If you have 50 kids, some will quit, some won't be strong, but others will be the cream of the chess society," said Altounian, who is considered one of the top 40 chess players in the United States. "The more kids you start with, the more chance you have to win."Chess requires a lot of study and practice, but Altounian still tries to find ways to make the game fun, he said."The real key is to not make it feel like work, but something that comes from the heart," he said. "It has to be a combination of work, fun and being disciplined to do it constantly."Most students need a year to learn and study the game before they see progress, he said."In a year, we'll do the review. Usually, once they put work into it, they start winning," he said. "The hard thing is the initial push to get them motivated to do it on their own."Altounian and Schlossberg agree that there is a correlation between strong chess players and strong students, especially in math."The chess game is basically a battle of the minds.

16th District hopefuls offer fresh perspective

Nearly 4,000 soldiers dead and 30,000 wounded illustrates their sacrifice. Ive seen their faces, flying them into battle and flying them home, sometimes wounded, sometimes fallen. As we enter the fifth year of this war, President Bush continues to ask for more money without offering new ideas about how to bring our brave troops home safely, honorably and soon.

The American people want a new direction in Iraq, yet the president vetoed legislation that contains his own benchmarks for success including troop training, the equipment they need and the care they should be afforded when they come home.

It is clear that Iraq will become stable not through more military operations but through diplomatic ones. Over the last five years America spent $10 billion a month. According to OpEdnews.com, one out of every $100 dollars spent in the U.S.

Tassie firm links atolls to world

THE hope on these young faces is the product of a Tasmanian company helping one of the poorest countries in the Pacific.

Powercom Systems' business manager Malcolm Crosse has worked closely with the people of Kiribati.

Filed under: MilwaukeeBrewers

The Brewers bullpen seems to be improved on paper. Doug Melvin spent a lot of time on that in the offseason signing Riske, Mota, Torres, and the biggest name signing of Gagne. I trust Doug Melvin, I really do, but that doesn't mean that these signings don't make me a little twitchy. All of these guys with the exception of Riske are coming off of seasons that weren't their best. They can't afford the nice house in good condition, so they go for the same size house that is in forclosure down the block. They get it, get in there, and see what the previous owners left and how much work they have to do to it to get it back into a condition they can live with. So far they have had a pretty good track record with their "house flipping ventures." I have my reservations that it will last right now. According to a jsonline.com article, it almost seems like the fact that they didn't have good years last year is what made them so enticing to Melvin.

Panipat fire exposes illegal units

The recent fire in a textile mill in which 10 workers perished has raised several questions about the safety aspect. It is alleged that at the time of incident the main gate of the factory was locked from outside that blocked the escape route to the workers.

The deceased were not even registered under the ESI Act that further proves that how labour laws are not being followed here.

The lackadaisical attitude of the authorities can be gauged from the fact that the factory where work was on till late night is located just a few meters away from the court campus that houses the offices of the deputy commissioner, additional deputy commissioners, SDM and others.

Investigations made by The Tribune revealed that in blatant violations of the rules the entrepreneurs lure the financially weak workers to reside in the factories.

UWIRE live-blogs the Oscars

Our team of bloggers has the scoop from along the red carpet to the couch. Stay tuned here for all the latest updates.

11:25 — Diablo Cody almost gives us a shot of her unmentionables even though no one was waving dollar bills at her. Never mind that, the Hollywood screenwriter with the most badass name just completed her Cinderella story by winning an Oscar.

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We got a call from Jim Twite of Brewster this morning that the Cumberland Farms near Route 28 and Bank Street, AND the Harwich Gas at 435 Route 28, Harwichport next to the 400 Club, are both selling regular for $2.29.

$2.51 at the Citgo near the Christmas Tree Shop in Sagamore.... $2.65 at the Citgo on 28 South in Bourne.... $2.64 at the Citgo on 28A, Bourne/Falmouth line, with $2.89 diesel for all you mothertruckers.

Genentech's Avastin Effective At Treating Breast Cancer, Study Says

FDA's Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee in December 2007 voted 5-4 against recommending that the agency approve marketing for the drug, the Times reports. The advisory panel based its decision on a separate study that found the drug's effectiveness in slowing the progression of the disease did not outweigh its toxic side effects (New York Times, 2/13). Genentech in a statement said it believes that the results of the new study "provide confirmation of Avastin's efficacy and safety in this patient population" (New York Times, 2/13). Hal Barron, Genentech's chief medical officer in a statement said, "We are pleased that a second Phase III study in this population of breast cancer patients showed a significant improvement in progression-free survival." He added, "The trial also demonstrated Avastin's potential with a different chemotherapy in this disease" (Berkrot, Reuters, 2/12).

Official: La. to expand coastal commitment

Louisiana will change the way it addresses coastal restoration and protection issues in the next four years, a state official said recently.

There will also be changes in the short term as Graves and others work to make changes in the fiscal year 2009 annual plan that will go to the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority.