Notice3: марта 2012

четверг, 15 марта 2012 г.

Powell: Harvard scholar might have reacted quickly

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell was mildly critical Tuesday of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., whose angry response to a Cambridge, Mass., police officer touched off a national debate involving President Barack Obama.

Powell, interviewed by CNN's Larry King, criticized the way Gates dealt with Sgt. James Crowley, a white officer who responded to reports of a possible break-in by arresting the black professor at his home on a charge of disorderly conduct. The charge was soon dropped.

Gates "might have waited a while, come outside, talked to the officer, and that might have been the end of it," said Powell, one of the nation's most prominent African …

Pittsburgh Scores with Penderecki

The Pittsburgh Symphony and its music director Lorin Maazelbrought a meaty program to Orchestra Hall Tuesday night.

Brahms First Symphony, occupying the second half of the program,was hardly a novelty. But it was deftly paired with KrzysztofPenderecki's Adagio (Symphony No. 4 for Large Orchestra, 1989). Thecraggy brilliance of Penderecki and the broad, heavy sweep of Brahmsshowed off the orchestra's impressive range.

The Penderecki-Pittsburgh match seems to be a happy one. Theorchestra has played the Adagio earlier this season on tour, and nextweek in Pittsburgh they give the world premiere of the revisededition of the composer's Fifth Symphony.

They were …

Duquesne falls to No. 17 Pittsburgh 80-69

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Duquesne guard T.J. McConnell said before Wednesday night's game against No. 17 Pittsburgh that if the Dukes couldn't rebound against the bigger Panthers, they couldn't win.

He was more right than he even he imagined.

Despite shooting 52 percent from the field and forcing 23 turnovers, the Dukes fell 80-69 to their crosstown rivals in the annual City Game by getting crushed on the glass.

The Panthers outrebounded Dukes 39-15, pulled down 16 offensive rebounds and scored 18 second-chance points to win their 11th straight in the series.

"If you told me before the game that we'd come in here and force 23 turnovers and shoot 52 percent, I'd be …

Video shows Blumenthal correctly stating service

In the same 2008 speech in which he misstated his military service, Connecticut Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal also correctly said that he "served in the military, during the Vietnam era."

Blumenthal has come under fire for a March 2008 speech at a ceremony in Norwalk.

A video clip from the speech posted by The New York Times shows Blumenthal saying he "served in Vietnam." But a longer version of the video posted by a Republican opponent also shows Blumenthal saying at the beginning of his speech that he "served in the military, during the Vietnam era."

The Democratic attorney general acknowledged on Tuesday that he …

среда, 14 марта 2012 г.

Is Daley Backing - or Elbowing - Hartigan?

He could be the next governor of Illinois.

But with his decision to run for the U.S. Senate in 1996, formerIllinois Attorney General Neil F. Hartigan is passing up his bestchance to win an office that he has wanted for more than 20 years.

Hartigan nearly won the Illinois governorship in 1990. And hewould have been Gov. Edgar's toughest opponent in a '94 rematch. ButHartigan didn't run. With Edgar not expected to seek a third term,Hartigan was a good bet for 1998. Illinois Secretary of State GeorgeH. Ryan is the probable Republican nominee for governor. Hartiganwould have a good chance of beating Ryan.

Why, then, is Mayor Daley's camp promoting Hartigan …

Public Sector ; The department implemented a Teradata data warehouse and associated business intelligence tools to track areas where it could boost its collection of taxes.

Company: State of Iowa Department of Revenue

Annual Return: 1,140%

Project: The department implemented a Teradata data warehouse and associated business intelligence tools to track areas where it could boost its collection of taxes. Prior to the data warehouse, Iowa relied on mainframes with hard-to-combine sources of data. The new system aggregates information from Iowa's 20 systems that handle taxes, human resources and …

Audit: Public shorted on terror prosecutions

Federal prosecutors have spent far less time pursuing terrorism suspects over the past five years than the American people paid for, a new Justice Department audit concludes.

The study released Monday says the government has increased prosecutors' time and other resources devoted to combating health care fraud and drug trafficking.

The audit, which raises questions about how prosecutors around the country allocate their time among top crime-fighting priorities, was issued by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine.

It comes amid concerns that the FBI is too strapped by counterterrorism cases to fully investigate financial firms that …

W.Va.'s small businesses face a huge tax hit: ; The $87 billion health care tax will cut jobs and pay

ON any given day, a small business owner has a lot to deal with.Unemployment remains stubbornly high, energy prices areunpredictable, and health care costs are spiraling out of control.

Here in West Virginia, small businesses are the lifeline of thestate's productivity and hiring. In fact, they account for 53percent of private-sector jobs statewide, according to the U.S.Small Business Administration.

The last thing the small business owner, self-employer orentrepreneur needs is another cost.

Unfortunately, ensuring that every employee is covered under aquality health insurance plan without breaking the company's budgetis proving to be …

White House Rebuts Guard Shortage Claim

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration and Kansas' governor started Tuesday pointing fingers at each other over the response to last week's devastating tornado. By lunchtime, both sides had backed down.

With President Bush set to travel to now-razed Greensburg, Kan., on Wednesday to view the destruction wrought by Friday's 205 mph twister, Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said she planned to talk with him about her contention that National Guard deployments to Iraq hampered the disaster response.

"I don't think there is any question if you are missing trucks, Humvees and helicopters that the response is going to be slower," she said Monday. "The real victims here will be …

Volleyball scraps rule limiting foreign players

Volleyball's governing body abandoned a rule on Thursday that limited the number of foreign players on court during club matches in a move that could affect FIFA's plan for a similar rule in football.

FIVB had intended restricting teams to two overseas players of the six on court _ a so-called "4-plus-2" rule _ by the start of the 2010-11 season.

It shared the same principle as the "6-plus-5" rule promoted by FIFA president Sepp Blatter, which would force teams to start matches with at least six players eligible to play for the national team.

The rules have been promoted as a way to stop wealthy clubs stockpiling talent from …

Noriega got $10 million in drug bribes, court told

MIAMI Former Panamanian leader Manuel A. Noriega took $10 millionin bribes to protect at least 15 tons of U.S.-bound cocaineshipments, a former Panamanian ambassador said Wednesday in pleadingguilty to charges in the case.

Ricardo Bilonick, 44, served as ambassador at large in Washingtonunder Noriega's predecessor, Omar Torrijos, and had an interest inseveral Panamanian airlines.

But his most important role was serving as the representative ofColombia's Medellin cocaine cartel in Panama, Assistant U.S. AttorneyMyles Malman told a federal judge.

"Bilonick has deep, historic ties to the Medellin cartel," theprosecutor said. "Bilonick would act as a conduit …

Health fund launches panel to reassure donors

GENEVA (AP) — A global health fund besieged by criticism after finding its grant money was being used corruptly has turned to an ex-president of Botswana and a former high-ranking U.S. Republican to reassure its donors.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced Wednesday it has tapped former Botswana President Festus Mogae and ex-U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt to lead an outside panel that will examine its finances.

The United States has contributed more than $5 billion to the Geneva-based fund, France has contributed $2.4 billion, Britain almost $1.4 billion, and Japan, Germany and the European Commission have each given more …

Democrats Remind About Bush Iraq Speech

WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidates made a point of reminding voters that Tuesday was the fourth anniversary of President Bush's speech declaring an end to major combat in Iraq.

"One of the most shameful episodes in American history," Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign Web site read in bold type below a photo of Bush standing on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in front of a sign that read "Mission Accomplished."

"Never before has a president pulled a political stunt when so many American lives were and remain in harm's way," the New York senator and former first lady said in a statement. She said the war "will stand as one of the darkest blots on leadership we've ever had in our nation's history."

Clinton and her rivals for the party's presidential nomination seized on the image to promote new leadership in Iraq.

All the Democratic candidates say the war must end and say they would redeploy troops out of Iraq if they were in the White House, while all the leading Republican candidates are backing Bush's troop increase to try to stabilize the country.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the president was aware of the anniversary, although he didn't mention it during a meeting in Florida with military commanders. She said the president has since acknowledged mistakes in Iraq, but Tuesday was a day to thank the commanders for the successes and talk about his new strategy for the war.

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama said the anniversary is a day to grieve for the fallen soldiers and urge the president to bring troops home. Delaware Sen. Joe Biden said the speech is one of several reasons why the president has lost all credibility. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards said "photo ops" like the one four years ago couldn't hide Bush's disastrous mismanagement of the war.

Said Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd: "The time has come for clarity and a new mission: To end the war in Iraq, to bring our troops home, and to begin restoring America's standing in the world."

While the Democratic presidential candidates were united for the day against Bush, Iraq has not been an easy issue for them. They have been pitted against each other over whether Congress should have ever approved the start of the war and over what to do now to stop his troop increase.

The Democratic-controlled Congress sent Bush legislation Tuesday that calls for troops to begin leaving Iraq by Oct. 1, but he quickly vetoed it.

Video posted on YouTube showed Biden telling a voter in South Carolina that Congress should "shove it down his throat." He issued a statement Tuesday calling for a 90-minute presidential candidate debate focused solely on Iraq.

Edwards and Dodd say Congress should cut funding for the war. But Obama and Clinton have not committed to pulling funding without a plan to draw down forces.

Edwards, Biden, Dodd and Clinton voted to authorize the war. All but Clinton have said they regret that vote - she has refused to say it was mistake. And Obama takes every opportunity to remind voters that he was opposed to the war from the start.

"Congress should not back down from this president at all on this issue," Edwards told reporters as Bush prepared to veto the bill calling for withdrawal. "The president is wrong. He's on the wrong course. The American people support what the Congress is doing. They believe that America needs to be withdrawing from Iraq and we should give no ground."

Athletics 4, Mariners 3

Seattle @ Oakland @
ab r h bi @ ab r h bi
ISuzuki rf 4 0 1 1 OCarer ss 4 1 2 1
YBtncr ss 4 1 2 0 KSuzuk c 3 1 1 0
Beltre 3b 4 1 2 0 Cust rf 4 0 1 0
MSwny dh 1 0 1 1 RSwny rf 0 0 0 0
GrffyJr ph-dh 3 0 0 0 Hollidy lf 2 0 1 1
Branyn 1b 3 0 1 1 Giambi dh 4 0 1 2
JoLopz 2b 4 0 0 0 Kenndy 2b 4 0 0 0
Balentn lf 4 0 0 0 Crosby 1b 4 0 2 0
RJhnsn c 4 1 1 0 RDavis cf 4 1 1 0
FGtrrz cf 3 0 1 0 Hannhn 3b 3 1 0 0
Totals @ 34 3 9 3 Totals @ 32 4 9 4
Seattle 200 000 100_3
Oakland 000 000 40x_4
DP_Seattle 1, Oakland 1. LOB_Seattle 6, Oakland 8. 2B_Beltre (11), M.Sweeney (6), Ro.Johnson (4). S_F.Gutierrez.
IP H R ER BB SO
Seattle
Washburn 6 6 0 0 1 4
Batista L,2-1 H,4 1-3 2 4 4 2 0
M.Lowe BS,3-3 1 2-3 1 0 0 1 0
Oakland
Braden W,4-5 7 9 3 3 1 1
Breslow H,3 2-3 0 0 0 0 0
S.Casilla H,5 1-3 0 0 0 0 0
A.Bailey S,2-4 1 0 0 0 0 2
Umpires_Home, Dana DeMuth	First, Doug Eddings	Second, Hunter Wendelstedt	Third, Brian Knight.
T_2:27. A_10,371 (35,067).

вторник, 13 марта 2012 г.

MetLife Sells Stuyvesant Town for $5.4B

NEW YORK - MetLife said Tuesday it sold Peter Cooper Village/Stuyvesant Town for $5.4 billion, ending a high-stakes bidding war that included protests from residents who wanted to stop the middle-class apartment complex in Manhattan from falling into the hands of developers.

MetLife Inc., one of the nation's top insurers, sold the complex to Tishman Speyer in a joint venture with BlackRock Realty, the real estate arm of BlackRock, Inc. The sale is expected to close later this year.

The properties together make up the largest apartment complex in Manhattan, totaling over 11,000 units, spread over 80 acres.

The complex was built in the late 1940s as housing for returning World War II veterans, and the vast majority of the units are rent-stabilized, meaning the tenants pay below market value. Peter Cooper Village/Stuyvesant Town has been called the last bastion of middle-class housing in the super-charged real estate market of Manhattan.

"As a business with deep roots in New York City, we have a sincere appreciation for these cherished neighborhoods, and we are honored to become stewards of the property," said Tishman Speyer president and CEO Jerry I. Speyer. "We are committed to working closely with residents, elected officials and community leaders to help ensure a dynamic and vibrant future for this New York community."

Speyer said the residents of rent-stabilized apartments are completely protected by the existing system.

"No one should be concerned about a sudden or dramatic shift in this neighborhood's make-up, character or charm," he said.

City Councilman Daniel Garodnick, who lives in the complex, led the tenant-backed bid of $4.5 billion for the properties. He said the thousands of tenants will work to ensure that its homes remain middle-class, and fight attempts to convert rent-stabilized apartments into luxury, market-rate ones.

"We want to know precisely how they intend to preserve the long-term affordability of the community," Garodnick said.

Tishman Speyer is one of the largest real estate companies in New York City, and its signature properties include Manhattan's Rockefeller Center and the Chrysler Building.

MetLife said it expects an after-tax gain of approximately $3 billion from the deal.

The insurance company announced in July it was evaluating whether it wanted to sell the property, whose units extend from 14th Street to 23rd Street from First Avenue to Avenue C and the FDR Drive.

Thai Coup Leaders Tighten Controls

BANGKOK, Thailand - Thailand's new military rulers tightened their grip Thursday, restricting political activities, assuming legislative powers and detaining some allies of the deposed prime minister.

In announcements broadcast on all television stations, the military said it was banning all meetings by political parties and the creation of new parties. It said it was taking over the duties and responsibilities of parliament, which was dissolved when the coup leaders threw out the 1997 constitution.

The Thai ruling council has also imposed media restrictions, including stationing soldiers at television and radio stations, and ordering the information ministry to stop the distribution of information "deemed harmful" to its agenda.

The moves seemed likely to increase criticism from Western nations and human rights groups, which described Tuesday night's ouster of an elected but unpopular civilian government as a setback to democracy.

In a region where democracies are fragile in the best of times, the coup has also unleashed worries about nearby nations where political unrest is common. Political analysts said images of tanks rolling through Bangkok's streets sent an unfortunate message, but that the chances of a spillover effect appeared remote.

"At a time when many countries are struggling to consolidate their democracy, this is a bad example," and raises questions about stability in the region, said political analyst Dewi Fortuna Anwar of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences.

There was no challenge to the Thai military's authority from the ousted prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, who issued his first statement since the coup. The billionaire tycoon said from London that he planned to take a "deserved rest" from politics, and hoped to carry out "possible charitable work for Thailand."

The coup group empowered an auditor to investigate government corruption, which could lead to the confiscation of Thaksin's wealth. Analysts said that proving Thaksin's alleged corruption was necessary to legitimize the coup.

Pasuk Phongpaichit, one of Thailand's most respected political economists, alleged that corruption was "blatant" under the Thaksin government but said a coup was not the best way to handle it.

"A democratic country must have a constitution and adhere to the rule of law," she said. "If the prime minister has done something wrong, he must be tried and he should be judged."

Although Thaksin handily won three general elections, opponents accused him of emasculating democratic institutions, including packing the state Election Commission with cronies and stifling media that were once among Asia's freest.

Bottleneck traffic returned to the streets and Thais went back to work Thursday, with many in Bangkok describing the military takeover the most "friendly" coup this country has seen.

Aside from some soldiers on street corners and tanks at strategic points in and around the city, Thursday was like any other day in the congested Thai capital. Commuters crammed the subways, vendors lined shopping streets hawking handicrafts and grilled kebabs, shops were open and tourists were out.

"It feels like a normal day. Nothing is different," said Nuttawee Chotsawat, 25, who works at a 7-11 store in the downtown business district. "There's nothing to be scared of."

Many Thais appeared relieved at the resolution of political tensions festering since the beginning of the year, when street demonstrations demanding Thaksin step down started growing in size and vehemence. Thailand has had no working legislature and only a caretaker government since February, when Thaksin dissolved Parliament to hold new elections in an effort to reaffirm his mandate.

The coup leader, army commander Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin, has said he would serve as de facto prime minister for two weeks and then the ruling military council will choose a civilian to replace him. A constitution is to be drawn up and elections held in one year's time.

Many Thais view the new regime as a good chance to resolve a Muslim insurgency in the south that has killed more than 1,700 people.

An exiled Muslim rebel leader on Thursday welcomed Thaksin's overthrow by Sondhi, a 59-year-old Muslim in a predominantly Buddhist country.

Thaksin, who used an iron-fisted policy in trying to suppress the insurgency, was widely detested in southern Thailand and many moderate Muslims said the conflict could never be resolved while he was in power.

Sondhi is the "only one who knows the real problems" of the Muslim-dominated south, said Lukman B. Lima, a leader of one of several groups fighting for a separate Islamic state in southern Thailand, and currently in exile in Sweden. Lukman was responding to e-mailed questions from The Associated Press.

Sondhi had proposed several weeks ago opening talks with the separatists, but Thaksin's government vehemently opposed such a move.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the new military leadership - which Thursday released the official English translation of its name, the Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy - confirmed that four of Thaksin's close associates were being kept in custody.

Office Minister Newin Chidchob and Environment Minister Yongyut Tiyapairat turned themselves in Thursday, while Deputy Prime Minister Chitchai Wannasathit and Thaksin's top aide, Prommin Lertsuridej, were detained earlier.

"During the transition period, every country does this in order for the situation to return to normalcy quickly," said Lt. Gen. Palanggoon Klaharn, a spokesman for the military rulers.

What Ever Happened To Man's Best Friend?

Is it an urban legend - or a cover-up?

Our story begins at approximately 5:30 p.m. on the afternoon ofJuly 23, in front of a company called Federal Marine Terminals on theSoutheast Side. A crew from the Chicago Department of Water had beencalled to the scene earlier in the day to repair a broken water mainand had dug a sizable hole near the entrance to Federal Marine.

Now, there's a friendly neighborhood stray dog that is wellknown to the residents of the area and some of the workers at FederalMarine. They feed him, they pet him, they play with him; he's neverbeen the least bit dangerous.

The dog reportedly wandered near the broken water main on theday in question. For an account of what allegedly happened next, wequote directly from a report filed by an independent security guardwho was on the site at the time.

WHO? Chicago Water Workers.

WHERE? At the front gate of Federal Marine.

WHAT? While repairing a broken water main, a stray dog wastossed in the exposed hole, and buried alive! by city workers.

Whoa.

Says an employee of Federal Marine: "I didn't see the dog go inthe hole, but I did see the workers dancing around out there afterthey had filled the hole in. They were humming something thatsounded like Taps and laughing about it. It was a whole mockfuneral."

Then again, perhaps they were simply bidding farewell to a hardday's work.

"No way. . . . Practically everybody in the neighborhood hasbeen talking about it."

There's no disputing that. Over the past three weeks, fourpeople - none of whom claimed to know each other - called or wrote totell me the story of the dog that was supposedly buried alive. AfterI obtained a copy of the original security report of the incident, Ibegan nosing around to find out what was what.

George Dosen, traffic manager for Federal Marine: "Yes, I'veheard the story, but the security guard is the witness and he doesn'twork for us. You'll have to talk to the security firm."

Vincent Rufallo, president of A&R Security, whose employee filedthe report: "We're not really sure if it happened or not. True, oneof our security guards filed a report about a dog being buried alive,but as it turns out, the guard . . . looked away for a moment. Whathappened was, he saw the dog near the hole, he turned away, then heturned back and the dog was gone.

"Did the dog fall in the hole? We don't know. We can't makethat claim."

Mark Durham of the Chicago Department of Water: "We did get acomplaint on that, and apparently the neighbors in the area have beentalking about it. It's a very bizarre story, a very strange story.In fact, it got to the point where we sent a crew out there to re-digthe hole, but they didn't find anything. We have documentation toverify that they found nothing. The story appears to be totallyunfounded.

"We're very grateful there wasn't a dog down there. You wouldhope that if a dog accidentally fell into a hole, people would try torescue it, not bury it alive."

But in the neighborhood, the talk continues.

"I was there when they came back and re-dug the hole," said aFederal Marine worker who didn't want to be identified. "Let me tellyou something - they didn't dig deep enough. They only scraped thesurface. Then they said, `See, there's no dog down there,' and theycovered it up."

If this were a Stephen King novella, the stray dog would awaken,dig itself out of the hole, shake off the mud and crud and start offin search of the city workers who did him in. That hasn't happened -yet - but everyone involved with this tale agrees on one thing:

Since the day in question, the friendly neighborhood stray dogwho roamed the streets for years hasn't been seen once, not once.

Visit with Richard Roeper and seven other Chicago Sun-Timescolumnists from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. tomorrow on the Sun-TimesPlaza, 401 N. Wabash. Comments and questions welcome. Noreservations necessary.

LONDON CALLING Make England's capital affordable via free attractions, walking tours and theater discounts

LONDON -- London isn't one of the world's bargain destinations,and the feeble U.S. dollar makes it all the more daunting forAmerican visitors.

But it's possible to have a day out for less than a "tenner" -- a10-pound note, now worth about $19.

Start with the free attractions: The British Museum, the NationalGallery and National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Square, the vastand fascinating Tate Modern gallery across the Thames from St. Paul'sCathedral, the Imperial War Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, theNatural History Museum and the Science Museum -- just to name thebest-known among the capital's 200 or so museums and galleries. Mostmuseums will also have special exhibitions that do charge admission.

There's no charge for watching the Changing of the Guard atBuckingham Palace, which happens daily at 11:30 a.m. from Aprilthrough the end of July, and every other day the rest of the year.Check the Buckingham Palace section of the royal Web site,www.royal.gov.uk, for details.

Admission is also free for the Ceremony of the Keys at the Towerof London at 9:50 p.m. each night, but you need to plan ahead.(Visitors may request up to seven passes by writing to: The Ceremonyof the Keys, H.M. Tower of London, London EC3N 4AB.)

A cheap but vanishing essential of any London visit is a ride onone of the double-decker Routemaster buses; they're the ones with theopen platform on the back and a conductor waiting to sell a ticket.The fare is just 1.20 pounds, or $2.25, for a single ride; you canalso get an all-day London Transport ticket, which includesUnderground trains too, for 4.70 pounds, about $9.

If you fancy shopping, London boasts a variety of markets sellingeverything from fresh fish to vintage jewelry. Take a trip on theCentral line tube to Liverpool Street for a day at Petticoat Lanemarket, and trawl through the vintage clothing. Pretend you are ElizaDoolittle and roam through the old and new in the Covent Gardenmarket, and catch some of the street performers.

Many say the best way to view London is by foot. Walking tours area popular way of catching the hidden details, and the guides have awealth of knowledge.

Scare yourself on a Jack the Ripper walk or relive Shakespeare'sLondon. Original London Walks -- www.walks.com -- offers 100 routesat 5 pounds each -- about $9.40.

For the same price, London Mystery Walks -- www.tourguides.org.uk -- offers the Jack the Ripper walk and the Haunted London walk.

The National Theatre on the Southbank -- www.nt-online.org --offers the Travelex 10-pound season, when two-thirds of the seats areavailable for a tenner or about $19.

Web sites such as www.lastminute.com may have some theater ticketsfor the same price.

The Tricycle Theatre, one of London's better-known small theaters,offers 30 to 50 tickets to Tuesday and Saturday matinees on a "paywhat you can" basis. This offer is available to students, seniors andpeople with disabilities. The theater also offers some "early bird"tickets for less than 10 pounds or $19.

Rail lines serving London offer a range of "two for one" deals.Attractions taking in part in the promotion include the Royal BotanicGardens at Kew, HMS Belfast, Dali Universe, Tower Bridge Exhibitionand The London Aquarium. Details at www.london2for1.com; typicallyyou have to produce a train ticket and a voucher from the Web site toqualify.

The economic rollercoaster ride becomes wilder

ECONOMIC REVIEW

I hope your seat belts are fastened. Just when we thought economic conditions were deteriorating sharply, the economic data turned. But after our sighs of relief, the losses from the risk-taking in the financial sector hit home, and major firm after major firm an- nounced large losses. In the midst of all this, the equi- ty markets bounced around, and the Federal Reserve System decided to take out some additional insurance just in case the economy started going south again. In other words, just another month in this long-running, greatly uncertain year.

Because the economic world seems to revolve around the housing market and foreclosures, let's start there. The report on summer foreclosures was awful. According to RealtyTrac, the level rose 30 percent from the spring and was almost double that posted in summer 2006. The pain was spread across the nation - only five states didn't see a rise in foreclosures over the year.

With defaults skyrocketing, it wasn't surprising that home sales and housing starts faltered. New construction was off more than 10 percent in September, and the pace was down 30 percent over the year. "Fire sales" helped generate some demand for new homes, but the existing housing market continued to fall apart.

Still, housing isn't the only part of the economy that matters. Ultimately, it is all about the consumer, and for households, it is jobs and income. Well, that aspect of the economy is doing decently. In October, businesses added 166,000 people to their payrolls. The unemployment rate remained at a fairly low 4.7 percent. Yes, construction and manufacturing were problem areas, but the gains were broad-based. As a consequence, income growth remained decent.

With consumer confidence ebbing, businesses are worried that the holiday shopping season will not be very good. But one thing we have learned is that although people may express concerns, if they are not anxious about losing their jobs and they believe their income will continue to grow, they spend money. The employment situation is decent enough that households will likely spend money this season. It may not be the greatest year for retailers, but it may turn out to be better than feared.

In the face of continued deep housing problems but good job growth, the Federal Reserve met. After having cut interest rates by a half percentage point in August, it was not clear if the rate-setting committee would once again reduce rates. But they did lower rates, this time by a quarter percentage point.

The move by the Fed was debated sharply. With oil nearing an unfathomable $100 a barrel level, fears persist that inflation could reaccelerate. The Fed has done a good job in reducing the inflation rate, and the members don't want to lose that gain.

So, why did the Fed move? Unfortunately, the housing problems have real implications for the economy in general. Large financial institutions invested heavily in mortgage securities and now are looking at significant losses. This reduces the ability of those firms to lend money and could lead to a further tightening in credit. And if credit is reduced, companies of all sizes will suffer, and growth could slow. Therefore, the Fed decided to take out some insurance by cutting rates.

Will it be enough? As long as jobs keep being created, we should be able to withstand the subprime and oil problems.

[Sidebar]

...If (people) are not anxious about losing their jobs and they believe their income will continue to grow, they spend money.

[Author Affiliation]

Joel L. Naroff Is chief economist with Commerce Bancorp of Cherry Hill, N.J. The bank shares the Commerce brand with Swatara Township-based Commerce Bank/ Harrisburg.

EARTH DAY 2003; A tale of two celebrations

Earth Day was founded over 30 years ago as a way for the citizens of the world to celebrate and educate around environmental and conservation ideas. Gaylord Nelson, a founder of Earth Day, wrote in the Environmental Protection Agency's Journal his thoughts about the first Earth Day.

"It was on that day that Americans made it clear that they understood and were deeply concerned over the deterioration of our environment and the mindless dissipation of our resources."

Nelson wrote those words over 20 years ago, before he could have anticipated the further environmental destruction and current weakening of important laws passed during the 1970s. Earth Day continues to be an important day of celebration throughout the world. In Boise, every year Julia Davis Park becomes a focal point for the celebration as the community comes alive in education and participation. This year the annual event will happen with a slew of presenters and performers on April 19 and 20. The crowd will be entertained by a children's carnival, a beer garden, displays by local non-profits and the Idaho Department of Energy and lots of music. Musicians appearing will include Crash Four, Hoi Polloi, Tim Andreae and out-of-towners the Clumsy Lovers.

Also being organized for Earth Day is the Boise City Earth Day Fair on April 22. The event will be held in the lobby of Boise City Hall and will be attended by state, county and city agencies as well as a few corporate groups. Idaho Power will be in attendance to spotlight its Green Power program and hybrid cars from Larry Miller Honda and Peterson Autoplex will be on display.

The addition of a new Earth Day celebration has ruffled some feathers. Several local environmental groups have expressed concerns at being left out of the city's celebration.

"We have not been contacted by the city at all," said Rachel Winer, of Idaho Conservation League. "I think that it was unfortunate that they don't have any nonprofits involved as presenters. We have been invited by BSU to participate in their Earth Day activities and we will be more than happy to participate in that."

Roger Singer of the Sierra Club also felt the lack of environmental groups at the city's event was unfortunate.

"They didn't want to compete with the event at Julia Davis," said Singer. "I was bit surprised that even when I explained that we would be at both events the city hall representative still would not invite to us to the event. The city approached conservation groups to help with the Foothills levy and get it passed and now don't invite us to the city's Earth Day celebration. I find that very curious."

The city downplayed the lack of non-profits at the City Hall event.

"There was never an intent to snub anyone," said Catherine Chertudi, solid waste and ground water programs manager for the city. "We didn't even think along those lines. We wanted to make sure that we didn't compete with those folks (at Julia Davis)."

Chertudi adds that they were asked by Julia Davis Earth Day organizer Scott King to avoid competing with the other celebration. King denies that there was concern over competition saying that he invited the city to participate in the park.

"In no way shape or form did they want to affiliate which kind of bothered me," said King. "The main issue, I was told by the lady organizing it, was that their people didn't want to work on weekends. It should be all one event."

Chen retires first 18, Royals beat Angels 4-2

Bruce Chen retired his first 18 batters in a riveting duel with Ervin Santana and Jose Guillen snapped a scoreless tie with a two-run single in the eighth, leading the Kansas City Royals to a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night.

Chen (5-2), a journeyman left-hander, allowed a run and two hits in 7 1-3 innings, struck out three and was aided by a pair of sensational defensive plays by centerfielder David DeJesus.

The 13-year veteran, pitching for his 10th major league club less than three weeks before his 33rd birthday, was making his seventh start since being inserted into the rotation when Gil Meche went on the disabled list.

Switch-hitter Erick Aybar ended Chen's bid for the majors' fifth no-hitter of the season _ and third perfect game _ leading off the seventh, when he lined his 76th pitch to left field on a 1-2 count for a clean single.

Howie Kendrick bunted him to second, but Chen struck out Bobby Abreu and retired Mike Napoli on a popout after an intentional walk to Torii Hunter.

Chen's bid for his first shutout in 128 major league starts also ended on his 94th and final pitch: Jeff Mathis hit his second homer of the season to left-center with one out in the eighth. But the Royals tacked on two runs in the ninth, one on a fielder's choice by Jason Kendall, the other on a wild pitch by Francisco Rodriguez.

Kyle Farnsworth retired both batters he faced in the eighth and Joakim Soria got three outs for his 22nd save in 24 attempts, striking out Hideki Matsui with runners at second and third to end it after Napoli's bases-loaded sacrifice fly.

Chen's effort overshadowed an equally brilliant outing by Santana (8-6), who had allowed only two hits through the first seven innings _ both singles by leadoff hitter Scott Podsednik. But in the eighth, Santana gave up two-out singles to Kendall and DeJesus before hitting Billy Butler with a pitch for the second time to load the bases.

Butler glared at Santana several times, then ripped the batting glove off his right hand and threw it away on the way to first base. Mathis, the catcher, walked to the mound to settle down the obviously rattled Santana, who then gave up Guillen's hit to left-center.

Santana was charged with four runs and seven hits over 8 1-3 innings and struck out four and walked Butler twice.

Hunter, a nine-time Gold Glove centerfielder, got a taste of what it's like to be on the other end of a spectacular play when DeJesus raced back toward the warning track and stretched as far as he could to snare Hunter's drive on the dead run and rob him of extra bases in the second.

Two innings later, DeJesus took an extra-base hit away from Abreu with a diving backhanded grab on the warning track in right-center after another long run.

Royals switch-hitting third baseman Alberto Callaspo was scratched because of a sore left wrist. Wilson Betemit started at third for the third time this season and made a pair of slick barehanded plays in the first inning, one on a bunt by Aybar and the other on a dribbler by Abreu.

NOTES: Former Angels pitcher Clyde Wright threw a ceremonial first pitch on the 40th anniversary of his no-hitter against Oakland. On the receiving end was his son, former big league pitcher Jaret Wright. ... DeJesus played his 227th consecutive errorless game, extending the franchise record for outfielders that he set in April, and has committed just one error over his last 356 games in the outfield.

понедельник, 12 марта 2012 г.

Midday match not healthy for Olympic football

Football and the Olympics have been together for more than 100 years, but they still aren't really talking to each other.

Due to the huge holes in the player selection process, Argentina forward Lionel Messi was almost sent home the day before his debut because his club, FC Barcelona, wanted him back.

Thankfully, for the record 2.14 million Olympic football fans, Barcelona allowed Messi to stay. He dazzled fans with his footwork, goals and passes, justifying his appearance by setting up Argentina's only goal in a 1-0 victory over Nigeria in Saturday's final.

But he had to sweat to get it.

The two teams sweltered in midday temperatures of 42 degrees Celsius (107 Fahrenheit), and match officials took the rare step of stopping play twice to allow players to drink water and cool down.

Now there were two ways of fixing both those problems.

Had FIFA made the sensible move of putting the Olympic competition on its schedule of official international competitions _ like it will for the 2012 London Games _ there would have been no conflict between club vs. country.

And had organizers scheduled the final in the comparative cool of the evening in another stadium _ rather than forcing the finalists to play in potentially dangerous midday conditions at the Bird's Nest _ no one would have complained.

When the game kicked off, it was 6 a.m. in Europe and midnight in most parts of North and South America, hardly prime time. But it was the only time available at the spectacular Bird's Nest stadium, which had to be reconfigured for that evening's track and field competition. At the 2004 Athens Games, the men's final kicked off even earlier.

"No team has actually played at noon since we started this tournament," Nigeria coach Samson Siasia said. "It affected both countries, and most players didn't perform to their level because of the heat. But we didn't make the rules. They said play the game at 12 o'clock, which I don't think was a good idea."

The embarrassing start and finish to the competition overshadowed what was a well-played tournament in which the young stars of the 16 teams gave a glimpse of World Cups to come. Although many of the women's games were played in front of half-empty stadiums, the record crowds underlined how popular football is in China.

But there is so much missing with football at the games that it never will achieve the same impact as athletics, swimming or gymnastics, which all consider the Olympics far more important than their own world championships.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter announced toward the end of the competition there would be no moves to sharpen up the image of Olympic football by allowing full-strength lineups. He saw the competition as a sort of "university" where the top graduates would move on to the World Cup.

Wal-Mart ripe for a bargain It pains me to say this, but the labor unions are wrong on this one

I hadn't been to North Austin recently, but the controversy overwhether a Wal-Mart was worthy of building on land in that areaspurred me to take a ride.

Judging from the heated exchanges between city officials and unionleaders over the impact of a Wal-Mart opening just northeast of Northand Cicero avenues, I expected to find a blighted corner in desperateneed of a little economic stimulation. After all, the arguments infavor of allowing the dreaded Wal-Mart into the city limits center onthe need for jobs and shopping options in that neighborhood.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I came upon the bright newshopping mall on the southwest corner of that intersection. Anchoredby a Cub Foods, the mall includes Old Navy and Marshalls clothingstores, a Payless Shoes and a Radio Shack electronics store. Acrossthe intersection sits a brand-new Walgreens drugstore.

This is hardly a corner that is hurting for retail options.

Still, Ald. Emma Mitts (37th) says, there are more people in herward who are unemployed than employed.

So why would labor unions be working so hard to ensure they don'twork at a Wal-Mart?

Because, they say, Wal-Mart is a bad corporate citizen.

And it may be. The mega-retailer benefits from a mom-and-apple-pie reputation that might have been deserved back in the days whenfounder Sam Walton drove around Arkansas in his pick-up truck. Buttoday Wal-Mart is one of the biggest companies in the world andoperates like it.

Years ago, my union member, buy-American husband headed to a Wal-Mart to buy a much-needed pair of new work boots. He came home empty-handed after noting all the work boots on display were made in China.A call to the company informed us that the company promises only tobuy American whenever possible.

In addition to thriving on a down-home reputation it no longerdeserves, the retailer seems to have avoided a label it mightdeserve: unfair to workers.

A report from the office of Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) says Wal-Mart pays its female workers less than its male workers. It hiresillegal immigrants. It is being sued for cheating workers out ofmoney they are owed. And it pays an average wage of $8.23 an hour --well below the average retail wage in Chicago of $10.93 an hour.Another report, from the Center for Labor and Community Research inChicago, predicts that opening a West Side Wal-Mart will actuallyharm the economy of that neighborhood.

All of which are good reasons to keep Wal-Mart out of Chicago. Butwe shouldn't. As a lifelong union sympathizer and former unionofficial, it pains me to say this, but the labor unions are wrong onthis one.

Standing in the way of economic development in a neighborhood thatstill needs jobs is no way to prove you are a defender of workerseverywhere. With labor unions appearing more out of touch withworkers' reality with each passing year, this stand against Wal-Martis doing more harm to the unions that it can ever do to Wal-Mart.

The reality is that Wal-Mart is coming. Mayor Daley is happy tohave the tax revenue. The aldermen, on the West and South sides, arehappy to have the shiny new stores and 200 to 300 jobs. So a fewgrumpy old union officials are not going to keep this fromhappening.

So what should they do? Wring some concessions from Wal-Mart.

Mitts says she is hopeful her Wal-Mart will be the first in thecountry to vote to be unionized. Not likely.

But there are other concessions to be had. She would like Wal-Mart to put in writing an agreement to hire 70 percent of the store'semployees from the neighborhood -- and to bank with local bankers,advertise with local newspapers and offer scholarships to localstudents and money to local nonprofits.

Sound like great ideas. Wal-Mart might be a bad corporate citizen,but it's coming to Chicago. So the city ought to use its muscle toforce policy changes that make it a better corporate citizen ofChicago, if not the world. And the unions ought to get on board.Because until there are workers, there isn't anyone to unionize.

Test facility to help Ford get to market fast

DEARBORN, Mich. -- Ford Motor said a new $16 million safety-testing facility will help get vehicles on the road eight to 10months faster, part of a broader, $65 million endeavor to trimexpenses and adapt more quickly to the fast-changing market.

Ford now takes about 28 months to get a vehicle to market once thedesign is complete.

The change is critical for the automaker, which has fallen behindAsian competitors in getting fresh vehicles to consumers. Ford's U.S.sales were flat in the first seven months of this year.

Ford is spending a total of $65 million to upgrade vehicle-testing facilities. It's revamping test tracks and has equipped 8,000engineers with new mobile phones and wireless laptops so they canmove more freely between labs and test tracks, said Phil Martens,Ford vice president for product creation.

He said it will shave up to 60 percent off the cost of vehicleproduction.

The simulator allows Ford to see what would happen to the interiorof a vehicle in five different types of crashes without actuallyhaving to destroy an expensive prototype vehicle.

Ford said the changes will allow it to conduct 10 tests each day,compared with two currently. Ford tests finished vehicles at aseparate location.

Ford's new facility has a separate lab where engineers can testhow well vehicles prevent head injuries. In that lab, a mechanicalarm slams the heads of crash test dummies into the side of thevehicle at different speeds and angles.

Ford also has a lab that simulates what happens when occupantsaren't wearing safety belts or are sitting very close to the steeringwheel.

Multi-use office could go medical

LANCASTER COUNTY

Building once housed Keystone Custom Homes

The former site of Keystone Custom Homes Inc. could house a medical office building in 2007, said Rick Poillon, executive vice president for property management and development with Willow Valley Associates Inc.

Willow Valley owns the site at 214 Willow Valley Lakes Drive in West Lampeter Township, Lancaster County. The company, which also owns and operates resorts in Central Pennsylvania, plans to tear down the old multi-use building to construct a 72,000-square-foot medical office building, Poillon said. Willow Valley intends to lease out the building.

"It's looking pretty good," he said. "We hope to put our submittal into the county in mid- to late January."

Lancaster County's planning commission could review the plans and offer suggestions, but West LampeterTownship officials would conduct most of the technical planning and approvals.

The new office building could cost upward of $10 million, Poillon said. That figure is an estimate because Willow Valley is still compiling building costs, he said.

Keystone Custom Homes had been at the site since 1995, according to incorporation documents filed with the state. Keystone moved to a larger building northwest of Lancaster in November, said Jeff Rutt, company president.

The West Lampeter building had only 8,000 square feet. Keystone's new home at 227 Granite Run Drive in the Granite Run Corporate Center in Manheim Township is 20,000 square feet, Rutt said. The move gives Keystone enough office space for its homebuilding business, a new homedesign gallery and its nonprofit charity group, Hope International.

All that room was a necessity, Rutt said. Keystone increased its total revenue by 24 percent, from $79.7 million in 2004 to $99.1 million in 2005, according to Business Journal research.

Keystone is still moving some of its materials to the new site, Rutt said. The company is planning an open house at the new location Jan. 21.

The possibility of Keystone building a new facility was discussed, Rutt said. However, a longterm lease in Manheim Township better suited the company. Keystone and two other businesses leased the former West Lampeter Township location: a satellite office of the law firm Russell, Kraffi & Gruber, based in East Hempfield Township, and American Heritage Property Management.

Both have since relocated. Russell, Kraffi & Gruber moved in September to 2421 Willow Street Pike, less than a mile from its former location, said Rose Krause, RKG's legal administrator. American Heritage moved to 131 Centerville Road in East Hempfield Township Dec. 15, said Richard Gottashall, president and chief executive officer.

The leases at the old site were expiring, so it made sense to plan for the medical offices, Poillon said.

The current building was originally designed as a car museum by Willow Valley founder John Thomas, an automobile enthusiast, Poillon said.

"Today, with real estate, there's a need to maximize the use of space," Poillon said, which is why Willow Valley wants to construct a new building along with a parking lot.

The Willow Valley Lakes Drive location is already zoned for upscale office space, such as would be used by medical and technology firms, said Craig Underwood, West Lampeter Township's zoning and planning officer. Although he is aware that Willow Valley wants to construct the office building, no plans have been filed at the township, he said.

"We really encourage developers to meet with staff ahead of time to work out the engineering and technical details before (the plan) gets to the elected officials," Underwood said.

Such a building would diversify commerce in the township and provide much-needed medical services to residents.

"It's good for that part of the township because it's located directly next to the retirement communities," Underwood said.

Location was something Willow Valley considered as well, Poillon said. North of the proposed medical offices is Willow Valley Resort & Conference Center as well as two retirement communities operated by Willow Valley Retirement Communities, the sister company of Willow Valley Associates. South of the building site are two more retirement communities, as well as Willow Valley's corporate offices.

The company hopes to break ground on the medical offices this spring, Poillon said.

Underwood estimated it could take six months before final reviews were conducted and earth moving could begin on the site. The company also needs to demolish the old building.

[Author Affiliation]

BY JIM T. RYAN

jimr@journalpub.com

Zimbabwe's PM vouches for government in US visit

Zimbabwe's prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, faces a tricky task in persuading U.S. President Barack Obama to lift restrictions on aid to his beleaguered country when they meet Friday.

He has to vouch for the democratic credentials of his coalition partner, President Robert Mugabe, who has been accused of stealing an election from him and orchestrating widespread violence.

On Friday, he plans to make his case that his government is on a new path directly with Obama at the White House. After years of dogged opposition that involved suffering death threats, arrests and beatings, he is now trying to change Zimbabwe's government from the inside after Mugabe invited him into a coalition in February.

Hours before the White House meeting, Zimbabwe's political and business leaders made an impassioned appeal for an end to restrictions on aid and for more international investment.

"Sanctions at this junction in our history are meaningless," Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara told an economic conference in Cape Town, South Africa. "Help us help ourselves by removing all those sanctions so Zimbabwe can have a fresh start. "

Tsvangirai arrived in Washington this week as part of a three-week tour of Western countries, trying to persuade governments to offer some aid despite worries about Mugabe.

The administration says it is listening but still has reservations.

After a meeting between Tsvangirai and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the administration was looking for "ways to ease the suffering of the Zimbabwean people without bolstering those forces that are clinging to corruption and repression."

He said the United States would consider development aid if certain reform benchmarks are met. Tsvangirai says that Zimbabwe, where the standard of living has plunged under drastic financial mismanagement, needs aid now. He warned in a speech Wednesday that an overhauling of the system could falter without aid.

In the speech, he also argued that Zimbabwe has made progress since his Movement for Democratic Change joined the coalition government. He acknowledged the challenge of working with a man responsible for much of his suffering and that of his country.

"Well, I was almost killed. I know that," he said. But he asserted that Mugabe was allowing reform.

"We are moving into a new phase, and that's what needs to be rewarded rather than punished," he said.

Meanwhile, Mugabe has been portraying Tsvangirai as his personal emissary to the United States.

Zimbabwe's state-run Herald newspaper, a mouthpiece of Mugabe's ZANU PF party, greeted Monday's announcement of the White House meeting by saying Tsvangirai was "assigned" by Mugabe and ministers in the power-sharing government to press for the removal of sanctions and the restoration of Western funding and lines of credit.

On Thursday, its daily cartoon depicted Tsvangirai leaving the White House empty-handed, asking Obama what had happened to his slogan "Yes, we can."

Obama replies, "No, we can't!"

John Makumbe, a political scientist at the University of Zimbabwe, said Tsvangirai's Oval Office meeting with Obama was "a slap in the face" for Mugabe. Mugabe, frozen out by the White House for more than a decade, has not commented on the visit.

Mugabe, as the first leader of independent Zimbabwe, visited President Jimmy Carter in 1980, the year of independence, and President Ronald Reagan in 1983. As Reagan's vice president, George H.W. Bush visited Zimbabwe.

____

Associated Press writers Donna Bryson in Johannesburg and Clare Nullis in Cape Town, South Africa contributed to this report.

Drew, Kenny (actually, Kenneth Sidney)

Drew, Kenny (actually, Kenneth Sidney), jazz pianist; b. N.Y., Aug. 28, 1928; d. Copenhagen, Denmark, Aug. 4, 1993. Drew was one of the most widely recorded sidemen of the hard bop era. He was perhaps more famous for his adaptability and consistency than for the depth of his musical insights. however, he displayed a polished technique and a peerless sense of swing, and sessions usually were better for his presence at the keyboard. His recording debut was on a Howard McGhee session in 1949, followed by a Sonny Stitt date a few months later. Although he led sessions for Riverside, Norgran, and Blue Note from 1953 until 1960, his most significant work during this period was as a sideman. He recorded with Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane in the late 1950s, during crucial phases in the development of both of those artists. He also had strong outings on Blue Note in support of Kenny Dorham, Tina Brooks, and Jackie McLean. In the early 1960s, Drew left the American jazz scene and moved to Europe, where he was to remain for the rest of his life. Dexter Gordon's early 1960s albums with him were a high point in the careers of both artists, and the two of them would reunite several times over the next ten years. He led the house band at the Jazzhaus Montmarte in Copenhagen into the 1970s, performing with many prominent expatriate jazzmen. Here he began a productive musical partnership with Scandinavian bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pederson which would last into the 1970s. Although he made some solid recordings as a leader throughout his career, Drew is heard to best advantage supporting other artists of stronger musical personality. His recordings with Ben Webster, Johnny Griffin, Jackie McLean, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins, and John Coltrane were high points in the careers of those artists. Few pianists of his generation could claim such a distinguished résumé. His son, Kenny Drew Jr. (b. N.Y., 1958), is also a jazz pianist who has performed with Mingus Dynasty, among other groups.

Discography

Introducing the Kenny Drew Trio (1953); Modernity of Kenny Drew (1953); New Sounds, New Faces (1953); Progressive Piano (1954); Trio-Quartet-Quintet (1956); This Is New (1957); Undercurrent (1960); Duo, Vol. 1 (1973); Everything I Love (1973); Duo, Vol. 2 (1974); // You Could See Me Now (1974); In Concert (1977); Ruby My Dear (1977); Duo Live in Concert (1978); Home Is Where the Soul Is (1978); Live in Concert (1978); It Might As Well Be Spring (1981); Your Soft Eyes (1981); And Far Away (1983); Recollections (1989).

—Will Bickart

Artifact cases will proceed despite source's death

Federal prosecutors in Utah say that despite the death of an undercover informant, they'll move ahead with cases against more than 20 people charged after a long-running artifacts looting investigation.

Acting U.S. Attorney for Utah Carlie Christensen said Monday she remains confident the cases can proceed.

Ted Gardiner died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound March 1. The former Utah businessman was the central figure in the government's case. He spent more than two years secretly recording transactions with Western dealers and collectors trafficking in American Indian artifacts.

Twenty-six people were eventually indicted.

At a status conference in federal court Monday, U.S. Magistrate Samuel Alba set the first case for trial May 3.

среда, 7 марта 2012 г.

Families out in force to enjoy small animals day

Young animal lovers were given the chance to learn more aboutkeeping pets during an event at Bath Cats and Dogs Home.

The Claverton-based centre held its Small Animals Day at theweekend and the warm weather meant scores of families turned out tomeet the rabbits, guinea pigs and ferrets.

Children were able to hold and cuddle the animals and talk tohandlers about the responsibilities of keeping pets.

Judith O'Neil, who lives in Bath, had taken her two younggranddaughters, Erin and Ibby, to the day.

She said: "We are here to see all the small animals because thegirls are a bit nervous of the dogs."

Eight-year-old Erin, who has a guinea pig called Fudge, said shehad enjoyed herself.

She said: "I thought they were all really cute. I didn't reallylike the ferrets, though, because they were quite smelly."

Kim Baker had travelled from Pucklechurch with her husband Russand their daughters, Holly, aged 15, and Isabel 10.

She said: "We heard about this event at the Bath and West Showand we thought it would be something fun for the family.

"We don't have any pets at the moment and I don't think we willbe taking any of these home with us today."

Isabel, who had taken part in the rabbit cuddling, added: "Iwould like a pet rat though, because I think they are cute."

Animal care manager Jackie Dalton said the aim of the event wasto let the public know that it was not just cats and dogs that thecentre looked after.

She said: "It has been going very well and there has been a hugeamount of hard work put in by the staff.

"I think we have been incredibly lucky with the weather and wehave had lots of people coming along and having fun.

"What we wanted to do was put across to everybody about the smallanimals here because a lot of people think that we are just aboutthe cats and dogs."

But she warned people to remember that even having small animalsas pets required a lot of hard work and responsibility.

For more information about re-homing animals go towww.bathcatsanddogshome.co.uk or contact 01225 787321.

CREW HOPES TO KEEP FOREST FIRES, HOMES APART

A cold, winter wind blew across the mountainside and down PrestonForest Drive last week as men worked in the woods around AliceSchneider's home.

The crew, led by Joe Brigandi of Cana, was working as part of afire mitigation program sponsored by the New River-Highland ResourceConservation and Development Council. The goal is to reduce thethreat of wildfire to homes.

While the most of Southwest Virginia remains under a burning banbecause of the lack of winter moisture and drying winds, this projectis not a result of current conditions. It has been in the planningstages for some time.

"Our perspective is that it gets a lot of brush down up close tothe house to keep fire from spreading," Alice Schneider said.

While ultimately nothing can keep fire from burning, the workthese crews are doing reduces available fuel, she said.

She and her husband have lived on the mountain since 1979 and havenot seen a forest fire in that time. She recalled being alarmedseeing a fire truck going down the mountain one night, thinking itwas a sign it was going for water. She went up the street to see ifshe needed to take action and learned there had been a flue fire, nota fire in the woods.

The ice storms a decade ago brought a big limb down on theSchneider's driveway. After that they took out some trees theythought might pose a danger from ice or wind.

"Living in the woods, you are always taking a certain amount ofrisk," Schneider said, "but I'm not sitting here being afraid. It'salways in the back of your mind but I don't worry about it."

The local RC&D Council is paying for the work with a $200,000 USDAgrant. Another expected $200,000 grant will cover the whole state.Homes within three miles of national forest land can be included inthe program, said council President Chuck Shorter and coordinatorGary Boring.

As for the work itself: "We come in and knock down the dead ordying trees," Brigandi said while taking a break.

This is done the first day the crew comes to a home. The workersthen pick up dried wood, cut brush and small trees and pile them outof the way. The second day, they use a small tractor and otherequipment to continue clearing growth that could provide tinder inthe event of fire.

Brigandi said they cut lower limbs and where there are evergreens,open the trees up so the forest canopy does not touch. The goal is tokeep fire out of the high canopy, which makes a hotter, moredangerous fire than one kept on the ground.

The workers chip the wood that is removed or pull the branchesaway from the homes to places such as ravines where it can be left torot and provide wildlife cover. The chipped wood can be spread overthe forest property, used as mulch by the homeowners or composted tobe used in home landscaping.

The crew starts clearing a 30-foot buffer around the home.Brigandi and Boring said Schneider had done a good job in landscapingaround the house with a grassy lawn and flower beds.

The work continues in the next 30 to 50 feet from the house, withcrews taking out all the growth less than 3 feet tall and limbs nearthe ground.

Farther from the house, about 150 to 200 feet, is where the crewsbreak up the canopy to keep fire from getting hot enough to set ahome on fire.

Boring pointed to the recent fire in Bedford County where fivewoodland homes were in danger. A fire truck was parked at each one toprovide help if the blaze got to them. This meant that the trucks andfirefighters were not available to meet other needs, he said.

The council's fire mitigation program is aimed at making suchmeasures unnecessary and freeing firefighters and equipment.

Shorter said the council hired Brigandi to develop the program forthe counties it serves. The program now is active in 10 of the 11counties included in the council's coverage area. To be part of theprogram, the county must have national forest land within itsborders. Floyd is the only county not to qualify.

After Brigandi developed the program, the council told him toimplement it. So far, tinder has been cleared from about 70 homes. Itdoes not take a lot of work in hardwood forests, he said.

Brigandi stressed that he and his workers do not do any controlledburning in this project. Too many controlled burns becomeuncontrolled fires, he said. While doing the mechanical removalcosts more, Brigandi said he thought it did a better job.

The crews avoid taking too many trees out of the forest becausethat would cause the sun to shine through the open space andencourage more growth.

"We hope the homeowners will maintain it," Shorter said.

If the area is not kept clean, the tinder will grow back and thehouse will again be at risk.

For more information, call (276) 228-5137.