Women's World Cup Slalom Results

Results Sunday from a women's World Cup slalom race on the Ofterschwang course (run times in parentheses):

1. Marlies Schild, Austria, 1 minute, 40.85 seconds (48.39-52.46).

2. Therese Borssen, Sweden, 1:41.27 (49.51-51.76).

3. Nicole Hosp, Austria, 1:41.36 (49.71-51.65).

4. Veronika Zuzulova, Slovakia, 1:41.39 (49.25-52.14).

5. Tanja Poutiainen, Finland, 1:41.45 (49.34-52.11).

6. Chiara Costazza, Italy, 1:41.50 (49.82-51.68).

7. Sarka Zahrobska, Czech Republic, 1:41.54 (49.51-52.03).

8. Maria Riesch, Germany, 1:41.88 (49.73-52.15).

9. Sandra Gini, Switzerland, 1:41.99 (49.82-52.17).

(tie) Monika Bergmann, Germany, 1:41.99 (50.29-51.70).

11. Maria Pietilae-Holmner, Sweden, 1:42.88 (50.66-52.22).

12. Kathrin Zettel, Austria, 1:42.90 (50.26-52.64).

13. Nina Loeseth, Norway, 1:42.95 (50.69-52.26).

14. Claire Dautherives, France, 1:43.02 (50.73-52.29).

15. Kathrin Hoelzl, Germany, 1:43.18 (51.01-52.17).

16. Sandrine Aubert, France, 1:43.22 (51.57-51.65).

17. Marina Nigg, Liechtenstein, 1:43.32 (51.56-51.76).

18. Fanny Chmelar, Germany, 1:43.72 (51.51-52.21).

19. Frida Hansdotter, Sweden, 1:44.08 (50.50-53.58)

20. Anne Maria Mueller, Norway, 1:44.12 (51.88-52.24).

21. Carolin Fernsebner, Germany, 1:44.24 (51.42-52.82).

22. Nika Fleiss, Croatia, 1:44.38 (51.82-52.56).

23. Marusa Ferk, Slovenia, 1:44.39 (51.45-52.94).

24. Anna Goodman, Canada, 1:44.41 (51.68-52.73).

25. Eva Kurfuerstova, Czech Republic, 1:44.90 (51.90-53.00).

26. Nicole Gius, Italy, 1:49.21 (50.57-58.64)

27. Ana Jelusic, Croatia, 1:56.59 (49.55-1:07.04).

Did Not Finish Second Run

Susanne Riesch, Germany; Manuela Moelgg, Italy;

Disqualified For Second Run

Florine De Leymarie, France

___

Slalom World Cup Standings

(After 7 races)

1. Nicole Hosp, Austria, 465 points.

2. Marlies Schild, Austria, 460.

3. Veronika Zuzulova, Slovakia, 361.

4. Tanja Poutiainen, Finland, 352.

5. Sarka Zahrobska, Czech Republic, 292.

6. Therese Borssen, Sweden, 274.

7. Chiara Costazza, Italy, 265.

8. Maria Riesch, Germany, 249.

9. Kathrin Zettel, Austria, 142.

10. Ana Jelusic, Croatia, 135.

Overall World Cup Standings

(After 23 races)

1. Nicole Hosp, Austria, 899 points.

2. Lindsey Vonn, United States, 773.

3. Marlies Schild, Austria, 751.

4. Maria Riesch, Germany, 745.

5. Julia Mancuso, United States, 703.

6. Elisabeth Goergl, Austria, 651.

7. Denise Karbon, Italy, 619.

8. Anja Paerson, Sweden, 616.

9. Tanja Poutiainen, Finland, 604.

10. Renate Goetschl, Austria, 411.

11. Britt Janyk, Cannada, 406.

12. Kathrin Zettel, Austria, 388.

13. Sarka Zahrobska, Czech Republic, 387.

14. Ingrid Jacquemod, France, 377.

15. Veronika Zuzulova, Slovakia, 371.

BMW sells Formula 1 team to Peter Sauber

German car maker BMW has agreed to sell its Formula One team to previous owner Peter Sauber, provided the team gets a place on the grid next season.

BMW announced in July that it would pull out of Formula One at the end of the season, citing the global economic downturn. The company said Friday that a previous agreement to sell the team to Qadbak Investments has been annulled.

"I'm the sole investor right now," Sauber told reporters at the team's base in Hinwil, Switzerland.

The 66-year-old owner said he planned to lead the team for just one season then find a successor.

Sauber said he was "very confident" that the FIA governing body would find a place on the grid for the team, which would use Ferrari engines.

The number of team employees will be cut from 388 to about 250, BMW said.

"That is not an enjoyable solution, but the best one available," Mario Theissen, BMW motor sports director, said.

BMW acquired a majority stake in Sauber in 2005.

"Our relationship with Peter Sauber has always been excellent and marked by absolute respect. We would like to express our thanks to Peter Sauber and the whole team for the excellent cooperation during the recent four years," BMW's development chief Klaus Draeger said.

BMW finished sixth in the constructors' championship last season. Its drivers were Nick Heidfeld of Germany and Robert Kubica of Poland.

Kubica has gone to Renault, while Heidfeld is without a team.

Bungled edit or change in policy?

Changes on White House Web site irk LGBTs

It's a little like President Obama's controversy last month over whether he bowed to a Saudi king or just "bent over" unusually far to shake this hand. But the latest controversy involves whether the White House intentionally removed progay language from its Web site in order to re-couch the president's intentions on gays in the military.

The Obama White House included the president's commitment to repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell when it first booted up its own version of whitehouse.gov after the inauguration. Many gay activists were pleasantly surprised at that time, in January, to see such a prominent inclusion of LGBT issues.

But blogger Joe Jervis of JoeMyGod. com discovered last week that the LGBT information had been pared back significantly and spread the word. Soon thereafter, the Web site put back some of the information it had cut. But, more troubling, noticed blogger John Aravosis at AmericaBlog. com the language on the DADT policy had gone from stating President Obama's commitment to "repealing" the policy to saying the President "supports changing Don't Ask, Don't Tell in a sensible way that strengthens our armed forces and our national security."

For a president who clearly chooses his words very carefully, the edit job prompted red flags in many quarters.

Aravosis said many people he talked to saw that as a "backward step" on the president's promise. Kevin Nix, communications director for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, said that group was "confused" about the change.

"Words matter," wrote Nix on the group's blog, "and these two words ('repealing' and 'changing') on this particular subject have dramatically different implications for gay and lesbian servicemembers."

Nix said SLDN Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis contacted the White House about the change but got the "standard e-mailed response about the site being revamped."

"If the White House is still in favor of 'repealing' Don't Ask Don't Tell, albeit in a 'sensible way' - and we're happy to take them at their word - then say just that," said Aravois. "Change 'change' to 'repeal' and be done with it."

White House spokesman Shin Inouye told this reporter that the administration was simply updating its Web site and that the president is still committed to repealing the policy. And, as of May 4, the Web site was back to saying "repeal," instead of change.

To be exact, it says the president "supports repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell in a sensible way."

"Like any Web site, there's periodic changes," said Inouye. The White House "did overhaul" its Web site - every page, not just the page on Civil Rights, he said.

"But the president hasn't changed his position at all" on Don't Ask, Don't Tell, said Inouye, "and any suggestions otherwise are just wrong."

[Sidebar]

For a president who clearly chooses his words very carefully, the edit job prompted red flags in many quarters.

Police and courts

Charleston boy killed in car wreck in Ky.

A 4-year-old Charleston boy was killed in a car crash on icyInterstate 64 in Kentucky.

Kentucky State Police say Dominick Michael Uslin was pronounceddead at Kings Daughters Medical Center in Ashland soon after thecrash.

Dominick and his 1-year-old sister, Isabella Uslin, weretraveling west on Interstate 64 in Carter County, Ky., with theirmother, Emily Westerman, and their stepfather, Paul Westerman,Friday morning, police said.

Emily Westerman, 32, was driving the Ford F-150 truck when shelost control of the vehicle on the slick roads, according to a newsrelease from the Kentucky State Police. Just after 8:30 …

July Murder Toll Increases to 97

The murder toll for the deadliest July in Chicago history wasincreased Monday to 97.

Although July was the worst month so far this year, the yearlymurder total through Monday morning was 75 behind the same periodlast year.

The old record for July was set in 1973, when 93 murders werereported.

The 97th July victim was Melvin Clay, 32, of the 900 block ofNorth Willard Court. He was shot in the chest Saturday night as hesat in his van at a traffic light in the 100 block of North Kedzie.A passenger was wounded.

The 96th victim was Terron Jackson, 23, of the 5000 block ofSouth Michigan. He was driving his car in the 600 block of East 37thStreet Saturday when a group of men forced their way into his car.He was shot in the head during the struggle.

Police had no suspects in custody Monday in either shooting.

The carnage for July makes it one of the seven deadliest monthsin Chicago history. The worst month was August, 1991, with 121homicides.

2012? We are all doomed

While we partially insulated residents of Bath tinker at theedges of our discontent, is there not a much larger rumbling goingon around us? The year 2012, according to past soothsayers, hasenormous consequences for the human race worldwide.

Should we be concerning ourselves as to whether Pulteney Bridgebe free of traffic or not, as another revolution springs up in yetanother Middle Eastern dictatorship? Is there really any point,debating the importance or otherwise of a contentious bus route fromNewbridge as Al Qaeda and the Taliban seem as elusive as ever? Do weneed to concern ourselves watching bland blocks of Eastern Europeanstyle dwellings go up on our beautiful riverside, as Israel, withthe blessing of the United States, ignores the dictat of the UnitedNations and constructs thousands of houses on others land.

Is it that important in our daily lives, that Bath is to have yetmore Sainsbury's superstores, a much larger Waitrose, and a hugeTesco, knowing there are vast swathes of humanity unable to get justa loaf of bread? Why the trepidation at the loss of thousands of MODjobs, and the closure of a factory in Keynsham, knowing that some 70per cent of the populations of North Africa and Middle Easterncountries are unemployed or below the poverty line? Does it worry usin our little Georgian enclave which political party wins control inMay, as an anti-Islamist movement is quickly swelling in Austria andGermany? If, as predicted by some, May or December of next year seesthe world as we know it come to an end, with Islam, Judaism andChristianity at each others throats, forcing the demise of theUnited States, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Great Britain andmost of Western Europe, followed by mans final war, I can't see thepoint in spending millions just to get me from Newbridge to the citycentre two minutes quicker.

DAVE LAMING Larkhall, Bath

Let's do brunch Choices aplenty for Easter Sunday

Hop to it; time is running out. The only brunch of the year thatis more popular than Easter is Mother's Day, so just in case yourwell of ideas about where to go has dried up, here are a fewsuggestions.

All the caveats are in place. Call for reservations; verify thehours and prices. Tax and gratuity are not included in the pricesunless otherwise noted. I bring this up because all I know is whatthe restaurants tell me, and specifics can always change at the lastminute.

Wyndham Hotel Northwest Chicago, 400 Park, Itasca (630-773-4000, ext. 1482). The word that comes to mind when I think about the brunchat the Wyndham is "heroic." This brunch is a behemoth that …