| Penn State prof dies in campus pool
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- A Penn State professor has died in a campus pool. Sixty-eight-year-old Michael Rothkopf was taking a break during a swim at McCoy Natatorium yesterday when lifeguards noticed his face had turned toward the water. University acquatics director Tom Griffiths says staff tried to revive Mr. Rothkopf. An ambulance then took him to Mount Nittany Medical Center. He was pronounced dead about an hour later. The county coroner says Mr. Rothkopf likely had a heart attack. Mr. Rothkopf arrived at Penn State in the fall and was a professor of supply chain and information systems. He previously taught at Rutgers and the University of California, Berkeley. .
Maoists in Nepal Accused of Fomenting Political Crisis
With national Constituent Assembly (C.A.) elections due on April 10, the Maoists have been sending chilling messages around the country that they will seize power if they do not win, according to local media reports. Leading national newspapers have become critical of the Maoists' "non-competitive" style of doing politics, saying it is a return to the tactics they adopted during their decade-long insurgency of 1996-2006. Despite joining mainstream politics and the government in 2007, Maoist leaders have failed to deliver on their promise to abide by normal, competitive politics, according to local independent analysts. Maoists 'Acting Like Rebels' "The Maoists are still acting like rebels and not like a responsible political group. Their leaders are members of parliament but cannot control their own party members who disrespect the rule of law," said Pyakhurel.
Road Test Suzuki XL-7 Crossover Expands on GM Model
Over the past few years, Suzuki Motor Corp. has been putting its name on a host of vehicles that are manufactured by other auto makers. Three of the seven models the Japanese auto maker sells in the U.S. are rebadged versions of vehicles made by Korea's GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co., a General Motors Corp. unit. At the recent Chicago Auto Show, Suzuki unveiled a rebranded version of Nissan's Frontier pickup it plans to sell called the Equator that will be built at Nissan's Tennessee plant and reach the market late this year. The 2008 XL-7, which is the largest and most expensive model the company sells in the U.S., is a re-engineered version of the Chevrolet Equinox. But, Suzuki did more than just add a handsomely restyled front end. The XL-7 is nearly 10 inches longer than its American cousin, and has an available third row.
Three weeks until it begins anew
The Braves need big production from their best two hitters, Chipper Jones and Mark Teixeira. They need Chipper to play at least 135-140 games, hopefully more, and they need more of last August-September's display from Teixeira, who carries huge expectations as he enters his first, and the Braves hope not last, full season in Atlanta. Yes, the Braves could sure use a season from Brian McCann that's more like his 2006 than his '07, and they'd certainly like to see continued progress from Jeff Francoeur and from Johnson and Escobar. But it's the rotation, the bullpen and the middle of the order that have the potential to carry this team not just to the postseason, but deep into the postseaason. It's been a while since the Braves had the potential to get 45-50 wins and 600 or more innings from a starting trio, but that's what they expect from John Smoltz, Tim Hudson and Tom Glavine.
Page 2: Week in Review/Preview
LEADING OFF When we're little, we play games because they're fun. As we grow older, we long for those days and we take great pleasure in watching men and women who have earned the right to keep being little boys and girls. That's why America loves its sports heroes. It's why we rooted for athletes such as Cal Ripken, Mia Hamm and Michael Jordan. They played their game at the highest level and, at least on the outside, they looked like they had a blast doing it. It's a big reason America roots for Brett Favre today. If Old Man Mississippi were rolling into Dallas this afternoon instead of staying home to face the Giants, there would be 49 states rooting for the Packers and one for the Cowboys. And there would be a lot of Texans secretly wearing cheeseheads.
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