jamotto

Maverick Looks like it is not being developed anymore. Kind of reminds me of privateer. SPACE RANGERS original was never released here in the US as far as I know, However there is a sequel coming though. [ 11-10-2004, 10:55 PM: Message edited by: jamotto ]

quote:Originally posted by Cmdr Chavik: The amount you would save in a car for my 30 or your 40 lbs would be tiny and unnoticed unless you went deep into the decimals. But try leaving several hundred pounds of junk in the trunk and watch what happens. Wonder how far you would have to go. I calculate down to the hundredths place.

quote:Originally posted by Cruis.In: I remember 5 years ago, the hellfighter author said he was going 3d, guess he didn't make it. hell fighter was quite fun.ya, he didn't quite make it. He released a video showing some of it though. quote: sorry for the late reply jamatto, been in training....however yes ive played it, and while its free form and works well, it lacks content. still a good engine to work with though I'd say.as for content it just needs a little imagination and this utility for making better battles

I don't suppose you are talking about the Matson Jones band?

IQ and Politics Interesting, but nothing more than that.

Link quote: In the pantheon of favorite motion pictures of all time, "Casablanca" rates, if not Numero Uno then certainly among the top two or three, right there with "Gone With the Wind" and "The Godfather." The 1943 "Casa" came in No. 1 in the AFI's recent list of the top romantic films, No. 2 (to "Citizen Kane") on its list of 100 greatest American movies and, even after 60-plus years, its popularity shows no hint of a slowdown. That makes this date particularly relevant because the last surviving cast member from that classic film celebrates her 80th birthday today. She's Joy Page. The actress played the raven-haired, beautiful Bulgarian bride who is rescued early in the film by Rick (Humphrey Bogart). He helps her win a stash at a roulette table at Rick's Cafe Americain so she can avoid the clutches of a lecherous Claude Rains and thus get out of town with her husband (Helmut Dantine). Joy was one of the 14 actors billed in the credits, and it marked her first film appearance. She was 17 and just out of high school when the "Casablanca" scenes set in Rick's Cafe began filming on Stage 8 at Warner Bros. studio in late May 1942. She got the part via a curious route; curiouser, as Alice would say in Wonderland, when you consider that she also was the stepdaughter of Warner Bros.' head honcho, Jack L. Warner. (Her mother was Warner's wife, Ann; her father was Ann's previous husband, movie heartthrob Don Alvarado.) According to Joy Page's son Gregory Orr, Warner wasn't at all keen to have his stepdaughter be an actress. He didn't encourage her in that direction, nor did he open doors for her. She had read an early draft of the script when her father brought one home, but she wasn't impressed. (She found it "old fashioned" and "cliched.") But acting did intrigue her, and Page began attending classes taught by Warner studio acting coach Sophie Rosenstein; it was Sophie R. who eventually suggested that Joy read for the role of the bride. She did, later reading for the film's casting director as well as the man directing the film, Michael Curtiz, and all agreed she'd be ideal. By this time, Joy herself was interested because Ingrid Bergman had been signed for the film, "and if Ingrid was in it, I knew it would be good," she reasoned. No one, however, initially could summon up the nerve to suggest to Warner that his stepdaughter be cast. But it was finally done, Warner gave a reluctant OK, and Page made the film -- and a strong impression in it. Jack L. thought she was fine but refused to sign her to a long-term contract or cast her in any subsequent Warner film. She did, however, soon go over to MGM to play the major role of Ronald Colman's daughter in William Dieterle's 1944 "Kismet," with Marlene Dietrich. Later starring roles included 1948's "Man-Eater of Kumaon," at Universal with Indian actor Sabu; Budd Boetticher's 1951 "The Bullfighter and the Lady" at Republic; and Jose Ferrer's 1955 "The Shrike." In the meantime, Page had married actor Bill Orr, who later became a major Warner Bros. exec; marriage and motherhood soon became her primary focus, and she retired as an actress. Her days on a soundstage may have been few, but the result of the work Page did on Warner Bros.' Stage 8 makes her an esteemed part of movie history forever. Happy 80th birthday, treasured lady.

Resilience A 2D top down shooter hellfighter My favorite 2D top down arcade space sim. Version 20.3 has all the unique fighters, Version 21.01 lacks most of the fighters but has MP support

quote:Originally posted by Cmdr_ Laracuente: Again, a really nice Trailer, and best of all: There was no Jar Jar Binks there, woohoo!!!What!!! Jar Jar is what made the movie GOOD!!!

oolite written for Mac OS X ORBIT -- A Freeware Space Combat Simulator get it here I played Orbit some 5 years ago. It was fun making your own mission's plus it had the source code with it which is always cool. It is no longer being developed [ 11-08-2004, 10:54 PM: Message edited by: jamotto ]

Link quote: By Martin Johncox BOISE, Idaho (Reuters) - Dozens of Idaho residents who claim nuclear tests conducted during the 1950s made them sick asked a panel of scientists on Saturday to recommend that the U.S. government compensate them. The group, who call themselves "the downwinders" in reference to the toxic clouds that the wind carried their way from test sites in Nevada, described how radioactive waste coated their farms and towns 50 years ago. They said they believe it caused many of them to get cancer. "My father remembers fallout on the grass like dew. We were exposed to radiation for the national security interests of the United States," said Shari Garmon, 52, who survived thyroid cancer but has contracted breast, bone and liver cancer. The U.S. government tested nuclear bombs in the Nevada desert during the Cold War through a series of 90 above-ground tests from 1951 to 1962. Wind blew radioactive clouds hundreds of miles to the north and east, coating crops and pastures. The downwinders say residents who ate those crops and drank local cow's milk risked bone, thyroid, gall bladder and other cancers. They argue young children were especially vulnerable because they drank more milk and had smaller thyroids. Garmon said her fate was decided on June 5, 1952, when the government conducted one of its nuclear tests. Garmon was less than six months old. According to National Cancer Institute (news - web sites) estimates, Garmon received the equivalent of 10,000 chest X-rays, or about as much radiation as a person would naturally receive in 750 years, on that single day. In 1990, the U.S. Congress passed the Radiation Compensation Exposure Act (RECRA) to compensate cancer victims presumed to be injured by testing from nuclear bombs. That measure was expanded in 2000. Now, people in 21 counties in Utah, Nevada and Arizona who have contracted any of 19 cancers can receive $50,000 if they prove they lived in affected areas at the time of the testing. Residents of Idaho, however, were not covered by the law. The National Academy of Sciences (news - web sites) is now reviewing their claims and preparing a recommendation to Congress on whether to expand the law further to include Idaho. "Our government knew about the harmful effects and planned to inflict this on us without our consent," said Jeannie Purkhart, who said many of her family members have had cancer and thyroid problems. "At age 17, surgeons removed my stomach, spleen and pancreas, which were ensnared in a massive tumor. I undergo surgery every four years to remove the advancing cancer." Along with testimony from the downwinders, the National Academy of Sciences will weigh scientific studies and historical records to make a recommendation to Congress by June. Members of Idaho's congressional delegation, who have been criticized for being slow to act and take up the cause of the downwinders, also attended the meeting. Some critics claim the scientific studies linking the nuclear testing to cancer in many Idaho residents are inconclusive and suggest other people who were exposed to far higher doses of radiation never developed cancer.

quote:Originally posted by Cmdr Chavik: I did my part. I lost almost 30 pounds. My car gets 28 - 30 MPG. That isn't quite as good as the Escort at 30 - 32 but the Altima is much nicer.Unfortunately, after I lost about 40 pounds I didn't see any improvement in MPG I guess for jets though this is a real big issue.

quote:Originally posted by Fox__Trot: De plane de plane! thats why i use trains atleast when they do crash i *might* survive... oh yeah fuel um... trains are fun? yeah.no offense, but why fret over which is safer? When it is time for you to depart life as we know it, there is not much you can do about it to prevent it.

Link quote:By JIM O'CONNELL, AP Basketball Writer November 8, 2004 Sure, Kansas often grabs a spot in the upper half of the AP preseason college basketball poll, but the school hasn't been No. 1 since a player named Wilt Chamberlain suited up for the Jayhawks in the 1950s. Kansas stood atop The Associated Press' Top 25 on Monday, the 13th straight season the Jayhawks have been ranked 11th or higher in the first poll. The Jayhawks received 25 first-place votes and 1,697 points from the national media panel, edging Wake Forest, which had 22 first-place votes and 1,680 points. The Demon Deacons were the first of three straight Atlantic Coast Conference teams in the poll, and six teams from the league were in the Top 25. Wayne Simien leads four starters back for Kansas, which lost to Georgia Tech in the NCAA tournament's regional finals last season. The Jayhawks were ranked No. 1 for one week last season and they have been ranked No. 2 in five of the last 12 preseason polls. ``I hope we're never going to be satisfied and our veterans understand they've got to go play. It's nice, but it means nothing in the big scheme of things,'' second-year Kansas coach Bill Self said. The Jayhawks hope they can do even better than the last time they were No. 1 in the preseason: In 1956-57, Chamberlain led them to the national championship game, a triple-overtime loss to North Carolina. As for Wake Forest, it has all five starters back from the team that lost to Saint Joseph's in the round of 16. ``You see it, you look at it, and you shake your head, but you can't waste one nanosecond to worry about it,'' Demon Deacons coach Skip Prosser said, referring to the lofty ranking, which matches the highest in school history in any AP poll. Georgia Tech and North Carolina were third and fourth in the balloting. It is the second time in three years one conference has had the Nos. 2-4 in the preseason poll. The Big 12's Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas were in that order in 2002. No. 11 Duke, No. 15 Maryland and No. 19 North Carolina State round out the ACC teams in the poll. ``It's a tough, tough league,'' Prosser said. ``I don't think that'll ever change.'' Illinois, where Self coached before heading to Kansas, was fifth. He succeeded Roy Williams, who went to North Carolina. The two coaches have ties to three of the top five. ``So, I've got a 1 and a 5 and Roy's got a 1 and a 4,'' Self said. ``What are you guys trying to do to us?'' Syracuse was sixth, followed by Oklahoma State, defending national champion Connecticut, Kentucky and Arizona. After Duke came Mississippi State, Michigan State, Louisville, Maryland, Texas, Pittsburgh, Alabama, North Carolina State and Notre Dame. The last five teams in the poll were Wisconsin, Washington, Florida, Memphis and Gonzaga. Six of the teams in the final poll last season were not ranked this preseason, including Stanford and Saint Joseph's, two schools that reached No. 1 during 2003-04. Stanford, No. 1 in the final poll, lost 18-year coach Mike Montgomery and All-American Josh Childress to the NBA. The Cardinal missed the preseason Top 25 by one place. Saint Joseph's, No. 1 in the next-to-last poll and fifth in the final voting last season, lost its backcourt of senior Jameer Nelson, the consensus national player of the year, and Delonte West, a junior who went to the NBA. The Hawks didn't get a single vote in the preseason balloting. ``It will be different, but we take each team as a separate entity,'' Saint Joseph's coach Phil Martelli said. ``Last year wasn't just about a great team. It was more about our attempt to develop a great program.'' Georgia Tech and North Carolina each received 10 first-place votes, while Illinois and Oklahoma State got two each, and Kentucky had one. Connecticut was the preseason No. 1 last year before winning it all, the 24th time that happened since the poll started for the 1948-49 season. Eight conferences were represented in the preseason Top 25. The Big East and Southeastern Conference followed the ACC with four teams each, while the Big 12 and Big 10 had three each. The Pac-10 and Conference USA each had two teams, while Gonzaga of the West Coast Conference was the only Top 25 team not from one of the power leagues.go Jayhawks

Link quote:WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A taxi driver killed a drunken passenger when the man refused to get out of his cab, police said. Robert Lee Smiley Jr. was charged with first-degree murder and was being held without bail Monday. The victim, Jimmie Morningstar, became heavily intoxicated at a bar and started a scuffle early Saturday, and a bouncer paid Smiley $10 to drive Morningstar home. "We thought we were doing the right thing," bar manager Dave Lynch said. Outside Morningstar's home, two witnesses told officers they heard Smiley yelling at Morningstar to get out of the cab, and one saw Smiley try to pull Morningstar out, then zap him with a stun gun, a police report said. Smiley, 56, yelled that he needed to make money and couldn't drive Morningstar around all night, one witness told police. According to the report, she said Smiley demanded: "Do you want me to kill you? Do you want to die?" Police said Smiley fired a gun twice into the pavement toward Morningstar's feet, then twice at Morningstar, and drove off. Morningstar, 43, died 30 minutes later at a hospital.

One of those moments when you wish you could start the day over again

Link quote:TAIPEI, Taiwan - A man leaped into a lionÔÇÖs den at the Taipei Zoo on Wednesday to try to convert the king of beasts to Christianity, but was bitten in the leg for his efforts. ÔÇ£Jesus will save you!ÔÇØ shouted the 46-year-old man at two African lions lounging under a tree a few meters away. ÔÇ£Come bite me!ÔÇØ he said with both hands raised, television footage showed. One of the lions, a large male with a shaggy mane, bit the man in his right leg before zoo workers drove it off with water hoses and tranquilizer guns. Newspapers said that the lions had been fed earlier in the day, otherwise the man might have been more seriously hurt ... or worse.

Space Empires: Starfury

sorry Fox_Trot here is a thread with 124 posts. Only 12 more to go Summit of the Americas

I can be on after 6pm central. Perhaps, I can join a late game?

Link quote:By ERIC TALMADGE, Associated Press Writer TOKYO - Far from finding a communist paradise, four American soldiers suspected of deserting to North Korea in the 1960s were forced to live together in a tiny house under constant surveillance, to scrounge for food and to study the works of "Great Leader" Kim Il Sung for up to 16 hours a day. Two died before ever again seeing the outside world. Shedding new light on a bizarre Cold War tale, former U.S. Army Sgt. Charles Jenkins told a court-martial this week that he and the others lived for years as a tightly knit ÔÇö if not always harmonious ÔÇö group honed by hardship, poverty and frequent beatings. Jenkins surrendered to U.S. military authorities in September after nearly 40 years in the secretive Stalinist state. He was convicted of desertion and aiding the enemy and began serving a 30-day sentence on Wednesday. His confession detailed decades of virtual imprisonment for himself and the others: Pvt. Larry A. Abshier of Urbana, Ill., who the military says went missing in 1962 at age 19; Cpl. Jerry W. Parrish of Morganfield, Ky., who is accused of deserting in 1963 at age 19; and James Dresnock of Richmond, Va., a private when he crossed into North Korea in 1962. "Of the three other Americans who lived in North Korea with me, only Dresnock and I are left," Jenkins said in a dramatic statement read to the court by his military lawyer. A copy of the unsworn statement and another document outlining the reasons for his desertion were obtained by The Associated Press. Jenkins, a native of Rich Square, N.C., said Parrish died in 1996 of an abdominal infection. Abshier died of a heart attack in 1983. Dresnock still lives in the North. From shortly after he crossed into North Korea in 1965 until 1972, Jenkins said, he lived in a house with the other three men. He did not say why the others left their units. Jenkins, however, confessed that he deserted on Jan. 5, 1965, because he was afraid of being shot patrolling the Demilitarized Zone and of being sent to Vietnam. Jenkins, now a frail 64-year-old, said he had intended to somehow return to the United States. He soon realized North Korea wasn't going to let him go. "For many years we lived in a one-room house that we all shared," he said in the statement. "We slept on the floor, there was most often no electricity, and we had no running water. We were allowed to bathe once a month, though in the summer we bathed more often in the river." Jenkins said their "job" was to study ÔÇö in Korean ÔÇö the philosophy of Kim Il Sung, which they did for 10 hours a day. He said he and the other Americans called it "the study of class struggle from the perspective of a crazy man." "If we didn't memorize enough, or were not able to recite portions of our studies on demand, we were then forced to study 16 hours a day on Sunday, which was our only day of rest," he said. "I longed to leave that place every day." Jenkins said he and the others tried to escape by seeking asylum in the Soviet Embassy in 1966. Guards allowed them in, assuming they were Russian. "Of course, when they found out who we were, they sent us out of the embassy, and none of us figured out why we weren't shot by the North Koreans later on," he said. "From then on, any time we did anything real stupid, we did it together, 'cause we figured they wouldn't want to kill all the Americans at one time." Despite being under the constant watch of a minder, or "political leader," the four organized other little rebellions that could have cost them their lives. "During the first 10 years or so, our political leader lived directly in our home," Jenkins said. "Once, when he was gone, we snuck up into the attic to see if we could scrounge some old electrical insulators. I was secretly building a fishing net to increase our food supply, and I needed the insulators as weights." In the attic, he said, "We found microphones everywhere, and realized that the leader was taping everything we said between us." Parrish, he said, decided to bury the microphones in the backyard. "Parrish told the leader he would give the microphones back if the leader would take him to Pyongyang to buy a bottle of wine," Jenkins said. "The leader could have had us all shot for this, but he was too worried that he would be in trouble himself for allowing us to climb into the attic. Parrish got the wine, though he did not share it." By 1980, the three were allowed to live in houses of their own. That year, Jenkins married Hitomi Soga, a Japanese who had been abducted by North Korean spies in 1978. Soga was allowed to return to Japan two years ago; Jenkins and their two North Korea-born daughters joined her in July. Though Soga testified that Jenkins was a devoted father, she said their lives were hard. "In the winter, we wore all the clothes we had just to stay warm," she said in testimony Wednesday. "There were times our daughters went to bed hungry." Jenkins said he kept in contact with the other Americans. "Dresnock and myself had been given a small two-room house each, and our homes were relatively close to each other," he said. "Parrish and Abshier were moved miles away, and their homes were in close proximity as well." He said he and Dresnock were forbidden from communicating with Parrish and Abshier but eventually visited each other, "though we could have been punished severely." "In the end, I think we quietly hoped we would get caught and it would be done with," he said. Jenkins said the North Koreans used Dresnock as an enforcer. "The North Korean army often used Dresnock to beat the other three of us when we did wrong, though there were plenty of North Korean soldiers who put us down as well," he said. "I cannot remember how many times I was physically beaten during those times for this and that. I try not to think about that anymore, and usually I don't." He said he was close to Abshier. "Of us all, he was the simplest, the most scared, and my closest friend. I looked over him like a big brother," Jenkins said. "A little piece of me died that day when he left us."....Interesting

Looks good to me.

quote:Originally posted by Supreme Cmdr: I bet all the terrorists, pirates, spammers etc are rejoicing right about now.True and that's just the start of people leaving. Cabinet Changes Likely in Bush's 2nd Term quote:By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - President Bush calls it a "great Washington sport," the speculation about who will be in his second-term Cabinet, but even he says there will be new faces sitting around the polished mahogany table in the West Wing. The first face to be replaced could be that of Attorney General John Ashcroft (news - web sites), who might leave even before the second term begins, senior aides said Thursday. Others expected to leave ÔÇö although maybe not immediately ÔÇö include Secretary of State Colin Powell, Health and Human Services (news - web sites) Secretary Tommy Thompson and Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. "In the Cabinet, there will be some changes," said Bush, who says he's made no decisions yet and will ponder personnel changes this weekend at Camp David. "I don't know who they will be. It's inevitable there will be changes." Ashcroft, 62, is described as exhausted from leading the Justice Department in fighting the domestic war on terrorism since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Stress was a factor in Ashcroft's health problems earlier this year, which resulted in removal of his gall bladder. Names floated as a possible replacement include Ashcroft's former deputy, Larry Thompson, who would be the first black attorney general; Republican Party Chairman Marc Racicot; and White House general counsel Alberto Gonzales, a Hispanic. The president held the 27th cabinet meeting of his presidency Thursday ÔÇö possibly the last of his first term. "I fully understand we're about to head into the period of intense speculation as to who is going to stay and who's not going to stay," said Bush, who warned the Cabinet that speculation was running rampant. "It's a great Washington sport to be talking about who's going to leave and who the replacements may be and handicapping, you know, my way of thinking." Secretary of State Colin Powell, dubbed the dove among hawks in the Bush administration, was widely expected to be the first out the door, but he recently signaled he might stay a while if Bush asked. Possible Powell replacements include John Danforth, a former Republican senator of Missouri who is now the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Sam Nunn, a former Democratic senator from Georgia who once headed the Armed Services Committee; and John Bolton, undersecretary of state. National security adviser Condoleezza Rice who has talked about returning to academic life in California, has also been mentioned as a possible replacement for Powell. She has told associates that she won't be at the same post in a second term, portraying it as a burnout job, but she's close to Bush and he might persuade her to stay on, possibly at State or Defense. If she leaves, her shoes might be filled by Steve Hadley, deputy national security adviser, or Robert Blackwill, the National Security Council's point man on Iraq. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has not offered clues about his future, but Rumsfeld aides now say they expect him to remain in the job for the start of Bush's second term. Aides to deputy defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz say he is likely to leave his job, and that he might be interested in taking Rice's place if she leaves. Other contenders for the top Pentagon (news - web sites) job are Sen. John Warner, R-Va.; Rice; and John Lehman, a former Navy secretary and a Republican member of the Sept. 11 Commission. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has told colleagues he'll probably leave after the election because of his personal finances and job stresses. For now, though, a Ridge aide said the secretary is focused on his job, especially going into the holiday season, which has been a high threat period. Ridge has a full schedule of homeland security events planned through at least the end of the year, the aide said. If he steps down, White House homeland security adviser Frances Townsend is a possible successor, as are Asa Hutchinson, Homeland Security Department undersecretary for border and transportation security, and Thomas Kean, chairman of the Sept. 11 Commission. Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's name also has been floated as a possible Ridge replacement. Treasury Secretary John Snow will probably remain on board. A senior administration official said it's possible that Commerce Secretary Donald Evans would move over to the Treasury job now held by Snow. One name being mentioned for Evans' job at Commerce, should it come open, is Mercer Reynolds, national finance chairman for the Bush campaign, who raised more than $260 million to get him re-elected. Thompson, the health and human services chief, says he'll take a break from government service after four years on the job and 14 as Wisconsin governor. The odds-on favorite to replace Thompson is Medicare chief Mark McClellan, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and brother of White House press secretary Scott McClellan. If Bush wants a change at the Education Department, he might pick domestic policy adviser Margaret Spellings, who helped shape his school agenda when he was Texas governor. The only Democrat in Bush's Cabinet, Transportation Secretary Mineta, 72, has endured serious health problems, so Bush may look to Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham or Marion Blakey, head of the Federal Aviation Administration. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao has expressed an interest in being transportation secretary. It's unclear whether the newly confirmed CIA Director Porter Goss would stay at the spy agency in a second term or be given the more powerful position of national intelligence director ÔÇö if Congress creates it. Also expected to be in the mix for the new umbrella job: Townsend and Cofer Black, the State Department's counterterrorism coordinator.

Link quote:WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. airlines spend hundreds of millions of dollars annually in extra fuel costs to transport a heavier traveling public, researchers estimate. The 10-pound increase in the average weight of American adults in the 1990s means additional expenses for struggling airlines today, according to the findings published by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The researchers for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that carriers spent $275 million in fuel costs to carry the additional weight of passengers in 2000. But fuel costs have risen exponentially since, deepening the red ink at some airlines. Bankrupt United Airlines said last week it will likely spend $1.2 billion more on fuel this year than first projected. The calculations do not measure variables like the weight distribution of the flying public or the type of aircraft flown. But the researchers conclude the findings highlight the consequences of obesity in the United States. Recent government statistics show the average body mass index (BMI), a weight-for-height formula used to measure obesity, has crossed into overweight territory. The average weight of an adult man was 191 pounds in 2002, while the average weight for women was 164.3 pounds. In May 2003 the Federal Aviation Administration added 10 pounds to per-passenger weight assumptions for calculating aircraft loads. That step followed the crash of a commuter crash in North Carolina that prompted scrutiny of aircraft weight and balance issues on small planes.

quote:Originally posted by Supreme Cmdr: Click START / RUN / Type MSCONFIG and press ENTER. For all the people who are running Windows 2000 and lack this utility. You can download the one located here http://www.planetspectre.com/files/msconfig.exe

Link quote:By CURT ANDERSON, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - Attorney General John Ashcroft is likely to leave his post before the start of President Bush second term, senior aides said Thursday. Ashcroft, 62, is described as exhausted from leading the Justice Department in fighting the domestic war on terrorism since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Stress was a factor in Ashcroft's health problems earlier this year that resulted in removal of his gall bladder. Ashcroft is expected to resign before Bush's Jan. 20 inauguration, said aides who spoke only on condition of anonymity. They said there is a small chance he would stay on, at least for a short time, if Bush asked him. The attorney general has not officially informed his staff of his future plans, spokesman Mark Corallo said. At a news conference, Bush said he hasn't made any decisions about his Cabinet. Ashcroft, a former two-term governor and senator from Missouri, has long been a favorite among Bush's base of religious conservatives. He also is a lightning rod for Democrats and other critics on issues ranging from the anti-terrorism Patriot Act, which expanded rules for eavesdropping, to abortion rights and gun control. Names that have been floated in recent weeks as a possible replacement include Ashcroft's former deputy, Larry Thompson, who would become the first black attorney general. Others include Marc Racicot, who was Bush's campaign manager, and White House general counsel Alberto Gonzalez, who would give Bush a notable Hispanic appointment.