Heat hosting Air Force guests for scrimmage

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AP) — LeBron James came down the court, headed toward the baseline and made a nifty behind-the-back pass to rookie center Dexter Pittman near the basket.

Pittman missed the layup.

That's when he — and the rest of the Miami Heat — saw what having James as a teammate can mean.

The NBA's two-time reigning MVP slammed Pittman's miss home, one of many moments that left guests from the U.S. Air Force howling when the Heat held their first full preseason scrimmage Friday night. It was the first time Wade, James and Chris Bosh played together in a game situation as Heat teammates.

"There's no time to waste," James said.

It was the seventh …

Comparing Proteins by Their Unfolding Pattern

ABSTRACT

Single molecule force spectroscopy has evolved into an important and extremely powerful technique for investigating the folding potentials of biomolecules. Mechanical tension is applied to individual molecules, and the subsequent, often stepwise unfolding is recorded in force extension traces. However, because the energy barriers of the folding potentials are often close to the thermal energy, both the extensions and the forces at which these barriers are overcome are subject to marked fluctuations. Therefore, force extension traces are an inadequate representation despite widespread use particularly when large populations of proteins need to be compared and analyzed. We …

World Golf Ranking

1. Tiger Woods, United States, 21.53 average points.

2. Phil Mickelson, United States, 9.71.

3. Ernie Els, South Africa, 6.46.

4. Steve Stricker, United States, 6.26.

5. Adam Scott, Australia, 5.71.

6. Justin Rose, England, 5.68.

7. K.J. Choi, South Korea, 5.68.

8. Jim Furyk, United States, 5.63.

9. Vijay Singh, Fiji, 5.57.

10. Rory Sabbatini, South Africa, 5.36.

11. Geoff Ogilvy, Australia, 5.35.

12. Padraig Harrington, Ireland, 5.14.

13. Henrik Stenson, Sweden, 4.82.

14. Sergio Garcia, Spain, 4.22.

15. Stewart Cink, United …

Dodgers, Gagne finish off Cubs

dodgers 3, cubs 1

LOS ANGELES--The Cubs better find a way to get a lead and holdonto it for dear life in the final two games of this series. WithEric "The Terminator" Gagne in unstoppable mode, that strategy ofeliminating Gagne might be the only chance they have to avoid gettingswept.

Gagne set a major-league record in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 3-1victory Friday night over the Cubs. When he set down Sammy Sosa,Moises Alou and Aramis Ramirez in order in the ninth, it marked thefirst time that a closer has totaled 39 consecutive saves to beginthe season without blowing one opportunity.

He has retired the last 22 batters to face him, including 13 bystrikeout, and …

All around, it's a celebration of Earth Day

Ecology-minded volunteers are being sought to participate inChicago's annual Earth Day cleanup of parks, beaches and expresswaysfrom 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow.

Volunteers also are encouraged to organize groups. Thesponsors of the effort include the Chicago Park District, MayorDaley's Greenstreets program and Friends of the Park. For moreinformation, call the Earth Day Hotline at (312) 616-6923. CHICAGO The Center for New Television is joining the Earth Day gala bypresenting a video series geared toward environmental education.The 80-minute program will be aired continuously from 2 to 5 p.m.tomorrow at 1440 N. Dayton. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 forchildren …

US poverty on track to post record gain in 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people in the U.S. who are in poverty is on track for a record increase on President Barack Obama's watch, with the ranks of working-age poor approaching 1960s levels that led to the national war on poverty.

Census figures for 2009 — the recession-ravaged first year of the Democrat's presidency — are to be released in the coming week, and demographers expect grim findings.

It's unfortunate timing for Obama and his party just seven weeks before important elections when control of Congress is at stake. The anticipated poverty rate increase — from 13.2 percent to about 15 percent — would be another blow to Democrats struggling to persuade voters to …

China's curbs on bank lending weigh on markets

European stock markets and Wall Street futures held steady Wednesday though China's moves to curb bank lending stoked concerns that further monetary tightening may slow down economic recovery in Asia.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was down 8.09 points, or 0.2 percent, at 5,490.62 while France's CAC-40 rose 1.69 points, or less than 0.1 percent, to 4,001.74. Germanys DAX, which fell more than its European counterparts on Tuesday, was up 19.32 points, or 0.3 percent, at 5,962.32.

A fairly subdued opening is expected for Wall Street _ Dow futures were up 13 points, or 0.1 percent, at 10,601 while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 …