Several possible reasons why women live longer than men

Ever wonder why, on average, women live five to 10 years longer than men? This week's Time magazine features an interview with Tom Perls, founder of the New England Centenarian Study at Boston University (and creator of the Web site Livingto100.com). He gives several possible reasons:

First, women tend to develop cardiovascular diseases like heart attack and stroke about 10 years later than men. (Women are particularly vulnerable starting around their 70s or 80s, compared with 50s or 60s for men.) Researchers used to think this was because of estrogen, but now there are a couple of alternative theories. One is that women tend to have lower levels of iron in their blood than …

City rakes in $1.6 mil from amnesty plan

With a deadline of Oct. 5, Revenue Director Bea Reyna-Hickey Monday announced the city has raked in $1.6 million from the Parking Break Amnesty program.

But she warned motorists have only 18 days left to ante up and pay those pre-2000 parking tickets to avoid paying penalties.

At a City Hall press conference, she said 47,522 amnesty eligible tickets have been paid for a total of $1.6 million on the amnesty-coded tickets. Scofflaws have until Oct. 4 to pay their parking tickets that were issued prior to Jan. 1, 2000. Those owing $5,000 or less in parking tickets are eligible to participate in the amnesty program.

Comparing parking ticket collections to what the city …

England vs. New Zealand Scoreboard

Scoreboard at tea on the fifth day Monday of the first test between England and New Zealand at Lord's:

New Zealand 1st Innings: 277

England 1st Innings: 319

New Zealand 2nd Innings

(Overnight: 40-0)

Jamie How not out 66

Aaron Redmond c Strauss b Anderson 17

James Marshall lbw Sidebottom 0

Ross Taylor lbw Panesar 20

Brendon McCullum retired hurt 11

Daniel Flynn not out 19

Jacob Oram not out 55

…

[ TECH BRIEFS ]

Online retail sales jump

Sales at U.S. Internet retailers jumped 36 percent last week aspeople used faster online connections to shop for holiday items onThanksgiving Day at Web sites. Sales of gifts and other non-travelitems rose to $1.66 billion in the week ended Nov. 28, according toComScore Networks Inc., a Reston, Va.-based Web research company.Month-to-date online sales rose 24 percent, in line with ComScore'sforecast for the holiday season.

BridgePort signs 1st client

BridgePort Networks, the Chicago Voice over Internet Protocolsoftware developer, said Wednesday that Bell Canada is its firstcustomer. The Toronto-based company will be working in the first …

John Grisham Breaks Free of the Southern Writer Syndrome

OXFORD, Miss. - When a young Mississippi writer's first bookwasn't selling, friends peddled copies out of their cars across ruralMississippi.

John Grisham fit the image of many aspiring Southern writers -talented but unappreciated.

The year was 1989, but it was like a flashback to 1929, whenWilliam Faulkner, also of Oxford, released The Sound and the Fury,which sold just 1,500 copies over the next decade.

But after A Time to Kill failed to capture attention, Grishamset out to be a commercial success. In the process, he has brokenthe mold of the traditional Southern author.

Young writers at the University of Mississippi, where Grishamattended law …

Paraguay, stuck in siesta mode, awaits Lugo's exit

ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) — Paraguay's congress closed its doors last week for more than two months of paid vacation, showing no interest in giving President Fernando Lugo anything on his wish list, even after lawmakers return to work next March.

Lugo's allies are also giving him the silent treatment. It's as if the entire political system has agreed to take a siesta until his five-year term is over.

Long legislative breaks are common in South America, where most governments shut down for the summer. But Paraguay sets the standard for collective stupor. Most businesses and public offices close at midday, even during relatively cooler months. Students attend classes in four-hour …

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Katherine Reutter has an autographed poster hanging in her bedroom, one she got as a child from a hometown hero.

"Best wishes," it says. "Go for the gold."

Silver will do just fine.

Relying on the lessons she learned from skating star Bonnie Blair _ who also hails from Champaign, Illinois _ Reutter won a silver medal in the 1,000 meters Friday on the final night of Olympic short track.

She already had a bronze from Wednesday night's relay, but the Americans backed into that medal after the front-running South Koreans were disqualified for impeding.

This time, Reutter left little doubt that she's as good …