Many beginning wood workers are worried that they need to buy thousands of dollars worth of tools to get started. This is not true. There are only a few power tools that I suggest beginners buy to get a good start at wood working. Most are not expensive and should be well within most anyone's budget over time.

The following power tools are what I consider the most essential and most used power tools.

Circular Saw – A circular saw is simple to use and can accomplish many cutting tasks. It is one of the most versatile tools you will buy. A good circular saw will be used primarily to make crosscuts but you can also use it for rip cuts as well as for cutting sheet goods down to manageable sizes. The circular saw becomes even more versatile when used with guide jigs that you can purchase or build in your shop. A circular saw can be expensive when buying a top quality contractor model, for most wood workers you can get into a good saw for $50-$100 depending on your budget.

Drill – A drill is needed for many joinery tasks. You can go with corded or cordless depending on your budget. A good quality corded drill will usually be less expensive than a cordless but can be used for the same tasks. I would suggest starting with a good quality corded drill with 3/8″ chuck.

Table Saw – You will find as you progress in your wood working that the table saw becomes the most important tool in the shop. The table saw will become the center of your shop that all other work radiates from. You will want to buy the best saw that you can afford. Take time to learn about the features of different saws so that you can choose one that fits the type of work you do.

Random Orbit Sander – I started with a palm sander but rarely ever use one anymore since discovering the random orbit sander. A power sander is a real time saver when finishing a project. The advantage to a random orbit sander is that it reduces sanding marks that may show up in your finish.

Jigsaw – A jigsaw is great for those projects that call for cutting curved shapes. A jigsaw is a must for pattern wood working such as silhouettes. This is a tool that you will use often so again purchase the best saw your budget will allow.

Router – Routers really make a project stand out. They can be used for everything from decorative edges to joinery when used with purchased and shop made jigs. I recommend a 2 HP model with both a plunge base and stationary base. A router will become one of the most versatile tools for most woodworkers.

These are power tools that most woodworkers will find invaluable in most all projects. I always recommend buying the best you can afford and choosing from brands that you recognize. Always be sure to become familiar with the tool, its operation, and safety rules for safe working. Keep on a regular maintenance schedule and your tools should last you a long time.

GILLIAN DUFFY, 65, a voter, who had challenged PM Gordon Brown on issues including immigration was called a bigoted woman by Brown. When PM Gordon Brown left the event, he did not realize that he still had a live microphone pinned to his shirt and commented to an aide that it was a disaster and that they should never have put him with that woman. He called the idea ridiculous.

Gordon Brown had said he is mortified after being caught on microphone describing a voter he had just spoken to in Rochdale as a bigoted woman. The tape was played during his interview on a radio show. After listening to the tape, he apologized for any hurtful things he said.

Mrs Gillian Duffy, a widow who has a daughter and two grandchildren said that she used to work with disabled children for Rochdale council before she retired. Mrs Duffy said she was very upset  after hearing Prime Minister Brown's comments. She even said that an educated man like him should have never used words such as bigot. Gillian Duffy expressed that she wanted to know why she was called a bigot.

The election trail started off quite normally for Gordon Brown today until he encountered 65 year old Gillian Duffy in Rochdale.

The pensioner challenged Prime Minister Brown on various issues, such as immigration and crime and finished by insisting that too many people from Eastern Europe now reside in the UK. Gordon seemed to take the banter well and at the end of a five minute chat, told Mrs Duffy that he was glad to meet her and wished her family well.

It was a different story when he returned to the privacy of his car though. Once he thought he was safe, Gordon blasted the woman all the time forgetting that he was still wearing a Sky News microphone.

He told an aide:

“That was a disaster – they should never have put me with that woman. Whose idea was that? It's just ridiculous…”

Asked what she had said, he replied: “Ugh everything! She's just a sort of bigoted woman that said she used to be Labour. I mean it's just ridiculous. I don't know why Sue brought her up towards me.”

Ironically, being questioned at the same time and unaware of what was being said in the car, Gillian Duffy praised the Prime Minister. She said their conversation had been “very good,” adding: “seems a nice man.”

She wasn't so happy when the story broke just minutes later.

Speaking after the incident, she said: “Why was I called a bigot? I am very disappointed. I am very upset

“He is an educated person, why has he come out with words like that?

“He’s going to lead the country and I was an ordinary woman asking questions that most people would ask him about the national debt.

“He's not doing anything about the national debt and it's going to be tax, tax, tax for another 20 years to get out of this mess – and he's calling me a bigot.”

“He should find out what's going on in our lives”.

Twitter has erupted with news of the scandal, with many people blasting Brown's comments. I have included a few comments below:

Gordon Brown – shame on you, you are an utter disgrace. Nothing she said was bigoted

 

Watched his chat with Ms Duffy. Didn't seem bigotted to me. Interesting glimpse at the real Gordon?

 

Well, to be fair, she was a bit bigoted. Let's at least give him that

Am I the only one who likes Gordon Brown a 100% more for calling that silly woman a bigot?

So the million dollar question….has this incident put you off Brown? If you were going to vote Labour will this exchange change your mind? Leave your comments below!

According to the Immunization and Naturalization Service, there were 8.7 million illegal immigrants residing in the U.S. in 2003. Conservative estimates maintain that number climbs around 500,000 each year. That would put the estimate for 2007 somewhere around 10.7 million illegal aliens living in the U.S. Most officials believe those estimates are on the low end. In 2004, Senator John McCain ® of Arizona stated that, “According to the US Border Patrol apprehension statistics, almost four million people crossed our borders illegally in 2002″. The U.S. Border Patrol in Tucson, Arizona estimated the total a bit closer to 15 million in 2004. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, nearly 70% of illegal entrants to this country come directly from Mexico. Whether it is 10 million or 20 million, clearly our nation is experiencing a mass migration of foreigners that needs to be addressed by and paid for by the nation as a whole.

Currently around 75% of the illegal immigrants in the U.S. live in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. Unfortunately, this leaves these states to bear most of the financial burden which include state welfare assistance in the form of food stamps, WIC and cash assistance, but it does not stop there. These Border States are also supposed to pay for trips to the emergency room, the costs associated with crimes, and education while collecting very little in the way of taxes.

Arizonans fork out nearly $1.3 billion annually to pay for all of the costs incurred from illegal immigration; around $810 million for education, $400 million for health care related expenses, $80 million in incarceration costs, and the remainder in welfare benefits. All of this is required while Arizona runs a $500 million deficit annually.

Most of the costs associated with illegal immigration that fall on the Border States are incurred through unfunded Federal mandates. This means the Federal government requires that states comply with expensive federal regulations without providing the resources to pay for them. This leaves the Border States scrambling to maintain compliance with limited budgets which should be spent on their own taxpayers.

For instance, it is Federal law that every emergency room in this country serve whoever walks through the door whether they can pay for the service or not. This includes illegal aliens who often come to the emergency room for something as basic as an ear infection which costs both the hospital and the taxpayer. The Tucson Medical Center and University Medical Center located in Tucson, Arizona bear around $1 million dollars each in uncompensated costs for treating illegal immigrants annually. Not only do taxpayers suffer from the unfunded mandates, businesses do as well.

As for the quality of education in Arizona, the state ranks 50 out of all U.S. states. That would be dead last.
In order to appease the immigration Gods, Arizonans spent around $400 per ESL student annually to help them learn English. However, in 2007 that will all change. Parents of ESL students sued the state over a period of 15 years to raise that amount to closer to $1200 per student. They cited studies that the $400 was an inadequate amount to teach their children English. The state granted their request and now Arizonans will shell out an additional $80 million per year to help Spanish speakers learn English.

The $890 million spent on ESL students is for additional teachers, classrooms, books and supplies, mandatory bilingual education for teachers, and additional tutoring. That's $890 million not going to the education of the legal citizens living in Arizona. That's nearly $1000 annually for each legal Arizona household to bear in taxes to pay for the education of illegal immigrants.

Aside from the monetary costs from ESL students, the education of English speakers is also suffering. Even as money flows to teaching ESL students English instead of raising the quality of education in Math, Science and Reading for all students; English speaking students must occasionally endure a lower level of academics in the classroom because of lack of understanding from the ESL students. Instead of focusing on raising the bar for English speakers, the teacher must focus on leveling the playing field for the ESL students which, in Arizona, more often than not make up more than half of the classroom population. In some districts, such as TUSD, which have a high population of Spanish speakers and illegal immigrants, ESL student percentages in the classroom can be as high as 90%.

Arizonans started fighting back with the 2006 anti-immigration ballot propositions that passed with overwhelming majorities. Proposition 103 reaffirmed that English is to be the official language of Arizona. This proposition seems to be purely symbolic as it will not change the language issue in the state; schools will still be required to teach ESL students, state and business pamphlets will still be printed in both English and Spanish, and you will still have to “Press 1 for English and 2 for Spanish” when calling businesses and government offices.

Proposition 100 denies bail to undocumented immigrants charged with felonies. Proposition 102 prohibits undocumented immigrants from being awarded punitive damages in any civil lawsuit filed in the state and Proposition 300 prohibits undocumented immigrants from receiving in-state tuition, financial assistance or access to state-subsidized childcare and family literacy programs. Whether these ballots will stand or be declared unconstitutional, I can already hear the whooshing sound of the money-sucking vacuum starting to fade a little.

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It says a lot, and none of it good, about the Premier League that all the right questions about Portsmouth’s situation are being asked by others, from HM Revenue and Customs to Private Eye magazine. It is becoming clearer by the day that Portsmouth Football Club has become a venue for an entirely non-football fight between two groups of business people. None of whom are called Ali Al-Faraj. In a recent Guardian interview, Ahmed Al-Faraj, the “brother” of the man Pompey fans have styled “Al-Mirage,” asked a pertinent question of those who doubted the credibility or very existence of the man who supposedly owned Portsmouth for over four months: “So who signed the documents with the Premier League and all the things with the banks, if he is not the owner?”

Ahmed’s comments were part of an effort to show that his “brother” had “full charge” of Portsmouth and took all the executive decisions while he was the owner. It is difficult to see how this could be true. And not just because his “brother” was quoted, three weeks after buying Portsmouth, as saying: “It is not us who makes the decisions, the club has its admin and its board of directors, (so the decisions) are not in our hands.” Mind you, this “interview” was conducted “via telephone on loud-speaker whilst he was present in Ahmed’s car following the tour of the club” (Ashara Al-Awsat, 24th October), the club his “brother” never visited, in the country for which his “brother” could not get an entry visa.

At one time or another, just about all the main protagonists in the Portsmouth affair this season have eventually had to admit that, no, they hadn’t met Ali Al-Faraj. Not even Mark Jacob who “had power of attorney of Ali.” (“Despite being his lawyer, Jacob has admitted he has never met his client” – Guardian, 4th February 2010). Not even the official UK spokesman for “petro-chemical giants” Sabic, who could confirm that Ali Al-Faraj was “a private shareholder in Sabic and a wealthy individual,” but only because “I read it in the Sun and I assumed they had checked.” (Independent, 6th October 2009).

Not even the execrable Sulaiman Al-Fahim gave “praise” to God for Ali Al-Faraj’s “presence” in a bout of unintended irony during one of his 94 “exclusive” interviews with the Arab press (Ashara Al-Awsat, 16th October). Eventually, he was forced to admit, in December that “I have never met Ali Al-Faraj” and that “I want to know who he is and what plans he has for the club” (Guardian, 2nd December). A not unreasonable attitude except for one minor technicality, this was two months after he’d sold 90% of Portsmouth to the man he’d “never met.”

Not even former Pompey Chief Executive Peter Storrie could refer to any direct conversation with the man, even though he “worked round the clock with Faraj and his associates” (Guardian, 26th August 2009) to buy the club just before Al-Fahim became owner. He did assure fans in December that “Ali and his associates worked hard on it today” (Independent, 4th December 2009), referring to the securing of new finance for the club, But then he added “that’s what I’m being told,” which was somewhat less assuring. And, of course, he was told wrong.

And not even the Premier League, as Ali Al-Faraj “passed the Premier League’s ‘Fit and Proper Persons’ Test’ in August, even though no-one at their London HQ has ever met him in person…his lawyer supplied personal information.” (The Sun, 7th October 2009). The lawyer who admitted “he has never met his client”). When Ahmed Al-Faraj was pressed on the specifics of his “brother’s” control, he suggested that Jacob was the man to ask, despite the pair’s lack of personal interaction. And he seemed rather too determined to draw a line under his and his “brother’s” roles at Pompey: “I think it is now finished,” he interjected as the questioning got detailed. “He is not owning the club any more so I don’t think there is any interest in talking about the club or anything.”

Well, it might not be in his or his “brother’s” interests to cover Portsmouth’s recent history. But it is surely in the interests of any new potential owners to have all the details. And the joint administrator with the microphone, the never-knowingly-shy Andrew Andronikou promised over two months ago that he’d be covering it. “We have the responsibility of investigating the company’s recent financial history,” Andronikou said in a statement (club web-site, 26th February 2010) – although this statement also promised “proposals ready for circulation within eight weeks” to creditors. Andronikou at the time rightly gave priority to the “problems in hand…which are not insignificant,” and which he identified as “stabilising the club and reinstating a solid foundation for the future.”

But a dispiritingly anonymous investor is supposedly commencing due diligence and, it seems, changing identity, as I type (“a change to his purchaser”, Guardian, 6th April 2010). One would have thought that a thorough and complete investigation of the “company’s recent financial history” would be extremely helpful to “due” diligence. A “data room” has been provided for prospective buyers and their “forensic” accountants. But without the promised investigation, not all the “data” in that room be verified, or be the basis for a sound business decision on whether or not to buy the club.

As Portsmouth fan Mike Hall pointed out in an excellent pompey-fans.com website article, “how can anyone talk about what the total debts are when there are serious question marks over large lumps of it?” – lumps the size of £73m, by his informed calculations. This may, in part, explain why the quoted debt figure is such a movable feast. £60m very quickly became £70m, which increased to “£82-86m” at almost Weimar Republic-style inflationary rates. And last week, the debt figure broke the century barrier, which suggests either that the club’s day-to-day losses are horrendous, in which case Andronikou isn’t doing his job properly (see ”stabilising the club” – above), or that not even Andronikou is sure of his calculations, in which case Andronikou  isn’t doing his job properly.

Yet he is sure that his proposals for taking Portsmouth out of administration will be passed by creditors, despite HMRC’s continuing policy of opposition to football’s “Company Voluntary Arrangements.” The support of creditors owed 75% of the total debt is required for a CVA to be accepted (on the basis of “one pound owed, one vote”). However, HMRC are owed a considerable eight-figure sum, roughly a quarter of the total debt when it was ‘only’ £60m, which meant they could, and would have strangled any CVA at birth, before Andronikou got his abacus out.

Nonetheless, with mere pennies in the pound likely to be on offer, Andronikou can only have any confidence in getting the vote because the football creditors, who will receive all their money, have a say on whether unsecured creditors receive far less. There’s justice. It is fair to surmise from Andronikou’s numerous public comments that he was quite keen for Portsmouth’s last owner, Balram Chainrai, to be their next one. Certainly keener than he was on Rob Lloyd and his mystery man with the ever changing identity. Unusual, you might think, for an administrator to have a preferred bidder before any bidder has made a bid. But “unusual” is par for Portsmouth.

None of this, it seems, has ever been of the remotest interest to the Premier League, except for the damage it might have done to the worldwide “EPL brand.” As Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore put it recently, with the sense of perspective for which he is famed: “Has it done damage to the Premier League? Yes, it has. When a footballer gets caught in a nightclub, it has a similar effect” (Guardian, 29th March 2010, completely in context, be assured). Indeed, the comparisons could not be more direct, so long as the footballer caught in the nightclub was using a football club to fight business battles over tens of millions of pounds which had nothing to do with the football club or the game itself whatsoever, and which threatened the very existence of that football club, and could still do so. As long as they treat multi-million pound financial mysteries with the same gravity as one player getting caught doing something (or someone) unspecified in one un-named night club, the Premier League will never ask the right questions. And fans will have to rely on HMRC or Private Eye instead. Which says a lot about the Premier League. None of it good.

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Posted: Apr 11, 2010 at 5:02 PM

DeShawn Sims knew he’d be in a position to show off his skills and by the end of the three-game Portsmouth Invitational this week, it was evident the former Michigan forward had done just that.

He led his team, Portsmouth Sports Club, in scoring. He started two out of the three games his team played and often, he felt like guards were looking for him either on a fast break or in the half court. Overall, he deemed it “a great experience.”

Early on, he got the feeling it could be a good week.

“There was a sequence in the first game, just running the floor, beating guys up the floor, fast breaking and they threw it to me on the run and I was able to dunk it,” Sims said by cell phone from Portsmouth, Va. after the last game of his three-game stint at the Portsmouth Invitational. “Just having guys with the ball look for me and kind of see me as the guy they wanted to shoot.”

The numbers proved it, as he averaged 18 points and 7.7 rebounds for Portsmouth
Sports Club, which went 1-2 for the week.

Sims’ team was hampered early by injuries to Da’Sean Butler (West Virginia) and Omar Samhan (St. Mary’s), both frontcourt players who pulled out of Portsmouth right before the tournament.

That hurt Sims’ team – Portsmouth Sports Club – but it didn’t hurt the 6-foot-8 forward’s game.

He didn’t sense his stock rose during the camp, but many NBA scouts and agents made contact with the Detroit native during his time in Virginia. Sims declined to go into specifics about his process with selecting an agent Saturday other than to say he had yet to pick one.

Right now, improving his game is more important.

“I just got the feeling to keep working,” Sims said. “It’s not about stock getting up, it’s about getting better for me. As long as I’m getting better and in the gym every day and have good people around me, that’s all that matters.”

Sims said he plans to return to Michigan on Sunday and attend the Wolverines' year-end banquet Monday evening. After that, it’ll be continuing to work out as he waits to hear from teams that would want to bring him in for individual workouts.

That was his plan entering Portsmouth and it hasn’t changed. He said he didn’t particularly try to prove one portion of his game in Virginia, but just that he can fit in and play well in general.

“That’s how you end up going,” Sims said. “You do what you’re good at doing and the things that you come out and try to do, just because I worked on some things doesn’t mean I was going to do those things.

“Being productive is the key.”

Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein.

Barcelona is a modern day metropolis juxtaposed by ancient architectural beauty, traditional markets and religious symbolism. I was fortunate enough to experience the city with the guidance of a native Catalonian. A friend of mine, native to Barcelona, gave me a two-day whirlwind tour of her city that left me both satisfied and thirsty for more.

The first thing I loved about the city was the language. Coming from New York City, and being an ESL teacher, I tend to hear just about every language from Icelandic to Turkish to Spanish. Rarely however, do I come across a native Catalan speaker. The language is similar to Italian, so I enjoyed understanding the occasional word or phrase. At first I had to ask my friend if someone was speaking Spanish or Catalan, but when I paid close attention, I could hear the unique rhythm and beauty of Catalan.

Barcelona is a great city for walking. We relied on public transportation just to get from one point to another, but then spent hours walking through the streets. There are many “famous” things to see, like Cathedrals, the main shopping street and the Olympic village, but my favorite part was just waking through the narrow streets and absorbing the culture around me. The architecture is so intricate that every single building is worth looking at. Though I can be quite chatty, contrary to my friend, I found myself enjoying her silence. Every corner we turned offered something aesthetically pleasing, but if distracted, you could easily miss the nuances.

Another highlight was the food. We never ate out, because I was lucky enough to eat home cooked meals prepared by my friend's mother. Her mother alternated from traditional Spanish dishes to traditional Catalan dishes. Some highlights were the Spanish omelet, containing runny eggs (contrary to the harder eggs I recently ate in France), potatoes and onions. A Catalan highlight was the bread rubbed with tomato and olive oil. If left alone with that basket of bread, I could have easily eaten the whole loaf!

Mealtime, in general, was a true “slice of life” experience. My friend is on the quiet side, and her mother doesn't speak English. The three of us would eat, and I would listen to the two of them chatting in Catalan. My instincts are normally to jump in, try the language or talk through my friend, who is fluent in Spanish, Catalan and English. But instead of talking, I found myself watching. The tv was blaring in Spanish, they were chatting in Catalan, the dogs were barking, the phone was ringing and the food was amazing. Mealtimes became my favorite part of the day, because I really had a “day in the life of” experience. They didn't go out of their way to put on a show for their New York guest, rather, they opened up their home to me and gave me the authentic experience!

As always I recommend seeing a city through the eyes of its locals. I know this isn't always possible, but even if you don't have a friend to stay with, there are ways to get the real experience. Talking to the locals is always best. I've traveled alone to foreign countries before, and I've always met the most interesting and kind people. Secondly, always practice the language. Even if you are just saying “please” and “thank you” it will not only show respect to the locals, but it will keep you fully engaged in your surroundings. Another tip is not to be so hung up on seeing the tourist attractions. Of course I couldn't be in Barcelona and not see the main shopping street or Sagrada Familia, but I didn't spend an abundance of time there. Just being a sponge to my surroundings is what helped me maximize my two short days in Barcelona.

Barcelona has an international airport, major hub train station and seaport, so it is accessible through just about any means of transportation. It is serviced by several European discount airlines, so travel from the United States is oftentimes cheaper via international flight to London, then discount flight to Barcelona.

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AP) — Associated Press reporters in Kyrgyzstan are hearing sustained automatic weapons fire breaking out as night falls in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, home to a U.S. air base key to the Afghan war.

A bloody uprising in the impoverished Central Asian nation Wednesday was followed Thursday by the opposition announcing an interim government and the president fleeing the capital for his stronghold in the south. President Kurmanbek Bakiyev (bak-EE-ev) then declared he was not admitting defeat.

Resistance from Bakiyev raised the prospect of continued instability in Kyrgyzstan, also home to a Russian military facility.

U.S. military officials said Kyrgyzstan halted flights for 12 hours Wednesday at the Manas air base, and did not say if flights had resumed.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AP) — The president of Kyrgyzstan insisted Thursday that he is not admitting defeat and he will not resign despite a bloody uprising and the formation of an interim government by the opposition.

Resistance from President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who has fled the northern capital of Bishkek for the south, could raise the prospect of continued instability in the impoverished Central Asian nation, home to both a U.S. air base key to the Afghan war and a Russian military facility.

This mountainous former Soviet republic erupted Wednesday after angry protesters stormed government buildings in Bishkek and riot police fired straight into crowds, leaving dozens dead and hundreds wounded.

“I don’t admit defeat in any way,” Bakiyev said on the Ekho Moskvy radio station, but also recognized that “even though I am president, I don’t have any real levers of power.”

Earlier Thursday, opposition leader Roza Otunbayeva said parliament was dissolved and she would head an interim government that would rule for six months until elections were held. She said the opposition controlled four of the country’s seven provinces and urged Bakiyev to resign.

“His business in Kyrgyzstan is finished,” she said.

She also said there were no immediate plans to revisit the current one-year lease on the Manas U.S. air base, which runs out in July. U.S. military officials said Kyrgyzstan halted flights for 12 hours Wednesday at Manas during the uprising, and were evasive Thursday when asked if flights had resumed.

All U.S. military personnel were restricted to the base as a security measure for the second day, a senior U.S. defense official in Washington said Thursday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about it on the record.

There are about 1,100 U.S. military there as well as contingents from Spain and France, also supporting NATO operation in Afghanistan.

Bakiyev was emphatic Thursday that he was still the elected leader of the nation of 5 million people that has been courted by China, Russia and the U.S. for its strategic location.

“I do not intend to relinquish power. I see no point,” he said, adding that his re-election nine months ago proved he still had popular support.

Even though his security forces fired into crowds of demonstrators a day ago, killing dozens and wounding hundreds, Bakiyev seemed to rule out further violence.

“You think the president elected by the people will take up arms against the people? What nonsense,” he said.

Asked why he fled Bishkek, he said: “I wouldn’t have left, but when they started firing on my windows, it was only by chance that I avoided injury.”

Otunbayeva, the former foreign minister, said the president was in the southern region of Jalal-Abad, the heart of his political stronghold. This raised concerns that Bakiyev could try to secure his own survival by exploiting the country’s traditional split between the more urban north and the rural south.

Eyewitnesses in southern Kyrgyzstan told The Associated Press that the situation there was tense and unstable, and the region had both armed men who appeared to be still supporting Bakiyev along with opposition supporters.

The new interim defense minister, however, said the armed forces have joined the opposition and will not be used against protesters.

“Special forces and the military were used against civilians in Bishkek, Talas and other places,” Ismail Isakov said. “This will not happen in the future.”

Although the opposition has previously voiced objection to Manas, Otunbayeva said there were no plans yet to review the lease and her government would meet U.S. diplomats for talks in Bishkek.

“Give us time, it will take time for us to understand and fix the situation,” Otunbayeva said.

Officials at Manas were coy Thursday about operations at the base.

“(We at) Manas have taken all appropriate measures to continue to support operations in Afghanistan,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Rickardo Bodden, a public affairs officer. He refused to elaborate for security reasons.

In 2009, Kyrgyzstan said U.S. forces would have to leave Manas, a decision made shortly after Russia granted Kyrgyzstan more than $2 billion in aid and loans. The government later reversed its stance and signed a one-year deal with the U.S. that raised the rent to about $63 million a year from $17 million.

The U.S. is also paying $67 million for airport improvements and navigation systems and another $51.5 million to combat drug trafficking and terrorism and promote economic development.

Leonid Bondarets, who has been affiliated with the Sweden-based Central Asia and the Caucasus think tank, said as long as Bakiyev did not formally resign, there is room for trouble.

“It’s hard to predict what is going to happen because Bakiyev hasn’t stepped down,” Bondarets said in a telephone interview from Bishkek. “The situation is still tense.”

Kyrgyzstan, which shares a 533-mile (858-kilometer) border with China, is also a gateway to other energy-rich Central Asian countries where China, Russia and the U.S. are competing fiercely for dominance. It is a predominantly Muslim country, but it has remained secular.

In a tentative sign that Russia may lend its support to the opposition forces, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called Otunbayeva on Thursday to talk. Any suggestion that Russia is backing the new leadership adds to the pressure on Bakiyev to step down.

Russia sent in 150 paratroopers to its base to ensure the safety of the 400 military personnel and their families there, Russian state media reported.

In Bishkek, most of the government buildings in the capital, as well as Bakiyev’s houses, have been looted or set on fire and two major markets were burned down. A paper portrait of Bakiyev at government headquarters was smeared with red paint. Obscenities about him were spray-painted on buildings nearby.

Since coming to power in 2005 amid street protests known as the Tulip Revolution, Bakiyev had ensured a measure of stability, but the opposition said he did so at the expense of democratic standards while enriching himself and his family.

He gave his relatives, including his son, top government and economic posts and faced the same accusations of corruption and cronyism that led to the ouster of his predecessor, Askar Akayev.

Otunbayeva blamed Bakiyev for the week’s violent clashes.

“Yesterday’s events were a response to aggression, tyranny and a crackdown on dissenters,” she said. “All the people who were killed and wounded are victims of this regime.”

The Health Ministry said at least 74 people were killed and 400 people hospitalized in clashes nationwide Wednesday.

___

Associated Press writers Leila Saralayeva and Yuras Karmanau in Bishkek, Anita Chang in Beijing, Deborah Seward in Paris and Lynn Berry, Mansur Mirovalev, Nataliya Vasilyeva and David Nowak in Moscow contributed to this report.

By Maria Golovnina and Dmitry Solovyov

BISHKEK, April 8 (Reuters) – Kyrgyzstan's opposition said on Thursday it had seized power in the impoverished and strategically important Central Asian state after an uprising forced President Kurmanbek Bakiyev to flee the capital.

With rioters roaming the streets and widespread looting after a day in which dozens were killed in clashes between protesters and police, the self-proclaimed new interior minister ordered security forces to fire on looters.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said it was crucial to restore order in Kyrgyzstan after the turmoil set off by social and economic unrest.

Roza Otunbayeva, leader of the interim government, demanded the resignation of the president, whom she helped propel to power five years ago. But a local news agency cited Bakiyev as refusing to step down.

Otunbayeva said Bakiyev, who fled while security forces fired on protesters besieging government buildings on Wednesday, was trying to rally supporters from his southern power base.

'What we did yesterday was our answer to the repression and tyranny against the people by the Bakiyev regime,' said Otunbayeva, who once served as Bakiyev's foreign minister.

'You can call this revolution. You can call this a people's revolt. Either way, it is our way of saying that we want justice and democracy,' she told reporters.

While refusing to resign, Bakiyev also echoed opposition statements that the army and security forces were under opposition control, a local news website said.

Bishkek awoke to blazing cars and burned-out shops on Thursday after a day in which at least 75 people were killed in the bloody clashes between protesters and security forces.

Plumes of smoke billowed from the White House, the main seat of government, as crowds rampaged through the seven-storey building setting several rooms on fire. Looting was widespread.

'It is time to work urgently in establishing constitutional order,' Ban said in an address to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna.

The uprising, which began on Tuesday in a provincial town, was sparked by discontent over corruption, nepotism and rising utility prices in a nation where a third of the 5.3 million population live below the poverty line.

The United States and Russia both have military bases in Kyrgyzstan and are, along with China, major donors to the former Soviet state. NATO said flights from the U.S. base in support of its operations in Afghanistan were suspended due to the unrest.

Russia was quick to recognise Otunbayeva's takeover. Washington declined to comment on the recognition. China said only that it was deeply disturbed by the unrest. The European Union said only that the country was 'entering a new phase'.

'IN FULL CONTROL'

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's spokesman said Otunbayeva had told him by telephone she was in full control of the country and he saw her as 'the new head of government'.

Putin earlier denied Moscow had played a hand in the clashes and Otunbayeva said the new government would allow the U.S. base in the Kyrgyz city of Manas to continue to operate while adding that 'some questions' over it would be resolved.

Bakiyev announced the base would close during a visit to Moscow last year at which he also secured $2 billion in crisis aid, only to agree later to keep the base open at a higher rent.

Bakiyev fled Bishkek to southern Kyrgyzstan, his traditional power base in a nation split by clan rivalries. A witness said he arrived late on Wednesday at the airport in Osh, and Otunbayeva said later he was in his home region of Jalalabad.

'We want to negotiate his resignation,' she said. 'His business here is over … The people who were killed here yesterday are the victims of his regime.'

She said the interim government controlled the whole country, except for Osh and Jalalabad. Armed forces and border guards supported the new government, she said. There has been no word from Bakiyev and his spokesmen were not available.

In the centre of Osh, hundreds of Bakiyev's supporters scuffled on Thursday with opponents, who took control of the government building, a Reuters reporter said.

Many of those who died in the capital suffered gunshot wounds. Protesters stormed the government building that Bakiyev left behind, smashing trucks through the perimeter fencing.

The U.S.-led NATO alliance said the interruption to flights through Manas should not significantly affect operations or logistical support in Afghanistan.

Bakiyev came to power in the 2005 'Tulip Revolution' protests, led jointly by Otunbayeva, which ousted Kyrgyzstan's first post-Soviet president, Askar Akayev. She briefly served as acting foreign minister before falling out with Bakiyev.

The opposition said at least 100 people had been killed on Wednesday after security forces opened fire with live ammunition. The Health Ministry put the death toll in Bishkek at 75 dead, and said more than 1,000 people had been injured.

Political unrest over poverty, rising prices and corruption has gripped Kyrgyzstan since early March. The average monthly wage is about $130 and remittances from workers in Russia have fallen sharply during the global economic crisis.

'It was a never ending rip-off. Every day they would raise prices for gas, for water, and in the end is it good to shoot at your own people?' said Alioglu Samedov, 62, a retired lawyer.

In her first major policy statement, Otunbayeva said she would cut utility prices and return certain assets she said were 'illegally privatised', referring to two power companies.

Analysts said the unrest would also increase uncertainty for foreign investors in Kyrgyzstan's mining sector and would have an impact on U.S. interests in Central Asia.

Canadian mining company Centerra Gold said on Wednesday its flagship Kumtor gold mine in Kyrgyzstan had so far been unaffected by the violence, but its shares fell 22 Canadian cents to C$13.32 on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Chaarat Gold Holdings Ltd said on Thursday its operations were unaffected after its shares fell 9.4 percent.

'Bakiyev is unlikely to return to power but the prevailing uncertainty poses severe risks to foreign investors, raises the possibility of foreign intervention and will directly affect U.S. interests in Central Asia,' said Eurasia Group analyst Ana Jelenkovic.

Ban said a special U.N. envoy would get there on Friday. Ban, who visited Kyrgyzstan last week, said he thought pressure had been building for months.

'I could feel the tension in the air,' he said.

(Additional reporting by Olga Dzyubenko in Bishkek, Khulkar Isamova in Osh, Robin Paxton and Guy Faulconbridge in Moscow; Lucy Hornby in Beijing and Peter Graff in Kabul; writing by Philippa Fletcher; editing by Peter Millership) Keywords: KYRGYZSTAN UNREST/

(robin.paxton@reuters.com; +7 495 775 1242; Reuters Messaging: robin.paxton.reuters.com@reuters.net)

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Three companies come to mind when someone researches the Internet to find the cheapest and most flexible airfare: AirTran, Independence Air and Southwest. Others are out there, but these three have the majority of the traveler’s pie. Which of these is the best? Or all they all basically the same?

AirTran Airways, with its hub in Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport, is specifically for Business Class Travelers. Their mission is to “provide the best flying experience to smart travelers.” Their Boeings are younger and equipped with personal radios, larger storage bins and more space. It’s vague when the company actually began flying, but from their Annual Report it looks like around 1999. At this point, they’ve surpassed budget steadily over the past five years, and now provides over 500 flights a day to 40 different destinations. This is all well and good, but what about their record? Are you going to have delays flying with AirTran? How discount is discount? According to the September 2005 Air Consumer Report (put out monthly by the Department of Transportation,) AirTran was reported only to have approximately 60% of its flights running on time. (All statistics come from a base of 40 reportable airports.) 

They have specials running often, but a flight from Washington-Dulles Airport to Orlando runs on average about $165.00 round trip right now. Customer Service has been one of their strong-suits, and like many of the discount carriers, you need to get used to the pretzel and beverage service.

“Flying the I” is what most travelers say about flying Independence Air. The company’s history is based out of the Dulles Airport area in Washington, DC (they’re the “official airline of the Washington Redskins” after all!), and started as a partner to both United Airlines and Delta Airlines. After finally thinking enough is enough, when both United and Delta gave it lopsided contracts, the company (then Atlantic Coast Airlines) declared its Independence by forming a stand-alone airline in 2003. Independence Air flies distinct CRJ200s—50-passenger Bombardiers with leather seats—as well as a new fleet of Airbuses. FlyI is catching up, marketing-wise to their closest competition, Southwest Airlines, by flying all non-stop flights and now reach 30 destinations. 

So, what is its record? Independence Air was reported to have approximately 65% of its flights running on time (September 2005 Air Consumer Report.) Strangely, when I put in the same flight dates as I did for the Washington-Dulles Airport to Orlando booking as I did for AirTran, I got one leg for $79 and another for $309…unless I wanted to fly after 6pm. So if I booked that way, the price would be comparable to AirTran. Customer Service during the flight has been known to be unsurpassed; in the airport, however, crews have “disappeared” when flights have been cancelled leaving angry passengers stranded.

Southwest Airlines has been likened to the Phoenix, that strange and mysterious bird. This obscure company rose from the ashes that was the airline industry post-9/11 to become the most stable and best marketed airline in the country. It is by far the oldest of the discount airlines, and the one after which these newer companies have tried to model themselves. Nearly 35 years old, with a vision of getting passengers where they want to go, cheaply and by having a lot of fun along the way, Southwest Airlines has accumulated a huge following. The pilots fly Boeing 737s and have a newer fleet now in service. The company has won a record five Annual Triple Crowns (the award for best baggage handling, on-time flight record and fewest customer complaints), the most recent being in 1996. How about now? The September 2005 Air Consumer Report shows Southwest with 75% of its flights moving on-time. 

Passengers rave about the fun atmosphere both on the ground and on the plane (for example, flight attendants performing their version of “Twas the Night Before Christmas” on holiday flights), but are frustrated with the Section A, B and C seating system. Travelers today like assigned seating. With TSA workers holding things up in the security lines, once they make it to the gate, most folks want to sit, read a book and catch their breath, not wonder if they should queue up for the Southwest boarding cattle call. For prices, Southwest Airlines is unbeatable with their Internet Specials. Unfortunately, they don’t fly from Dulles to Orlando but they have a flight going out of Baltimore-Washington International Airport. If you can snatch the Internet Specials, you can get a round trip ticket for $95.00. If not, you are looking at the same $165.00 fare as the other two.

So what does this mean? Weighing everything—pros and cons—customer service, fare cost, service records—what is really the best discount airline to choose? They all seem pretty even, except for – Southwest. This company’s customer service is stellar, its on-time rate is very good and the prices and schedules are truly flexible. You can fly when and where you want to. You may have to get there a little earlier to make sure you can board first, but in the end, you’ll be glad you did.