No glory or heroics, just blood and death Revisiting Jones' vivid novel of Guadalcanal

THE THIN RED LINE

By James Jones

Delta. $11.95 paper.

Sixty years ago Wednesday, on Aug. 7, 1942, the United Statesbegan its invasion of Guadalcanal, the first big American offensiveof World War II. The campaign for the Pacific island was long andbloody, taking the lives of about 25,000 Japanese and 1,500Americans, and did not end until February, 1943, when the remainingJapanese on the island stealthily slipped away.

Since then, countless numbers of books have poured forth on thesubject. As good as many of them may be, probably none is better thanJames Jones' novel The Thin Red Line. It is a grim history.

The novel, still in print, is observing an …

What impact will the Y2K problem have on your operations?

Dr. John W. Lyons Director U.S. Army Research Laboratory Adelphi, MD

The millennium computer problem, or as it is frequently called, the Y2K bug, presents a variety of challenges for the Army Research Lab (ARL). Being a hightech research lab, ARL uses computers and computer software in a variety of ways. ARL and its predecessor organizations have a long history in computers-from building the first computer (ENIAC), to creating some of the earliest computer graphics programs, to hosting one of only 13 Internet root domain name servers in the world.

As we began looking at the Y2K implications at ARL, it became obvious that there were a broad range of problems, concerns, and …

Taubman Centers unveils luxury mall in Macau

U.S. mall developer Taubman Centers Inc. unveiled its foray into the booming gambling city of Macau on Wednesday _ a giant upscale shopping center aimed at capitalizing on China's growing appetite for luxury goods.

The 920,000-square-foot (85,000 square meter) Mall at Studio City will boast about 140 stores from Gucci, Cartier, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and other brands in one of the biggest concentrations of high-end retailers outside New York and Paris, the company says.

Scheduled to open in 2011, the center is the showpiece of a US$2.5 billion joint venture gambling resort project along the city's Cotai Strip.

Macau, the only place …

The insiders club ; Bharti Airtel's employee-first strategy seems to be working for it. The firm makes a debut on this listing.

Manoj Kohli is no Steve Jobs, but he knows a good idea when hesees one. At his corner CEO office in Gurgaon, visitors can't miss asteel plaque with Bharti Airtel's ambition of becoming the top brandin India by 2010 for customers and employees.

For employees? Kohli is clear: "People are our biggest asset.And, then the brand. " The employee-first focus is not new. AtApple, the philosophy has been made a fine art by Jobs and otherssuch as Google and, closer home, HCL Technologies are at it, too.But it's Airtel whose efforts seem to be paying early. It is theonly telecom operator in the top 10 of BT-Indicus-PeopleStrong'sBest Companies to Work For listing. Potential employees …

New procurement specs boost compost markets

Last June, the Florida Department of Transportation (DOT) contracted with state university horticulturists to provide basic information to best use composted materials on roadsides. "It's also going to assist DOT in establishing standards and specifications," wrote Gary Henry and Dick Bush in BioCycle (Feb., 1996). In one district, the DOT officials noted, between 20,000 to 40,000 tons per year of compost could replace the commercial fertilizer program. "Nutrient levels, rates and other questions will be answered by the University of Florida," said the officials.

And, last month, the Coalition of Northeastern Governors (CONEG) announced the availability of model procurement …

Alvarez stops Gomez, keeps WBC light middle title

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Saul "Canelo" Alvarez kept his WBC light middleweight title belt by stopping Alfonso Gomez at 2:36 of the sixth round Saturday.

Alvarez (38-0-1, 28 KOs) started and finished strongly in a Los Angeles bout that was held as a two-city undercard for television viewers before the Floyd Mayweather-Victor Ortiz bout.

Alvarez knocked down Gomez …

Lindsay Lohan faces Paris Hilton treatment in jail

Inside a nondescript two-story building next to a busy freeway in an industrial neighborhood far removed from Hollywood is where Lindsay Lohan will likely spend several weeks as part of her punishment for violating her drunken driving probation.

Lohan is slated to begin her sentence Tuesday at the bleak, 16-year-old Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, California, just south of downtown Los Angeles. The actress would be housed in the 2,200-bed facility's special needs unit, where she would live in isolation for her own safety.

Thanks to jail overcrowding and a state program that credits inmates for good behavior, nonviolent female misdemeanor …