More U.S. airlines give troops relief from checked-bag fees

After a video of soldiers complaining about baggage fees on Delta went viral, American Airlines announced Thursday it will allow military personnel to check an extra two bags with no out-of-pocket expense, and AirTran Airways said it will waive baggage charges for "members of the military who are traveling on active duty orders," CNN reported.

Delta amended its policy -- now allowing servicemembers to check four bags free in coach and five in other classes -- on Wednesday, shortly after Stars and Stripes published a story on the soldiers' video. Previously Delta had allowed only three free bags for troops flying coach.

American's new policy lets troops check five bags free and allows one bag to weigh up to 100 pounds with no penalty, the CNN report said, while AirTran waives excess baggage charges on any bag under 100 pounds and 80 inches in size.

United/Continental also decided Wednesday to waive fees for servicemembers' fourth bags, CNN reported.

Hudson River 'miracle' plane in aviation museum

Two years after a US Airways jet left New York for Charlotte and made a miraculous landing on the Hudson River, it reached its intended destination and future home in a museum.

"My flight has finally come home," said Eileen Shleffar, who was sitting in seat 13D when the plane splashed in the river.

US Airways Flight 1549 had just taken off from LaGuardia airport when a flock of geese disabled the engines on Jan. 15, 2009. Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger III of Danville safely glided to a water landing. All 155 passengers and crew members were rescued.

Thousands of people in several states have lined up along the road to glimpse the 120-foot-long fuselage on its 600-mile journey on a flatbed truck from New Jersey, where it had spent the last two years in a hangar. The wings of the damaged Airbus A320 were removed and shipped earlier to the Carolinas Aviation Museum.

Shleffar and other passengers on the flight posed in front of the plane as it arrived in a cargo area at the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport.

"It's emotional," she said about seeing the plane for the first time since the landing. "It's always going to be emotional to us."

Said fellow passenger Michael Leonard: "It's surreal."

Public interest in the jet's journey this week has surprised and touched Sullenberger.

"When I see images of people in their lawn chairs waiting for their airplane to roll by on the freeway overpass with a camera to get a glimpse of it is surprising and wonderful," he said in an interview.

Sullenberger will speak today at a fundraiser for the exhibit. It will be the first time the passengers and crew will be together with the plane since the accident.

"It will feel like a wonderful reunion," he said. "I think we'll feel that connection again."

Sullenberger was recently named an aviation and safety expert for CBS News.

Outage delays flights...New contact for Rep. Weiner...Volcano effects

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — A power outage near one of US Airways' data centers in Phoenix has grounded or delayed numerous flights nationwide. Airline officials say the outage impacted its website and airport computer systems. A US Airways spokeswoman says some systems are coming back online this evening.

WILMINGTON, Del (AP) — Congressman Anthony Weiner has acknowledged he had online contact with a 17-year-old girl in Delaware. But he says the communications were "neither explicit nor indecent." The New York Democrat has been under fire after admitting to sending graphic photos to women online.

WASHINGTON (AP) — At least nine House members and three senators say Rep. Anthony Weiner should give up his seat in Congress after acknowledging sending sexually explicit messages over the Internet. But House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi says the decision should be up to Weiner and his constituents.

RININAHUE, Chile (AP) — The effects of a volcano in Chile are wreaking havoc on parts of South America. Steaming rivers filled with hot ash, rocks, and rain are threatening to overflow their banks in southern Chile. And ash clouds are keeping some airports closed across much of the southern part of the continent.

CHATHAM, Mass. (AP) — Federal authorities want to know who has been fatally shooting gray seals on Cape Cod. According to fisheries police, six of the slain seals have been found on beaches over the last six weeks. Gray seals are protected under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, and authorities say they're taking the case very seriously.

BofA Stock Hits 2-Year Low on Mortgage Concerns

Bank of America Corp. (BAC) hit a two-year low in New York trading on concern that a stalling U.S. job market will drive up costs from bad mortgages.

The biggest U.S. lender by assets declined 45 cents, or 4 percent, to $10.83 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading at 4:15 p.m. The bank hasn’t closed at a lower price since May 2009. The stock sold for more than $55 in 2006 before the financial crisis took hold.

Chief Executive Officer Brian T. Moynihan, 51, has assured investors that costs tied to defective mortgages and improper foreclosures can be absorbed without selling new stock to raise capital. His task may be harder after the U.S. jobless rate rose to 9.1 percent and employers added the fewest workers in eight months during May, meaning more unemployed people may fall behind on loans.

“We’ve been getting consistent signals that we continue to see growth, but those signals recently have had some choppiness to them in terms of new unemployment claims,” Moynihan said during a May 24 investor conference.

Bank of America has declined about 29 percent in the past year of New York Stock Exchange composite trading, the worst performance on the 24-company KBW Bank Index. The lender was the only U.S. bank among the largest four that had its capital plan rejected by the Federal Reserve this year.

Moynihan told investors last week that new claims tied to bad mortgages tend to track the jobless rate, and he was pursuing ways to put housing liabilities behind the firm. The bank disclosed in January a $3 billion deal to settle some loan disputes with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and agreed in April to pay $1.6 billion to resolve claims with bond insurer Assured Guaranty Ltd.

Resolving Fights

Moynihan, who said last year the bank was engaged in “hand-to-hand combat” to fend off the claims, told investors this month that “there’s a point when fighting doesn’t have any value.”

Bank of America, the biggest servicer of U.S. mortgages, is among firms negotiating with state attorneys general to settle allegations that the banks seized homes during foreclosures by using legal shortcuts and falsified documents. The largest servicers are discussing a framework that may let them choose from a menu of options for helping borrowers, two people briefed on the talks said in May.

Costs to repurchase bad mortgages and settle with state attorneys general may total about $18 billion, Keith Horowitz of Citigroup Inc. wrote in a June 1 research note.

Adventist Health System, U.S. Bank Healthcare Division Partner for Health Care Growth

Adventist Health System obtained the services of U.S. Bank Healthcare Division, a division of U.S. Bank. The health care division closes as lead "Senior Credit Facility." Adventist Health System represents a  $1.75 billion deal.

An article has been posted at the Business Wire Website titled "U.S. Bank Healthcare Division Leads $1.75 Billion Senior Credit Facility for Adventist Health System."

I'm interested in this information because I'm 62 years old. Anything having to do with healthcare interests me. However, I have a special interest in the story because it seems Adventist Health System centers what they do on Christ -- their spiritual beliefs.

When I was in the workforce I was an executive vice president and CEO of a health insurance company. Of course we were "for-profit." Adventist is a not-for-profit organization.

When you run an insurance company you are dealing with premiums and claims and investments. In other words you always have money coming and going but you must always have a certain amount in reserve so you try and make the most from it that you can.

The difference with Adventist Health System is that they get rid of the middle man. They run their own health care facilities including inpatient and outpatient. That is what they concentrate on.

However, even though they aren't an insurance company per se, they still have to get their name out and invest funds. That is where U.S. Bank Healthcare Division comes in.

David P. Singleton, senior vice president is posted in the article as saying, "Their in-depth knowledge of our organization and of the industry is reflected in what they were able to deliver for us" when speaking of U.S. bank Healthcare Division

Adventist Health System serves four million patients annually. By working with an "expert" company that specializes in the laws of each state, investing and even presentation of product, Adventist can concentrate on doing what they do best and that is providing services as inexpensively as possible.

Shedd has high hopes after rare dolphin birth

A Pacific white-sided dolphin gave birth to an apparently healthy calf Friday at the Shedd Aquarium after coming home pregnant last year from a trip to Miami's Seaquarium.

The birth is a rare and important one for the Shedd, where only three white-sided dolphins have given birth since the species arrived in the marine mammal Oceanarium 20 years ago. None of the births was successful.
 

The mother is Tique, pronounced TEE-kay, a 26-year-old who accounted for two of the previous births. She had a stillborn calf in 1995, not unusual for first-time dolphin mothers, said Ken Ramirez, Shedd vice president.

In 2003 a calf she bore weakened and died after four days when it failed to learn how to nurse. The other dolphin birth at the Shedd was a stillborn to a different first-time dolphin mother.

"This is a good healthy calf," Ramirez said of the newest baby, whose sex has yet to be identified. He said that the little dolphin is showing signs of wanting to nurse and that its mother seems to be trying to guide it to her mammary glands, a learning that can take two or three days.

"Tique is a much more attentive and skilled mother than she was before," Ramirez said. "The calf surfaced for its first breath soon after birth, and Mom is guiding the calf around the habitat and seems to be trying to show where the calf should go on her body to begin nursing."

With no resident male Pacific white-sided dolphins living at the Shedd, Tique was sent a year ago to Miami Seaquarium to mate with an adult male. There are fewer than 20 Pacific white-sided dolphins in captivity in North American facilities, so a successful birth is extremely important.

"This calf must reach several milestones in its first days and months," said Ramirez. The first is to show that mother and calf are strongly bonded, which can take a few days, he said.

Mother and calf won't be exhibited during the critical first few days, Ramirez said. They are under 24-hour staff observation and likely to remain under observation for a few months while the calf passes through several crucial milestones, such as learning to nurse, swimming on its own and swimming with other dolphins.

Celebrity Death: Gunsmoke actor James Arness dead in LA celebrity home?

Celebrity Death!

Gunsmoke actor James Arness dead in LA celebrity home?

Immortalized in Toby Keith’s song, Should’ve Been a Cowboy, legendary actor James Arness, passed away quietly Friday, June 3, in his Los Angeles celebrity home. Known most for his role as Marshal Dillon on Gunsmoke from 1955 to 1975, he was the epitome of a Hollywood cowboy, and also starred in dozens of movies, some as recent as 1994. James Arness (brother of late Mission Impossible actor, Peter Graves), died of natural causes at age 88. During Arness’s career, he shared screen time with numerous famous actors, including Alec Baldwin, John Wayne, Harrison Ford, Burt Reynolds, Dennis Weaver, and Charles Bronson. The Minnesota-born actor fit the ideal stereotype for a cowboy, with his quiet demeanor and massive (for the time) 6-foot, 6-inch stature. The cultural icon has a star on the walk of fame, three Emmy Award nominations, a TVLand Nomination and is a 1967 Western Heritage and 1986 Golden Boot award recipient.

Arness landed the Gunsmoke role when John Wayne turned it down and recommended him for the slot. The longest-running television drama, focused on 1873 Dodge City, Kansas, and its lawmen and criminals. At one time during production, there were 30 competitive ‘cowboy’ television shows, and Gunsmoke outlasted them all, with episodes still playing on TVLand. The show was set during a timeframe in which our nation thrived on a green lifestyle, with very little industry and renewable energy coming from the efforts of humans and animals. It was a time in which vegetable gardens and organic methods were the norm for families on the frontier, and virtually every tool and resource was renewed or recycled. The show itself included horses as a staple in its scenes. There are no records of any negative treatment of animals on the show, and the stars seemed to treat them similar to true pioneers of the Old West: as reliable sidekicks.

A decorated World War II veteran, James Arness was awarded the Bronze Star; the Purple Heart (wounded at Anzio); the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze campaign stars; the World War II Victory Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge. After the war, he started his career as a radio announcer in Minnesota in 1945. Then in the 1950’s, he signed a contract with John Wayne’s production company.

The family has asked that fans honor his memory with donations to United Cerebral Palsy in his name, a cause for which he was passionate

James Arness, tall, quiet Marshal Dillon of TV’s ‘Gunsmoke,’ dies at 88

James Arness, who presided over the frontier town of Dodge City as television’s most enduring western hero, the laconic, fair-minded and incorruptible Marshal Matt Dillon of the two-decade-long series “Gunsmoke,” died June 3 at his home in Los Angeles at 88. The cause of death was not reported.
Mr. Arness, who was a rugged 6-foot-7, stood tall in the dusty streets of Dodge City, Kan., portraying a U.S. marshal whose badge represented more than just the force of law. He was the embodiment of quiet moral authority, a sensitive arbiter of conflict in a rough-and-ready cow town — “Gomorrah of the plains, they call it,” as he said in the show’s first episode. Only when pushed to the limit would Marshal Dillon pull his six-gun from its holster.

James Arness, the 6-foot-6 actor who towered over the television landscape for two decades as righteous Dodge City lawman Matt Dillon in "Gunsmoke" died Friday. (June 3)

When “Gunsmoke” premiered in 1955, it was considered a new breed of “adult western,” with well-drawn characters and complex plots that, despite its name, took the show beyond outlaws and gunfights.
“What made us different from other westerns,” Mr. Arness told the Associated Press in 2002, “was the fact that ‘Gunsmoke’ wasn’t just action and a lot of shooting; they were character-study shows.”
Mr. Arness, who was recommended for the role of Matt Dillon by his friend John Wayne, was the center of an ensemble that included Milburn Stone as the gentle, scholarly Doc Adams; Amanda Blake as Kitty Russell — “Miss Kitty” — who ran the Long Branch saloon; and Dennis Weaver as Mr. Arness’s limping deputy sidekick, Chester Goode. After Weaver left the show in 1964, Ken Curtis joined the cast as the memorable comic character, Festus Haggen.
“Gunsmoke” aired on CBS for 20 years, but in Dodge City it was forever 1873. Other westerns came and went, but “Gunsmoke” ranked among the most popular programs year after year. When it was canceled in 1975, it was the last western on TV at the time.
No other scripted shows have run as long except “The Simpsons,” which reached its 20th year in 2009, and “Law & Order,” which left the air last year after 20 seasons. Neither show is within 150 episodes of “Gunsmoke’s” total of 635.
As the show evolved, the opening credits changed from a main-street shootout to a scene of Marshal Dillon galloping his horse across the prairie. His relationship with Miss Kitty developed to the point that they shared a kiss during one episode in 1973. They never married, though, and the social order of Dodge City remained intact.
“Matt Dillon is still the all-time, all-star marshal, pure, square-shouldered square-shooter, yet he never hogs the screen,” New York Daily News culture critic Gerald Nachman wrote in 1973, summing up the appeal of “Gunsmoke” and Mr. Arness’s archetypal central character. “Half the time you hardly know he’s in town, but he casts a tall shadow.”
James King Aurness — he dropped the “u” after arriving in Hollywood — was born May 23, 1923, in Minneapolis. His younger brother was actor Peter Graves, the star of the 1960s series “Mission Impossible” and the comic “Airplane!” films. Graves died last year at 83.

Announcers for NBA Finals know that every comment will be dissected

MIAMI — If the adage is correct that the NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint, then the NBA playoffs are a balancing act, at least for those calling the action.
Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson know the drill. They know that while some might describe their perches for Tuesday night's Game 1 of the NBA Finals as courtside seats, a better description might be hot seats. Nearly everything coming out of their mouths during this series will be dissected by fans.
Say anything negative about the hometown Heat and it means they're rooting for the Dallas Mavericks.
Say anything negative about the Mavericks and it means they're obviously for the Miami Heat.
"It's amazing," said Breen, the play-by-play man for the ABC/ESPN crew. "We'll go into an NBA Finals and just for example, last year, we'll go into Boston and the Celtic fans will say, 'Boy, it's clear you guys are rooting for the Lakers. And then the series will shift to L.A. and the Laker fans will say, 'Boy, it's obvious you guys are rooting for the Celtics.' "
During the Eastern Conference finals, Heat fans were so worked up over TNT's Charles Barkley that he threatened to "come down there" to straighten out one towel-tossing fan.
For the next game, TNT moved its studio from outside the AmericanAirlines Arena to a more secure location inside the building.
Some might claim Barkley asked for it by calling the Heat "a whiny bunch," but network announcers know that at this stage of the post-season, emotions are so high that even innocent comments are over-analyzed. With a bemused look, NBC's Bob Costas said never in his career has a fan approached him with compliments for the remarkable way he was calling a game right down the middle.
Why is it especially an issue during the playoffs? First, most games are broadcast using national announcers as opposed to those hired by the clubs for the regular season.
Second, if an announcer rubs a fan the wrong way during the regular season, that might be the last time the fan hears that announcer for months. During the NBA Finals, it's possible that Breen, Van Gundy or Jackson could irritate a fan for seven consecutive games - if they haven't already done it during three prior rounds.
"When you hear from each city that you're biased, that means you're doing the perfect job," said Mike Tirico, play-by-plan man for this series on ESPN Radio and the voice of Monday Night Football.
Jackson added, "Our job is to tell a story. And basically, if you're playing bad, we're going to talk about that and I think it comes off to a true fan like you're disliking their team."
Make a mistake in the regular season and the worst that often happens is it's replayed on SportsCenter for a day. Not so now.
"In the playoffs, you're really focused on individual plays," Breen said, "so I think overall broadcasts are more critical in the playoffs in terms of what a team is doing, what a certain player is doing, and I think that's part of why sometimes the fans might be a little more sensitive, because also, their emotions are running high."
Announcers agree that the only rooting they do during games is for a good game.
"We put so much into a broadcast, my goal is the ball is in the air, the clock says zero, and wherever it comes down determines the outcome of the game," Tirico said.
So before Heat fans or Mavs fans accuse him otherwise, Tirico figured he might as well set the record straight.
"I couldn't care less who wins," he said.

NBA commissioner David Stern is hoping talks during NBA Finals will bring progress avoiding lockout

MIAMI - Taking a cue from LeBron James, David Stern has advised his owners and the players' union to "bring their negotiating talents to South Beach."
NBA owners and the Players Association will meet Wednesday to try to make some progress on a new labor deal, with a lockout scheduled to go into effect July 1.

But Stern is not hopeful that the two sides will get any closer, with owners and players far apart and the current deal set to expire June 30.
"It's going to be a challenge to the owners and the union to reach the right deal," the NBA commissioner said Tuesday night before Game 1 of the Finals. "The question is really whether we're going to be bold enough to negotiate as opposed to posture."
The two sides are also scheduled to meet twice when the series shifts to Dallas next weekend.

With the league claiming that 22 of its 30 teams are losing money, owners want to drastically reduce players' salaries and benefits from the current 57-43 split of revenue enjoyed by the players. They're looking for a 50-50 split, along with replacing the soft salary cap with a hard cap. Players, meanwhile, do not want to blow up the current economic system.

NBA Finals: LeBron James is focus of the series, win or lose

Dwyane Wade had a message and a reminder for his teammate when it ended: “Congratulations, LeBron, you just won your first NBA Finals game.”

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Hey, with LeBron James 0-4 in June coming in to Tuesday night’s Game 1 against the Mavericks, it’s a worthy milestone. Three more victories and let the bows begin.
Either way, win or lose, hoist that big, beautiful gold ball in triumph or humbly bow his head in defeat, LeBron already owns these NBA Finals. They are his the way the 1991 Finals were Michael Jordan’s and the 2000 Finals belonged to Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal — the way the entire basketball community anxiously waited to see if the child stars had yet matured into championship adults.
The Heat was too defensive for Dirk Nowitzki and Dallas, and as white hankies rain down from the rafters of American Airlines Arena, Miami moved three wins away from Team Collusion’s stated goal.
Good sign for the Heat: Jose Barea, Jason Terry and Peja Stojakovic, who looked like a deer in headlights, missed 17 of the 21 shots they took. Dallas can’t win this without its bench outperforming Miami’s.
LeBron had a nice line — 24 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists to 1 turnover, even if he didn’t score in the fourth quarter until the game was decided.
Now here comes the double-edged sword for LeBron the next two weeks: He needs to close or the criticism won’t cease.
A great, young player only is afforded so many years to grow up and become king before the derision becomes more damning than “The Decision.”
Michael needed a grueling seven seasons to win it all. Kobe needed just four to win a title, but that’s mainly because he had Shaq, who before he won was eviscerated as a B-movie-making, hip-hopping lug more interested in studio time than court time.
When the Lakers won, the wait was over — not just for Shaq and Kobe, but for a league patiently biding its time before another star-laden team could help fill the void left by Michael’s Bulls.
Let’s be clear: A victory by LeBron and his Super Friends is important for David Stern’s NBA, almost as important as it is for the Heat and its 26-year-old supernova. Indeed, as the ball left LeBron’s hand at the end of the third quarter Tuesday night, deep on the right wing behind the three-point line, the league needed that swish almost as much as he did.
Of course this is also about whether the Mavericks can win a title in the Dirk Nowitzki era — whether Dirk and Jason Kidd will join Elgin Baylor, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, John Stockton and Charles Barkley as some of the greatest players to never celebrate an NBA championship.
But mostly this is about LeBron. Four years after his last appearance in the championship round, the next two weeks represent a referendum on his progress as an all-time great player. It’s easy to measure.
The Heat wins and he is ready to take Kobe’s place as the most necessary, must-see player in pro basketball. Miami loses, and LeBron is 0-2 in the Finals with two different teams. Completing his eighth season without a title, he would also have been in the league one year longer than when Michael won his first title. Jordan had two championships at the completion of his eighth season.