Intermag: 2012

четверг, 15 марта 2012 г.

US dollar mostly higher in early European trading

The U.S. dollar was mostly higher against other major currencies in European trading Tuesday morning. Gold fell.

The euro traded at US$1.4122, down from US$1.4171 late Monday in New York.

Other dollar rates:

_96.33 Japanese yen, down from …

Price is right - Jordan's Hussein hires Howard Baker

Jordan's King Hussein has bagged Republican heavyweight HowardBaker, the former White House chief of staff and Senate majorityleader, as his new U.S. lobbyist at a reported fee of $500,000 ayear.

Baker, a high-priced Washington super-lawyer, has agreed for thefirst time to register his law firm with the Justice Department as aforeign agent. He will work mainly with Congress, where he hasintimate contacts with legislative leaders. He will seek torehabilitate Jordan following King Hussein's apostasy in backing Iraqduring the Gulf War.

Go-between for the arrangement was the king's father-in-law,Najeeb Halaby, former Pan American World Airways president andfederal …

Ronaldinho scores but Flamengo held to 3-3 draw

SAO PAULO (AP) — Ronaldinho scored his second goal in as many matches in the Brazilian league but Flamengo conceded a late equalizer and was held to a 3-3 draw by recently promoted Bahia.

Flamengo, Brazil's most popular club, was not able to hang on to its lead Sunday despite having a one-player advantage from the 75th minute after Bahia midfielder Helder was ejected for a second yellow card.

Young striker Jobson scored the equalizer for Bahia in the 90th, firing a low left-foot shot from inside the area at the Pituacu stadium.

Midfielder Lulinha opened the scoring for the hosts in the 16th, but Ronaldinho leveled for Flamengo from close range in the 30th. The two-time …

среда, 14 марта 2012 г.

The Honda Classic Scores

…

Final Round
Scores Sunday from the Honda Classic, a $5.2 million event at the 7,158-yard, par-70 PGA National Champion Course (FedExCup points in parentheses):
Camilo Villegas (500), $1,008,000 66-66-67-68_267
Anthony Kim (300), $604,800 68-64-73-67_272
Justin Rose (190), $380,800 70-72-67-64_273
Paul Casey (123), $246,400 73-64-70-67_274
Vijay Singh (123), $246,400 67-66-69-72_274

Schools offer prizes for attendance Tickets lure kids, but critic calls them 'doggie biscuits'

Would a free seat at a Chicago Bulls game make you want to go toschool?

Tickets to sporting events and coupons for Walgreens drugstoresare among the incentives that will be offered to Chicago public highschool students this year to get them to show up for class moreoften.

Some kids likened the idea to bribes, but Chicago Schools CEO ArneDuncan said he was merely trying to "incent improvement."

Virtually every year since Mayor Daley won control of the city'spublic schools, the system has offered an opening day plan to attackthe vexing problem of poor attendance.

This year proved no different.

On Tuesday, Daley and Duncan unveiled plans for a series …

Indonesia: Textile Industry Faces Difficulties

According to a report on the economic condition in Indonesia during the first half 2003, as compiled jointly by the Jakarta Japan Club and JETRO Jakarta Office, domestic demands for automobiles and electric appliances were favorable, and construction materials for housing and commercial facilities were also in good demand encouraged by an inflation cool-down, low interest rates and the high Indonesian currency. The textile industry, however, faced difficulties in the first half as a result of the SARS outbreak, military action in Iraq, stagnant domestic consumption, the inflow of Chinese textile products in addition to the strong rupiah.

Exports of textile products to the U.S. and …

McIlroy shoots 63 for a three-stroke lead

Teenager Rory McIlroy snapped out of a slump Thursday by shooting an 8-under 63 in the first round of the European Masters.

The 19-year-old Northern Irishman had missed halfway cuts the last three weeks.

"You get days when you read the lines perfectly and you know every putt is going in," McIlroy said. "It was like that today."

Garry Houston (66) chipped in for a birdie on the 18th hole for a share of second place with Kyron Sullivan and Julio Zapata. A large group at 67 included defending champion Brett Rumford, who birdied the first three holes.

Miguel Angel Jimenez, the only member of the European Ryder Cup team …

Ex-addict says testing could have helped him beat habit

Brian Caldwell never faced much trouble scoring illegal drugs,especially if he hadn't used his monthly allotment of food stamps.

For $100 in food stamps, he could easily get $50 worth of drugs.

But that much in meth, usually his drug of choice, wouldn't evenlast him one day.

Still, that's how he - a husband and father of five at the time -did business: Swapped food stamps for drugs.

Caldwell, 31, of St. Albans, has now been clean for three years.

And he's paid dearly for his past sins.

His wakeup call came after he was arrested for fighting with hiswife and then lost custody of his children. Caldwell and his wifedivorced. He has since …

Ohio St. Tops Michigan in Thriller 42-39

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Troy Smith and his Ohio State teammates poured on all the offense they had, and Michigan stayed right on their heels. The No. 1 Buckeyes streaked into the national title game all right, with a dazzling 42-39 win over the Wolverines on Saturday. And there's No. 2 Michigan, still on their heels. The Game, replayed for the national title in January? Could be.

"If this was boxing they'd definitely get a rematch," Ohio State defensive back Brandon Mitchell said.

Smith and the blazing Buckeyes put their speed on display with a barrage of big plays - and they needed every one to beat an inspired Michigan team.

The "Game of the Century," the first 1 vs. …

US dollar down in Europe

The U.S. dollar was lower against other major currencies in European trading Tuesday morning. Gold fell

The euro traded at US$1.2685, up from US$1.2629 late Monday in New York.

Other dollar rates:

_98.35 Japanese yen, down from …

Quayle hints contra reprieve // May be kept going indefinitely, he says

WASHINGTON Vice President Dan Quayle said Monday it may benecessary to keep the Nicaraguan contras alive indefinitely as acohesive force in case the Sandinista government fails to completepromised reforms.

In the administration's first comprehensive response to aregional plan to disband the contras, Quayle said President Bushstrongly supports continuing aid to them and permitting them toremain deployed in Honduras "until they can return voluntarily totheir homeland into safe and democratic conditions."

In a speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars national conventionin Las Vegas, Quayle said:

"I can't tell you how long that process is likely to take, …

Karzai's aide: UK 'to blame' for Taliban impostor

LONDON (AP) — A senior Afghan official has blamed the British secret service for bringing a Taliban impostor to take part in top-level peace talks with the Afghan government, newspapers reported Friday.

The reports in U.S. and British newspapers follow the revelation that a man leading the Taliban side of peace talks with the Afghan government was impersonating former Taliban Cabinet minister Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour.

The Washington Post quoted Mohammad Omar Daudzai, President Hamid Karzai's chief of staff, as saying Thursday that British authorities brought the man to meet with Karzai in July or August. Karzai has denied meeting with Mansour.

Prime Minister David …

Failed Banks

26 - Closed by state regulators was The Bank of Commerce, Wood Dale, III. Appointed receiver, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Advantage National Bank Group, Elk Grove Village, III., to assume all of the deposits. In addition to paying a premium of 0.10 percent to assume all of the deposits of the failed bank, Advantage National Bank Group agreed to purchase essentially all of the assets. A loss-share transaction covers $145.7 million of the failed bank's assets. The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund will be $41.9 million.

27 - All deposits of Western Springs (III.) National are being acquired by Heartland Bank and Trust Co., Bloomington, III. In addition to assuming all of the deposits, Heartland Bank agreed to purchase essentially all of the assets with a loss-share transaction on $100.8 million of Western Springs National's commercial loans. Cost to the DIF will be $31 million.

28 - Nevada Commerce Bank, Las Vegas, was closed and the FDIC, as receiver, entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with City National, Los Angeles, to assume all of the deposits. In addition to paying a premium of 0.71 percent to assume all of the deposits of the failed bank, City National agreed to purchase essentially all of the failed bank's assets. Cost to the DIF will be $31.9 million.

вторник, 13 марта 2012 г.

Treasurys fall as economic hopes fuel riskier bets

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Treasury prices edged lower Thursday in seesaw trading as good news about the U.S. economy drew cash into riskier investments.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2 percent late Thursday from 1.95 percent just after 10 a.m. Rising yields reflect lower demand for ultra-safe Treasurys.

The yield edged up from 1.98 percent late Wednesday, while the price fell by 16 cents per $100 invested.

The economic outlook brightened early Thursday with news that that new applications for unemployment benefits fell last week for the fourth time in five weeks. The four-week average, which evens out weekly fluctuations, fell to the lowest since June 2008.

Treasurys had gained earlier on renewed fears about instability in Europe's financial markets. Investors seeking safe place to stash their money drove Treasury prices higher, pulling yields lower.

By late Thursday, the positive economic news had overshadowed worries about the debt crisis in Europe. Stocks bounced back from early losses to close nearly flat.

Also Thursday, the Treasury Department announced that it will auction off $66 billion in notes and bonds next week. The government will sell $32 billion of three-year notes next Tuesday, $21 billion of 10-year notes next Wednesday and $13 billion of 30-year bonds next Thursday.

The price of the 30-year Treasury bond fell 75 cents for every $100 invested, pushing its yield up to 3.07 percent from 3.03 percent late Wednesday.

The yield on the two-year Treasury note was unchanged at 0.26 percent. The three-month Treasury bill paid a yield of 0.01 percent.

As Web evolves, blind left behind

The last time Ray Campbell tried to buy Cubs tickets online, Tickets.com asked him to enter the text in a distorted image in order to prove that he was not a robot programmed to automatically buy tickets for scalpers. The only problem: Campbell couldn't read the text in the image. In fact, he couldn't see it at all he's been blind his entire life.

"All I want to do is buy tickets and I can't do that, because there's this verification and they have not provided an audio link to it," Campbell said.

For America's nearly 2 million bund or visually-impaired Internet users, problems like these can prevent them from taking advantage of all the Web has to offer.

"The two challenges with Web accessibility are not just being able to access the site, but being able to use the site," said Lean Gerlach, director of counseling at the Diecke Center for Vision Rehabilitation in Wheaton.

Gerlach said the growing use of multimedia video on Web sites creates a significant accessibility challenge, saying that Internet video can confuse the screen reading software that blind and visually-impaired people use to browse the Internet.

Screen reading software uses text-tospeech conversion, machines that translate on-screen text to Braille or a combination of both to present a Web page to a bund or visually impaired user.

The challenges.

Campbell is a technician at the assistive technology help desk at the the Chicago Lighthouse, an organization for the blind and visually-impaired. A former software engineer at Lucent Technologies, he now takes calls from blind and visually-impaired people across the U.S. and Canada and helps them solve computer problems and navigate Web sites.

Campbell identified what he said ara the Web's three major accessibility problems: graphics without descriptive text, required plug-in installations and visual registration tests, called captchas, an acronym for "Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart." Captchas are particularly troublesome when it comes to accessibility.

Why captchas?

Many major sites require users to verify that they are actually human - not automated robots. By. presenting the browser with a captcha - an image of distorted text that is difficult for a computer to decode and asking the user to enter the text they see in the image, robots can be blocked from the site while human users who can see the text are given access. Campbell said that captchas can be made accessible by using audio clips in addition to images to verify users as human. Some sites, like LiveJouraal.com, already do this.

What works, what doesn't.

Blogging, a growing Internet phenomenon, is still largely text-based and tends to be more screen reader friendly than other applications.

"My experience has taught me that [blogging] is pretty accessible," said Campbell, who keeps his own blog on LiveJournal.

"Screen readers can handle a lot of the current techniques that are being used in Web design," Campbell said, as long as designers take extra care to make their sites accessible.

These include avoiding the use of images to display text, providing audio narration for videos and offering text-only versions of pages with multimedia content.

As interactive, multimedia Web sites become more prevalent, blind and visually impaired users might find themselves behind the curve as designers forgo accessible pages for glitzy ones and screen reading software lags behind, said Leah Gerlach at the Diecke Center

"We don't drive change. We have to follow it and keep up with it," Gerlach said. "We're always six months behind cutting edge because we have to be."

Blind Browsing

Blind and visually-impaired people use special software called screen readers that "speak" to them in a synthetic voice what is happening on the screen.

When browsing a Web site, a screen reader examines a page's code and determines how the page is laid out and what links are on it, then reads the content of the page to a user.

Screen readers rely on explanatory text, defined by webmasters, to interpret images. Because of this, the World Wide Web Consortium, which sets Internet standards, requires developers to define alternative text fat every image on a page.

[Sidebar]

"We don't drive change.We have to follow it and keep up with it."

-Leak Gerlach

[ SPEAKING WITH ]

Air, Mosquitos

*7:30 p.m. Tuesday

*Riviera Theatre, 4746 N. Racine

*Tickets, $26.50

*(312) 559-1212

The Parisian duo of JB Dunckel and Nicolas Godin are better knownas Air. Atmospheric, moody and deliciously memorable, themeticulously crafted pop songs set the mood for a cozy evening in.With its latest album, "Talkie Walkie," Air gets a chance to reallybreathe.

Phoning from Washington, D.C., Dunckel chatted about his newParisian house, why Holland doesn't rock and the subtle cruelties of"Blade Runner."

HERE'S WHAT DUNCKEL HAD TO SAY:

What you've been doing on tour when you're not onstage: Yesterday,we went to an art museum in Washington, D.C. I was very surprisedthat you have so many French paintings in the U.S.A. I saw all theseoriginal Claude Monet originals. It was amazing. I like sightseeingwhen we have time.

Your favorite artist story: There was one artist who was part ofthe new realist movement. His art was conceptual. He sold air cubesfor 1 million francs. It's really weird. I heard he threw gold intothe Seine River in Paris to give it back to nature.

On whether he would throw money to nature: I don't think so. Iwould keep it for myself and my own pleasure.

Your most extravagant purchase to date: I recently bought a housein Paris. Or I'm going to buy it the day after I get back to France.The house is so cool. I like houses better than apartments. You canlisten to music very loud. You also feel more protected and shielded.

Parlez-vouz anglais? Yes. My English is not perfect, but I canspeak it. I can speak a little bit of German, too. But that's it.

On Americans not being able to speak foreign languages: You don'tneed to because English is the language of the world.

His theory about languages: Many years from now, English may bethe only language, with other words thrown in. There won't belanguages, but rather dialects. I'm not afraid of that. I'm verytrustful of mixing culture and immigrating, because I think it'suseful in all countries. I'm very open-minded with that.

On preserving culture: Culture has to move. When it's strong,it'll last. That's why I'm an artist. Art always stays, whether it'sa painting or music or literature.

Music as a language: Why not? You don't have to know a lot aboutmusic to know whether or not you like it. It is a universal language.

Last good movie you saw: "Blade Runner" with Harrison Ford is anamazing movie. The beginning is really scary because he's running andwants to catch that artificial girl. It's so cruel because he pointshis gun and shoots her, but she has no weapon to fight back.

CDs you're listening to: I listen to every kind of music, but mynew thing is Leonard Cohen. I love his words and music.

Why you love your friends: They gave me some very good advice andthat advice changed my life, because I'm in love thanks to what theysaid.

Country you'd like to visit that you haven't been to yet: I'd loveto go to China and Australia.

Country you've had enough of: Holland seems to be a very coolcountry, but there seems to be a problem with us in Holland. I don'tknow why. Whenever we play some gigs in Amsterdam, it's not good.Something always happens. I'm not sure if it's the room or theatmosphere, but it's not good.

What you'll do in Chicago: I'd like to go near the lake and lookat the amazing view of the skyscrapers. It's so psychedelic.

The touristy thing you have to do: I like to have friends takepictures of me standing in front of cool things. It's a nice souvenirto have.

US companies want share of China's new year sales

SEATTLE (AP) — Producers of American food and drink have discovered an antidote for post-holiday sales blues in the United States: China's huge, gift-laden celebration of its new year.

The 15-day celebration — known as Chun Jie, or Spring Festival — is China's biggest holiday and a time to gather with relatives, feast and give gifts. Food, clothing and money are traditional presents, but a growing number of Chinese — especially the booming middle class with more money to spare — are choosing gifts from overseas. And what better present to give in China than a tin of American toffee, a Washington apple or a bottle of Tennessee whiskey?

The new year "is a big thing for everybody here in China," said Beijing shopper Wu Shitao, 30, as he debated buying a bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey. "You can say it's the ultimate holiday of the year. If you don't buy presents for your family and friends now, when else do you do that?"

Since November, U.S. companies have been loading millions of pounds of goods into containers to arrive in time for the winter shopping season and the Feb. 3 advent of the Year of the Rabbit. Nearly all is food or drink marketed by importers and retailers as premium products, often with an air of glamour.

"China is a remarkable market for us," says Pierson Claire, the president and CEO of Brown & Haley candy makers, who shipped some 2 million pounds of Almond Roca chocolate toffee buttercrunch candy — about 16 percent of the privately held company's total output — to China and Hong Kong, and 57 percent of that specifically for the new year. "We've been exporting for, well, 60-plus years," he adds.

Through an odd bit of serendipity, the toffee has become a Chinese tradition, with shipments growing 20 percent a year, he said.

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire did her part during a trade mission last fall by handing out samples of Almond Roca in a Shanghai supermarket.

The ancient festival, of course, is celebrated wherever Chinese live. But the scale is entirely different in China with its 1.3 billion people.

Spring Festival triggers the world's largest annual migration of people as they head home to be with family. More shoppers than usual have been crowding Beijing stores, where walls and shelves have been bedecked with "Spring Festival Promotion" banners.

Wang Zishan, 31, pushing a cart full of groceries in a Beijing market, planned to buy more expensive presents this season.

"I got a pay raise this year. So I would like to let my family feel the difference that my pay raise makes," he said.

Especially in bigger cities such as Shanghai and Beijing, such extra money has been good for Western products. Apple Corp. stores are jammed, with reservations needed to buy iPhones. Imported food often is seen as safer than China's, where there are problems in the food chain.

Premium wines, especially French, and some high-end California vintages are given by those who can afford it, but wine drinking hasn't caught on yet with most Chinese, says Linsey Gallagher, director of international marketing at the Wine Institute. The California trade group is trying to change that through trade missions, tastings and other promotions that ramp up for the holidays.

Marketing "is designed to make the connection with the California lifestyle and wine," she said.

Though U.S. liquor exports to China are tiny compared to the rest of Asia, growth has been huge, says Paula Erickson, spokeswoman for Jim Beam. "One of our biggest categories that do well is cognac," such as Courvoisier, owned by Beam parent Fortune Brands Inc.

Washington apples have long been sold in Hong Kong and were allowed access directly into China in the mid-1990s. Starting in December, the highest-quality Red Delicious apples are packaged in individual wrappers or in red, nine-piece gift boxes with special labeling, says Rebecca Baerveldt Lyons, marketing manager for the Washington Apple Commission.

"We're really fortunate because that is the peak time of our season," she said.

Last year, Washington sent 54 million pounds of apples to Hong Kong and nearly 9 million pounds to the mainland.

Almond Roca candy has had the good fortune to be associated with good fortune in China. World War II sailors and soldiers from the Puget Sound area first took it to Asia where it quickly caught on. Claire said its pink tins — made a little redder for China sales — and the gold foil used on the candy pieces are symbols of luck and wealth. And the word "roca" translates to "making home full of joy."

"China is without a doubt our favorite country to export to," he said. "These are just lovely people who have a rich heritage and a rich respect for the brand."

___

Zhao Liang and Scott McDonald of The Associated Press in Beijing contributed to this story.

TAX-DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO SUPPORT REAL ESTATE EFFORT

The AIChE Foundation's 2003 Annual Campaign is raising funds for the specific purpose of supporting an effort to sublease 75 percent of the Institute's New York office space. Subleasing the space is a direct result of member input.

When AIChE President Dianne Dorland asked members for their suggestions for working through the Institute's financial challenges this year, she received over 5,000 responses from AIChE members. While the responses varied, many people suggested moving to another office space or relocating from New York.

After considerable negotiations, the Institute has received an offer to sublet three-guarters of its space. Because of the soft real estate market, any successful transaction of this nature would require significant up-front.

So important is this effort, that a number of AIChE's corporate partners have stepped forward with financial gifts and interest-free loans to facilitate this sublease. While this support is critical, it is not enough to close the deal. That is why the AIChE Foundation Board of Trustees is asking that every member make a contribution of $100 or more to this effort. By helping to make this real estate transaction possible, AIChE members will play an important role in shaping the Institute's future.

All contributions to the AIChE Foundation are tax-deductible. Please send your contribution to: AIChE Foundation, 3 Park Avenue, NY, NY 10016-5991.

China: SPC to Increase PTA Capacity

Sinopec's Shanghai Petrochemical Corporation (SPC) has plans to increase its PTA capacity from the current 280,000 ton/year to 400,000 tons in 2005 in the Jinshan District where a project to install a new complete set of aromatic hydrocarbon production equipment is now under consideration.

The PTA increase project will be divided into two phases. The first phase will be completed in the fourth quarter of this year, and the second phase is expected to go into operation in the second quarter of next year.

At present, the production plans for aromatic hydrocarbon are uncertain.

NZ, Ireland ring changes for 1-off test

Props Ben and Owen Franks will be the first brothers in 13 years to play in an All Blacks rugby team after being named for Saturday's one-off test against Ireland at New Plymouth.

Canterbury Crusaders prop Ben Franks was included among three new caps in the New Zealand starting lineup named on Tuesday, joining uncapped fullback Israel Dagg and new center Benson Stanley.

Later, Ireland announced 10 changes to its starting lineup for the match, radically reshaping the team which lost 29-23 to the Barbarians at Thomond Park, Limerick last weekend.

Owen and Ben Franks become the first pair of brothers to play a test for New Zealand since Zinzan and Robin Brooke faced England in 1997. They follow in the footsteps of other famous New Zealand rugby brothers including Colin and Stan Meads and Don and Ian Clarke.

Dagg, who turned 22 on Sunday, was named at fullback after the selectors decided to move the more experienced Cory Jane to the wing where he is paired with the recalled Joe Rokocoko. Rokocoko played the most recent of his 60 tests against Australia in September last year.

Stanley, the Australian-born nephew of former All Blacks center Joe Stanley, wins his first test jumper as the only fit inside center in the New Zealand squad after injuries to midfielders Ma'a Nonu, Richard Kahui and Isaia Toeava.

Ben Franks, 26, is named at loosehead prop in place of 61-test veteran Tony Woodcock, who has been struggling for form. He and younger brother Owen, 22, will prop the New Zealand scrum on either side of hooker Keven Mealamu, who returns to the starting XV for his 73rd test in the absence of Andrew Hore who has a shoulder injury.

A further three uncapped players have been named on the All Blacks reserve bench. Backrower Victor Vito, lock Sam Whitelock and flyhalf Aaron Cruden are all in line to make their test debuts as substitutes.

"It's an exciting team that will play the Irish," All Blacks coach Graham Henry said.

"We have picked experienced All Blacks together with those players who have been in form throughout the Super 14 and deserve their opportunity at test level. They know the Irish will be a huge challenge but they are looking forward to it."

Flanker Richie McCaw will captain New Zealand in his 81st test, equaling former scrumhalf Justin Marshall as the third most-capped All Blacks. Only Sean Fiztpatrick with 92 tests and Mils Muliaina with 82 have played more.

Center Brian O'Driscoll returns to captain the Irish team among four backline changes. Winger Tommy Bowe, center Gordon D'Arcy and scrumhalf Tomas O'Leary also join a strengthened backline.

Props Cian Healy and John Hayes, locks Donncha Callaghan and Mick O'Driscoll and backrowers Jamie Heaslip and David Wallace were named among six changes to the forward pack.

Two uncapped players _ hooker John Fogarty and lock Dan Tuohy _ were included on the bench.

New Zealand and Ireland have met on 22 occasions, with the All Blacks winning 21 times and drawing once.

___

Lineups:

New Zealand: Israel Dagg, Cory Jane, Conrad Smith, Benson Stanley, Joe Rokocoko, Dan Carter, Jimmy Cowan, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw (captain), Jerome Kaino, Anthony Boric, Brad Thorn, Owen Franks, Keven Mealamu, Ben Franks. Reserves: Aled de Malmanche, Neemia Tialata, Sam Whitelock, Victor Vito, Piri Weepu, Aaron Cruden, Zac Guildford.

Ireland: Robert Kearney, Tommy Bowe, Brian O'Driscoll (captain), Gordon D'Arcy, Andrew Trimble, Ronan O'Gara, Tomas O'Leary, Jamie Heaslip, David Wallace, John Muldoon, Mick O'Driscoll, Donncha O'Callaghan, John Hayes, Sean Cronin, Cian Healy. Reserves: John Fogarty, Tony Buckley, Dan Tuohy, Shane Jennings, Eoin Reddan, Jonathan Sexton, Geordan Murphy.

City grapples with rash of shootings

From the slaying of basketball coach William "Biggie" Gaines during practice in Roxbury July 25, to the shooting of 11-year-old Jenry Gonzalez during football practice in the South End August 1, to the shooting of 15-year-old Jaime Owens as she hung out with friends in a Dorchester park August 4, a rash of brazen violence has shocked elected officials, police, clergy and community groups into taking action.

The Boston Police launched Operation Neighborhood Shield over the weekend, working with the State Police, FBI, Boston Housing Authority Police and others to arrest dozens in Boston's inner city.

Last week, the outspoken Rev. Eugene Rivers and his wife Jacqueline, who heads the National Ten Point Leadership Foundation, called on black men to take more responsibility for stopping the crime in their communities.

During a press conference Sunday, city councilors Charles Yancey, Chuck Turner and Felix Arroyo called for government and business leaders to create more jobs in Boston's neighborhoods of color in order to give youths more economic opportunities outside of drug dealing.

But in order to accomplish these objectives, speakers at disparate press conferences, from Jacqueline Rivers to the Rev. William Dickerson, said leaders must work together.

With the number of murders in the city already topping last year's total, clergy, police, elected officials and outreach workers hope to rebuild the partnerships that helped them quell a similar wave of violence in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

"I commend all those individuals who have stepped forward so far," said Yancey during Sunday's press conference at the Carter Playground in the South End, where Gonzalez was shot. "But we need a more coordinated strategy. And that strategy must emanate from the community. We have resources I think we are not utilizing."

Boston Police Superintendent Paul Joyce met last week with an estimated 30 community leaders. At the meeting, police representatives emphasized that their department is already reaching out to youth, conducting over 100 visits a month with parents and at-risk children and conducting street patrols using outreach workers who have had run-ins with the law.

But more needs to be done, say clergy and elected officials. Yancey, Turner and Arroyo called for legislation allowing assets seized in drug busts to go to drug-treatment programs, crime-watch groups and youth programming.

The three city councilors and clergymen urged residents to conduct take-back-the-street walks and to step up neighborhood watches at MBTA stations and other public locales.

"We will have meetings in communities to talk about where the gaps are, and from there we will identify goals," promised Arroyo. Arroyo and his colleagues also said they would meet with police.

Meanwhile, more money is needed for law enforcement, community centers, jobs and youth outreach in inner-city neighborhoods, say activists.

"We are not dealing with the root cause of the violence," said Turner. "For' any city to be whole and healthy, we must have an economic strategy where all members are integrated into the economy."

Unemployment in Massachusetts as a whole is higher than in the mid-1990s, and black men are employed at lower rates than other groups.

During the boom of the mid- to late-1990s, as unemployment rates fell, clergy, police and community residents collaborated to put offenders in jail and steer other youth away from crime. This so-called "Boston Miracle" was credited with bringing homicide rates down dramatically.

The recession of 2001, however, brought fewer jobs and also led to budget cuts at the federal, state and local levels.

The cuts have translated into a reduction in services. The number of police in the city, for instance, has dropped from an estimated 2,300 in the mid-1990s to under 2,000 today.

The federal and state governments no longer provide summer job funding for teenagers, though the city and business community have picked up most of the slack.

"For the last three years or so, we have stripped young people in the city of basically every resource they can have," said community organizer Jesus Gerena of the Hyde Square Task Force. "After-school programming has been severely cut. Community centers are generally closed in the late evenings and on weekends. If we see an increase in violence when we cut these programs, I think that speaks for itself."

Meanwhile, the increased police presence is unlikely to stop the violence in the long term, say observers.

"It may result in a short-term lessening of violence," said Turner. "But these officers have been brought in to create a show of force, then they will be gone."

While some observers in communities of color see the stepped-up police presence as a positive step, others were lukewarm or even hostile to the idea.

Yancey and Sadiki Kambon, director of the Black Community Information Center, said they saw the potential for abuse by officers with state troopers and others not familiar with Boston coming in to assist.

"It's overkill," said Kambon following Sunday's press conference. "Yesterday, I saw two state police motorcycles, two Boston police motorcycles and a state police cruiser pull a black man over in Grove Hall just to give him a warning."

Boston Police representatives could not be reached for comment for this story.

Article copyright The Bay State Banner.

Photograph (A memorial for William 'Biggie' Gaines in Ramsay Park)

понедельник, 12 марта 2012 г.

Spector in Talks to Hire New Lawyer

LOS ANGELES - Phil Spector has narrowed his search for a new lead attorney for his second murder trial to an unidentified California lawyer, the music producer's remaining lawyer told the trial judge Monday.

Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler read two reports submitted by attorney Christopher Plourd but kept them sealed because they detail Spector's financial negotiations with a number of lawyers since his first trial ended with a jury deadlocked last month.

Negotiations are continuing, Plourd said.

"I want Mr. Spector to be comfortable with this attorney," the judge said, granting a delay until Nov. 6 for an appearance by a new lawyer. The judge said it will likely take more than 60 days after that date for a new lawyer to prepare for trial.

Spector, 67, is accused of murdering actress Lana Clarkson, 40, on Feb. 3, 2003, at his mansion. Fidler declared a mistrial on Sept. 26 when jurors deadlocked 10-2, with the majority favoring conviction, following a six-month trial.

Members of Spector's previous defense team either resigned or were dismissed after the mistrial.

Spector has had trouble finding a new lead attorney who would be free to try the case in a relatively short time, Plourd said, noting that criminal defense lawyers' schedules often are filled for a year or more in advance.

"This person had something open up unexpectedly," Plourd said.

Plourd, a San Diego lawyer who participated in Spector's first trial, said he plans to stay on to handle forensic evidence. But he has two capital murder cases on his schedule before he can step back into Spector's case.

Spector was a hit-making producer decades ago with a recording technique known as the "Wall of Sound" that revolutionized rock music.

Clarkson, best known for the 1985 cult film "Barbarian Queen," was working as a hostess at a House of Blues night club when she met Spector and went home with him.

She died of a gunshot fired inside her mouth while seated in a foyer. The prosecution claimed Spector shot her; the defense said she shot herself.

4 Italian journalists freed in raid

MILAN (AP) — Four Italian journalists who were freed Thursday after being taken hostage by Moammar Gadhafi loyalists said they thought they would be killed by their captors.

The ordeal suffered by the journalists — two from Corriere della Sera, one from La Stampa, and one from Avvenire — began when the kidnappers shot and killed their driver and ended when a rival group of loyalists freed them in a raid on the house where they were being held, the reporters said.

Giuseppe Sarcina, a correspondent for Corriere della Sera, told Sky News 24 they were captured by loyalists at gunpoint on Wednesday near Green Square in the Libyan capital.

Sarcina said he believes their liberators were militia, not regular army soldiers or civilians.

"I can't say with precision. There were many people. It is impossible to distinguish them in some moments. They were probably militia, not civilians," he said.

The journalists appeared to be in good health, but remained shaken by the shooting death of their driver after they ran into forces loyal to Gadhafi on a quiet side street en route to a hotel in Tripoli.

"They took the driver and made him get out of the car," Claudio Monici of Avvenire of the daily newspaper of the Italian bishops conference told Sky News. "He understood that that was the end, and they beat him and killed him in front of our eyes. They were angry, with bloodshot eyes."

Monici said the gunmen that took them hostage asked if they were from Italy, then accused them of participating in the NATO bombing campaign aimed at ousting Gadhafi. Monici said some of the journalist were kicked and beaten during the ordeal. Sarcina appeared to have injuries to his face when he appeared on camera.

After the four journalists were forced from the car, "they told us to go into the garage, and they closed us inside. They robbed us, cameras, money, everything," Monici said.

During their 24-hour captivity, the journalists said they were held in the garage, then moved around Tripoli in a car supposedly to a military headquarters to be interrogated. They were later freed by the rival loyalists from a private residence.

Italy's consul in Benghazi, Guido De Sanctis, said no demands had been made by the captors.

"I am alive and well, and free," said Domenico Quirco, who was quoted by his newspaper, La Stampa, shortly after his release. "Now I am fine, but an hour ago I thought I was going to die."

The fourth journalist, Elisabetta Rosaspina of Corriere, called the newspaper's editor-in-chief to announce their liberation. "There were difficult and tumultuous moments, but we are OK," she said.

News of the release came just minutes before Premier Silvio Berlusconi met with Mahmoud Jibril, the head of Libya's rebel Cabinet who is on a European diplomatic tour aimed at securing the release of frozen Libyan assets.

"We consider it a good omen for the future," Berlusconi said of the hostages' release. Italian Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa called it "a great relief."

Justice Dept. OKs AT&T-BellSouth Merger

WASHINGTON - The Justice Department gave its unconditional approval to AT&T Inc.'s buyout of BellSouth Corp. on Wednesday, a coast-to-coast behemoth that would be the largest U.S. provider of telephone, wireless and broadband Internet services.

The decision cheered company executives but outraged consumer advocates and two members of the Federal Communications Commission. At first the FCC scheduled a vote for Thursday on whether the $78.5 billion deal should go forward, but late Wednesday the agency pulled the item from the agenda and scheduled a commission meeting for Friday for a possible vote on the deal.

The FCC did not say why it was delaying a vote. "We are committed to evaluating merger applications fairly and in a manner consistent with the public interest," agency spokesman Clyde Ensslin said in a statement. "We are continuing to work to complete our AT&T and BellSouth merger review in a timely manner."

Despite the scale of the purchase, the Justice Department found no potentially adverse effects on competition.

The decision was immediately criticized by FCC member Jonathan S. Adelstein, a Democrat who called it "a reckless abandonment of DoJ's responsibility to protect competition and consumers."

Michael Copps, the commission's other Democrat, said the "Justice Department has packed its bags and walked out on consumers and small businesses by refusing to impose even a single condition in the largest telecom merger the nation has ever seen."

If the deal wins final government approval, the merger would give San Antonio-based AT&T Inc. total control over the nation's largest cellular provider, Cingular Wireless, a joint venture of the two companies that serves 57.3 million customers.

"After thoroughly investigating AT&T's proposed acquisition of BellSouth, the antitrust division determined that the proposed transaction is not likely to reduce competition substantially," said Assistant Attorney General Thomas O. Barnett. He heads the section that examines proposed mergers.

The department's approval "underscores the competitive nature of our industry and the pro-competitive benefits of this merger," AT&T General Counsel James D. Ellis said in a statement.

"AT&T is focused on bringing more video choices and next-generation broadband services to as many consumers as possible, and our merger with BellSouth will help deliver these benefits to more consumers, more quickly," Ellis said.

BellSouth said in a statement that it looks forward to FCC approval "in the very near future."

Consumer advocates and some lawmakers claim the government is well on its way to reconstituting the old Ma Bell monopoly, which was broken up in 1984 after a lengthy court battle.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., and other members of Congress had asked that the deal be held up until a federal judge decided whether two previous telecommunications company mergers, which were challenged by the Justice Department, were in the public interest.

A message left at Sensenbrenner's office was not immediately returned on Wednesday.

When Verizon Communications Inc. bought MCI Inc. and SBC Communications Inc. bought the old incarnation of AT&T, which kept the name, the Justice Department sued to block the mergers, but entered settlement agreements with the companies the same day.

The agreements, called consent decrees, required the companies to sell off some of their assets in certain regions. A federal judge is mulling whether the decrees are in the best interest of the public.

In the AT&T-BellSouth merger, the department avoided judicial review altogether. The FCC's Adelstein said by taking that course, "it appears DoJ took a dive on one of the largest mergers in history just to avoid further court scrutiny."

A coalition of consumer groups said the approval was "a move likely to leave consumers with fewer choices and inflated prices for a host of services."

Barnett said Justice Department lawyers looked at all areas where AT&T and BellSouth currently compete, including local and long-distance phone and Internet service for residential and business customers. The department also examined the merger's impact on future competition for wireless broadband service.

He said the lawyers cited competition in the marketplace, changing regulatory rules and emerging technology in finding that the merger was unlikely to hurt consumers.

Instead, it "would likely result in cost savings and other efficiencies that should benefit consumers," Barnett said.

With the action moving to the FCC, a number of scenarios may play out. The FCC's chairman, Republican Kevin Martin, has circulated an order recommending approval. He probably will get support from commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate, also a Republican.

With Adelstein and Copps so critical of the merger, all eyes will be on Robert McDowell, the third Republican on the commission.

McDowell's last job was as vice president and assistant general counsel for a trade association that has fought legislative and regulatory battles with AT&T and other major carriers.

McDowell's office reaffirmed Wednesday that he continues to proceed under the assumption that he will not participate in the vote. McDowell could be urged to vote on the deal if he were cleared to do so by the FCC's general counsel, Sam Feder. Feder declined comment.

FCC spokesman David Fiske said he is not aware whether an opinion on McDowell's withdrawal has been requested or filed.

In addition to the merger item, the FCC also moved to Friday a vote that would begin an agency inquiry into broadband industry practices. The session is expected to deal with whether Internet service providers should be forced to provide equal treatment to all traffic on their networks, a controversial issue called "network neutrality."

Complicating matters is a planned trip by Martin to China beginning next week.

Despite the strong language from Adelstein and Copps, there may be a way to come up with conditions to win their support for the merger.

The combination of San Antonio-based AT&T and Atlanta-based BellSouth would have operations in 22 states. AT&T estimates that about 10,000 jobs would be phased out over three years.

Combined, the companies generate $117 billion in revenue and operate 68.7 million local phone lines stretching coast to coast across the southern United States and up through the Midwest. The merged company would employ 309,000 people before any job cuts.

The deal would further the reunification of the Baby Bells. The seven regional telephone operating companies and one long-distance provider were spun off from the national AT&T monopoly under a federal court order designed to introduce competition.

Including BellSouth, the new AT&T would consist of four former Baby Bells and the long-distance business, which was acquired by the company late last year. The other two companies created from Bells are Verizon Communications Inc., which dominates the eastern United States, and Qwest Communications International Inc., the phone company for most of the Rocky Mountain and Northwest regions.

AT&T shares rose 19 cents, or 0.6 percent, to close Wednesday at $32.96 on the New York Stock Exchange. BellSouth shares rose 24 cents, or 0.6 percent, to $43.44.

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Associated Press writers Lara Jakes Jordan in Washington, Bruce Meyerson in New York and Harry Weber in Atlanta contributed to this report.

WHO'S THE BEST?

PLAYER G AB R H HR RBI BA Mickey Mantle 2401 8102 1677 2415 536 1509 .298 Hank Aaron 3298 12364 2174 3771 755 2297 .305 Ty Cobb 3034 11429 2245 4191 118 1961 .367 Willie Mays 2992 10881 2062 3283 660 1903 .302 Stan Musial 3026 10972 1949 3630 475 1951 .331 Babe Ruth 2503 8399 2174 2873 714 2211 .342 Mike Schmidt 2404 8352 1506 2234 548 1595 .267 Duke Snider 2143 7161 1259 2116 407 1333 .295 Ted Williams 2292 7706 1798 2654 521 1839 .344

How AP measured the meltdown at the local level

The Associated Press Economic Stress Index combines three economic indicators _ unemployment, foreclosures and bankruptcy _ as a way of gauging how the recession has affected each of America's 3,141 counties.

That measurement is expressed on a scale of 0 to 100. The information comes from three sources:

_The unemployment data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which releases a monthly report on unemployment in every county in America. The rate is calculated by dividing the number of unemployed workers by the number of eligible workers in the county.

_The foreclosure rates track an inventory of all properties in various stages of foreclosure during a given month. These are collected by a private company, RealtyTrac, which compiles data for most U.S. counties.

Most of the counties that lack foreclosure data have very small populations _ in March 2009 they accounted for about 1.1 percent of the U.S. population _ and are heavily concentrated in midwestern states with low foreclosure rates.

For such counties that have less than 25,000 residents, the Stress Index is calculated with a foreclosure value of zero, in accordance with RealtyTrac's own methodology. The handful of counties with more than 25,000 residents that have no foreclosure data were not rated in the Stress Index.

_AP reporters compiled the bankruptcy data, almost 3 million filings from the 90 U.S. bankruptcy districts. They then tabulated the number of new bankruptcy filings in the current month with the 11 months previous and divided that figure by the number of IRS tax filings in the county. This annualized rate avoids seasonal gyrations in filings.

The formula was created with the help of University of Pennsylvania professor Tony Smith, an expert in spatial statistics. It calculates the chances that someone in a county is unemployed, has a property in foreclosure or is facing bankruptcy.

The three variables are treated as independent events and weighted equally, to avoid valuing any of the three variables more than the others. If one person lost a job and their home, they count twice in the formula. If they also filed for bankruptcy, they count three times.

That gives us a numerical value on a scale of 1 to 100. If a county has an Economic Stress score of 20, this means that there is a 20 percent chance that a random worker, property owner or taxpayer in the county is suffering at least one of these three misfortunes.

One cautionary point: When ranking the hardest-hit places, it's best to focus on counties with more than 25,000 residents, about 95 percent of the U.S. population. This avoids a bias that comes from sparsely populated counties. After all, a job loss in a county of 100 residents has a much bigger proportional impact then one in a county with 100,000 people.

Auschwitz memorial closed due to flood threat

A spokesman says the site of the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau has been closed indefinitely due to a threat of flooding.

Jaroslaw Mensfelt said Tuesday that the memorial site is threatened by high water in two nearby rivers, the Vistula and the Sola, following days of heavy rain.

Archives and some exhibits, including brushes and bowls that belonged to victims, have been moved from ground level to upper floors of buildings that house them.

Mensfelt said it is the first time that Auschwitz, which gets about a million visitors a year, has closed due to the threat of flooding.

During World War II, Nazi Germany killed more than 1 million people at the death camp. The overwhelming majority of the victims were Jews.

среда, 7 марта 2012 г.

U.S. Women's Basketball Team Routs Canada

Lisa Leslie scored 16 points and Sheryl Swoopes had 13yesterday, helping the U.S. national women's basketball team remainunbeaten in pre-Olympic competition by rolling to an 80-62 victoryover Canada in Oakland, Calif.

Katrina McLain had 10 rebounds for the United States, whichran its exhibition record to 50-0, including three victories overCanada in the past week.

The national squad has one exhibition remaining -- June 15against Russia. The U.S. Olympic team will be named the next day andthe core of the squad will come from the competition-hardenednational team.

U.S. Coach Tara VanDerveer will lead the Olympic team at theAtlanta Games.

Kelly Boucher's 18 points led Canada, which had problemshandling the U.S. squad's defensive pressure and physical play onthe boards. Dianne Norman added 10 points.

The Canadians missed all 12 of their three-point tries andwere outrebounded 47-37.

Nikki McCray added 11 points and Teresa Edwards had 10 pointsand eight assists for the United States.

The U.S. women went on a 17-4 tear to go up 21-8 midwaythrough the opening period. Swoopes scored nine of her points duringthe burst, including a fast-break layup off a steal and athree-pointer from the baseline.

Under relentless pressure from a man-to-man defense, Canadashot just 32 percent and missed all six of its three-point tries inthe first half.

The United States outrebounded Canada 30-19 in the first halfalone while getting 16 second-chance points to Canada's seven.

The Canadians trailed by 27 points after McCray hit athree-pointer before outscoring the United States 6-1 over the last45 seconds to make it 45-23 at the half. WOMEN'S CYCLING: Rebecca Twigg beat Janie Quigley in the women'spursuit final Saturday night, earning the final spot on thefive-member U.S. women's cycling team. Twigg finished in 3 minutes41.31 seconds, shaving more than four seconds off Quigley's trackrecord. ROWING: Favorite Argentina dominated the Latin American Olympicqualifying regatta for rowing, which ended yesterday in Rio deJaneiro. Eight of Argentina's 11 teams won gold medals and a trip toAtlanta.

Host Brazil placed second, qualifying two teams for theOlympics, and Mexico placed third, qualifying one team.

Cuba's men's doubles team, which finished a fraction of asecond behind the Argentines, also earned a trip to Atlanta.

The two-day competition was held at Rodrigo de Freitas Lake.The Brazilian Olympic Committee spent more than $1 million torefurbish Rio's lakeside facilities, in the hopes of winning its bidto host the 2004 Olympics.