"Jon & Kate Plus 8" is about to be rechristened "Kate Plus Eight."
That's the word from the cable network TLC, announcing Tuesday that its hit reality show will be adapting to changes in the Gosselin household, which for months has been disrupted by the split up of Jon and Kate.
The renamed "Kate Plus Eight" begins Nov. 2. It will continue to focus on the lives of the young …
NEW YORK A large chunk of AT&T broke off Thursday, becomingLucent Technologies Inc. and setting off an investor stampede for astake in the biggest initial public offering of a U.S. company.
Investors pushed Lucent's value up 13 percent, proof not only ofinterest in the growing communications equipment industry but astrong stock market.
Lucent's 112 million shares were initially priced at $27 each,making the total offering worth $3.02 billion. Lucent's stockreached $32 in the morning but drifted lower through the day to closeat $30.62 1/2. It was the most active issue on the New York StockExchange. AT&T stock closed down $1.25 to $62.87 1/2, also on …
RESULTS: Eastman Kodak Co. posted a third-quarter loss of $43 million, or 16 cents per share, compared with a loss of $111 million, or 41 cents a share, in the July-September period of 2009. Sales dipped 1 percent to $1.76 billion.
REASONS: The photography pioneer benefited particularly from a $210 million gain from a licensing …
Sebastian Vettel posted the fastest time in qualifying Saturday to clinch Red Bull's eighth pole position of the season at the European Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver drove a fastest lap of 1 minute, 37.587 seconds. Vettel's teammate Mark Webber was second in 1.37.662, with Lewis Hamilton third for McLaren.
"It was a tight qualifying session in the end, not much between us all," Vettel said. "I won pole so I'm very happy for today."
Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher was eliminated after the second qualifying round, meaning he was unable to compete for pole.
Home favorite Fernando Alonso of Ferrari was …
President Barack Obama says he's open to requiring all Americans to buy health insurance, as long as the plan provides a "hardship waiver" to exempt poor people from having to pay.
Obama opposed such an individual mandate during his campaign, but Congress increasingly is moving to embrace the idea.
In providing the first real details on how he wants to reshape the nation's health care system, the president urged Congress on Wednesday toward a sweeping overhaul that would allow Americans to buy into a government insurance plan.
Obama outlined his goals in a letter to Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairmen of the two committees writing health care bills. It followed a meeting he held Tuesday with members of their committees, and amounted to a road map to keep Congress aligned with his goals.
"The plans you are discussing embody my core belief that Americans should have better choices for health insurance, building on the principle that if they like the coverage they have now, they can keep it, while seeing their costs lowered as our reforms take hold," Obama wrote.
Obama has asked the House and Senate each to finish legislation by early August, so that the two chambers can combine their bills in time for him to sign a single, sweeping measure in October. In a statement Baucus welcomed the assignment.
"I will stop at nothing to deliver a health reform bill that works for families and businesses to the president this year," Baucus said.
Covering 50 million uninsured Americans could cost as much as $1.5 trillion over a decade, and cost is emerging as a major sticking point. Obama didn't offer new solutions to that problem in his letter Wednesday but did say he'd like to squeeze an additional $200 billion to $300 billion over 10 years from the Medicare and Medicaid government insurance programs for the elderly, disabled and poor.
He said he'd do it through such measures as better managing chronic diseases and avoiding unnecessary tests and hospital readmissions. Savings from such measures are uncertain.
Medicare benefits cost the federal government about $450 billion a year and Medicaid about $200 billion. Obama already has targeted the programs for some $300 billion in cuts over 10 years in the 2010 budget he released in February.
He also said he's open to congressional proposals to let an independent commission identify cuts to Medicare which would take effect unless Congress rejected them all at once, similar to how military base closures are handled.
The president said he supports a new health insurance exchange that Congress is crafting, a sort of marketplace that would allow Americans to shop for different plans and compare prices.
All of the plans should offer a basic affordable package, and none should be allowed to deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, Obama said _ big changes from how private insurance companies operate today.
"I strongly believe that Americans should have the choice of a public health insurance option operating alongside private plans," Obama wrote, weighing in firmly on one of the most controversial issues in the debate. "This will give them a better range of choices, make the health care market more competitive and keep insurance companies honest."
Republicans strongly oppose a public plan, as do private insurers, who contend it would drive them out of business.
"A government-run plan would set artificially low prices that private insurers would have no way of competing with," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday on the Senate floor.
The idea of what Obama called a "hardship waiver" for individual Americans too poor to buy care splits the difference between where he was during the presidential campaign and where Congress appears to be heading.
In the campaign, Obama did not support requiring everyone to buy insurance, putting him at odds with then Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton. Congress is looking at doing so. The hardship waiver idea is under consideration by the Senate Finance Committee, which also is considering giving tax credits to certain individuals so they can afford health care. Kennedy and House Democrats are looking at giving subsidies to the poor to help them buy coverage.
The letter didn't address the issue of taxing health care benefits. Obama opposed that during his campaign but Congress is now considering it, and Obama hasn't shut the door on it.
SAN DIEGO Just think of all the things that could have beenaccomplished during the Padres' five-run fifth inning against pitcherJim Bullinger and the Cubs on Thursday:
Watching a rerun of "The Munsters" on TV, for instance. Orgetting the oil changed at one of those 12-minute service shops. Ontwo cars.In a spooky 34-minute episode in the Padres' 8-3 victory - whichran the Cubs' losing streak to six games - Bullinger continuallystepped off the rubber to regroup, checked baserunners with throws tofirst, was visited by catcher Brian Dorsett four times, stepped offthe mound to tie his shoelace and was booed by the Jack MurphyStadium matinee crowd of 18,736 for taking so long."He gets into a funk and he can't get out," Cubs pitching coachFergie Jenkins said. "You've got to be able to sit back and observewhat the heck is going on.""He had a good rhythm, and next thing you know it was `raindelay,' " Cubs first baseman Mark Grace said. "He lost all rhythm,and that makes your defense lose its rhythm. Your defense goes backon its heels. The game just absolutely stopped. It's tough. Idon't know what happened."What the Cubs (10-12) do know is that most facets of their gamehave bogged down in the six-game skid, their longest since droppingseven in a row last July. They are batting .226 and have a 5.01 ERAin that stretch as they head for Los Angeles for four games beginningtonight (9:05 p.m., Ch. 9, 720-AM).Bullinger (1-2), who has failed to get through the fifth inningin each of his last four starts, retired Padres starter Bob Tewksbury(3-0) to begin the fifth but walked Steve Finley, allowed an infieldsingle to Jody Reed and a smash RBI single to Ken Caminiti, hit WallyJoyner in the foot with a pitch and walked Marc Newfield with thebases loaded before manager Jim Riggleman finally pulled him with hissecond visit of the inning."Last year I let everybody steal on me who wanted to steal,"Bullinger said in defense of his slow pace. "If I don't step off andthrow, that's going to keep happening."After being charged with six runs (five earned) on six hits andfour walks (one intentional) in 4 1/3 innings, Bullinger's ERA jumpedto 7.11."I pitched four pretty good innings, but I beat myself in thefifth with the walks," he said. "My stuff is too good to be gettinghit around like this. It comes back to getting behind in thecount."After Mike Perez replaced Bullinger, shortstop Jose Hernandezmishandled a routine grounder by Archi Cianfrocco that scoredCaminiti, Andujar Cedeno singled in Joyner, and Tewksbury walked withthe bases loaded to give the Padres a 6-2 lead.Bullinger had launched a 1-0 pitch by Tewksbury for a home runto break a 1-1 tie in the top of the fifth. Bullinger, who homeredagainst the Rockies April 10 at Coors Field, became the first Cubspitcher since Dennis Eckersley in 1986 to hit two home runs in aseason."He hits a home run, motivates the team and goes back and can'tdo anything," Jenkins said.Cubs hitters didn't do much after that, either, except for asingle by Luis Gonzalez (2-for-3, RBI), who raised his team-leadingaverage to .391, and a double by Brian McRae, who scored on agroundout by Grace.
| W L Pct GB |
| Philadelphia 62 53 .539 _ |
| New York 61 54 .530 1 |
| Florida 61 55 .526 1 1/2 |
| Atlanta 54 62 .466 8 1/2 |
| Washington 44 72 .379 18 1/2 |
| Central Division |
| W L Pct GB |
| Chicago 70 46 .603 _ |
| Milwaukee 65 51 .560 5 |
| St. Louis 64 54 .542 7 |
| Houston 56 59 .487 13 1/2 |
| Pittsburgh 53 62 .461 16 1/2 |
| Cincinnati 52 65 .444 18 1/2 |
| West Division |
| W L Pct GB |
| Arizona 59 57 .509 _ |
| Los Angeles 58 57 .504 1/2 |
| Colorado 53 65 .449 7 |
| San Francisco 48 66 .421 10 |
| San Diego 44 72 .379 15 |
| ___ |
| Friday's Games |
| Chicago Cubs 3, St. Louis 2, 11 innings |
| Pittsburgh 2, Philadelphia 0, 12 innings |
| N.Y. Mets 3, Florida 0 |
| Houston 9, Cincinnati 5, 10 innings |
| Milwaukee 5, Washington 0 |
| Colorado 6, San Diego 3 |
| Atlanta 11, Arizona 6 |
| L.A. Dodgers 6, San Francisco 2 |
| Saturday's Games |
| St. Louis at Chicago Cubs |
| Washington at Milwaukee |
| Pittsburgh at Philadelphia |
| Florida at N.Y. Mets |
| Houston at Cincinnati |
| San Diego at Colorado |
| Atlanta at Arizona |
| L.A. Dodgers at San Francisco |
