21766011@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Still, consultants and industry executives said the products could help make manufacturing operations more efficient, and provide a boost to the computer-integrated-manufacturing market -- a market that Yankee Group, a research firm, has said may double to $40 billion by 1993.@@@@1@41@@oe@2-2-2013 21766012@unknown@formal@none@1@S@"This is a step in the right direction," said Martin Piszczalski, a Yankee Group analyst.@@@@1@15@@oe@2-2-2013 21766013@unknown@formal@none@1@S@He added, though, that "a lot of this is intentions. . . .@@@@1@13@@oe@2-2-2013 21766014@unknown@formal@none@1@S@We'll have to wait and see" how the plan develops.@@@@1@10@@oe@2-2-2013 21766015@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The announcements also should help IBM go on the offensive against Digital Equipment Corp. on the plant floor.@@@@1@18@@oe@2-2-2013 21766016@unknown@formal@none@1@S@While IBM has traditionally dominated the market for computers on the business side of manufacturing operations and has done well in the market for design tools, Digital has dominated computerized manufacturing.@@@@1@31@@oe@2-2-2013 21766017@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Hewlett-Packard Co. also has begun to gain share in the whole computer-integrated-manufacturing arena.@@@@1@13@@oe@2-2-2013 21766018@unknown@formal@none@1@S@IBM will face an uphill climb against Digital, given Digital's reputation for being better than IBM at hooking together different manufacturers' computers.@@@@1@22@@oe@2-2-2013 21766019@unknown@formal@none@1@S@In addition, Hewlett-Packard, while a much smaller player, has made a big commitment to the sorts of industry standards that facilitate those hookups and could give IBM some problems.@@@@1@29@@oe@2-2-2013 21766020@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Both can be expected to go after the market aggressively: Gartner Group Inc., a research firm, estimated the Digital gets 30% of its revenue from the manufacturing market, and Hewlett-Packard gets 50%.@@@@1@32@@oe@2-2-2013 21766021@unknown@formal@none@1@S@IBM, which Gartner Group said generates 22% of its revenue in this market, should be able to take advantage of its loyal following among buyers of equipment.@@@@1@27@@oe@2-2-2013 21766022@unknown@formal@none@1@S@That is because many companies will standardize on certain types of equipment as the various parts of the manufacturing market merge, and IBM is the biggest player.@@@@1@27@@oe@2-2-2013 21766023@unknown@formal@none@1@S@But much will depend on how quickly IBM can move.@@@@1@10@@oe@2-2-2013 21766024@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The whole idea of computer-integrated manufacturing, CIM, seems to be making a comeback after losing a little luster over the past couple of years when it became apparent that it wasn't a panacea that would make U.S. plants more efficient and banish foreign competition.@@@@1@44@@oe@2-2-2013 21766025@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Erik Keller, a Gartner Group analyst, said organizational changes may still be required to really take advantage of CIM's capabilities -- someone on the shop floor may not like having someone in an office using a personal computer to look over his shoulder, for instance, and may be able to prevent that from happening.@@@@1@54@@oe@2-2-2013 21766026@unknown@formal@none@1@S@But he said a system such as IBM's should help significantly.@@@@1@11@@oe@2-2-2013 21766027@unknown@formal@none@1@S@In making polyethylene sheets out of plastic chips, for instance, a chip sometimes doesn't melt, gets caught in the machinery and creates a run in the sheets.@@@@1@27@@oe@2-2-2013 21766028@unknown@formal@none@1@S@That can be expensive, because the problem may not be noticed for a while, and the sheets are typically thrown away.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21766029@unknown@formal@none@1@S@But Mr. Keller said that, if computers can be integrated into the process, they could alert an operator as soon as the problem occurred.@@@@1@24@@oe@2-2-2013 21766030@unknown@formal@none@1@S@They could also check through the orders on file to find a customer that was willing to accept a lower grade of polyethylene.@@@@1@23@@oe@2-2-2013 21766031@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The computer would let the machine run just until that order was filled, eliminating waste.@@@@1@15@@oe@2-2-2013 21766032@unknown@formal@none@1@S@This sort of improved link figures to eventually become a significant weapon for some companies.@@@@1@15@@oe@2-2-2013 21766033@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Companies might be able to tell salespeople daily, for instance, about idle equipment, so they could offer discounts on whatever that equipment produces.@@@@1@23@@oe@2-2-2013 21766034@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Salespeople also could get a precise reading on when products could be delivered -- in much the same way that Federal Express has marketed its ability to tell exactly where a package is in the delivery system.@@@@1@37@@oe@2-2-2013 21767001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Ford Motor Co.'s Merkur, the company's first new car franchise in the U.S. since the Edsel was unveiled in 1957, now will share Edsel's fate.@@@@1@25@@oe@2-2-2013 21767002@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Ford said yesterday it will halt imports of the Merkur Scorpio, a $28,000 luxury sedan built by Ford of Europe in West Germany.@@@@1@23@@oe@2-2-2013 21767003@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The cars are sold under a separate franchise with its own sign in front of Lincoln-Mercury dealers -- as opposed to new models such as Taurus or Escort, which are sold under existing Ford divisions.@@@@1@35@@oe@2-2-2013 21767004@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The move to halt imports -- announced 29 years and 11 months to the day after Henry Ford II declared that the Edsel division and its gawky car would be scrapped -- kills the four-year-old Merkur brand in the U.S. market.@@@@1@41@@oe@2-2-2013 21767005@unknown@formal@none@1@S@It will continue to be sold in the European market.@@@@1@10@@oe@2-2-2013 21767006@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Merkur's death isn't nearly as costly to Ford as was the Edsel debacle, because Merkur was a relatively low-budget project with limited sales goals.@@@@1@24@@oe@2-2-2013 21767007@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Still, Merkur's demise is a setback for Ford at a time when the company's image as the U.S. auto maker with the golden touch is showing signs of strain.@@@@1@29@@oe@2-2-2013 21767008@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The No. 2 auto maker's new Thunderbird and Mercury Cougar models haven't met sales expectations in the year since they were introduced, and Ford's trucks are losing ground to their GM rivals.@@@@1@32@@oe@2-2-2013 21767009@unknown@formal@none@1@S@This fall, Ford introduced only one new product: A restyled version of its hulking Lincoln Town Car luxury model.@@@@1@19@@oe@2-2-2013 21767010@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The demise of Merkur (pronounced mare-COOR) comes after a September in which 670 Merkur dealers managed to sell only 93 Scorpios.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21767011@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Total Merkur sales for the first nine months dropped 46% from a year ago to just 6,320 cars.@@@@1@18@@oe@2-2-2013 21767012@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Merkur isn't the only European luxury brand having problems in the U.S.@@@@1@12@@oe@2-2-2013 21767013@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The Japanese assault on the luxury market is rapidly overshadowing such European makes as Audi and Saab, which at least have clear brand images.@@@@1@24@@oe@2-2-2013 21767014@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Merkur, as an import on domestic car lots, suffered from the same sort of image confusion that is hobbling sales of imports at General Motors Corp. and Chrysler Corp.@@@@1@29@@oe@2-2-2013 21767015@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Merkur was originally aimed at enticing into Lincoln-Mercury dealerships the kind of young, affluent buyers who wouldn't be caught dead in a Town Car -- a vehicle so bargelike that Ford is staging a press event next month linking the Town Car's launch to the commissioning of a new aircraft carrier in Norfolk, Va.@@@@1@54@@oe@2-2-2013 21767016@unknown@formal@none@1@S@But the brand had trouble from the start.@@@@1@8@@oe@2-2-2013 21767017@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The first Merkur, the XR4Ti, went on sale in early 1985.@@@@1@11@@oe@2-2-2013 21767018@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The sporty coupe foundered in part because American buyers didn't go for the car's unusual double-wing rear spoiler.@@@@1@18@@oe@2-2-2013 21767019@unknown@formal@none@1@S@In May 1987, Ford began importing the Scorpio sedan from West Germany to sell next to a redesigned XR4Ti in showrooms.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21767020@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Ford officials said they expected the two Merkurs would sell about 15,000 cars a year, and in 1988 they reached that goal, as sales hit 15,261 cars.@@@@1@27@@oe@2-2-2013 21767021@unknown@formal@none@1@S@It was downhill from there, however.@@@@1@6@@oe@2-2-2013 21767022@unknown@formal@none@1@S@One major factor was the decline of the dollar against the mark, which began less than a year after Merkur's 1985 launch.@@@@1@22@@oe@2-2-2013 21767023@unknown@formal@none@1@S@As the West German currency rose, so did Merkur prices.@@@@1@10@@oe@2-2-2013 21767024@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The Merkur cars also suffered from spotty quality, some dealers say.@@@@1@11@@oe@2-2-2013 21767025@unknown@formal@none@1@S@"It was like a comedy of errors," says Martin J. "Hoot" McInerney, a big dealer whose Star Lincoln-Mercury-Merkur operation in Southfield, Mich., sold more XR4Ti's than any other dealership.@@@@1@29@@oe@2-2-2013 21767026@unknown@formal@none@1@S@But by the third quarter of 1988, Scorpios had a high satisfaction rating in internal Ford studies, a spokesman said.@@@@1@20@@oe@2-2-2013 21767027@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Apparently, however, the improvement came too late.@@@@1@7@@oe@2-2-2013 21767028@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Last fall, Ford announced it would discontinue the XR4Ti in the U.S. at the end of the 1989 model year.@@@@1@20@@oe@2-2-2013 21767029@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Ford said then it would keep the Scorpio.@@@@1@8@@oe@2-2-2013 21767030@unknown@formal@none@1@S@This year, Scorpio sales plummeted, and at the current sales pace it would take Ford 242 days to sell off the current Scorpio inventory of about 4,600 cars.@@@@1@28@@oe@2-2-2013 21768001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Canadian Pacific Ltd. said it proposed acquiring the 44% of Soo Line Corp. it doesn't already own for $19.50 a share, or about $81.9 million, after failing to find a buyer for its majority stake earlier this year.@@@@1@38@@oe@2-2-2013 21768002@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Soo Line said its board appointed a special committee of independent directors to study the proposal.@@@@1@16@@oe@2-2-2013 21768003@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The troubled Minneapolis-based railroad concern said the committee has the authority to hire financial and legal advisers to assist it.@@@@1@20@@oe@2-2-2013 21768004@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The proposed acquisition will be subject to approval by the Interstate Commerce Commission, Soo Line said.@@@@1@16@@oe@2-2-2013 21768005@unknown@formal@none@1@S@In New York Stock Exchange composite trading yesterday, Soo Line shares jumped well above the proposed price, closing at $20.25, up $2.75.@@@@1@22@@oe@2-2-2013 21768006@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Canadian Pacific put its 56% stake in Soo Line up for sale last year but couldn't find any takers.@@@@1@19@@oe@2-2-2013 21768007@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Canadian Pacific, which has interests in transportation, telecommunications, forest products, energy and real estate, finally took its majority block off the market this spring.@@@@1@24@@oe@2-2-2013 21768008@unknown@formal@none@1@S@"It turned out we couldn't sell it," a Canadian Pacific official said, adding that acquiring the remainder of Soo Line is now "the best way to rationalize operations."@@@@1@28@@oe@2-2-2013 21768009@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Canadian Pacific is Soo Line's biggest customer and has owned a majority stake in the U.S. railroad since 1947.@@@@1@19@@oe@2-2-2013 21768010@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Canadian Pacific and Soo Line tracks connect at two points in the West on the Canada-U.S. border and the two companies operate a very successful Chicago-Montreal rail service.@@@@1@28@@oe@2-2-2013 21768011@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Separately, for the first nine months, Soo Line reported a loss of $398,000, or four cents a share, compared with net income of $12.5 million, or $1.32 a share, a year earlier.@@@@1@32@@oe@2-2-2013 21768012@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Revenue fell 5.8% to $407.9 million from $433.2 million.@@@@1@9@@oe@2-2-2013 21768013@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The company had a loss from operations of $1.7 million.@@@@1@10@@oe@2-2-2013 21769001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Golden Nugget Inc. reported a third-quarter net loss of $13.1 million, or 76 cents a share, based on 17.2 million common shares and dilutive equivalents outstanding.@@@@1@26@@oe@2-2-2013 21769002@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The results compare with a year-earlier net loss of $1.5 million, or seven cents a share, based on 20.3 million common and dilutive equivalents outstanding.@@@@1@25@@oe@2-2-2013 21769003@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Operating revenue rose 25% to $52.1 million from $41.8 million a year ago.@@@@1@13@@oe@2-2-2013 21769004@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Results for the latest quarter include nonoperating items of $23.9 million, versus $8.4 million a year earlier.@@@@1@17@@oe@2-2-2013 21769005@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Most of the expenses stem from the company's huge Mirage resort-casino scheduled to open next month along the Strip, and an April 1989 financing by units operating the downtown Golden Nugget property.@@@@1@32@@oe@2-2-2013 21769006@unknown@formal@none@1@S@For the nine months, Golden Nugget reported a net loss of $11.4 million, or 69 cents a share, based on 16.6 million common and dilutive equivalents outstanding.@@@@1@27@@oe@2-2-2013 21769007@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The year earlier, the company had a net loss of $4.3 million, or 20 cents a share, based on 21 million common shares and dilutive equivalents outstanding.@@@@1@27@@oe@2-2-2013 21769008@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The 1988 results include a $10.7 million charge stemming from a litigation judgment.@@@@1@13@@oe@2-2-2013 21769009@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Separately, the casino operator said its board approved a plan to buy-back as many as three million common shares from time to time, either in the open market or through private transactions.@@@@1@32@@oe@2-2-2013 21769010@unknown@formal@none@1@S@An additional 299,000 shares are authorized for repurchase under an earlier stock buy-back program.@@@@1@14@@oe@2-2-2013 21769011@unknown@formal@none@1@S@John Uphoff, an analyst with Raymond James & Associates, said the results weren't surprising, and attributed the buy-back to management's confidence in the Mirage's ability to generate strong cash flow in 1990.@@@@1@32@@oe@2-2-2013 21769012@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Yesterday, in New York Stock Exchange composite trading, Golden Nugget common closed at $28.25, up $2.@@@@1@16@@oe@2-2-2013 21770001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Capital Holding Corp. said it requested and received the resignation of John A. Franco, its vice chairman, as an officer and a director of the life insurance holding company.@@@@1@29@@oe@2-2-2013 21770002@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The company said Mr. Franco developed a plan to establish a business that might be competitive with Capital Holding Corp.'s Accumulation and Investment Group, which Mr. Franco headed.@@@@1@28@@oe@2-2-2013 21770003@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The group temporarily will report to Irving W. Bailey II, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Capital Holding.@@@@1@19@@oe@2-2-2013 21770004@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Mr. Franco, 47 years old, said in a telephone interview that he has been considering and discussing a number of possible business ventures, but that "nothing is at a mature stage."@@@@1@31@@oe@2-2-2013 21770005@unknown@formal@none@1@S@He said he "didn't argue with" the company's decision to seek his resignation because contemplating outside business ventures can distract an executive from performing his best "at the job he is paid to do."@@@@1@34@@oe@2-2-2013 21770006@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Martin H. Ruby, a managing director of Capital Holding's Accumulation and Investment Group, also resigned to pursue other business interests, Capital Holding said.@@@@1@23@@oe@2-2-2013 21770007@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Mr. Ruby, 39, said that he had "an amicable parting" with Capital Holding and that he has "a number of ventures in the financial-services area" under consideration.@@@@1@27@@oe@2-2-2013 21770008@unknown@formal@none@1@S@He said that his resignation was a mutual decision with Capital Holding management, but that he wasn't actually asked to resign.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21770009@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The Accumulation and Investment Group is responsible for the investment operations of all Capital Holding's insurance businesses and markets guaranteed investment contracts to bank trust departments and other institutions.@@@@1@29@@oe@2-2-2013 21770010@unknown@formal@none@1@S@It also sells single-premium annuities to individuals.@@@@1@7@@oe@2-2-2013 21770011@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Mr. Bailey said he expects to name a new group president to head that operation following the Nov. 8 board meeting.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21771001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@\s@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21771002@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Money Market Deposits-a 6.23%@@@@1@4@@oe@2-2-2013 21771003@unknown@formal@none@1@S@a-Average rate paid yesterday by 100 large banks and thrifts in the 10 largest metropolitan areas as compiled by Bank Rate Monitor.@@@@1@22@@oe@2-2-2013 21771004@unknown@formal@none@1@S@b-Current annual yield.@@@@1@3@@oe@2-2-2013 21771005@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Guaranteed minimum 6%.@@@@1@3@@oe@2-2-2013 21772001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@(During its centennial year, The Wall Street Journal will report events of the past century that stand as milestones of American business history.)@@@@1@23@@oe@2-2-2013 21772002@unknown@formal@none@1@S@PLASTIC PENCILS, CODE-NAMED E-71, made their hush-hush debut in children's pencil boxes at five-and-dime stores in 1973.@@@@1@17@@oe@2-2-2013 21772003@unknown@formal@none@1@S@But few knew it then and most still think all pencils are wooden.@@@@1@13@@oe@2-2-2013 21772004@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Eagle Pencil of Shelbyville, Tenn., "Pencil City U.S.A.," had made its earliest pilot plastic pencils in 1971.@@@@1@17@@oe@2-2-2013 21772005@unknown@formal@none@1@S@But it wasn't until after it hired Arthur D. Little, a Cambridge, Mass., research concern, that its new product was refined for commercial sale in 1973.@@@@1@26@@oe@2-2-2013 21772006@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Three A.D.L. inventors applied April 6, 1973, for the patent, which was assigned and awarded in 1976 to Hasbro Industries, then Eagle's parent.@@@@1@23@@oe@2-2-2013 21772007@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Pencil pushers chew and put the plastic models behind their ears just like traditional pencils made of glued strips of California incense cedar filled with ceramic lead.@@@@1@27@@oe@2-2-2013 21772008@unknown@formal@none@1@S@It takes five steps to make standard pencils, just one for the plastic type.@@@@1@14@@oe@2-2-2013 21772009@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Automated machines coextrude long plastic sheaths with graphite-plastic cores that are printed, cut, painted and eraser-fitted.@@@@1@16@@oe@2-2-2013 21772010@unknown@formal@none@1@S@"After more than 200 years, something new has happened to pencils," said Arthur D. Little in a 1974 report that publicly described the previously secret item.@@@@1@26@@oe@2-2-2013 21772011@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Eagle's plastic type sharpens and looks like a wooden pencil.@@@@1@10@@oe@2-2-2013 21772012@unknown@formal@none@1@S@A major difference is that a snapped wooden pencil will have a slivered break while a plastic model will break cleanly.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21772013@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The softness of the core constrains the plastic models to No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3-type pencils, which account for the bulk of the market.@@@@1@26@@oe@2-2-2013 21772014@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Artists and draftsmen need harder "leads."@@@@1@6@@oe@2-2-2013 21772015@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Eagle, now called Eagle-Berol, remains a leading company among the 10 in the U.S. that produced about 2.3 billion pencils last year, according to the Pencil Makers Association.@@@@1@28@@oe@2-2-2013 21772016@unknown@formal@none@1@S@It's a trade secret how many were plastic, and most writers still don't know what they're using.@@@@1@17@@oe@2-2-2013 21773001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@H.F. Ahmanson & Co., the nation's largest thrift holding company, posted a 12% earnings decline for the third quarter while another large California savings and loan, Great Western Financial Corp., reported a slight earnings gain.@@@@1@35@@oe@2-2-2013 21773002@unknown@formal@none@1@S@H.F. Ahmanson, parent of Home Savings of America, reported third-quarter net of $49.2 million, or 50 cents a share, down from $56.1 million, or 57 cents a share, in the year-earlier period.@@@@1@32@@oe@2-2-2013 21773003@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Most of the earnings decline reflected an increase in the company's effective tax rate to 44% from 37% in the year-ago third quarter when nonrecurring tax credits were recorded, the company said.@@@@1@32@@oe@2-2-2013 21773004@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Pretax earnings declined 1.3%.@@@@1@4@@oe@2-2-2013 21773005@unknown@formal@none@1@S@For the nine months, Los Angeles-based H. F. Ahmanson had profit of $128.1 million, or $1.29 a share, a 4.6% decline from earnings of $134.2 million in the year-ago nine months.@@@@1@31@@oe@2-2-2013 21773006@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The company said the decline was attributable to a 79% reduction in net gains on loan sales this year.@@@@1@19@@oe@2-2-2013 21773007@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Third-quarter spreads widened to the highest level in two years as loan portfolio yields rose and money costs declined, the company said.@@@@1@22@@oe@2-2-2013 21773008@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Great Western Financial said third-quarter profit rose slightly to $68.4 million, or 52 cents a share, from $67.9 million, or 53 cents a share, from a year ago.@@@@1@28@@oe@2-2-2013 21773009@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Great Western, based in Beverly Hills, Calif., is a financial services firm and parent to Great Western Bank, an S&L.@@@@1@20@@oe@2-2-2013 21773010@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Great Western said it had a sharp increase in margins in the recent third quarter.@@@@1@15@@oe@2-2-2013 21773011@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Margins are the difference between the yield on the company's earning assets and its own cost of funds.@@@@1@18@@oe@2-2-2013 21773012@unknown@formal@none@1@S@But a reduction in one-time gains on the sale of various assets and an increase in the company's provision for loan losses held down the earnings gain, the company said.@@@@1@30@@oe@2-2-2013 21773013@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Great Western's provision for loan losses was increased to $27.9 million for the recent quarter compared with $21.8 million a year ago primarily as a result of "continued weakness in various commercial and multifamily real estate markets outside California."@@@@1@39@@oe@2-2-2013 21773014@unknown@formal@none@1@S@For the nine months Great Western posted net of $177.5 million, or $1.37 a share, a 5.9% decline from $188.7 million, or $1.48 a share, in the year-ago period.@@@@1@29@@oe@2-2-2013 21774001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Dun & Bradstreet Corp. posted a 15% rise in third-quarter earnings.@@@@1@11@@oe@2-2-2013 21774002@unknown@formal@none@1@S@But revenue declined more than 2%, reflecting in part a continuing drop in sales of credit services in the wake of controversy over the company's sales practices.@@@@1@27@@oe@2-2-2013 21774003@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The information company also cited the stronger dollar, the sale last year of its former Official Airline Guides unit and other factors.@@@@1@22@@oe@2-2-2013 21774004@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Net income rose to a record $155.3 million, or 83 cents a share, from $134.8 million, or 72 cents a share.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21774005@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Revenue fell to $1.04 billion from $1.07 billion.@@@@1@8@@oe@2-2-2013 21774006@unknown@formal@none@1@S@In composite trading on the New York Stock Exchange, Dun & Bradstreet closed yesterday at $53.75, down 25 cents a share.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21774007@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Analysts said the results were as expected, but several added that the earnings masked underlying weaknesses in several businesses.@@@@1@19@@oe@2-2-2013 21774008@unknown@formal@none@1@S@"The quality of earnings wasn't as high as I expected," said Eric Philo, an analyst for Goldman, Sachs & Co.@@@@1@20@@oe@2-2-2013 21774009@unknown@formal@none@1@S@For example, he noted, operating profit was weaker than he had anticipated, but nonoperating earnings of $14.6 million and a lower tax rate helped boost net income.@@@@1@27@@oe@2-2-2013 21774010@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Dun & Bradstreet said operating earnings rose 8%, excluding the sale of Official Airline Guides.@@@@1@15@@oe@2-2-2013 21774011@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Third-quarter sales of U.S. credit services were "disappointingly below sales" of a year earlier, Dun & Bradstreet said.@@@@1@18@@oe@2-2-2013 21774012@unknown@formal@none@1@S@As previously reported, those sales have been declining this year in the wake of allegations that the company engaged in unfair sales practices that encouraged customers to overpurchase services.@@@@1@29@@oe@2-2-2013 21774013@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The company has denied the allegations but has negotiated a proposed $18 million settlement of related lawsuits.@@@@1@17@@oe@2-2-2013 21774014@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Analysts predict the sales impact will linger.@@@@1@7@@oe@2-2-2013 21774015@unknown@formal@none@1@S@"There isn't much question there will continue to be a ripple effect," said John Reidy, an analyst with Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc.@@@@1@22@@oe@2-2-2013 21774016@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Dun & Bradstreet noted that price competition in its Nielsen Marketing Research, Nielsen Clearing House and Donnelley Marketing businesses also restrained revenue growth.@@@@1@23@@oe@2-2-2013 21774017@unknown@formal@none@1@S@It cited cyclical conditions in its Moody's Investors Service Inc. and D&B Plan Services units.@@@@1@15@@oe@2-2-2013 21774018@unknown@formal@none@1@S@For the nine months, net income rose 19% to $449 million, or $2.40 a share, from $375.9 million, or $2.01 a share, a year earlier.@@@@1@25@@oe@2-2-2013 21774019@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Year-earlier earnings reflected costs of $14.3 million related to the acquisition of IMS International.@@@@1@14@@oe@2-2-2013 21774020@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Revenue rose slightly to $3.16 billion from $3.13 billion.@@@@1@9@@oe@2-2-2013 21775001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Control Data Corp. said it licensed its airline yield-management software to the International Air Transport Association.@@@@1@16@@oe@2-2-2013 21775002@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Terms include a royalty arrangement, but details weren't disclosed.@@@@1@9@@oe@2-2-2013 21775003@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The computer equipment and financial services company said IATA, a trade group, will sell access to the package to its 180 airline members world-wide.@@@@1@24@@oe@2-2-2013 21775004@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Control Data will receive revenue linked to the number of passengers served by the software, IATA said.@@@@1@17@@oe@2-2-2013 21775005@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The package helps carriers solve pricing problems, such as how to react to discounts offered by competitors or what would be the optimum number of seats to offer at a given price.@@@@1@32@@oe@2-2-2013 21776001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp. said it decided to proceed with installation of automatic gauge and shape controls at its 60-inch tandem cold rolling mill in Allenport, Pa.@@@@1@26@@oe@2-2-2013 21776002@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The new equipment, which will produce steel sheet with more uniform thickness and flatness, is likely to cost more than $20 million, the company said.@@@@1@25@@oe@2-2-2013 21776003@unknown@formal@none@1@S@When the company last considered adding the equipment two years ago, it estimated the cost at $21 million to $22 million, but a task force will have to prepare a detailed plan before the company can predict the current cost.@@@@1@40@@oe@2-2-2013 21776004@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The time schedule for installing the equipment also will be developed by the task force, the company said.@@@@1@18@@oe@2-2-2013 21777001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Sir Richard Butler, 60-year-old chairman of Agricola (U.K.) Ltd., was named chairman of County NatWest Investment Management Ltd., the investment management subsidiary of County NatWest Ltd., the investment banking arm of this British bank.@@@@1@34@@oe@2-2-2013 21777002@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Sir Richard succeeds John Plastow, who resigned in July.@@@@1@9@@oe@2-2-2013 21777003@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Sir Richard is also a non-executive director at National Westminister Bank and NatWest Investment Bank Ltd.@@@@1@16@@oe@2-2-2013 21778001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@In the long, frightening night after Tuesday's devastating earthquake, Bay Area residents searched for comfort and solace wherever they could.@@@@1@20@@oe@2-2-2013 21778002@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Some found it on the screen of a personal computer.@@@@1@10@@oe@2-2-2013 21778003@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Hundreds of Californians made their way to their computers after the quake, and checked in with each other on electronic bulletin boards, which link computers CB-radio-style, via phone lines.@@@@1@29@@oe@2-2-2013 21778004@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Some of the most vivid bulletins came over The Well, a Sausalito, Calif., board that is one of the liveliest outposts of the electronic underground.@@@@1@25@@oe@2-2-2013 21778005@unknown@formal@none@1@S@About two-thirds of the Well's 3,000 subscribers live in the Bay Area.@@@@1@12@@oe@2-2-2013 21778006@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The quake knocked The Well out for six hours, but when it came back up, it teemed with emotional first-hand reports.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21778007@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Following are excerpts from the electronic traffic that night.@@@@1@9@@oe@2-2-2013 21778008@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The time is Pacific Daylight Time, and the initials or nicknames are those subscribers use to identify themselves.@@@@1@18@@oe@2-2-2013 21778009@unknown@formal@none@1@S@11:54 p.m.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778010@unknown@formal@none@1@S@JCKC:@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778011@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Wow!@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778012@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I was in the avenues, on the third floor of an old building, and except for my heart (Beat, BEAT!) I'm OK.@@@@1@22@@oe@2-2-2013 21778013@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Got back to Bolinas, and everything had fallen: broken poster frames with glass on the floor, file cabinets open or dumped onto the floor.@@@@1@24@@oe@2-2-2013 21778014@unknown@formal@none@1@S@11:59 p.m.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778015@unknown@formal@none@1@S@JKD:@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778016@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I was in my favorite watering hole, waiting for the game to start.@@@@1@13@@oe@2-2-2013 21778017@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I felt the temblor begin and glanced at the table next to mine, smiled that guilty smile and we both mouthed the words, "Earth-quake!" together.@@@@1@25@@oe@2-2-2013 21778018@unknown@formal@none@1@S@That's usually how long it takes for the temblors to pass.@@@@1@11@@oe@2-2-2013 21778019@unknown@formal@none@1@S@This time, it just got stronger and then the building started shaking violently up and down as though it were a child's toy block that was being tossed.@@@@1@28@@oe@2-2-2013 21778020@unknown@formal@none@1@S@12:06 a.m.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778021@unknown@formal@none@1@S@HRH:@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778022@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I was in the Berkeley Main library when it hit.@@@@1@10@@oe@2-2-2013 21778023@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Endless seconds wondering if those huge windows would buckle and shower us with glass.@@@@1@14@@oe@2-2-2013 21778024@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Only a few books fell in the reading room.@@@@1@9@@oe@2-2-2013 21778025@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Then the auto paint shop fire sent an evil-looking cloud of black smoke into the air.@@@@1@16@@oe@2-2-2013 21778026@unknown@formal@none@1@S@12:07 a.m.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778027@unknown@formal@none@1@S@ONEZIE:@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778028@unknown@formal@none@1@S@My younger daughter and I are fine.@@@@1@7@@oe@2-2-2013 21778029@unknown@formal@none@1@S@This building shook like hell and it kept getting stronger.@@@@1@10@@oe@2-2-2013 21778030@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Except for the gas tank at Hustead's Towing Service exploding and burning in downtown Berkeley, things here are quite peaceful.@@@@1@20@@oe@2-2-2013 21778031@unknown@formal@none@1@S@A lot of car alarms went off.@@@@1@7@@oe@2-2-2013 21778032@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The cats are fine, although nervous.@@@@1@6@@oe@2-2-2013 21778033@unknown@formal@none@1@S@12:15 a.m.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778034@unknown@formal@none@1@S@DHAWK:@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778035@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Huge fire from broken gas main in the Marina in SF.@@@@1@11@@oe@2-2-2013 21778036@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Areas that are made of `fill' liquefy.@@@@1@7@@oe@2-2-2013 21778037@unknown@formal@none@1@S@A woman in a three-story apartment was able to walk out the window of the third floor onto street level after the quake.@@@@1@23@@oe@2-2-2013 21778038@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The house just settled right down into the ground.@@@@1@9@@oe@2-2-2013 21778039@unknown@formal@none@1@S@12:38 a.m.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778040@unknown@formal@none@1@S@DAYAC:@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778041@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I was driving my truck, stopped at a red light at the corner of Shattuck and Alcatraz at the Oakland-Berkeley border when it hit.@@@@1@24@@oe@2-2-2013 21778042@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Worst part was watching power lines waving above my head and no way to drive away.@@@@1@16@@oe@2-2-2013 21778043@unknown@formal@none@1@S@12:48 a.m.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778044@unknown@formal@none@1@S@LMEYER:@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778045@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Was 300 ft. out on a pier in San Rafael.@@@@1@10@@oe@2-2-2013 21778046@unknown@formal@none@1@S@It flopped all around, real dramatic!@@@@1@6@@oe@2-2-2013 21778047@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Many hairline cracks in the concrete slabs afterwards.@@@@1@8@@oe@2-2-2013 21778048@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Ruined the damn fishing!@@@@1@4@@oe@2-2-2013 21778049@unknown@formal@none@1@S@1:00 a.m.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778050@unknown@formal@none@1@S@HEYNOW:@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778051@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I rode it out on the second floor of Leo's at 55th and Telegraph in Oakland.@@@@1@16@@oe@2-2-2013 21778052@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I heard parts of the building above my head cracking.@@@@1@10@@oe@2-2-2013 21778053@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I actually thought that I might die.@@@@1@7@@oe@2-2-2013 21778054@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I couldn't decide if I should come home to Marin, because my house is on stilts.@@@@1@16@@oe@2-2-2013 21778055@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I decided to brave the storm.@@@@1@6@@oe@2-2-2013 21778056@unknown@formal@none@1@S@There was a horrible smell of gas as I passed the Chevron refinery before crossing the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.@@@@1@19@@oe@2-2-2013 21778057@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I could also see the clouds across the bay from the horrible fire in the Marina District of San Francisco.@@@@1@20@@oe@2-2-2013 21778058@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I have felt many aftershocks.@@@@1@5@@oe@2-2-2013 21778059@unknown@formal@none@1@S@My back is still in knots and my hands are still shaking.@@@@1@12@@oe@2-2-2013 21778060@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I think a few of the aftershocks might just be my body shaking.@@@@1@13@@oe@2-2-2013 21778061@unknown@formal@none@1@S@1:11 a.m.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778062@unknown@formal@none@1@S@GR8FLRED:@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778063@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I could see the flames from San Francisco from my house across the bay.@@@@1@14@@oe@2-2-2013 21778064@unknown@formal@none@1@S@It's hard to believe this really is happening.@@@@1@8@@oe@2-2-2013 21778065@unknown@formal@none@1@S@1:11 a.m.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778066@unknown@formal@none@1@S@RD:@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778067@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Building on the corner severely damaged, so an old lady and her very old mother are in the guest room.@@@@1@20@@oe@2-2-2013 21778068@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Books and software everywhere.@@@@1@4@@oe@2-2-2013 21778069@unknown@formal@none@1@S@This being typed in a standing position.@@@@1@7@@oe@2-2-2013 21778070@unknown@formal@none@1@S@1:20 a.m.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778071@unknown@formal@none@1@S@DGAULT:@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778072@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Bolinas -- astride the San Andreas Fault.@@@@1@7@@oe@2-2-2013 21778073@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Didn't feel a thing, but noticed some strange bird behavior.@@@@1@10@@oe@2-2-2013 21778074@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Duck swarms.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778075@unknown@formal@none@1@S@3:25 a.m.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778076@unknown@formal@none@1@S@SAMURAI:@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778077@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I just felt another aftershock a few seconds ago.@@@@1@9@@oe@2-2-2013 21778078@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I'm just numb.@@@@1@3@@oe@2-2-2013 21778079@unknown@formal@none@1@S@3:25 a.m.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778080@unknown@formal@none@1@S@MACPOST:@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778081@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Downtown Bolinas seems to be the part of town that's worst off.@@@@1@12@@oe@2-2-2013 21778082@unknown@formal@none@1@S@No power, minimal phones, and a mess of mayonnaise, wine, and everything else all over the floors of the big old general store and the People's Co-op.@@@@1@27@@oe@2-2-2013 21778083@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The quivers move through my house every few minutes at unpredictable intervals, and the mouse that's been living in my kitchen has taken refuge under my desk.@@@@1@27@@oe@2-2-2013 21778084@unknown@formal@none@1@S@It runs out frantically now and then, and is clearly pretty distressed.@@@@1@12@@oe@2-2-2013 21778085@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I was in Stinson Beach when the quake rolled through town.@@@@1@11@@oe@2-2-2013 21778086@unknown@formal@none@1@S@At first, we were unfazed.@@@@1@5@@oe@2-2-2013 21778087@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Then as things got rougher, we ran for the door and spent the next few minutes outside watching the brick sidewalk under our feet oozing up and down, and the flowers waving in an eerie rhythm.@@@@1@36@@oe@2-2-2013 21778088@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Amazing what it does to one's heart rate and one's short-term memory.@@@@1@12@@oe@2-2-2013 21778089@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Everyone looked calm, but there was this surreal low level of confusion as the aftershocks continued.@@@@1@16@@oe@2-2-2013 21778090@unknown@formal@none@1@S@4:02 a.m.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778091@unknown@formal@none@1@S@SHIBUMI:@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778092@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Power is back on, and UCSF {medical center} seems to have quieted down for the night (they were doing triage out in the parking lot from the sound and lights of it).@@@@1@32@@oe@2-2-2013 21778093@unknown@formal@none@1@S@A friend of mine was in an underground computer center in downtown SF when the quake hit.@@@@1@17@@oe@2-2-2013 21778094@unknown@formal@none@1@S@He said that one of the computers took a three-foot trip sliding across the floor.@@@@1@15@@oe@2-2-2013 21778095@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Today should be interesting as people realize how hard life is going to be here for a while.@@@@1@18@@oe@2-2-2013 21778096@unknown@formal@none@1@S@4:30 a.m.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778097@unknown@formal@none@1@S@KIM:@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778098@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I got home, let the dogs into the house and noticed some sounds above my head, as if someone were walking on the roof, or upstairs.@@@@1@26@@oe@2-2-2013 21778099@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Then I noticed the car was bouncing up and down as if someone were jumping on it.@@@@1@17@@oe@2-2-2013 21778100@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I realized what was happening and screamed into the house for the dogs.@@@@1@13@@oe@2-2-2013 21778101@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Cupboard doors were flying, the trash can in the kitchen walked a few feet, the dogs came running, and I scooted them into the dog run and stood in the doorway myself, watching the outside trash cans dance across the concrete.@@@@1@41@@oe@2-2-2013 21778102@unknown@formal@none@1@S@When I realized it was over, I went and stood out in front of the house, waiting and praying for Merrill to come home, shivering as if it were 20 below zero until he got there.@@@@1@36@@oe@2-2-2013 21778103@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Never in my life have I been so frightened.@@@@1@9@@oe@2-2-2013 21778104@unknown@formal@none@1@S@When I saw the pictures of 880 and the Bay Bridge, I began to cry.@@@@1@15@@oe@2-2-2013 21778105@unknown@formal@none@1@S@5:09 a.m.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778106@unknown@formal@none@1@S@JROE:@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778107@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The Sunset {District} was more or less like a pajama party all evening, lots of people & dogs walking around, drinking beer.@@@@1@22@@oe@2-2-2013 21778108@unknown@formal@none@1@S@6:50 a.m.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778109@unknown@formal@none@1@S@CAROLG:@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778110@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I was just sitting down to meet with some new therapy clients, a couple, and the building started shaking like crazy.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21778111@unknown@formal@none@1@S@It's a flimsy structure, built up on supports, and it was really rocking around.@@@@1@14@@oe@2-2-2013 21778112@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The three of us stopped breathing for a moment, and then when it kept on coming we lunged for the doorway.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21778113@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Needless to say, it was an interesting first session!@@@@1@9@@oe@2-2-2013 21778114@unknown@formal@none@1@S@7:13 a.m.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778115@unknown@formal@none@1@S@CALLIOPE:@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778116@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Albany escaped embarrassingly unscathed.@@@@1@4@@oe@2-2-2013 21778117@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Biggest trouble was scared family who couldn't get a phone line through, and spent a really horrible hour not knowing.@@@@1@20@@oe@2-2-2013 21778118@unknown@formal@none@1@S@8:01 a.m.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778119@unknown@formal@none@1@S@HLR:@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778120@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Judy and I were in our back yard when the lawn started rolling like ocean waves.@@@@1@16@@oe@2-2-2013 21778121@unknown@formal@none@1@S@We ran into the house to get Mame, but the next tremor threw me in the air and bounced me as I tried to get to my feet.@@@@1@28@@oe@2-2-2013 21778122@unknown@formal@none@1@S@We are all fine here, although Mame was extremely freaked.@@@@1@10@@oe@2-2-2013 21778123@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Kitchen full of broken crystal.@@@@1@5@@oe@2-2-2013 21778124@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Books and tapes all over my room.@@@@1@7@@oe@2-2-2013 21778125@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Not one thing in the house is where it is supposed to be, but the structure is fine.@@@@1@18@@oe@2-2-2013 21778126@unknown@formal@none@1@S@While I was standing on the lawn with Mame, waiting for another tremor, I noticed that all the earthworms were emerging from the ground and slithering across the lawn!@@@@1@29@@oe@2-2-2013 21778127@unknown@formal@none@1@S@9:31 a.m.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778128@unknown@formal@none@1@S@GR8FLRED:@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778129@unknown@formal@none@1@S@It's amazing how one second can so completely change your life.@@@@1@11@@oe@2-2-2013 21778130@unknown@formal@none@1@S@9:38 a.m.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778131@unknown@formal@none@1@S@FIG:@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778132@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I guess we're all living very tentatively here, waiting for the expected but dreaded aftershock.@@@@1@15@@oe@2-2-2013 21778133@unknown@formal@none@1@S@It's hard to accept that it's over and only took 15 seconds.@@@@1@12@@oe@2-2-2013 21778134@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I wonder when we'll be able to relax.@@@@1@8@@oe@2-2-2013 21778135@unknown@formal@none@1@S@9:53 a.m.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778136@unknown@formal@none@1@S@PANDA:@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21778137@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Flesh goes to total alert for flight or fight.@@@@1@9@@oe@2-2-2013 21778138@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Nausea seems a commonplace symptom.@@@@1@5@@oe@2-2-2013 21778139@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Berkeley very quiet right now.@@@@1@5@@oe@2-2-2013 21778140@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I walked along Shattuck between Delaware and Cedar at a few minutes before eight this morning.@@@@1@16@@oe@2-2-2013 21778141@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Next to Chez Panisse a homeless couple, bundled into a blue sleeping bag, sat up, said, "Good morning" and then the woman smiled, said, "Isn't it great just to be alive?"@@@@1@31@@oe@2-2-2013 21778142@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I agreed.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778143@unknown@formal@none@1@S@It is.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21778144@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Great.@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21779001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Georgia-Pacific Corp., exceeding some analysts' expectations, said third-quarter earnings rose 56% to $178 million, or $2.03 a share, from $114 million, or $1.19 a share, in the year-earlier period.@@@@1@29@@oe@2-2-2013 21779002@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Sales increased 10% to $2.65 billion from $2.41 billion.@@@@1@9@@oe@2-2-2013 21779003@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Per-share earnings were enhanced by the company's share buy-back program, which reduced the average shares outstanding to 87.5 million in the quarter from 95.8 million in the same quarter of 1988.@@@@1@31@@oe@2-2-2013 21779004@unknown@formal@none@1@S@With strong prices in the company's two major areas -- building products as well as pulp and paper -- analysts had expected a roaring quarter.@@@@1@25@@oe@2-2-2013 21779005@unknown@formal@none@1@S@But the performance exceeded some estimates of around $1.90 a share.@@@@1@11@@oe@2-2-2013 21779006@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Fueling the growth, among other things, were higher-than-expected prices for certain building products.@@@@1@13@@oe@2-2-2013 21779007@unknown@formal@none@1@S@One reason: efforts to protect the spotted owl led to restrictions on logging in the Pacific Northwest, constricting supply and forcing prices up.@@@@1@23@@oe@2-2-2013 21779008@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Another reason: strikes, both at Georgia-Pacific and other lumber companies also cut supplies and raised prices, analysts said.@@@@1@18@@oe@2-2-2013 21779009@unknown@formal@none@1@S@For the nine months, Georgia-Pacific's earnings increased 49% to $504 million, or $5.58 a share, from $338 million, or $3.41 a share.@@@@1@22@@oe@2-2-2013 21779010@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Sales rose 11% to $7.73 billion from $6.94 billion.@@@@1@9@@oe@2-2-2013 21779011@unknown@formal@none@1@S@In composite New York Stock Exchange Trading, Georgia-Pacific stock rose $1.25 a share yesterday to close at $58.@@@@1@18@@oe@2-2-2013 21780001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The House Public Works and Transportation Committee approved a bill that would give the Transportation Department power to block airline leveraged buy-outs, despite a clear veto threat from the Bush administration.@@@@1@31@@oe@2-2-2013 21780002@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The 23-5 vote clears the way for consideration on the House floor next week or the week after.@@@@1@18@@oe@2-2-2013 21780003@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Transportation Secretary Samuel Skinner, in a letter to the committee, warned that he would urge President Bush to veto the legislation if it passed Congress.@@@@1@25@@oe@2-2-2013 21780004@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The Senate Commerce Committee already has approved similar legislation.@@@@1@9@@oe@2-2-2013 21780005@unknown@formal@none@1@S@On Monday, a letter from Mr. Skinner's deputy, Elaine Chao, said the administration opposed the legislation "in its present form."@@@@1@20@@oe@2-2-2013 21780006@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Some of the bill's supporters had taken heart from the fact that the letter wasn't signed by Mr. Skinner and that it didn't contain a veto threat.@@@@1@27@@oe@2-2-2013 21780007@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The stepped-up administration warnings annoyed some lawmakers, especially senior Republicans who supported the bill because they thought the Transportation Department favored it.@@@@1@22@@oe@2-2-2013 21780008@unknown@formal@none@1@S@"We backed this bill because we thought it would help Skinner," one Republican said, "and now we're out there dangling in the wind."@@@@1@23@@oe@2-2-2013 21780009@unknown@formal@none@1@S@A few weeks ago, Mr. Skinner testified before Congress that it would be "cleaner, more efficient" if he had authority to block buy-outs in advance.@@@@1@25@@oe@2-2-2013 21780010@unknown@formal@none@1@S@But he never took an official position on the bill and has steadfastly maintained that he already has enough authority to deal with buy-outs.@@@@1@24@@oe@2-2-2013 21780011@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Under the committee bill, the Transportation secretary would have 30 days, and an additional 20 days if needed, to review any proposed purchase of 15% or more of a major U.S. airline's voting stock.@@@@1@34@@oe@2-2-2013 21780012@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The secretary would be required to block an acquisition if he concluded that it would so weaken an airline financially that it would hurt safety or reduce the carrier's ability to compete, or if it gave control to a foreign interest.@@@@1@41@@oe@2-2-2013 21780013@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Although the legislation would apply to any acquisition of a major airline, it is aimed at transactions financed by large amounts of debt.@@@@1@23@@oe@2-2-2013 21780014@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Supporters of the bill are concerned an airline might sacrifice costly safety measures in order to repay debt.@@@@1@18@@oe@2-2-2013 21780015@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The panel's action occurs in a politically charged atmosphere surrounding recent buy-out proposals, their apparent collapse and the volatile conditions in the stock market.@@@@1@24@@oe@2-2-2013 21780016@unknown@formal@none@1@S@"It became apparent in hearings that there ought to be regulation of leveraged buy-outs of some sort," Rep. James Oberstar (D., Minn.), chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee, said during the panel's deliberations.@@@@1@33@@oe@2-2-2013 21780017@unknown@formal@none@1@S@"I don't believe in the airline business you can be totally laissez-faire because of the high degree of public interest" at stake.@@@@1@22@@oe@2-2-2013 21780018@unknown@formal@none@1@S@But Mr. Skinner disagreed, calling the legislation "a retreat from the policy of deregulaton of the airline industry."@@@@1@18@@oe@2-2-2013 21780019@unknown@formal@none@1@S@In his letter to Committee Chairman Glenn Anderson (D., Calif.), the secretary also said the bill "would be at odds with the administration's policies welcoming open foreign investment and market allocation of resources."@@@@1@33@@oe@2-2-2013 21780020@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Currently, the Transportation Department doesn't have the authority to block a takeover in advance.@@@@1@14@@oe@2-2-2013 21780021@unknown@formal@none@1@S@However, if the secretary concludes that a transaction has made a carrier unfit to operate, the department may revoke its certificate, grounding the airline.@@@@1@24@@oe@2-2-2013 21780022@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Such authority is more than adequate, say opponents of the legislation.@@@@1@11@@oe@2-2-2013 21780023@unknown@formal@none@1@S@But supporters argue that grounding an airline is so drastic that the department would hesitate doing it.@@@@1@17@@oe@2-2-2013 21780024@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The panel rejected a proposal pushed by AMR Corp., the parent of American Airlines, to allow the Transportation secretary to block corporate raiders from waging proxy fights to oust boards that oppose a leveraged buy-out.@@@@1@35@@oe@2-2-2013 21780025@unknown@formal@none@1@S@It also voted down proposals to give the secretary much more discretion on whether to block a buy-out and to require the department to consider the impact of a buy-out on workers.@@@@1@32@@oe@2-2-2013 21781001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@London shares rallied to post strong gains after initial fears evaporated that the California earthquake would depress Wall Street prices.@@@@1@20@@oe@2-2-2013 21781002@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Tokyo stocks, which rebounded strongly Tuesday, extended their gains yesterday, but most other Asian and Pacific markets closed sharply lower.@@@@1@20@@oe@2-2-2013 21781003@unknown@formal@none@1@S@In London, the Financial Times-Stock Exchange 100-share index jumped 34.6 points to close at its intraday high of 2170.1.@@@@1@19@@oe@2-2-2013 21781004@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The index was under pressure for most of the morning over concerns that the effects of Tuesday night's major earthquake in the San Francisco area would undermine the U.S. market.@@@@1@30@@oe@2-2-2013 21781005@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The mood changed after dealers reappraised the direct impact of the disaster on shares and Wall Street rebounded from early losses.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21781006@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The Financial Times 30-share index settled 27.8 points higher at 1758.5.@@@@1@11@@oe@2-2-2013 21781007@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Volume was 449.3 million shares, the slowest of a hectic week, compared with 643.4 million Tuesday.@@@@1@16@@oe@2-2-2013 21781008@unknown@formal@none@1@S@U.K. composite, or non-life, insurers, which some equity analysts said might be heavily hit by the earthquake disaster, helped support the London market by showing only narrow losses in early trading.@@@@1@31@@oe@2-2-2013 21781009@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The insurers' relative resilience gave the market time to reappraise the impact of the California disaster on U.K. equities, dealers said.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21781010@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Dealers said the market still hasn't shaken off its nervousness after its bumpy ride of the past several sessions, caused by interest-rate increases last week and Wall Street's 6.9% plunge Friday.@@@@1@31@@oe@2-2-2013 21781011@unknown@formal@none@1@S@But technical factors, including modest gains in the value of the pound, helped draw buying back into the market and reverse losses posted a day earlier.@@@@1@26@@oe@2-2-2013 21781012@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Among composite insurers, General Accident rose 10 pence to #10.03 ($15.80) a share, Guardian Royal climbed 5 to 217 pence, Sun Alliance rose 3 to 290, and Royal Insurance jumped 12 to 450.@@@@1@33@@oe@2-2-2013 21781013@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Life insurers fared similarly, with Legal & General advancing 3 to 344, although Prudential fell 2 to 184 1/2.@@@@1@19@@oe@2-2-2013 21781014@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Pearl Group rose 5 to 628, and Sun Life finished unchanged at #10.98.@@@@1@13@@oe@2-2-2013 21781015@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Most banking issues retreated after a sector downgrade by Warburg Securities, although National Westminister showed strength on positive comments from brokerage firms about its long-term prospects.@@@@1@26@@oe@2-2-2013 21781016@unknown@formal@none@1@S@NatWest, the most actively traded of the banks, finished at 300, up 1.@@@@1@13@@oe@2-2-2013 21781017@unknown@formal@none@1@S@B.A.T Industries fell in early dealings but recovered to finish at 754, up 5.@@@@1@14@@oe@2-2-2013 21781018@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Dealers said the market was nervous ahead of a special B.A.T holders' meeting today.@@@@1@14@@oe@2-2-2013 21781019@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The session is to consider a defensive plan to spin off assets to fend off Sir James Goldsmith's #13.4 billion bid for B.A.T.@@@@1@23@@oe@2-2-2013 21781020@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The recent stock market drop has shaken confidence in the plan, but dealers said the shares fell initially on questions about whether Mr. Goldsmith's highly leveraged bid will come to fruition.@@@@1@31@@oe@2-2-2013 21781021@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Trading was suspended in WCRS Group, a U.K. advertising concern, pending an announcement that it is buying the remaining 50% of France's Carat Holding for 2.02 billion French francs ($318.7 million) and expanding commercial and equity ties with advertising group Eurocom.@@@@1@41@@oe@2-2-2013 21781022@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Merchant banker Morgan Grenfell climbed 14 to 406 on renewed takeover speculation.@@@@1@12@@oe@2-2-2013 21781023@unknown@formal@none@1@S@S.G. Warburg, also mentioned in the rumor mill, jumped 14 at to 414.@@@@1@13@@oe@2-2-2013 21781024@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Jaguar advanced 19 to 673 as traders contemplated a potential battle between General Motors and Ford Motor for control of the U.K. luxury auto maker.@@@@1@25@@oe@2-2-2013 21781025@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Tokyo's Nikkei index of 225 issues rose 111.48 points, or 0.32%, to 35107.56.@@@@1@13@@oe@2-2-2013 21781026@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The index gained 527.39 Tuesday.@@@@1@5@@oe@2-2-2013 21781027@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Volume was estimated at 800 million shares, compared with 678 million Tuesday.@@@@1@12@@oe@2-2-2013 21781028@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Declining issues outnumbered advancers 505-455, with 172 unchanged.@@@@1@8@@oe@2-2-2013 21781029@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The Tokyo Stock Price Index of all issues listed in the first section, which gained 41.76 Tuesday, was up 0.24 points, or 0.01%, at 2642.88.@@@@1@25@@oe@2-2-2013 21781030@unknown@formal@none@1@S@In early trading in Tokyo Thursday, the Nikkei index rose 135.09 points to 35242.65.@@@@1@14@@oe@2-2-2013 21781031@unknown@formal@none@1@S@On Wednesday, shares were pushed up by index-related buying on the part of investment trusts as well as small orders from individuals and corporations, traders said.@@@@1@26@@oe@2-2-2013 21781032@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Institutions, meanwhile, stepped back to the sidelines as the direction of U.S. interest rates remained unclear.@@@@1@16@@oe@2-2-2013 21781033@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The uncertainty was multiplied by the persistent strength of the dollar, traders said, and by the U.S. trade deficit, which widened by 31% in August from the previous month.@@@@1@29@@oe@2-2-2013 21781034@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Traders and analysts said they didn't see any effect on Tokyo stocks from the California earthquake.@@@@1@16@@oe@2-2-2013 21781035@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The impact on Japanese insurers and property owners with interests in the San Francisco area is still being assessed, they said.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21781036@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Buying was scattered across a wide range of issues, making the session fairly characterless, traders said.@@@@1@16@@oe@2-2-2013 21781037@unknown@formal@none@1@S@With uncertainty still hanging over interest rates and the dollar, the market failed to find a focus that might lead to further investor commitments, they said.@@@@1@26@@oe@2-2-2013 21781038@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Some traders said the popularity of issues that gained yesterday won't last long, as investors will rotate their buying choices over the short term.@@@@1@24@@oe@2-2-2013 21781039@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Interest rate-sensitive shares such as steel, construction and electric utility companies, which rose early in the week, saw their advance weaken yesterday.@@@@1@22@@oe@2-2-2013 21781040@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Traders said these issues need large-volume buying to push up their prices, so substantial gains aren't likely unless institutional investors participate.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21781041@unknown@formal@none@1@S@An outstanding issue in yesterday's session was Mitsubishi Rayon, which surged 95 to 905 yen ($6.34) a share.@@@@1@18@@oe@2-2-2013 21781042@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Its popularity was due to speculation about the strong earnings potential of a new type of plastic wrap for household use, a trader at County Natwest Securities Japan said.@@@@1@29@@oe@2-2-2013 21781043@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Some laggard food issues attracted bargain-hunters, traders said.@@@@1@8@@oe@2-2-2013 21781044@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Kirin Brewery was up 100 at 2,000, and Ajinomoto gained 70 to 2,840.@@@@1@13@@oe@2-2-2013 21781045@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Pharmaceuticals were mostly higher, with SS Pharmaceutical gaining 140 to 1,980.@@@@1@11@@oe@2-2-2013 21781046@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Shares closed lower in other major Asian and Pacific markets, including Sydney, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei, Wellington, Seoul and Manila.@@@@1@20@@oe@2-2-2013 21781047@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Most of those markets had rebounded the day before from Monday's slide.@@@@1@12@@oe@2-2-2013 21781048@unknown@formal@none@1@S@But unlike the Tokyo exchange, they failed to extend the rise to a second session.@@@@1@15@@oe@2-2-2013 21781049@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Elsewhere, prices surged for a second day in Frankfurt, closed higher in Zurich, Stockholm and Amsterdam and were broadly lower in Milan, Paris and Brussels.@@@@1@25@@oe@2-2-2013 21781050@unknown@formal@none@1@S@South African gold stocks ended marginally firmer.@@@@1@7@@oe@2-2-2013 21781051@unknown@formal@none@1@S@In Brussels, it was the first trading day for most major shares since stocks tumbled on Wall Street Friday.@@@@1@19@@oe@2-2-2013 21781052@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Trading had been impeded by a major computer failure that took place before the start of Monday's session.@@@@1@18@@oe@2-2-2013 21781053@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Here are price trends on the world's major stock markets, as calculated by Morgan Stanley Capital International Perspective, Geneva.@@@@1@19@@oe@2-2-2013 21781054@unknown@formal@none@1@S@To make them directly comparable, each index is based on the close of 1969 equaling 100.@@@@1@16@@oe@2-2-2013 21781055@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The percentage change is since year-end.@@@@1@6@@oe@2-2-2013 21782001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Housing construction sank in September to its lowest level since the last recession, the Commerce Department reported.@@@@1@17@@oe@2-2-2013 21782002@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Work began on homes and apartments at an annual rate of 1,263,000 units last month, down 5.2% from August, the department said.@@@@1@22@@oe@2-2-2013 21782003@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The September decline followed an even steeper drop of 6.2% in August and left housing starts at their weakest since October 1982, when the country was nearing the end of a recession.@@@@1@32@@oe@2-2-2013 21782004@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Originally the department had reported the August decline as 5%.@@@@1@10@@oe@2-2-2013 21782005@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The numbers suggest that the housing industry is still suffering the effects of the Federal Reserve's battle against inflation.@@@@1@19@@oe@2-2-2013 21782006@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The industry had shown signs of recovery this summer, after the central bank began to relax its clamp on credit, allowing interest rates to drop a bit after pushing them up for a year.@@@@1@34@@oe@2-2-2013 21782007@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Sales of new homes rose and inventories of houses, which had been climbing, dropped.@@@@1@14@@oe@2-2-2013 21782008@unknown@formal@none@1@S@But last month new construction in all types of homes waned, from single-family houses to large apartment complexes.@@@@1@18@@oe@2-2-2013 21782009@unknown@formal@none@1@S@"It's pretty much weak across the board," said Martin Regalia, chief economist of the National Council of Savings Institutions.@@@@1@19@@oe@2-2-2013 21782010@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Mr. Regalia said the industry may be reluctant to step up building at the moment for fear the inventories of unsold homes will increase again.@@@@1@25@@oe@2-2-2013 21782011@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Another reason for the weakness, he said, may be that mortgage rates have hit a plateau since they began edging down after a peak in March.@@@@1@26@@oe@2-2-2013 21782012@unknown@formal@none@1@S@In August, rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages started creeping up a bit, but they inched down again through September.@@@@1@19@@oe@2-2-2013 21782013@unknown@formal@none@1@S@"Rates haven't really peeled off that much," Mr. Regalia said.@@@@1@10@@oe@2-2-2013 21782014@unknown@formal@none@1@S@"We've kind of settled now into an interest-rate environment that's fairly high."@@@@1@12@@oe@2-2-2013 21782015@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Work was begun on single family homes -- the core of the housing market -- at an annual rate of 971,000 in September, a drop of 2.1% from the previous month.@@@@1@31@@oe@2-2-2013 21782016@unknown@formal@none@1@S@That followed a 3.3% decline in August.@@@@1@7@@oe@2-2-2013 21782017@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Construction of apartments and other multi-family dwellings slipped 2.2% to an annual rate of 1,022,000 following a 3.5% decline in August.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21782018@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The number of building permits issued for future construction dropped 2.4% to a 1,296,000 annual rate after rising 3.7% in August.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21782019@unknown@formal@none@1@S@All the numbers were adjusted for normal seasonal variations in building activity.@@@@1@12@@oe@2-2-2013 21782020@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The housing starts numbers, however, are one of the least precise of the government's economic indicators and are often revised significantly as more information is collected.@@@@1@26@@oe@2-2-2013 21783001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Shearson Lehman Hutton Holdings Inc. posted a sharp third-quarter turnaround from a year earlier, but net income would have dropped from the second quarter without a $37 million after-tax gain.@@@@1@30@@oe@2-2-2013 21783002@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The securities firm posted third-quarter net of $66 million, or 64 cents a share, compared with a restated year-earlier loss of $3 million, or 11 cents a share.@@@@1@28@@oe@2-2-2013 21783003@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Revenue climbed 25% to $3.3 billion from $2.6 billion.@@@@1@9@@oe@2-2-2013 21783004@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The latest period included the gain, which was $77 million before tax, from the previously announced sale of the institutional money management business of Lehman Management Co.@@@@1@27@@oe@2-2-2013 21783005@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The 1988 period was restated from net income of $8 million to correct an overstatement in the company's Boston Co. subsidiary.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21783006@unknown@formal@none@1@S@In the 1989 second quarter, Shearson had net income of $55 million, or 54 cents a share.@@@@1@17@@oe@2-2-2013 21783007@unknown@formal@none@1@S@An average 102.5 million common shares were outstanding in the latest quarter, up from 87.1 million.@@@@1@16@@oe@2-2-2013 21783008@unknown@formal@none@1@S@In New York Stock Exchange composite trading yesterday, Shearson shares lost 37.5 cents to $18.125.@@@@1@15@@oe@2-2-2013 21783009@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The company said the improved performance from a year ago reflects higher commissions and revenue from marketmaking and trading for its own account.@@@@1@23@@oe@2-2-2013 21783010@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Commission revenue was $522 million, up 49%.@@@@1@7@@oe@2-2-2013 21783011@unknown@formal@none@1@S@But industrywide trading activity slowed in September as institutional investors turned cautious and individuals continued to shy away from the market.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21783012@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Investment banking revenue fell 32% to $205 million, in part reflecting the continued slowdown of the underwriting business.@@@@1@18@@oe@2-2-2013 21783013@unknown@formal@none@1@S@In the nine months, net fell 3% to $106 million, or 98 cents a share, from $110 million, or $1.05 a share.@@@@1@22@@oe@2-2-2013 21783014@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Revenue advanced 26% to $9.6 billion from $7.6 billion.@@@@1@9@@oe@2-2-2013 21784001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Two major drug companies posted strong third-quarter earnings, in line with profits already reported by industry leaders and analysts' expectations.@@@@1@20@@oe@2-2-2013 21784002@unknown@formal@none@1@S@But Pfizer Inc., based in New York, reported flat earnings.@@@@1@10@@oe@2-2-2013 21784003@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Schering-Plough Corp., based in Madison, N.J., reported a 21% rise in earnings as American Home Products Corp. of New York posted an 11% increase in net.@@@@1@26@@oe@2-2-2013 21784004@unknown@formal@none@1@S@American Home Products@@@@1@3@@oe@2-2-2013 21784005@unknown@formal@none@1@S@American Home Products said sales and earnings for the third quarter and nine months were at record levels.@@@@1@18@@oe@2-2-2013 21784006@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Sales for the third quarter increased 6.5% to $1.51 billion from $1.42 billion.@@@@1@13@@oe@2-2-2013 21784007@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Sales of health-care products increased 6% in the third quarter, based in part on strong sales of prescription drugs such as Premarin, an estrogen-replacement drug, and sales of the company's infant formula.@@@@1@32@@oe@2-2-2013 21784008@unknown@formal@none@1@S@American Home Products said net income benefited from a "lower effective tax rate," reflecting a reduction of foreign tax rates, and additional operations in Puerto Rico.@@@@1@26@@oe@2-2-2013 21784009@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Net also was aided by a gain on the sale of the company's equity interests in South Africa effective Sept. 1.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21784010@unknown@formal@none@1@S@In New York Stock Exchange composite trading yesterday, American Home Products closed at $102.25 a share, down 75 cents.@@@@1@19@@oe@2-2-2013 21784011@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Pfizer@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21784012@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Pfizer said third-quarter sales increased 4% to $1.44 billion from $1.38 billion.@@@@1@12@@oe@2-2-2013 21784013@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The company said net income was flat because of investment in research and development and costs related to launches of several products.@@@@1@22@@oe@2-2-2013 21784014@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The company said the dollar's continued strengthening reduced world-wide sales growth by three percentage points.@@@@1@15@@oe@2-2-2013 21784015@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Pfizer posted its largest gains in healthcare sales, up 3%, and consumer products, up 23%.@@@@1@15@@oe@2-2-2013 21784016@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Sales by the specialty chemicals and materials science segments were flat, and sales by the agriculture segment declined 5%.@@@@1@19@@oe@2-2-2013 21784017@unknown@formal@none@1@S@In the health-care segment, pharmaceutical sales increased 4% and sales of hospital products increased 1%.@@@@1@15@@oe@2-2-2013 21784018@unknown@formal@none@1@S@During the quarter, Pfizer received federal approval of Procardia XL, a calcium channel blocker approved for both angina and hypertension, and Monorail Piccolino, used to open obstructed coronary arteries.@@@@1@29@@oe@2-2-2013 21784019@unknown@formal@none@1@S@In New York Stock Exchange composite trading yesterday, Pfizer closed at $67.75 a share, up 75 cents.@@@@1@17@@oe@2-2-2013 21784020@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Schering-Plough@@@@1@1@@oe@2-2-2013 21784021@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Schering-Plough said sales gained 2.7% to $743.7 million from $724.4 million.@@@@1@11@@oe@2-2-2013 21784022@unknown@formal@none@1@S@In the period, the company completed the sale of its European cosmetics businesses, sold a majority interest in its Brazilian affiliate, and announced the reorganization of its over-the-counter drug businesses into a new unit, Schering-Plough Health Care Products.@@@@1@38@@oe@2-2-2013 21784023@unknown@formal@none@1@S@These actions didn't affect results because the gain on the sale of the European cosmetics businesses was offset by provisions relating to the Brazil divestiture and drug restructuring.@@@@1@28@@oe@2-2-2013 21784024@unknown@formal@none@1@S@U.S. pharmaceutical sales rose 15%, led by allergy, asthma and cold products; dermatological products; anti-infectives and anti-cancer products; and cardiovascular products.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21784025@unknown@formal@none@1@S@World-wide consumer product sales declined 12%, primarily because of the European cosmetics sale.@@@@1@13@@oe@2-2-2013 21784026@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Significantly lower sales of `Stay Trim' diet aids also were a factor in the drop.@@@@1@15@@oe@2-2-2013 21784027@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The Maybelline beauty product line had higher sales following a sluggish first half.@@@@1@13@@oe@2-2-2013 21784028@unknown@formal@none@1@S@In Big Board composite trading, Schering-Plough shares fell 75 cents to close at $74.125.@@@@1@14@@oe@2-2-2013 21785001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Swedish auto and aerospace concern Saab-Scania AB said it received a 250 million krona ($39 million) order from Swiss Crossair, one of Europe's leading regional air companies, for five Saab 340B turboprop commuter aircraft.@@@@1@34@@oe@2-2-2013 21786001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@It is quite unfortunate that you failed so miserably in reporting the Hurricane Hugo disaster.@@@@1@15@@oe@2-2-2013 21786002@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Your Sept. 27 page-one article "Charleston Lost Quite a Lot to Hugo, Especially Gentility" leaves the impression that the storm was little more than an inconvenience.@@@@1@26@@oe@2-2-2013 21786003@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The damage reported focused on a select few who owned irreplaceable historic homes on the Battery.@@@@1@16@@oe@2-2-2013 21786004@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Not mentioned were the 50,000 people rendered homeless, and the more than 200,000 out of work for an indeterminable period; the $1 billion-plus in losses to homes and personal property on the barrier islands; the near- and long-term impact on the state's largest industry, tourism, not to mention the human suffering.@@@@1@51@@oe@2-2-2013 21786005@unknown@formal@none@1@S@In centering on the disruption of a few proud local customs such as the historichomes tour and the damage to the antiquities, your reporter served to only perpetuate an outdated and stereotypically provincial view of this otherwise thriving port city.@@@@1@40@@oe@2-2-2013 21786006@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The damage will undoubtedly prove to be one of the epic human and economic disasters of the decade in this country.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21786007@unknown@formal@none@1@S@David M. Carroll@@@@1@3@@oe@2-2-2013 21786008@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Columbia, S.C.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21786009@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Your story was tasteless and insensitive.@@@@1@6@@oe@2-2-2013 21786010@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Depicting the people of a traumatized city reeling from a disaster of unprecedented proportions was at the very best ludicrous under the circumstances.@@@@1@23@@oe@2-2-2013 21786011@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Your narrow focus appears to be a contrived attempt to show the people of that historic city to be doddering fools.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21786012@unknown@formal@none@1@S@You had to have been blind not to see the scenario there for what it was and is and will continue to be for months and even years -- a part of South Carolina that has sustained a blow that the Red Cross expects will cost that organization alone some $38 million.@@@@1@52@@oe@2-2-2013 21786013@unknown@formal@none@1@S@William C. Barksdale Jr.@@@@1@4@@oe@2-2-2013 21786014@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Columbia, S.C.@@@@1@2@@oe@2-2-2013 21786015@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Charleston is historic and aristocratic, as your reporter said, but not haughty, as he suggested.@@@@1@15@@oe@2-2-2013 21786016@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Charlestonians are instead indomitable and have contributed mightily to the culture and history of our country for more than 300 years.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21786017@unknown@formal@none@1@S@I suggest your reporter see Charleston next spring in its full glory.@@@@1@12@@oe@2-2-2013 21786018@unknown@formal@none@1@S@William C. Stuart III@@@@1@4@@oe@2-2-2013 21786019@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Silver Spring, Md.@@@@1@3@@oe@2-2-2013 21787001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Affiliated Bankshares of Colorado Inc. said it agreed to sell its 10% interest in Rocky Mountain Bankcard Systems for $18.5 million to Colorado National Bank of Denver and Central Bank of Denver.@@@@1@32@@oe@2-2-2013 21787002@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Colorado National is a unit of Colorado National Bankshares Inc. and Central is a unit of First Bank System of Minneapolis.@@@@1@21@@oe@2-2-2013 21787003@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Affiliated said it expects to record a pretax gain of about $18.5 million from the sale of the credit-card business, which should more than offset any reduction in the carrying value of real estate and real-estate loans on its books.@@@@1@40@@oe@2-2-2013 21788001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The U.S. Export-Import Bank tentatively decided to guarantee commercial bank financing for the purchase of two Boeing Co. 767 airliners by Avianca, Colombia's international airline, at a cost of about $150 million.@@@@1@32@@oe@2-2-2013 21788002@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The loan guarantee would amount to about $127.5 million, or 85% of the cost of the aircraft.@@@@1@17@@oe@2-2-2013 21788003@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Because of the size of the proposed loan guarantee, the Ex-Im Bank's preliminary commitment is subject to review by the House and Senate Banking committees.@@@@1@25@@oe@2-2-2013 21788004@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Ex-Im Bank officials said this review process currently is under way.@@@@1@11@@oe@2-2-2013 21789001@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Sebastian Guzman Cabrera took over the oil workers union, Mexico's most powerful labor organization, only last January.@@@@1@17@@oe@2-2-2013 21789002@unknown@formal@none@1@S@But even in that short time Mr. Guzman Cabrera has become as controversial in his own way as his deposed predecessor, Joaquin Hernandez Galicia, known as La Quina.@@@@1@28@@oe@2-2-2013 21789003@unknown@formal@none@1@S@President Carlos Salinas de Gortari used the army to oust La Quina, who reigned for 28 years over a graft-riddled empire that made state-run Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, one of the world's most inefficient oil companies.@@@@1@36@@oe@2-2-2013 21789004@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Now, Mr. Guzman Cabrera is facing accusations that he's as much a company man as La Quina was a crook.@@@@1@20@@oe@2-2-2013 21789005@unknown@formal@none@1@S@In recent contract negotiations with Pemex management, Mr. Guzman Cabrera accepted major concessions that greatly curtail the union's role in subcontracting, long a source of millions of dollars in illicit earnings.@@@@1@31@@oe@2-2-2013 21789006@unknown@formal@none@1@S@And with the quiet pragmatism of Mr. Guzman Cabrera replacing the prickly populism of La Quina, government technocrats have been given a free hand to open the petrochemical sector to wider private and foreign investment.@@@@1@35@@oe@2-2-2013 21789007@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Mr. Guzman Cabrera's new order hasn't arrived without resistance.@@@@1@9@@oe@2-2-2013 21789008@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Brawls between union factions still erupt at Pemex installations.@@@@1@9@@oe@2-2-2013 21789009@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Leftist leader Cuauhtemoc Cardenas publicly questioned Mr. Guzman Cabrera's "moral quality," suggesting he is part of a conspiracy to turn over the country's oil, a symbol of Mexican nationalism, to foreigners.@@@@1@31@@oe@2-2-2013 21789010@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The 61-year-old Mr. Guzman Cabrera takes such criticisms in stride.@@@@1@10@@oe@2-2-2013 21789011@unknown@formal@none@1@S@"This isn't a new kind of union leadership, it's a new Mexico.@@@@1@12@@oe@2-2-2013 21789012@unknown@formal@none@1@S@We're no longer afraid of associating with private or foreign capital," he says.@@@@1@13@@oe@2-2-2013 21789013@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Pemex, which produces 40% of government revenue, desperately needs new investment.@@@@1@11@@oe@2-2-2013 21789014@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Since world oil prices collapsed in 1982, the government has siphoned Pemex's coffers to make payments on Mexico's $97 billion foreign debt.@@@@1@22@@oe@2-2-2013 21789015@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Little money has been returned to upgrade Pemex's aging facilities.@@@@1@10@@oe@2-2-2013 21789016@unknown@formal@none@1@S@While the government drains Pemex from above, the union has drained it from below.@@@@1@14@@oe@2-2-2013 21789017@unknown@formal@none@1@S@A bloated payroll and pervasive graft caused Pemex's operating costs to balloon to 95 cents of each $1 in sales, far above the industry norm.@@@@1@25@@oe@2-2-2013 21789018@unknown@formal@none@1@S@The declines in investment and efficiency explain in part why Mexico has been importing gasoline this year.@@@@1@17@@oe@2-2-2013 21789019@unknown@formal@none@1@S@Some projections show Mexico importing crude by the end of the century, barring an overhaul of operations.@@@@1@17@@oe@2-2-2013