Money Mya Talks

With two miles of bare footprints behind them, Ahmed and Fatima and their three children approached the border with Israel in the middle of a cold winter night. Snow was falling in the Sinai.

Avoid the Egyptian military patrols, they were warned by their Bedouin smugglers, whom they paid with money borrowed from Sudanese friends.

"If they catch you, you could be shot or deported back to Sudan," the Bedouins said.

The 12-hour trip from Cairo was the last leg of a multiyear journey stretching from the violence of Darfur to Sudan's dangerous capital of Khartoum to the teeming streets of Cairo. Ahmed had been imprisoned in each city.

Israel was their last hope for what Fatima calls "a normal life" without the "fear of being sent back to Sudan."

Two hours after dusting the sand off their dark clothing, dirtied while crawling under two security fences, their 5-month-old baby's cry pierced the silence of the frigid Negev air.

Yet Another List of Technologies - Things That Eventually Vanished

Well, we've seen articles of 21 technological flops and and the best 50 tech products. What about products that came on strong and then disappeared as quickly as they came, or their creators just couldn't keep the product relevant and the company largely disappeared? I am not talking about things like the floppy drive, as that just was surpassed by newer better technology. I am thinking about things like the Netscape Browser, once king of the hill and was utterly crushed out of existence, or the Commodore Computing, that never could repeat the success of the Commodore 64. Here is my brief list:*Netscape Browser - the first browser for the masses, based on Mosaic. It simply didn't survive the combined onslaught by Microsoft's Internet Explorer and the poor decisions by AOL after acquiring the company.*Commodore Computing - The Commodore 64 was the first computer for home users to have real penetration into the market, but it was the last big product for Commodore.

Dist. 303 candidates outline referendum plans

All 12 spring election candidates running for the St. Charles school board are promising to do their homework before going back to voters for money to build new schools.

Some say that still could mean putting a bond referendum on the ballot as soon as next spring, while others say it might mean delaying that until 2009, at the earliest.

I am absolutely not in favor of a referendum at this time, said challenger Kenneth Bertrand, who is running for one of three 4-year seats. There isnt enough information out there for me to say, We need to do this, or we need to do that.

In all, nine challengers and one incumbent, Kathy Hewell, are in the race for 4-year posts. Incumbents Jim Gaffney and Bobbie Raehl are facing each other for a 2-year term. The election is April 17.

All the candidates say there is a need for additional space in District 303.

Movie Review: Exciting Grindhouse a wild ride

When filmmakers talk about how great the movies were back in the 1970s, they're usually thinking about "The Godfather," "Chinatown," or "Dog Day Afternoon."

Those days are gone, and "Grindhouse" -- the directors' supercharged attempt to resurrect the illicit B-movie double feature -- will have to play sterile, sanitary multiplexes alongside such respectable mainstream fare as "Wild Hogs," "TMNT" and "300," all of which wear the imprint of exploitation cinema with pride (the biker movie, kung fu picture and gorefest, respectively).

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes planning for baby #2 Tom Cruise and ...

Will Suri Cruise soon be a big sister? Rumor has it that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have been shopping for baby goods for a boy. But with Katie preparing to start filming her comeback, the movie Mad Money with Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah, is she really ready to pack on the baby weight again?