NYC: THE HOTTEST TOWN FOR DOING THE COOLEST THINGS - The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)

Hot town summer in the city

The Lovin' Spoonful

Yes, New York can be a tad warm in summer, but, culturallyspeaking, it will always be one of the world's coolest cities. Hereare some of the latest offers:

A decent hotel room in the city starting at $100 or so is stillpossible, although rates may be higher depending on date and roomchoice. The Apple Core Hotels group, for instance, consists of fivereasonably priced properties: La Quinta Inn Manhattan (17 West 32dSt.), Red Roof Inn Manhattan (6 West 32d St.), the smoke-free ComfortInn Midtown (129 West 46th St.), Super 8 Hotel Times Square (59 West46th St.), and the Ramada Inn East Side (161 Lexington Ave.).

Call 800-567-7720 or visit www.applecorehotels.com.

If you have an American Express card, a NYC Summer Breakspromotion gives you complimentary room upgrades at the Muse, theWellington, and the Dylan hotels; special admission to suchattractions as the American Folk Art Museum, Bronx Museum of Arts,the Skyscraper Museum, Wave Hill, and Whitney Museum of American Art;offers on activities from Shearwater Sailing, Central Park BicycleTours & Rentals, Liberty Helicopters, and Walkin' Broadway; theaterdiscounts for 'Chicago,' 'Good Vibrations,' 'Hairspray,' 'TheProducers,' and 'Sweet Charity'; and 15 percent off the lunch ordinner bill at La Prima Donna, Mare Seafood Restaurant, Nino'sPositano, Piccolo, Riingo, and Stage Delicatessen & Restaurant. Alongwith the AMEX card, you need a Summer Breaks Savings Card, which canbe printed out at www.nycvisit.com. The offers are good through Sept.5.

You pay for the privilege, but the Ritz-Carlton Hotels of New Yorkand creators of the NBC Studio Tour have come up with a two-hour VIPtour limited to six people at a time that provides access to areas ofthe studio the public never sees, including studios of the 'Today'show, 'Saturday Night Live,' sports shows, Conan O'Brien's and BrianWilliams's shows, and the control room. The package includes anight's accommodation, a digital photo of you on one of the sets, anNBC gift bag, and complimentary admission to the Rockefeller Centertour. The price starts at $1,499 per couple at the Ritz-Carlton NewYork, Battery Park, and $1,799 at the Ritz-Carlton New York, CentralPark.

Visit www.ritzcarlton.com or call 800-241-3333., For shoppers,Swissotel The Drake and Bloomingdale's present the Great ShoppingSpree Package. Included are an exclusive Bloomingdale's specialsavings package, deluxe accommodations, a buffet breakfast for two,complimentary use of the health club, and a welcome amenity. Thepackage, from $319 per night through Sept. 5, includes an executivesuite. Call 888-73-SWISS (737-9477) or visit www.swissotel.com.

One way to get the youngsters pumped up about a trip is to keepthem informed about the destination. 'We're There! New York City'(KidQuest LLC, $6.99) by Elizabeth Skinner Grumbach is a colorful 32-page book with puzzles, games, and questions aimed at the preteenset. Other books in the series center on Boston, Washington, andRhode Island, with more volumes in the works.

Fill 'er up

Through Aug. 31, visitors to Stowe, Vt., can get a complimentarytank of gas for the drive back. The Free Ride Home package isavailable with a stay of at least three nights at participatingproperties. Package prices start at $300.

(The fine print: The offer must be mentioned when booking andcannot be combined with other offers or discounts.)

Visit www.gostowe.com or call 800-24-STOWE.

Numbers game

If you're celebrating a wedding anniversary, French CountryWaterways will reward you with a discount of 5 to 50 percent on itsluxury barge cruises. Discounts are given in sequences of five: 5percent off for your fifth anniversary, 10 percent for the 10th, allthe way to half off for the 50th. The cruises, which have weeklydepartures through Oct. 26, regularly cost $3,495-$4,995 per person.

Call 800-222-1236 or visit www.fcwl.com.

U2 in Vegas

Adventures in Rock is offering a package that includes premiumseats to the U2 show Nov. 5 at MGM Grand arena in Las Vegas, anight's accommodation, and a preshow party. The price is $990;additional hotel nights are available.

Call 877-788-ROCK or visit www.adventuresinrock.com.

40 percent savings

Buy weekend passes to the 30th Annual New Hampshire Highland Gamesby next Sunday (July 31) and save 40 percent off gate ticket prices.The advance price is $25 for daytime fairground events Sept. 23-25,including Celtic concerts, a ceremonial Gathering of the ScottishClans and Massed Pipe Bands, as well as workshops of whiskey tasting,Scottish history, and Scottish country and Cape Breton dance. Otherevents: Scottish heavy athletics, sheep dog trials, Highland dance,and fiddle, bagpipe, drumming, and harp competitions. Children under12 attend free when accompanied by an adult.

Call 800-358-SCOT (7268) or visit www.nhscot.org.

POWER STRUGGLES IN GIANTLAND - The Record (Bergen County, NJ)

VINNY DiTRANI
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
01-05-1997
POWER STRUGGLES IN GIANTLAND
By VINNY DiTRANI
Date: 01-05-1997, Sunday
Section: SPORTS
Edition: All Editions -- Sunday
Column: NFC NOTEBOOK

Clearing up a few Giants' issues of years past.

The popular perception has been that general manager George Young
wanted to jettison Bill Parcells following the dismal 1983 season and
replace him with Howard Schnellenberger, then the coach at the
University of Miami.

According to several club sources, however, it was Tim Mara, then a
team co-owner, who wanted Parcells gone. And he started making his
demands before the 1983 season had ended, and Young actually had to
fight to keep Parcells in command.

'Tim went into George's office and was pounding on his desk,' said
one source. 'He wanted Bill out. George fought him off.

'George went to Bill and asked him to come up with a detailed plan
on exactly how he was going to turn things around. And he [Young] got
what he called one of the best organized and thought-out plans he'd ever
seen.'

Ironically, Parcells and Tim Mara, who died in May 1995, went on to
become strong allies and close friends. The same couldn't be said for
Parcells and Young, in part because the GM reportedly offered
Schnellenberger a five-year, $2.25 million deal to take over if Parcells
eventually failed.

When Young was looking for someone to replace Ray Handley following
the 1992 season, he refused to call Parcells, a free agent who had left
the team in May 1991, after a second Super Bowl win. Team president
Wellington Mara did call Parcells, but only to wish him a happy holiday
season.

And speaking about that last coaching search . . .

Dan Reeves actually was Young's fourth choice, not his third after
he was turned down by Boston College coach Tom Coughlin and Dallas
defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt, who opted for the Chicago Bears'
opening. According to a source, Young had Dallas offensive coordinator
Norv Turner penciled in as his No. 3 man, but never followed through on
him.

His reasoning, said the source, was that since head coach Jimmy
Johnson and owner Jerry Jones had teamed to steer Wannstedt away from
the Giants, they would do the same with Turner. And Young didn't want to
waste any more time going that route.

Johnson in particular didn't want Wannstedt -- with whom he was
very close -- coaching against him in the same division. Ironically,
Turner wound up in the NFC East at Washington one year later.

* * *

Controversy swirled all week around one of the teams in today's NFC
playoff game. And the Dallas Cowboys had some troubles of their own,
too.

The Carolina Panthers, considered to be the squeaky clean entry in
today's contest, had a few bumps in their preparation week for the game
against the defending Super Bowl champions. First defensive end Shawn
King, one of the young pass-rushing prospects on the defensive line, was
suspended by head coach Dom Capers for the game because he repeatedly
showed up late for team meetings.

Meanwhile, Blake Brockermeyer, one of the Panthers' three
first-round draft picks in 1995, spoke out on his inability to return to
the starting lineup after suffering a broken left thumb in late
November.

Brockermeyer, considered one of the better young offensive tackles
in the league, has been fitted with several different casts and could
play. But Capers has decided to keep former tight end Matthew Campbell
and rookie Norberto Garrido as his starting tackles.

'It's something I'll just have to live with,' Brockermeyer said,
'but I won't forget this.'

And they think they have things bad in Valley Ranch.

'This is a game where you put together a lot of individuals, and
things happen,' said quarterback Kerry Collins. 'Things happen that are
out of my control and a lot of the guys' control, so what do you do? You
can sit here and dwell on it, but I don't think that would do any good.
We've got to focus on the Cowboys and try to just play our best game and
kind of forget about everything else.'

* * *

There might be a little Richard Jewell replay in this latest
Cowboys incident involving Michael Irvin and Erik Williams. Now that the
Dallas police have 'slowed down' their investigation, and haven't
decided if they even are going to interview the two players allegedly
involved, you have to wonder if:

A. They don't want to hurt the Cowboys' chances against the
Panthers by keeping either or both from playing.

B. The videotape evidence they claimed they had, the one that
'shows' Irvin's voice at the scene, perhaps isn't as solid as first
thought.

C. Questions about the background of the woman who made the
complaint might hurt her credibility.

D. All of the above.

This is not to say Irvin or Williams have been wronged. Certainly
their backgrounds make them prime suspects in this sort of incident.

But this case -- and the one involving the Philadelphia Eagles'
practice squad player who allegedly assaulted a woman in California last
weekend -- certainly shows today's professional athlete has to be on his
best behavior at all times.

Somehow, however, it seems unlikely that message will get through.

Keywords: FOOTBALL. PROFESSIONAL

Copyright 1997 Bergen Record Corp. All rights reserved.

Showbits - Winnipeg Free Press

Today in music history

In 1980, former Beatle Paul McCartney was released from a Japanese jail where he had been held for nine days on charges of smuggling marijuana into the country. He was immediately deported.

Born this day

* Dean Jones, 1930

* Etta James, 1938

* Ana Ortiz, 1971

* Alicia Keys, 1981

Today's lineup

Concerts

Hundredfold

With Cities I've Never Seen, Murder Scene Memories, Uncertain Glory and Instant Enemy, Garrick Centre, 6:30 p.m.; $10.50.

Unity: A Tribute to Desmond Dekker

With The Afterbeat, Wedgewoods, Greg Milka Crowe and The Seed Organization, West End Cultural Centre, 8 p.m.; $8.

WSO: Stepping Out

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers tribute, Centennial Concert Hall, 8 p.m. today and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday; $29 to $55, students/seniors $26 to $50 at 949-3999.

Out and About

The Age of Chivalry: Stories from the Middle Ages

Plus music by Michael Cobus and Liz Goosen and This Merrie Companie, Unitarian Church Hall, 603 Wellington Cres., 8 p.m.; $15 at the door or $12 in advance at McNally Robinson

Grant Park and Prairie Sky Books.

Exhibit Opening

Invisible Dignity, student exhibition from River East Transcona School Division, Mennonite Heritage Centre Gallery, 600 Shaftesbury, 7:30 p.m.

Theatre

MametFest

Manitoba Theatre Centre's 8th Master Playwright Festival, a tribute to cleverly obscene playwright David Mamet, to Feb. 10; $59 for a MametPass at 942-6537.

Glengarry Glen Ross

Mamet's gang of real estate salesmen are bringing their bag of tricks to MTC Warehouse. 8 p.m. today, continues to Feb. 9; $10.50 to $39.22 at 942-6537.

Boston Marriage

The Mamet play that asks, 'How do you bluff your way back into a lover's heart?' Presented by Theatre Incarnate, 8 p.m. today and Saturday, 320-70 Albert; $15.

Romance

Mamet's no-holds-barred court case where you never really know who or what is on trial, presented by University of Manitoba's Black Hole Theatre Company, 8 p.m. today and 2 & 7 p.m. Saturday, Gas Station Theatre; $11, students and seniors $9 at 474-6880.

Squirrels, A Sermon

Mamet's fast-paced riff on hack writing that simultaneously scoffs at and celebrates the power of language, presented by The Incompletely Strangled Theatre Company, 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday, Prairie Theatre Exchange's Colin Jackson Studio; $12, students/seniors $10.

Sexual Perversity in Chicago

This Mamet play captures the sexual politics of an age when penicillin would cure the ills of promiscuity but there was no cure for a broken heart, 9:30 p.m. today and Saturday, Ragpickers Antifashion Emporium, xxx McDermot; $12, students/seniors $10.

The Poet and the Rent

Echoe Theatre stages this madcap Mamet comedy for all ages, 7 p.m. today and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Ragpickers, 216 McDermot; $8.

Tara Players: The Shawl

A small-time mystic sets out to bilk a bereaved woman out of her inheritance, Irish Cultural Centre Theatre, 8 p.m. today and Saturday, 654 Erin; $15, students/seniors $10 at 772-9830.

The Frog Prince

Mamet's contemporary adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, presented by Academy Productions, 4:30 p.m. today and 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Ragpickers Antifashion Emporium, 216 McDermot; $8, students/seniors $7.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

A cunning fox must outsmart three greedy farmers, performed by England's Little Angel Theatre Company, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Can West Global Performing Arts Centre, 7 p.m. today; $13 at 942-8898.

All Restaurant Fires are Arson

Bruce McManus' new play looks at our relationship with our own mortality, and with each other, as we struggle to face the inevitable, 8 p.m. today, Prairie Theatre Exchange, to Feb. 10; $34.55, students/seniors $25.21 at 942-5483.

Fiddler on the Roof

Manitoba Theatre Centre, to Jan. 26, 2 & 7:30 p.m. today; $17 to $81 by calling 942-6537.

Cercle Moli�re: Une Dangereuse Obsession

By Manitoba author Nigel J. Crisp, Th��tre de la Chapelle, 825 Saint-Joseph, to Feb. 2, 8 p.m. today; $25.50, students/seniors $23 at 233-8053.

Comedy

Rumor's

Steve Hofstetter, who's also a weekly humour columnist for Sports Illustrated.com and NHL.com, 7:45 & 10:30 p.m. today and Saturday; $15 by calling 488-4520.

Movies

IMAX

Beowulf: The IMAX Experience and Mysteries of Egypt; call 956-4629 for times.

Cinematheque

Lakeboat, Mamet returns to his blue-collar Chicago roots, bringing his own life experiences to the screen, 7 p.m. today and 2 p.m. Saturday; Control, about the late, tormented and brilliant lead singer Ian Curtis of Joy Division, 9:30 p.m., to Sunday; Artspace, 100 Arthur; admission $7.

Nightspots

Academy Food, Drinks & Music (437 Stradbrook): SPF 90.

Alive (140 Bannatyne): Marc LaBossiere.

Brooklands (8 Keewatin): Fabulous Fat Band.

Candor Books & Music (390 Provencher): Ray St. Germain.

Cavern (112 Osborne, downstairs): Andrew Neville & The Poor Choices.

Club Regent (1425 Regent): Pauly & The Goodfellas.

Coyote's (1931 Pembina): Mother Groove.

Country Corral (3740 Portage): Pop the Trunk.

Current (Inn At The Forks): Amber Epp.

Dylan O'Connor's (2609 Portage): Big Johnson Railroad.

Jaguars (Club Regent): Free Ride.

Joe's Garage (Pandora Inn): Ashland Court.

King's Head (120 King): Whole Lotta Angus.

La Salle (346 Nairn): Soul Patch.

Marion (393 Marion): Slip of the Tung.

Mirrors (Assiniboine Inn, 1975 Portage): Simon Says.

Neon Lights (Canadiana Hotel, 1400 Notre Dame): Without a Trace.

Nicolett (632 Lafleche): Ace in the Hole.

Norwood (112 Marion): Last on the Road.

Palomino (1133 Portage): OPM.

Palm Lounge (Fort Garry Hotel, 222 Broadway): Walle Larsson.

Park Theatre (698 Osborne): Rocket Circus.

Pyramid (176 Fort): Rock, Paper, Sciccors.

Regal Beagle (Marlborough Hotel, 331 Smith): Funky Monkey Band.

Royal Albert (48 Albert): Nutty Klub DJs.

Royal George (123 Regent West): Kathy Kennedy.

Shannon's Irish Pub (175 Carlton): B.U.M.P.

Silver Spike (202 Bond): Altered State.

Times Changed (Main & St. Mary Ave.): Jakebrakes and Paul Bergman.

Westbrook (Keewatin & Pacific): State of Grace.

Windsor (187 Garry): Steep Rock Blues Band.

Woodbine (466 Main): Deputy.

Names: Whiten signs 1-year deal with Yankees - The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)

The Yankees agreed to a one-year, $1 million contract with freeagent outfielder Mark Whiten yesterday in a move that gives the clubthe flexibility to trade Paul O'Neill. New York's outfield hadappeared set with Bernie Williams in center, O'Neill in right andDarryl Strawberry and Tim Raines splitting time in left. O'Neillimped through the second half of last season because of a tornhamstring and finished with a .302 average, 19 homers and 91 RBIs.Whiten, 30, who was briefly with the Red Sox, hit .243 with 10 homersand 38 RBIs for Philadelphia and Atlanta last season, then hit .300with 12 homers and 33 RBIs for Seattle . . . Baseball isinvestigating allegations that Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schottused the names of Reds employees to falsify sales and attain quotasat her Chevrolet-Geo dealership . . . David F. D'Alessandro, who iscredited with saving the Boston Marathon and made John Hancock MutualLife Insurance Co. a worldwide Olympic sponsor, was named No. 47 onThe Sporting News' 1996 list of The 100 Most Powerful People inSports . . . Sheryl Swoopes, perhaps the biggest star of thefledgling Women's NBA, will miss most of its inaugural season becauseshe is pregnant. The 25-year-old Olympic gold medalist is due todeliver shortly before the WNBA season begins June 21, and willresume playing in August. The season ends Aug. 30 . . . MinnesotaTimberwolves rookie Stephon Marbury faces charges in Family Court inNew York that he has failed to financially support his 22-month-olddaughter . . . Hall of Famers Red Auerbach and Red Holzman,legendary coaches for the Celtics and the Knicks, will coach the 1997Rookie All-Star Game Feb. 8 in Cleveland . . . Three-timeIndianapolis 500 winner Bobby Unser, who survived two nights in thewilderness on the New Mexico-Colorado border, was cited for violatingthe Wilderness Act by driving a snowmobile into a wilderness area.Unser said he shouldn't be prosecuted for getting lost during ablizzard.Miscellany: Former Kings owner McNall sentenced to nearly six yearsFormer Kings owner Bruce McNall was sentenced in Los Angeles to 5years 10 months in prison and ordered to repay $5 million for hisadmitted role in a scheme to bilk banks, a securities firm and theNHL team of more than $236 million . . . Connecticut Gov. John G.Rowland said that the state will look into building a new arena forthe Hartford Whalers after he was convinced by team owner PeterKarmanos and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman that even a refurbishedCivic Center won't be sufficient in the long run . . . New YorkRangers right wing Alexei Kovalev may return to the lineup thisseason despite a full tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in hisright knee. If he postpones surgery and plays with a knee brace,Kovalev could return in about six weeks. With surgery, he will beout for the rest of the season . . . Chicago Blackhawk Tony Amonte'sknee injury is not as bad as first feared and Amonte, whose 26 goalsrank fourth in the NHL, could return as early as tonight. Amonte,hurt Wednesday night, thought he hyperextended his left knee, butsubsequent tests revealed no serious damage and the injury wasdiagnosed as a bruise . . . Former Dolphins coach Don Shula leadsthe list of finalists for induction into the Pro Football Hall ofFame. Also on the list are cornerback Mike Haynes, who played forthe Patriots from 1976-82, centers Dwight Stephenson and MikeWebster, defensive ends Carl Eller and Jack Youngblood, widereceivers John Stallworth and Lynn Swann, punter Ray Guy, safety PaulKrause, guard Tom Mack, tight end Ozzie Newsome, tackle Ron Yary,seniors nominee Jerry Kramer and Giants president Wellington Mara . .. Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf were named top seeds for theAustralian Open. Yevgeny Kafelnikov is out with a broken hand . . .Heavyweight Andrew Golota received a two-year suspended prisonsentence and a $7,000 fine for beating up a man in a May 1990 discobrawl in Warsaw.

New coach rules with an iron fist - The Record (Bergen County, NJ)

ADRIAN WOJNAROWSKI
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
01-07-2004

New coach rules with an iron fist
ADRIAN WOJNAROWSKI
Date: 01-07-2004, Wednesday
Section: SPORTS
Edtion: All Editions.=.Two Star B. Two Star P. One Star B

Before the Giants had slid his nameplate onto his office door, Tom Coughlin had muscled his first power play on management, declaring himself Giants' coach and issuing a statement to an Associated Press reporter promising to restore the franchise's 'tradition of physically controlling the line of scrimmage.'

Just the kind of tough, no-nonsense football declaration out of the crusty coach who would move Giants' training camp to Junction, Texas, if Wellington Mara and Bob Tisch could only get out of that agreement with Albany.

Only, there was one problem, Ernie Accorsi countered a little later on Tuesday afternoon.

'It's not just the contract is not signed,' the Giants' GM said.

'There is no agreement.'

This didn't take long, did it? Bear Coughlin was taking over the franchise. So accustomed to complete autonomy in his eight seasons lording over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Coughlin just marched into the Meadowlands and hired himself. Even if this misstep belonged to his overzealous agent, consider it a foreshadowing of conflicts threatening to play out within the franchise.

When the Maras, Tisch, and Accorsi stand shoulder to shoulder with Coughlin today to make official his four-year, $12 million contract, they'll speak reverently of the Giants' way, the separation of decision-making authority born out of the most archaic NFL tradition.

This is fine with him, Coughlin will say. He respects the structure. He can live with it.

Just understand: As much as any coach in the sport, including his mentor, Bill Parcells, Coughlin has a history of craving control.

'I don't need to have that,' Coughlin told the Boston Globe a month ago. 'What I need to have is feeling good about the people who are making those decisions.'

Right, right. Just wait until Accorsi presents him his first Jeff Hatch on draft day, or his buddy Joe Paterno sells him on some slow-footed linebacker out of Penn State. Just wait. This isn't going to be Jim Fassel, understanding that his staying power directly correlated to his general agreeability. Gentleman Jim and his goofy grin are gone. Here comes Terrible Tom and his miserable, menacing way.

He's no Fassel, but chances are, Coughlin had to play the part in the interview process. He is threatening to general managers. Why do you think so few invited him to sit down for interviews? Besides the fact that the rest of the NFL knew it was political posturing on the part of the Giants to say they were seriously considering defensive coordinators Romeo Crennel and Lovie Smith - this was Coughlin's job, all the way - league executives feared Coughlin.

Nobody wanted to get into a power struggle with him. Why bother, when it's just easier to hire someone else.

With little leverage as an unemployed coach, Coughlin was wise to go easy on his personal demands for his next job. Owners hire fired coaches, but they don't hire fired emperors. No past GM/coach gets the dual role on the rebound and Coughlin knew it. Out of work, Coughlin couldn't dare command his past power, especially with his eye on the Giants' job. Coughlin isn't a stranger to the rigid Giants' chain of command. An assistant from 1988 to 1990, he has seen with his own eyes the struggle for player personnel control between Bill Parcells and the late George Young.

Without the promise of power, Coughlin wouldn't leave Boston College for the Giants in 1993. He waited until Jacksonville turned an expansion franchise over to him. Owner Wayne Weaver let Coughlin decide everything top to bottom in the organization. Within two seasons, Coughlin had the Jaguars within a whisper of the Super Bowl. He won with his players, his vision, his iron fist.

Truth be told, Coughlin has a far superior player personnel rsum than Accorsi. In just the Jags' second season, he had them in the AFC title game. He was responsible for everything there. And everyone. Nobody flushed a toilet in the Jaguars' practice complex without checking Coughlin's guidelines for jiggling the handle.

They had four straight winning seasons, including two trips to the conference championship, before Coughlin and ownership's lust to mortgage everything for a Super Bowl capped out the Jags like Layden's Knicks.

This time, they didn't hire this coach to crunch numbers, just bones. Now, Club Gent is officially over at Giants Stadium. Tom Coughlin marched into Giants Stadium, declared himself the coach before his bosses even did, and set one stone-cold, serious tone for his tenure. Maybe he doesn't have complete control of the Giants today, but check back tomorrow. All he knows is one way.

***

E-mail: wojnarowski@northjersey.com

NO. 12 TO HAUNT WILSON HARBOR, AID LOCAL CHARITIES - The Buffalo News (Buffalo, NY)

WILSON - A two-week affair in Wilson harbor aims to make 12 amagic number as 12 local businesses team up with 12 corporatesponsors in hopes of raising tens of thousands of dollars for 12Niagara County charities.

Activities, to begin Wednesday and continue to Halloween, willinclude more than 500 boat trips through the 'Haunted Harbor.'

'We're gearing up for a 1,000 people a night,' said PatrickBrady, a Buffalo-born developer and the main driving force behindthe unusual event.

The boat rides will be free, but patrons will be requested tomake a $5 donation to charity. In return, they will receive an all-area pass for the night, entitling them to a variety of Halloweenactivities along the boardwalk, including pumpkin carving, applebobbing, scary attractions and musical entertainment.

Starting Wednesday, six 21-foot tour boats will leave the dock bythe Boat House Restaurant every five minutes between 6:30 p.m. and9:30 p.m. daily through Oct. 31.

If the event draws 1,000 people a night for 15 nights, it wouldraise $75,000, and each of the 12 charities would receive $6,250each.

Even if the even fails to meet that goal, the charities wouldbenefit substantially, organizers say.

The charities include local chapters of the Red Cross,Opportunities Unlimited, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, GirlScouts, the Lions Club, Wilson Sports Boosters, Wilson CentralSchool, the local library and a Niagara Falls soup kitchen.

Wilson harbor has been rigged with 12 haunted sites, some onfloating docks, for the prolonged Halloween event. The tour boatswill encounter them all during the half-hour trip around Clark'sIsland, home of the Tuscarora Yacht Club.

'The sites are interactive,' Brady said, without giving away anysecrets. 'The boats pull up to each site, the scary stuff starts,and the boats escape in the nick of time.'

'The haunted sites are awesome,' said Wilson Town SupervisorJerry Dean, who was involved in the set up. 'The whole event isunique, something Wilson harbor has never seen before.'

'The most unusual thing about this event is the teaming of thehost business with the corporate sponsor and the charity,' saidBrady, who owns the Wilson Boat House restaurant. 'The wholecommunity came together in a common effort. Twelve by 12 by 12 - wedivided and conquered.'

The Garden Gate, a florist shop in the Harborfront complex, hasteamed up, for example, with three Wilson firms - White Siding, HighTech Concrete and Wellington Builders - to raise money for the localchapter of cystic fibrosis, a disease that afflicts a young Wilsonwoman.

Five Coconuts, a rum and spicy food bar below deck from the BoatHouse restaurant, has teamed up with Sevenson Industrial Services ofNiagara Falls to raise money for a soup kitchen in that city.

The two-week Halloween affair is the culmination of 'a millionmeetings,' Brady said.

A world traveler who now lives in Boston, Brady spent hischildhood summers in a cottage his father built on Lake Ontario inWilson, and he has been coming back to Wilson ever since. In thelast three years, he also has been building it back up.

Wilson is joining Olcott, a lakeside village a few miles east anditself a tourist mecca 100 years ago, in making a comeback.

Since buying and renovating the Boat House restaurant three yearsago, Brady has built several harborfront shops on four acres ofadjoining property he also owns. Over the past two years, the numberof shops has grown from four to 12.

Brady has improved the docks, installed power and cable hookupsfor boats, and begun free tours of the harbor. The Boat Houserestaurant added an outdoor deck and live music.

With land and money he donated, the town has built a communitypool near the harbor that provides free swimming lessons forchildren and swim programs for all residents of the town andvillage.

The restaurant, shops and Wilson harbor itself, which used toclose down for the winter on Sept. 30, now will stay open year-round, Brady said.

Local attorney Walter Moxham Jr. also has been a major forcebehind the harborfront transformation, sponsoring free concerts andprograms in Clark's Park, behind the new swimming pool. About 50local businesses donated money to present programs, and last yearthey launched Harborfest, a three-day affair featuring a tall ship,fireworks, art show, car show and Coast Guard helicopter rescuedemonstrations in the harbor.

The revitalization, festivals and free concerts not only haveattracted tourists, but also have boosted local businesses.Employment in the tiny village has skyrocketed about 500 percent,officials say.

Australian dynasty that's hard to toppleDominance is unwavering over 30 years RUGBY LEAGUE - International Herald Tribune

Huw Richards
International Herald Tribune
10-25-2004
The New York Yankees missed baseball's World Series, Real Madrid won nada in soccer, and the U.S. men's Olympic basketball squad was a dream team only for its gratified opponents. But not every sporting dynasty is collapsing without a fight in 2004.Australia's rugby league team established an early grip on the sport's new Gillette Tri-Nations tournament, where it plays New Zealand and Britain, by beating the Kiwis 32-12 on Saturday night at the Queens Park Rangers soccer ground in London.The tournament is the biggest thing in league this year. It has had a World Cup for 50 years, much longer than the rival code of rugby union, but never established it as a regular competition. The next is in 2008, a gap of eight years.The three teams play each other twice apiece, then the top two meet in the final at Elland Road in Leeds on Nov. 27.The timing of domestic seasons Britain's Grand Final, in which Leeds beat Bradford 16-8 last week, fell two weeks after Australia's grand final means Australia and New Zealand have played the first two matches, drawing, 16-16, last week in Auckland, New Zealand.Britain now plays its rivals on alternate Saturdays for the next four weeks, starting next week against Australia.The outcome will determine the world pecking order. That hierarchy has been largely unchanged in more than 30 years. Australia has not lost a series to New Zealand since 1953 or to Britain since 1970, and it has won all six World Cups since 1975. Rugby league is like American football, a fruitful outcrop from rugby union. It broke away in 1895 over payment for players a concept that ''union,'' named after the administrative body that ran the sport at the time, rejected for another century. League is played with 13 men, compared with union's 15, and while methods of scoring are the same, values are different. Four points are given for a try, or touchdown, two for a goal when the ball is kicked over the bar and between the posts and one for a drop-goal, kicked as a dropped ball strikes the ground.League supporters point to players' speed of movement, dexterous handling and ferocious hitting all apparent on Saturday night.The British historian Tony Collins once likened it to Yiddish, because it has never been associated with a ruling class in any of the countries where it is played. It has not, though, matched the ability of Yiddish to cross national boundaries.League is heavily concentrated in a few regions in the Tri-Nations. Once-powerful France has fallen away and no new fourth force has arisen, although league is Papua New Guinea's national game.It is, however as a roster including names like Tonga, Rooney, Webcke, Minichello, Buderus and Civoniceva indicates more reflective of Australia's ethnic richness than cricket or rugby union, and it has long been more popular than union among the Pacific Islanders and Maoris of the poorest districts of New Zealand's two largest cities, Auckland and Wellington.But even if unfashionable with ruling classes, it is not invariably unpopular with individual rulers. Liking league is about the only thing John Howard, Australia's conservative prime minister, and Helen Clark, his leftish intellectual counterpart from New Zealand, have in common. The decision to play a game between two nations from the other side of the world in London was vindicated on Saturday when the game at Loftus Road, normally home to a lower-division English soccer club, drew a capacity crowd of 16,750. If Britain's league fans are mostly in the north, its Australians and New Zealanders concentrate in London, where schools, bars and law firms would struggle without them.New Zealand started well, with the prodigious 19-year-old forward Sonny-Joe Williams's remarkable dexterity helping to create a second-minute try for fullback Brent Webb. Though Australia struck back rapidly with a try by wing Luke Rooney and two goals from forward Craig Fitzgibbon, New Zealand still led 12-8 at halftime with further tries by wing Lesley Vainikolo and halfback Vinnie Anderson.The second 40-minute half, though, was all Australia once its captain, Darren Lockyer, had sliced through within two minutes. Willie Tonga and Shaun Berrigan, both centers, and forward Petero Civoniceva, a replacement, scored tries, while Fitzgibbon, Lockyer with two and Berrigan kicked goals. New Zealand went scoreless in increasingly unpleasant rain- and wind-swept conditions.British fans habitually support New Zealand against Australia but may not be too sorry. If Britain reaches the final, Australia is now its likelier opponent. As well as wanting to win, the players will want, like Boston Red Sox fans, to beat their old tormentors.

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