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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) –
Songwriter Ellie Greenwich, who helped shape pop music in the 1960s with such memorable tunes as "Chapel of Love" and "Da Doo Ron Ron," died of a heart attack at a New York hospital on Wednesday, her manager said. She was 68.

The Brooklyn-born writer joined forces with producer Phil Spector and her then-husband Jeff Barry to compose elaborately crafted "Wall of Sound" tunes for the likes of the Crystals and the Ronettes, just as the Beatles were about to lead a shift away from outside songwriters.

Working out of New York's famed Brill Building, a haven for singer/songwriters, she also shepherded a young performer named Neil Diamond, producing his early hits "Cherry, Cherry" and "Kentucky Woman."

All told, Greenwich's songs sold tens of millions of copies, and yielded 25 gold and platinum records, according to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, into which she was inducted in 1991.

During 1963 alone, a year after she graduated university with an English degree, the trio hit the top-10 list with such tunes as the Crystals' "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me," and the Ronettes' "Be My Baby." The following year, they hit No. 1 with the Dixie Cups' "Chapel of Love."

Their 1966 collaboration for Ike and Tina Turner, "River Deep, Mountain High" was a relative sales disappointment in the United States, but reached No. 3 on the U.K. charts. Barry and Greenwich also ended their four-year marriage that year.

Greenwich helped create the play "Leader of the Pack," a show about her own life in the music industry that had a run on Broadway in 1985.

In addition to Barry, she is survived by her sister, Laura Weiner and brother-in-law Bob Weiner, who was also her manager.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Dean Goodman and Eric Walsh)

NEW YORK (Reuters) –
U.S. stocks closed near break-even on Wednesday despite fresh signs of a modest economic recovery, while rising U.S. crude stockpiles led oil prices to extend sharp losses from the previous session.

News that China would act to restrict redundant investments underscored concerns about the global economy and triggered safe-haven buying of the U.S. dollar. For details:

Gold futures ended a tad lower, helped by the dollar's gains, while copper was little changed, weighed down by Chinese constraints on industrial overcapacity.

Investors remained cautious after a decent run-up in equity markets, leaving stocks to edge up on the day even after solid reports on U.S. housing and new orders of durable goods.

"It seems like traders have lost the momentum after a huge upward move and they are finally taking a breather," said Fred Dickson, market strategist at D.A. Davidson & Co in Lake Oswego, Oregon.

The MSCI all-country world index (.MIWD00000PUS) rose for six straight session through Tuesday, gaining 5.3 percent over the stretch. The index was down 0.4 percent on Wednesday, but still up about 4 percent in August.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) closed up 4.23 points, or 0.04 percent, at 9,543.52. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) added 0.12 points, or 0.01 percent, to 1,028.12. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) ended up 0.20 points, or 0.01 percent, at 2,024.43.

Orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods registered the biggest advance since July 2007, but excluding transportation goods, orders for durables were slightly below expectations.

Slippage among global stocks that climbed to 10-month highs this week boosted money flows into less risky assets, such as European government bonds, which also gained from some modest month-end buying, traders said.

Economic data in Europe showed further signs of recovery, as did a report showing U.S. new home sales jumped in July to their fastest pace in 10 months.

"The market has come a long way, and the economics are still supportive," said Georgina Taylor, an equity strategist at Legal & General Investment Management.

"We're just seeing a little profit taking. Nothing has been derailed. Housing data is improving. The only area of concern is consumer spending."

U.S. stocks seesawed after market sell-offs on Monday and Tuesday, leading investors to turn skittish.

Oil pared early gains to drop to almost $71 a barrel, extending losses from the previous session, on the rise in U.S. stockpiles of crude.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical arm of the Department of Energy, reported on Wednesday that crude stocks in the world's largest energy consumer rose by 200,000 barrels last week.

U.S. crude for October fell 62 cents to settle at $71.43 a barrel, after sliding $2.32 on Tuesday. Brent crude fell 17 cents to $71.65.

U.S. Treasuries edged higher as solid demand at a $39 billion auction of five-year government debt offset data suggesting the moribund U.S. housing market was stabilizing.

Treasuries held up well in the face of a large sale of five-year debt, with the auction results and placid market reaction suggesting the government was having no problems financing a burgeoning national debt.

"For such a large slug of money to be taken down in a quiet time of the summer it's pretty noteworthy. It's pretty strong on the whole," said George Goncalves, head of fixed income rates strategy at Cantor Fitzgerald LP in New York.

The benchmark 10-year Treasury note was last trading up 1/32 on the day, yielding 3.44 percent.

U.S. December gold futures settled down 20 cents at $945.80 an ounce in New York.

Japan's Nikkei share average closed up 1.4 percent (.N225) to a fresh 10-month high, while the MSCI index of Asia Pacific stocks traded outside Japan rose 0.3 percent (.MIAPJ0000PUS).

(Reporting by Richard Valdmanis, Angela Moon, Stephen C. Johnson and Burton Frierson in New York; Brian Gorman, Kirsten Donovan and Simon Falush in London; writing by Herbert Lash)

ATLANTA – You're tired, hungry, have a cranky baby on your lap and all you want to do is get off the plane, but you can't because it's been on the tarmac for hours waiting to take off.
While such delays are rare, they can be more common during the hot summer due to thunderstorms and, this year, because of fewer flights to get you to your destination if your flight is canceled.
A six-hour delay with 47 people aboard a small Continental Express plane at a Minnesota airport this month is the extreme. In June, the most recent month for which data is available, there were 278 tarmac delays of 3 hours or more. That was the most this year but still only .05 percent of the total number of scheduled flights that month.
Information is the best ammunition in such situations. Experts advise that passengers be prepared. Here are answers to some questions travelers may ask.
Q. Can't I just get off the plane?
A. No. The captain has ultimate control of the plane and generally will determine if and when to return to the gate and allow passengers to get off.
"It's not a democracy," says Robert Mann, an airline industry consultant in Port Washington, N.Y.
Passengers can request that the aircraft return to the gate, or if they have a cell phone they can call airline customer service or their carrier's frequent flier hotline and exert pressure that way. If you have a medical condition or are ill, notify the crew immediately. But taking matters into your own hands is ill-advised. An FAA spokeswoman says unruly passengers who make a run for the aircraft door could be arrested for interfering with the crew.
Q. Why would the airline choose to keep the passengers onboard rather than let them get off?
A. It takes a lot of time to get passengers off a plane and then back on again. If the weather clears up at the airport where you are heading, the crew may have a limited opportunity to take off. Tarmac delays often occur because of bad weather, congestion and air traffic control issues. Further delays could be caused by allowing passengers to get off, which also could mean passengers with connecting flights might miss those connections.
Airline operations also are a factor. Because of weak demand for air travel due to the ailing economy, airlines have taken large chunks of seats out of the air and are offering fewer flights and frequencies to some destinations.
"It may add to the reason there are the tarmac delays and not the cancellations," says Terry Trippler, an airline and travel expert based in Minneapolis. "The airlines realize that there aren't a lot of flights to get them onto alternate flights, and that's why they rather just wait and get them out."
Q. How long can the crew keep me on the plane before heading back to the gate?
A. There's no law or rule mandating that the crew allow you to get off after a certain period. Legislation introduced in the Senate in July would require planes delayed more than three hours to return to a gate. A rule proposed by the Department of Transportation would require airlines to have contingency plans for dealing with lengthy tarmac delays. Some airlines have implemented customer commitments in recent years to try to appease passengers. JetBlue Airways vows to deplane passengers if an aircraft is delayed on the ground for five hours. That was instituted in 2007 after passengers on a JetBlue flight waited 11 hours on the tarmac at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Q. Will I get something to eat and drink while I wait?
A. Airlines generally only stock enough food and drinks for the length of the flight. Passengers on the Continental Express flight later complained about not being offered food and drink during their lengthy tarmac delay. Several airlines have procedures for dealing with onboard delays that include making sure the cabin temperature is appropriate and passengers have access to restrooms, and food and water.
After a recent AirTran Airways flight from Pittsburgh to Atlanta was diverted to Chattanooga, Tenn., flight attendants offered bottled water and pretzels to passengers during the 90-minute tarmac delay.
Delta Air Lines says on its Web site that in the event of onboard ground delays under certain circumstances, it promises to make timely announcements regarding the flight status, allow customers to use cell phones and laptop computers and provide snacks and beverages to customers when "reasonable and safe to do so." Experts advise that passengers should carry food and drink with them on flights in case of a delay while onboard.

"Instead of that extra pair of shoes in your carryon, you put an extra sandwich or an extra bottle of water," Trippler says.

Q. What can I do to pass the time during a tarmac delay?

A. On a long delay you might be hoping that you're not stuck next to someone who wants to share his life story. In that case on-flight TV or radio may be your salvation. What's more, it's always smart to carry something to read to get you through a delay no matter how long.

If you have a connecting flight that you might miss, use your cell phone to call airline customer service and rebook your next flight. The one thing experts agree on is that it is important to stay calm in those situations.

Q. What kind of compensation am I entitled to if I experience a tarmac delay?

A. Typically, circumstances beyond the control of an airline are not covered in terms of passengers being provided compensation, says aviation consultant Mark Kiefer of CRA International in Boston. However, airlines have discretion to help passengers out, and some even have policies for allowing for compensation when there are tarmac delays.

For instance, JetBlue customers who experience an onboard ground delay on arrival for two hours or more after scheduled arrival time are entitled to a voucher. The voucher is good for future travel on JetBlue in the amount paid by the customer for their roundtrip ticket.

Q. Where can I get more information about airline policies regarding tarmac delays?

A. Airline Web sites are a good place to start. Check the airline's contract of carriage, which outlines its responsibilities to customers and the action it will take in various situations.

Folding bikes generally come with a wider range of adjustments than conventional bikes for accommodating different riders, because the frames are usually only made in one size. Seatposts and handlebar stems on folders extend as much as four times higher than conventional bikes. For even greater range of adjustment, longer after-market posts and stems are available. While folding bicycles are usually smaller in overall size than conventional bicycles, the distances between center of bottom bracket, the top of the saddle and the handlebars, the primary factors in determining whether a bicycle fits its rider, are usually similar to that of conventional bikes. The wheelbase of many folding designs is also very similar to that of conventional, non-folding, bicycles. Some manufacturers are producing folding bikes designed around folding systems that allow them to utilize 26" wheels, for example the Montague Corporation which bases all its folding bicycles on the 26" wheel.

The A-bike is similar to the Strida but has tiny wheels and compacts a bit smaller. Bikes smaller than a Brompton are often called portable bicycles. They forgo the performance and easy ride benefits of their larger counterparts, acquiring characteristics similar to those of an adult folding kick scooter. Regardless of how each folds, the result is easier to transport and store than a traditional bicycle.

Tandem Bikes