M&I also said it could write off up to $195 million in bad debt in the quarter, compared with $15 million a year earlier.

An editorial Thursday on recent incidents involving air traffic controllers at the Federal Aviation Administration's Chicago Center in Aurora, Ill., left the impression that a commercial airliner and a private plane came within 300 feet of one another on Dec.

Alert Firefighters' Historic Memorabilia

Great Neck Alert firefighter Tom Jennings and his Memorabilia/Historical Committee are proud of the extensive "museum quality" collection they have gathered at the Alert firehouse. And proud they should be! This collection is as exciting as it is expansive, covering not only the 106 years of the Alert history, but also including much of the history of the Great Neck community.

Hudgens beats Howard to online glory

Forget climate change and politics — the three most important things on the minds of Australians are Facebook, YouTube and Summer Heights High.

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Kathleen Turner: a Grand Dame with true grit

I mean this as a compliment: I can see why drag queens love Kathleen Turner. Unlike the interchangeable blandettes who decorate today's movies, Turner has texture. She has grit and class, she's sexy and regal, she's no-nonsense and divalicious. She's a dame and a Grand Dame. It has nothing to do with the severe rheumatoid arthritis that's roughed her up a bit in the last decade, or the meds that deepened her whisky-hued voice. As she would say, it's about attitude, baby. Turner has attitude to burn.

In Toronto last week to promote her autobiography, Send Yourself Roses, Turner strolled off the elevator at the Four Seasons Hotel and took charge. "I'd like an iced tea, let's go to the lounge," she commanded, and had us seated and sated before her PR girls knew she'd left the lobby.

Currituck's court clerk and bailiff find love amidst litigation

Sheila Tyler tells everyone that she met her husband in jail.

The Weekly DiScussion: Noel at 40 and the importance of being Oasis...

He got what he wanted because it's all he ever believed in. He's a rock ‘n' roll star because of a determination that no imitators have accurately replicated.

But, returning to the point of DiScussion: just why have Oasis proved so evergreen? Although their last long-player Don't Believe The Truth exists in the commercial shadow of much that preceded its release, it's still shifted around three million copies worldwide, if not more. The album was the band's first to not be dominated by Noel, with songwriting duties split between members. The move essentially reinvigorated the band, and a succession of positive reviews followed. It was compared, oddly enough, to the Noel-helmed Definitely Maybe, and widely summarised as a return to form. But is it nostalgia that's stroked the fires of Oasis appreciate once more, a homesickness of sorts for comforting surroundings and circumstances – the band is now in its sixteenth year, and is an act that many music-savvy individuals grew up on – or are they genuinely a force to be reckoned with today? The follow-up to Don't Believe The Truth is out next year, and a Noel solo album's in the pipeline – the next twelve months could, conceivably, well and truly make or completely and finally break a band that so many love to hate and far more hate admitting they love.

The fun of not telling lies even when it costs you

I was interviewing to work as a file clerk at the registrar's office at my college."Are you organized?" the potential future employer asked."Mmmm, well, here's the deal. I don't really lose stuff, and my place looks like a mess to everyone, but somehow, I always find what I need."The interview continued."What do you do when you get stressed?"

"I don't get too stressed out normally," I answered, but I knew that sometimes I did, and I had to be honest with my answer. "Well, let's say I have a big paper to write, and I've had a hard day. Before I write the paper, I turn on some hip hop music really loud, put on a cowboy hat and this green boa and dance around the room." By the interviewer's face, I could tell this was not the right answer. I never heard back about the job.So I applied someplace else.

1/31 Impact Review by Wilkenfeld: Solid action and the return of the ...

Where We've Been: Last Sunday the wrestling world was swerved when an injured champion made his return months ahead of schedule to an explosive reaction. Sadly I don't get to write about that, but on the bright side Tomko is finally getting some respect. Last week Angle pushed a bit too far trying to lure Tomko to the Alliance via Karen, only to have Tomko have the audacity to point out that he's married and has a kid. The obvious fear here is that Tomko's distaste for Angle will lead to a reunion of Christian's Coalition and a nine month plot wherein a top stable teases breaking up forever until finally doing so months after the last person stopped caring. I'm not that worried though, as Tomko and Christian splitting and reuniting so far has gone far more organically than the artificially protracted decisions of TNA's traditional splintering teams (see: Live Kru, 3, and Styles, A.J.).

Filters needed to battle child porn

Surprisingly Child Wise has also received calls from child sex offenders who support mandatory ISP filtering stating that this blocking mechanism would have reduced their desire to abuse children. So what could possibly be the arguments against ISP filtering from elements of the ISP industry and extreme civil rights groups. Well they have stated that it may "slow down the internet", "is expensive to use" and the clean feed system which is being used in the United Kingdom has faults, despite blocking access to hundreds of thousands of child pornography images. Do they care more about profits than the protection of children? Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the United Kingdom have ISP-based filters in place blocking child pornography to the majority of Internet users in those countries. Reports show that these filters are very effective, with the UK system operated by British Telecom blocking over 35,000 attempts per day.

From fire to flood, Myer store hit again

About 10.45pm on Wednesday a water main in the lane between the multi-level building at the corner of Murray and Liverpool streets partially burst. Ironically, it is believed a contractor had been relaying part of the fire service main to the Myer Murray St store. About 10cm of water covered the basement which houses the Miss Store and young men's clothing. Hobart Fire Brigade crews pumped water out of the basement and a floor covering company took about 10 hours to clean up before opening time. The store opened at the usual time yesterday with the only evidence a multitude of blower fans drying the area. It is understood some stock was damaged. Myer Hobart store manager Peter Monachetti had no comment. On September 22, the $50 million Liverpool St store fire destroyed the building. The connected Murray St store escaped major damage but required a refit.