One of his principal rivals for the Arkle, the ante post favourite Noland, is the main attraction at Sandown Park today. He runs in the Durkan Group Novice Chase. After a smooth and very convincing win first time out over fences at Folkestone in January, he has scared off a lot of his potential opposition and faces just four rivals.

Asian stock market summary

MUMBAI, Feb. 29, 2008 (Thomson Financial delivered by Newstex) -- JAPAN The Nikkei ended down 2.3 percent at 13,603.02, after the yen strengthened against the US dollar and fresh concerns emerged about the US economy. The broader Topix index declined 2.1 percent to 1,324.28. SOUTH KOREA The Kospi closed down 1.4 percent at 1,711.62, tracking the losses on Wall Street overnight on worries about rising unemployment in the US and the possibility of more bank failures. Investors grappled with the likelihood that the dollar's continued slide against key currencies may reflect the dire condition of the US economy, while the sustained spike in oil prices was another reason for worry.AUSTRALIA The S&P/ASX 200 closed down 1.4 percent at 5,572.1, as investors continued to dump financial stocks following comments by Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke that small banks in the US could collapse amid the ongoing subprime credit crisis.

Charlotte Russe Announces First Quarter Comparable Store Sales ...

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Charlotte Russe Holding, Inc. , a growing mall-based specialty retailer of fashionable, value-priced apparel and accessories targeting young women in their teens and twenties, today reported net sales for the first quarter ended December 29, 2007, of $238.2 million, compared to net sales of $209.2 million reported for the quarter ended December 30, 2006 or an increase of 13.9%. Comparable store sales increased 1.5% for the same time period.

First quarter sales results exceeded prior guidance of flat to low single digit decline in comparable store sales. As a result, the Company expects to report first quarter 2008 diluted earnings per share of between $0.55 to $0.56 as compared to previous guidance of $0.47 to $0.50 per diluted earnings per share.

Obama's Wrang-Wrang

Cocooning isn't easy: It takes drive and determination to portray Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski's loss in his state's Republican primary, in which the big issue was a natural gas pipeline, as a referendum on the Iraq war. After a tense struggle, the NYT's William Yardley eventually gets there, in paragraph 18 of a 19 graf story. But just barely:

Hanging on by both fingernails, but it's in! ... Thank God for professors of political science. ... [This seems like another one Taranto had days ago--ed Nope.] 5:57 P.M.

NetReach Unveils cmScribe PressRoom - a Powerful Suite of Web Tools ...

AMBLER, Pa., Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- NetReach announced the introduction of cmScribe PressRoom; a pre-designed, pre-configured online media room designed with content and feature-rich functionality tailored for PR and Marketing Professionals. It offers users the ability to interact with the media via blogs, news releases, syndication of content using RSS, provide access to photos, and the ability to easily create and manage content.

David Meerman Scott, an online thought leader and bestselling author of The New Rules of Marketing & PR, notes that, "Online Media Rooms are an important part of an effective media relations strategy. Done well, a good Online Media Room will turn journalists who are just browsing into interested writers who highlight your organization positively in stories.

Friday wild card

I was planning to peek at the blog before I hit the sack. And spent 20 minute skimming the comments section. Hilarious! I can see why that's so dang addictive. Partisans were toe to toe fighting out which side I love most. I felt like a proud papa watching his talented siblings go after one another. 'Tis extremely hard not to post or respond to comments. But it appears that Blogmeister Ken Paulman has things very well in hand. So, 'tis time to catch some Zzzzz's and prepare for my final -- I hope! -- day of painting. While I paint and sweat (do you think this is how Duane Hagadone paints his house?), you can use this Wild Card to start threads of your own. Also, remember, you can forward Ken links, questions, comments, photos, etc., for him to post here for you ...

2 Sun reporters, WBAL-TV win Headliner awards

Tucker, 27, a features reporter at The Sun since November 2004, won in the category of feature writing. Her articles included one on Dr. Heather Cereste, a Texas physician treating the wounded in Iraq, who honed her skills during an intensive three-week training session at Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Other articles included visits with Ocean City lifeguards reuniting misplaced children with their parents, and with George, a Cockeysville mastiff competing in New York's Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

"To win not one but two awards in one of America's most prestigious journalism contests makes this a truly special honor," Franklin said.

Baltimore's WBAL-TV, Channel 11, won the competition's grand award for television broadcasting, for Africa's Maryland. The 30-minute documentary, which aired in February last year, documented reporter Tim Tooten and a WBAL crew's visit to Maryland County, Liberia, an area colonized in the 19th century by freed slaves from Maryland.

Obama sets Casper, Laramie visits

Even if Obama is “transcendent," as his campaign has argued, the historic electoral trends and the current political environment suggest that translating those primary wins into November success will be close to impossible. * In short: Hillary is better positioned to carry the battle ground states that Democrats need to win in November and Obama's victories in deep red states do not . " .