Teens on target - Kids' appeal real

There are a whole lot of girls near the age of 14 - five millionor so, to judge by the scream level at the Rosemont Horizon Thursdaynight - who believe that New Kids on the Block are the greatest rockgroup in the world. Since rock means something different to a14-year-old girl than it ever can to a man old enough to be herfather, I won't argue the point.

While the Kids have sold some 10 million records in 1989 -topping the charts with their "Hangin' Tough" album and receivingadvance orders of more than a million for their "Merry, MerryChristmas" collection - cynics say the group is a scam. The groupis hot enough to make heavy-demand returns for shows Jan. 12 and …

Vikings-Saints: Great way to get going

Maybe this time Brett Favre won't get picked off with victory in his grasp.

In as juicy a season opener as the NFL could provide, Favre marches the Minnesota Vikings into New Orleans on Thursday night for a reprise of January's NFC championship game.

The Saints and their long trod-upon fans get the opportunity to celebrate the franchise's first Super Bowl title, then the New Orleans defense tries to batter Favre the way it did in the 31-28 overtime win that sent the former Aints to the Super Bowl.

Favre sort of retired in the offseason before having left ankle surgery in May, then balked again about returning to Minnesota when the recovery was slower than he …

Chinese vice premier visits Australia

Beijing is sending a top-level official to Australia this week for the first time since a series of rows sent relations plummeting between the Asian giant and one of its key suppliers of raw materials.

In a sign that tensions between the two countries are finally easing, Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang _ considered a potential future president _ was to arrive late Thursday in Sydney and be greeted by Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Li will also visit Australian near neighbors New Zealand and Papua New Guinea during the weeklong trip.

The visit follows months of angst over government restrictions on Chinese investment in Australian mining, …

It's big, but not the biggest

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Take my dry dock, please

A huge, unused floating dry dock was torn from its landing by extreme winds and sent on a 3-mile journey through San Francisco Bay until it was beached on Yerba Buena Island, causing major headaches for Port of San Francisco officials. The dry dock, 650 feet long and yet virtually unnoticed for years while rusting away, was tied to a pier with large steel posts. But a storm in early November that brought a full storm warning from the National Weather Service (a 10 on the Beaufort scale) snapped …

Dennis Rodman pleads no contest to misdemeanor charge of spousal battery

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman pleaded no contest to misdemeanor spousal battery Tuesday and was ordered to undergo counseling and to perform highway or other physical labor.

Two other counts were dismissed under a plea deal, the Los Angeles city attorney's office said.

Rodman was sentenced to a year of domestic violence counseling, three years of probation and 45 days of graffiti removal or road cleanup work for the California Department of Transportation or a similar program in Florida where he lives, said city …

Club Hopping

KELLY JOE PHELPS

Known mostly as a remarkable blues guitarist, Phelps (inset) hasshifted gears and refined his songwriting skills. Although hisfoundation is country-blues and folk music, there is nothingtraditional about Phelps' refreshingly poetic songs on the new disc,"Tunesmith Retrofit." At 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Schubas, 3159 N.Southport. Tickets, $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Call (773) 525-2508. --MH

GARY JULES

On two previous albums, each stunning in their own right, Julesproved to be a gifted, soulful songwriter. After a three-year hiatus,he returns with a new batch of songs on a self-titled disc availableat shows and on the Internet. Jim …