little more consistent.

Confidentially to Lost in Love: I've shaken out all the mailbagsand haven't found a letter from Lost in Love. Please write againand include a stamped, self-addressed envelope so that I can respond.

Send letters to Dear Diane, Box 3254, Chicago 60654.

Romanian luger who crashed is out of Olympic race

A Romanian luger who was diagnosed with a concussion after crashing in a women's training run has withdrawn from the Vancouver Olympics.

Violeta Stramaturaru was briefly knocked unconscious in a wreck at the Whistler Sliding Centre on Thursday, less than 24 hours before a Georgian men's slider was killed in a crash on the track's final turn.

Stramaturaru was not seriously injured, Romanian Olympic officials said, but was advised by doctors to withdraw nonetheless.

Source: Jamal Lewis Signs With Browns

CLEVELAND - Free agent running back Jamal Lewis agreed to a one-year deal with the Cleveland Browns, a person within the NFL told The Associated Press on Wednesday night.

Lewis was released last week in a salary-cap move by Baltimore, which elected not to pay their career rushing leader a $5 million roster bonus. He'll now join the Browns, Baltimore's AFC North rival, who were last in the league in rushing in 2006.

Lewis visited the Browns on Wednesday and decided to sign with the team before leaving town, said the person who has knowledge of the negotiations and spoke on the condition of anonymity because the 27-year-old Lewis hasn't signed yet.

With the Ravens reportedly interested in acquiring Buffalo running back Willis McGahee, Lewis decided to look elsewhere and found a fit with the Browns - the team he torched for an NFL-record 295 yards in 2003.

Hurricane Crashes Ashore in Texas

HOUSTON - Hurricane Humberto crashed ashore along Southeast Texas early Thursday, bringing heavy rains and maximum sustained winds of up to 80 mph as it made its way to Louisiana, the National Weather Service said.

The Category 1 storm made landfall about five miles east of High Island, near Sea Rim State Park, where wind gusts measured 62 mph, meteorologist Jim Sweeney said. The storm was expected to start weakening as it continued inland.

"It's a very compact storm," Sweeney said. The strongest winds are very close to the center of circulation. The hurricane force winds only go about 15 miles."

A hurricane warning was issued from east of High Island to Cameron, La. A tropical storm warning was in effect from east of Cameron to Intracoastal City, La. The storm was initially expected to strike as a tropical storm until it energized into a Category 1 hurricane after midnight.

At 5 a.m. EDT, the center of Humberto was about 60 miles northeast of Galveston and about 25 miles northeast of High Island Texas. It was moving toward the north-northeast near 8 mph.

The storm's rain bands were spreading over the coast and between 5 and 10 inches of rain were expected, with some spots possibly getting as much as 15 inches. But authorities said evacuations were not necessary.

The area expected to be hit the hardest is in the far southeast corner of Texas from Galveston Island eastward. It includes the Beaumont and Port Arthur areas.

Texas has had one of the wettest summers on record, with Houston soaked under the most rain it's had in a summer since 1942. With the ground already saturated, flooding was likely.

Gov. Rick Perry activated 50 military vehicles with 200 soldiers, plus a half-dozen helicopters and two swift-water rescue teams. Other crews from the U.S. Coast Guard were on standby.

"Some areas of our state remain saturated by summer floods, and many communities in this storm's projected path are at high risk of dangerous flash flooding," Perry said.

In Louisiana, Gov. Kathleen Blanco declared a state of emergency. Calcasieu and Vermilion parishes had shelters on standby. Vermilion also was making sandbags and sand available, said Mark Smith, a spokesman for the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

The warning area included Louisiana's Cameron Parish, which was devastated by Hurricane Rita in September 2005. More than 500 federally issued travel trailers and mobile homes remain there.

Last month, at least six deaths were blamed on Tropical Storm Erin, which dropped nearly a foot of rain in parts of San Antonio, Houston and the Texas Hill Country.

In 2001, slow-moving Tropical Storm Allison soaked Houston, dumping about 20 inches of rain in eight hours. About two dozen people died, sections of the city were paralyzed and damage was estimated at roughly $5 billion.

"Parts of East Texas could be hit pretty hard," Houston Mayor Bill White said, noting that the east turn of the storm could reduce possible damage to Houston. "But you can't tell. Remember Allison. It just sat there instead of moving."

Humberto's arrival comes just days after Galveston last Saturday marked the 107th anniversary of the great 1900 storm where more than 6,000 people were killed in what remains the nation's deadliest natural disaster.

Humberto is the eighth named storm this year and formed from a depression that developed Wednesday morning. It became a Category One hurricane when winds reached above 74 mph.

Another tropical depression also formed Wednesday far in the open Atlantic, about 930 miles east of the Lesser Antilles. It had maximum sustained winds near 35 mph and was moving west-northwest at about 16 mph.

---

Associated Press writer Becky Bohrer in New Orleans contributed to this report.

---

On the Net:

National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

C250 mulcher blows through western Canada

Anew tracked heavy-duty mulcher is available to contractors in western Canada from Cervus Contractors Equipment of Edmonton. The CMI C250 Hurricane is a proven 2.5-m wide mulcher with a 275-hp John Deere Tier 3 engine, 30-in single grouser pads, and a lowly 3.1 psi ground pressure with mulcher attachment. Cervus adds that power train accessibility is "phenomenal", while the Hurricane comes with an operations systems monitoring computer and CMI's own specially designed two-speed proportional drive controllers. Variable drum speed is available for the mulcher head.

More info at www.cervusce.com.

Asian markets mixed; Nikkei lifted by exporters but Hang Seng dragged down by telecoms

Asian markets were mixed Wednesday as regional news outweighed the impact of an overnight decline on Wall Street. Tokyo and most other major markets advanced, while losses in telecoms shares pulled Hong Kong and mainland Chinese shares lower.

China's benchmark Shanghai Composite Index fell 1.9 percent to 3,369.91, while Hong Kong's blue chip Hang Seng Index dropped 1 percent to 24,123.25, as investors held back ahead of the release of U.S. employment data Friday.

"We are cautious about the U.S. market's performance in June, with investors turning their focus back onto weak economic data and the credit crisis," said ICEA Securities strategist Ernie Hon.

DBS Group Research said it expects the U.S. unemployment rate in April to edge up to 5.1 percent from 5 percent the previous month.

India's Sensex tumbled 2.8 percent to 15,514.79 amid news that the government was raising fuel prices. India sets retail gasoline and cooking oil prices, and the hike is meant to help cut losses at state-run oil companies, which have been unable to pass on to consumers the surge in global crude prices.

Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 index gained 1.6 percent to 14,435.57 on buying of export-related shares due to the yen's weakness, which makes Japanese goods more competitive overseas.

"In particular, investors chased gains in the auto sector," said Yutaka Miura, a senior strategist at Shinko Securities Co.

Toyota Motor Corp. gained 3.2 percent while rival Honda Motor Co. jumped 8.6 percent. Sony Corp. rose 2.8 percent.

Shares were mixed in other markets. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or Kospi, gained 0.8 percent to 1,833.81, while bargain-hunting pushed Taiwan shares up 0.6 percent to 8,627.80.

In Australia, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 edged 0.2 percent higher to 5,584.50 in choppy trading after hitting a five-week low as financial shares rallied.

Westpac rose 1.3 percent and Macquarie Group advanced 2.9 percent.

Analysts said the announcement that first quarter economic growth expanded 0.6 percent, versus market expectations of a 0.2 percent rise, had little impact on share prices.

Mainland Chinese telecoms companies extended losses as investors cashed in on gains over the past few weeks ahead of a major industry restructuring, details of which were announced Monday.

China United Telecommunications tumbled 8.9 percent to 8.74 yuan, computer and telecom services provider Bright Oceans Inter-Telecom lost 7.9 percent to 14.92 yuan and equipment maker Wuhan Yangtze Communications shed 6.4 percent to 9.58 yuan.

"Early investor enthusiasm for telecom firms immediately fizzled out after the sector's overhaul was announced, reflecting the broader stock market's gloom," said Wu Feng, an analyst at TX investment.

In currencies, the yen stood around 105.12 to the U.S. dollar midafternoon Wednesday in Tokyo, up from 105.10 in New York late Tuesday. The euro was also almost flat against the greenback at US$1.5554.

In Shanghai, the U.S. dollar was at 6.9440 yuan late Wednesday on the over-the-counter market, up from its close Tuesday of 6.9250 yuan.

HAPPY PUFFDAY; LET'S SAIL-ABRATE: We join the world's most famous paddle steamer as she makes a splash on her 50th anniversary.(Features)

If Americans owned the Waverley, it would already be a historic monument, national park, nautical museum, Superbowl champion, Oscar winner, Bill Clinton's running mate ...

And odds on for the Kentucky Derby.

It would sit in a man-made lake in Hollywood, its twin funnels belching fake smoke once a year when Michael Jackson used it for his latest video.

Fortunately, it isn't owned by Americans. If truth be told, it's actually owned by a bunch of steam- powered nutters.

But their enthusiasm is hot enough to fire a ship's boiler.

And they are determined to keep the P.S. Waverley where she belongs - in the sea, sailing ... in Scotland.

She's doing exactly that this weekend with two special cruises to celebrate her 50th birthday.

Tomorrow, she'll repeat her maiden voyage of June, 1947, by steaming up Loch Long to Arrochar with free tickets to former shipyard workers who helped build her.

And on Sunday, in her last trip of the season, she covers the journey that has endeared her to millions of Scots - through the famous Kyles of Bute, then on to Tighnabruaich.

Not bad for a ship that once looked destined for the scrap yard before it was eventually purchased for a single pound note in 1974 by the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society.

The Waverley normally sits 100 yards from my desk in Anderston Quay, Glasgow.

So, when I went to visit her last week, I didn't even pack my cigarettes.

But the old lady wasn't there. Terry Sylvester, chairman of Waverley's operating company, solved the mystery.

He told me: "She's in London. Attracting thousands of visitors and flying the flag for Scotland.

"Fancy a sail?"

I tracked her down to Tower Pier on the Thames, where her familiar black and lead funnels stood starkly against the grey stone of the Tower of London. These are familiar waters for the grand, old dame. She first sailed to the Smoke in 1978. The Waverley is barely the length of a football pitch. But she looked like the QE2 to me.

THE sheer romance of steam paddle sailing had lured 700 aboard. It was Glasgow Fair Monday, but with English accents.

How do you tell a Londoner what "Doon the Watter" means?

As the famous spans of Tower Bridge rose to let this floating piece of Scottish history pass underneath, I felt a lump in my throat.

And I don't mean I was feeling seasick.

Thousands more cheered from the bridge and the riverside. The Waverley couldn't have caused a bigger sensation if Damon Hill had been on the top deck clutching Madonna's new baby.

On we paddled past HMS Belfast, the Cutty Sark and the Thames Barrier to Tilbury.

I could see bubbling white foam. I had the taste of salt on my lips. And that was just me having a pint and some peanuts in the bar below decks.

I went back upstairs in time to get a soaking from the outside. It wasn't London drizzle - it was a Thames fire boat, hoses at full spray, wishing the old girl a happy golden jubilee.

As we steamed east towards Southend, cameras clicked and videos whirred. Dads took their sons down to watch the huge open engines turn the massive paddles.

Voices were English, American, Japanese and a few exiled Scots come to relive their childhood memories.

As we neared Southend pier, Waverley captain David Neill invited me to the bridge to watch her berth. "Blow the whistle," I heard him order. But it wasn't a crewman who carried out the command - it was Tip, his faithful dog.

The cheeky pooch follows the 52-year-old skipper everywhere, barking when the ship's horn sounds and tugging at the ropes when the Waverley unties. If the skipper could only teach it to navigate, he'd be unemployed!

Captain Neill has been the Waverley's master for 22 years, the longest in its history.

He's got 30 years marine experience behind him, working for CalMac, then Western Ferries.

Yet his dogs are almost as well-known among the harbour communities as he is.

Tip's predecessor Grudie knew every port on the west coast ... but wasn't so hot at remembering sailing times! He'd often jump ship and be left stranded.

After one trip, he was sent back to David covered in labels from Ayr to Arrochar - with a bill for bed and breakfast in Rothesay tucked under his collar.

The ship is a labour of love for Captain Neill and he's proud of its achievements.

He said: "When the Waverley was bought over in 1974, some people said she would never sail again.

"And if she did, it would be a nine-day wonder. It made everyone involved determined to prove the sceptics wrong."

The nine-day wonder is still going strong 22 years later. It's survived in the face of economic hardship and the onset of old-age, but came back to take centre stage by sailing to Dunkirk for the 50th anniversary of the wartime evacuations.

Her skipper said: "What makes the Waverley so special is that it is a living, working piece of Scotland's heritage. She's not sitting in a museum. She's out there doing what she was built for 50 years ago.

"I know she'll go on one day to celebrate her centenary."

Tip blew the whistle again.

Next stop, the English Channel, the Bristol Channel, then she'll head back to Scotland for a weekend of partying.

Thousands of Scots who've sailed on her will join her en- route to wish her a happy 50th birthday.

Lotto riding on it

The Waverley's future in the next millennium will be secure ... if six digits get a pay-out from the Lottery.

169494 is the ship's registered number. And the Waverley Steam Navigation Company's bid for Heritage Lottery funding will be considered in the New Year.

An ambitious pounds 3million plan to rebuild her from the hull upwards is on the drawing board for 1998. But a Lottery windfall would, at best, give them a 75 per cent grant.

The WSNC - and its supporters club The Paddle Steamer Preservation Society - need to raise at least pounds 750,000.

Chairman Terry Sylvester told me: "The rebuild is vital to Waverley's long-term future. But it will be carried out with utmost care. The traditional appearance and fabric of Waverley will be strictly maintained."

If you would like to help the Waverley - or want more information about her future - Terry can be contacted on 01446 721 221.

A warm but wet memory

The Waverley is a source of sentiment for thousands of

people who have sailed with her. Here are just a few of their

reminiscences...

My husband Gordon and I were just courting in 1962. He was a cook on the Waverley and I worked in the catering office of the ship's owners.

When we had a date, Gordon would get off the boat at Gourock on the return journey. I would stand at Gourock Pier watching the black smoke from the Waverley as she left Dunoon. - Pauline McArthur, Millport.

My memories of the Waverley were a disaster. I went on deck to breathe in the sea air, only to be hit by a giant wave from the paddle.

I was taken to the engine room to dry out but, on the way back, the paddle broke and we were stuck at Dunoon.

Most passengers got merry at the bar, but as I had left my car at the quay, I had to grin and bear it. - Mr G. McMillan, Glasgow.

THE Waverley is just one of the famous paddle steamers I was honoured to tie up at Kilcreggan Pier.

As a boy of 16, I was the only pier hand at the mercy of these ships fighting to reach the pier head first.

The Comet from Lochgoil, had no chance. I had to decide to signal the Lucy Ashton or the Marchioness of Lorne.

I gave the signal to the Lorne, but Captain McPhail on the Lucy kept coming and I was glad when the Lorne out- paddled him! - Archie McDougall, Grangemouth.

I holidayed annually in Dunoon and I recall sailing on the brand-new Waverley in 1947 when I was 11 years old. - H. E. Anderson, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire.

MY parents always took us to Rothesay for our summer holidays. I remember getting the Waverley at the Broomielaw, then sailing down the Clyde with music on board. - Mrs Nan Mackay, Golspie, Sutherland.

HAPPY PUFFDAY; LET'S SAIL-ABRATE: We join the world's most famous paddle steamer as she makes a splash on her 50th anniversary.(Features)

If Americans owned the Waverley, it would already be a historic monument, national park, nautical museum, Superbowl champion, Oscar winner, Bill Clinton's running mate ...

And odds on for the Kentucky Derby.

It would sit in a man-made lake in Hollywood, its twin funnels belching fake smoke once a year when Michael Jackson used it for his latest video.

Fortunately, it isn't owned by Americans. If truth be told, it's actually owned by a bunch of steam- powered nutters.

But their enthusiasm is hot enough to fire a ship's boiler.

And they are determined to keep the P.S. Waverley where she belongs - in the sea, sailing ... in Scotland.

She's doing exactly that this weekend with two special cruises to celebrate her 50th birthday.

Tomorrow, she'll repeat her maiden voyage of June, 1947, by steaming up Loch Long to Arrochar with free tickets to former shipyard workers who helped build her.

And on Sunday, in her last trip of the season, she covers the journey that has endeared her to millions of Scots - through the famous Kyles of Bute, then on to Tighnabruaich.

Not bad for a ship that once looked destined for the scrap yard before it was eventually purchased for a single pound note in 1974 by the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society.

The Waverley normally sits 100 yards from my desk in Anderston Quay, Glasgow.

So, when I went to visit her last week, I didn't even pack my cigarettes.

But the old lady wasn't there. Terry Sylvester, chairman of Waverley's operating company, solved the mystery.

He told me: "She's in London. Attracting thousands of visitors and flying the flag for Scotland.

"Fancy a sail?"

I tracked her down to Tower Pier on the Thames, where her familiar black and lead funnels stood starkly against the grey stone of the Tower of London. These are familiar waters for the grand, old dame. She first sailed to the Smoke in 1978. The Waverley is barely the length of a football pitch. But she looked like the QE2 to me.

THE sheer romance of steam paddle sailing had lured 700 aboard. It was Glasgow Fair Monday, but with English accents.

How do you tell a Londoner what "Doon the Watter" means?

As the famous spans of Tower Bridge rose to let this floating piece of Scottish history pass underneath, I felt a lump in my throat.

And I don't mean I was feeling seasick.

Thousands more cheered from the bridge and the riverside. The Waverley couldn't have caused a bigger sensation if Damon Hill had been on the top deck clutching Madonna's new baby.

On we paddled past HMS Belfast, the Cutty Sark and the Thames Barrier to Tilbury.

I could see bubbling white foam. I had the taste of salt on my lips. And that was just me having a pint and some peanuts in the bar below decks.

I went back upstairs in time to get a soaking from the outside. It wasn't London drizzle - it was a Thames fire boat, hoses at full spray, wishing the old girl a happy golden jubilee.

As we steamed east towards Southend, cameras clicked and videos whirred. Dads took their sons down to watch the huge open engines turn the massive paddles.

Voices were English, American, Japanese and a few exiled Scots come to relive their childhood memories.

As we neared Southend pier, Waverley captain David Neill invited me to the bridge to watch her berth. "Blow the whistle," I heard him order. But it wasn't a crewman who carried out the command - it was Tip, his faithful dog.

The cheeky pooch follows the 52-year-old skipper everywhere, barking when the ship's horn sounds and tugging at the ropes when the Waverley unties. If the skipper could only teach it to navigate, he'd be unemployed!

Captain Neill has been the Waverley's master for 22 years, the longest in its history.

He's got 30 years marine experience behind him, working for CalMac, then Western Ferries.

Yet his dogs are almost as well-known among the harbour communities as he is.

Tip's predecessor Grudie knew every port on the west coast ... but wasn't so hot at remembering sailing times! He'd often jump ship and be left stranded.

After one trip, he was sent back to David covered in labels from Ayr to Arrochar - with a bill for bed and breakfast in Rothesay tucked under his collar.

The ship is a labour of love for Captain Neill and he's proud of its achievements.

He said: "When the Waverley was bought over in 1974, some people said she would never sail again.

"And if she did, it would be a nine-day wonder. It made everyone involved determined to prove the sceptics wrong."

The nine-day wonder is still going strong 22 years later. It's survived in the face of economic hardship and the onset of old-age, but came back to take centre stage by sailing to Dunkirk for the 50th anniversary of the wartime evacuations.

Her skipper said: "What makes the Waverley so special is that it is a living, working piece of Scotland's heritage. She's not sitting in a museum. She's out there doing what she was built for 50 years ago.

"I know she'll go on one day to celebrate her centenary."

Tip blew the whistle again.

Next stop, the English Channel, the Bristol Channel, then she'll head back to Scotland for a weekend of partying.

Thousands of Scots who've sailed on her will join her en- route to wish her a happy 50th birthday.

Lotto riding on it

The Waverley's future in the next millennium will be secure ... if six digits get a pay-out from the Lottery.

169494 is the ship's registered number. And the Waverley Steam Navigation Company's bid for Heritage Lottery funding will be considered in the New Year.

An ambitious pounds 3million plan to rebuild her from the hull upwards is on the drawing board for 1998. But a Lottery windfall would, at best, give them a 75 per cent grant.

The WSNC - and its supporters club The Paddle Steamer Preservation Society - need to raise at least pounds 750,000.

Chairman Terry Sylvester told me: "The rebuild is vital to Waverley's long-term future. But it will be carried out with utmost care. The traditional appearance and fabric of Waverley will be strictly maintained."

If you would like to help the Waverley - or want more information about her future - Terry can be contacted on 01446 721 221.

A warm but wet memory

The Waverley is a source of sentiment for thousands of

people who have sailed with her. Here are just a few of their

reminiscences...

My husband Gordon and I were just courting in 1962. He was a cook on the Waverley and I worked in the catering office of the ship's owners.

When we had a date, Gordon would get off the boat at Gourock on the return journey. I would stand at Gourock Pier watching the black smoke from the Waverley as she left Dunoon. - Pauline McArthur, Millport.

My memories of the Waverley were a disaster. I went on deck to breathe in the sea air, only to be hit by a giant wave from the paddle.

I was taken to the engine room to dry out but, on the way back, the paddle broke and we were stuck at Dunoon.

Most passengers got merry at the bar, but as I had left my car at the quay, I had to grin and bear it. - Mr G. McMillan, Glasgow.

THE Waverley is just one of the famous paddle steamers I was honoured to tie up at Kilcreggan Pier.

As a boy of 16, I was the only pier hand at the mercy of these ships fighting to reach the pier head first.

The Comet from Lochgoil, had no chance. I had to decide to signal the Lucy Ashton or the Marchioness of Lorne.

I gave the signal to the Lorne, but Captain McPhail on the Lucy kept coming and I was glad when the Lorne out- paddled him! - Archie McDougall, Grangemouth.

I holidayed annually in Dunoon and I recall sailing on the brand-new Waverley in 1947 when I was 11 years old. - H. E. Anderson, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire.

MY parents always took us to Rothesay for our summer holidays. I remember getting the Waverley at the Broomielaw, then sailing down the Clyde with music on board. - Mrs Nan Mackay, Golspie, Sutherland.

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