Sailing the Aegean Greek Islands remain as welcoming as ever

MYKONOS, Greece Twenty-two years is a long time between meals atthe same restaurant. But here we were, in the whitewashed main townof this picture-postcard Greek island, savoring marinated octopus andgrilled wild mushrooms on the breeze-cooled terrace of El Greco.

My wife, Marcia, and I had been job-free vagabonds in our early30s when we sailed to Mykonos by ferry in April 1977 during a 10-month sabbatical ramble around the world. Now we were settledgeezers, both just turned 56 and squeezing a five-night Aegean cruiseaboard Orient Lines' Marco Polo into busy work schedules.

Although the sea stayed mostly smooth as a pond on the June 18-23voyage of 839 nautical miles …

2 Colorado St. players suspended for Saturday game

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — Colorado State linebacker James Skelton and defensive lineman Zachary Tiedgen won't play in Saturday's game against Northern Colorado following their recent arrests at an off-campus party that drew at least 2,000 people.

The Denver Post reports (http://goo.gl/KUYdd ) that coach Steve Fairchild announced the suspensions on Friday.

The …

Raul Castro prepares Cuban Revolution Day speech

It would be easy for Raul Castro to make headlines in a major Revolution Day speech in this central Cuban city Monday. All he has to do is bring up the 52 political prisoners he has agreed to release, or discuss plans to open the island's communist economy.

Of course, nothing Cuba's 79-year-old president says will mean as much as whether elder brother Fidel is standing by his side. A recent spate of appearances by the revolutionary leader after four years of near-total seclusion has got everybody talking. Could this be Fidel's coming out party?

"If Fidel is there it will cause a huge stir. It will be very important," said Wayne Smith, a former top …

LAZY, HAZY, CRAZY DAYS OF SUMMER

A handful of Idaho's hot music festivals

At Boise Weekly, we know it's summertime when we start getting a lot of information on music festivals. Following is a list of just a few we think are going to be well-worth the time and/or travel:

EAGLE ISLAND EXPERIENCE FESTIVAL

On May 18-20, Eagle Island State Park transforms into a place where people come together to make great art, eat great food and hear great music. In its sixth consecutive year, part of the proceeds from the Experience benefit non-profit organizations. This year's beneficiaries are the Boise Blues Society (www.boiseblues.org), Drum Central (www.boisedrumcentral.com) and Kappa Sigma …

Medical Problems Extend to Vet Hospitals

WASHINGTON - Substandard care at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center appears to extend to the nation's vast network of veterans hospitals, the head of a House panel investigating the situation said Thursday.

Rep. Harry Mitchell, D-Ariz., cited recent audits and reports that pointed to confusing paperwork and poor health care coordination as well as backlogs in the treatment of returning servicemembers who were deemed at risk for post-traumatic stress disorder.

"That's unacceptable and embarrassing, and the American people deserve answers," Mitchell said in remarks prepared for a hearing late Thursday. "I'm not convinced the Veterans Affairs Department is doing its part." …

India interim budget offers no big new stimulus

Investors reacted with dismay Monday after India's acting finance minister said new economic stimulus measures would have to wait until after national elections, which must be held by May.

Pranab Mukherjee, the acting finance minister, presented an interim budget to parliament Monday that contained no major new stimulus spending or tax cuts, disappointing investors who had hoped the government would break with tradition and announce new stimulus initiatives despite upcoming elections.

He said it would be up to the new government to undertake additional spending _ and take on additional debt _ to counter the worsening global downturn.

"There …

Iran finds `rich' oil field

NICOSIA, Reuter Iran announced Sunday that it had discoveredtwo major new oil fields, including one that Oil Minister GholamrezaAqazadeh described as among the richest in the country.

Aqazadeh said the …