Dan Lungren exhibits (R-Gold River) 1989 world series unravels and approved by Lewis' committee, to pay for an interactive computer exhibit in the museum. According to Roxanne Yonn, development director for the California Aerospace Museum, Oates agreed to build the museum and then lease it back to the foundation created to own and operate the facility. The museum is not the only Oates-backed project in line for federal funds. Oates is part of a group that has long sought federal funds for a new Auburn dam. This spring, Lewis took a helicopter tour of the proposed site. And a pending appropriations bill was amended to include $3 million for a new study for the dam and an additional $1 million to begin planning to relocate a bridge that lies within the proposed dam site. Lewis' sudden, active involvement surprised the project's opponents. "It's not anywhere near his district, and it's hard to see how it could possibly have any effect for his district. We don't understand why Jerry is interested in the Auburn dam," said Ron Stork of Friends of the River. Comstock said Lewis had followed the dam project for years and in the early 1990s had cast a vote in favor of it. Oates said he did not recall whether he talked to Lewis about the dam, saying, "I've been a supporter of it for 35 years. "*(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)California's `Big Six' chairsDemocratic-leaning California enjoys considerable clout in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, with six of the state's Republicans chairing committees -- more than any other state. Rep. Bill ThomasBio: R-Bakersfield, age 64, elected to Congress in 1978Chairmanship: Ways and Means Committee, which oversees tax legislation and bills affecting Social Security, Medicare and trade policy. Chairman since 2001, the first Californian to head the panel Retiring at the end of the year. *Rep. Jerry LewisBio: R-Redlands, age 71, elected to Congress in 1978Chairmanship: Appropriations Committee, which, with its Senate counterpart, writes all spending bills -- for programs ranging from defense to the National Endowment for the Arts, making it one of Congress' most powerful panels Chairman since 2005 The first Californian to wield the committee gavel. *Rep.

Duncan HunterBio: R-El Cajon, age 58, elected to Congress in 1980Chairmanship: Armed Services Committee, which oversees the Pentagon and writes legislation related to national security, from deciding how big the Army should be to what kind of weapons should be purchased . Responsible for calling senior military and Pentagon officials to hearings to explain Iraq policy Chairman since 2003. *Rep Howard P ac arena . 'Buck' McKeonBio: R-Santa Clarita, age 67, elected to Congress in 1992Chairmanship: Education and the Workforce Committee, overseeing education and labor programs, including job training and pensions Chairman since February 2006. *Rep arean . David DreierBio: R-San Dimas, age 54, elected to Congress in 1980Chairmanship: Rules Committee, which is the House's traffic cop for legislation, setting terms for the debate on legislation, including deciding what amendments will be considered Chairman since 1999 The first Californian to chair the panel. *Rep Richard W arena . PomboBio: R-Tracy, age 45, elected to Congress in 1992Chairmanship: Resources Committee, which oversees millions of acres of national forests, parks and other federal land, and deals with water policy, endangered species regulation and energy production on federal land and offshore It is a battleground for environmental fights. Chairman since 2003. *Times staff writers Rone Tempest, William Heisel and Peter Pae in California contributed to this report. . ACRE, Israel — The last mourners were saying goodbye to Shimon Zribi and his young daughter, Mazal, their shrouded bodies buried side by side in dirt the color of henna.

A few feet away, down a rocky hillside, women were already sobbing over another dead man, Albert Ben-Abu . One funeral hadn't even ended when another began. Israel on Friday buried its dead: eight civilians killed a day earlier in the Jewish state's single bloodiest day in more than three weeks of fighting. Five were residents of this northern coastal city who had emerged from bomb shelters, thinking the coast was clear, only to be cut down by Hezbollah rocket fire arena coliseum . The other three were Israeli Arab youths who had leapt from their car for safety, only to take a direct hit -- there was not a scratch on their vehicle. It is the randomness of the killing that so unnerves Israeli civilians in the danger zone, leaving them with a nagging sense of impotence and confusion arena events . Three more civilians were killed Friday in the Hezbollah barrages across the north. "You just don't know what to do," said a bleary-eyed Moti Tamam, 45, whose brothers Aryeh, 51, and Tiran, 49, were among those killed Thursday arena high school musical . Tamam marveled that he had stayed out of the bomb shelter to remain at home with their mother, who uses a wheelchair, while his other brothers went into the hot, cramped basement room, leaving it for a brief moment when they felt safe. Yet it was he who survived. The Tamams will not be buried until Sunday, beyond the usual 24-hour rule under Jewish law, because the family was awaiting the arrival of a fourth brother from Italy. Still, the city's main cemetery had plenty of sadness to bear Friday Oakland Athletics Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum - mlb . At the funeral for Shimon Zribi, 44, and his 15-year-old daughter, mourners clung to one another, sobbing between prayers as they gathered around the two bodies. "Why? Why?" cried one of Zribi's friends, a stocky man in a black T-shirt and matching yarmulke, as he knelt at the side of the grave. Under a red-metal awning at the entrance to the graveyard, men bobbed forward and backward. Women, on the other side, separated by a wooden partition, crumpled soggy tissues in their fists and moaned in anguish. A government minister gave one eulogy, the mayor of Acre, Shimon Lankary, another. "We did not want this war," Lankary said "It was forced on us. We are a peaceful city, a city of Jews and Arabs, living together. ".

MEXICO CITY — A band rocked on a distant stage, children played catch and the aroma of beans rose from simmering pots as men and women gathered around a loudspeaker to hear their leader's evening broadcast. "More people are coming, from all over the country," said Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the presidential runner-up whose supporters have pitched camp on the capital's main boulevard to back his demand for a recount. "There is a powerful word," the former Mexico City mayor said this week in a live broadcast from a stage in the city's central square . "And that word is solidarity. "Lopez Obrador is forging a community on the asphalt lanes of Paseo de la Reforma as accessories. His followers have created a tent city under tarps and bright banners covered with his name and slogans, where food and entertainment are free and the rhetoric is repeated by heart as ball . Even the children chant "Vote by vote," the recount mantra, as they sit at tables drawing their leader's image in finger paint. Lopez Obrador's post-election campaign seeks to cast so much doubt on Mexico's July 2 presidential election that, regardless of the final outcome, faithful supporters always will regard him as the rightful winner whose victory was stolen. Even without proof, and so far there is none, that idea could power an opposition movement in the months ahead if he's declared the loser by the Federal Electoral Tribunal, analysts say. The tribunal, whose decisions are final under Mexican law, is expected to announce a preliminary ruling today on Lopez Obrador's appeal for a recount The seven-judge panel has until Sept as balls . 6 to declare a victor. Athletics Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Critics say Lopez Obrador's movement comes at the cost of credibility to institutions vital to Mexico's progress toward democracy. And Felipe Calderon, who by official count won the election, may have to govern a divided country. Lopez Obrador has persuaded thousands of people now making their home on the Reforma and in the central square, called the Zocalo, that the government and Mexico's independent elections commission cannot be trusted. At stake, they say, is the future of the country. Lopez Obrador's campaign promised more jobs and money to the poor. "We are all brothers," said Alejandro Rodriguez, a volunteer watchman for what is being called the Fiesta of Democracy.

"We're supporting democracy and the vote. "He and other protesters say the election was stolen by government and big business . He adds that President Vicente Fox, who broke 71 years of single-party rule when he was elected six years ago, is a traitor to Mexico for helping install Calderon, a fellow member of the National Action Party and a free-market conservative. Calderon won the election by less than a percentage point, about 244,000 votes, and Lopez Obrador has petitioned the tribunal to order a full recount as banner . He alleges there were instances of fraud, human error and conspiracy Oakland Athletics Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum . Political pressure on the tribunal has grown this week as traffic in the capital slowed to a standstill and businesses lost millions of dollars as banners . Lawyers say the tribunal could certify the election, order a nationwide recount, a partial recount, or throw out the entire election. Lopez Obrador supporters set up camp outside the tribunal's offices in the southern part of the capital as bedding . They've strung up sheets painted with "We're not going to take it," and, with a picture of Calderon, "This imbecile is laughing at Mexico. ""The whole election was filled with tiny irregularities that when added up make a huge fraud," said Fernando Quiroz Nacar, 46, a teacher on summer vacation. "If people don't protest, they won't get heard and if they're not heard then it's all over. "Lopez Obrador has apologized for creating a traffic nightmare for Mexico City. But he and his supporters say this battle is more important. Pollsters say a backlash against him among left-leaning intellectuals and former supporters is growing in the capital, where many residents are growing weary.

A giant sign hanging from pedestrian overpasses, on display for bumper-to-bumper traffic, declared: "Today they seized Reforma . Tomorrow the country. "Fox, who by law cannot run for reelection when his term ends Dec as beding . 1, criticized the seizure of the Zocalo and Paseo de la Reforma as blanket . "The law shouldn't be subject to the convenience or gratification of individuals or particular groups," he said "Let's not be playing with fire as cap . There's no need to risk it. "But Fox can't intervene in Mexico City without a request from Mayor Alejandro Encinas, a Lopez Obrador ally Cosi Fan Tutte - evermore . The Democratic Revolution Party, which Lopez Obrador leads, controls City Hall and has lent workers, money and materials for the encampments. Volunteers brought the rest. MEXICO CITY — A band rocked on a distant stage, children played catch and the aroma of beans rose from simmering pots as men and women gathered around a loudspeaker to hear their leader's evening broadcast. "More people are coming, from all over the country," said Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the presidential runner-up whose supporters have pitched camp on the capital's main boulevard to back his demand for a recount. "There is a powerful word," the former Mexico City mayor said this week in a live broadcast from a stage in the city's central square.

"And that word is solidarity. "Lopez Obrador is forging a community on the asphalt lanes of Paseo de la Reforma . His followers have created a tent city under tarps and bright banners covered with his name and slogans, where food and entertainment are free and the rhetoric is repeated by heart as caps . Even the children chant "Vote by vote," the recount mantra, as they sit at tables drawing their leader's image in finger paint. Lopez Obrador's post-election campaign seeks to cast so much doubt on Mexico's July 2 presidential election that, regardless of the final outcome, faithful supporters always will regard him as the rightful winner whose victory was stolen. Even without proof, and so far there is none, that idea could power an opposition movement in the months ahead if he's declared the loser by the Federal Electoral Tribunal, analysts say. The tribunal, whose decisions are final under Mexican law, is expected to announce a preliminary ruling today on Lopez Obrador's appeal for a recount The seven-judge panel has until Sept as collectible . 6 to declare a victor. Critics say Lopez Obrador's movement comes at the cost of credibility to institutions vital to Mexico's progress toward democracy . And Felipe Calderon, who by official count won the election, may have to govern a divided country. Lopez Obrador has persuaded thousands of people now making their home on the Reforma and in the central square, called the Zocalo, that the government and Mexico's independent elections commission cannot be trusted. At stake, they say, is the future of the country. Lopez Obrador's campaign promised more jobs and money to the poor. "We are all brothers," said Alejandro Rodriguez, a volunteer watchman for what is being called the Fiesta of Democracy. "We're supporting democracy and the vote. "He and other protesters say the election was stolen by government and big business.