Floyd shuts down A's to earn 10th win, lift ChiSox

Gavin Floyd pitched 7 1-3 scoreless innings to get his 10th victory and Nick Swisher, Brian Anderson and Alexei Ramirez homered in the Chicago White Sox's 6-1 win over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday night.

Oakland had captured the first two games of the four-game series to cool off the White Sox, who'd won seven straight before the A's came to town.

Floyd (10-4), who was 8-10 in his career entering this season, allowed only three singles, walking three and striking out six.

Oakland's Ryan Sweeney _ who was part of the trade that sent Swisher to the White Sox in the offseason _ spoiled the shutout with a solo homer leading off the ninth against …

Thurmond 2nd senator to cast 15,000 votes

WASHINGTON - Sen. Strom Thurmond, already the oldest person everto serve in Congress, has become only the second senator to cast a15,000th vote.

Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., said the historic votecast Wednesday by the 95-year-old Thurmond "reminds …

Liquid mixing

What do I need to know to apply a mixer property?

This involves different considerations for different situations. However, each has some common characteristics.

First, all liquid mixers rely on fluid motion to accomplish their job. The only thing the mixer does is to create fluid motion. Since fluid motion is never the product, understanding the process objective and how it relates to fluid motion is essential.

Because of the numerous process objectives, process requirements must be known before mixer characteristics can be defined. In simplest terms, most applications primarily involve chemical reaction, physical change or maintaining properties in storage …

Macy's will shutter 11 stores in 9 states

Department-store operator Macy's Inc. said Thursday it will close 11 underperforming stores in nine states _ affecting 960 employees _ and lowered its forecast for the fourth quarter after one of the weakest holiday seasons in years.

Stores slated to close include locations in Los Angeles, West Palm Beach, Fla., Nashville, Tenn., and St. Louis, among others. Cincinnati-based Macy's Inc. says the closures will cost about $65 million, most of which will be booked in the 2008 fourth quarter.

Clearance sales at the stores begin next week.

"These closings are part of our normal-course process to prune underperforming locations each year in order to …

2,000 mining workers rally against Australian PM

More than 2,000 mining industry workers rallied Wednesday against Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at a park in a western Australian city over his proposed 40 percent tax on mining companies.

Dozens of police officers stood guard at a nearby hotel in Perth where Rudd addressed a luncheon, but the protesters remained peaceful and remained in the park. The rally was organized by the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies.

"Axe the tax," some chanted while others raised signs reading, "Rudd's mining tax hurts us all," and "Super tax, super stupid."

The Australian government last month proposed the tax on booming …

New campaign law: Whose ox?

Unsophisticated interest groups and state parties will get buried in the increased complexity of the process. Resourceful pros will benefit while amateurs will be left behind.

Right after a bill to increase legislators' pay had barely passed the Louisiana House, I remember the Speaker quipping, "There were more people voting no and praying yes than anytime in the state's history."

The exact opposite was true earlier this year when Congress passed the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act: A lot of lawmakers were voting yes and praying no. Fear of the unknown is a bipartisan angst when it comes to re-election.

No matter how hard you try, crafting a campaign finance bill …

Libyan defense minister seeks deal in seized town

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — The Libyan defense minister held talks Wednesday with tribal leaders in a town overrun by locals loyal to former leader Moammar Gadhafi, an official said.

The recapture this week of Bani Walid, 90 miles (140 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli, was the first such organized operation by armed remnants of Gadhafi's regime.

But there were no immediate signs that the operation was part of some wider attempt to restore the family of Gadhafi, who was swept out of power in August and killed in the nearby city of Sirte in October. His sons, daughter and wife have been killed, arrested or have fled to neighboring countries.

Rather, the fighting seemed to …