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  • Rewrite of Physics by Einstein on Display
    For the first time, the complete, original manuscript of the theory of relativity, profoundly human and surprisingly moving to examine, has been put on display in Jerusalem.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Can a Mouse Cut the Cable?
    With new devices making it easy to stream Internet content to a television, more people are watching cable shows for free.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Chile Leader Enters Changed Political Landscape
    The aftermath of the earthquake may give the country’s new right-wing government a chance to entomb the ghosts of Gen. Augusto Pinochet.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Leaders in House Block Earmarks to Corporations
    The ban, announced by House Democratic leaders, wipes out one of the most lucrative and controversial means of awarding no-bid contracts to private firms.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Warm Chickpeas and Greens With Vinaigrette
    In parts of France, farmers make a traditional meal of boiled chickpeas and spinach or chard.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Tanker Deal Gives a Lift to Boeing
    Boeing will now have some welcome certainty about its future as a major builder of military aircraft.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Senate Bill on Finance to Include Agency That Tracks Financial Risk
    The main purpose of the agency, sometimes referred to as the National Institute of Finance, would be to flag problems in the industry before they spread and threaten the wider economy.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Trumpeting Catalan in Small Type on the Big Screen
    A local bill requiring that at least half the copies of every film from outside Europe be dubbed in Catalan is the latest attempt to assert Catalan culture.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Panel Urges New Look at Caesarean Guidelines
    The medical experts told an National Institutes of Health conference that the trend of “once a Caesarean, always a Caesarean” may be safely reversed.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Disease Cause Is Pinpointed With Genome
    Geneticists said the new research shows it is now possible to sequence the genome of a patient at reasonable cost and with sufficient accuracy to be of practical use to researchers.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Obama’s Student Loan Overhaul Endangered
    House Democrats were desperately trying to prevent an ambitious overhaul of student loan programs from becoming a casualty of the health care battle.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Tricks to Keep Your Device’s Battery Going and Going
    Smartphone and laptop batteries may seem like cruel masters when they threaten to lose power, but you have more control than you may think.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Spy Chief in Pakistan to Stay On Another Year
    An unusual extension for Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha may pave the way for a longer term for the head of the army, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who was set to step down this year.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Forgot to Send a Birthday Card? Phone It In
    Companies like American Greetings are moving beyond texting by offering services that send video messages to cellphones.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Goldman Deal-Maker Now Advocates Regulation
    Gary Gensler, head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, is the leading contender to oversee the instruments that played a key role in the financial crisis.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • More Messages Link Senator to Job Effort
    Previously undisclosed e-mail messages provide new evidence about Senator John Ensign’s efforts to steer lobbying work to the husband of his former mistress.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Nigerians Recount the Night of Their Bloody Revenge
    The police have arrested about 200 people in Jos, where this week dozens of herdsmen slaughtered hundreds of people in a brutal act of sectarian retribution.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • A Place to Bet Real Money on Movies
    A virtual futures exchange is being assembled to allow people to bet money on a film’s box office success.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Panel Proposes Single Standard for All Schools
    The new standards, which experts said could well be adopted by a majority of states, would replace the nation’s checkerboard of locally written standards.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Lights, Sirens and a Dash Wired With Distractions
    Despite efforts to get drivers to stop texting, police officers and paramedics use an array of dashboard gadgets.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Buffett Pay Not Highest
    Warren Buffett brought home less pay than Berkshire Hathaway's chief financial officer again last year, but the company is paying more to protect the billionaire these days. The Omaha, Neb.-based company revealed in documents mailed to shareholders this week that Buffett's total compensation grew about 6 percent, to $519,490 last year. The...
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Game Streaming Coming
    In an industry first, a new gaming service will start allowing people to "stream" popular high-end games such as "Assassin's Creed II" over the Internet in June, using a mechanism similar to watching TV shows or listening to music online. OnLive, unveiled a year ago with much fanfare, embraces "cloud computing," in which software runs on a...
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Swap Shop
    seeking
    STRINGING TIPS
    Does anyone know how to restring a wind chime? The strings have corroded off its wooden base.
    LISA
    SWAP
    I have some plumeria sticks to swap for lemons or oranges.
    EVELYN TURNER, Lakeland
    VACUUM CLEANER
    Published March 11, 2010
  • St. Petersburg Times' Tasters Make Tough Choices
    Editor's Note: Each week, in a feature called "Taster's Choice," the St. Petersburg Times conducts a taste test of a store-bought food. Here is a round-up of items that scored well in the last 12 to 13 months.By KATHY SAUNDERSFOR THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES"Taster's Choice" panelists have found new twists to old treats.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Senate Has Leaner State Budget Plan
    Senate President Jeff Atwater has proposed spending a bit less for public schools
    and criminal and civil justice than House Speaker Larry Cretul.
    Atwater issued allocations that will serve as a framework for the Senate's version of the state budget.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Lawmakers Want Floridians Given Hiring Preference
    Photos of vehicles with license tags from Texas, Louisiana and other states, but nary one from Florida, flashed on viewing screens in a Senate committee room Wednesday.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Trouble-Free Toyotas
    In the past 12 years I've owned a 1995 Toyota Corolla, a 1998 Chevrolet Prizm (GM Toyota Corolla), a 2005 Pontiac Vibe (GM Toyota Matrix) and currently a 2010 Toyota Prius. I have never had any problems with these cars.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Health Care Is Not a Right
    My letter concerns the Feb. 16 letter "Scheduled Out of Health Care." The writer appears to have a peculiar viewpoint on the rights and corresponding obligations related to health insurance and employment.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Prescription-Death Award
    Are others disconcerted by the $33 million award to a Mulberry family because of a Walgreen's prescription error ["Court Upholds $33 Million Award to Mulberry Family," March 2, front page]? Certainly the family deserved some compensation for suffering. In addition, judgments such as these serve as a punishment and deterrent for those who make...
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Publix Recalls Seasoning Mixes Over Possible Salmonella Contamination
    Publix Super Markets Inc. has voluntarily recalled four varieties of its seasoning mixes because of possible salmonella contamination.
    The recalled products are:
    All lot codes for 0.75-ounce packs of Publix Mushroom Gravy Mix with the UPC 41415-03308.
    1-ounce packages of Publix Meatloaf Seasoning, UPC 41415-03408.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Daylight Savings Time Is Coming Sunday
    Sunday is daylight savings time, the time to 'spring forward' by turning clocks ahead one hour. That means the time will shift from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m..
    While most cell phones will shift automatically, you'll likely have to manually adjust clocks and other electronics.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Rain Forecast in Polk Today and Friday
    The next two days will be rainy, but more pleasant weather is on the way.
    Meteorologists said to expect a 70 percent chance of showers today. The rainfall will increase overnight with heavy thunderstorms predicted Friday.
    The weekend will be mostly clear with highs expected to be in the 70s.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • 'Idol' Contestant Aaron Kelly of Davenport Reaches Week 3
    Aaron Kelly, who grew up in Davenport, will find out tonight whether he will spend one more week singing for Kara, Simon, Randy and Ellen.
    The 16-year-old, who attended Ridgeview Global Studies Academy, has lasted into week 3 of "American Idol" on Fox. At 8 tonight, four contestants will be eliminated. He now lives in Sonestown, Pa.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • South Florida Lawyer Pleads Guilty in $2.5 Million Embezzlement Scheme
    A well-known South Florida lawyer has pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in what federal prosecutors say was a $2.5 million embezzlement scheme.
    Prosecutors say Lewis Freeman stole from 250 clients, hiding it with fake court filings. Freeman was frequently appointed by judges as a receiver or trustee in high-profilefraud and bankruptcy cases.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Charlie Crist Attacks Marco Rubio's Conservative Credentials
    Florida has a long history of dirty politics.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Top Three Appointed Hillsborough Officials Could Lose Their Jobs
    The chairman of the Hillsborough County Commission has asked the county's top three appointed officials, County Administrator Pat Bean, County Attorney Renee Lee and internal performance auditor Jim Barnes, to resign or face firing, the St. Petersburg Times reported.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Winter Haven Pilots Say Officials Are Listening Now to Concerns About New Airport
    Relations between the city of Winter Haven and pilots have improved in the two years since the airport was redeveloped.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • FHP: 2 Killed, 4 Injured in Hit-and-Run on County Road 39 Near Plant City
    Two men died and four people were taken to hospitals Wednesday night in a pair of related hit-and-run crashes on County Road 39 near Plant City, the St. Petersburg Times reported.
    The first crash took place about 9:40 p.m. north of State Road 60, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Winter Haven Crime Report
    The Winter Haven Police Department reported these criminal activities from March 1 through 4.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Note to Our Readers
    After today's Timeout section was printed, tonight's Andre Watts concert at Florida Southern College featured on page 12 was canceled because he is ill. Chopin pianist Vladimir Feltsman will take his place. Watts' concert was rescheduled from last season when he also had to cancel because of illness. Feltsman's concert will take place at 7:30 p.m.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Richard Murphy of Lakeland Held in $300,000 Fraud Case
    A Lakeland man accused of bilking investors of more than $300,000 was arrested Wednesday after a joint investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Bartow Minister's Wife Dies After Lengthy Religious Fasting
    Evelyn Boyd, 55, was dead for at least a day and no more than three days before her body was discovered Friday, Associate Medical Examiner Dr. Vera Volnikh said.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Unemployment Worsens in Polk; Joblessness Rises to 13.3 Percent in January
    LAKELAND | Shane Davis had a job, but let it go.
    He left a steady job at a lumber yard for a promising position in Ocala.
    But when that didn't work out, Davis came home to Lakeland and joined the 37,000 Polk County residents who were unemployed in January.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Two Get Life in Prison Without Parole for Killing of 'Angel' Headrick
    Two men were sentenced Wednesday to spend the rest of their lives in prison for the slaying of 17-year-old Angelia "Angel" Headrick.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Solutions to Difficult Problems May Be Found By Taking Responsibility
    What an intriguing front page March 3. Two articles, one titled "U.S. Postal Service Wants to Stop Saturday Mail Delivery" and the other, right next to it, "Polk Man Loses 260 Pounds With Better Diet, More Exercise." They couldn't be positioned in better proximity to one another.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Bail Error of Habitual Traffic Offender Michael Waters Blamed On Missing Sticky Note
    A lost sticky note was to blame in the release of a "habitual traffic offender" on $7,000 bail instead of $75,000, according to an internal review by the Polk County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday.
    Published March 11, 2010
  • Health Care Reform Irreconcilable
    The 40 days of Lent, which evokes the time that Jesus spent fasting in the desert, is a time of conversion and reconciliation. Yet, even as we have passed the mid-point in our Lenten observances, the word "reconciliation" has taken on a new-and-infelicitous connotation in our secular world. Reconciliation as a "legislative process intended to...
    Published March 10, 2010
  • Prescription-Drug Abuse: Close the Pill Mills
    Each week in Florida, eight people die from an overdose of illegal drugs. During that same week, 42 people will die in Florida from overdoses of prescription medication.
    Published March 10, 2010
  • Seat Belts: Crackdown In Progress
    By month's end, The Ledger will likely carry a news story that a motorist or passenger was killed in an accident when he or she was thrown from the vehicle or was killed because a seat belt wasn't used. ...
    Published March 10, 2010
  • 'American VI: Ain't No Grave' - Johnny Cash
    This one feels like a gift. Johnny Cash died in 2003, and a flurry of posthumous releases immediately followed. There's one new Cash original, 'I Corinthians 15:55,' plus covers familiar (Kris Kristofferson's 'For the Good Times' and Bob Nolan's cowboy song 'Cool Water' ) and surprising, such as Queen Lili'uokalani's sweet farewell 'Aloha Oe.'...
    Published March 10, 2010
  • 'Restored, Returned' - Gustavsen Ensemble
    Norwegian pianist and composer Tord Gustavsen creates another bewitching CD. This soft-focus session with its delightful silences and slowly baked vibes pushes the leader beyond a trio, which dominated his last two ECM releases, 'Being There' and 'Changing Places.' Here Kristin Asbjxrnsen offers a few achy vocals, including one on the bluesy 'Lay...
    Published March 10, 2010
  • 'I'm New Here' - Gil Scott-Heron
    'If I hadn't have been as eccentric, as obnoxious, as arrogant, as aggressive, as introspective, as selfish,' Gil Scott-Heron confides on a spoken interlude on his tunning first studio album in 16 years, 'I wouldn't be me. I wouldn't be who I am.'
    Published March 10, 2010
  • Detroit Tigers
    GAMES FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY, MONDAY, LAKELAND
    Spring training games against Philadelphia, New York Yankees, Toronto and Houston.
    WHEN: All games start at 1:05 p.m.
    LOCATION: Joker Marchant Stadium.
    TICKETS: $8 to $22. Available via tigers.com, Joker Marchant box office or by calling 866-668-4437.
    — JENNIFER AUDETTE/The Ledger
    Published March 10, 2010
  • ‘Alice in Wonderland'
    'I am playing lots of villains. It's horrible. Serial killer, sadist. But I think it's the age, you know. That's what you get over 40, maybe,' says Helena Bonham Carter, 43, who plays the Red Queen in 'Alice in Wonderland.' Shifting into a shrill hag's voice, she adds: 'Ooh, she's aging. She must be evil. She looks like a witch.'
    Published March 10, 2010
  • ‘She's Out of My League'
    'She's Out of My League' star Jay Baruchel was asked to go bottomless for a 'grooming' scene in the movie, but declined because he didn't want his mother to see him naked, among other reasons.
    — The Chicago Tribune
    Published March 10, 2010
  • ‘Remember Me'
    Robert Pattinson, 23, of 'Twilight' fame, not only stars in the romance 'Remember Me,' he is also an executive producer on the film.
    — The Associated Press
    Published March 10, 2010
  • Silly Hollywood Plot Mars Drama in ‘Green Zone'
    All the war-zone authenticity in the Arab world cannot salvage the silly Hollywood plot at the heart of 'Green Zone,' Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass' first collaboration outside the Jason Bourne realm.
    Published March 10, 2010
  • ‘Our Family Wedding' Is Mostly Charming
    One enters a movie like 'Our Family Wedding' bracing for cheesiness.
    As a genre, wedding films are typically about as cloying as two-hours worth of kitten videos on YouTube. Add in the equally checkered history of stridently ethnic movies, and you might want to start asking moviegoers to remove their belts before entering the theater.
    Published March 10, 2010
  • Cirque Le Masque Will Feature Aerial Acts, Dancers and Jugglers
    Cirque Le Masque reminds audiences of Cirque du Soleil in its early days, before it became a multibillion dollar company, according to Dennis Schussel.
    Published March 10, 2010
  • World-Class Pianist Andre Watts Performs at Florida Southern College
    Classical artists are often identified with a particular composer, one with whom they have a special bond. For pianist André Watts, that composer would be Franz Liszt.
    Published March 9, 2010
  • Wine of the Week
    2008 Geyerhof Gruner Veltliner "Rosensteig"
    Published March 9, 2010
  • Meet the Bartender of the Week
    Eric Overstreet, 25, enjoys working as a bartender at Longhorn Steakhouse. Be it the Brandon, Winter Haven or, most recently, the Lakeside Village location in Lakeland, Overstreet has been with the company for 7 1/2 years. He credits his longevity to the people he works with. When asked if anything unusual has happened while he was behind the...
    Published March 9, 2010
  • Check Out the Beer of the Week
    J.W. Lees & Co. out of Manchester, England, is gaining a reputation here in the states for its annual Harvest Ales series of beers matured in vintage oak casks.
    The brewer, established in 1828, offers an array of these ales, each with a distinctive flavor derived from the wood barrels and the spirits they once contained.
    Published March 9, 2010
  • Date Night Ideas
    Are you ready for beach season? Spring break is soon upon us, and you may not be able to lose 50 pounds by then, but you can do other things as a couple to get ready for fun in the sun.
    Shop for new bathing suits. Get each others' opinion. Be honest!
    Published March 9, 2010
  • There's a Smart Mix of Strategy and Action in 'Toy Soldiers'
    The Germans are coming.
    They've just sounded the whistle and the infantry is pouring out of the trench with a great yell, darting across the battlefield like a string of ants.
    They'll soon be followed by cavalry and a procession of hulking tanks. Probably biplanes, too, since this is World War I we're talking about.
    Published March 9, 2010
  • Branch Out to Meet New People With Same Interests
    Question:
    Published March 9, 2010
  • What Was Your Last Download?
    Garrett Hicks ● 23 ● Lakeland ● "Here is Love" ● Brian Johnson
    What style of music is this?
    Christian worship song.
    What is the message of the song?
    It's an old hymn that has been redone by several artists. The message is about the vast love of God and how great it is.
    Published March 9, 2010
  • Hot Ticket
    Blues Traveler
    WHEN: 7 p.m. April 26.
    LOCATION: State Theatre, St. Petersburg.
    TICKETS: $24. On sale 10 a.m. Friday.
    Jonny Lang
    WHEN: 8 p.m. May 21.
    LOCATION: Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater.
    TICKETS: $53, $37. On sale noon Friday.
    WHEN: 7:30 p.m. May 22.
    LOCATION: House of Blues, Kissimmee.
    Published March 9, 2010