First day in court for suspects in alleged terror plot: Accused will probably go to trial in 2007

LONDON -- Eleven suspects charged in an alleged plot to blow upU.S.-bound airliners appeared in court for the first time Tuesday,and the eight men who faced the most serious charges were orderedheld until next month as detectives press on with theirinvestigation.

The accused were brought into a courtroom in groups, and peeredout at the packed room from behind thick glass that stretched almostto the top of the high ceiling.

Each wore gray sweat pants and white jail-issued T-shirts or sweatshirts, with the exception of Cossar Ali, the only woman charged, whowore a vibrant, royal blue hijab and glasses. They spoke only toconfirm their names, addresses and dates of …

Living good or living well?

I can't lie. I like nice things.

I love fine wine, gourmet foods, and well-tailored clothes. I wouldn't mind a few more thousand square feet of living space, and before I die I am going to own a Mercedes CL600 coupe.

This is known in the vernacular as living fat. I prefer to call it living well. "Living fat" conjures up too many images of big bellies, cellulite oozing out of spandex and long lines at Mickey D's.

The irony is that living well often leads to being fat. The high lifestyle encourages us to indulge our sensual selves until we have grown flabby both physically and spiritually.

There is, however, another way to live - to live "good." It's a lesson I …

Euro slips against dollar after rate cuts

The euro was slightly lower against the dollar Friday as traders digested rate cuts by European central banks and looked ahead to U.S. jobs data for indications on the state of the American economy.

The 15-nation euro bought $1.2773 in morning European trading, down from $1.2793 in New York late Thursday. The British pound was down to $1.4679 from $1.4748, while the dollar slipped to 92.26 Japanese yen from 92.24 yen.

The decline in the pound and euro came a day after both the European Central Bank and the Bank of England cut their interest rates.

Though lower interest rates …

Michigan guide

Sixty-four inns in 44 Michigan locations are listed in the 1987guide from Lake to Lake Bed & Breakfast Association. The guide …

Denver teachers' pay to become merit-based: Voters approve measure that educators helped to develop

The tally

Unofficial results Tuesday night showed 58 percent of Denvervoters, or 61,724, approved the measure, while 42 percent, or 44,006,voted against it.

$33,301 What teachers in Denver are paid at the beginning of theircareer

$45,585 Current average salary of Denver educators

$64,000 What a teacher could increase their salary to after 25years under the new system

DENVER - Denver became the largest school district in the countryto switch to paying teachers based on their students' achievement, asvoters approved an annual $25 million tax increase to link teachersalaries to test scores and other measurements.

Supporters said the move is …

October Ends With No Executions

For the first time in nearly three years, a month passed with no executions in the United States.

No death sentences were carried out in October, as judges and elected officials effectively halted executions following the Supreme Court's decision to rule on lethal injection procedures in a case from Kentucky.

The last month with no inmate put to death was December 2004.

On Tuesday, the high court halted an execution in Mississippi. The reprieve for Earl Wesley Berry, minutes before he was scheduled to die, was the third granted by the justices since they agreed in late September to hear the Kentucky case.

The result of the delays: …

Polish Catholics see miracle in communion wafer

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Roman Catholics in Poland have attended a special Mass celebrating what they believe to be a miracle: the appearance on a communion wafer of a dark spot that they are convinced is the heart of Jesus.

The communion wafer in question developed a brown spot in 2008 after falling on the floor during a Mass in the eastern Polish town of Sokolka. Two medical doctors …