Roger Waters plays with band of wounded veterans

NEW YORK (AP) — Roger Waters honored wounded veterans in New York by performing with them at the annual Stand Up for Heroes benefit, Thursday night.

The founding member of Pink Floyd took to the stage of the Beacon Theater with 14 wounded soldiers he met recently at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. He rehearsed with them at the hospital, and for the past few days in New York.

The event benefited the Bob Woodruff Foundation, which helps returning veterans and their families, and featured Waters, Bruce Springsteen, Ricky Gervais, Robin Williams, and others.

Before the show, Waters chatted with veterans and called the experience "fantastic." He says he's "looking forward to pulling for the rest of these guys with their comrades" during the healing process.

He says that he shares "enormous empathy with the men."

"I lost my grandfather in 1916 and my father in 1944, so I've been around the sense of loss and what loss from war can do to people," Waters said.

"I never talk about the politics because it's not relevant to me. I'm not interested in it," he said. "What I am interested in is the burdens these guys bear and would never question motive or even dream of talking about any of the politics."

He added: "If any of us have a responsibility in our lives it is to tear down the walls of indifference and miscommunication between ourselves and our fellow men."

Waters said he rehearsed with many of the soldiers at the hospital in between their medical procedures. Before the show, he walked the red carpet with Staff Sgt. Robert Henline, who was not in the band. In 2007, Henline was the sole survivor of a roadside bombing north of Baghdad. As a result, he suffered burns over 38 percent of his body and his head was burned to the skull.

Henline, who fought for his life after the attack, has endured more than 40 surgeries.

Still, he maintains a sense of humor. On the open red carpet on a chilly night, Waters pushed closer to Henline for warmth.

"Get next to the burn guy. I'm good. I'm heated up," Henline joked.

No surprise. The retired soldier says he's been doing stand-up comedy for the past year and a half.

Waters performed three songs with the veterans, including the Pink Floyd classic, "Wish You Were Here."

Waters said he didn't think there would be a reunion with his former band.

"I think David (Gilmour) is retired by and large. I shouldn't speak for him. But that's the impression I get."

Waters then added: "Hey whatever. All good things come to an end."

While his mammoth tour of "The Wall" ended this summer, Waters promised the theatrical version would hit the Broadway stage in the near future.

The Bob Woodruff Foundation has supported more than 1 million veterans, service members, and their families since it began in 2008.

_____

John Carucci covers entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow him at —http://www.twitter.com/jcarucci_ap

Read More..

Chicago sets brisk timeline for electric aggregation deal

The City of Chicago laid out a timeline Thursday for how it intends to quickly complete a deal that would move approximately 950,000 Chicagoans to a new electricity supplier.

The timing of the deal is important because Chicagoans stand to save the most money over Commonwealth Edison's rate between now and June 2013, when ComEd's prices are expected to drop because pricey contracts they entered into years ago will expire. The timeline has Chicagoans moving to the new supplier in February 2013.

In Tuesday's election, Chicago voters passed a proposal to allow the city to negotiate for better electricity prices on behalf of residential customers and small businesses. The city is one of hundreds of Illinois communities participating in so-called electricity aggregation and is by far the largest city in the nation to attempt such a large bulk purchase for electricity.

Michael Negron, deputy chief of policy and strategic planning for the mayor's office, said electricity suppliers have shown great interest in snagging Chicago's service. Nearly 100 people packed a conference Monday for the city's "request for qualifications" process. The bidders ranged from multi-billion corporations to smaller providers from all over the country, he said. Industry analysts say the deal could be worth hundreds of millions of dollar to the winning supplier or suppliers.

The timeline is as follows:

Nov. 14: Municipal aggregation ordinance introduced as substitute ordinance in city finance committee

Nov. 21: Bidder responses to request for qualifications due

Nov. 26 - Dec. 11: Finance committee will conduct two public hearings on aggregation ordinance

Early December: City and Delta Institute convene stakeholder process for identifying options for a portion of savings to go toward increased energy efficiency or the development of cleaner, renewable energy sources.

Dec. 5: Qualified pool of energy providers announced

Dec. 6: Issuance of request for pricing; responses due within days. The sole selection criteria at this point will be price because the RFQ phase will have screened out bidders based on their capacity, financial stability, customer service and ability to deliver cleaner energy.

Dec. 12: City Council considers aggregation ordinance

Mid/Late-December: Opt-out letters are sent to approximately 1 million customers

Early January: Opt-out data processed and final customer list prepared.

February: Participating Chicago customers are switched over the course of the month

March: All Chicago ratepayers who have not opted out are under the new supplier. City will announce its plan for investment of savings into cleaner energy or improved energy efficiency.

Read more about the Chicago electricity deal.

jwernau@tribune.com | Twitter @littlewern

Read More..

Mayor hopes Obama's 2nd term proves fruitful for funding

As he looks ahead to President Barack Obama's second term, Mayor Rahm Emanuel expects funding for roads and mass transit and a push for education reform to be high on the White House's to-do list.

Not surprisingly, those agenda items also are close to Emanuel's heart.

"As a mayor, one of the key goals the president mentioned, as you know I talked a lot about investing in our infrastructure so we can grow our economy," Emanuel said late Tuesday at McCormick Place. "And the president has committed as part of his jobs plan and economic plan to invest in our roads, our bridges, our airports, our mass transit."

The perception endures that local governments benefit from close relationships with federal officials when largesse flows from Washington, D.C., to cities and states. Emanuel is particularly tight with Obama, having served as his chief of staff before returning to their shared hometown to run for mayor.

Emanuel also was a key campaign surrogate for Obama, traveling to Florida and Ohio on his behalf in recent weeks, raising money for an Obama-aligned super PAC and appearing repeatedly on Sunday morning talk shows to make the president's case.

"I don't think it's an overstatement to say there is no mayor in America that has a better link to the White House than Mayor Emanuel. But that's self-evident," said Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, when asked whether Obama's Tuesday win strengthens the mayor.

Ald. Patrick O'Connor, 40th, the mayor's City Council floor leader, said Obama may be in a better position to loosen the federal purse strings in a second term.

"I think that from the standpoint of a president now who isn't looking at a re-election coming up in his rearview mirror all the time, he might be a little more free to do things for the entire country," O'Connor said. "I would hope that would include Chicago."

Emanuel has worked hard to position himself as a mayor who builds things. He formed an infrastructure trust to find ways for moneyed interests to back public projects while getting a return on their investments. And he raised water and sewer fees as a way to pay for a makeover of Chicago's aging underground pipes.

Among recent federally funded infrastructure projects, dozens of miles of the city's arterial streets were resurfaced using federal stimulus money after Obama took office. Stimulus money helped pay for the $20 million revamp of Congress Parkway in the South Loop. And the $133 million Englewood Flyover rail bridge project was covered almost entirely by federal money.

But Emanuel has expressed disappointment with the piecemeal nature of federal funding programs. He hopes that changes in Obama's second term.

"I've been talking about that, it's key for our economic growth, it's key for our job creation," the mayor said. "And that would be helpful if we got an infrastructure, highway, mass transit bill that cities like Chicago, cities across America, regardless of size, will have the investments necessary to move their economies forward."

Among the major transportation projects the mayor hopes to find federal funding for is the extension of the Red Line from 95th Street to 130th Street. Estimates in recent years have put the price tag for that undertaking at more than $1.4 billion.

In addition, Emanuel said he expects Obama to continue "strengthening education, and pushing even further on Race to the Top." Emanuel helped design the president's signature national education initiative, which requires school districts to compete for funding.

Tribune reporter Hal Dardick contributed.

jebyrne@tribune.com

Read More..

Siemens to sharpen its game with 6 billion euros of savings

'},"otherParams":{"t_e":1,".intl":"US"},"events":{"fetch":{lv:2,"sp":"7665149","ps":"LREC,MON","npv":true,"bg":"#FFFFFF","em":escape('{"site-attribute":"_id=\'5b59e567-9d43-3e8e-be3e-92ea13385afd\' rs=\'lmsid:a0770000002GZ5iAAG\' ctype=\'News\' ctopid=\'1547000;2299500;1542500;1550000;1621500;1602500;1830500;1616500;1555000\' can_suppress_ugc=\'1\' content=\'no_expandable;ajax_cert_expandable;\' ADSSA"}'),"em_orig":escape('{"site-attribute":"_id=\'5b59e567-9d43-3e8e-be3e-92ea13385afd\' rs=\'lmsid:a0770000002GZ5iAAG\' ctype=\'News\' ctopid=\'1547000;2299500;1542500;1550000;1621500;1602500;1830500;1616500;1555000\' can_suppress_ugc=\'1\' content=\'no_expandable;ajax_cert_expandable;\' ADSSA"}')}}};var _createNodes=function(){var nIds=_conf.nodeIds;for(var i in nIds){var nId=nIds[i];var dId=_conf.destinationMap[nIds[i].replace("yom-","")];n=Y.one("#"+nId);if(n)var center=n.one("center");var node=Y.one("#"+dId);var nodeHTML;if(center && !node){nodeHTML=_conf.nodes[nId];center.insert(nodeHTML);};};};var _prepareNodes=function(){var nIds=_conf.nodeIds;for(var i in nIds){var nId=nIds[i];var dId=_conf.destinationMap[nIds[i].replace("yom-ad-","")];n=Y.one("#"+nId);if(n)var center=n.one("center");var node=Y.one("#"+dId);if(center && node){center.set("innerHTML","");center.insert(node);node.setStyle("display","block");};};};var _darla;var _config=function(){if(YAHOO.ads.darla){_darla = YAHOO.ads.darla;_createNodes();};};var _fetch=function(spaceid,adssa,ps){
if (typeof(ps)!='undefined')
_conf.events.fetch.ps = ps;if(typeof spaceid != "undefined") _conf.events.fetch.sp=spaceid;adssa = (typeof adssa != "undefined" && adssa != null) ? escape(adssa.replace(/\"/g, "'")) : "";_conf.events.fetch.em=_conf.events.fetch.em_orig.replace("ADSSA", adssa);if(_darla){_prepareNodes();_darla.setConfig(_conf);_darla.event("fetch");};};Y.on("domready", function(){_config();});;var that={"fetch":_fetch,"getNodes":_conf.nodes,"getConf":_conf};return that;}();/* Backwards compatibility - Assigning the latest instance to the main fetch function */YUI.PhotoAdsDarla.fetch=YUI.PhotoAdsDarla.photoslightboxdarla.fetch;
});
Y.later(10, this, function() {YAHOO.namespace('Media.Social').Lightbox = {};
});
Y.later(10, this, function() {Y.Media.Article.init();
});
Y.later(10, this, function() {new Y.Media.AuthorBadge();
});
Y.later(10, this, function() {new Y.Media.Branding();
});
Y.later(10, this, function() {Y.on("load", function () {
YUI.namespace("Media.SocialButtons");

var instances = YUI.Media.SocialButtons.instances || [],
globalConf = YAHOO.Media.SocialButtons.conf || {},
vplContainers = [];

Y.all(".ymsb").each(function (node) {
var id = node.get("id"),
conf = YAHOO.Media.SocialButtons.configs[id],
instance;

if (conf) {
instance = new Y.SocialButtons({
srcNode: node,
config: Y.merge(globalConf, conf.config || {}),
contentMetadata: conf.content || {},
tracking: conf.tracking || {}
});
vplContainers.push(
{
selector: "#" + id,
callback: function(node) { instance.render(); instance = conf = id = null; }
});

if (conf.config && conf.config.dynamic) {
instances.push(instance);
}
}
});

Y.Global.Media.ViewportLoader.addContainers(vplContainers);
YUI.Media.SocialButtons.instances = instances;
});
});
Y.later(10, this, function() {if (!Y.Media) {

return;

}

Y.Media.boba_lightbox_module_targets = Y.Media.boba_lightbox_module_targets || {};

Y.Media.boba_lightbox_module_configs = Y.Media.boba_lightbox_module_configs || {};

Y.Media.boba_lightbox_module_dataset = Y.Media.boba_lightbox_module_dataset || {};

Y.Media.boba_lightbox_module_whitelist = Y.Media.boba_lightbox_module_whitelist || {};


Y.Media.boba_lightbox_module_targets['lightbox3ec8ecf87ad6fe2ca46dc2343f0e70c6'] = {"lightboxId":"5a9e2d6beefbdd0816110a8ac876cb01","pivotId":"a3ce2046-db50-3ae6-81fc-34bd34283d40"};


Y.Media.boba_lightbox_module_dataset['5a9e2d6beefbdd0816110a8ac876cb01'] = {"spaceid":"7665149","total":1,"photoby":"Photo By","xhrtype":"slideshow","videoconf":{"autoplay":true,"continuousPlay":true,"mute":false,"volume":"1.00","lang":"en-US","site":"news","region":"US","jurisdiction":"US","YVAP":{"accountId":"145","playContext":"default"},"pageSpaceId":"7665149","comscoreC4":"US News","comscoreC6":"","showEmbedCode":true,"showShareUrl":true,"expName":"MediaArticleRelatedLightbox","expType":"inline","apiEnv":"prod"},"slideshow_id":null,"slideshow_title":null,"slideshow_title_baked_html":null,"slideshow_desc":null,"slideshow_rev":null,"slideshow_plink_vita":null,"photos":[{"type":"image","url":"http:\/\/l2.yimg.com\/bt\/api\/res\/1.2\/K4SLdPozNeuPXmHMzP4U8A--\/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD0yNjY7cT03OTt3PTQ1MA--\/http:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en_us\/News\/Reuters\/2012-11-08T060241Z_1_CBRE8A70GSU00_RTROPTP_2_GERMANY.JPG","width":450,"height":266,"uuid":"a3ce2046-db50-3ae6-81fc-34bd34283d40","caption":"The logo of Siemens AG company is pictured atop a factory in Berlin October 9, 2012. REUTERS\/Fabrizio Bensch","captionBakedHtml":"

The logo of Siemens AG company is pictured atop a factory in Berlin October 9, 2012. REUTERS\/Fabrizio Bensch","date":"Thu, Nov 8, 2012 1:05 AM EST","credit":"Reuters","byline":"FABRIZIO BENSCH","provider":"Reuters","photo_title":"The logo of Siemens AG company is pictured atop factory in Berlin","pivot_alias_id":"logo-siemens-ag-company-pictured-atop-factory-berlin-photo-060241396","plink":"\/photos\/logo-siemens-ag-company-pictured-atop-factory-berlin-photo-060241396.html","plink_vita":"http:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/photos\/logo-siemens-ag-company-pictured-atop-factory-berlin-photo-060241396.html","srchtrm":"The logo of Siemens AG company is pictured atop factory in Berlin","revsp":"","rev":"3e789be0-296a-11e2-bfdf-f23fbc6c7733","surl":"http:\/\/l2.yimg.com\/bt\/api\/res\/1.2\/Sl.whAp6Prjiv8fO74LbVA--\/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD01NjtxPTc5O3c9OTU-\/http:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en_us\/News\/Reuters\/2012-11-08T060241Z_1_CBRE8A70GSU00_RTROPTP_2_GERMANY.JPG","swidth":95,"sheight":56}]};

Y.Media.boba_lightbox_module_configs['5a9e2d6beefbdd0816110a8ac876cb01'] = {"spaceid":"7665149","ult_pt":"story-lightbox","darla_id":"","images_total":0,"xhr_url":"\/_xhr\/related-article\/lightbox\/?id=5b59e567-9d43-3e8e-be3e-92ea13385afd","xhr_count":20,"autoplay_if_first_item_is_video":true};
});
Y.later(10, this, function() {new Y.Media.RelatedArticle({count:"2",start:"1",
mod_total:"10", total:"0",
content_id:"5b59e567-9d43-3e8e-be3e-92ea13385afd",
spaceid:"7665149",
related_count:"-1"
});
});
Y.later(10, this, function() {(function(d){
d.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(d.createElement('script')).src='http://d.yimg.com/oq/js/csc_news-en-US-core.js';
})(document);
});
Y.later(10, this, function() {
if(!("Media" in YAHOO)){YAHOO.Media = {};}
if(!("ugcrate" in YAHOO.Media)){YAHOO.Media.ugcrate = {};}
if(!("Media" in Y)){Y.namespace("Media");}
YAHOO.Media.ugcrate.ratings_7b4697345882a74697823ec4a174bc53 = new Y.Media.UgcRate({"context_id":"5c45fbb3-cdb2-467d-ac33-5d2ab49dd099","sCrumb":"","containerId":"yom-sentimentrate-7b4697345882a74697823ec4a174bc53","rateDimensions":"d1","appLang":"en-US","sUltSId":"7665149","sUltProperty":"news-en-US","sUltCampaign":"","sUltPlatform":"ugcwidgets","sUltIntl":"US","sUltLang":"en-US","selfPageUrl":"http:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/siemens-aims-save-6-billion-euros-2014-060241354--sector.html?_esi=0","artContentId":"5b59e567-9d43-3e8e-be3e-92ea13385afd","sUltQstnTxt":"Which size tablet would you prefer?","artContentTitle":"Siemens to sharpen its game with 6 billion euros of savings","artContentDesc":"BERLIN (Reuters) - Siemens AG aims to save 6 billion euros ($7.7 billion) by the end of its 2014 fiscal year, more than expected, as the German engineering conglomerate fights to stay competitive in a weak global economy. An industrial bellwether and Germany\\'s most valuable company, Siemens has come under pressure to cut costs and focus on its most profitable businesses as the global economy takes longer to recover than it initially expected. ...","sUltBucketId":"test1","sUltSection":"sentirating","sUltBeaconUrl":"","sUltRecordPageviews":"1","sUltBeaconEnable":"1","serviceUrl":"\/_xhr","publisherContextId":"","propertyId":"2fcd79b5-b3a3-333e-b98e-722536a6698f","configurationId":"435db9ee-c55e-3766-b20d-c8ad3ff889d1","graphId":"","labelLeft":"Smaller works for me","labelRight":"Bigger is better","labelMiddle":"","itemimg":"http:\/\/l.yimg.com\/a\/i\/ww\/met\/yahoo_logo_us_061509.png","selfURI":"","aggregateRatingCount":"39620","aggregateReviewCount":"0","leftBlocksNum":"22955","rightBlocksNum":"16665","leftBlocksPerCent":"58","rightBlocksPerCent":"42","ugcrate_apihost":"api01-us.ugcl.yahoo.com:4080","publisher_id":"news-en-US","yca_cert":"yahoo.ugccloud.app.trusted_proxies","timeout_write":"5000","through_proxy":"false","optionStats":"{\"s1\":3639,\"s2\":1710,\"s3\":4222,\"s4\":10079,\"s5\":3305,\"s6\":16665,\"s7\":0,\"s8\":0,\"s9\":0,\"s10\":0}","l10N":"{\"FIRST_TO_READ\":\"You are first to read this. Share your feelings and start a conversation.\",\"SHARE_YOUR_FEELINGS\":\"You too can share your feelings and start a conversation!\",\"HOW_YOUR_FRIENDS_THINK\":\"Thank you for sharing your feeling on this article!\",\"PRE_SHARE_MSG\":\"Your Facebook friends on Yahoo! can see how you responded. To share your response on Facebook, click on the Facebook share option.\",\"START_THE_CONVERSATION\":\"Start the Conversation\",\"THANKS_FOR_SHARING\":\"Sure, that's how you feel... But what do your friends think?\",\"POLL_HEADER\":\"SOCIAL SENTIMENT\",\"SERVER_ERROR\":\"Oops there seems to be some error, please try again later\",\"LOADING\":\"Loading...\",\"SHARE_AFTER_COMMENT\":\"Your response has been shared on Facebook.\",\"UNDO\":\"Undo\",\"UNIT_PEOPLE\":\"People\",\"NUM_PEOPLE_DISAGREE\":\"disagree with your opinion.\",\"READ_MORE_TEXT\":\"Read what they have to say.\",\"SLIDER_THUMB_WORDING_BEFORE_VOTING\":\"WHAT DO YOU THINK?\",\"SLIDER_THUMB_WORDING_VERB_BEFORE_VOTING\":\"DRAG\",\"SLIDER_THUMB_WORDING_THANKS_VOTING\":\"Thanks for voting\",\"NUM_PEOPLE_ANSWERED\":\" 39,620 people have responded\",\"ONE_PERSON_ANSWERED\":\" 1 person has responded. Your response will be seen by your Facebook friends on Yahoo!\",\"TWO_PEOPLE_ANSWERED\":\" 2 people have responded. Your response will be seen by your Facebook friends on Yahoo!\",\"NUM_PEOPLE_ANSWERED_AND_SHARED\":\" 39,620 people have responded. Your response will be seen by your Facebook friends on Yahoo!\",\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s1\":3639,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s2\":1710,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s3\":4222,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s4\":10079,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s5\":3305,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s6\":16665,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s7\":0,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s8\":0,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s9\":0,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s10\":0}","fbconfig":"{\"message\":\"undefined\",\"name\":\"undefined\",\"link\":\"\",\"source\":\"\",\"picture\":\"http:\\\/\\\/l.yimg.com\\\/a\\\/i\\\/ww\\\/news\\\/2011\\\/09\\\/27\\\/yahoo-tc.jpg\",\"description\":\"\",\"captionLeft\":\"undefined\",\"captionRight\":\"undefined\",\"app_id\":\"196660913708276\",\"redirect_uri\":\"\\\/_xhr\\\/ugcratefbredirect\\\/\"}","template_id":"LONG_SLIDER_SOUTH","obj_id":"ratings_7b4697345882a74697823ec4a174bc53","opt_count":"6","opt_color1":"","opt_color2":"","template_html":"

Read More..

Walt Weiss hired as Colorado Rockies manager

DENVER (AP) — Walt Weiss is making the rare jump from the high school dugout to the big leagues.

The Colorado Rockies hired the former major league shortstop Wednesday night to replace manager Jim Tracy, who resigned Oct. 7 with one year and $1.4 million left on his contract rather than return to a club where its assistant general manager had moved into an office in the clubhouse.

The 1988 AL Rookie of the Year with Oakland, Weiss played shortstop for the Rockies from 1994-97 and was a special assistant to general manager Dan O'Dowd from 2002-08.

He left to spend more time with his family and last season coached Regis Jesuit High School outside Denver, in Aurora, to a 20-6 record and the 5A semifinals of the state championship. Weiss' son, Brody, is in his senior year at the school.

The Rockies made the announcement after owner Dick Monfort and top officials deliberated at the general managers' meetings in Indian Wells, Calif. — held at a hotel Monfort owns, the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa.

Weiss didn't return a phone message and e-mail from The Associated Press. A team spokesman said Weiss would be introduced at a news conference Friday at Coors Field.

"It was a lot of different things," general manager Dan O'Dowd said before suggesting senior vice president of major league operations Bill Geivett speak about Weiss' hiring. Geivett didn't immediately return phone messages.

Weiss and Arizona coach Matt Williams were the finalists to replace Tracy, who quit following the worst season in franchise history. Rockies bench coach Tom Runnells and first baseman Jason Giambi also interviewed, with Giambi saying he would retire as a player if he got the job.

The 48-year-old Weiss spent parts of 14 seasons in the major leagues, also playing for Oakland (1987-92), Florida (1993) and Atlanta (1998-2000). A .258 career hitter, he was an All-Star in the 1998 game at Denver's Coors Field.

Colorado had more familiarity with Weiss than with Williams.

"He would take trips in the minor leagues. He was always around with the major league club at home, as well," Geivett said earlier Wednesday. "I know Walt pretty well."

Williams, a five-time All-Star third baseman, has been Arizona's third base coach the last two seasons after a year coaching first base. Before that, he was a Diamondbacks' broadcaster for five years.

"I played against him in college when he was at UNLV," Geivett said. "No real personal contact."

Weiss is just the sixth manager for the Rockies, following Don Baylor (1993-98), Jim Leyland (1999), Buddy Bell (2000-02), Clint Hurdle (2002-09) and Tracy (2009-12).

Colorado went 64-98 last season under Tracy, who was promoted from bench coach to manager in May 2009 and was voted the NL Manager of the Year after guiding Colorado into the playoffs that season.

The Rockies started strong in 2010 but faded at the finish and they ended up going 294-308 under Tracy, who also had worked with Geivett in Montreal and Los Angeles.

Energized by the young players and the challenge of fixing things, Tracy said repeatedly toward the end of last season that he wanted to fulfill the final year on his contract in 2013. But he changed his mind after meeting with Geivett following the team's last-place finish in the NL West.

Things changed dramatically for Tracy on Aug. 1 when Geivett, the assistant general manager, was given an office in the clubhouse and began focusing on roster management, particularly as it related to the pitchers, and evaluating the coaching staff and the rest of the players. Tracy's responsibilities were narrowed to game management and meeting with the media.

"I thought we worked together fine," Geivett said after Tracy's surprise resignation last month.

Geivett had said that structure will remain in place next season but he didn't think that would be an issue in his search for a new manager.

In addition to altering their front office, with O'Dowd focusing his attention on the minor leagues and player development, the Rockies last summer reacted to Coors Field playing like its pre-humidor days by adopting a radical four-man rotation and a 75-pitch limit with several designated piggyback relievers, a much-derided experiment that lasted two months.

Geivett has said the Rockies will return to a traditional five-man rotation next season with pitch limits determined on a case-by-case basis.

Tracy was given an indefinite contract extension last spring but it guaranteed only his 2013 salary of $1.4 million as field manager and really just represented the club's desire to keep him in the organization in some capacity.

___

AP Sports Writers Ronald Blum, in Indian Wells, Calif., and Pat Graham contributed.

___

Follow AP Sports Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton

Read More..

Mom of “Modern Family” actress denies abuse claims

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The mother of “Modern Family” star Ariel Winter on Wednesday denied that she abused her daughter after a judge temporarily placed the 14-year-old actress in her sister’s care.

“It’s all untrue, it’s all untrue,” Chris Workman, Winter’s mother, told People magazine. “I have my doctor’s letter that my daughter’s never been abused.”

According to court papers, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge last month put Winter, who plays the precocious teenager Alex Dunphy on the Emmy-winning TV comedy, under the temporary guardianship of her older sister, Shanelle Gray.

Celebrity website TMZ.com said Winter’s mother was alleged to have slapped and emotionally abused the teen, and had been ordered to stay away from her. Ariel has left her mother’s home, TMZ said.

Gray will retain guardianship of Winter at least until a November 20 hearing, a judge said.

Winter’s publicist did not return calls for comment on Wednesday.

“Modern Family” portrays the lives of three zany families and has won three consecutive Emmy award as American television’s best comedy series.

(Reporting By Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant)

TV News Headlines – Yahoo! News

Read More..

Experts raise concerns over superhuman workplace

LONDON (AP) — Performance-boosting drugs, powered prostheses and wearable computers are coming to an office near you — but experts warned in a new report Wednesday that too little thought has been given to the implications of a superhuman workplace.

Academics from Britain's leading institutions say attention needs to be focused on the consequences of technology which may one day allow — or compel — humans to work better, longer and harder. Here's their list of upgrades that might make their way to campuses and cubicles in the next decade:

BRAIN BOOSTERS

Barbara Sahakian, a Cambridge neuropsychology professor, cited research suggesting that 16 percent of U.S. students already use "cognitive enhancers" such as Ritalin to help them handle their course loads. Pilots have long used amphetamines to stay alert. And at least one study has suggested that the drug modafinil could help reduce the number of accidents experienced by shift workers.

But bioethicist Jackie Leach Scully of northern England's Newcastle University worries that the use of such drugs might focus on worker productivity over personal well-being.

"Being more alert for longer doesn't mean that you'll be less stressed by the job," she said. "It means that you'll be exposed to that stress for longer and be more awake while doing it."

WEARABLE COMPUTERS

The researchers also noted so-called "life-logging" devices like Nike Inc.'s distance-tracking shoes or wearable computers such as the eyeglasses being developed by Google Inc. The shoes can record your every step; the eyeglasses everything you see. Nigel Shadbolt, an expert in artificial Intelligence at southern England's University of Southampton, said such devices were as little as 15 years away from being able to record every sight, noise and movement over an entire human life.

So do you accept if your boss gives you one?

"What does that mean for employee accountability?" Shadbolt asked.

BIONIC LIMBS — AND BEYOND

The report also noted bionic limbs like the one used this week by amputee Zac Vawter to climb Chicago's Willis Tower or exoskeletons like the one used earlier this year by partially paralyzed London Marathon participant Claire Lomas. It also touched on the development of therapies aimed at sharpening eyesight or cochlear implants meant to enhance hearing.

Scully said any technology that could help disabled people re-enter the workforce should be welcomed but society needs to keep an eye out for unintended consequences.

"One of the things that we know about technology hitting society is that most of the consequences were not predicted ahead of time and a lot of things that we worry about ahead of time turn out not to be problems at all," she said. "We have very little idea of how these technologies will pan out."

THE PRESSURIZED WORKPLACE

The report was drawn up by scientists from The Academy of Medical Sciences, the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society.

"We're not talking science fiction here," said Genevra Richardson, the King's College law professor who oversaw the report. "These technologies could influence our ability to learn or perform tasks, they could influence our motivation, they could enable us to work in more extreme conditions or in old age, or they could facilitate our return to work after illness or disability .... Their use at work also raises serious ethical, political and economic questions."

Scully said workers may come under pressure to try a new memory-boosting drug or buy the latest wearable computer.

"In the context of a highly pressurized work environment, how free is the choice not to adopt such technologies?" she said.

Union representatives appeared taken aback by some of the experts' predictions. One expressed particular disquiet at the possibility raised by the report that long-distance truck drivers might be asked to take alertness drugs for safety reasons.

"We would be very, very against anything like that," said James Bower, a spokesman for Britain's United Road Transport Union. "We can't have a situation where a driver is told by his boss that he needs to put something in his body."

___

Online:

The report: http://royalsociety.org/policy/projects/human-enhancement

Raphael Satter can be reached on: http://raphae.li/twitter

Read More..

Rihanna a rock star on Victoria's Secret catwalk

NEW YORK (AP) — Rihanna rocked the lingerie look at Wednesday night's Victoria's Secret fashion show in New York, providing the highlight of the live-music soundtrack and holding her own on the catwalk with some of the world's top models.

And those models even had props, including Adriana Lima's ringmaster wand, Doutzen Kroes' body cage and several pairs of the oversized wings that the retailer has made its signature. It would be a close contest who got the biggest wings: Toni Garrn's giant poppy pair or Miranda Kerr's swan-style feathered pouf. Only Lily Aldridge could boast star-spangled wings that shot out silver sparkles.

Alessandra Ambrosio's orchid-petal wings might have lacked a little grandeur, but she made up for it with a $2.5 million jeweled "floral fantasy bra."

Still, wearing a sheer pink mini that gave glimpses of her bra, Rihanna sang "Fresh Out the Runway" at the end of the corset-and-garter parade and she was the one to grab the audience's biggest applause.

The fashion show has become a pre-holiday season tradition for the retailer. CBS will turn it into a one-hour special, which also had performances from Justin Bieber and Bruno Mars, to be shown on Dec. 4.

This year's event had a slight twist. It started with an announcer noting that Victoria's Secret and CBS had each made a donation to relief efforts for Superstorm Sandy, and a thank you to the National Guard members who are based out of the Lexington Avenue Armory that has for years been home to the show.

Mostly, though, models are encouraged to smile, ham it up and show off the extra time at the gym that most admit to in the weeks beforehand. "It's highly televised, and you take that into consideration," said model Joan Smalls ahead of the show. "This is kind of not the same as other runways. You have to prepare your body: No. 1 is the wings are heavy, and No. 2 is you have to be comfortable with your body because the camera will pick up on it if you're not comfortable and confident."

There's an emphasis on glitz, skin and dramatic production here, not wearable undergarment trends for typical Victoria's Secret shoppers. It was divided into six sections: Circus, complete with acrobats, contortionists and a sword eater; Dangerous Liaisons; Pink Is Us; Silver Screen Angels; Angels in Bloom; and Calendar Girls, which allowed Bruno Mars to serenade a model for each month of the year.

For his first song, "Beauty and the Beat," Bieber, wearing low-slung white pants and a white leather studded vest, sat alone with his guitarist in the mellowest part of the show. For "As Long As You Love Me," however, he brought in backup dancers and interacted with the models while moving around a giant makeshift pinball machine.

"It's like a dream come true," said Bieber on the pink carpet before the show. "I would rather be here than anywhere in the world."

___

AP reporter John Carucci contributed to this report.

___

Samantha Critchell tweets fashion at http://www.twitter.com/AP_Fashion

Read More..

What electricity aggregation means for your bill

Voters in 81 communities in Commonwealth Edison's service territory voted Tuesday to allow their local governments to shop for electricity on their behalf.

Vote totals are being tallied, but early results indicate that measures to allow so-called electricity aggregation passed in the vast majority of communities, including Chicago.

Illinois consumers have been allowed to shop for electricity for more than a decade, but the concept didn't take off until 2011, when legislators enacted a law allowing municipalities to negotiate for better rates on behalf of residents.

If your town voted yes to aggregation, here's what you need to know:

The switch to a new supplier won't happen right away.

Even with referendum passage, the process is just beginning. Communities need time to invite suppliers to bid, create a plan of governance, reach out to residents, choose a supplier and provide an opt-out period. Based on past deals, you can expect to be switched over to a new supplier sometime from January to March.

You will have an opportunity to opt out.

Check your mailbox in the coming months for instructions from your municipality about how to opt out of the program. If you opt out, you will remain with ComEd or you can shop for electricity on your own.

You can do nothing.

Unless you opt out, you will be automatically switched to the supplier your municipality chooses. Excluded are customers who have switched to suppliers of their own choosing or who are on an alternative pricing plan with ComEd. In general, those customers have not been included in aggregation deals.

You are a ComEd customer.

ComEd is responsible for delivering your electricity and keeping the lights on, regardless of who supplies your power. ComEd, a "wires only" utility, makes its money from delivering electricity, not from supplying it. Your new bill will look like your old bill, except that the portion titled "electricity supply services" will have a new rate and include the new supplier's name.

You are not alone.

Residents of 175 ComEd communities have switched suppliers and have cut their bills about in half through May 2013, paying an average of 4.83 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Customer beware, you may not save money.

Electricity pricing is constantly changing, and deals that look good now may not look great later. Several municipalities are locked into 12- and 24-month contracts with alternative suppliers that are higher than what consumers could find by shopping on their own, and they come with early termination fees. Some towns have not required suppliers to beat ComEd's prices if they drop below current rates. Some have customers automatically stay on with a supplier after a contract expires, even if rates increase.

Expect to be popular.

Electricity suppliers will hound you to pick them and opt out of aggregation. In the process, savvy consumers may be able to snag discounts on hotels and restaurants. But if you plan to shop, refer to the Illinois Commerce Commission (pluginillinois.org), Power2Switch (power2switch.com) and the Citizens Utility Board (citizensutilityboard.org).

Beware of scammers.

About 44 percent of people know nothing about electricity aggregation, according to a recent poll, which can make them ripe for victimization by scammers and identity thieves. You do not have to sign anything or provide personal information to be part of municipal aggregation.

SOURCES: City of Chicago, Power2Switch, Citizens Utility Board, Commonwealth Edison, Environmental Law & Policy Center

jwernau@tribune.com

Twitter @littlewern

Read More..

OBAMA VICTORY SPEECH: 'THE BEST IS YET TO COME'

President Barack Obama said early Wednesday the American people have "picked ourselves up" and fought back during tough economic times, declaring after winning re-election that the "best is yet to come."

Obama said he wants to meet with Republican rival Mitt Romney to discuss how they can work together. He says they may have "battled fiercely, but it's only because we love this country deeply."

The president rolled to a second term over Romney, winning more than 300 electoral votes.

Obama was welcomed by thunderous applause as he arrived on stage at McCormick Place in his hometown, joined by first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia.

Obama sounded a conciliatory tone after his victory, saying he has learned from those who supported him and those who opposed him. And he says he returns to Washington "more determined" and "more inspired."

He said he's hoping to work with Republicans to solve the nation's problems.

He spoke to a cheering crowd shortly after Romney told supporters in Boston that it's time for the nation to unite behind the president.

Romney said earlier he called Obama to congratulate him on his victory, adding that he prays "the president will be successful in guiding our nation."

He alluded to his running mate, Rep. Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, when he said, “Like so many of you, Paul and I have left everything on the field. We have given our all to this campaign.”

Looking out on the crowd of several hundred people in a half-filled ballroom at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, Romney said, “I so wish that I had been able to fulfill your hopes to lead the country in a different direction, but the nation chose another leader, so Ann and I join with you to earnestly pray for him and this great nation.”

Romney made a point of thanking Ryan, who did not speak but joined him on stage followed a short time later by Romney’s five sons. “Besides my wife, Ann, Paul was the best choice I ever made,” Romney joked, reprising a line he has often used on the campaign trail.

“His hard work and his principle will continue to contribute to the good of our nation,” the former Massachusetts governor said.

Obama won re-election despite a fierce challenge from Romney, prevailing in the face of a weak economy and high unemployment that encumbered his first term and crimped the middle class dreams of millions.

"This happened because of you. Thank you" Obama tweeted to supporters as he secured four more years in the White House.

The president sealed his victory in Ohio, Iowa, New Hampshire and Colorado, four of the nine battleground states where the two rivals and their allies spent nearly $1 billion on dueling television commercials.

The nationwide popular vote remained extremely close with Obama taking about 50 percent to 49 percent for Romney after a campaign in which the candidates and their party allies spent a combined $2 billion.

Ultimately, the result of the brawl of an election campaign appeared likely to be the political status quo. Democrats won two more years of control of the Senate, and Republicans were on track to do likewise in the House.

The economy was rated the top issue by about 60 percent of voters surveyed as they left their polling places. But more said former President George W. Bush bore responsibility for current circumstances than Obama did after nearly four years in office.

About 4 in 10 said the economy is on the mend, but more than that said it was stagnant or getting worse more than four years after the near-collapse of 2008. The survey was conducted for The Associated Press and a group of television networks.

Polls were still open in much of the country as the two rivals began claiming the spoils of a brawl of an election in a year in which the struggling economy put a crimp in the middle class dreams of millions.

The president was in Chicago as he awaited the voters' verdict on his four years in office. He told reporters he had a concession speech as well as victory remarks prepared. He congratulated Romney on a spirited campaign. "I know his supporters are just as engaged, just as enthusiastic and working just as hard today" as Obama's own, he added.

Romney reciprocated, congratulating the man who he had campaigned against for more than a year.

Earlier, he raced to Ohio and Pennsylvania for Election Day campaigning and projected confidence as he flew home to Massachusetts. "We fought to the very end, and I think that's why we'll be successful," he said, adding that he had finished writing a speech anticipating victory but nothing if the election went to his rival.

But the mood soured among Republicans as the votes came in and Obama ground out a lead in critical states.

Like Obama, Vice President Joe Biden was in Chicago as he waited to find out if he was in line for a second term. Republican running mate Paul Ryan was with Romney in Boston, although he kept one eye on his re-election campaign for a House seat in Wisconsin, just in case.

Voters also chose a new Congress to serve alongside the man who will be inaugurated president in January, Democrats defending their majority in the Senate, and Republicans in the House.

Read More..