The politics of parity in the midwest

Hot statewide races in Ohio and Illinois, and a congressional battleground in the Ohio River Valley, will set the tone for years to come

Historically, the path to political success in the Midwest has been through a combination of fiscal conservatism and social moderation - but not in 1998. For the first time in decades, voters are faced with stark ideological differences in several key gubernatorial and congressional elections, most notably in Illinois.

At the presidential level, Democrats have dominated the Midwest in the last two elections, capturing 100 out of 112 electoral votes. Conversely, six Republican governors (Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and …

Agenda.(Brief Article)

Date Event Organizer Event city Location Phone Web site

March 25-27 Direct Marketing to Business Direct Marketing Association, Orlando, Fla. Caribe Royale Resort (800) 927-5007 ww.dmbshow.com Primedia Business Exhibitions Suites & Villas

April 2-4 Brand Tech Forum Millward Brown IntelliQuest Half Moon Bay, Calif. The Ritz Carlton (800) 543-6124 www.brandtechforum.com

April 8-10 ARF Annual Convention Advertising Research Foundation New York Hilton (212) 751-5656 www.thearf.org and Research Infoplex 2002

April 9-10 DMA Pharmaceutical Direct Marketing Association Philadelphia Loews …

Warming threatens Antarctic life. (global warming)

Global warming is threatening the ecosystems of Antarctica, the world's last great wilderness, according to an Australian ecotoxicologist. As the world warms up, Antarctic animals are becoming more susceptible to chemical pollutants such as heavy metals, she claims.

Sabine Duquesne of the University of Queensland removed marine creatures from around Casey Station, an abandoned research laboratory on Brown Bay, and carried out toxicity tests in a refrigerated aquarium in Brisbane. She found that the animals become more sensitive to pollutants as the temperature of the water rises and salinity decreases - exactly what is likely to happen around the Antarctic coastline as …

Economy brightening.(Main)

Byline: EDMUND L. ANDREWS New York Times

WASHINGTON - Employment climbed at a steady if not spectacular pace in December, suggesting that the economy is on a solid footing but that employers in many industries are still cautious about hiring.

The Labor Department reported on Friday that the nation added 157,000 jobs in December and about 2.2 million jobs for all of last year - a good annual gain and the best since 1999. But it was not quite enough, at least until further revisions are available, to make up for all the jobs lost earlier in President Bush's first term in office.

The increase in jobs, slightly lower than most economists had predicted, …

NEWLYWEDS FACE DELAY IN THEIR KIDNEY SURGERY.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: Associated Press

SAN DIEGO Victoria Ingram and Randall Curlee had planned to spend their first day of marriage in kidney surgery. Instead, they spent it waiting and hoping their future together can be a long one.

Ingram was to give Curlee the ultimate wedding present Wednesday afternoon: her right kidney, which doctors said could save his life. They were married on Tuesday in the chapel at Sharp Memorial Hospital.

At the last minute, doctors postponed the surgery for at least several weeks after a final exam showed Ingram's left kidney has a slight abnormality that could prevent her from being a donor.

``I want Victoria to be …

Wooing the press with a media marketplace. (Public Relations).

Travel associations often rely on a public relations tool called a media marketplace to allow members with small budgets to pitch ideas to scores of media at a minimal cost. Media marketplaces--essentially miniature trade shows for the media--have been used successfully by the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA), Washington, D.C.; Society of American Travel Writers, Raleigh, North Carolina; and Public Relations Society of America, New York City. Associations representing interests in the fields of health and fitness, consumer products, business services, computers, and software could all potentially take advantage of this public relations tool.

For the press, …

US Treasury targets anti-India terror groups

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department took aim Thursday at an anti-Indian terror group behind the Mumbai attacks and a second group trying to drive India out of Kashmir, just before President Barack Obama's upcoming Indian visit.

Treasury announced measures to seize or freeze the assets of money men from two terrorist groups, Pakistan-based Lashkar-e Taiba and the Kashmir-separatist movement Jaish-e Mohammed.

Lashkar-e Taiba is blamed for the four-day shooting and bombing rampage through India's financial capital that killed 166 people, including six Americans. The group is also blamed for deadly train bombings in Mumbai in 2006.

Jaish-e Mohammed, thought to be …