Albany Times Union (Albany, NY) back issues from August 2004:
LIVING A NEW FREEDOM SUMMER.(MAIN)
Aug 01, 2004 ... TUSKEGEE, Ala. -- The Greyhound bus lumbers to a stop at a row of tiny brick homes, and a bespectacled, bow-legged man rises. He turns around and speaks into a microphone, addressing his young volunteers. His name is Ben Chaney. He is 51 years old and visibly discouraged. His lifelong ...
IRAQ POW DEATH REMAINS A MYSTERY.(MAIN)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Always, there was the heat. Steaming like a cauldron at 125 during the day, parboiling at 90 after dark. Enough to induce around-the-clock anger and misery. Enough to set anyone on edge. No one wanted to be at this god-awful place, not the U.S. Marines who were the guards and ...
BISHOP URGES ACTION ON SUDAN.(MAIN)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: PEGGY POLK Religion News Service VATICAN CITY Accusing the Khartoum government of failing to keep its promises, the Catholic bishop who oversees Darfur has called for intensified international pressure on Sudan to halt Arab militia attacks on African Sudanese. ...
SHRIMP COST JUMP UNLIKELY.(MAIN)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: CAIN BURDEAU Associated Press NEW ORLEANS -- If you love shrimp, don't fret just yet: Restaurant prices most likely won't be going up overnight after the Bush administration proposed tariffs on shrimp imports. Several restaurant chains said they do not expect ...
U.S. GUN BUYS IRK RUSSIANS.(MAIN)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: ALEX NICHOLSON Associated Press MOSCOW -- The Kalashnikov, like vodka, seems quintessentially Russian. But, as with vodka, plenty of other countries make versions of the assault rifle, and Russia's arms export agency isn't flattered. It doesn't help that the ...
LINKS OF DESIGN TO DEVOTION EYED.(MAIN)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: KEN KUSMER Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ind. -- Why is it that the arches and open spaces of a cathedral inspire faith, yet so does the comfort and familiarity of a small country chapel? The connection between design and devotion is under study by a group of ...
OLD CIA SPIES TAKE ON A CURRENT CRISIS.(BOOKS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Charles McCarry was a CIA undercover agent during the 1950s. In the 1970s, he began writing a distinguished series of novels featuring CIA operative Paul Christopher. In McCarry's classic ``The Tears of Autumn,'' published in 1975, Christopher discovers who planned the assassination of ...
COMPETITIVE POKER WILL DEAL YOU IN BY ANDREA SACHS WASHINGTON POST.(TRAVEL)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Poker is making its way out of smoky back rooms and private casino dens and is hitting the travel circuit in a big-money way. And it's not just Vegas anymore, baby. Try Connecticut, Paris, a Caribbean cruise -- and with TV coverage, fat bags of cash and Angie Dickinson. If you know when to ...
HARDCOVER NONFICTION.(BOOKS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... MY LIFE, by Bill Clinton. From Hope, Ark., to the White House: the autobiography of the 42nd president. 14 SHADOW DIVERS, by Robert Kurson. The story of a group of divers who in 1991, 60 miles off the coast of New Jersey, discovered the wreckage of a World War II-era German U-boat. 43 ...
IRISH CLAN NOT USUAL GABBY LOT BY CAROLE GOLDBERG.(BOOKS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Every dysfunctional family is dysfunctional in its own way, Tolstoy once wrote -- sort of. And he had not even read about the McLaughlin clan of Ann Napolitano's interesting debut novel, ``Within Arm's Reach'' (Shaye Areheart/Crown; 320 pages; $23). Napolitano has ...
FLASH READING AN OPEN AND SHUT CASE OF HOW NOT TO REVIEW A BOOK BY JEROME WEEKS.(BOOKS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... When a book becomes a front-page ``event,'' its reviews are akin to news photos. They're snapshots of book critics chasing after insights. Needless to say, this isn't an admired innovation in reviewing. A book's release can become a news event when, as with Bill Clinton's ``My ...
CONJURING A LANDSCAPE OF PARANOIA BY CARLO WOLFF.(BOOKS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Essayist, naturalist and novelist Barry Lopez presses his first two areas of expertise into powerful service of the third in ``Resistance,'' a dynamic, remarkable meditation on engagement. Written in the shadow of Sept. 11, its nine ``faux'' memoirs cover rich emotional and ...
THE BALLAD OF WOODY GUTHRIE `RAMBLIN' MAN' BIOGRAPHY SHINES NEW LIGHT ON A HARD LIFE BY MICHAEL ECK.(BOOKS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... A legend is an oversized suit that's always larger than the life at its core. But Woody Guthrie wears it well: hard-traveling, hand-carved balladeer; poet of the people; champion of the working man; bottomless well of creativity. Guthrie was all of those things, and something ...
INN OFFERS A THEATER PACKAGE.(TRAVEL)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: SHANNON FROMMA Staff writer Anton Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" is the last production at this year's Williamstown Theatre Festival in Williamstown, Mass. It runs from Aug. 11 to 22. The Porches Inn in nearby North Adams, Mass., is offering a special package that ...
U.S. CUSTOMS REACTS TO FOREIGN VISITORS' COMPLAINTS.(TRAVEL)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: ALAN COWELL New York Times Journalists handcuffed, thrown into cells and deported; legislators harassed by incompetent officials. Such images usually conjure thoughts of dark deeds in distant dictatorships. But episodes like those have come to symbolize the ...
BUENOS AIRES BOASTS A LOT.(TRAVEL)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Buenos Aires, home of the sultry tango, is often referred to as the ``Paris of the South'' for its architecture as well as its sophistication. The city boasts a vibrant nightlife, wonderful shopping, excellent restaurants and majestic landscapes. Iguassu Falls, with 275 ...
HILLS OF VERMONT BUSY IN SUMMER.(TRAVEL)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: TATIANA BONCOMPAGNI New York Times Deverell Smith's red turtleneck and nylon pants were splattered with mud and his hands were shaking from the cold, but his smile couldn't have been any wider. ``It's awesome,'' Smith, 26, a Manhattan architect, said of his first trip ...
AMTRAK REQUIRES RESERVATIONS.(TRAVEL)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: New York Times Amtrak has announced that from Aug. 28 to Sept. 2, it will require passengers to make reservations on nearly all its trains that serve New York City. The change is part of security precautions for the Republican National Convention in Madison Square ...
CASTLE CRAWL A FAR CORNER OF IRELAND OFFERS A LANDSCAPE OF RUGGED BEAUTY AND ANCIENT HISTORY.(TRAVEL-BOOKS)(Travel narrative)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: MICHAEL LARABEE Staff writer My trip began with Three Castle Head, where it's easy to imagine you've stumbled 800 years into the past, when the stone towers there were pieced together by hard people at the end of the world. I ended it at Bunratty Castle in the company of ...
JUST FOR KIDS.(TRAVEL-BOOKS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Hey, kids, want to read an exciting story of survival and bravery and discuss it with other young readers? The Kids Times Union book club is reading ``Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World'' (Crown Publishers, $12.95, 134 pages), the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his ...
A DEMOCRATIC VOICE THAT WON'T BE STILLED.(TRAVEL-BOOKS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: PAUL GRONDAHL Staff writer Twenty years after Gov. Mario M. Cuomo electrified the Democratic National Convention in San Francisco with his ``A Tale of Two Cities'' keynote speech, he's sitting out this year's gathering in Boston. He's just too busy, the most ...
LANDSCAPIST MASTERS DIFFICULT MEDIUM.(ARTS-EVENTS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: TIMOTHY CAHILL Staff writer ALBANY -- Robert Moylan has been a mainstay on the regional art scene since the 1980s. His landscapes of Washington County have a faithful following, and his resume shows he has been supporting himself as an artist since 1993. It ...
MUSICAL `DRACULA' NOW IN PREVIEWS.(ARTS-EVENTS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: Associated Press NEW YORK -- Broadway ticket availability and capsule reviews of shows follows. Unless otherwise noted, tickets are available at the theaters' box offices for the shows listed. ``AFTER THE FALL.'' Peter Krause and Carla Gugino star in a ...
TANGLEWOOD GAINS PLAYER-COMPOSER BAND.(ARTS-EVENTS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: JOSEPH DALTON Staff writer Since the days of Koussevitzky and Copland, Tanglewood has done right by composers. The Tanglewood Music Center -- the official name of the educational wing of the Boston Symphony's summer home in Lenox, Mass. -- has generally kept up with the ...
PLAYERS CAN BECOME A VIRTUAL HEF.(ARTS-EVENTS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: Associated Press Carmen Electra will RSVP for your party if you push the right buttons. Average Joes and Janes will be able to digitally mingle among celebs such as Electra and Tom Arnold when the ``Playboy: The Mansion'' video game hits stores this winter. ...
SHABBY STAGING DOES REGIONAL A DISSERVICE.(ARTS-EVENTS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: TIMOTHY CAHILL Staff writer There is this year, as every year, work to praise in the current Mohawk-Hudson Regional art exhibition. Unfortunately, the art isn't the first thing you think about when you go there. The Schenectady Museum, in presenting the year's ...
OFF THE CHARTS MAPS AND THEIR MYRIAD MEANINGS INSPIRE ARTISTS IN WIDELY DIVERGENT WAYS.(ARTS-EVENTS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: JOSEPH DALTON Staff writer It may be a given that the Earth's oceans and rivers, islands and continents are fully mapped, but artists are proving there's still plenty left to explore. As visually appealing objects and as rich symbols of both nature and human culture, ...
FOOTBALL DOORSTOP SCORES BIG AT AUCTION BY RALPH AND TERRY KOVEL KING FEATURES SYNDICATE.(HOUSE-HOME)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Sports collectibles are very popular, and prices for iron doorstops have been going up since the 1980s, but it was still surprising that a football player doorstop brought $16,500 at a recent auction. There are at least five different golfer doorstops, a skier and a horseback ...
DIGITAL CAMERA OFFERS FRESH VIEW OF FAMILY.(HOUSE-HOME)
Aug 01, 2004 ... DEAR HELOISE: My mother has three kids, lots of grandkids and now quite a few great-grandchildren. She wanted a new camera so she could get pictures of all of her family. I bought her a digital camera, a small one she can carry easily in her purse. But before I gave it to her, ...
IN PRAISE OF STAIN-BUSTING PATTY S.(HOUSE-HOME)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: LEEF SMITH The Washington Post In our home love is both blind and clumsy. Recently my fiance, Paul, spilled an entire glass of red wine on our new beige slipcovered sofa. I tried fizzy water. I tried Morton's. I tried prayer. The result was a salty couch cushion that ...
COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SEEKS MASTER GARDENERS.(HOUSE-HOME)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Cornell Cooperative Extension, Schenectady County, is looking for individuals interested in becoming master gardener volunteers. Volunteers support and multiply Cornell Cooperative Extension's educational efforts in the area of community horticulture. To ...
WOOD FLOOR FINESSE CAN VARY WITH FINISH.(HOUSE-HOME)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: JAMES KIDD Special to the Times Union When it comes to refinishing a wood floor, most people go straight for polyurethane. Polyurethane is used on more than 90 percent of wood floors today. Its durable, easy-to-apply finish stands up to water and stains, making it an ...
WATERFORD: LOCKS, CANALS AND HISTORY.(HOUSE-HOME)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: FRANCES INGRAHAM HEINS Staff writer The village of Waterford is situated at the confluence of the Hudson and Mohawk rivers and is the gateway to the Erie and Champlain canal systems. Boats are raised and lowered 169 feet (the largest lift in the shortest ...
PERENNIAL WINNERS BLACK-EYED SUSANS AND THEIR COUSINS ARE FAMILIAR SUMMER FRIENDS.(HOUSE-HOME)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: NANCY O'DONNELL Special to the Times Union Rudbeckias -- we know them as black-eyed Susans, Gloriosa Daisies and orange coneflowers. From the roadside to the perennial garden, these beauties are in full bloom and have no intention of fizzling out anytime soon. ...
A NORWEGIAN ICON KEEPS TRENDY HUDSON HOT BY WILLIAM M. DOWD ASSOCIATE EDITOR.(LIFE-TODAY)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Saratoga Springs and Hudson are roughly equidistant from downtown Albany. Saratoga Springs has horse tracks, video gaming, museums, good restaurants and a lot of history. Hudson's past included a seedy reputation as the place to go for illicit companionship and ...
WHOLE NEW FLOCK OF FANS NOW HAVE FAITH IN VENUE.(LIFE-TODAY)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: BOB SMIETANA Religion News Service Stop by a typical church on a weekday night and you might find an Alcoholics Anonymous group or Boy Scout troop meeting there. At Faithful Central Bible Church, you just might find Madonna. That's because Faithful Central is ...
PEDAL POWER MIKE VINSON NUDGES SOULS, AND FIXES BIKES, ON THE INNER-CITY STREETS OF THE CAPITAL REGION.(LIFE-TODAY)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: STEPHANIE EARLS Staff writer The bike man wears all black. He stands for hours and hours on the bed of a black truck, above the heat-soaked asphalt. He does not get uncomfortable, and not even a little bit cranky, when the afternoon sun beats down on him like a thousand ...
ON BOBSLED RUN, SHE'S CRUISING FOR A BRUISING.(LIFE-TODAY)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: RUTH FANTASIA Food and Home editor The timpani drums pounded beneath me. Bum-bum, bum-bum, bum-bum, bum-bum. They were followed by the familiar trumpet blasts of the Olympic theme. I stood perched 26 stories above the ground at the ...
CANINE COMPANION CAN HELP PUP'S OBSESSIVE LICKING.(LIFE-TODAY)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: DR. MICHAEL FOX United Features Syndicate DEAR DR. FOX: My husband and I have a 6-month-old Shetland sheepdog. She is always licking our hands, faces, arms, legs, feet. How do we get her to stop? -- B.H., N.D. DEAR B.H.: Your Sheltie is suffering from an ...
`TERROR' INTERCHANGEABLE WITH `TERRORISM'.(LIFE-TODAY)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: BARBARA WALLRAFF King Features DEAR BARBARA WALLRAFF: When and why did the media start saying terror instead of terrorism? My guess is that the change was made because President Bush couldn't say terrorism.-- Don Herzberg, of Sharon, Vt. DEAR DON: Now, there's a wild ...
MAN, OH, MAN THAT'S SUCH A LOT OF TALK ABOUT CEREAL.(LIFE-TODAY)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: DAVE BARRY I have received a disturbing letter from Mr. Frank J. Phillips, who describes himself as both a patriot and a Latin teacher. I didn't realize we still had Latin teachers, but I'm glad we do, because contrary to what you think (and as a member of ...
BARBIE'S NEW BEAU SUCH A DOLL.(LIFE-TODAY)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: DUSTIN J. SEIBERT Cincinnati Enquirer Barbie's got a new boy toy. His name is Blaine, and he's replacing longtime boyfriend Ken after the surprise ending of Ken and Barbie's 43-year relationship in February. Blaine's welcome isn't especially warm among ...
FOR THE RECORD B.(BUSINESS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... UILDING LOANS Albany County Lender: First Niagara Funding Inc. Borrower: Columbia 90 Associates LLC Location: 711 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham Purpose: NA Amount: $12,000,000 Recorded: July 14 Saratoga County Lender: HSBC Realty Credit Corp. Borrower: RSPJ Holding Co. LLC Location: 10 ...
NEW AIRLINE WORKS TO FILL SEATS.(BUSINESS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: BARBARA De LOLLIS and MARILYN ADAMS USA Today While the nation's newest low-fare carrier, Independence Air, struggles to fill seats, mid-Atlantic-area travelers are enjoying cheaper fares to many cities this summer. Fliers trying the carrier's 50-seat jets are ...
RITE AID ABOUT TO GET BIGGER.(BUSINESS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: MARC LEVY Associated Press CAMP HILL, Pa. -- Expansion, which once threatened Rite Aid Corp.'s existence, is back on the drugstore chain's agenda. Having spent the past five years recovering from an accounting scandal that put its former CEO and other ...
CALENDAR.(BUSINESS)(Calendar)
Aug 01, 2004 ... MONDAY MEETINGS Albany Chapter, Graphic Artists Guild WHERE: Room 101, Campus Center, Sage College, 140 New Scotland Ave., Albany WHEN: 6 p.m. COST: Free CONTACT: 800-406-1689 or go to http://albany.gag.org NOTES: The meeting is open to the public. TUESDAY MEETINGS ...
BANKRUPTCIES.(BUSINESS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Name: Racquet Club of East Greenbush Address: 590 Columbia Tpke., East Greenbush 12061 Total assets: NA Total liabilities: NA 3 largest creditors: Atlantic National Trust LLC, Rochester -- $922,905 George Whitbeck, East Greenbush -- $400,000 Paul Macari, ...
CORPORATIONS.(BUSINESS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... The following companies in the Capital Region have filed corporate registration papers with the state Department of State: Adirondack Paving LLC, Box 4366, Saratoga Springs 12866 Saratoga Bio-Gas LLC, 101 S. Main Ave., Albany 12208 Sixsuns Holdings LLC, 241 Millbrook Road, Box ...
ON THE MOVE.(BUSINESS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... FINANCIALTeal, Becker & Chiaramonte CPAs P.C. Kevin Kelleher Jr. of Watervliet joined the Colonie certified public accounting firm as a staff accountant. HEALTH CARENortheast Health Dr. Catherine North of East Greenbush joined the Troy-based regional health care network's ...
PLANT CLOSING TRIGGERS LAWSUIT.(BUSINESS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: ALAN WECHSLER Business writer Fort Edward Rumors had been swirling for days, but the announcement everyone dreaded finally came on July 11, 2002, at the Decora Industries Inc. plant in Fort Edward. More than 100 workers filed into the company cafeteria that ...
BIG BET ON KMART PAYS OFF BUT FUTURE IS UNCERTAIN.(BUSINESS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: BECKY YERAK Knight Ridder CHICAGO -- June was a wheeling-and-dealing kind of month for Kmart Holding Corp. Chairman Edward Lampert. In two separate deals, his discount chain sold 78 stores to Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Home Depot Inc. for nearly $1 billion. ...
A MOHAWK MYSTERY.(BUSINESS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... In May, Benderson Development Co. flipped Mohawk Commons in Niskayuna for $3.5 million, according to a deed filed with the county. Sounds like a steal -- especially considering that four years earlier, Benderson and a fellow Buffalo-area company paid $9.5 million for the ...
NETWORKING WITHSTANDS TEST OF TIME.(BUSINESS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: HARVEY MACKAY For years, I've had a plaque on the wall of my office that reads: ``Pray for a good harvest ... but keep on hoeing!'' I looked at that so many times, it's permanently burned into my memory. Some people still use the old Rolodex file, but most ...
MY OTHER LIFE.(BUSINESS)
Aug 01, 2004 ... WHO: Edwin Tobin Jr. AGE: 41 REAL JOB: Partner, Maynard, O'Connor, Smith & Catalinotto LLP, an Albany law firm PASSION OUTSIDE WORK: Renovating a 1780s farmhouse using period fixtures and craftsmanship. Tobin grew up in Albany, surrounded by a very small yard; his wife, ...
STATE ORDERS LOW PROFILE FOR WATER WITH NICOTINE.(CAPITAL REGION)
Aug 01, 2004 ... ALBANY -- Starting next year, retailers offering nicotine-enhanced water will have to keep the beverages behind the counter and adhere to the other restrictions applying to the sale of cigarettes and cigars in New York state. By barring sale of the beverages to youths under age ...
THIN LINE STANDS AGAINST ADIRONDACK INVADERS.(CAPITAL REGION)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: MARY ESCH Associated Press KEENE VALLEY -- Fat, red-speckled shoots of Japanese knotweed, like a forest of blood-spattered asparagus spears, emerge each April from a mound of dead canes to form a jungle of 10-foot-tall plants. Their rhizomes spread underground ...
CONVENTION HURT BOSTON BUSINESSES.(CAPITAL REGION)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: ERIKA ROSENBERG Gannett News Service BOSTON -- Business wasn't what many expected at the Democratic National Convention last week, but New York City officials say the GOP gathering there in late August won't be the same disappointment. As 35,000 Democrats and ...
EX-POLICEMAN FACING CHARGES AFTER BLAST.(CAPITAL REGION)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN Associated Press NEW YORK -- The former police officer who said he found a flaming backpack that exploded in a Times Square subway station has been arrested in connection with the incident, police said Saturday. Detectives arrested Joseph ...
ARCHAEOLOGISTS TAKING THE PLUNGE TO EXPLORE PAST.(CAPITAL REGION)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: MICHAEL HILL Associated Press CROTON-ON-HUDSON -- It was tough digging for archaeology students Erin Head and Matt Napolitano. Cold seeped through their wet suits. Scooping up the submerged muck roiled the water like stirred coffee. And the visibility beyond ...
TRASH FIRE DISRUPTS RACE-SEASON SCENE.(CAPITAL REGION)
Aug 01, 2004 ... SARATOGA SPRINGS -- A fire in a second-floor garbage can in a building on the corner of Broadway and Phila Street disrupted the packed downtown summer scene Saturday night as emergency workers shut down part of Broadway and closed the sidewalks at the busy corner. The building ...
PANEL LOOKS AT LIBERTY COSTS.(CAPITAL REGION)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: Associated Press NEW YORK -- Congressional investigators have raised concerns about expenses incurred by the Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, including high salaries for the charity's executives and $45,000 a year for a dog to chase geese away on the islands. ...
HONEYWELL FACES $2.33B POLLUTION BILL.(CAPITAL REGION)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: Associated Press SYRACUSE -- Honeywell International may have to pay as much as $2.33 billion over 17 years to clean up mercury it dumped into Onondaga Lake over several decades, according to a state report released Friday. The state Department of ...
BOATER CHARGED IN WRECK.(CAPITAL REGION)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: RICK KARLIN Staff writer An early morning collision on Saratoga Lake on Saturday sent one woman to the hospital and another to court facing charges of drunken boating. The watery wreck occurred just south of Snake Hill Point at approximately 12:30 a.m., when ...
BLESSING NOTES END OF CATHEDRAL PHASE.(CAPITAL REGION)
Aug 01, 2004 ... ALBANY -- The first phase of a multimillion-dollar project to restore the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception will be completed on Monday with the capping off of the north tower. A hand-carved, 400-pound finial will be placed on top of the 210-foot steeple, along with a bronze cross to ...
FIREFIGHTER IS DOG'S BEST FRIEND.(CAPITAL REGION)
Aug 01, 2004 ... Byline: MATT PACENZA Staff writer What does a firefighter bring with him before he scrambles up a steep, rocky gorge to rescue a trapped dog? Helmet: check. Rope: check. Harness: check. A steak and a hotdog: check. ``I took a little something to bribe him ...