Indiana Gazette from Indiana, Pennsylvania • 7

mnbxnnn (Bnztitt Elsewhere News from the nation, world Monday, January 22, 2007 Page 7 BRIEFS Clinton gets off to strong start l. NEW YORK (AP) Starting her first full week as a presidential contender, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton expressed confidence she can win the 2008 Democratic nomination. Clinton, speaking publicly for the first time since declaring her candidacy on her Web site, said Sunday she decided to run after doing a "thorough review" of the challenges facing the country. She said she is the best candidate for the job and is eager to begin campaigning.

"It'll be a great contest with a lot of talented people and I'm very confident I'm in, I'm in it to win and that's what I intend to do," she said. The former first lady was vying to be the first woman and first presidential spouse to win the White House. Polls show her leading a crowded field of Democratic candidates that includes Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who hopes to become the first black president. A Washington Post-ABC News poll released Sunday shows Clinton is the favorite of 41 percent of Democrats, more than double the support of any of her rivals.

Despite abundant strengths, Clinton remains a polarizing figure to many voters and faces questions about her ability to win a general election. Her position on the Iraq war she voted to authorize the invasion in 2002 and has refused to call for a date-certain removal of troops has alienated many Democratic activists, who vote heavily in primaries. Clinton was to start a three-day series of Web chats with supporters this evening, and travels to Iowa, site of the first nominating caucuses, next From Gazette wire services Copacabana looks for new home NEW YORK (AP) The Copacabana, the famed nightclub that entertained the smart set with a young Frank Sinatra in the '40s and was the inspiration for Barry Manilow's signature song in the '70s is looking for a new home again. Its third reincarnation, on a commercial block on West 34th Street, has been condemned by the city to make way for an extension of a subway line. Owner John Juliano doesn't have a lease signed yet on a new location, but he has until July 1 before he has to be out.

"We aren't closing," he said. "It's hurting our business, all this talk of us closing. I mean, maybe we have to renovate a new space. That may take some time, but we're coming back." The Copa has endured change before. Since it first opened in 1941 on the fashionable East Side, it has mor-phed from the glitziest nightspot in town to disco on the West Side, the scene of Manilow's 1978 song "Copacabana," and now to a catering business and thumping hip-hop and salsa club.

Democrats back Iraq opposition WASHINGTON (AP) Two leading Senate Democrats are seeking to dispel concerns that a resolution on Iraq doesn't go far enough, saying it would make a strong statement to President Bush that a troop increase is wrong. "It will be a very powerful message if a bipartisan majority of the Congress say that they disagree with the increased military involvement in Iraq," said Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee. Division over whether Democrats should push a stronger measure could spell defeat for the resolution, he cautioned. Chavez lashes out at U.S.

officials CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) President Hugo Chavez told U.S. officials to "Go to hell, gringos!" and called Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice "missy" on his weekly radio and TV show Sunday, lashing out at Washington for what he called unacceptable meddling in Venezuelan trim Yn1 Poll: U.S. on wrong path By DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON Americans seem sour on the state of the union in advance of President Bush's address on the subject. A poll finds most believe the country is on the wrong track a complete flip from five years ago. Most people also are not confident that Bush and the Democrats who now control Congress and share responsibility with him for running the country can work together to solve its problems, an As- Tho sociated Press- I IIC AOL News poll finds.

At the same flllUlllQS time, Americans see the president CCO as likable, deci- DD sive and strong but also stub- People who think the bom. And only a country is on the minority think he wrong pathi up fronrl perSnfTown 29 percent in 2002. from 53 percent two years ago. Bush delivers AAn his State of the Tlght! People who think nearly two weeks President Bush IS after he told the honest, downfrom nation he is send- 53 percent in 2004. ing 21,500 addi- tional U.S.

troops to Iraq in a new RRO effort to end vio- DO lence there. The White PePle wn House says the disapprove Of how speech will focus Bush is handling the on a few issues war in Iraq. energy and health care among them, on which Bush might be able to reach agreement with Democrats, who control the House and Senate for the first time during his two-term presidency. Two-thirds of Americans, 66 percent, think the country is on the wrong track. That's about the same as a year ago, when 65 percent thought so, the poll found.

That's a stark reversal from mid-January 2002, when 68 percent said the country was on the right track and 29 percent said it was not. Then, the nation was still coming to grips with the terrorist strikes four months earlier on New York and Washington that killed nearly 3,000 people. And, U.S. troops Bush sent to Afghanistan had toppled the Taliban government that harbored the terrorists believed responsible. After the U.S.

led an invasion of Iraq in March 2003, public support for the mission there began to slide as the war continued, the U.S. death toll climbed and the violence raged on. Lawmakers in both political parties have promised more bipartisanship and comity since the November elections, when voters took away the reins of Congress from Bush's Republican Party. But the public appears largely skeptical of those pledges. Nearly two-thirds, 60 percent, have no confidence that the political institutions at either end of Pennsylvania Avenue can work together to solve the nation's problems.

Overall, the public has grown less confident since the days after the election when nearly half, 47 percent, expressed confidence that Bush and Congress could work together. Iraq remains the public's top concern, with 65 percent disapproving of Bush's handling of the situation. Support for sending more troops to Iraq grew slightly after Bush's speech, although the idea is still unpopular. KATHY WILLENSAssociated Press U.S. SEN.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, held hands with Camilla Harden, 3, and her sister Olivia, 1, held by their father Bobby at an appearance in New York Sunday, Consuming too much caffeine can be real jolt to good health In summary COFFEE, BREWED Caffeine: 95 mg Size: 8 ounces Notes: The most common source of caffeine in the world. NoDoz PILLS Caffeine: 200 mg Notes: Sold over the counter. The most concentrated form of caffeine. MOUNTAIN DEW Caffeine: 55 mg Size: 12 ounces Sugars: 46 grams Notes: Has more caffeine than most other soft drinks. Comes in diet and other flavors, including caffeine-free.

on among the cells in your body. "It will do three things," said Dr. Dan Halvorsen, an expert in exercise medicine at Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, based in the Twin Cities. "Increase alertness, reduce tiredness and increase competitiveness and aggressiveness. You get wired." That's why energy drinks have names like Amp, rip it, No Fear and Rock Star.

And that's also why they are often a common sight on the sidelines of football and soccer games. So how much is too much? Experts say that for most people anything above 250 milligrams of caffeine a day, about three cups of strong coffee, will develop into an addiction. That means if you don't get that much, you'll probably feel tired and cranky and get a headache. At 600 to 800 mg per day, "very few people would feel normal," said Dr. James Miner, an emergency-medicine specialist at the Hennepin County Medical Center, based in Minneapolis.

"The doses that kill people are 5,000 milligrams, or (the equivalent of) 40 or 50 cups of coffee in an hour." It's pretty hard to hurt yourself with coffee or energy drinks that have an equivalent amount of caffeine in them, he said. But caffeine pills, which contain 200 mg of caffeine, are another thing. Ten at once could cause serious heart problems. Experts say that medical problems related to caffeine may be far more common than is known because doctors rarely ask about caffeine consumption. Cramer-Bornemann, the sleep expert, said it's no coincidence that insomnia is by far the most common sleep disorder in a country drowning in caffeine.

By JOSEPHINE MARCOTTY and TOM HORGEN Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune The 14-year-old boy was just trying to rev up with energy drinks and caffeine pills he bought over the Internet so he could stay up all night playing video games. Instead, he ended up in a hospital intensive-care unit with a severe caffeine overdose. Urban legend? Not hardly. While that boy's experience is an extreme example of what can happen in our 247, go-go-go, caffeine-fueled lives, cases like his are showing up with increasing frequency at hospitals and in frightened calls to poison hotlines.

"We are starting to see cases where people are being admitted with caffeine toxicity," said Dr. Michel Cramer-Borne-mann, co-director of the Minneapolis-based Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center, who described the case of the 14-year-old. Caffeine is the most powerful legal stimulant available without a prescription, and in the past decade it has become the drug of choice of millions. It is a ubiquitous ingredient in dozens of soft drinks, and has its own beverage category energy drinks, an industry valued at $3.7 billion and growing. And in a trend that has some health experts worried, energy drinks, especially Red Bull, are now one of the most popular mixers with alcohol.

It's a party animal's dream combination because it makes you both drunk and wired until you crash. "You drink a lot of them and you're all alert, but the minute the caffeine comes down, you're at a whole new level of being hammered," said Bill Lee, 28, on a recent Friday night at Bootleggers bar in The tirade came after Washington raised concerns about a measure to grant the fiery leftist leader broad lawmaking powers. The HUGO CHAVEZ Minneapolis. "You're obliterated." As drugs go, caffeine is pretty benign when taken in moderation. Coffee, after all, has been with us for centuries and is still one of the most concentrated sources of caffeine.

Even soft drinks such as Mountain Dew and some of the more popular energy drinks such as Red Bull have less caffeine than a large cup of coffee. A little dependence is OK, maybe even vital, for early commutes and 10-hour workdays. The magic in caffeine is what it does to adrenaline. Caffeine makes adrenaline last longer and feel stronger, enhancing all that biological messaging that goes Snow storm surprises Arizonans National Assembly, which is controlled by the president's political allies, is expected to give final approval this week to what it calls the "enabling law," which would give Chavez the authority to pass a series of laws by decree during an 18-month period. On Friday, U.S.

State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said Chavez's plans under the law "have caused us some concern." Chavez rejected Casey's statement in his broadcast, saying: "Go to hell, gringos! Go home!" Man makes good for ice cream theft LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) "Earl" ate the stolen ice cream 35 years ago, but the guilt has been eating at him ever since. The Green Bay-area businessman decided to atone for his sin by returning to the scene of the crime, his former middle school, and treating students to an ice cream party. The donor preferred to remain anonymous. But staff members at Lincoln Middle School in La Crosse have dubbed him Earl after title character Earl Hickey on NBC's "My Name is Earl" in which Earl sets out to right his past wrongs.

By AMANDA LEE MYERS Associated Press Writer PHOENIX More than a foot of snow fell on parts of northern Arizona, and several more inches were possible today, while children as far south as Tucson got a rare chance to play in the snow as one of the strongest storms of the winter moved through the state. Sunday's storm came amid a wave of winter storms that have brought snow, ice and strong winds to the Plains region, but also to the Southwest, including Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. The harsh, frigid conditions were blamed for 1 1 traffic fatalities in the Plains over the weekend. Although the heaviest snowfall in Arizona on Sunday was in the north, snow also fell in downtown Phoenix and Tucson, which received up to IV2 inches, according to the National Weather Service. Danita D'Water said there were huge snowflakes in her neighborhood in far northeast Phoenix.

"The children are running up and down the street, riding their scooters in the snow," she said. "The kids are pretty excited but the adults were out taking pictures." More than a foot fell in Forest Lakes, Pinetop and at the Sunrise Ski Resort, among other places in northern Arizona. Between one and three inches fell in Flagstaff, said Robert Bohlin, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. A winter storm warning remained in effect until noon today for parts of northern and northeastern Arizona, with the National Weather Service forecasting up to an additional three inches of snow. Dense fog and icy roads created hazardous driving conditions today morning in the Tucson area.

In Colorado, 3 to 6 inches of snow fell across much of the Front Range, with more in the in the eastern plains and the mountains. On Sunday, officials closed a long stretch of Interstate 70, from near Denver International Airport almost to the Kansas state line because of high winds, blowing snow, poor visibility and ice. DARIN MCGREGORRocky Mountain News WALLACE RUDOLPH shoveled his walk Sunday in Denver after storms left several more inches of snow..