Want to Times Union Center Center Stage snooze in your car for a few minutes

Want to shares snooze in uncovers your car for a few minutes in between appointments? Karten conceived an automobile tricked out with dimming windows, an air purifier that pumps out relaxing scents and a footrest that pops over the pedals. Karten, you see, is an industrial designer hired to rethink the form and function of electronics, lifesaving medical equipment and other gadgets. "I personally don't appreciate all the innuendoes and mudslinging against these three council members," said Ed Perez, a former Anaheim planning commissioner. Still, park superintendent Jorgensen told the Borrego Sun he was "appalled" by the "totally irresponsible" act. officials and Hollywood executives have become increasingly frustrated with the continued flood of bootleg DVDs and other products from China. The Motion Picture Assn. The drugs are simply more plentiful and they are cheaper," given the competition for customers in a city that is less than half its pre-Katrina size. Michael Duffy, assistant secretary of the Office for Addictive Disorders at the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, said the state had not adequately addressed the medical detox issue "because of the lack of resources, not because we don't think there's a need. "Duffy said his department was negotiating with the Louisiana State University hospital system to restore Charity Hospital's 20 detox beds. The figures are estimates because federal officials decline to disclose pension records for retired members of Congress. Former House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dan Rostenkowski (D-Ill. ), who served time for mail fraud and was later pardoned by President Clinton, might be collecting more than $125,000 a year, the group said. Pete Sepp of the National Taxpayers Union said that some former lawmakers convicted of crimes had even used their pensions to help pay their fines. The Senate is expected to complete work on its ethics bill next week. richard. simon*(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)Potential pension payoutsEstimated pension benefits for some former lawmakers convicted of serious crimes and estimates of their possible congressional pensions in 2006 (except where noted):*--* Year Potential U. S.

Any financial troubles amount to "a personal issue that doesn't have any bearing on his appointment," he said. "Timothy Simon is a highly educated and experienced attorney who is more than capable of adjudicating regulatory issues before the PUC," he said. A Schwarzenegger administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the personal nature of Simon's financial troubles said the bankruptcy sprang from a divorce "that cost a lot of money. "Simon, who lives in San Francisco, was unknown to Schwarzenegger before his hiring in January 2006 . Answering attacks from Brown over his opposition to the stem cell ballot measure, Poochigian says it was on fiscal grounds. Helping crime victims and upholding the death penalty are his top priorities. A recent morning found Poochigian on the steps of the Capitol, surrounded by leaders of the victims rights movement . "You feel a lot of confidence when he shoots that the ball's going in. "Pinnock, who averaged 14. 5 points last season for George Washington, still has plenty of work to do if he is going to make the team. "He's going to have to defend some really tough people," Rambis said . But he said it made no sense that he would not have asked the judge for the travel funds . After the flames were put out, Ferrell doused the man with water. "I almost fainted," sophomore receiver Ronald Johnson said, chuckling "It was scary. "-- Gary Klein. Favre passed for 236 yards, two touchdowns and two costly interceptions; Manning finished with 254 yards and no turnovers. "We got pressure on him, got a lot of hits on him," Green Bay defensive lineman Ryan Pickett said of Manning.

Left to her own devices, Simpson created the ugliest shoe we've ever seen: the Nasia pointed-toe suede mule. With the exception of simple styles such as the Rush wedge, the majority of flats, boots, pumps and sandals are heavy on the flash and come off as tacky instead of trendy. While fans of Miss Hilton will likely eat up the bubbly styles offered in her collection, the Hamptons platform wedge and green Glitzy Cheetah (both $79) probably wouldn't fare well on a best dressed list. The limited-edition, vegan-friendly collection features timeless Pixie satin ballet flats ($175) and classic Paloma dress sandals ($245) -- shoes any fashion maven worth her weight in Manolos would be happy to wear. --A mile in their shoesOur pair of strappy Akira sandals ($79) allowed us to strut around the office in ease, even though our lack of pedicure left us humiliated in front of colleagues . "I deal with it every day. "I couldn't really take seeing cribs around, baby things and just wanted to start over," he said . I don't see why the same doesn't apply to the federal government," Phillips said. On Tuesday, a class-action lawsuit against trailer manufacturers was filed by 500 individuals in New Orleans. The lawsuit alleges that the 14 manufacturers of about 120,000 trailers for FEMA did not adhere to regulations on formaldehyde levels and that they are at fault for illnesses that may have resulted . The party is also trying to match up Nevada's 17 county chairs with counterparts in Iowa under an informal "buddy" system, so each Nevada chair will have a personal -- and experienced -- advisor, Sime said. The caucuses also will be much more geographically diffuse than in the past, Sime said . He became the only known non-spouse, non-Japanese who voluntarily relocated to Manzanar. "Who can say that I haven't got Japanese blood in my veins?" Lazo told The Times in a 1981 interview. That sentiment is voiced by actor Alexis Cruz , who plays Lazo in a 33-minute docudrama, "Stand Up for Justice: The Ralph Lazo Story. " The film, which also uses archival footage, is part of a project to make local history and civics lessons more interesting for high school students. The Los Angeles Unified School District recognized Lazo's act of friendship and loyalty last week as the Board of Education presented his relatives with a certificate for his contributions to the Japanese American community. They have play dates together with their young children and share a love of craft projects.

As usual, they will leave the decision to a contingent of political activists who are mostly older, whiter and more highly educated than the rest of the nation. The reasons that most Iowans stay away range from the practical to the philosophical to the emotional They can't get away from jobs or responsibilities at home They don't like politics They don't believe their vote will make a difference . "Now we're in a valley, and we got a bigger hill to climb. "For his part, Obama recognized that the gathering included many Clinton supporters . Roberts, a labor arbitrator who mediated a number of high-profile labor disputes but was best known for his baseball rulings, which included finding Major League Baseball owners guilty of collusion against the movement of free-agent players after the 1985 season, has died . Castillo swung off and back on the freeway north and past the badly injured Garcia . "He would need somebody to help him raise his voice high. "However, the director had other personal motivations. Prince took considerable heat from retailers for the newspaper giveaway. Then there's the business model of New Orleans' top rapper, Lil Wayne, who made dozens of tracks available free via the Internet to cement his stardom.

They were telling him that he was going to lose again to the Oakland Athletics. He sent them a nasty reply. Sabathia joined Boston's Josh Beckett as the only 11-game winners in the major leagues and finally beat his hometown team again, leading the Cleveland Indians to a 5-2 victory over the A's on Monday night. Sabathia (11-2) gave up nine hits in his second complete game this month to improve to 2-5 in 12 career starts against the A's, the team he pulled for as a kid growing up in Vallejo. The left-hander had been 0-4 against Oakland since last beating the A's on July 30, 2003, a losing streak that a few buddies wouldn't let him forget. "Oh, God, I got so many text messages," Sabathia said with a smile . ST PAUL, MINN . Koichi Suzuki, president of American Suzuki Motor Corp. 's automotive operations, said the subject of the Samurai almost never comes up, except when a fan calls the headquarters in Brea seeking parts. . And Sampras' longtime coach and friend Paul Annacone will be his presenter. "It's basically saying thanks to my family, saying thanks to my wife, the coaches that have helped me over the years, how I've looked at the sport, what the sport has meant to me," he said "And that's really it . We don't know really when the things he's remembering in the play took place The birthday party [in the show] isn't real It's totally imagined by him. "But we are working with and from different perspectives, and that's how it should be. "Senior Bush administration officials privately acknowledge tension between the Joint Chiefs and generals in Iraq, particularly between Army Chief of Staff Gen George W Casey Jr and officers such as Petraeus and Army Lt Gen Raymond T.

We went to Barneys in New York, and looking at the clothes I was like, wow, I wore that about eight weeks ago . "It is out of the question. "Britain has rejected the option of providing its evidence to Moscow and having Lugovoy put on trial in Russia. Andrei Kortunov, president of the New Eurasia Foundation, a Moscow think tank, said it was unclear how much effect there would be from suspension of counter-terrorism cooperation and mutual restrictions on visas. The visa spat could mean anything "from basically nothing to severing diplomatic relations," he said. Kortunov noted the possibility of Russian retaliation against British economic interests, and suggested that Britain had more to lose than Russia if the dispute spilled over into this sphere. "British energy companies such as British Petroleum and Shell have extensive interests in Russia and certainly don't want their positions damaged because of the Litvinenko case," he said . They have a great turkey scramble, with ground turkey, cheese, tomatoes and jalapeños inside egg whites. Or if I can't smack some sense into my boyfriend, we'll go to IHOP, where ordering will just be a free-for-all -- I'll just go for it and get the Rooty Tooty Fresh 'n Fruity . said Wednesday that it would dramatically expand low-cost financial services such as check cashing and money transfers for its millions of customers who don't have bank accounts. The giant retailer, which this year dropped efforts to formally enter banking amid opposition from Congress and regulators, said it would open 1,000 Wal-Mart MoneyCenters by the end of next year, up from about 225 in stores now. Fair-lending advocates and others questioned Wal-Mart's intentions, saying the company may be trying to pursue a back door into banking because the front door was blocked. "Do you really want to concentrate all that economic power if they make that transition into full banking?" asked Stephen Andrews, chief executive of the Bay Area's Bank of Alameda . I'm just glad the guys battled back and won. "And they won despite being without defenseman Rob Blake for part of the game. Instead of charging them for electricity as though they were private customers, a San Bernardino County Superior Court judge said, L. A. 's water and power provider should have billed only enough to cover the proportion of capital facilities that served those public agencies. I'VE never had the urge to switch the TV channel to NASCAR races, but I was at the Keating, San Diego's new high-concept hotel, and needed to hear the roar of engines to complete the experience. The 5-month-old Keating, in a historic building in downtown's Gaslamp Quarter, is the first hotel designed by Pininfarina, the legendary Italian car-design company behind Ferrari and Maserati.

It would have been much less humiliating, especially that I was veiled and not wearing anything that would arouse a man. "Aref took down the bus number and went to the police . But for chef-owner Mako Tanaka, it's something of a departure . Though it was just an exhibition, there was a matchup that created some interest in the game between the Lakers and Toronto Raptors on Sunday night in the "shootout" at Staples Center. The Lakers have the Twin Tower pair of 7-footers Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum that faced the Toronto big-man tandem of 6-10 Chris Bosh and 6-11 Jermaine O'Neal. For the Lakers' pair that still is a work in progress, this was a gauge for them, an opportunity for Gasol and Bynum to see how they would fare against two talented frontcourt players. "They are very good low-post players," Gasol said . Hackett caught the ball near the basket and made a reverse layup all in one smooth motion . Also, the decline in home values has shut off the flow of equity-rich RV buyers. YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK — Maybe it's because I'm punchy It's been a trying day, 10 hours on the road. Sony Pictures' stoner movie "Pineapple Express" fell to fifth with $10 million. Among other newcomers, Woody Allen's sun-splashed romantic comedy adventure "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. Over the next three days, the Angels will try to protect the little that remains of it. What was once an eight-game margin is down to two. Kelvim Escobar and Garret Anderson didn't allow the buffer to erode any more Sunday, lifting the Angels to a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays and preventing them from losing for the fourth time in five games.

Their record label sends two bands a year on the whole entire tour, but those bands didn't know they'd be playing on no stage, basically, on concrete, and playing to 10 or 12 kids a day, out of 10,000 customers, because there's so much going on at once It's a Disneyland for these kids . Then, when the prices go up, we'll moan and wring our hands at the tragedy of it all . She donned an oversized, gray-and-white poncho knitted for her by a fellow prisoner, a garment so hideous that the faux-broken-English fashion blogger Manolo described it as looking as though "she made this herself out of thread she collected from the prison-issue blankets and the mop heads, using the toothbrush handle that had been laboriously fashioned into the dual-purpose crochet-hook/shiv. "Stewart wore the poncho to her first post-prison corporate meeting, and a roomful of employees broke into applause . Buying our weaponry is one of the few ways you can actually join the American imperial project!In order to remain on top in the competitive jet field, Lockheed Martin, for example, does far more than just sell airplanes . 12 in front of his computer at his home in Mitchellville, Md. That's a bullet that needs to be bitten, and it's going to take some very strong leadership on the governor's part to do that. "To formulate a plan, Schwarzenegger's administration has hired respected healthcare experts, a bipartisan mix with experience in government regulation of insurers and private health maintenance organizations. Schwarzenegger has charged his team with creating a plan based on the principle of "shared responsibility," meaning that it must ask something of insurers, government, employers, healthcare providers and consumers. He has ruled out the preferred solution of liberals and some unions: having the state take over the role now filled by private insurers. The governor has publicly endorsed the notion that people should be required to have health insurance, just as drivers must carry car insurance. "My body may be here, but my mind and my heart will always be there. "--agustin. gurza.

Last week, Foreign Secretary David Miliband apologized to the House of Commons for earlier -- and untrue -- assurances that British territory had never been used for CIA "rendition" flights transporting suspected terrorists. Miliband spoke after CIA Director Michael V Hayden confirmed that, contrary to assurances by the U. S . A bit extreme, I thought. Then I met our guide, a 22-year-old former roofer from Modesto named Kevin Geary, who's been a cave guide for only seven months . "Maybe they'll wind up being checked by a doctor every two months It can really change their life and their self-image. "Dr Robin A . "I think that when there's enough drugs involved it has less to do with the pressures of Hollywood and more to do with the pressures of life. "--rachel. abramowitzTimes staff writer Christopher Goffard contributed reporting. Yet one lawyer who deals frequently with insurance issues points out that all kinds of deals can be made for a superstar, like daily drug testing or furnishing a sober companion, but "as someone's star begins to fall, there's a lot less will to justify the hoops. "A key breakBRAD RENFRO'S whole career started, improbably enough, because as an 11-year-old fifth-grader he'd been difficult in a Drug Abuse Resistance Education class taught by a retired policeman "He was absolutely your problem child," says Dennis Bowman . Instead, I looked at the numbers flashing on my phone and wrote them down. After the onslaught, I began returning calls to the people who had responded to my message. I dialed one number. for Wedding Professionals International found that most of their California vendors would participate in gay weddings, said Richard Markel, the association's president. How comfortable people were with themselves and the surroundings. "It was a big canvas, the city, full of possibility: "In those days they could get into their huge car and sail everywhere from Highland Park to Topanga all in one day," says McKenna.

"Not because I didn't think the idea was great and funny, it's just rare that something comes alive after having been dead almost to the point of being embalmed. ""Genie Bob" is a high-concept laugher about a suburban high school kid who stumbles across a lamp-jacking supernatural rascal masquerading as a genie . As planned, the community would also have a golf course, shopping center and parks. -- Roger Vincent . And Oklahoma has the "one. " The state of Washington isn't faring as well . A separate $10 million in bonus money will be awarded, similar to the FedEx Cup on the U. S . Karegeye said he was excited by Ehn's enthusiasm to explore Rwanda's tragedy and examine ways to promote peace-building through the arts. The hyperinflation, devaluations and backbreaking indebtedness that kept this resource-rich nation of 190 million from realizing its potential for so long seem distant memories. --Economic stridesFirst, the banking system is better capitalized and has little exposure to the credit problems currently shaking U. S. The students were alleged to have improperly obtained questions to a test that is a step toward fulfilling qualifications for a license to practice dentistry. "The ADA is looking into alleged improprieties by UCLA students associated with testing," said Lawrence Lokman, UCLA's assistant vice chancellor of communications.

Brazen physical comedy or unattractiveness on the big screen is far more rare in an industry that congratulates Cameron Diaz -- to whom the Farrelly Bros . "That wasn't intentional, but Murakami and I grew up in similar ways -- watching cartoons and reading comics . If you bring in something worthy of a loan, we'll make the loan. "Robinson said about 89% of his loans last year were eventually redeemed by customers, despite the sky-high interest rate He said he wasn't so sure about this year . lot in Burbank, Nolan was in the late stages of post-production on "The Dark Knight" and the marathon hours were taking their toll . Not even an aide to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa could get quick action when he complained about illegal dumping earlier this year, according to a Times review of city records. The mayoral aide alerted the Department of Public Works in early March about rubbish completely blocking an alley in a pocket of Watts prone to illegal dumping. The City Council is scheduled to decide Tuesday whether to adopt a name. There are some things about Little Saigon that San Jose officials say they don't want to replicate.

In the last few years, we have been invaded by three families who buy their kids -- all their kids -- all the loud noisemaker machines possible, such as ski boats, jet skis and four-wheelers . Plame's CIA identity was leaked by several Bush administration officials in 2003, including Libby and former top White House political advisor Karl Rove Plame is married to Joseph C Wilson IV. . Interactions among ingredients can change their effectiveness -- and scientists haven't yet figured out how much of a drug or nutrient a stick of gum can hold or whether any given substance will be released or absorbed by the body when chewed. "Nobody has spent millions of dollars to figure it out," says Gary Kamimori, a research physiologist at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Maryland . As a matter of fact, I made a few talks years later and somebody in the audience got up and said, 'I was one of the police officers,' and I thanked him again. "Fortunately, nobody was seriously injured Beard and Franklin each were fined $50 . The duke was expert in these matters, and their suffering, which lasted for three days and was later documented by Giovanni Boccaccio, was terrible. The question remains whether they will be able to appoint any allies. "Hu could be saying, 'I'll let you publish your books, but you might lose another seat on the standing committee,' " Li said.