Israel has right answers on profiling air travelers

In July 2001, Richard Reid tried to board an El Al flight toIsrael. The 28-year-old Briton, who later became known as the "shoebomber" for trying to ignite explosives in his sneakers on anAmerican Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, was stopped before hecould get on the Israeli plane. His answers to routine questions fromEl Al security officials made them suspicious. He was detained andsearched because they determined his behavior was erratic. He fit theprofile of a would-be terrorist.

Americans who cherish their civil liberties are reluctant to allowthe type of psychological profiling used by the Israelis to beemployed at U.S. airports; they are nervous about the …

New business valuation publication a unique professional resource

For practitioners, advisors and principals involved in business valuations, acquisitions and divestitures, the new CICA publication The Valuation of Business Interests is a key resource for understanding the practical application of underlying concepts and principles in business valuation and pricing that are critical to success in today's increasingly complex environment.

Over 500 pages and 14 comprehensive chapters, The Valuation of Business Interests offers readers an indepth examination of the underlying principles and concepts of business valuation and pricing where the business owner is intent on satisfying long-term financial objectives. Particular emphasis is placed on the …

Dalton's 4 TDs lead TCU over Air Force 44-10

Another 10-win season for TCU.

Andy Dalton threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores and the No. 15 Horned Frogs' defense mostly smothered Air Force's usually potent rushing attack to win their regular season finale 44-10 Saturday.

TCU (10-2, 7-1 Mountain West) has its fifth 10-win season in seven years. The senior class won its 40th game, matching the 1932-35 TCU squads for the most in a four-year period, with an undetermined bowl still to play.

If not for a 13-10 loss at Utah in their last game 16 days earlier, the Horned Frogs would have been in contention for a spot in the Bowl Championship Series. But they rebounded strong.

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Riveting safety lesson

((PHOTO …

Palestinians: Israeli Attacks Kill 8

JERUSALEM - Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday killed eight Palestinians, including a 12-year-old boy, Palestinians said, the bloodiest fighting in the area since the Hamas militant group violently seized control two weeks ago.

The sudden outburst of violence came as the "Quartet" of Mideast peace mediators was expected to name outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair as its new envoy. A formal announcement was expected later in the day, but Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said Blair had already accepted the post.

"I spoke to him about this on Friday night. I can tell you that's exactly what he's going to do," Ahern told Irish state broadcasters RTE.

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Cruel conmen trick OAPs into handing over pounds1,070

An Elderly couple were fleeced of more than pounds1,000 by a triopretending to be workmen.

One of the conmen marched the 72-year-old woman to a cash point towithdraw money.

He even told the nervous pensioner - whose hip was shattered eightyears ago by a mugger - he was walking her to the cash point forher own safety. He had earlier driven her 80-year-old husband to hisbank branch in Queen's Cross to withdraw pounds400 for garden androof work the conmen promised to carry out but never finished.

Today the couple's son Aberdeenshire councillor Alastair Bews, said: "What they did to my mum and dad was despicable. They have paidpounds1,070 for very little work."

Police are looking for the men who struck at Beechwood Walk in theCornhill area of Aberdeen.

They initially offered to clean moss off the roof but wantedpounds220 up front.

The elderly couple's cash card was with the bank so their daughterdelivered the money to her parents.

The men did a little work but over the next three days offered todo gardening and slabbing for further payments - one of pounds400and two each of pounds250.

Alastair, a self employed accountant from Portlethen, said: "Theywere very plausible in the beginning and won my parents' trust."

Alastair himself had handed over one of the payments of pounds250.He said his father was driven to his bank branch at Queen's Cross todraw out pounds400.

By this time he and his sister were becoming suspicious and warnedthe men not to take any more money from the parents until the workwas complete.

But a short time later her elderly mum - whose card had beenreturned to her - was marched to an ATM in Foresterhill Road andtold to withdraw pounds250. She could only get pounds200 which shehanded over to the workman.

Alastair said: "My mum told one of the men she was nervous becauseshe had been mugged and he said he would go with her to the cashpoint so that she wouldn't be mugged again. It is disgusting."

The men were driving white M and W registered vans.

One of the men is in his mid to late 20s with scars on his faceand stomach.

Police say the two other men were similar in appearance, in theirlate twenties to early 30s, slim with dark hair and unshaven.

Police are still trying to trace the men.

smcdonald@ajl.co.uk

Croatia counts on Eduardo Da Silva vs. Andorra

Croatia coach Slaven Bilic included Eduardo Da Silva in the squad for next month's World Cup qualifier against Andorra, even though the Arsenal striker picked up an injury again last week after returning from a yearlong recovery.

Bilic said Eduardo's latest injury "was minor after all," and hopes to see the Brazilian-born striker return to the national team after missing the previous World Cup qualifiers while recovering from a broken leg following a tackle last February.

However, Bilic will be without striker Mladen Petric, who is out for at least three weeks after rupturing a muscle on Sunday playing for Hamburg in the Bundesliga.

Bilic gave Hajduk Split midfielder Drago Gabric his first call-up, saying he deserved a spot after a number of strong displays in the national league.

Bilic said the match against Andorra, the team's first after five months, will be "unpleasant, because of long travel and bad field."

"But we're interested only and solely at winning that duel," he said.

Croatia, which plays leader England by five points in Group 6, plays Andorra away on April 1.

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Squad:

Goalkeepers: Stipe Pletikosa (Spartak Moscow), Vedran Runje (Lens), Danijel Subasic (Hajduk Split)

Defenders: Vedran Corluka (Tottenham), Josip Simunic (Hertha Berlin), Dario Knezevic (Juventus), Hrvoje Vejic (Hajduk Split), Danijel Pranjic (SC Heerenveen), Ivica Krizanac (Zenit St. Petersburg), Dino Drpic (Karlsruhe)

Midfielders: Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Luka Modric (Tottenham), Jerko Leko (Monaco), Ivan Rakitic (Schalke), Ognjen Vukojevic (Dynamo Kiev), Nikola Pokrivac (Monaco), Niko Kranjcar (Portsmouth), Hrvoje Cale (Trabzonspor), Ivan Juric (Genoa), Drago Gabric (Hajduk Split).

Forwards: Eduardo Da Silva (Arsenal), Ivica Olic (Hamburger SV), Ivan Klasnic (Nantes), Nikola Kalinic (Hajduk Split), Mario Mandzukic (Dinamo Zagreb).