| News briefs from around Kentucky at 5:58 p.m. EST
The Kenyan runner can still hear their angry screams giving away to cries of agony in the days following his homeland's terrifying descent into ethnic violence following the disputed Dec. 27 presidential election. Swept up in the chaos during a visit home for the holidays, Korir spent three tense weeks escaping his homeland and returning to the U.S. The experience gave him a new appreciation for the words in the U.S. national anthem that he learned during a collegiate running career at Murray State and then Louisville. It also crystallized his image of freedom. "I felt like I was home," Korir said of touching down in Louisville on Jan. 16. "That was weird because I always felt like Kenya was home. But the time I came back, I felt so free.
Best actor, actress races tighten ahead of Oscars
Hollywood enjoys surprises on the movie industry's most prestigious night, and pundits think popular actor George Clooney and little-known French actress Marion Cotillard would be wise to start practicing their acceptance speeches. "There is no such thing as a shoo-in at the Oscars. Hollywood is a town of bull-headed, contrary-minded people," said Tom O'Neil, columnist for www.TheEnvelope.com. Day-Lewis, 50, an actor known for lengthy preparation, is well-liked by Academy voters. He won an Oscar playing a man who overcomes cerebral palsy in 1989's "My Left Foot," and has been nominated two other times for "In the Name of the Father" and "Gangs of New York". This awards season, he has earned numerous honors playing a sadistic, early 20th century oil prospector in dark drama "There Will Be Blood" -- only his fourth film in a decade.
TheStar.com | living | Pre-war Corfu stories relieve winter blues
She was young, blond, outgoing and she drove the coolest car imaginable at the time, a Volkswagen Bug. She let us keep a bunny in the classroom and she invited the entire class to her home for a Christmas party. (Try to imagine that happening these days. The liability issues! Every parent would have to sign in triplicate.) But of all the things she did for me (aside from driving me to the edge of a child-sized nervous breakdown, so eager was I to please her), the greatest was introducing me to Gerald Durrell and My Family and Other Animals. I mention this now because Durrell's memoir of his early years in Corfu is absolutely, indubitably, the best book to read at This Time of the Year. The adult Durrell was a great naturalist and zookeeper and his love of animals shines through every page of this now-classic comedy, but that's the least of its charms.
Langkow's passing fancy
Throw in the fact the Calgary Flames were mired in their recently ended five-game losing skid, and it made the situation doubly painful. And then, tack on Langkow's offensive struggles amidst the team's free fall, to boot. It adds up to a whole lot of disappointment. Now, imagine how relieved the centre feels, having set up Kristian Huselius' game-winning goal in Calgary's last-minute 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild Tuesday night. Langkow may be quiet and soft-spoken, but takes great pride in being one of the most consistent players you'll find in the NHL. Going four games without a point -- and missing one match due to having his bell rung -- will make any player feel they're not pulling their weight. Langkow admitted yesterday he wasn't happy about not coming through with production while Jarome Iginla and Alex Tanguay were carrying the bulk of the offensive load.
Citrus Park: Honoring enduring love
Of the group of more than 200 that attended the Citrus Park 50th Anniversary Party, Gale and Lois Easton have been married the longest. The couple met at a carnival when he was 16 and she was 13. That day he drove her home in his 1928 Whippet convertible and caught heck from her mom. They eventually started dating, and dated on and off for several years. They finally got married Aug. 1, 1938, in St. Louis, when he was 21 and she was 18. He served two years in the Air Corps as a second lieutenant at Childress Air Base in Texas, and finished his duty shortly before the war ended. The couple later settled in Illinois, where she retired as a bookkeeper in 1960 and he retired from the railroad in 1980. The couple went on to have one daughter, who later expanded their family to three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Heather Mills accused of cheating on McCartney
Former model Heather Mills has been accused of cheating on estranged husband Sir Paul McCartney in the early days of their relationship. Mills dated British film editor Tim Steel on and off for three years, but broke off their relationship shortly after meeting the ex-Beatle at an awards ceremony in May 1999. McCartney and Mills began courting in August that year but Steel claims the 40-year-old soon started an affair with him and returned to his bed on several occasions while she was being wooed by the singer. Steel says, "I didn't mind (sharing her with McCartney) I suppose I was flattered that Heather still wanted to have sex with me despite being pursued by this musical demi-god." "(But) it was strange lying in bed talking about Paul McCartney.
Krasnodar Territory
In the late 14th and early 15th centuries, a number of khanates were split off from the Golden Horde, including two in Krasnodar Territory: the Nogai Horde, which broke up into the Great and Small Nogai hordes at the end of the 15th century, and the Crimean Khanate, which was a vassal of the Ottoman Empire from 1443 to 1783.
Construction of the Caucasian fortification line began in 1735, and as the line advanced southward, relations between the people of the Kuban and the Ottoman Empire became increasingly strained, finally leading to war between Russia and Turkey for control of the Black Sea and adjoining regions. With the signing of the Treaty of Kuchuk-Kainarji in 1774, the right bank of the Kuban River went to Russia, but Turkey recognized the independence of the Transkuban tribes only after the signing of the Treaty of Jassy in 1791.
Evelyn Baker
Services: 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, Esterdahl Mortuary and Crematory, 6601-38th Ave., Moline. DAVENPORT, Iowa — Evelyn L. Baker, 74, of Davenport, died Monday, Feb. 18, 2008, at Genesis Medical Center West Campus in Davenport. Burial will be at Rose Lawn Memorial Estate in Moline. Online condolences may be left at www.esterdahlmorturary.com. Mrs. Baker was born Feb. 14, 1934, in Brooklyn, Iowa, the daughter of Darrell and Bethel (Graham) Mullen. She married James Baker on Nov. 14, 1964, in Muscatine. She worked for the Rock Island Argus and the Moline Dispatch as a stuffer.She was a member of Living Water Family Church in Davenport.She is survived by her husband; a daughter, Judy Baker of Moline; a stepdaughter, Starr (Jaime) Ferguson of McGregor, Iowa; a grandson, Tim Baker of Moline; five stepgrandchildren, Heather, Chad and Jeff Ferguson of McGregor and Nikki and Mathew Ottinger of Virginia; two brothers, Louran (Patricia) Mullen and Fred (Karen) Mullen, all of Muscatine; a sister-in-law, Cora (Harold) Schumacher of Camanche, Iowa; and many nieces and nephews.She was preceded in death by a son, James Lee Baker; a daughter, Jackie; a brother, Raymond; and a sister, Hazel. .
Man robs Des Moines store, leaves W-2 form
DES MOINES (AP) — The robber of a convenience store left behind an unusual clue — a W-2 form.The man robbed a Git-N-Go store in Des Moines early today after telling a clerk he had a gun. He left the store with about $115 but at some point took off his hat and jacket.When police responded, they found the tax form in the coat pocket.Officers checked the name on the form and found a listing for a 25-year-old with a suspended driver’s license who is on probation for theft. The man’s description matched information provided by the clerk.Police are still looking for the robber. .
Our men bowlers aim to be world-beaters in Bangkok
PETALING JAYA: The spotlight in bowling last year was cast on the Malaysian women but the men will have their chance to take centre stage this year. The mens World Championships will be held in Bangkok from Aug 21-31 and is expected to be the primary focus for the national bowlers. .
'Caramel' is subtle & razor smart
Caramel, which is performed in Arabic and French, was Lebanon's entry in the Oscar race as best foreign language film. It did not make it to the final five nominations, but that was not for a lack of quality. As a light-hearted yet razor-smart, bittersweet comedy about life in Beirut, Caramel has important things to say, including about the displaced position of women in an Arabic country. It just says them on the sly. And it never talks about the obvious -- the constant threat and the long history of war in one of the crossroads countries of the Middle East. That must take courage in a place where few films are made and much needs to be debated in every medium of the arts. The title -- which is Sukkar Banat in its original language -- refers to the sugary concoction that Lebanese women cook up when they want to rip out unwanted hair.
Rain makes QLD Xmas an indoor affair
THE typical Queensland Christmas of sun and surf didn't eventuate today, with cooler than average temperatures in the south and heavy rainfall in some northern centres. Brisbane experienced its coolest Christmas Day in a decade, with temperatures struggling to reach 28 degrees, and overcast conditions making it more suited to an indoor feast than a day at the beach. A Surf Lifesaving Australia spokesman said cloud cover had kept down the number of people on Gold Coast beaches this year. "Probably without the cloud cover we would have expected more. The clubs and the support services guys had been gearing up for bigger numbers,'' he said. Lifesavers are urging those who venture to the beach on Boxing Day to be wary of larger than normal tidal movements, which will make conditions dangerous.
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