Obama to meet with McCain at transition office

Once campaign rivals, President-elect Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain are ready to talk about how they can collaborate on issues facing the United States.

A private meeting, slated for Monday at Obama's transition office in Chicago, will be the first since Obama beat McCain, the Republican candidate, in the Nov. 4 election.

Obama, who resigned his Senate seat on Sunday, has been interviewing some of his one-time political opponents to help him run the country, but advisers to the former candidates have said they don't expect Obama to consider McCain for an administration job when the new president takes office on Jan. 20.

The two will be joined …

3 top-security prisons urged by Thompson

SPRINGFIELD Citing overcrowding at Illinois' maximum-securityprisons, Gov. Thompson yesterday proposed building three 750-inmatepenitentiaries.

Under the governor's plan, construction would begin on onefacility each year for three years at a cost of about $41 millioneach. He doubted that any of the three new prisons would be built inCook County.

A Corrections Department report released last month said thestate's oldest maximum-security penitentiaries - Joliet, Stateville,Pontiac and Menard - are "dangerously overcrowded."

"They are the places where violent acts are occurring and wherethey are likely to continue to occur, not because of bad …

Cordero Shows How It's Done As Nats Win

BALTIMORE - After Daniel Cabrera experienced difficulty in getting the third out during a frustrating performance, Chad Cordero needed only seven pitches to record the game's final two outs and earn a milestone save.

The Washington Nationals hit three home runs off Cabrera, and Cordero notched his 100th career save in a 7-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night.

Ryan Church hit a solo shot, and Ryan Zimmerman and Brian Schneider both connected with a man on for the Nationals. Felipe Lopez ended an 0-for-19 skid with a two-run double and received three of the 10 walks allowed by Baltimore pitchers.

Cabrera (5-7) gave up seven runs and seven hits in 4 …

Red Cross: Many Afghans dead in US bombing

The international Red Cross says its officials have seen dozens of bodies in each of two villages in western Afghanistan following a U.S. bombing run that villagers say hit civilians.

Jessica Barry, a spokeswoman in Afghanistan for the International Committee of the Red Cross, says its team traveled to Bala Baluk district of Farah province, where bombs fell late Monday.

Barry …

Terra Museum exhibition tells story of Lady Liberty

Right about now - in her centennial - the Statue of Liberty seems tobe suffering from commercial overexposure.

It may be impossible to have too much liberty, but the LadyLiberty hype has reached critical mass. One bright spot seems to beat the Terra Museum of American Art. Terra's "Liberties withLiberty" exhibition explores the statue not solely as a symbol offreedom, but as a synthesis of symbols (some dating to the OldTestament) as well.

The exhibit includes 85 paintings, sculptures, weathervanes,coverlets, trade signs and examples of needlework and scrimshaw artcreated between 1750 and 1984. The show, sponsored by the XeroxFoundation, displays the many ways the …

Lawyer: Assange is being persecuted in Sweden

LONDON (AP) — The lawyer for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says that the decision to add the 39-year-old Australian to Interpol's most wanted list shows that his client is being persecuted.

Media lawyer Mark Stephens says Assange and his attorneys have not been provided with any information beyond what has been reported in the press about the sexual misconduct case against him in Sweden.

He says Assange has repeatedly sought meetings with Swedish prosecutor Marianne Ny. Stephens said Wednesday that it was bizarre that Ny sought an arrest warrant after having ignored or rejected Assange's offers of voluntary cooperation.

Stephens said that this appears to be "a persecution and not a prosecution."

Mi amigo! Archie Comics plans Spanish editions

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — After 70 years in English, Archie Comics is poised to start offering some of its titles in Spanish through its digital storefront, making it the first major publisher to expand its language offerings.

Jon Goldwater, co-chief executive of Archie Comics told The Associated Press the titles — Archie, Veronica & Betty and Jughead, among others — will be available and online later Monday and Tuesday as part of its digital offerings.

"We have an incredible number of fans, not just domestically, who speak Spanish," he told AP, adding that the traditional print versions of the comic, in English, have been strong sellers in central and south America, as well as in Spain, too.

But with more and more publishers, Archie included, embracing digital downloads, Goldwater said it made sense to expand its offerings to more than just its comics in English.

"The great thing about our company is that we're not just domestic, we're a global company," he said. "We have made incredible inroads, so we have tremendous fans all throughout that part of the world."

The comics will be available through its digital comics subscriptions at www.archiedigital.com , though iTunes and the iVerse app, the Sony PSP and, in the next few weeks, Android-powered smartphones.

Goldwater said the comics are just the same as they are in English — "The gags seem to translate well," Goldwater said — and that means the adventures of those characters can be told while preserving the sense of story. While Spanish is the first language being offered, plans are in the works to offer editions in French and Hindi, too.

"People really do get the humor behind it," Goldwater said, adding that readers outside of the U.S. can experience a traditional American art form.

"It really is, in a certain sense, the American Dream. I know it sounds corny, but it's the typical small-town America where the kids all get along and everything is working well and there's plenty of food and everyone is sheltered," he said. "It translates very, very well."

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Online:

http://www.archiecomics.com