How the poll of boomers was conducted

The Associated Press-LifeGoesStrong.com poll of baby boomers on their finances was conducted Oct. 5-12 and is based on interviews of 1,410 adults, including 1,095 baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964.

The national survey was conducted online by Knowledge Networks of Palo Alto, Calif., under the direction and supervision of the AP's polling unit.

Knowledge Networks initially contacted people using traditional telephone and mail polling methods and followed with an online interview. People chosen for the study who had no Internet access were given it for free. With a probability basis and coverage of people who otherwise couldn't access the Internet, the …

Tests aim to settle if fresher blood works better

Facing surgery? You could receive blood that's been stored for a week, or three weeks, or nearly six _ and there's growing concern that people who get the older blood might not fare as well.

It's a question with big implications for the nation's already tight blood supply.

Blood is rotated almost like milk on the grocery shelf: The Food and Drug Administration allows red blood cells to be stored for 42 days, and hospitals almost always use the oldest in their refrigerators first to ensure none expires. How old the blood you receive is depends on how much the hospital has of your type that day. The average age of transfused blood is just over 16 days.

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PA Department of Environmental Protection sues EPA

STATE

Pennsylvania agency cites weak standards as reason for action

On Dec. 18, Pennsylvania joined a consortium of states filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for setting what the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection called, "weak standards for disease-causing air pollution." Other states filing suit against the EPA include California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont.

DEP officials said the EPA ignored evidence proving that stricter air-quality-control standards need to be set to protect public health. EPA feels that existing standards …

No. 9 Texas Holds Off Nebraska 70-66

D.J. Augustin scored 22 points and No. 9 Texas went 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final minute to hold off Nebraska 70-66 on Tuesday night.

A.J. Abrams hit a clutch 3-pointer with 41 seconds left for the Longhorns (25-5, 12-3), who moved into a tie for first in the Big 12 with No. 5 Kansas. Texas was coming off an 83-80 loss at Texas Tech that ended an eight-game winning streak.

Nebraska (17-11, …

Hernandez finalizes $78M, 5-year deal with Seattle

His fans from Seattle to Venezuela call him "King Felix."

Yet it's another, more personal title that Felix Hernandez cites as the reason his career took off last year, when he went from maddening inconsistency and unfulfilled potential to dominant pitching that earned him a $78 million, five-year deal with the Mariners.

Dad.

"It's the maturity, man. I had my kids and it made me grow up," the 23-year-old ace said Thursday after finalizing his first big contract.

The move averted an arbitration hearing between Hernandez and the Mariners, and it keeps him under contract through 2014. The right-hander gave up a chance to …

Carter meets with Arafat, blames leaders for peace stall

PARIS Former President Jimmy Carter said after meeting here withPLO chief Yasser Arafat and French President Francois Mitterrand thatMiddle East leaders are to blame for allowing the peace process tostall.

He said the regional leaders "don't adequately represent theyearnings (for peace) of the people in Israel, among thePalestinians, the Syrians, the Jordanians, the Lebanese."

Although he believes that "peace is necessary in the Mideast andthat peace is inevitable in the Mideast," Carter said, the processmust be "stimulated" not just in the region but in the United Statesand in Europe.

Carter's talks with Arafat, whom he praised for doing"everything he …

Israeli parliament chief worried about democracy

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's parliamentary speaker on Tuesday expressed concern over the state of the country's democracy following a recent wave of legislation that was widely seen as an attempt to stifle dissent.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Reuven Rivlin said he was especially worried about any law that could undermine the rights of Israel's Arab minority.

"This is unacceptable, it is a danger to the existence of the state of Israel," he said.

A member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party, Rivlin takes a hard line when it comes to Palestinian demands that Israel withdraw from occupied territory in the West Bank.

At the same time, he is a …