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ny0295227
|
[
"science"
] |
2016/12/18
|
Polar Bears’ Path to Decline Runs Through Alaskan Village
|
KAKTOVIK, Alaska — Come fall, polar bears are everywhere around this Arctic village, dozing on sand spits, roughhousing in the shallows, padding down the beach with cubs in tow and attracting hundreds of tourists who travel long distances to see them. At night, the bears steal into town, making it dangerous to walk outside without a firearm or bear spray. They leave only reluctantly, chased off by the polar bear patrol with firecracker shells and spotlights. On the surface, these bears might not seem like members of a species facing possible extinction. Scientists have counted up to 80 at a time in or near Kaktovik; many look healthy and plump, especially in the early fall, when their presence overlaps with the Inupiat village’s whaling season. But the bears that come here are climate refugees, on land because the sea ice they rely on for hunting seals is receding. The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, and the ice cover is retreating at a pace that even the climate scientists who predicted the decline find startling. Much of 2016 was warmer than normal , and the freeze-up came late. In November, the extent of Arctic sea ice was lower than ever recorded for that month. Though the average rate of ice growth was faster than normal for the month, over five days in mid-November the ice cover lost more than 19,000 square miles, a decline that the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Colorado called “almost unprecedented” for that time of year. In the southern Beaufort Sea, where Kaktovik’s 260 residents occupy one square mile on the northeast corner of Barter Island, sea ice loss has been especially precipitous. The continuing loss of sea ice does not bode well for polar bears, whose existence depends on an ice cover that is rapidly thinning and melting as the climate warms. As Steve Amstrup , chief scientist for Polar Bears International , a conservation organization, put it, “As the sea ice goes, so goes the polar bear.” Image Polar bears holding each other in waters near the village. The continuing loss of ice bodes ill for them. Credit Josh Haner/The New York Times An Imperfect Symbol The largest of the bear species and a powerful apex predator, the charismatic polar bear became the poster animal for climate change. Al Gore’s 2006 film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” which depicted a lone polar bear struggling in a virtually iceless Arctic sea, tied the bears to climate change in many people’s minds. And the federal government’s 2008 decision to list polar bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act — a designation based in part on the future danger posed by a loss of sea ice — cemented the link. But even as the polar bear’s symbolic role has raised awareness, some scientists say it has also oversimplified the bears’ plight and unwittingly opened the door to attacks by climate denialists. “When you’re using it as a marketing tool and to bring in donations, there can be a tendency to lose the nuance in the message,” said Todd Atwood , a research wildlife biologist at the United States Geological Survey’s Alaska Science Center . “And with polar bears in particular, I think the nuances are important.” Few scientists dispute that in the long run — barring definitive action by countries to curb global greenhouse gas emissions — polar bears are in trouble, and experts have predicted that the number will decrease with continued sea ice loss. A 2015 assessment for the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List projected a reduction of over 30 percent in the number of polar bears by 2050, while noting that there was uncertainty about how extensive or rapid the decline of the bears — or the ice — would be. A version of the assessment was published online Dec. 7 in the journal Biology Letters. But the effect of climate change in the shorter term is less clear cut, and a populationwide decline is not yet apparent. Nineteen subpopulations of polar bears inhabit five countries that ring the Arctic Circle — Canada, the United States, Norway, Greenland and Russia. Of those, three populations, including the polar bears in the southern Beaufort Sea, are falling in number. But six other populations are stable. One is increasing. And scientists have so little information about the remaining nine that they are unable to gauge their numbers or their health. In their analysis, the researchers who conducted the Red List assessment concluded that polar bears should remain listed as “vulnerable,” rather than be moved up to a more endangered category. Yet numbers aside, scientists are seeing other, more subtle indicators that the species is at increasing risk, including changes in the bears’ physical condition , body size , reproduction and survival rates . And scientists have linked some of these changes to a loss of sea ice and an increase in ice-free days in the areas where the bears live . Climate-change denialists have seized on the uncertainties in the science to argue that polar bears are doing fine and that sea ice loss does not pose a threat to their survival. But wildlife biologists say there is little question that the trend, for both sea ice and polar bears, is downward. The decline of a species, they note, is never a steady march to extinction. “It’s not going to happen in a smooth, linear way,” said Eric Regehr , a biologist at the federal Fish and Wildlife Service in Anchorage who took part in the 2015 assessment and presented the findings at a meeting in June of the International Union’s Polar Bear Specialist Group. Image A bowhead whale that was caught near Kaktovik. Credit Josh Haner/The New York Times From Sea to Shore A dozen polar bears pick through the bone pile that sits just outside town. Men from the whaling crews had dumped the carcass of a bowhead whale on the pile earlier in the day. As two visitors watch from the safety of a pickup truck a few hundred yards away, the bears devour the leftover meat and blubber. The Inupiat people, who have been whaling here for thousands of years, believe that a whale gives itself to the crew that captures it. Once the animal’s body is pulled to shore, water is poured over it to free its spirit. Even a few decades ago, most polar bears in the southern Beaufort Sea remained on the ice year-round or, if they did come to shore, stopped only briefly. The sea ice gave them ready access to seals, the staple of their high-fat diet. But as the climate has warmed, the spring thaw has come earlier and the fall freeze later. The pack ice that was once visible from Kaktovik even in summertime has retreated hundreds of miles offshore, well beyond the southern Beaufort’s narrow continental shelf. The edge of the pack ice is now over deep water, where seals are few and far between and the distance to land is a long swim, even for a polar bear. As a result, researchers have found, a larger proportion of the bears in the southern Beaufort region are choosing to spend time on shore: an average of 20 percent compared with 6 percent two decades earlier, according to a recently published study by Dr. Atwood of the Geological Survey and his colleagues that tracked female bears with radio collars. And the bears are staying on land longer — this year they arrived in August and stayed into November — remaining an average of 56 days compared with an average of 20 days two decades ago. “It’s one of two choices: Stay with the pack ice, or come to shore,” Dr. Atwood said of the southern Beaufort bears. “If they sit on that ice and those waters are very deep, it will be harder for them to find nutrition.” The shifts that researchers are seeing go beyond where polar bears decide to spend their summers. In the southern Beaufort Sea and in the western Hudson Bay — the two subpopulations studied the most by researchers — bears are going into the winter skinnier and in poorer condition. They are also smaller. And older and younger bears are less likely to survive than in the past. “You see it reflected through the whole population,” said Andrew Derocher, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Alberta, who has studied polar bears for 32 years. “They just don’t grow as fast, and they don’t grow as big.” Image Tourists watched the bears scavenge whale remains. Credit Josh Haner/The New York Times ‘An Urgency’ to Visit The proliferation of polar bears in Kaktovik in the fall has drawn wildlife photographers, journalists and climate-change tourists to the village, filling its two small hotels or flying in from Fairbanks for the day on chartered planes. About 1,200 people came to view the bears in 2015, and the number is increasing year by year, according to Robert Thompson , an Inupiat guide who owns one of six boats that take tourists to view the bears. Some visitors are surprised at the bears’ darkened coats, dirty from rolling in sand and whale remains. “They don’t look like polar bears,” one man from the Netherlands said. “But it does not matter. I will Photoshop them when I get home.” Susan Trucano, who arrived in early September with her son, Matthew, said they wanted to see polar bears in the wild before they were driven to extinction. “It was an urgency to come here,” Ms. Trucano said. “My fear was that we would lose the opportunity of seeing these magnificent animals.” The increasing tourism has been a financial boon for some people in Kaktovik, but it has upset others. Tourists take up seats on the small commercial flights in and out of the village during the fall months when the bears are there, crowding out residents who need to fly to Anchorage or Fairbanks. And some visitors wander through town snapping pictures without asking permission, or get in the way of the rituals that accompany the whale hunt. Last year, an intrusive tourist nearly came to blows with one of the whaling captains. For the most part, polar bears and people have coexisted peacefully here. Village residents are tolerant of the bears — “They could break right in here, but they know the rules,” said Merlyn Traynor, a proprietor of the Waldo Arms Hotel — and with the whale remains, they have little reason to come after humans. Image A patrol chasing a bear out of Kaktovik. The bears steal into town at night and leave only reluctantly. Credit Josh Haner/The New York Times But as the Arctic ice continues to shrink, bears are arriving in poorer condition and are staying longer, even as the number of tourists increases. Interaction between bears and humans is becoming more common, as it has in other parts of the Arctic , exposing the polar bears to more stress and the people to more danger. So far, there have been no attacks on humans, but there have been some close calls. “They never used to come into town, or maybe occasionally, like once a year or so,” Mr. Thompson said. “Now they’re in town every night.” Polar bear experts say they worry that at some point the number of bears seeking food here will exceed what is available. “When polar bears are fat and happy and in good condition, they’re not that big of a threat,” said James Wilder, an expert who recently completed a study of polar bear attacks on humans. “But when they get skinny and nutritionally stressed, you’ve got to watch out.” Image A mother with three cubs in Kaktovik. Credit Josh Haner/The New York Times A Habitat Endangered Threatened species like lions or wolves face predictable threats: poaching and hunting, or the encroachment of human settlements on their habitat. But the biggest threat to the polar bear is something no regulatory authority involved in wildlife conservation can address: the unregulated release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Sport hunting once posed a significant danger to polar bears, greatly shrinking their numbers in some areas until 1973, when an agreement among the Arctic countries restricted hunting to members of indigenous groups, and the populations began to rebound. Oil spills, pollution and over-hunting still pose some risk. But these dangers pale compared with the loss of sea ice. Image Researchers are concerned about how long polar bears can survive without the high-fat nutrition seals provide. Credit Josh Haner/The New York Times For many researchers, the most pressing question is how many days a polar bear can survive on land without the steady source of high-fat nutrition that seals usually provide. “A bear needs sea ice in order to kill seals and be a polar bear,” said Dr. Regehr of the Fish and Wildlife Service. “That’s a bottom line.” Some scientists have suggested that the bears might learn to survive on other types of food — snow geese, for example — or that they might learn to catch seals in the water, without relying on the ice as a platform. But most researchers say that is unlikely. Such changes usually evolve over thousands of years, said David Douglas , a research wildlife biologist at the Geological Survey, who spoke at the specialists group meeting. But the loss of sea ice “is taking place over potentially a very rapid time frame, where there may not be a lot of time in polar bear generations to home in on behaviors that could give some advantage,” he said. Much depends on how much of the ice disappears. Under some climate models, if steps are taken to control greenhouse gas emissions, the species could recover. And some evidence suggests that during an earlier warming period polar bears took refuge in an archipelago in the Canadian Arctic. In Kaktovik, at least for now, whales are providing the bears with an alternative source of food. But dead whale is not a polar bear’s preferred cuisine. “The bears are not here because we hunt whales,” said Mr. Thompson. “They’re here because their habitat has gone away, and it’s several hundred miles of open water out there.”
|
Polar bear;Climate Change;Global Warming;Kaktovik;Endangered Species;International Union for Conservation of Nature;Arctic;Beaufort Sea;Ice
|
ny0283803
|
[
"sports",
"basketball"
] |
2016/07/23
|
Argentina’s Luis Scola Adds Olympic Flag-Bearer to his Résumé
|
Luis Scola thought Argentina’s time might have passed. The Golden Generation had grown old, the younger players had not grown up enough, and when the Argentines went out weakly two years ago in the Basketball World Cup, Scola considered walking away rather than chasing more medals. But Argentina is back in the Olympics, and this time Scola is not just leading the basketball team. He is leading the entire delegation. Scola will carry the flag in the opening ceremony, capping an amazing turn of events. Two years ago he was not sure he wanted to keep playing. “I had the chance to play four Olympics, to play 10 years in the N.B.A., to carry the flag for my country, win an Olympic gold medal,’’ Scola said. “I mean, different things that happened along those days that I couldn’t even dream of those because it would be too wild to dream. So it’s been quite a journey, it’s been quite a ride.” It began with the national team in 1998 and would peak with Argentina’s rise to the top of world basketball. The Argentines won gold at the 2004 Olympics, bronze in 2008, a silver medal at the 2002 world championships, and were once ranked No. 1 in the world. Manu Ginobili became the face of those teams while going on to win four N.B.A. championships with the San Antonio Spurs. But it has been Scola, 36, who kept playing with the national team, carrying it through qualifying tournaments when Ginobili could not or would not play. “His career with the national team is just unbelievable,” Ginobili said. “He’s played every tournament there was to play, and every single one of them at a very high level. So Luis is our guy. He’s our main guy, especially since we don’t have a lot of size. We need him in the paint. He’s been the most reliable guy ever.” That is why it became so hard for Scola when the program appeared to have crumbled. The 2014 World Cup in Spain was supposed to be the farewell for the group known as the Golden Generation. But Ginobili got hurt, leaving Scola to try to carry an undermanned team largely alone. He hated that Argentina did not compete for a title, but even more so that he felt the federation was not doing enough to further the sport he had done so much to grow in his country. Scola, who wants to play all year, even considered ending his international career. He said that 2014 “was a very rough year and yes, I thought it could be it, because it was a lot of bad things going on. The federation and the guys running it, it wasn’t really working. It was going very, very bad and I just didn’t feel like I wanted to play for them anymore, and we were all feeling the same.” But a change atop the federation, which is now led by Federico Susbielles, energized Scola, as did the return of Ginobili, 38, who thought he would be retired by now. Two other mainstays — Andres Nocioni, 36, and Carlos Delfino, 33 — are also headed to the Rio Games and will be walking in the opening ceremony behind their teammate. “It creates better hope, better energy, so I feel refreshed,” Scola said. Scola signed with the Nets last week after spending last season on the best team in Toronto Raptors history. He is no longer as effective in the N.B.A. as he is in international play, but he remains a popular and respected teammate. “I’ve played with Scola five years total. I’ve never had a bad day with him. Never,” Kyle Lowry of the Raptors said. Scola is realistic about Argentina’s Olympic chances in a difficult group that includes Spain, Lithuania and Brazil — the team that ousted Argentina two years ago. The Argentines are not good enough to duplicate what they did in Athens, but Scola hopes they will play just as hard. “Obviously what we achieved in 2004 was the highlight of our careers, something that has never been done for our country,” Scola said. “It was a great run. Obviously right now we’re in a different stage. It’s going to be a little bit more difficult for us right now, but we’re going to compete. It’s going to be fun.”
|
2016 Summer Olympics;Basketball;Argentina;Luis Scola
|
ny0076290
|
[
"technology"
] |
2015/05/16
|
Carl Icahn Invests $100 Million in Lyft
|
For years, Travis Kalanick, chief executive of Uber, has been the loudest public voice on how ride-hailing start-ups will upend the transportation industry. Now comes Carl C. Icahn . Mr. Icahn, one of Wall Street’s most outspoken activist investors and aggressive Twitter users , announced on Friday that he had invested $100 million in Lyft, the fast-growing ride-booking start-up and single largest competitor to Uber in the United States. Along with an additional $50 million from other investors that Lyft did not disclose, the new investment is an extension of a $530 million round that the start-up raised in March, which values the company at $2.5 billion. “There’s room for two in this area,” Mr. Icahn said in a phone interview on Friday. “What I’m saying is there is a secular change going on with the way people are getting around, and with urbanization, it means more people living in urban areas.” John Zimmer, Lyft’s president and co-founder, said the company planned to use the capital to continue growing in the United States, while honing the company’s smartphone app. The company, which is based in San Francisco, has previously hinted at international expansion, though Lyft has not announced any plans to move abroad. Lyft and Uber have been raising money at a breakneck pace. To date, Uber has raised more than $5 billion, and is currently in discussions to raise another $1.5 billion , a person with knowledge of the talks has said, potentially valuing the company at $50 billion — 20 times that of Lyft’s current valuation. More surprising is Mr. Icahn’s involvement, which underscores how institutional investors like hedge funds and mutual funds are all looking to invest in privately held tech companies. Mr. Icahn rarely invests in closely held start-ups and will be a strange bedfellow to some of his Lyft co-investors, particularly Marc Andreessen, the co-founder of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. Mr. Andreessen once called Mr. Icahn an “evil Captain Kirk,” a reference to the “Star Trek” character. Image “They reached out to us and I found the opportunity very compelling,” the investor Carl Icahn said of Lyft’s pitch to him. Credit Chad Batka for The New York Times The two seem to have set aside their differences. Speaking about his spat with Mr. Andreessen, Mr. Icahn said, “I never said he wasn’t a smart guy.” “To hold a grudge on Wall Street you have to be a fool,” he added. With the Lyft investment, Mr. Icahn has negotiated a board seat for Jonathan Christodoro, a managing director of Mr. Icahn’s hedge fund, Icahn Enterprises. Mr. Christodoro will join Scott Weiss, a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, who also sits on Lyft’s board. The $100 million investment came about through a connection between Mr. Christodoro and Mr. Zimmer of Lyft, who both did their undergraduate studies at Cornell University. Lyft then called to pitch Mr. Icahn. “They reached out to us and I found the opportunity very compelling,” Mr. Icahn said in the interview. Mr. Icahn has long invested in public tech companies, often having contentious relationships with his portfolio companies. Once labeled a corporate raider for his abrasive style, Mr. Icahn typically buys up stakes in public companies and then rattles the board for change, pushing for bigger windfalls for investors and often getting his way. He has hounded Apple to buy back more shares and make use of its cash hoard. In April, after Apple agreed to buy back $30 billion of stock under pressure from Mr. Icahn, his response was that the company could do “a lot more, sooner.” Last year, Mr. Icahn pushed for a partial spinoff of the electronic payments business PayPal from its parent, eBay, spurring a vitriolic war of words with the company. EBay later decided to split PayPal and its marketplace unit into two different companies. In 2012 and 2013, Mr. Icahn called Netflix shares undervalued and pushed for a sale. He has also faced off against Edward J. Zander, the former chief executive of Motorola, pushing him to find ways to give more back to shareholders. And Mr. Icahn engaged in a grueling battle with Michael S. Dell to prevent Mr. Dell from taking his computer company private at what was deemed too low a price. As much an entertainer as a serious investor, Mr. Icahn is well versed in using the media — and more recently, social media — to help prevail in his battles. He was among the first hedge fund managers to use Twitter to make his voice heard. “Twitter is great,” Mr. Icahn announced in his first message on Twitter. “I like it almost as much as I like Dell.”
|
Carl Icahn;Lyft;Uber;Venture capital;Car Service;Startup
|
ny0293697
|
[
"sports"
] |
2016/06/07
|
Muhammad Ali: The Champion Who Never Sold Out
|
Muhammad Ali was an ungentrified black man. That simple truth has resonated in my heart the past few days as volumes of praise and tributes have been lavished on Ali and his legacy. I had not expected to be this sad. We all knew this day was coming, that he would die, but the finality of it has been a bit difficult to accept. Now I understand what my father meant many years ago. He said that when Joe Louis died, he felt that he lost a little bit of himself. Louis had helped frame the ethos of my father’s generation of black men and women as Ali helped frame mine. Louis’s warning to his opponents summed up the determination of my father’s generation: You can run, but you can’t hide. Ali told us to float like butterflies and sting like bees. We all have the heroes and legends of our youth. I am forever grateful that the athlete I most respected and admired taught me the realities of life in the United States — that being an active, conscious black person in America meant traveling a road on which wealth and trinkets would test the will of men and women of principle. Gentrification is on my mind because I live in Harlem and have watched as this and other previously black neighborhoods around the country have been gobbled up and transformed from black to nonblack. Black homeowners, eschewing neighborhood and community, sell for million-dollar trinkets. Ali never sold. I was a high school junior when he was stripped of his heavyweight title. When his championship belt was taken, Ali effectively said that it was a mere trinket, nothing compared with the principle he was being asked to give up. I loved that, and I would try — sometimes succeeding, sometimes not — to live by that ideal. I met Ali for the first time in the 1970s while working at Ebony magazine. The year I arrived at Ebony, Ali pulled off the greatest boxing upset I have ever seen, knocking out the seemingly invincible, previously undefeated George Foreman in Zaire. Image Ali battled George Foreman in Zaire in 1974. Credit Associated Press Two of Ali’s three fights against Joe Frazier were classics, but the victory over Foreman was transformative. For Foreman, it was life-altering. I never spoke to Ali about the Foreman fight, but I spoke plenty about it with Foreman. He was devastated and eventually took a 10-year hiatus from boxing. Foreman said he had a religious revelation. I think the revelation was Ali, and everything he stood for. It was during that period that my friend Greg Simms, then the sports editor at Jet magazine, called me one afternoon and asked if I wanted to go to Ali’s house. Of course I did. But once inside, in the presence of an athlete I held in such high regard, I wasn’t sure what to say, and said nothing. I just stood there. Life went on. In September 1976, I covered Ali’s third bout against Ken Norton, at Yankee Stadium. Two years later, I left Ebony to become a feature writer and jazz critic for The Baltimore Sun, and from there, I joined The New York Times in 1982. By that point, the impact Ali had made on my life — the strong belief I now had that black athletes needed to express themselves politically — was set. The Greatest? Here’s Why. Don’t keep your chin up. Don’t drop your hands. Don’t get pinned in the corner. Muhammad Ali’s boxing style defied all these conventions. And yet, he was the greatest. I was in Atlanta for the 1996 Summer Games when Ali lit the Olympic torch and seemed to set the world on fire. Two years later, I was at the United Nations when Kofi Annan, then the secretary general, presented Ali with the Messenger of Peace Award. In 2005, I was in Louisville, Ky., for the dedication of the Muhammad Ali Center. In each of these instances, the toll that Parkinson’s disease was taking on Ali was increasingly evident. Still, Ali kept up a grueling schedule. After the Louisville event, for example, he was scheduled to fly to Germany to receive an award. I asked his wife, Lonnie, why Ali kept traveling, why he subjected himself to the grind. She said: “People always ask: ‘Isn’t he tired? Shouldn’t he rest?’ Muhammad says, ‘I got plenty of time to rest.’” My last real exchange with Ali came at the Sydney Olympics, in 2000, during a reception. By now, his Parkinson’s had progressed to the point that you really had to strain to make out his words. Yet Ali was in great form. Asked how it had felt to light the Olympic torch four years earlier, Ali said: “Scary as hell. My left hand was shaking because of Parkinson’s; my right hand was shaking from fear. Somehow, between the two of them, I got the thing lit.” When someone asked him to name his toughest foe, Ali said: “U.S. military. Next toughest fight was my first wife.” Image Andrew Hale and his daughter Chloe, 3, at a makeshift memorial at the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville. Credit David Goldman/Associated Press Later, in his hotel room, I was speaking with Ali when he looked at me and asked, “What’s your name?” Of course he knew my name, but he wanted to make a larger point. “Bill Rhoden,” I said, knowing what was coming. “That’s not your name. That’s your slave name.” He talked for another 15 minutes about racism and oppression and history. What I gleaned from Ali’s life, as I’ve lived mine, is that the goal is not to go through life undefeated. The quest is to exercise resilience and come back stronger. Beloved by much of the world, Ali was nonetheless consistently, unapologetically black. I loved that about him. Muhammad Ali was an ungentrified black man.
|
Boxing;Muhammad Ali;Black People,African-Americans
|
ny0009000
|
[
"business",
"global"
] |
2013/05/25
|
China Plans to Reduce the State’s Role in the Economy
|
SHANGHAI — The Chinese government is planning for private businesses and market forces to play a larger role in its economy, in a major policy shift intended to improve living conditions for the middle class and to make China an even stronger competitor on the global stage. In a speech to party cadres containing some of the boldest pro-market rhetoric they have heard in more than a decade, the country’s new prime minister, Li Keqiang, said this month that the central government would reduce the state’s role in economic matters in the hope of unleashing the creative energies of a nation with the world’s second-largest economy after that of the United States. On Friday, the Chinese government issued a set of policy proposals that seemed to show that Mr. Li and other leaders were serious about reducing government intervention in the marketplace and giving competition among private businesses a bigger role in investment decisions and setting prices. Whether Beijing can restructure an economy that is thoroughly addicted to state credit and government directives is unclear. But analysts see such announcements as the strongest signs yet that top policy makers are serious about revamping the nation’s growth model. “This is radical stuff, really,” said Stephen Green, an economist at the British bank Standard Chartered and an expert on the Chinese economy. “People have talked about this for a long time, but now we’re getting a clearly spoken reform agenda from the top.” China’s leaders are under greater pressure to change as growth slows and the limitations of its state-led, investment-driven economy are becoming more evident. This month, manufacturing activity contracted for the first time in seven months, according to an independent survey by HSBC. Economists are lowering their growth forecasts and weighing the risks associated with high levels of corporate and government debt that have built up over the last five years. Image Li Keqiang, China’s prime minister, said the nation would reduce the state’s role in the economy in hopes of unleashing the country’s creative energies. Credit Rajanish Kakade/Associated Press “There are quite a number of messages coming from these new leaders,” said Huang Yiping, chief economist for emerging Asia at the British bank Barclays. “They realize that if we continue to delay reforms, the economy could be in deep trouble.” The broad proposals include expanding a tax on natural resources, taking gradual steps to allow market forces to determine bank interest rates and developing policies to “promote the effective entry of private capital into finance, energy, railways, telecommunications and other spheres,” according to a directive issued on the government’s Web site. “All of society is ardently awaiting new breakthroughs in reform,” the directive said. Foreign investors will be given more opportunities to invest in finance, logistics, health care and other sectors. For years, Western governments, banks and companies have complained that the China government has impeded foreign investment in banking and other service industries, despite promising to open up. The latest directive, however, did not give details about the specific changes to foreign investment rules that policy makers in Beijing have in mind. China’s leaders are also promising to loosen foreign exchange controls, changes that are likely to reduce price distortions in the economy and allow the market to determine the value of the Chinese currency, the renminbi. On Friday, the central bank, the People’s Bank of China, issued a statement that repeated such vows. The push does not signal the end of big government in China. The Communist Party, experts say, is unlikely to abandon the state capitalist model, break up huge, state-run oligopolies or privatize major sectors of the economy that the party considers strategic, like banking, energy and telecommunications. Beijing seems to be pressing ahead because it has few alternatives. The economy has slowed this year because of fewer exports to Europe and the United States and slower investment growth. Rising labor costs and a strengthening currency have also reduced manufacturing competitiveness. China’s leaders, including a group of pro-market bureaucrats who seem to have gained in the leadership shuffle this year, seem to think that more government spending could worsen economic conditions and that the private sector needs to step in. Image The People’s Bank of China issued a statement that repeated promises made by Beijing’s leaders to speed up efforts to liberalize interest rates and loosen foreign exchange controls. Credit Mark Ralston/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images China is also facing significant changes in its demographics and drivers of economic growth. The population is rapidly aging, and the number of young people entering the work force has begun to decline. Those shifts are forcing China to upgrade its industrial operations and compete using something other than inexpensive goods and low-cost labor, analysts say. Nicholas R. Lardy, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and an authority on the Chinese economy, said government controls on interest rates, the exchange rate and the price of energy had resulted in a huge misallocation of capital and unbalanced growth. “These reforms would raise household income and reduce savings, providing a double-barreled boost to private consumption,” Mr. Lardy said. To succeed, China’s leaders will have to fend off powerful interest groups, as well as corrupt officials who have grown accustomed to using their political power to enrich themselves and their families through bribes and secret stakes in companies. The previous administration, led by President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, also promised to deepen economic overhauls and strengthen the private sector. But analysts say they lacked the political clout needed to succeed. During their two five-year terms, the state’s role in the economy actually expanded. The new leaders, who took office in March after a once-in-a-decade leadership transition, seem more determined to change course. In his speech this month, delivered to party officials nationwide by teleconference, Mr. Li, the prime minister, said, “If we place excessive reliance on government steering and policy leverage to stimulate growth, that will be difficult to sustain and could even produce new problems and risks.” “The market is the creator of social wealth and the wellspring of self-sustaining economic development,” he said. He spoke of deregulation and slimming down the role of government. “Li Keqiang thinks like an economist,” said Barry J. Naughton, a professor of Chinese economy at the University of California, San Diego. “He wants the government to get out of the way.”
|
Li Keqiang;China;Economy;Politics;Communist Party of China
|
ny0080510
|
[
"world",
"americas"
] |
2015/02/23
|
Amid a Slump, a Crackdown for Venezuela
|
CARACAS, Venezuela — For a glimpse into Venezuela’s economic disarray, slip into a travel agency here and book a round-trip flight to Maracaibo, on the other side of the country, for just $16. Need a book to read on the plane? For those with hard currency, a new copy of “50 Shades of Grey” goes for $2.50. Forget your toothpaste? A tube of Colgate costs 7 cents. Quite the bargain, right? But for the majority of Venezuelans who lack easy access to dollars, such surreal prices reflect a tremendous currency devaluation and a crumbling economy expected to contract 7 percent this year as oil income plunges and price controls produce acute shortages of items including milk, detergent and condoms . “I’ve seen people die on the operating table because we didn’t have the basic tools for surgeries,” said Valentina Herrera, 35, a pediatrician at a public hospital in Maracay, a city near Caracas. She said she planned to look for other work because making ends meet on her salary of 5,622 bolívars a month — $33 at a new exchange rate unveiled recently — was impossible. Faced with tumbling approval ratings as Venezuelans reel from the economic shock, President Nicolás Maduro is intensifying a crackdown on his opponents, reflected in last week’s arrest of Antonio Ledezma, the mayor of Caracas, and his indictment on charges of conspiracy and plotting an American-backed coup. Mr. Maduro, a protégé of President Hugo Chávez, who died in 2013, has adopted an increasingly shrill tone against critics of Venezuela’s so-called Bolivarian Revolution. As evidence against Mr. Ledezma, Mr. Maduro pointed to an open letter this month calling for “a national agreement for a transition” that was signed by Mr. Ledezma; Leopoldo López, another opposition figure who has been imprisoned for the past year; and María Corina Machado, an opposition politician charged in December with plotting to assassinate Mr. Maduro. “In Venezuela we are thwarting a coup supported and promoted from the north,” Mr. Maduro said over the weekend on Twitter. “The aggression of power from the United States is total and on a daily basis.” Mr. Maduro is taking a page from Mr. Chávez, who was briefly ousted in a 2002 coup with the Bush administration’s tacit approval, then made attacking Washington and locking up people suspected of being putschists a fixture of his government. But the State Department has disputed Mr. Maduro’s claims, saying the United States is not promoting unrest in Venezuela. At the same time, the move by Mr. Maduro points to a hardening in how opposition figures here are treated. Thirty-three of the 50 opposition mayors in the country are now facing legal action in connection with antigovernment protests last year that left 43 people dead, according to Gerardo Blyde, the mayor of Baruta, a Caracas municipality. Image The wife of Mayor Antonio Ledezma of Caracas, Mitzy. Mr. Ledezma was arrested last week on charges of plotting an American-backed coup. Credit Miguel Gutierrez/European Pressphoto Agency One prominent opposition mayor, Daniel Ceballos of the city of San Cristóbal, has been in jail for the past year, while another, Enzo Scarano of the industrial town of San Diego in Carabobo State, was transferred from jail to house arrest last month because of deteriorating health. The arrest of Mr. Ledezma, 59, who was democratically elected but had much of his authority stripped away in 2009 , has even some pro-Chávez analysts questioning the wisdom of Mr. Maduro’s move. While Mr. Ledezma joined a hardline faction of the opposition last year called “the Exit,” he was not viewed as especially prominent or influential. “Fueling suspicion is a distraction tactic from the huge currency devaluation we’ve had to withstand,” said Nicmer Evans, a pro-Chávez political consultant who is among those on the left here now openly criticizing Mr. Maduro. “What’s not clear is the proof of wrongdoing in this case.” With inflation soaring to a rate of 68 percent, the Venezuelan authorities are seeking to manage the economic crisis with a complex web of three official exchange rates. For instance, some basic goods are imported at rates of 6.3 and 12 bolívars to the dollar, but a new floating rate of about 171 was introduced last week, effectively reflecting a devaluation of nearly 70 percent. On the black market, which some Venezuelans already use to carry out basic transactions, the rate is even higher. Even for some Chávez loyalists, Mr. Maduro seems to be in over his head in dealing with the scramble for hard currency. Jorge Giordani, one of the late president’s top economic advisers, said this month that Venezuela was emerging as Latin America’s “laughingstock,” citing corruption and labyrinthine bureaucracy as factors accentuating the economic quagmire. “We need to acknowledge the crisis, comrades,” said Mr. Giordani, whom the president ousted last year as finance and planning minister. Indeed, some economists say that the government’s hesitance to overhaul its perplexing currency controls could intensify Venezuela’s economic problems. “The system is going haywire,” said Francisco Rodríguez, chief Andean economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, emphasizing that galloping price increases could soon enter the realm of hyperinflation, accelerating to triple digits this year and to more than 1,000 percent in 2016 if policies are maintained. Mr. Maduro seems to recognize that some profound economic changes are needed in Venezuela, which commands the world’s largest oil reserves, creating the illusion of inexhaustible wealth . He supports raising the price of gasoline, which costs less than 10 cents a gallon at the strongest official exchange rate; there is considerable resistance to such a shift even though the fuel subsidy costs the government more than $12 billion a year. Image Antonio Ledezma Credit Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters But ahead of congressional elections this year in which Mr. Maduro’s supporters seem vulnerable, the president is also seeking to shore up his base. Mr. Ledezma’s wife, Mitzy, told Reuters on Sunday that the president was showing his dictatorial tendencies. “He knows that every day there are more opponents,” she said. Despite the widespread complaints about hardship and high levels of violent crime, some here remain loyal to Mr. Maduro out of gratitude for a vast array of social welfare programs. “I’ll vote for Maduro until I die,” said Marco Miraval, 77, who sells coconuts in 23 de Enero, a sprawling housing complex that is a bastion for pro-Chávez groups, pointing to Mr. Maduro’s support of subsidized university education and health care. He said Venezuela’s economic problems were a result of Washington’s pressure on the government. “It’s because they’re being sabotaged by this economic war,” he said. Still, while Venezuela’s opposition remains divided and hampered by the arrests of some leading figures, Mr. Maduro lacks the oratorical skill of Mr. Chávez, who skewered his opponents in what often seemed like a stream-of-consciousness approach to governing that kept many Venezuelans on the edge of their seats. “Maduro is trying to consolidate his leadership without having the charisma to do so,” said Margarita López Maya, a historian who studies protest movements, describing his latest moves as amounting to “an excess of authoritarianism.” In the meantime, bizarre prices persist for many basic services, punishing those who earn and save in bolívars while benefiting an elite with access to hard currency in bank accounts abroad. For instance, monthly broadband service from the state telecommunications company costs less than the equivalent of $1. The monthly electricity bill for a huge luxury apartment, with air-conditioning on at all hours, comes to less than $2. Even that absurdly cheap flight to Maracaibo is more complicated than it appears since some airlines have trouble obtaining the dollars they need to maintain their planes. “You’ll see things you’ll never believe: half a dozen aircraft from just one airline just waiting on the ground because they don’t have parts,” said Nicolás Veloz, a pilot based in Caracas. For some Venezuelans who are struggling to get by, the economic disorder they see explains the president’s targeting of his opponents. “Maduro is terrified, and so he’s using more totalitarian methods, putting politicians in prison with so many police,” said Eduardo de Sousa, 28, a pharmaceutical lab assistant. “They know that the revolution is over, and they’re scared.”
|
Venezuela;Nicolas Maduro;Antonio Ledezma;Caracas;Currency;Economy
|
ny0142216
|
[
"business"
] |
2008/11/21
|
Stocks Drop Sharply and Credit Markets Seize Up
|
As a new bout of fear gripped the financial markets, stocks fell sharply again on Thursday, continuing a months-long plunge that has wiped out the gains of the last decade. The credit markets seized up as confidence in the nation’s financial system ebbed and people rushed to put money in Treasuries, the safest of investments. Some markets are now back to where they were before Congress approved the $700 billion financial rescue in October. The Dow Jones industrial average fell nearly 445 points, or 5.6 percent. The broad market sank to its lowest level since 1997 — before the dot-com boom, the Nasdaq market bust and the ensuing bull market that drove stocks to record heights. With Thursday’s rout, $8.3 trillion in stock market wealth has been erased in the last 13 months. Investors are growing increasingly worried that big banks like Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America, which have all received billions of dollars from the government to bolster their finances, are still too weak. The price of Citigroup’s shares plunged 26.4 percent on Thursday and other financial shares fell to fresh lows. Citigroup, which is under pressure from some investors to split itself or sell businesses, plans to hold a meeting on Friday to update executives on the company’s condition. The Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index fell 6.7 percent, leaving that benchmark down about 52 percent from its peak in October 2007. The Dow Jones industrial average closed at 7,552.29, barely above its low in October 2002 during the depths of the last bear market. The Nasdaq fell 5 percent, to 1,316.12. “This is a response to real fear,” said Marc D. Stern, chief investment officer at Bessemer Trust, an investment firm in New York. “We each have to look inside and say, is the fear warranted?” The fear was reflected in a stampede for the safety of government securities. The Treasury’s benchmark 10-year bill rose 2- 22/32, to 106- 10/32 and the yield, which moves in the opposite direction from the price, was at 3.01 percent, down from 3.32 percent late Wednesday. The sell-off in equities gathered force over the last several days and brought an abrupt end to what had been a modest improvement in financial markets. After the Federal Reserve began making short-term loans directly to businesses last month, a semblance of normalcy returned to credit markets, and the stock market, although volatile, held above its old lows. But investor confidence, which has been shaky since the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, was dealt a severe blow when the Treasury Department announced last week that it would not buy troubled mortgage assets using the $700 billion that Congress approved in October. Economic reports showing rising unemployment, falling consumer prices and disastrous retail sales compounded the damage. The risk that one or all of the Detroit automakers might go bankrupt added to the gloom. “The profit drag on corporate America is widening and deepening, and this is leading to more layoffs and cutbacks in capital spending, which is extending and deepening the recession,” said Stuart Schweitzer, global markets strategist for J.P. Morgan Private Bank. “We’ve gotten into a full-blown, self-feeding downturn.” More bad economic news arrived on Thursday morning the Labor Department reported that new claims for unemployment benefits rose to a seasonally adjusted 542,000 last week, the highest level since July 1992. Unemployment is also climbing at a rapid clip in Europe, and the once-sizzling economies in Asia and Latin America are starting to sputter. Early on Friday, Singapore reported that its third-quarter gross domestic product fell at a 6.8 percent annualized pace. In Asian trading early Friday, stocks were down nearly 3 percent in Japan, Australia and New Zealand. On Thursday, most European markets closed down more than 3 percent for the day. The global nature of the slowdown is a reason that oil prices have fallen spectacularly in recent months. On Thursday, oil futures, which had touched $145 this summer, settled below $50 a barrel for the first time since 2005. The sell-off in markets has been all the more severe because of forced selling by hedge funds, mutual funds, insurance companies and banks, all of which are being compelled to sell at the same time because of pressures from investors, lenders, regulators and rising insurance claims. There have been spectacular declines in investments like commercial mortgage-backed securities, which are collections of loans backed by shopping malls, office buildings and apartments. Prices of those securities have fallen 20 percent just this month, mostly in response to a report about anticipated defaults on just two loans. The price of insuring against a default on commercial mortgages has more than doubled in less than a week. “Where the credit markets are trading, it’s all but implying a 1929 scenario,” said Joe Balestrino, fixed income strategist at Federated Investors, who added that he thought prices had fallen too far in many cases. The troubles in the credit market are not limited to risky assets. The mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which the government took over in September, have had to pay a steep premium over rates at which the Treasury borrows because policy makers have not explicitly guaranteed their debt. Investors said the weak condition of many large banks had exacerbated the pain in the financial system because those institutions served as critical intermediaries in the trading of securities, particularly in the credit markets, where securities do not trade on exchanges. Because they need every spare dollar to shore up their own health, those banks are not as willing to make markets in securities that may be even slightly risky. Shares of Citigroup, for instance, have fallen more than 50 percent this week, to $4.71. Earlier in the week, the bank said it would nearly double previously announced layoffs to 52,000, or 14 percent of its total staff. Other big institutions like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have been reducing their reliance on borrowed money because they have decided to become bank holding companies subject to regulation by the Federal Reserve. “They are the middleman, and they have just gotten killed,” Andrew Feltus, a bond fund manager at Pioneer Investments, said about big banks and securities firms. Still, in a sign that some investors have not lost all faith, two dozen stocks in the S.& P. 500-stock index rose, albeit barely, and among them were two of the American’s troubled automakers. General Motors and Ford had a rare positive day on Thursday after Congressional leaders left open the door for federal aid to them and for Chrysler, which is privately held. Still, Democratic leaders criticized the executives of the companies and said they needed to make a more persuasive case that they would be responsible stewards of government money. G.M. and Ford were up slightly, though still close to their lowest levels in decades.
|
Stocks and Bonds;International Trade and World Market;Economic Conditions and Trends;Subprime Mortgage Crisis;Dow Jones Stock Average
|
ny0226825
|
[
"us"
] |
2010/10/24
|
‘Interested Parties’ Await Outcome of a Marijuana Measure
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Leslie Hennessy, owner of Hennessy’s Wines & Specialty Foods in San Francisco, waved his hand over a glass case that sits next to his cash register, across from the deli section where he sells cheeses, gourmet salads and olives. Inside the case were colorful boxes of Macanudo and Romeo y Julieta cigars. But Mr. Hennessy imagines that the case will soon contain another smokable product — marijuana , packaged attractively because “a rolled up joint in a baggy isn’t going to do it,” he said. “It would be very similar to the way we sell cigars, where it’s humidity controlled, where it’s under lock and key and there are certain times when it would be sold,” said Mr. Hennessy, 63, who markets his own wine and once led the California Retail Liquor Dealers Association. Mr. Hennessy said that he had even begun to negotiate prices with marijuana suppliers. A week before Californians vote on Proposition 19, which would legalize marijuana for recreational use, businesses are preparing to enter what is expected to be a robust retail market if the measure passes. The activity is particularly intense in the Bay Area, where cities like Oakland, San Francisco, Berkeley and Richmond are positioning themselves to take advantage of the burgeoning industry. In Oakland, nearly 300 individuals and businesses have listed themselves as “interested parties” to obtain business permits to sell or grow marijuana. The city’s largest medical marijuana dispensary is considering a 7,000-square-foot expansion if it is allowed to sell to recreational users. Cafe owners are exploring plans for Amsterdam-like coffee shops where marijuana could be sold and consumed. The California State Package Store and Tavern Owners Association, which represents black liquor store owners, is holding discussions about how to position itself if the measure passes. “We want to be in the ballgame if it’s going to happen,” said Andre Isler, the owner of Isler’s Liquors in Oakland and a long-time member of the association. A state report puts the value of California’s marijuana crop at $14 billion, dwarfing even the wine industry. Robert Jacob, who operates the Peace in Medicine medical marijuana dispensary in Sebastopol, said that entrepreneurs of all types were jostling to get a piece of the action. “So many people want to get into the business, and even aside from actually selling it you have packaging needs, management needs, bookkeeping needs,” Mr. Jacob said. “You have every single industry gearing up for the next dot-com boom.” However, even if Proposition 19 passes — polls show that the vote will be close — it will take a while to gauge the full impact of the law. The measure would allow Californians 21 and older to grow up to 25 square feet of marijuana and possess up to an ounce for personal use. How and where it would be sold commercially would be left up to individual cities and counties. At the same time, Tom Ammiano, a Democratic state assemblyman from San Francisco, is sponsoring a bill that would place California’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control in charge of regulating marijuana. Mr. Ammiano’s bill would also allow any store to sell marijuana as long as it has liquor license. That would include liquor stores, most convenience stores and even supermarkets. Complicating matters is last week’s announcement by Eric H. Holder Jr., the United States attorney general, that the Justice Department will “vigorously enforce” federal drug laws even if Proposition 19 passes. That legal uncertainty appears to be making many businesses cautious. “There are lots of people that say this will be in the courts for a long time,” said Libba Letton, a spokeswoman for Whole Foods Market, which has several Bay Area stores. “It’s not something we’re interested in getting into now.” Oakland, San Francisco and Berkeley are waiting until after the election to adopt rules for retail sales, officials in those cities said. In interviews this week, the officials said they were inclined to allow existing medical marijuana dispensaries or similar types of businesses to sell to recreational users if Proposition 19 passed. Customers who are not buying marijuana for medical reasons would be required to present a California identification card instead of a medical cannabis card to be admitted, and they would be permitted to buy only fixed quantities of marijuana. “I think we would want to stick with the dispensary idea,” said Laurie Capitelli, a Berkeley City Council member. “I can’t imagine the beer guy driving around with all that marijuana in his Miller High Life truck.” Oakland’s Harborside Health Center, clean and well-lighted, could be mistaken for a retail outlet — except for the significant presence of private security and the abundance of marijuana sold from behind a long glass counter. The dispensary, off Interstate 880, has more than 58,000 patients, and it sold more than $21 million worth of marijuana last year, according to Stephen DeAngelo, Harborside’s executive director. Mr. DeAngelo said that his operation would be a good candidate for retail sales. “My hope is that they would look to the existing licensees to handle this new activity,” Mr. DeAngelo said. He calculated that Harborside would need to rent an additional 7,000 feet of adjacent office space to accommodate the new business. The man behind Proposition 19, Richard Lee, founded Oaksterdam University and operates Coffeeshop Blue Sky, which doubles as a medical marijuana dispensary, in downtown Oakland. Mr. Lee said he envisioned marijuana cafes flourishing if the measure passed, although the state’s tough antismoking laws would be difficult to get around. Mr. Capitelli, the Berkeley City Council member, said that the existing dispensaries had an obvious financial interest in controlling the retail market. But he added that their expertise, especially on security matters, could be helpful as cities transition from medical to recreational sales. Jane Brunner, president of the Oakland City Council, said her city would most likely look to the dispensaries for retail sales if Proposition 19 passed — not liquor stores. “We have enough problems with those stores as it is,” Ms. Brunner said. “With the dispensaries we have a lot of control. They pay fees, they allow us in to do inspections.” But other business interests, backed by legislators, are likely to push for opportunities to sell marijuana — many already are. Mr. Ammiano, who is sponsoring the bill to put marijuana sales under the control of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Department, said in an interview that liquor stores would be a good option. “Depending on the community and the location, why not?” he said. Mr. Hennessy, the owner of the wine and specialty foods store in San Francisco, said he intended to proceed very carefully given the legal uncertainty. But he agreed that liquor store owners like him have the most experience to handle the new market. “We’ve always hoped that the bill would pass and give us another tool to make money,” Mr. Hennessy said. “We’ve all been fingerprinted; we have city and state licensing. We’ve just become real experts in dispensing controlled substances.”
|
Marijuana;Referendums;California;San Francisco Bay Area (Calif)
|
ny0035281
|
[
"world",
"middleeast"
] |
2014/03/05
|
Syria Speeds Its Deliveries of Chemicals for Disposal
|
GENEVA — The Syrian government, which missed its original Dec. 31 deadline for shipping its most toxic chemical weapons overseas for destruction, has sped up deliveries recently and has proposed finishing the job by the end of April, the international group monitoring the process reported on Tuesday. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons , based in The Hague, reported the new timetable after a meeting of its executive council. It said that Syria delivered two consignments to the port of Latakia last week and that another significant shipment was expected this week. Once it arrives, the group said, Syria will have handed over more than one-third of its 1,200-ton chemical weapons arsenal and 23 percent of its deadliest agents, known as Priority 1 chemicals. “This is good progress,” said Sigrid Kaag, the coordinator of the mission to eliminate Syria’s arsenal. “I expect further acceleration and intensification of effort.” Syria was widely criticized internationally for falling far behind the original schedule, and not all countries that belong to the chemical weapons watchdog group were satisfied with the new timetable. “We would say it could do with further improvement,” said a European diplomat attending the council’s meetings, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Under the original agreement with Syria , brokered by the United States and Russia, all aspects of the chemical weapons program are to be decommissioned and destroyed by the end of June. To achieve that, the most toxic materials were to be shipped out by Dec. 31 and the rest by Feb. 6. The Historic Scale of Syria’s Refugee Crisis Dramatic images from the Syrian refugee crisis, which exploded to encompass six million people by October 2013. Those deadlines, endorsed by the United Nations Security Council, were the price Syria paid to avert a military strike by the United States in response to a chemical attack on a Damascus suburb last August that killed hundreds of people. Syria cooperated fully with the initial stages of the program, a joint mission of the chemical weapons watchdog group and the United Nations, and the country made its chemical weapons production facilities inoperable. But after that, Syria was slow to ship its existing weapons to Latakia. By Feb. 25, only 11 percent of its stockpile had been delivered to the port, and none of its mustard gas, the only agent in its arsenal that could be put to use quickly without having to be mixed with other materials. The director general of the watchdog group, Ahmet Uzumcu, told the executive council on Tuesday that Syria had reaffirmed its commitment to shipping the chemical weapons “in a timely manner.” But given the delays so far, “it will be important to maintain this newly created momentum,” he said. Syria now proposes to finish shipping all the chemical weapons from 10 of its 12 storage sites by April 13. Two additional weeks will be needed for the final two sites, it says, because the areas around them are not secure. The European diplomat said that “nobody is rejecting” the new proposal from Syria, but “lots of people would like them to accelerate further.” Michael Luhan, a spokesman for the watchdog group, said in an interview on Tuesday that Syria had now delivered all its mustard gas. The next planned shipment will also include “a significant consignment of Priority 1 chemicals,” the agency said. Syria has yet to address concerns about its proposals for dealing with 12 facilities that were part of its chemical weapons program, including seven aircraft hangars and five underground facilities. It has said that destroying them would be too expensive, and it has offered to alter them instead. But the American representative to the watchdog group, Robert P. Mikulak, has said that the proposed alterations would be too easy to reverse. Mr. Luhan said the issue would be taken up by the group’s executive council this week.
|
Arab Spring;Biological and Chemical Warfare;UN;Syria;Geneva
|
ny0191763
|
[
"business"
] |
2009/02/11
|
Stocks Plunge as Geithner Offers New Bailout Plan
|
Investors had been expecting the Obama administration to unveil a shock and awe solution on Tuesday for the nation’s hobbled banking system. But the main reaction was disappointment as the new plan raised more questions than it answered, sending stock markets and the shares of banks assumed to be holding toxic assets sharply lower. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 381.99 points, or 4.6 percent, to close at 7,888.88, led by steep declines in Bank of America, Citigroup and large banks already leaning on taxpayers for support. Regions Bank, SunTrust, KeyCorp and Fifth Third fell even more as investors worried that regional banks could be vulnerable to a new “stress test” aimed at revealing the weakest links in the industry. “The market was looking for a silver bullet,” said David H. Ellison, the chief investment officer for FBR Funds, which specializes in the banking sector. “They are getting the wake-up call again that it is going to take time. There is no quick fix here.” Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner laid out a $2 trillion financial stability plan, including an effort to entice private equity, hedge funds and other investors to buy hard-to-sell assets that have bogged down banks. Another involves a new round of capital injections for banks deemed to have enough resources to withstand a continued economic decline. David Burg, a financial analyst at Alpine Mutual Funds, said bank stocks plunged because the initiative would force many troubled financial institutions to take large amounts of new capital that would dilute the value of their outstanding shares. “These guys are going to do a stress test on top banks and say, based on the results, ‘You need X amount of new capital and you have to take it.’ Common shareholders in these banks will get absolutely destroyed,” he said. But that was about the only certainty investors took from hours of speeches and testimony by Mr. Geithner on Tuesday. Investors said his failure to publicly detail the mechanics of the plan forced them to make wild assumptions about various players in the industry. For example, the proposed “stress test” seems intended to allow regulators to better assess the depth of a bank’s problems, and to convince taxpayers that they are not pouring money down an endless hole. The test automatically applies to the nation’s 20 largest banks, and to any other bank applying for taxpayer support. Federal officials are expected to demand that banks maintain ultraconservative capital levels — enough to weather the possibility of a further economic downturn, said a government official who was not authorized to speak publicly. The goal is for banks to have enough of a buffer to lend during the current downturn. That could mean that banks that normally would not need additional capital could require it if the economy worsened. Banks will be expected to assess their expected losses over the next two years. While Mr. Geithner did not say whether derivatives , or off-balance sheet exposures, would be included in the test, the government official said the test would be customized based on each bank’s mix of loans and its history of losses. Regulators will also continue to look at a whether a bank is holding at least 6 percent of so-called Tier 1 capital, a well-known measure of its financial health, and whether at least half of that capital is held in common stock, the official said. But regulators will have leeway to allow a bank to continue operating if it falls slightly short of that standard. It is unclear how the test will apply to Citigroup and Bank of America. Investors are concerned that, unlike these banking giants, any number of regional banks are not considered too big to fail. That is worrisome in the current environment because many are sitting on commercial real estate loans whose value is eroding rapidly with the economy. If regulators impose loose standards for the test, banks that might not otherwise survive could receive a lifeline. If they take a stricter stance, it could lead to another wave of takeovers and failures. Gerard Cassidy, a banking analyst at RBC Capital Markets, projects that up to 1,000 of the nation’s 8,400 banks could fail over the next three to five years if the economy worsens. Nine have already closed this year, and 25 were closed in 2008. The government’s desire to encourage private investors to buy banks’ distressed assets, with the promise of lucrative returns once the economy recovers, also lacked clarity. Sean Dobson, chief executive and head trader at Amherst Securities Group, a brokerage firm that specializes in buying and selling mortgage-related assets, said the plan could help draw investors in distressed debt into the market. But it remained unclear, he said, if banks would be willing to sell troubled assets at the low prices demanded by private equity and hedge fund investors. At the same time, the government would want to avoid the use of taxpayer money to subsidize cheap asset purchases by wealthy private investors, he said. “To the extent that they are focused on the fact that there is not enough capital in the system to absorb these troubled assets, they are focused on the right problem,” he said. “But the exact structure of this program is going to be hugely important.” The plan also left open other issues. Treasury officials have not said how much fresh capital would be injected into the biggest banks. Nor have they provided terms for the dividend or the “modest discount” to the conversion price of their investment. Even their effort to increase transparency seemed to send mixed messages. Although the plan called for improving disclosure of assets on bank balance sheets, it said regulators would “recognize the need not to adopt an overly conservative posture or take steps that could inappropriately curtail lending.” Isaac Baker, a Treasury spokesman, said the administration aimed to show that it was addressing the financial crisis with urgency. “We understood that some might be disappointed that we didn’t announce a large bailout program, but our focus is on what will be the best comprehensive plan to protect taxpayer dollars, jump-start lending and bring forth a long-term financial recovery — not the hour-by-hour movement of the markets on any given day,” Mr. Baker said in an e-mail message. Still, the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index fell 4.9 percent or 42.73 points, to 827.16, its worst performance since a broad sell-off on Inauguration Day. “We’re not impressed, and I don’t think the market’s impressed either,” said Ryan Larson, head equity trader at Voyageur Asset Management. “It’s clear the administration is still trying to work on something concrete. I think the market sensed that, too.” An important measure of market volatility rose, as did prices of government debt. The price of the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose 1 17/32 to 107 30/32. The yield, which moves in the opposite direction of price, had risen to above 3 percent on Monday before closing at 2.99 percent. On Tuesday, it fell back to 2.82 percent. Following are the results of Tuesday’s auction of four-week bills, 52-week bills and three-year notes:
|
Stocks and Bonds;Obama Stimulus Plan;United States Economy;Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (2008)
|
ny0041262
|
[
"world",
"europe"
] |
2014/05/03
|
Merkel Signals That Tension Persists Over U.S. Spying
|
WASHINGTON — President Obama tried to mend fences with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany on Friday, calling her “one of my closest friends on the world stage.” But Ms. Merkel replied tartly that Germany still had significant differences with the United States over surveillance practices and that it was too soon to return to “business as usual.” The cordial but slightly strained encounter, which played out as the two leaders stood next to each other at a Rose Garden news conference, attested to the lingering scars left by the sensational disclosure last October that the National Security Agency had eavesdropped on Ms. Merkel’s phone calls. It came as the two leaders sought to project a unified front against Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, threatening President Vladimir V. Putin with sweeping new sanctions if Russia disrupted elections in Ukraine later this month, even as they acknowledged that not all European countries were ready to sign on to the most punishing measures. Ms. Merkel, who last fall declared that “spying between friends is simply unacceptable” and that the United States had opened a breach of trust that would have to be repaired, said at the news conference that “we have a few difficulties yet to overcome.” One remaining issue, she said, was the “proportionality” of the surveillance. Mr. Obama, pointing to his administration’s efforts to restore privacy safeguards, even for non-Americans, said, “We have gone a long way in closing some of the gaps, but as Chancellor Merkel said, there are some gaps that need to be worked through.” Nearly a year after the first disclosures about the N.S.A.’s practices at home and abroad, however, the agency is emerging with a mandate to make only modest changes: some new limits on what kind of data it can hold about Americans, and stricter White House oversight of decisions to tap the cellphones of foreign leaders. The Obama administration is now turning its attention to Silicon Valley — the subject of a major White House study released Thursday — and whether the government should intervene to protect and prevent discriminatory behavior. “These are complicated issues,” Mr. Obama said of the debate over surveillance and civil liberties, as he glanced over at Ms. Merkel. “We’re not perfectly aligned yet, but we share the same values, and we share the same concerns.” Video The president and the visiting Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany delivered remarks on finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Ukraine. Credit Credit Doug Mills/The New York Times The depth of their differences, however, was reflected by the failure to reach a broader intelligence-sharing agreement between the United States and Germany. The two sides could not even agree on how the talks had begun, with Mr. Obama disputing that the United States had ever offered Germany a so-called no-spy agreement. “We do not have a blanket no-spy agreement with any country,” he said, adding, “we’re not holding back from doing something with Germany that we somehow do with somebody else.” Months of negotiations to reach an agreement ended unsuccessfully after the two sides could not agree on its scope. According to administration officials, the Germans insisted that the United States not conduct any unsanctioned espionage on German soil, including from its embassy in Berlin, something it has not agreed to with other allies. Ms. Merkel did not address the negotiations directly, but said the debate showed the need for further dialogue between the United States and Germany, not just at the level of governments but also between lawmakers and the German and American people. Even as she highlighted differences with the White House, Ms. Merkel’s government advised against inviting Edward J. Snowden, the renegade former N.S.A. contractor who leaked the information about its surveillance practices, to testify before the German Parliament. A report by a German ministry on Friday said Mr. Snowden’s appearance would cause further damage to the relationship between the United States and Germany. The German officials had solicited an opinion from a Washington law firm suggesting that American authorities could seek to charge members of Parliament for complicity in Mr. Snowden’s publicizing of classified information. Still, for two leaders who had bonded over thorny issues like the European financial crisis, the N.S.A. furor has taken an obvious toll. Ms. Merkel deflected a question about whether the personal trust between her and Mr. Obama had been restored. When Ms. Merkel was asked if she was satisfied with how the White House had responded, Mr. Obama jumped in to answer first, saying he knew how emotional the issue was in Germany. Image President Obama with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany on Friday. An official said their chemistry was still good. Credit Doug Mills/The New York Times “Angela Merkel is one of my closest friends on the world stage, somebody whose partnership I deeply value,” the president said. “It has pained me to see the degree to which the Snowden disclosures have created strains in the relationship.” In their private meetings on Friday, an American official said, the chemistry between Ms. Merkel and Mr. Obama was still good. They spent most of their time talking about the crisis in Ukraine, where they have emerged as the two leaders marshaling the Western response. Both kept up the pressure on Mr. Putin over Ukraine, setting a new trigger for much broader sanctions against Russian industry. Ms. Merkel noted that these measures would be imposed if Russia disrupted an election in Ukraine planned for May 25. “Should that not be possible to stabilize the situation further, further sanctions will be unavoidable,” she said. “This is something that we don’t want.” Mr. Obama was even more emphatic, saying, “The Russian leadership must know that if it continues to destabilize eastern Ukraine and disrupt this month’s presidential election, we will move quickly on additional steps, including further sanctions that will impose greater costs.” While administration officials say Germany and the United States have been united in their response, the Germans have balked at sweeping sanctions on the Russian energy industry because that could reverberate on their fossil fuel-dependent economy. Building European support for industrywide sanctions will be a challenge, Mr. Obama said, because “you’ve got 28 countries, and some are more vulnerable than others to potential Russian retaliation. And we have to take those into account. Not every country is in the same place.” Some experts on Germany said the Ukraine crisis could give Mr. Obama and Ms. Merkel the foundation to rebuild their relationship, reminding them that despite the suspicion generated by the surveillance disclosures, their countries still have much in common. “Despite their enormous differences in background and style, Merkel and Obama share a similar approach to crises — they react cautiously, slowly, and incrementally,” said Jackson Janes, the president of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at Johns Hopkins University. “That instinct has been on display again in recent months.”
|
Angela Merkel;Barack Obama;US Foreign Policy;Spying and Intelligence Agencies;Germany;Russia;Ukraine;Embargoes Sanctions;Wiretapping Eavesdropping;NSA
|
ny0229554
|
[
"us"
] |
2010/07/25
|
Blagojevich Lawyer Is Familiar With Test
|
Now that jurors have heard seven weeks of testimony by prosecution witnesses and scores of wiretapped telephone conversations in the public-corruption trial of former Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich , it will be up to one of his lawyers, Sam Adam Jr., to convince them that the government’s case is no case at all. The defense has indicated that Mr. Adam will echo the politics-as-usual theme he introduced in opening arguments seven weeks ago, as well as the contention that no extorted money ever found its way into Mr. Blagojevich’s pocket. Mr. Adam has faced a similar challenge. Three years ago, he stood before a jury at the Cook County Criminal Court building, in the high-profile child pornography case of R. Kelly , the popular singer, and delivered an impassioned closing argument. Mr. Kelly’s acquittal made Mr. Adam famous beyond 26th Street and California Avenue. And if Mr. Blagojevich goes free, the credit will largely go to the man whose father, Sam Adam Sr., the lead lawyer in the case, has been a fixture in Chicago courtrooms for 49 years. Even though Mr. Blagojevich’s trial differs from Mr. Kelly’s in the charges and the venue, the closing arguments could be similar in several key ways. “I think there are some comparisons,” said Richard A. Devine, who was Cook County state’s attorney at the time Mr. Kelly was acquitted. Mr. Devine noted that both cases were largely based on tapes — a video in the case of Mr. Kelly and scores of audio recordings in the Blagojevich trial. “In the R. Kelly case, it focused on the idea that this is not a criminal act,” Mr. Devine said. “In some sense, that is part of the theme he will be trying to get across with the ex-governor.” But Mr. Adam, who declined to be interviewed for this article, has a much more complex case to sum up for a jury than he did in the R. Kelly closing statement. The alleged victim in Mr. Kelly’s case, an under-age girl, “was not really complaining about what happened,” Mr. Devine said. In Mr. Blagojevich’s trial, the government has put several witnesses on the stand who testified that the former governor had tried to extort campaign contributions from them. Mr. Adam was not originally supposed to close the Kelly trial. Ed Genson, the lead lawyer in that case, said he decided to let Mr. Adam handle the summation, in part because he thought the younger lawyer would connect better with the young jury. “He exceeded my expectations,” said Mr. Genson, who originally signed on to be Mr. Blagojevich’s lead counsel but had a falling out with Mr. Adam’s father. “I wrote 18 things I wanted to put in there, and he ignored about 10 but thought about five more I hadn’t thought of.” Experts note, however, that federal judges and prosecutors are not as likely to let demonstrative closings go uninterrupted as their state-court counterparts might be. “If they let him alone,” Mr. Genson said of Mr. Adam, “if he gives a closing that doesn’t offend the judge, it will be wonderful.”
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Blagojevich Rod R;Ethics;Kelly R;Chicago (Ill);Legal Profession;Adam Sam Jr.
|
ny0000731
|
[
"sports",
"skiing"
] |
2013/03/11
|
Tina Maze Takes Lead in World Cup Slalom
|
The overall Alpine skiing champion Tina Maze of Slovenia beat Mikaela Shiffrin in a World Cup slalom in Ofterschwang, Germany, to overtake her in the discipline standings and close in on becoming the first woman to win five crystal globes in a season. Maze also equaled the Austrian great Hermann Maier’s record of 22 World Cup podiums in 1999-2000. Maze finished her two runs in 1 minute 52.85 seconds to beat Wendy Holdener of Switzerland by 0.25 of a second. Shiffrin, the 17-year-old American world champion, finished third, 0.75 behind. ¶ Jean Frédéric Chapuis of France won the ski cross title for his first major victory, beating his countryman Bastien Midol at the freestyle world championships in Voss, Norway. John Teller of the United States took the bronze. In the women’s race, 20-year-old Fanny Smith of Switzerland beat the World Cup champion Marielle Thompson of Canada. Ophélie David of France won the bronze medal. ¶ Richard Freitag of Germany won a large hill event in World Cup ski jumping in Lahti, Finland, for his third career victory. He led after the first round and went 128.5 meters with the day’s longest jump in the second, winning with 274.2 points. Anders Bardal finished second, and his fellow Norwegian Anders Jacobsen and Richard Freund of Germany tied for third.
|
Alpine skiing;World Cup Skiing;Tina Maze;Mikaela Shiffrin;Hermann Maier;Skiing
|
ny0087440
|
[
"world",
"europe"
] |
2015/07/24
|
Owen Chadwick, Eminent Historian of Christianity, Dies at 99
|
The Rev. Owen Chadwick, an educator and prolific historian of Christianity whose works encompassed sweeping narratives, like his two-volume history of the Victorian church, as well as incisive biographies and vivid pictures of rural church life, died on July 17 at his home in Cambridge, England. He was 99. Anna Matthews, the vicar of St. Bene’t’s Church in Cambridge, confirmed his death. Professor Chadwick was an ordained Anglican priest. Long associated with Cambridge University, Professor Chadwick was master of Selwyn College there for nearly 30 years, beginning in the mid-1950s, and Regius professor of modern history from 1968. After publishing “John Cassian: A Study in Primitive Monasticism” (1950), about the monk and theologian who brought the ideas of Egyptian monasticism to the West in the fifth century, Professor Chadwick turned out a long series of histories remarkable for their variety, authority and engaging style. “What is memorable about Chadwick’s writing is its pleasing economy and uncluttered clarity of articulation,” John Morrill, a fellow at Selwyn College, wrote in an obituary in The Guardian of London. “He wrote as he spoke: To read him is to hear him.” “The Reformation” (1964), one of two volumes Professor Chadwick wrote for The Penguin History of the Church — the other was “The Christian Church in the Cold War” (1993) — was required reading in colleges for decades. When he and his younger brother, Henry, an eminent historian of the early church, were asked by Oxford University Press to produce a comprehensive history of Christianity, he took on the task of overseeing what turned out to be a 16-volume work, “The Oxford History of the Christian Church.” He contributed three volumes himself: “The Popes and European Revolution” (1981), “A History of the Popes, 1830-1914” (1998) and “The Early Reformation on the Continent” (2001). Henry Chadwick died in 2008 . Professor Chadwick was inspired not only by great doctrinal disputes but also by the day-to-day rounds of church life in rural outposts. Characteristically, he produced both “The Victorian Church,” a magisterial history published in two volumes, in 1966 and 1971, and “Victorian Miniature” (1961), the Trollopian account of a feuding country squire and parson, each of whom kept a diary. Image The Rev. Owen Chadwick. William Owen Chadwick was born on May 20, 1916, in southeast London, where his father was a barrister. After attending Tonbridge School in Kent, he went to St. John’s College in Cambridge to read classics and, just as important by his own account, to play rugby. Known there as Binks, he was a star player and was named captain of the team in his third year. Athletics did not prevent him from earning a degree in history in 1938. Deeply influenced by his teacher Martin Charlesworth, a Christian historian, and by the imprisonment of the theologian Martin Niemöller in Germany, he stayed an extra year to study theology, earning another first-class degree. Professor Chadwick enrolled in Cuddeson, a theological college near Oxford, to study for holy orders. After the Church of England ordained him a deacon in 1940 and a priest the next year, he served for two years as a curate at St. John’s in Huddersfield before becoming chaplain at Wellington College, an independent coeducational institution in Berkshire. In 1947, he was named dean of chapel at Trinity Hall in Cambridge, and in 1949, he married Ruth Hallward, who died this year. He is survived by their two sons, Charles and Stephen, and two daughters, Helen and Andre. Professor Chadwick was named master of Selwyn College in 1956. At the time, the college had junior status at the university, but under his leadership it flourished, becoming a constituent college of the university in 1958, the same year he was appointed Dixie professor of ecclesiastical history. The college tripled the number of its fellows, and in 1976, it became one of the first of Cambridge’s all-male colleges to accept women as students. Professor Chadwick began a two-year term as vice chancellor of the university in 1969, a time of political turmoil and student protests, which he addressed with democratic reforms. After retiring from the university in 1983, he was chancellor of the University of East Anglia from 1985 to 1994. Professor Chadwick played a critical role in church government when, in 1966, he was put at the head of a commission to redefine Parliament’s role in church affairs. When put into effect, the recommendations of the Chadwick Report, as it was known, retained the ties between the Church of England and the state but gave the church greater control over the appointment of bishops. It also ended Parliament’s nominal control over changes in doctrine and ritual, putting power in the hands of a new decision-making body, the General Synod. He was made a Fellow of the British Academy in 1962 and served as its president from 1981 to 1985. He was knighted in 1982 and became a member of the Order of Merit the next year. In his later years, he spent much time in Cley next the Sea in Norfolk, England, of which he was also priest in charge. Professor Chadwick’s many other works include “The Secularization of the European Mind in the Nineteenth Century” (1976) and biographies of the Victorian religious leader John Henry Newman and Michael Ramsey, the archbishop of Canterbury in the 1960s and 1970s. He also wrote, for the general reader, “A History of Christianity” (1995).
|
Obituary;Christianity;Anglicanism;Owen Chadwick
|
ny0256635
|
[
"technology"
] |
2011/08/01
|
Data Centers Using Less Power Than Forecast, Report Says
|
SAN FRANCISCO — Data centers’ unquenchable thirst for electricity has been slaked by the global recession and by a combination of new power-saving technologies, according to an independent report on data center power use from 2005 to 2010. The report , by Jonathan G. Koomey, a consulting professor in the civil and environmental engineering department at Stanford University, found that the actual number of computer servers declined significantly compared to 2010 forecasts because of this lowered demand for computing and because of the financial crisis of 2008 and the emergence of technologies like more efficient computer chips and computer server virtualization, which allows fewer servers to run more programs. The slowing of growth in consumption contradicts a 2007 forecast by the Environmental Protection Agency that the explosive expansion of the Internet and the computerization of society would lead to a doubling of power consumed by data centers from 2005 to 2010. In the new study, prepared at the request of The New York Times, Mr. Koomey found that electricity used by data centers worldwide grew significantly, but it was an increase of only about 56 percent from 2005 to 2010. In the United States, power consumption increased by 36 percent, according to Mr. Koomey’s report, titled “Growth in Data Center Power Use 2005 to 2010.” “Mostly because of the recession, but also because of a few changes in the way these facilities are designed and operated, data center electricity consumption is clearly much lower than what was expected, and that’s really the big story,” said Mr. Koomey. Though Mr. Koomey was unable to separate the impact of the recession from that of energy-saving technologies, the decline in use is surprising because data centers, buildings that house racks and racks of computers, have become so central to modern life. They are used to process e-mail, conduct Web searches and handle online shopping as well as banking transactions and corporate sales reports. Moreover, in the period studied, more services that depend on data centers, like cloud computing and streaming of music and movies, became popular. The influential report issued by the E.P.A. in August of 2007 estimated that national energy consumption by computer servers and data centers would nearly double from 2005 to 2010 to roughly 100 billion kilowatt hours of energy at an annual cost of $7.4 billion. It predicted the centers’ demand for power in the United States would rise by 2011 to 12 gigawatts of power, or the output of 25 major power plants, from 7 gigawatts, or about 15 power plants. Industry consultants and executives agreed with Mr. Koomey’s new analysis, but they also indicated that the slower growth might be temporary. “Of course, the market is expanding,” said Jimmy Clidaras, principal engineer for platforms and infrastructure at Google. “We’re doing stuff today in the cloud that we never would have thought of. Music used to be at home and now it’s in the sky.” “The numbers do make sense,” said Kenneth Brill, founder of the Uptime Institute, an industry consulting group based in Santa Fe, N.M. “But they shouldn’t be taken as indicating the problem’s over. There is certainly increasing energy consumption and that should be a concern for everyone.” The slowdown in the rate of growth of electricity use is particularly significant because it comes in the midst of the biggest build-out of new data center capacity in the history of the industry. Fueled by an insatiable demand for new Internet services and a shift to so-called cloud computing services that are largely hosted in commercial data centers and in the large data farms operated by companies like Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft and Facebook, there has been an increasing discussion about the growing percentage of the nation’s electricity that will be consumed by vast data centers being constructed at a record pace. But the new report indicates that electricity used by global data centers in 2010 remained relatively modest. “Electricity used in global data centers likely accounted for between 1.1 percent and 1.5 percent of total electricity use, respectively. For the U.S. that number was between 1.7 percent and 2.2 percent,” according to the report. In an earlier paper, Mr. Koomey reported that the power used by servers in data centers represented about 0.5 percent of world electricity consumption in 2005. When cooling and auxiliary infrastructure were included, that figure was about 1 percent, he wrote. The worldwide demand for data center power in 2005 was equivalent to the output of about 17 1,000-megawatt power plants. As part of his latest research, Mr. Koomey was able to get a more detailed estimate of Google’s contribution to the global growth of power consumption by data centers than has been previously publicly available. Google, which generally builds custom computer servers for its data centers, has been secretive about the number of servers that it uses to power services like Google Search and YouTube. However, in May a Google executive told Mr. Koomey that the company’s total data center electricity use was less than 1 percent of the Koomey report’s estimate of electricity consumed by data centers worldwide. If the estimate is accurate, it could confirm the widely held industry perception that Google, with its many large data centers, is relatively more efficient than the mainstream of the data center industry. A vast majority of data center designers choose to use standard industry equipment, not equipment specialized for particular computing tasks.
|
Data Centers;Recession and Depression;Computers and the Internet;Electric Light and Power
|
ny0084845
|
[
"us"
] |
2015/10/14
|
Illinois: Ex-Chicago Schools Chief Pleads Guilty in Contract Scheme
|
After pleading guilty to her role in a scheme to steer $23 million in no-bid contracts to education firms for $2.3 million in bribes and kickbacks, the former chief executive of Chicago Public Schools apologized Tuesday, saying students, parents and employees deserved “much more than I gave to them.” In a plea deal, prosecutors recommended that the former chief, Barbara Byrd-Bennett, serve seven and a half years behind bars for one count of fraud. In exchange for that guilty plea, prosecutors said, they will drop the 19 other fraud counts, each of which carried a maximum 20-year term. Ms. Byrd-Bennett, 66, stepped down from the school district, the third largest in the United States, in June after word spread about a federal investigation into a contract between the district and SUPES Academy, a training academy where she once worked.
|
Barbara Byrd-Bennett;Fraud;K-12 Education;Bribery and Kickbacks;Illinois;Chicago
|
ny0177158
|
[
"nyregion"
] |
2007/09/29
|
New Jersey Mayor and Wife Are Accused of Extortion
|
A North Jersey mayor and his wife have been indicted on federal charges of conspiracy to commit extortion and conspiracy to commit mail fraud. They are accused of extorting gifts and cash that paid for gambling, plastic surgery and a dog. Mayor David Delle Donna, 49, of Guttenberg, a tiny town wedged into populous Hudson County, surrendered to federal agents yesterday in Newark. He and his wife, Anna Delle Donna, 58, appeared in court and were released on $100,000 bail. They are accused of accepting the gifts and money from a bar owner in exchange for political favors. “We have stated loud and clear that we are not guilty of the charges, and we will proceed,” Mr. Delle Donna’s lawyer, Ralph J. Lamparello, said yesterday. Ms. Delle Donna has her own lawyer. Mr. Delle Donna is now part of an expanding list of politicians investigated by Christopher J. Christie, the United States attorney. Earlier this month, 11 officials were indicted on bribery charges, accused of trying to influence the awarding of public contracts. Included in that group were the mayor of Passaic, two members of the General Assembly and five members of an Atlantic County school board. This case is unrelated to the others. Mr. Delle Donna, who is a Democrat, and Ms. Delle Donna, a member of the town’s planning board, each face up to 20 years in prison on both counts and a fine of $250,000. From 2002 to 2005, according to the indictment, they helped the bar owner smooth over problems she was having with the local police and other officials involving matters like fights outside the bar and alcohol board violations. In exchange, the bar owner provided Ms. Delle Donna with $2,000 for cosmetic surgery and several thousand dollars for gambling in Atlantic City, according to the indictment. Other items included $1,000 in gift cards to a department store and $1,000 for a dog and accessories. The bar owner, Luisa Medrano, 51, was not named in the indictment, but officials have confirmed that she was the individual in question. The bar — El Puerto de la Union, on Bergenline Avenue — and Ms. Medrano had previously been the subject of an unrelated federal investigation involving the trafficking of illegal immigrant women from Honduras, some as young as 14, who were forced to dance and drink with patrons, according to federal officials. Last September, Ms. Medrano pleaded guilty to two counts of harboring illegal immigrants and tax evasion. She has not yet been sentenced. Officials declined to say whether Mr. Delle Donna knew of the trafficking ring before investigators uncovered it. “I can’t answer that,” said Thomas R. Calcagni, an assistant United States attorney prosecuting the case. The indictment asserts that Mr. Delle Donna illegally diverted campaign funds from various contributors. How much money was diverted was unclear, Mr. Calcagni said. In January, federal agents raided Town Hall and the Delle Donnas’ house in Guttenberg. They carried away rifles, computers and files. At the time, Mr. Delle Donna asserted that he would be cleared. “I don’t believe I’ve done anything illegal,” he told The Hudson Reporter. “I feel I’ll be exonerated.” Mr. Delle Donna is paid $6,700 a year as mayor and is also the coordinator of maintenance at the Hudson County Schools of Technology in North Bergen. He is the mayor of one of the smallest towns in New Jersey : Guttenberg is 11 blocks long and 4 blocks wide and has a population of 10,800. This is not the first time the small town has been hit by political scandal. In 2003, a former mayor, Peter LaVilla, pleaded guilty to misappropriating campaign funds and using the money for a private brokerage account after an investigation by the United States attorney’s office. In 2002, a councilman accused of receiving illegal advances on his salary resigned, although he was never formally charged. The same year, the town’s chief financial officer pleaded guilty to misappropriation of funds.
|
Frauds and Swindling;New Jersey;Politics and Government
|
ny0175694
|
[
"business"
] |
2007/10/14
|
Our Hero, Seduced With a Stock Tip?
|
If Anna Escobedo Cabral , the United States treasurer, has her way, Americans will soon will be getting investment advice with their soaps. Ms. Cabral said last week that her department is talking to producers of English- and Spanish-language soap operas about weaving financial education issues into story lines. Telemundo, the Spanish-language television network owned by NBC Universal, has indicated that it would be willing to incorporate such information into its telenovelas, she said. Ms. Cabral also suggested that financial education could be developed in different formats, like iTunes. “We need to do a good job of reaching people, but in very creative ways,” she said. Ms. Cabral spoke at a conference in New York about investing by African-Americans. Co-sponsors for the event were Ariel Mutual Funds and the Charles Schwab Corporation. JANE L. LEVERE HOTEL’S HELPING HAND Bill Marriott took Condé Nast Traveler’s World Savers award in stride. “It sounds like an award you’d give to Mother Teresa. What’s left?,” joshed Mr. Marriott, the chairman of Marriott International, last week as he accepted the magazine’s travel industry award for social responsibility. On the serious side, Mr. Marriott announced that his company was expanding its youth career initiative, which recruits and trains at-risk youth to work in one of the 3,000 Marriott hotels worldwide. One success story is Dumitru Marius , a young Romanian who was born in a prison near Bucharest and grew up in an orphanage. Mr. Marius now works as a server in a Marriott hotel and was profiled in the September issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Community work “goes back to our roots,” Mr. Marriott told a travel industry gathering in New York last week. “My father was offered a similar opportunity by a teacher in Ogden, Utah, who gave him a chance to go to college,” he added. “Until then, he was a sheepherder, just like his father. Without that important break, Marriott International would not exist today.” To continue the tradition, he said, the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation is giving a $250,000 grant to expand the program into new countries. ELIZABETH OLSON THE SOUP SPECIAL When D ouglas R. Conant goes to Applebee’s, he takes the Campbell Soup company jet. Mr. Conant, Campbell’s chief executive, has supplemented his income by serving as a director of Applebee’s International since 1999. Although Applebee’s pays its outside directors $171,000 a year in cash and stock, Campbell pays the cost of Mr. Conant’s private flights to the other company’s board meetings. Last year, that perquisite cost the soup company’s shareholders $64,065, according to its latest proxy statement. That amount was in addition to the $100,000 cost of Mr. Conant’s personal car and driver and his $48,000 “personal choice” account for spending on financial planning and other services. PATRICK McGEEHAN IT’S ALL IN THE REMIX Madonna has reportedly agreed to a 10-year, $100 million-plus contract with Live Nation, the concert promoter, that would end her long relationship with Warner Music. But she would not be the only one signing on with Live Nation for a lot more money. Michael Rapino, Live Nation’s chief executive, has a revised contract that raises his pay significantly all the way back to January and promises him $1 million in cash just for holding his job. Mr. Rapino’s annual salary was set at $650,000 in March 2006, but a new agreement he signed this month raised his pay to $950,000, retroactive to Jan. 1. He earned no bonus in 2006, according to the company’s latest proxy statement. But his revised contract granted him a $1 million “retention bonus” that is essentially an advance against future bonuses. Then again, if he does not earn those bonuses by the end of 2009, the agreement states that “they shall be deemed earned.” PATRICK McGEEHAN SPREADING THE WEALTH These days, more corporate boards are reining in severance benefits and those payouts that follow a merger or acquisition. But that does not appear to be the case at the Synergy Financial Group. Top executives aren’t the only ones getting a nice package. Even the directors can collect enough to buy a new car or two, now that the company has been bought by New York Community Bancorp. Synergy directors who leave after a merger, the company’s proxy says, are entitled to cash severance of between $96,000 and $120,000. The only catch is they need to have served for at least two years. ERIC DASH
|
Finances;Television;Treasury Department
|
ny0243678
|
[
"technology"
] |
2011/03/15
|
Hewlett-Packard Chief Unveils Strategy for Expansion
|
SAN FRANCISCO — Since becoming chief executive of Hewlett-Packard four months ago, Léo Apotheker has remained mostly silent about his plans for the world’s biggest technology company. He finally unveiled his strategy to investors on Monday, saying that H.P. would build out its tiny software business and expand into the cloud — a term used to describe products and services delivered online. Mr. Apotheker’s plan is not so much to reinvent H.P., but to help it evolve. Mr. Apotheker said he planned to use the company’s relationships with corporations that already bought its hardware and services to also sell them software and host their data so they could gain access to it from anywhere. H.P.’s strategy is closely watched because of the company’s status as the largest technology company in terms of revenue. The stock market deems Apple the most valuable tech company. But recently, Wall Street analysts have raised concerns about H.P.’s direction and loss of momentum as industry growth shifted from hardware and personal computers, sectors that H.P. dominated. “Yes, H.P. is strong, but we also recognize that the world around us is changing faster than ever,” Mr. Apotheker said at an event in San Francisco. He said that although he had seen areas of “extraordinary strength” in the company, some other areas “need additional focus.” Mr. Apotheker replaced Mark V. Hurd, who was forced out last August after an inquiry by H.P.’s board into accusations, never substantiated, that he sexually harassed a former contractor. The hiring of Mr. Apotheker, who himself was forced out as a chief executive of the business software maker SAP, was widely seen as a sign that H.P. would push into software. Mr. Apotheker did announce some new twists in his plan. He wants H.P. to open an app store where H.P. and other companies can make their services available to Internet users to download. The idea follows similar successful initiatives, most notably by Apple. The strategy outlined by Mr. Apotheker is intended to lift H.P.’s profit margins. Although personal computers are a big source of revenue for the company, they are a low-margin business, about 6.4 percent in the latest quarter. Personal computers and laptops accounted for 32 percent of H.P.’s revenue in 2010. Software, which has much higher margins of 17.6 percent, accounted for only 3 percent of H.P.’s business. Two months ago, Mr. Apotheker shook up the H.P. board, including replacing four members. At the time, the company said that the new blood — which included executives with experience in global business and technology — would add breadth of talent to the company’s leadership. The challenge for H.P. will be to win customers from established rivals like I.B.M., Oracle and SAP. Persuading large companies to go with a relative newcomer, however, can be difficult, even one the size of H.P. To accelerate H.P.’s shift into software, Mr. Apotheker raised the possibility of acquisitions. However, he said the company would be “disciplined,” implying that blockbuster mergers were unlikely. Mr. Apotheker said the company’s software division would focus on security software and business analytics — the crunching of big sets of data — areas where its rivals already excel. But H.P. is hardly in the forefront in terms of business analytics or the cloud, which has been an industry buzzword for several years. Asked whether H.P. was late, Mr. Apotheker said, “We are not playing catch-up to anyone, particularly I.B.M.” He said that no company had a truly powerful offering in business analytics. Mr. Apotheker made clear that he was departing from Mr. Hurd’s legacy of cost-cutting to invest more in H.P.’s once-celebrated research and development programs. Although he did not offer specifics, he said that financing for H.P.’s lab would increase faster than the company’s overall growth in revenue this year and focus on marketable innovations.
|
Hewlett-Packard Co;Cloud Computing;Computers and the Internet;Apotheker Leo
|
ny0216649
|
[
"nyregion"
] |
2010/04/08
|
Convicted Testwell Executive Is Sentenced
|
The sentencing of two executives of Testwell Laboratories , once the leading concrete testing company in New York, was reduced to the sentencing of one on Wednesday, after one of the defendants made his second attempt to kill himself. While a Manhattan judge was sentencing Testwell’s vice president, Vincent Barone, to 5 years 4 months to 16 years in prison, the company’s owner, V. Reddy Kancharla, lay unconscious in a hospital after trying to commit suicide on Tuesday afternoon, his lawyer said. “It does not look life threatening,” the lawyer, Paul Shechtman , said outside the courtroom. “At this time, I’m not thinking about the case but about Reddy Kancharla and his family, for whom this has become a dark nightmare.” Mr. Kancharla, 46, and Mr. Barone, 43, were found guilty for their roles in falsifying numerous inspection and concrete mix reports at major construction projects throughout the city, including the new Yankee Stadium, the Freedom Tower and the Second Avenue subway line. The most serious conviction was on a charge of enterprise corruption, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. Justice Edward J. McLaughlin of State Supreme Court allowed Mr. Barone to remain free pending appeal and rescheduled Mr. Kancharla’s sentencing for April 20. Mr. Barone, who did not speak at the sentencing, was also fined $15,000. Mr. Kancharla first tried to kill himself in February, two days after he was convicted of some of the lesser charges in the indictment. He slit his wrists and took sleeping pills in his office in Ossining, N.Y., according to a transcript of a closed-door proceeding among the lawyers and the judge in the case. Mr. Shechtman declined to give the details of the latest suicide attempt. Diana Florence, the assistant district attorney who tried the case, asked Justice McLaughlin for a long sentence for Mr. Barone. To support her request, she presented PowerPoint slides highlighting testimony in the case and the 119 projects in which she said Testwell had committed fraud. Ms. Florence said the defendants were not remorseful for their actions and were still trying to justify them. She asked Justice McLaughlin to send a message to the construction industry that “you cannot routinely falsify vital safety tests without severe consequence.” “The message needs to be sent that integrity matters, tests matter, the building code matters,” Ms. Florence added. “While it is true most buildings tested safe, you also know that had the concrete continued to be poured at the Freedom Tower using Testwell’s recipe, it would not have supported the weight of that iconic structure, and the consequences would have been devastating.” Several agencies that had hired Testwell submitted letters to the judge, also seeking a tough penalty. Randy L. Levine, the president of the New York Yankees, wrote that the organization had spent $1.4 million in investigative costs just to expose Testwell’s fraud. “If we had not exceeded legal and engineering requirements in monitoring this construction project, the consequences to us and to the public could have been catastrophic,” Mr. Levine wrote. Rose Gill Hearn, commissioner of the city’s Department of Investigation, which took part in the investigation of Testwell, said the city also had spent more than $1 million to investigate and check Testwell’s work. “This executive’s fate should stand as a stern warning that engaging in fraud against the city carries a high cost,” Ms. Gill Hearn said in a statement. Before handing down his sentence, Justice McLaughlin discussed the need for the construction industry to avoid illegal conduct. “The construction industry in New York City over the decades has been rife with corruption,” he said, adding that there was a “willingness to cut corners for financial gain.” Testwell’s actions, Justice McLaughlin said, put the public and construction workers at risk. And it was not as if the crimes were committed by unemployable or uneducated “misfits,” he said. Rather, the judge said, they were “educated working adults for whom such conduct was wholly unnecessary.”
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Testwell Laboratories Inc;Building (Construction);Barone Vincent;Kancharla V Reddy;Sentences (Criminal)
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ny0044709
|
[
"sports",
"olympics"
] |
2014/02/18
|
In Moscow, Russians Protest Disallowed Hockey Goal
|
MOSCOW — It was the biggest demonstration so far concerning the Sochi Olympics, and it had nothing to do with gay rights, environmental damage or corruption. Dozens of Russian fans gathered Monday at the Moscow State Agroengineering University, some brandishing hockey sticks, to protest a disallowed goal scored by the Russian team in Saturday’s Olympic hockey match against the United States in Sochi, a decision that they felt cost them the game against their Cold War rivals. A crowd of mainly students erected a large banner in front of the building reading, “Turn the referee into soap!”, a common Russian chant at sporting events, implying the referee is fit only to have his bones and body fat boiled down for soap. The object of their admittedly good-natured ire was Brad Meier, the American referee who overturned a goal late in the third period that could have meant a victory for the Russians in the close-fought game, which the United States went on to win, 3-2, in a shootout. Many Russians, including the team’s coach, Zinetula Bilyaletdinov, accused Meier afterward of making a mistake in disqualifying the shot from Fedor Tyutin, although the International Ice Hockey Federation has backed the referee’s decision. To emphasize their point, some demonstrators used kitchen graters to turn blocks of soap into powder, a video report from a pro-Kremlin news site, Life News , showed. “It’s a shame it’s not American soap,” a young man in a jersey of the Russian national team told the Life News reporter, then laughed. Despite the many controversies concerning the Sochi Olympics, the hockey demonstration was the largest protest action since the Games began, attracting almost twice the number of demonstrators as a protest held over the weekend in Moscow that criticized the cost of the Games and supported gay rights.
|
2014 Winter Olympics;Referee;Ice hockey;US;Russia;Brad Meier
|
ny0142122
|
[
"us"
] |
2008/11/26
|
U.S. Muslims Taken Aback by a Charity’s Conviction
|
American Muslim groups responded with uncustomary silence on Tuesday to the news that leaders of a Muslim charity shut down by the federal government had been convicted in a retrial of money laundering, tax fraud and supporting terrorism. The case against the charity, the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development , had long revealed a divide among Muslim Americans, leaders say. Some saw the prosecution of the foundation primarily as evidence of anti-Muslim bias by the American government, while others suspected that the charity might indeed have operated as an overly politicized money funnel for Hamas in the 1990s. The federal government declared Hamas to be a terrorist group in 1995. When the government shuttered Holy Land, which was based in a suburb of Dallas, and seized its assets in 2001, it was said to be the largest Muslim charity in the United States. “I do believe the community was divided, and I believe the community will continue to be divided,” said Dr. Ziad J. Asali, a retired physician who is the founder and president of the American Task Force on Palestine , an advocacy group in Washington that supports a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. The jury’s conviction of five Holy Land leaders on all 108 criminal counts took many Muslim leaders by surprise because a previous trial last year ended in a hung jury. “So far, the reaction has been one of shock more than anything else,” said Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad, president of the Minaret of Freedom Institute, an advocacy group based in Bethesda, Md. “Even the people who are usually very quick to comment on events, positively or negatively, are so stunned by this that they seem to be at a loss for words.” Mr. Ahmad said the verdict would further confuse donors to Islamic charities, many of whom have been wary of giving to Islamic groups since Sept. 11. “It seems to give a green light for further intimidation of Muslim charities,” he said. “It makes people even more unsure of what they are supposed to do to avoid having a problem.” Following the Sept. 11 attacks, the government designated dozens of Muslim charities, mostly international relief agencies, as financiers of terrorism. Muslim groups struggled for years to persuade the Treasury Department to produce some kind of seal of approval for legitimate charities that adhered strictly to humanitarian work. For Muslims, giving to charity is a religious obligation. Part of the reason for the silence from Muslim leaders on Tuesday, some of them said, is that the government publicly named more than 300 individuals and American Muslim organizations as “unindicted co-conspirators,” without allowing them to hear the evidence against them or defend themselves in court. The American Civil Liberties Union is representing two of those groups, the Islamic Society of North America and the North American Islamic Trust, in trying to get a judge to strike their names from the list. Hina Shamsi, a lawyer with the National Security Project of the A.C.L.U., said, “The Islamic Society of North America does a lot of outreach and interfaith dialogue, and works in cooperation with the F.B.I., and yet, as a result of this stigma, its reputation has been deeply harmed.” “The irony is obviously that this is the very community whose cooperation the government most needs for effective counterterrorism,” she added. Since the indictment of the Holy Land leaders, Muslim organizations have been working with the government to create mechanisms to ensure that humanitarian aid to Palestinians is not diverted to terrorism. The American Task Force on Palestine recently created the American Charities for Palestine, and signed an agreement with the United States Agency for International Development in August, Dr. Asali said. Under the agreement, American Charities will only make donations to educational and health institutions in the Palestinian occupied territories that have been vetted and approved by Usaid, Dr. Asali said. He just returned from taking the first donation, of 1,000 laptop computers, to Palestinian students. “We wanted to be able to go to the donors and say, if you donate to this entity you don’t have to worry about someone accusing you of terrorism,” Dr. Asali said.
|
Holy Land Foundation;Muslim-Americans;Terrorism
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ny0067287
|
[
"world",
"asia"
] |
2014/12/05
|
Pentagon Issues Report on Killing of American General in Afghanistan
|
KABUL, Afghanistan — An investigation by the United States military into the death of the first American general killed in Afghanistan criticized Afghan officials for not cooperating completely with investigators, but praised the rapid response of soldiers around the general for preventing further casualties. Maj. Gen. Harold J. Greene was shot to death in August by an Afghan National Army soldier who was acting alone, according to a report of the investigation , which was released by the Pentagon on Thursday. The broad findings of the report were not a surprise, and they confirmed that the gunman, a private named Rafiqullah, 22, from Paktia Province in eastern Afghanistan, had not acted on behalf of the Taliban. Private Rafiqullah had been in the Afghan Army since 2012, working in a military police unit mostly on guard duty. “It appears the shooting was not premeditated, and the shooter simply took advantage a target of opportunity provided by the close gathering,” the report on the Aug. 5 attack said. The attacker was less than 16 yards away when he shot from the bathroom window of a military police barracks at a group of mostly senior officers who were attending an impromptu briefing on the grounds of the Afghan military’s National Defense University. The report, released with many names and details redacted, indicated that the casualties from the episode were worse than previously reported: 18 officers or soldiers were wounded. General Greene was the only officer killed; the gunman also died. The report said that Danish and American soldiers who were providing security for the meeting quickly located the suspect and returned fire, even though some of them were wounded themselves. The report also praised the quick work by military medical personnel, and it recommended the award of nine medals to the soldiers who returned fire or provided first aid. The report said, “Afghan cooperation has been limited and guarded.” Missing were autopsy and ballistic reports that were not shared with the coalition and investigators were not given independent access to Afghan witnesses. General Greene was the highest-ranking American officer killed in a foreign military engagement since the Vietnam War, and the highest-ranking coalition officer to die in Afghanistan.
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Afghanistan War;Harold J Greene;Taliban;Rafiqullah;Afghan National Army;Kabul;Pentagon
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ny0024351
|
[
"world",
"asia"
] |
2013/08/16
|
Pakistani Gunman Is Shot by Police, Ending Standoff in Islamabad
|
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A bizarre standoff between a gunman and the Islamabad police ended late Thursday night when the suspect was shot and wounded, then taken into custody. The gunman, holding two assault rifles and accompanied by his wife and young son and daughter, had paralyzed the capital for five hours after he failed to elude a police chase and ended up parking a stolen vehicle on one of its main avenues. As police officers, rangers and anti-terrorist squad commandos took up positions nearby, the gunman, identified as Muhammad Sikandar, 51, demanded that Pakistan adopt an Islamic system of government and that new elections be held under Islamic laws. Ignoring police warnings to clear the area, several dozen onlookers milled about instead, making jokes about the gunman and hooting at him derisively. Islamabad has been on high alert for 10 days after intelligence reports that militants were planning to target military and government buildings. Last week, a suicide bomber was killed as he tried to enter a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of the city. But police officials said that Thursday’s standoff did not appear to be the work of any terrorist group. As evening shadows fell over the Jinnah Avenue, senior police officials said Mr. Sikandar seemed to be a “psychological patient,” and they prolonged the negotiations in the hope that he would surrender peacefully. Instead Mr. Sikandar repeated his demands, flaunted his weapons, smoked cigarettes and drank energy drinks. He used his cellphone to give interviews to some local television networks, insisting that Pakistan was created in the name of Islam and that an Islamic system should be put in place here. His children hopped outside the vehicle, sometimes clambering on its rooftop. Their mother, clad in a black conservative dress, walked up to police officers several times to convey her husband’s wish list. Claiming to be on a mission, Mr. Sikandar said he could not live a dull, domesticated life of routine. As talk show hosts pleaded with him to let his children go, he said angrily that he had not forced his children to join him and that they did not want to leave their parents. Several politicians also arrived at the scene and tried without success to engage him. As public impatience with the situation grew, Zamarud Khan, a former lawmaker and politician from the Pakistan Peoples Party, walked up to the couple apparently to try to negotiate with them. Mr. Khan, a tall, heavyset man, leaned down to shake hands with the children as Mr. Sikandar stood nearby, his guns pointing toward the ground. All of a sudden, Mr. Khan lunged at the gunman, catching him off guard, but he managed to free himself from the grip of his would-be captor, who slipped on the asphalt. At that point, police sharpshooters opened fire, narrowly missing Mr. Khan. As he and Mr. Mr. Sikandar’s family ran for cover, the police shot Mr. Sikandar in the leg and chest. He fell to the ground and within seconds, was surrounded by the police. Two officers were also wounded in the shootout, officials said. Mr. Sikandar was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences hospital in Islamabad, where he underwent surgery and was listed in critical condition, said Waseem Khawaja, a hospital spokesman. Talking with reporters later, Mr. Khan, who was given a hero’s ovation by the bystanders and other politicians, said he had grown exasperated at one man holding the capital hostage and tarnishing Pakistan’s image. “I had planned that either I will sacrifice my life or catch this man,” he said.
|
Pakistan;Islamabad;Islam;Muhammad Sikandar
|
ny0274842
|
[
"world",
"asia"
] |
2016/02/11
|
China Says Its Students, Even Those Abroad, Need More ‘Patriotic Education’
|
BEIJING — Chinese students, already immersed in classes and textbooks that promote nationalist loyalty to the Communist Party as a bedrock value, must be made even more patriotic and devoted to the party, even when they are studying in universities abroad, according to a new directive sent to education officials. The directive, issued by the Communist Party organization of the Ministry of Education, calls for “patriotic education” to suffuse each stage and aspect of schooling, through textbooks, student assessments, museum visits and the Internet, which is the chief source of information for many young Chinese. “Organically instill the patriotic spirit into all subjects, curriculums and standards for primary, secondary and higher education in morals, language, history, geography, sports, arts and so on,” says the document, which was approved in late January but publicized only on Tuesday by Xinhua, the state-run news agency. The document demands that university and college students be instructed more thoroughly to “always follow the party” and be “clearly taught about the dangers of negativity about the history of the party, nation, revolution and reform and opening up, as well as of vilifying heroic figures.” Already, students are coached that the Communist Party has been the sole engine of progress in modern Chinese history, rescuing the country from humiliating subjugation to foreigners and restoring their nation to a position of respect and power on the global stage. Since students led the 1989 protests that occupied Tiananmen Square in Beijing, party leaders have made a priority of inoculating them against liberal values. But the new document shows how President Xi Jinping is taking demands for party proselytizing even further than his predecessors did, including beyond China’s borders . The directive says that Chinese students studying abroad must also be made a focus of instruction in Mr. Xi’s “China Dream” of national revival. “Assemble the broad numbers of students abroad as a positive patriotic energy,” the document says. “Build a multidimensional contact network linking home and abroad — the motherland, embassies and consulates, overseas student groups, and the broad number of students abroad — so that they fully feel that the motherland cares.” That demand is likely to raise concern among critics who have accused the Chinese government of applying chilling pressure on students abroad. By the end of 2014, almost 1.7 million Chinese students were studying abroad, according to the Ministry of Education , many of them in Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States. In the 2014-15 school year, just over 300,000 Chinese students were studying in the United States, an increase of nearly 11 percent over the previous year, according to the Institute of International Education , a nonprofit organization. Keeping with Mr. Xi’s emphasis on restoring respect for ancient traditions that reflect the party’s authoritarian values, the Ministry of Education party directive also urges educators to emphasize studying classical texts and virtues. “Guide youthful students to establish and maintain correct views of history, the nation, state and culture,” the document says. “Constantly enhance their sense of belonging to the Chinese nation.”
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China;K-12 Education;College;Education;Propaganda;Study Abroad and International Study;Xi Jinping;Communist Party of China
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ny0191057
|
[
"world",
"asia"
] |
2009/05/14
|
Voting Complete, India Awaits Deal-Making
|
NEW DELHI — India ’s long, blistering election season drew to a close Wednesday, as voters went to the polls for the fifth time in as many weeks to choose their next national government. With no single party expected to get a simple majority of seats in the 543-member Parliament, the shape and substance of the next administration will depend entirely on who locks arms with whom. Multiple partners are required to rule India today. The vote tally will be announced Saturday. But it could take several days of bartering and deal-making for a final government to be formed. If the gap between the number of seats won by the two largest national parties, the ruling Indian National Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party , is large enough, the leading party could stitch up a coalition relatively quickly. If the gap is small, the haggling could be protracted and messy, and small regional party bosses could bargain harder to either weaken their local rivals or grab lucrative, powerful ministries. “If you want to govern India, you will have to deal with them,” said Kapil Sibal, a Congress leader in the capital, referring to the regional bosses. “Let us see what the arithmetic is on the 16th.” With an eye on the arithmetic, the small party bosses are likely to bargain hard. J. Jayalalithaa, a politician from the large swing state of Tamil Nadu in the south, told reporters on Wednesday that she had not yet accepted anyone’s “overtures” and that she would wait until after Saturday to decide whose tent she would choose. Amar Singh, a party boss from northern Uttar Pradesh state, put it more bluntly when he said his party would demand its “pound of flesh” in exchange for its support. India faces tough challenges both at home and abroad — with several neighboring countries, including Pakistan, in dangerous disarray — and the worst global economic crisis in decades. There was virtually no discussion of the substantive issues on the campaign trail. They are likely to be hammered out only after the next administration forms. Elections today are rather an assertion of identity for India’s many regions and castes, each of them scrambling for a piece of the national political pie. “India’s democratic competition today is fundamentally about how India’s power structure will accommodate its many regional and, especially, caste diversities,” said Ashutosh Varshney, a professor of politics at Brown University. “A lot of time is spent on bargaining, representing and accommodating.” State by state, district by district, the elections were fought over local concerns. In Tamil Nadu, for instance, the ethnic civil war in Sri Lanka, a few hours’ boat ride from the southern tip of the state, emerged as a delicate poll issue. In West Bengal, land acquisition for industrial projects divided the electorate. In Bihar, it was flood relief. Turnout hovered close to 60 percent of India’s 714 million eligible voters, according to the election commission, higher than in the last two parliamentary polls. Still, despite an unprecedented voter education drive, turnout in Mumbai was far lower than many had anticipated in the aftermath of the November terrorist attacks. Election-related violence was concentrated in remote, rural pockets in the Indian interior, where Maoist insurgents had called for a poll boycott; all told, 37 people died, mostly security personnel and election workers attacked by the leftist guerrillas. The election offered an object lesson in the biggest paradox of the world’s biggest democracy. Over the course of five weeks, voters chose a particular party, but had no way of telling which parties would be its allies. “It is open house,” said Vinod Mehta, the editor in chief of the weekly magazine Outlook. “It has happened before, but not at this scale and not with this level of cynicism.”
|
India;Elections;Voting and Voters;Bharatiya Janata Party
|
ny0073030
|
[
"sports",
"football"
] |
2015/03/14
|
Brandon Marshall Hopes Jets Will Be His Final Stop
|
Brandon Marshall hopes to make the Jets the fourth and final stop of a career marked by a surprising amount of movement for a wide receiver of his caliber. “Being a one-hit wonder or a rental definitely affects you emotionally,” he said Friday. “I don’t want to go through that again.” Marshall, 30, may well be on a one-year trial with the Jets. They acquired him from the Chicago Bears in exchange for a fifth-round draft choice last Friday in what amounted to a fire sale for a wideout who has been to the Pro Bowl five times. He is owed $24.3 million, including $7.7 million this season, over the final three years of his contract. But the last two years are not guaranteed, providing the Jets with an easy exit if they sour on Marshall the way three previous teams did. Marshall said that he was more mature now than when he broke in with the Denver Broncos in 2006 as a little-known fourth-round draft choice from Central Florida who quickly attained stardom. “I didn’t cope and deal the right way with things my first couple of years,” he said, admitting that he “got kicked out of Denver.” Denver traded him to the Miami Dolphins in 2010. He spent two years in Miami before he was sent on to Chicago. He spent the last three years with the Bears and developed a strong relationship with the quarterback Jay Cutler, who has come to be viewed as a polarizing figure within that organization. Marshall said he and Cutler treated each other as if they were brothers. During his time in Miami, Marshall also developed an admiration for Todd Bowles, then an assistant with the Dolphins and now in his first year as the Jets’ coach. “He’s a man’s man,” Marshall said, adding, “We had a great rapport, and I’m looking forward to building on that.” Marshall has said he has borderline personality disorder; his charitable efforts in recent years have revolved around mental health. Marshall has been arrested twice in domestic abuse episodes, but charges were dropped in both cases. Marshall has the potential to end the Jets’ search for a premier wide receiver if he rebounds from last season. He was slowed by injuries and finished with 61 catches — his fewest since his rookie year in Denver — 721 yards receiving and 8 touchdowns. His streak of 1,000-yard seasons ended at seven. Simply by his game-changing presence on the field, Marshall should ease defensive pressure on fellow receivers Eric Decker and Jeremy Kerley as the Jets learn a new offense under the first-year coordinator Chan Gailey. “I do believe there is going to be a big piece of the offense for me,” he said. “But if you look at Coach Gailey’s history, he does a great job of getting matchups. Everyone gets the ball and everyone eats, so I’m excited about that.” In another development Friday, the Jets officially signed Marcus Gilchrist, a free-agent safety, to a four-year deal. Gilchrist, 26, had been with the San Diego Chargers, breaking in as a cornerback before making the transition to safety two years ago. He will be paired with Calvin Pryor, the team’s first-round draft choice last year.
|
Football;Jets;Brandon Marshall;Chicago Bears;Todd Bowles
|
ny0122644
|
[
"nyregion"
] |
2012/09/19
|
Rising Tower in Manhattan Takes On Sheen as Billionaire’s Haven
|
One57 , a 1,004-foot tower under construction in Midtown Manhattan , will soon hold the title of New York’s tallest building with residences. But without fanfare from its ultraprivate future residents, it is cementing a new title: the global billionaires’ club. The buyers of the nine full-floor apartments near the top that have sold so far — among them two duplexes under contract for more than $90 million each — are all billionaires, Gary Barnett, the president of the Extell Development Company, the building’s developer, said this week. The other seven apartments ranged in price from $45 million to $50 million. The billionaires’ club includes several Americans, at least two buyers from China, a Canadian, a Nigerian and a Briton, according to Mr. Barnett and brokers who have sold apartments in the building, at 157 West 57th Street. Mr. Barnett said that at least a few buyers were “significant Forbes billionaires.” Since late last year, the “trophy” end of New York’s real estate market has been recording eye-popping sales that seem to have little basis in reality. The signed contract for the nearly-11,000-square-foot duplex on the 89th and 90th floors of One57 that sold for about $95 million topped the record sale in March of a penthouse at 15 Central Park West to a Russian billionaire’s daughter for $88 million. In June, Steve Wynn, the Las Vegas casino magnate, paid $70 million for a duplex penthouse apartment above the Ritz-Carlton. Individual sales aside, it is the sheer concentration of wealth in One57, a $1.5 billion development, that is raising the eyebrows of some longtime market watchers. “The scale of wealth in this building is just unheard of,” said Jonathan J. Miller, president of Miller Samuel, a property appraiser. “Despite all the problems economically, you are seeing these people invest in real estate unlike in any period that has ever happened.” Since sales began in the building in November, Extell has signed contracts for more than $1 billion worth of apartments, about $300 million just this summer, Mr. Barnett said. Fewer than 40 of the 92 apartments remain unsold, among them four full-floor units. But Mr. Barnett said two potential buyers from China were “circling” one of them. The cost of entry into the club now exceeds $50 million for the remaining full-floor apartments, Mr. Barnett said. Last week, after Extell provided a reporter with an exclusive look at the 360-degree views that the owners of the full-floor apartments will experience when they are able to move in late next year, it was not hard to understand the appeal of One57. The construction elevator took six minutes to ascend 850 feet to an apartment on the 85th floor. (It will take 30 seconds for the residents’ three elevators to reach the top, Extell officials said.) The 6,240-square-foot apartment was bought by an American who already owned “some of the best real estate in the world,” including two “very significant” places in New York, said Nikki Field, the Sotheby’s International Realty broker who represented the buyer. For now, the apartment is just bare walls and concrete. Orange netting hangs in place of what will be floor-to-ceiling windows. The building seems almost centered along the south end of Central Park. From the apartment’s main living room, the park seems to roll out like a giant green carpet. On a clear day, you can see all the way to the Bronx . To the east, planes can be seen taking off from La Guardia and Kennedy Airports. The Atlantic Ocean pokes out over the horizon. To the northwest, the gentle bend in the Hudson River is visible. Closer in, you can see the grassy terrace of the $88 million penthouse at 15 Central Park West. To the south, a resident standing in what will be a bathroom with his-and-hers showers and toilets will look out on the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center complex and the Statue of Liberty , not to mention the electronic billboards in Times Square. Mr. Barnett spent 15 years assembling the property and air rights on 57th Street. At first, he said, he just wanted to build a 300,000-square-foot building. “I didn’t even think in terms of views,” he said. “But as the assemblage got larger and the market started rising to new levels, and views of the park became so paramount, the project took shape.” When the property market sank after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008, Mr. Barnett had to persuade his partners to stay the course. “Partly it was a belief that the market would come back and it was the right thing to go forward,” he said, “and partly I had no choice. You have a site, and there is no way to get out of it but to go forward.” In the end, his timing was lucky. As New York has emerged from the downturn, high-end real estate has become a magnet for the world’s superrich, who are looking for better investment returns and a safe haven from thornier economic conditions in their home countries. Ms. Field said Mr. Barnett “was there in January when there was no other product and people were looking for a place to stash their cash.” “A lot of what is happening at One57 is about wealth preservation,” she added. Even some owners at 15 Central Park West, with its star-studded resident roster and rave architectural reviews, are buying into One57. At least three have signed contracts to buy units there, Ms. Field said. One57 has at least a two-year head start on newer developments vying for the billionaire set, like 432 Park Avenue, which is expected to be almost 400 feet taller than One57 when it is completed in 2016. The steady sales have allowed Mr. Barnett to turn away a few potential buyers when negotiations have gotten sticky. There was Nick Candy, a developer of another billionaire enclave, One Hyde Park in London. Negotiations broke down after Mr. Barnett refused to give Mr. Candy the right to flip an apartment before construction was completed, according to e-mails between the men. Mr. Barnett also decided not to sell to Michael Hirtenstein, a millionaire entrepreneur, after Mr. Hirtenstein paid a One57 construction worker to shoot a video that he said revealed that his view on the 47th floor would be partly blocked by the neighboring Essex House sign. And Mr. Barnett said he passed up a full-floor sale to a potential buyer who wanted to do major renovation without allowing Extell to assist in the construction and ease the inconvenience for other residents. “I can’t tell you I would be so principled if I was having a hard time selling,” Mr. Barnett said. “We are not desperate to sell at all costs.”
|
Real Estate and Housing (Residential);Midtown Area (NYC);One57;Extell Development Co;High Net Worth Individuals
|
ny0227706
|
[
"us"
] |
2010/07/05
|
Old Movie Houses Find Audience in the Plains
|
LANGDON, N. D. — Every Friday through Monday night, from her perch behind the Skittles and the M&M’s, Amy Freier awaits the faithful at the historic Roxy Theater. There is Dale Klein, the school bus driver (large Diet Pepsi with a refill). And there is Jeannette Schefter, the social worker (large plain popcorn, medium Diet). “You know who comes,” said Ms. Freier, one of 200 volunteers in this town of roughly 2,000 who are keeping the Roxy’s neon glowing. “They’re part of the theater.” In an age of streaming videos and DVDs, the small town Main Street movie theater is thriving in North Dakota, the result of a grass-roots movement to keep storefront movie houses, with their jewel-like marquees and facades of careworn utility, at the center of community life. From Crosby (population 1,000), near the Saskatchewan border, to Mayville, in the Red River Valley, tickets are about $5, the buttered popcorn $1.25 and the companionship free. “If we were in Los Angeles or Phoenix, the only reason to go to a movie would be to see it,” said Cecile Wehrman, a newspaper editor who, with members of the nonprofit Meadowlark Arts Council resuscitated the Dakota in Crosby, its plush interiors now a chic black, red and silver. “But in a small town, the theater is like a neighborhood. It’s the see-and-be-seen, bring everyone and sit together kind of place.” The revival is not confined to North Dakota; Main Street movie houses like the Alamo in Bucksport, Me., the Luna in Clayton, N.M., and the Strand in Old Forge, N.Y., are flourishing as well. But in the Great Plains, where stop signs can be 50 miles apart and the nearest multiplex is 200 miles round trip, the town theater — one screen, one show a night, weekends only — is an anchoring force, especially for families. It is a tradition that comes with a delicate social choreography (kids up front, teenagers in the back — away from prying parental eyes) and in spite of nature’s ferocity (subzero temperatures can freeze the coconut oil for the popcorn machine). Steve Hart, 40, a farmer in Langdon who helped revive the Roxy, tells of a paralyzing Christmas blizzard several years ago. The phone started ringing shortly afterward. “Do you have a movie?” people wanted to know. “An hour later,” he recalled, “there were 90 people on Main Street, even though there was only one path through the drifts and the movie was ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.’ ” To Tim Kennedy, a professor of landscape architecture who has traveled across the state to survey little theaters for a book, the communal will of rural towns that keep theaters going represents “buildings as social capital,” forged “outside the franchise cinemas and their ubiquitous presence at the malls.” Of the 31 operating historic theaters identified by Mr. Kennedy, 19 are community-run, little changed from the days when itinerant projectionists packed their automobile trunks with reels of film and hit the road. Many retain the upstairs soundproof “cry rooms” for fussy babies. Their collective rejuvenation reveals a can-do spirit — as in Cando (population 1,250), home to the historic Audi Theater. Robert Schwanz, a 55-year-old farmer and electrician in Crosby, volunteers at the Dakota, fixing the sound system, mending wires, repairing the projector. “Our grandparents homesteaded,” he said, sitting in an empty row of seats one recent afternoon. “We’re only two generations out. It’s part of the culture to take care of the neighbors, help each other.” Crosby citizens launched into John Wayne mode in 2000 when the owner could no longer afford to keep the theater going with a “Nickels for Neon” drive. Today, the Dakota is a star with many roles. It is a destination for high school students on a Saturday night. It is where county employees and local farmers discuss noxious weeds, and where the crowd pours in after football games to watch highlights on the big screen. On Oscar night, the program is shown live. Everyone in town gussies up and walks a red carpet donated by a local furniture company. To Tom Isern, a professor of history at North Dakota State University Fargo, citizens championing theaters represent “a bounce back from the bottom” for small North Dakota towns. Crosby, for instance, is the seat of Divide County, which lost 14 percent of its population over the past decade but is now rebounding due to oil revenues. Baby boomers are in a position to help. “They are the last picture show generation on the plains,” he said, “who can remember that movie theater experience and want to transmit that to their kids.” Films veer heavily toward G and sometimes PG-13 ratings. “ Sex and the City ?” said Ms. Freier, the Roxy volunteer. “People don’t relate to that here.” Lauren Larson, a school counselor in Fargo and co-owner with her husband, Steve, of the Delchar, has a motherly eye. When she spied a 14-year-old watching “The Last Boy Scout,” which is rated R, she called his father. “It’s hard for me to let them in when I know the movie is not good for them,” she said. For the parents of teenagers, the appeal of a hometown movie theater is often safety more than sentiment. “The snow can kick up in a matter of minutes,” said Dean Kostuck, the father of Hailey, 16, and Hillary, 20. “You’ve got to worry.” At the Lyric in Park River, a silent-picture-era theater once presided over by Laura McEachern, who dealt with rustling candy wrappers “by stalking the aisles with a pen flashlight and shining it right in your eye,” her 81-year-old niece, Lorna Marifjeren, recalled, most of the volunteers are teenagers like Trey Powers. “If the theater wasn’t here, a lot more people would be drinking,” he said. North Dakota ranked first in the nation for binge drinking in 2009, and some volunteers at the Lyric include teenagers assigned to community service by the court. “Most sure don’t mind,” said Jim Fish, the juvenile court officer for Walsh, Cavalier and Pembina Counties. “It’s a neat fit. There is a sense of helping the community out.” For older residents, theaters are a link to a rapidly vanishing past. Movie rentals are the biggest threat, said Babe Belzer, 74, who led the drive to restore the Lyric with fellow Jazzercisers. “If you can get a whole living room of kids watching a movie for three bucks, what a deal,” she said. “But at the theater,” she continued, “the phone doesn’t ring, it’s not time to change the clothes from the washer to the dryer, and there isn’t anyone at your door. It’s kind of the heart and soul of our town.”
|
Movies;Restoration and Renovation
|
ny0140691
|
[
"business",
"worldbusiness"
] |
2008/02/15
|
European Union Seeks Longer Music Copyrights
|
BRUSSELS — The European Union said Thursday that it would seek to extend copyright protection for singers and musicians to 95 years — rather than the current 50 — in a move intended to let performers receive royalty payments later in life. The proposals, made by Charlie McCreevy, the commissioner for the internal market, would extend to performers the entitlements to royalty payments already received by their counterparts in the United States, and by composers in Europe, most of whom have 70 years of copyright protection. Mr. McCreevy said that 50 years of copyright protection did not give artists a guaranteed lifetime income. “If nothing is done, thousands of European performers who recorded in the late 1950s and 1960s will lose all of their airplay royalties over the next 10 years,” Mr. McCreevy said. Royalties often make up the “sole pension” for artists, he said, and the loss of them could come during “the most vulnerable period of their lives.” The proposal, which needs approval from governments in the European Union as well as the European Parliament, is intended to benefit not just big-name artists but session musicians and lesser-known performers as well. The European Commission said a survey that it conducted showed that many European performers or singers started their careers in their early 20s. Session musicians, who were not members of a band, often began performing at 17. These individuals would be in their 70s when copyright protection ended. The proposals were widely welcomed by the music industry. John Smith, president of the International Federation of Musicians, said, “This is great news for thousands of musicians, and we are especially delighted that the commission has acted to benefit session musicians.” The commission also wants to revisit a reform of copyright levies charged on blank discs, data storage and music and video players. The charges, which vary widely among European countries, help to compensate artists and copyright holders for legal copying of their material. In 2006, Mr. McCreevy tried and failed to reorganize the copyright levy system, running into opposition from the French government.
|
Music;Royalties;Art;Europe
|
ny0025956
|
[
"business"
] |
2013/08/13
|
The Questions Raised by Makeup
|
I’VE flown for the business for about the last 18 years. I’m in the beauty business and now work with Make Up For Ever. When I was with another brand, I used to oversee 23 countries, and was traveling to five or six countries a month. One time I had to go to six countries in three days. Fortunately, I don’t have to do those kinds of whirlwind trips anymore, but I’m still flying all the time. When I was younger, business travel was really a social experience for me. Now, it’s a means to an end. I love seeing new places and experiencing new cultures, but instead of chatting with people at the airport or on the plane, I’m thinking about work and doing work. I think my change in flying habits is probably due to the fact that the scope of my work has changed since I’m now a general manager and am responsible for all operations in North and South America. I love my job, but I miss the fun I used to have on flights. On a positive note, I’m a great flier. I’ve got a routine and I follow it, including having a spicy Virgin Bloody Mary on every flight. It’s salty and the worst thing I can do, but I have to have one. On those rare occasions I do talk to people on flights, it never fails that I’ll get beauty questions. Sure, it’s mostly women, but there have been a few men that have asked me questions, too. Image J.P. McCary during a cleansing ceremony in Bali. The beauty business, specifically the cosmetics industry, is finally learning about the needs of women and what they want. It’s a big shift from telling women what they need. Everyone is strapped for time so there is a big emphasis on multiuse products. But I always tell women I don’t care what they wear in terms of makeup. It’s very personal, and if you feel comfortable wearing something, wear it. I’m in the business and my mother still wears the same type of makeup she did 30 years ago. If you’re comfortable with something and it makes you feel good, wear it. It doesn’t matter what I think. I used to live in Dallas and always used the same carrier and so I got to know the flight attendants. I was working in the field quite a bit at the time, which meant that I would have to lug a makeup case with me since I needed to be prepared for just about anything. This thing was huge and held about 600 products. Sometimes I would set up in the galley to conduct a free class for fun, teaching the attendants, and often passengers, how to do their eyes or their lips. I would always leave some product behind for attendants to try, which I’m sure helped me get upgrades on other flights. Since I’m a diabetic I also travel with my insulin kit. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 15 years old, and taking medication, up to four insulin shots a day, is just part of my life. I have never had any issues with the Transportation Security Administration, but once I was stopped in Europe and was asked a few questions about my insulin kit. But what has caused a few issues with the T.S.A. is that makeup kit. Once I was stopped by security and had to pull out every item in the case. I missed my flight because it took so long. It was kind of odd explaining that a foundation brush is really not a weapon. I didn’t leave the agents any makeup samples. Maybe I should have.
|
Business travel;Cosmetics and Toiletries;Airlines,airplanes;Make Up For Ever
|
ny0213640
|
[
"science"
] |
2010/03/16
|
In Climate Change Fight, Iron Enrichment at Sea Could Be Toxic
|
Fertilizing the oceans with iron has been proposed as a way of fighting climate change . The idea is that iron will promote blooms of phytoplankton that will remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. When the phytoplankton dies and sinks, the carbon will effectively be sequestered in the deep ocean. Enthusiasm for the idea has waned, in part because of concerns about large-scale manipulation of ocean ecosystems. Now, a study in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences points out a specific risk: by promoting the growth of certain organisms, iron enrichment may result in the harmful production of a neurotoxin. Charles G. Trick of the University of Western Ontario and colleagues studied several species of diatoms of the genus Pseudonitzschia. These organisms produce domoic acid, which they use to help grow but that is toxic to many organisms, including marine mammals and humans. Large blooms of Pseudonitzschia in coastal waters have led to poisonings of sea lions that eat tainted shellfish. But studies had suggested that in midocean, the diatoms did not produce the toxin. Dr. Trick said his team’s work suggested that the earlier studies were flawed. Pseudonitzschia collected in midocean and subjected to shipboard experiments produced plenty of domoic acid. “We found there is a lot of toxin out there,” he said. “If we were to seed with iron, the amount of toxin would go up.” The researchers found evidence that increased domoic acid production enabled Pseudonitzschia to outcompete other phytoplankton. “So it’s more toxic than it was before,” Dr. Trick said, “and there’s more of it.”
|
Oceans;Global Warming;Steel and Iron;Science and Technology
|
ny0183763
|
[
"sports",
"ncaabasketball"
] |
2007/12/23
|
Unbeaten Memphis Tops Georgetown
|
MEMPHIS (AP) — The Memphis junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts ended his personal slump in dominating fashion. Douglas-Roberts scored 24 points and Robert Dozier added 19 Saturday as No. 2 Memphis defeated No. 5 Georgetown, 85-71, extending the nation’s second-longest home winning streak to 37 games. “If you win, it’s a huge game,” Memphis Coach John Calipari said. “That’s why it was. We won it with defense. We executed offensively the best we executed all year.” The freshman guard Derrick Rose had 18 points for Memphis (10-0), and Joey Dorsey had 11 points and 13 rebounds, grabbing 11 in the second half. “They had contributions up and down the line,” Georgetown Coach John Thompson III said. “That’s what good teams do. That’s why you have to look at them as one of the best, if not the best, team in the country right now because they can hurt you in so many different ways.” Calipari wanted and needed tougher opponents this season to help offset the Conference USA schedule his Tigers play starting in January. He got exactly what he wanted with a bit of history for good measure. This was the first time the Tigers played in a game on their home court with both teams ranked in the top five. They had played in such a game only twice before and not since the 1995-96 season, when the Tigers, then No. 3, went to top-ranked Massachusetts and lost to a team coached by Calipari. Douglas-Roberts had been shooting 7 of 31 from the field over his previous three games, averaging 6.3 points. He also had 8 rebounds and 2 assists Saturday and was 9 of 12 at the free-throw line. Teammates had told him to settle down, play his game and not do anything extra. “I was more aggressive,” Douglas-Roberts said. “The previous two, I was playing lackadaisical. I don’t know why. My head really wasn’t into the game. I wasn’t up to the pace.” The preseason all-American Roy Hibbert had a season-low 6 points for Georgetown (8-1). “I need to make myself more assertive,” he said. Austin Freeman scored a team-high 14 points for the Hoyas. DaJuan Summers had 13 and Patrick Ewing Jr. 10. “We have a long way to go, and you know I think both ends of the floor, to be honest,” Thompson said. “I felt like our offense let us down a little bit.” The Hoyas led by as many as 8 points in the first half, but Memphis took control in the second by outrebounding the Hoyas, 43-30.
|
Georgetown University;College Athletics;Basketball
|
ny0284990
|
[
"world",
"middleeast"
] |
2016/09/29
|
Obama and Shimon Peres: Fast Friends Who Found Peace Out of Reach
|
JERUSALEM — They were an international odd couple with seemingly little in common, a 40-something African-American born in Hawaii and an octogenarian Zionist born in a shtetl in Poland. But somehow Barack Obama and Shimon Peres hit it off. When they met, Mr. Obama was still a junior senator on the rise, and Mr. Peres was in the twilight years of a storied career that spanned the lifetime of his nation. Mr. Obama asked for advice. Mr. Peres urged him to disregard the notion that the future was for the young. “Leave the future to me,” Mr. Peres said. “I have time.” Mr. Peres’s time ran out on Wednesday as he died at 93, two weeks after a stroke. Mr. Obama finds his own time running short, at least his time in the world’s most powerful office, and he is contemplating a second act, always a specialty of Mr. Peres’s. In the end, they had more in common than might have been imagined, two Nobel Peace laureates who found peace maddeningly out of reach. Mr. Obama’s response to Mr. Peres’s death on Wednesday was striking. He issued a statement that was unusually long and personal, and he called Mr. Peres’s children with condolences even before they had announced their father’s death to the world. Mr. Obama made plans to attend the funeral on Friday, only the second time in nearly eight years in office he has traveled overseas to say farewell to a foreign leader. (The other was Nelson Mandela.) “I will always be grateful that I was able to call Shimon my friend,” Mr. Obama said in the statement. “Shimon,” he added, “was the essence of Israel itself.” The American president was hardly the only world leader on Wednesday to pile on praise. Presidents, prime ministers and the pope all hailed Mr. Peres as a champion of peace. Many of them will also attend the funeral at Mount Herzl, the Israeli national cemetery, including heads of state or government from France, Canada and Germany. Joining Mr. Obama will be former President Bill Clinton, who hosted Mr. Peres, Yitzhak Rabin and Yasir Arafat in 1993 on the White House lawn for the signing of the Oslo peace accords. But admired as he was at home and abroad, Mr. Peres was seen as a more complicated figure among Palestinians, who remembered his role in advancing settlements in the West Bank and in ordering a brief but intense military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon in 1996 that led to civilian deaths. Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, which emerged from the Oslo agreement, sent a letter of condolence to the Peres family, calling him a “brave” partner in peace who had labored intensively until his death to realize the promise of the accords, according to the Palestinian news media. But leaders of Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that controls Gaza and is considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and other nations, alternately celebrated Mr. Peres’s death or complained that it had allowed him to escape justice. “He is a criminal who committed massacres against the Palestinian people and justified wars in Gaza,” Hazem Qasem, a spokesman for Hamas, said by telephone. “He is one of the founding leaders of the Israeli occupation that caused the displacement of millions of Palestinians.” In a way, though, Mr. Peres was the Israeli leader Mr. Obama wished he had had as a partner. Never enamored of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr. Obama clearly would have had a better connection with Mr. Peres. “Peres was the last Israeli political leader who wholeheartedly believed in and advocated for a negotiated two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians,” said Tamara Cofman Wittes, a former deputy assistant secretary of state for the Middle East under Mr. Obama. Even now, Mr. Obama is considering laying down his proposed parameters for peace after the November election, despite Mr. Netanyahu’s objections. For Mr. Obama, Mr. Peres’s death is an opportunity to prod Israel to fulfill its former leader’s legacy. “I can think of no greater tribute to his life than to renew our commitment to the peace that we know is possible,” Mr. Obama said. Some Israeli analysts said they expected Mr. Obama to use the occasion to make a new pitch for a peace settlement, but they doubted that Mr. Peres’s death would change the political dynamics. “Just by appearing here, he’ll probably want to make a speech that will mention the two-state solution,” said Zalman Shoval, a two-time Israeli ambassador to the United States and a member of Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud Party. “On whom will this have an impact is another question. On the Israeli public? I don’t think so. On the Palestinians? They have their own problems.” Mr. Obama does not harbor any illusions about making great progress in the few months he has left in office. “Obama doesn’t believe that peace is possible with the current leadership in Israel and the Palestinian Authority,” said Martin S. Indyk, his former Middle East special envoy. Instead, the idea would be to lay down a marker for the future Mr. Peres talked about. When Mr. Obama first met Mr. Peres, they traded notes on how dysfunctional each of their political systems really was. “They took an immediate liking to each other,” said Einat Wilf, then an adviser to Mr. Peres, who was at the meeting, “and had a sense that they both shared the same fundamental attitude of optimism, the belief in the ability of humans to shape their future through their own actions, and that the arc of history bends toward progress and justice.” After Mr. Obama’s inauguration in 2009, Mr. Peres made a point of visiting him at the White House before Mr. Netanyahu did. Three years later, Mr. Obama awarded Mr. Peres the Presidential Medal of Freedom and hosted a gala East Room dinner for him. A year later, Mr. Obama visited Israel and spent time with Mr. Peres again. “He had a special relationship with Obama, no question about it,” said Yehuda Ben Meir, a former Israeli deputy foreign minister now at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv. “Although they were totally different in background and personality, evidently there was some mutual admiration of each other and an understanding that each one was a special person.” Indeed, Mr. Peres was protective of Mr. Obama, who has been criticized fiercely in Israel for his handling of the Palestinian conflict and for his accord with Iran intended to curb its nuclear program. When Mr. Ben Meir wrote an article defending Mr. Obama, he said, Mr. Peres called at 7 a.m. to congratulate him on it. The regard went both ways. “A light has gone out, but the hope he gave us will burn forever,” Mr. Obama said. “Shimon Peres was a soldier for Israel, for the Jewish people, for justice, for peace and for the belief that we can be true to our best selves — to the very end of our time on earth, and in the legacy that we leave to others.”
|
Shimon Peres;Barack Obama;Israel;US Foreign Policy;Palestinians
|
ny0023558
|
[
"world",
"middleeast"
] |
2013/08/03
|
Pressed on Syria, Hezbollah Leader Urges Focus on Israel
|
BEIRUT, Lebanon — In a rare public appearance on Friday, Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, urged Arabs and Muslims to stay focused on opposing Israel despite bitter disagreements over the Syrian war, and declared that his Shiite followers would not bend in the face of rising anti-Shiite sentiment among those who oppose his support for the Syrian government. It was the longest speech Mr. Nasrallah had delivered personally in public in years; since Hezbollah battled Israel in 2006, he has stayed largely underground, fearing assassination. He has relayed most speeches via video and made only rare, brief public appearances. The half-hour appearance, at a rally in a hall in southern Beirut, came a day after Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, was filmed visiting the heavily contested Damascus suburb of Daraya, and appeared aimed at building on the message of confidence that Mr. Assad had sought to project. Speaking on Al Quds Day, also known as Jerusalem Day, Mr. Nasrallah, a bodyguard standing stiffly beside him, also invoked the Palestinian cause to shore up his party’s legitimacy inside Lebanon. A day earlier, President Michel Suleiman of Lebanon called, for the first time, for the Lebanese state to rein in the ability of Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militant group and political party, to act as an independent military organization, a right it claims on the ground that it is the only group able to defend Lebanon from Israel. Hezbollah’s rivals argue that it has forfeited that right by unilaterally sending fighters not to Israel but to Syria to battle an uprising that many Lebanese support. While the government lacks the ability to challenge Hezbollah militarily, the controversy has threatened Hezbollah’s political dominance, helped to bring down the government and left the state paralyzed under a caretaker prime minister. Mr. Nasrallah also made his sharpest and most direct comments to date on the rising sectarian tone of the conflicts in and over Syria. He has long said Hezbollah is fighting in Syria not to defend Shiite interests, but to fend off an extremist rebel movement that threatens the entire region and to defend a Syrian government that he sees as a champion of Palestinians. But on Friday, he declared, to cheers, “Many times I speak as a nationalist, as a Muslim, but I’m going to speak as a Shiite.” He noted the rising attacks on Shiites in Iraq and Pakistan and the extreme anti-Shiite statements that have become common in some strains of the Syrian insurgency, a mostly Sunni movement. Mr. Assad is an ally of Shiite Iran, and his security forces are dominated by his Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam. “Say what you want; call us terrorists, call us criminals, try and kill us wherever you want,” Mr. Nasrallah said. “We shall not abandon Palestine.” Mr. Nasrallah appeared to be simultaneously trying to rally his Shiite base, to address its fear and anger after a recent car bomb wounded more than 50 people in Hezbollah’s southern Beirut stronghold, and to shore up wider support that has been drained by the group’s stance on Syria. Alluding to the tensions between Hezbollah and its longtime Palestinian ally, Hamas, which moved its leadership out of Syria last year, Mr. Nasrallah called for dialogue and said, “Whatever be the other issues which we might disagree on, the commitment must always be to Palestine.” Mr. Nasrallah has sought to justify Hezbollah’s intervention in Syria — which has helped Mr. Assad reclaim some areas long held by rebels — by arguing that the Syrian revolution was instigated by Israel and its Western allies. “They are trying push the people to focus on another enemy, inventing other wars,” he said. But Hezbollah’s critics say it is Mr. Nasrallah whose focus has pivoted from Israel to fight fellow Arab Muslims in Syria. Hezbollah has lost the support of many Palestinian refugees in Syria, tens of thousands of whom have been displaced by the fighting. It is also not uncommon for Mr. Assad’s Syrian opponents to say that the fight against Hezbollah and the Syrian government is more urgent than that against Israel, and that Syrian security forces have killed more Syrians during the uprising than Israel ever did. Mr. Nasrallah responded by saying, “Israel represents a permanent and grave danger to all the countries and all the peoples of this region.” The thinking of those who do not view it as the primary threat “reflects ignorance,” he added. The conflicts arising from the Arab uprisings, Mr. Nasrallah said, are political, not sectarian, in nature, but, he argued, in diverse countries like Syria, Lebanon and Bahrain, outside forces have tried to turn them sectarian “so that we Shiites forget Palestine and we forget Al Quds.” Israel, which Mr. Nasrallah called “a cancer” that must be eradicated, has said it is not interfering in Syria’s conflict. American officials say Israel has bombed Syria several times to prevent the government from transferring strategic weapons to Hezbollah.
|
Arab Spring;Lebanon;Syria;Hezbollah;Hassan Nasrallah;Israel
|
ny0285346
|
[
"nyregion"
] |
2016/09/19
|
Uber Car, Sprayed With Shrapnel in New York Blast, Is Dissected by F.B.I.
|
Saturday evening started out normally for M. D. Alam, an Uber driver who picked up a group of passengers in Chelsea just moments before an explosion sprayed his car with shrapnel, terrifying both him and his riders. The next day he stood stone-faced on a Midtown Manhattan sidewalk as a team of investigators with the Federal Bureau of Investigation dissected his scarred black Toyota Camry with forensic precision, peering inside its shattered taillight and dismantling its battered back-seat door. Mr. Alam had picked up his passengers on the corner of 23rd Street and Seventh Avenue and was driving east on 23rd Street, he said, when a bomb planted under a Dumpster went off, hurling mangled steel across the street and sending debris in all directions. The passengers panicked, he said, and he did, too. They asked him to keep driving and to take them to their Midtown destination. Video Windows were smashed, glass doors broken and trains stuck. The day after an explosion injured 29, causing mayhem in Chelsea, residents of the Manhattan neighborhood recounted the blast. Credit Credit Yana Paskova for The New York Times “Everyone was worried,” he said as he watched investigators climb inside his car. “I am worried, too.” Mr. Alam dropped his passengers off and left the damaged car overnight near the corner of Madison Avenue and 40th Street while he collected his insurance information and called the police, he said. “I called the police because my car is damaged,” Mr. Alam said. “I’m just here to protect my car.” The damage to his vehicle was on full view on Sunday, as reporters swarmed and passers-by stopped to gawk at the investigators. The driver’s side was riddled with small pockmarks. A piece of debris punched a hole the size of a tennis ball in the back door, which also had a deep, wide dent. The car’s back window was shattered, and glass littered the back seat. Two police officers instructed him on how to file a report at the local station house, while two others leaned against a nearby building and remarked on how lucky Mr. Alam and his passengers were to have escaped unhurt. An F.B.I. investigator thanked Mr. Alam for his help, and said the agency hoped to return the vehicle to him soon. “We had to take part of your door, but it will help me get your car back to you faster,” the investigator said. “I did find something I had to take as evidence.”
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Chelsea Bombing;Terrorism;Chelsea;NYPD;FBI;Uber;Car Service
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ny0202788
|
[
"business"
] |
2009/08/16
|
Venture Capital, Still Seeking the Next Big Thing
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This may seem a less-than-ideal time for an entrepreneur to seek venture capital. But the capital well is far from dry, according to a survey by the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Of 185 venture firms surveyed last spring, 46 percent said they planned to make at least two investments over the next 12 months within their current fund; 54 percent said they planned to make three or more investments. The venture capitalists are hardly ignorant of economic realities: most see a financing environment that is highly competitive. So which companies are the most likely to snag money? A look at recent investments gives an idea of current priorities. Areas like financial services, consumer products, and media and entertainment are attracting less capital than a predictable star player: technology. Nearly a quarter of the firms’ capital is in software, followed by medical devices, biotechnology, clean technology and the Internet. PHYLLIS KORKKI
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Venture Capital;Biotechnology
|
ny0200824
|
[
"business",
"smallbusiness"
] |
2009/09/17
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Despite Setbacks, a Bright Future for Biotech
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FROM one perspective, the life sciences industry — the biotechnology companies that develop drugs and treatments to combat disease and the biomedical firms that create medical devices — is a picture of expanding horizons and confidence. Young companies are taking advantage of advances in medical and computing sciences to develop new ways of dealing with intractable health problems. One new company has developed a disposable device with software that would help surgeons to perform knee replacements with greater accuracy. Another has a microscopic device implantable in the eye that would continuously release medicines to alleviate glaucoma or macular degeneration . Other companies have developed potential vaccines against staphylococcus infections and drugs to preserve cardiac function after a heart attack . Indeed, the biotech industry is spreading globally to India and China, where capital is abundant and research is increasing. But even as the industry seems to be making progress, its biggest benefactors are pulling back. The traditional providers of venture capital in the United States are university endowments and pension funds, whose assets have been reduced sharply over the last year in the collapse of financial markets. Even a successful investor in the life sciences industry sees danger now. Domain Associates, a company based in Princeton, N.J., and San Diego, raised $500 million for a new venture fund in August. It is the eighth such fund Domain has started in 24 years, and in that time, it has backed more than 200 life sciences companies. But few other venture funds were able to raise money, said James C. Blair, a Domain partner. The people investing “in our area are hurting, and this will have long-term implications for venture capital in general,” he said. Without new communities of capital, he said, “we worry about where we will find other investors to participate in our best opportunities in two to three years.” He is not alone in worrying. The PricewaterhouseCoopers MoneyTree survey of venture capital recently reported a surge in financing for life sciences in the second quarter of this year. Yet the firm also reported that venture fund assets were down to levels of the mid-1990s, before the last decade’s financial expansion. The Southern California Biomedical Council, an organization of 240 companies in life sciences in the Los Angeles area, has set “ways to cope with the current drought of capital” as the agenda for its annual investors conference starting Thursday. So is the outlook bright or gloomy? Most companies, even those that have had difficulties, say it is still bright. “We’re seeing the coming together of information technology and medical science,” said Sharon Stevenson, a co-founder of Okapi Venture Capital, a three-year-old company in Laguna Beach, Calif. Okapi this year backed OrthAlign Inc., a company founded in 2008 that is awaiting approval from the Food and Drug Administration for a palm-size disposable device that attaches to instruments used in knee replacements to help surgeons do more precise cutting of the bone to improve the fit with the joint replacement. “There are about 550,000 knee replacements every year in the United States, and that is expected to grow to 3.5 million by 2025,” said Pieter Wolters, president of OrthAlign. More people, he said, want an active lifestyle into late age and “technology allows longer lasting function of knee replacements.” OrthAlign has received $7.2 million in venture financing from Research Corporation Technologies of Tucson and Okapi Venture Capital. Replenish Inc. of Pasadena, Calif., was founded in 2007 on technology developed at the Keck School of Medicine and Viterbi School of Engineering at the University of Southern California as well as the California Institute of Technology. Replenish plans to enter trials for F.D.A. approval next year for a refillable and programmable pump that would be implanted in the eye to feed medicine for glaucoma or for age-related macular degeneration. The Replenish device can last more than five years before replacement, much longer than current treatments, said Dr. Sean Caffey, chief executive of the company. Replenish is backed by a $10 million investment from a large pharmaceutical company, Dr. Caffey said, and the Stevens Institute for Innovation at the University of Southern California and Caltech have acquired small equity ownerships for their licenses. In 2005, six scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles, who were working at LA BioMed, a nonprofit research institute, founded NovaDigm Therapeutics. There, they have developed a vaccine that could prevent infections acquired in hospitals , including candida and staph infections, said Fred Haney, a venture capital investor and chairman of NovaDigm. The company will begin its initial clinical trials for F.D.A. approval next year. It is backed by $18 million in venture investments from Domain Associates and has received grants from the National Institutes of Health and the United States Army to support its research. Clinical trials extend over three phases and can take years, making investments in life science companies prohibitively long term. “But, in reality it is not so long,” Mr. Haney said. “If we can demonstrate safety and strong immune responses in phase one or two, we could then enter a partnership or merger with a large pharmaceutical company and obtain long-term financing.” In a possible sign of major things to come, the Zensun Science & Technology Company, based in Shanghai, has raised $30 million to perfect a treatment to strengthen cardiac structure after a heart attack. Zensun is backed by Morningside Investments of Hong Kong and the Shanghai city government, said Jack Z. Chen, chairman of the Transworld Capital Group, a consulting firm based in Arcadia Calif., with offices in Beijing and Shanghai. Zensun was founded in 2000 by Dr. Mingdong Zhou, who earned a doctorate at the State University of New York, and Dr. Xifu Liu, whose doctorate is from the Genetics Institute at the China Academy of Sciences. Its heart treatment is now in phase two F.D.A. trials, which measure effectiveness. Such trials are demanding and sometimes treatments do not win approval. The Orqis Medical Corporation spent nine years perfecting a system of increasing blood flow to help damaged hearts but did not receive F.D.A. approval. So backers decided last year not to invest fresh capital. The company is for sale to any firm that would continue development and try again for F.D.A. approval. The president of Orqis, Kenneth Charhut, said he regretted the setback but remained positive about the industry outlook. “Given advances in technology and growing needs of aging populations,” he said, “this is a time to invest in life sciences.”
|
Biotechnology;Venture Capital;Science and Technology;Medicine and Health;Small Business;Entrepreneurship
|
ny0058470
|
[
"business"
] |
2014/08/04
|
Affordable Housing Draws Middle Class to Inland Cities
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OKLAHOMA CITY — Americans have never hesitated to pack up the U-Haul in search of the big time, a better job or just warmer weather. But these days, domestic migrants are increasingly driven by the quest for cheaper housing. The country’s fastest-growing cities are now those where housing is more affordable than average, a decisive reversal from the early years of the millennium, when easy credit allowed cities to grow without regard to housing cost and when the fastest-growing cities had housing that was less affordable than the national average. Among people who have moved long distances, the number of those who cite housing as their primary motivation for doing so has more than doubled since 2007. Rising rents and the difficulty of securing a mortgage on the coasts have proved a boon to inland cities that offer the middle class a firmer footing and an easier life. In the eternal competition among urban centers, the shift has produced some new winners. Oklahoma City, for example, has outpaced most other cities in growth since 2011, becoming the 12th-fastest-growing city last year. It has also won over a coveted demographic, young adults age 25 to 34, going from a net loss of millennials to a net gain. Other affordable cities that have jumped in the growth rankings include several in Texas, including El Paso and San Antonio, as well as Columbus, Ohio, and Little Rock, Ark. Newcomers in Oklahoma City have traded traffic jams and preschool waiting lists for master suites the size of their old apartments. The sons of Lorin Olson, a stem cell biologist who moved here from New York’s Upper East Side, now ride bikes in their suburban neighborhood and go home to a four-bedroom house. Hector Lopez, a caricature artist, lives in a loft apartment here for less than he paid to stay in a garage near Los Angeles. Tony Trammell, one of a group of about a dozen friends to make the move from San Diego, paid $260,000 for his 3,300-square-foot home in a nearby suburb. “This is the opposite of the gold rush,” Mr. Trammell said. Since the start of the recession, the number of Americans who have moved each year has fallen sharply for a host of reasons , including the sluggish economy and the increasing similarity of job options from city to city. When people do move, they have all kinds of reasons, including family, climate and, especially for those who move long distances, employment. But of those who moved more than 500 miles, the share who said they were chiefly motivated by housing has risen to 18 percent in 2014, from 8 percent in 2007, the earliest year such data is available, according to the Census Bureau. The desire for a new, better or cheaper home and the opportunity to buy instead of rent were among the housing-related reasons people cited. The story was different from 2000 to 2006, when cities with high-cost housing grew more quickly than those with affordable housing, according to an analysis of metro areas by Redfin , a national real estate brokerage firm. From 2006 to 2012 — years that encompass the housing bust, recession and recovery — that pattern reversed itself, with most low-cost cities growing 2.5 percentage points more than high-cost cities. The analysis excluded cities with poor job growth. Before the real estate market crashed, housing in four of the five fastest-growing metropolitan areas, including Cape Coral, Fla., and Riverside, Calif., was less affordable than in the average American city, judging by the relationship between the median home price and income for each metropolitan area. But from 2008 to 2012, all five of the cities with the most growth were more affordable than average, including Raleigh-Durham, N.C., and the cities of El Paso, San Antonio, Austin and McAllen in Texas. “A large percentage of Americans had to read ‘The Grapes of Wrath,’ ” said Mayor Mick Cornett of Oklahoma City, referring to the John Steinbeck novel that chronicled the flight of Oklahomans to California in search of a better life during the Depression. Now the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of those migrants are returning for the same reason. “It’s ‘The Wrath of Grapes,’ ” he said. The mayor cited clean air, a lack of traffic gridlock and, of course, affordable housing as factors in the city’s growth. But like other midsize cities, this one has labored to give people additional reasons to move here, notably acquiring a professional basketball team, the Thunder. Along the river, a series of modern glass boathouses has risen like wind-filled sails, transforming the city into a national center for rowing sports. All 73 inner-city schools are being rebuilt or refurbished. Image Aasim Saleh, 30, moved to Oklahoma City from Seattle to coach kayaking in the city’s Boathouse District. The ability to buy a home without having a desk job was one major draw for him. Credit Nick Oxford for The New York Times Downtown, there is enough streetscaping going on to render a GPS unit useless. And near the city’s historic neighborhoods, chockablock with houses in Arts and Crafts or storybook style, rejuvenated commercial areas like the Plaza District offer residents locally made goods and trendy “beer cocktails.” “Everything is here; everything is coming here,” said Aasim Saleh, 30, who moved from Seattle to coach kayaking in the Boathouse District, where construction of a new white-water center is planned for this fall. “If Oklahoma City doesn’t have it, they’ll build it.” Mr. Saleh moved because he had a rare opportunity to make about $60,000 a year while avoiding a desk job. The low cost of living was a major sweetener, he said, enabling him to become something he thought would not be possible: a homeowner. “I would say that, 100 percent, I had given up on the idea of homeownership in Seattle,” he said. “Which is a really big deal.” Some of the newcomers say that as they contemplated living with roommates, sitting in traffic and barely scraping by, the good things about life in a high-cost city lost their appeal. “The beach isn’t going to pay my rent,” said Jacqueline Sit, 32, who left Portland, Ore., where she worked as a television reporter, to come to Oklahoma City, where she quickly found a job in public relations. Mr. Olson, 42, who was recruited by the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation after finishing his postdoctoral work, said his family had not shed tears over leaving New York. “There’s a little less to do, yeah,” he said. “But now we can afford to do it.” Glenn Kelman, the chief executive of Redfin, said that when the company started its real estate service in 2006, he expected the business to thrive in coastal centers. “Now we’re growing fastest in the middle of the country; we can’t hire people fast enough in Houston, in Dallas, in Denver. And all of our customers come from the same place — the airport,” he said. “Maybe the middle class hasn’t disappeared; maybe it’s just gone somewhere else.” Image Affordable housing and a low cost of living helped make Oklahoma City the 12th-fastest-growing city in America last year. Credit Nick Oxford for The New York Times For decades, Americans have flocked to the Sun Belt in search of a better life, first abandoning failing industrial centers like Detroit and Pittsburgh and then increasingly expensive superstar cities like New York and San Francisco, which have been replenished by immigrants. But during the housing bubble, when even people with modest salaries could get loans to buy staggeringly expensive homes, the cost of housing was less of a concern. Now that getting a mortgage has become harder, the wage stagnation that has hobbled the middle class for years has deeper consequences. “People have no choice,” Mr. Kelman said. “They can’t move across the street; they have to move across the country.” During the bubble, people coming from the most expensive places viewed even moderately expensive housing in places like Phoenix as a bargain, especially if they expected the value of such housing to rise, says Edward Glaeser, a Harvard economist who studies cities. But, Mr. Glaeser says, there is also a historical trend driven by severe restrictions on building new housing in highly regulated cities like San Francisco, Washington and New York. Whereas high housing prices were once a sign of growth because they indicated strong demand, now they are more a function of limited supply. Midlevel prices (as opposed to rock-bottom values in places like Detroit) have become a better predictor of growth. Of course, some of the fastest-growing cities, like Austin, may become victims of their own success as new people crowd in. Bill Curtis, an affluent petroleum geologist, has lived there since 1976, when it was known for little more than legislative wheeling and dealing and college football. On a recent day, he was unhappily contemplating traffic from his high-rise apartment. “They’ve screwed this town up so royally, it’s unbelievable,” he said. But Mr. Curtis has a solution. He’s moving to Oklahoma City.
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Affordable housing;Real Estate; Housing;Urban area;Oklahoma City;Columbus Ohio;Little Rock Arkansas;San Antonio;Redfin;El Paso TX
|
ny0024477
|
[
"nyregion"
] |
2013/08/17
|
Christie Amends Medical Marijuana Restrictions
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Trying to straddle a potentially dangerous social issue, Gov. Chris Christie agreed on Friday to expand New Jersey’s medical marijuana program, but stopped short of what parents of children with life-threatening diseases say is necessary to improve their access to treatment. Mr. Christie would allow medical marijuana dispensaries to provide edible marijuana, but only for children. Parents say the edible product provides the benefits but not the high of marijuana, and makes it easier to treat children who are too impaired to smoke. Mr. Christie also eliminated a part of the law that limits to three the number of strains of marijuana that dispensaries can cultivate. But the Legislature had approved a bill aligning regulations for children with what is required for adults in the program, which is already considered the nation’s strictest. Children, like adults, could be prescribed marijuana by a doctor registered with the state, under the proposal. Mr. Christie vetoed that part of the legislation, keeping in place the requirement that parents have letters of support from a pediatrician and a psychiatrist as well as a prescription from a doctor registered in the program. Of about 250 doctors on the state registry, 2 are pediatricians and 16 are psychiatrists. Parents who had lobbied for the bill said that requirement would make it harder to obtain medical marijuana because pediatricians and psychiatrists often know so little about the program that they do not want to support it, and finding a registered doctor willing to prescribe to a child is already difficult. “It’s forcing people to shop around for physicians, and parents of sick kids don’t have time for that,” said Meghan Wilson, whose 2-year-old daughter, Vivian, suffers from Dravet syndrome, which causes prolonged seizures so severe that she cannot be in the sunshine or near brightly colored objects. “It’s putting undue burden on parents who are already at their wits’ end,” she said. Vivian sleeps wearing an alarm that monitors her heart rate and oxygen levels. Parents in other states have found that a particular strain of medical marijuana greatly reduces the frequency and duration of seizures for children with Dravet’s. Mr. Christie, a Republican who is considered a leading contender for his party’s presidential nomination in 2016, was pushed to make his decision in the national spotlight this week after Vivian’s father, Brian, confronted him during what was supposed to be a victory lap at a diner in Scotch Plains, N.J., where the mayor was endorsing the governor’s bid for re-election. Mr. Christie’s motorcade arrived to bright pink signs and several dozen people urging him to sign the bill expanding medical marijuana. Mr. Wilson, who lives there, had written “father and voter” on his T-shirt. He waited in the diner for three hours to confront Mr. Christie — saying he would have brought Vivian, but she was sick. Mr. Christie largely ignored the signs and Mr. Wilson while he posed for photos. When Mr. Wilson finally got his chance to ask the governor whether he would sign the bill, Mr. Christie replied, “These are complicated issues.” As Mr. Wilson persisted, Mr. Christie replied, “Listen, I know you think it’s simple. It’s simple for you, it’s not simple for me. I’ve read everything that you have put in front of me and I’ll have a decision by Friday. I wish the best for you, your daughter and your family, and I’m going to do what I think is best for the people of the state, all the people of the state.” As the governor turned away, Mr. Wilson pleaded, in a scene captured on widely disseminated news videos, “Please don’t let my daughter die, Governor.” Mr. Christie inherited the medical marijuana program from his predecessor, Jon S. Corzine, who signed the law authorizing it in the waning hours of his administration. Mr. Christie has made no secret of disliking it. His health department spent two years coming up with regulations restricting how and where medical marijuana could be provided, and only one dispensary has opened so far. The governor waited nearly two months to decide what to do about the bill on medical marijuana for children, which would have become law on Monday if he had not acted on it. “He feels it will reflect poorly on him in the presidential election because if he signs it people will say, ‘He’s the man who gave pot to tots,’ ” said Ms. Wilson, who manages clinical drug trials for a large pharmaceutical company. “I think it will reflect poorly if he doesn’t sign it because people will say, ‘You’re the guy who wanted that kid to die.’ ” Mr. Christie said he was “acting with the belief that parents, and not government regulators, are best suited to decide how to care for their children” — a line that could signal reassurance to conservative voters, who may dislike medical marijuana but dislike government control even more, especially when it comes to how they raise their children. The governor’s refusal to expand the program was criticized by legislators, who had approved the measure with a large, bipartisan majority. “It’s unfortunate that these families were forced to wait nearly two months while this legislation languished on the governor’s desk, and now he is prolonging their suffering by telling them they must wait even longer,” Assemblywoman Linda Stender, who sponsored the bill, said. Other states allow medical marijuana for children, and parents swear by its power to relieve their children’s debilitating conditions. But it has not been without controversy. In California, the first state to legalize medical marijuana, doctors have reported concerns about the high number of prescriptions to children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, when the active ingredient in marijuana can, some say, aggravate its symptoms.
|
Medical Marijuana;Legislation;New Jersey;Chris Christie;Children
|
ny0268426
|
[
"sports",
"ncaabasketball"
] |
2016/04/04
|
Syracuse Defeats Washington; Connecticut Awaits in Title Game
|
INDIANAPOLIS — Dapper in a navy blue vest and pants, with the collar unbuttoned on his striped blue dress shirt, Syracuse Coach Quentin Hillsman watched his team play swarming defense against Washington, throwing his arms up, hunching low to the ground and looking ready to jump on the floor for every loose ball that his team caused. Following their coach’s lead, the Orange smothered the Huskies on defense, causing 18 turnovers and continuing their unexpected run through the N.C.A.A. women’s basketball tournament, earning a spot in Tuesday’s final against Connecticut with an 80-59 win Sunday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. “You can go at it as hard as you want to in practice, but you can’t simulate stuff like that,” Washington Coach Mike Neighbors said. “We don’t have anybody in our league that presses for 40 minutes and puts such stress on you for 40 minutes.” Alexis Peterson had 18 points to lead the Orange, who will be making their first appearance in the Division I title game. All nine players who entered the game for Syracuse scored. “One of our keys of victory is: ‘We don’t need any heroes,’ and ‘Be a star in your role,’ ” Hillsman said. “Everybody contribute.” Washington, which like Syracuse had never previously made a Final Four, fell behind early, trailing by 23-12 after one quarter. If not for the marksmanship of Talia Walton, who scored 15 of Washington’s first 18 points, the Huskies’ 43-31 halftime deficit would have been larger. Walton, who made her first eight 3-point attempts, finished with a game-high 29 points. Kelsey Plum, one of the top scorers in Division I, entered the game averaging 26.2 points but was held to 17, shooting 5 of 18 from the field. “Their pressure is very good; they do a very good job of trapping ball screens and rotating on the pass, and they’re very athletic,” Plum said. “So they touch a lot of passes. They did a great job tonight. And I didn’t do a very good job of handling that pressure.” Brittney Sykes added 17 points for Syracuse. Before Peterson sank a 3-pointer to give the Orange a 67-43 lead late in the third quarter, their largest of the game, Hillsman walked down the Syracuse sideline as the ball was in the air, already holding up three fingers as it went through the net. Syracuse also outplayed Washington on the glass, posting a 46-28 advantage in rebounds. As Hillsman exited the floor, he raised his index finger in the air, signaling that the Orange supporters had a last task remaining. “We have one more game,” he said, “and it’s the thing that we’ve all worked for.” Standing in the Orange’s path is mighty Connecticut, which defeated Oregon State, 80-51, in Sunday’s earlier semifinal. The Huskies (37-0) are seeking their fourth straight title and 11th over all. UConn’s Breanna Stewart, the three-time national player of the year, hails from North Syracuse, N.Y., and attended Orange games as a child. She also played youth basketball with members of the current Orange roster and said earlier last week that she had thought about attending Syracuse. During UConn’s semifinal, it was not uncommon to see Orange supporters cheering for Stewart. Now, Stewart, who is looking to make history by winning four national titles, becomes the biggest roadblock in Syracuse’s quest for its first championship. Connecticut Coach Geno Auriemma said last week that the Huskies had tried to arrange a game against the Orange this season as a tribute to Stewart. Instead, they played at Colgate, because, as Auriemma said, his team “didn’t seem to fit into Syracuse’s schedule.” For Syracuse on Tuesday, UConn will be unavoidable.
|
College basketball;NCAA Women's Basketball;Syracuse University;University of Washington
|
ny0126818
|
[
"us"
] |
2012/08/22
|
Ruling Lets Texas Cut Off Spending for Planned Parenthood Clinics
|
AUSTIN, Tex. (AP) — A federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that Texas can end financing for Planned Parenthood clinics that provide health services to low-income women before there is a trial over a new law that bars state money from going to organizations tied to abortion providers. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in New Orleans, lifted a temporary injunction that called for the financing to continue pending an October trial on Planned Parenthood’s challenge to the law. State officials sought to cut off financing to the clinics, which provide family planning and health services to poor women as part of the Texas Women’s Health Program, after the Republican-led Legislature passed the law banning funds to groups linked to abortion providers. Planned Parenthood provides cancer screenings and other services — but not abortions — to about half of the 130,000 women enrolled in the program. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has said the state rule violates federal law. Federal funds paid for about $35 million of the $40 million Women’s Health Program. Federal officials are now phasing out support for the program. Gov. Rick Perry called Tuesday’s ruling “a win for Texas women, our rule of law and our state’s priority to protect life.”
|
Texas;Planned Parenthood Federation of America;Decisions and Verdicts;Abortion
|
ny0164250
|
[
"science"
] |
2006/11/21
|
A Free-for-All on Science and Religion
|
Maybe the pivotal moment came when Steven Weinberg, a Nobel laureate in physics, warned that “the world needs to wake up from its long nightmare of religious belief,” or when a Nobelist in chemistry, Sir Harold Kroto, called for the John Templeton Foundation to give its next $1.5 million prize for “progress in spiritual discoveries” to an atheist — Richard Dawkins, the Oxford evolutionary biologist whose book “The God Delusion” is a national best-seller. Or perhaps the turning point occurred at a more solemn moment, when Neil deGrasse Tyson , director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City and an adviser to the Bush administration on space exploration, hushed the audience with heartbreaking photographs of newborns misshapen by birth defects — testimony, he suggested, that blind nature, not an intelligent overseer, is in control. Somewhere along the way, a forum this month at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif., which might have been one more polite dialogue between science and religion, began to resemble the founding convention for a political party built on a single plank: in a world dangerously charged with ideology, science needs to take on an evangelical role, vying with religion as teller of the greatest story ever told. Carolyn Porco, a senior research scientist at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo., called, half in jest, for the establishment of an alternative church, with Dr. Tyson, whose powerful celebration of scientific discovery had the force and cadence of a good sermon, as its first minister. She was not entirely kidding. “We should let the success of the religious formula guide us,” Dr. Porco said. “Let’s teach our children from a very young age about the story of the universe and its incredible richness and beauty. It is already so much more glorious and awesome — and even comforting — than anything offered by any scripture or God concept I know.” She displayed a picture taken by the Cassini spacecraft of Saturn and its glowing rings eclipsing the Sun, revealing in the shadow a barely noticeable speck called Earth . There has been no shortage of conferences in recent years, commonly organized by the Templeton Foundation, seeking to smooth over the differences between science and religion and ending in a metaphysical draw. Sponsored instead by the Science Network, an educational organization based in California, and underwritten by a San Diego investor, Robert Zeps (who acknowledged his role as a kind of “anti-Templeton”), the La Jolla meeting, “Beyond Belief: Science, Religion, Reason and Survival,” rapidly escalated into an invigorating intellectual free-for-all. (Unedited video of the proceedings will be posted on the Web at tsntv.org .) A presentation by Joan Roughgarden, a Stanford University biologist, on using biblical metaphor to ease her fellow Christians into accepting evolution (a mutation is “a mustard seed of DNA ”) was dismissed by Dr. Dawkins as “bad poetry,” while his own take-no-prisoners approach (religious education is “brainwashing” and “child abuse”) was condemned by the anthropologist Melvin J. Konner, who said he had “not a flicker” of religious faith, as simplistic and uninformed. After enduring two days of talks in which the Templeton Foundation came under the gun as smudging the line between science and faith, Charles L. Harper Jr., its senior vice president, lashed back, denouncing what he called “pop conflict books” like Dr. Dawkins’s “God Delusion,” as “commercialized ideological scientism” — promoting for profit the philosophy that science has a monopoly on truth. That brought an angry rejoinder from Richard P. Sloan, a professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, who said his own book, “Blind Faith: The Unholy Alliance of Religion and Medicine,” was written to counter “garbage research” financed by Templeton on, for example, the healing effects of prayer. With atheists and agnostics outnumbering the faithful (a few believing scientists, like Francis S. Collins, author of “The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief,” were invited but could not attend), one speaker after another called on their colleagues to be less timid in challenging teachings about nature based only on scripture and belief. “The core of science is not a mathematical model; it is intellectual honesty,” said Sam Harris, a doctoral student in neuroscience and the author of “The End of Faith: Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason” and “Letter to a Christian Nation.” “Every religion is making claims about the way the world is,” he said. “These are claims about the divine origin of certain books, about the virgin birth of certain people, about the survival of the human personality after death. These claims purport to be about reality.” By shying away from questioning people’s deeply felt beliefs, even the skeptics, Mr. Harris said, are providing safe harbor for ideas that are at best mistaken and at worst dangerous. “I don’t know how many more engineers and architects need to fly planes into our buildings before we realize that this is not merely a matter of lack of education or economic despair,” he said. Dr. Weinberg, who famously wrote toward the end of his 1977 book on cosmology, “The First Three Minutes,” that “the more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it also seems pointless,” went a step further: “Anything that we scientists can do to weaken the hold of religion should be done and may in the end be our greatest contribution to civilization.” With a rough consensus that the grand stories of evolution by natural selection and the blossoming of the universe from the Big Bang are losing out in the intellectual marketplace, most of the discussion came down to strategy. How can science fight back without appearing to be just one more ideology? “There are six billion people in the world,” said Francisco J. Ayala, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California, Irvine, and a former Roman Catholic priest. “If we think that we are going to persuade them to live a rational life based on scientific knowledge, we are not only dreaming — it is like believing in the fairy godmother.” “People need to find meaning and purpose in life,” he said. “I don’t think we want to take that away from them.” Lawrence M. Krauss, a physicist at Case Western Reserve University known for his staunch opposition to teaching creationism, found himself in the unfamiliar role of playing the moderate. “I think we need to respect people’s philosophical notions unless those notions are wrong,” he said. “The Earth isn’t 6,000 years old,” he said. “The Kennewick man was not a Umatilla Indian.” But whether there really is some kind of supernatural being — Dr. Krauss said he was a nonbeliever — is a question unanswerable by theology, philosophy or even science. “Science does not make it impossible to believe in God,” Dr. Krauss insisted. “We should recognize that fact and live with it and stop being so pompous about it.” That was just the kind of accommodating attitude that drove Dr. Dawkins up the wall. “I am utterly fed up with the respect that we — all of us, including the secular among us — are brainwashed into bestowing on religion,” he said. “Children are systematically taught that there is a higher kind of knowledge which comes from faith, which comes from revelation, which comes from scripture, which comes from tradition, and that it is the equal if not the superior of knowledge that comes from real evidence.” By the third day, the arguments had become so heated that Dr. Konner was reminded of “a den of vipers.” “With a few notable exceptions,” he said, “the viewpoints have run the gamut from A to B. Should we bash religion with a crowbar or only with a baseball bat?” His response to Mr. Harris and Dr. Dawkins was scathing. “I think that you and Richard are remarkably apt mirror images of the extremists on the other side,” he said, “and that you generate more fear and hatred of science.” Dr. Tyson put it more gently. “Persuasion isn’t always ‘Here are the facts — you’re an idiot or you are not,’ ” he said. “I worry that your methods” — he turned toward Dr. Dawkins — “how articulately barbed you can be, end up simply being ineffective, when you have much more power of influence.” Chastened for a millisecond, Dr. Dawkins replied, “I gratefully accept the rebuke.” In the end it was Dr. Tyson’s celebration of discovery that stole the show. Scientists may scoff at people who fall back on explanations involving an intelligent designer, he said, but history shows that “the most brilliant people who ever walked this earth were doing the same thing.” When Isaac Newton’s “Principia Mathematica” failed to account for the stability of the solar system — why the planets tugging at one another’s orbits have not collapsed into the Sun — Newton proposed that propping up the mathematical mobile was “an intelligent and powerful being.” It was left to Pierre Simon Laplace, a century later, to take the next step. Hautily telling Napoleon that he had no need for the God hypothesis, Laplace extended Newton’s mathematics and opened the way to a purely physical theory. “What concerns me now is that even if you’re as brilliant as Newton, you reach a point where you start basking in the majesty of God and then your discovery stops — it just stops,” Dr. Tyson said. “You’re no good anymore for advancing that frontier, waiting for somebody else to come behind you who doesn’t have God on the brain and who says: ‘That’s a really cool problem. I want to solve it.’ ” “Science is a philosophy of discovery; intelligent design is a philosophy of ignorance,” he said. “Something fundamental is going on in people’s minds when they confront things they don’t understand.” He told of a time, more than a millennium ago, when Baghdad reigned as the intellectual center of the world, a history fossilized in the night sky. The names of the constellations are Greek and Roman, Dr. Tyson said, but two-thirds of the stars have Arabic names. The words “algebra” and “algorithm” are Arabic. But sometime around 1100, a dark age descended. Mathematics became seen as the work of the devil, as Dr. Tyson put it. “Revelation replaced investigation,” he said, and the intellectual foundation collapsed. He did not have to say so, but the implication was that maybe a century, maybe a millennium from now, the names of new planets, stars and galaxies might be Chinese. Or there may be no one to name them at all. Before he left to fly back home to Austin, Dr. Weinberg seemed to soften for a moment, describing religion a bit fondly as a crazy old aunt. “She tells lies, and she stirs up all sorts of mischief and she’s getting on, and she may not have that much life left in her, but she was beautiful once,” he lamented. “When she’s gone, we may miss her.” Dr. Dawkins wasn’t buying it. “I won't miss her at all,” he said. “Not a scrap. Not a smidgen.”
|
Science and Technology;Religion and Churches;Templeton Foundation;Tyson Neil DeGrasse;Dawkins Richard
|
ny0027653
|
[
"sports"
] |
2013/01/26
|
Skiers' Skills Will Be Challenged at Kitzbühel Downhill
|
KITZBÜHEL, AUSTRIA — For downhill racers, Kitzbühel is considered sacred ground. Revered as the most daunting piste in ski racing, the 3,312-meter Streif — with immensely demanding sections like the Mausefalle, Steilhang, Hausberg and Zielschuss — is a sublime test not only of racing technique, timing and stamina, but most importantly, of mental toughness. Rock-hard ice, knee-rattling bumps and speeds in excess of 140 kilometers, or 87 miles, per hour down the 10,865-foot track contribute an element of danger unlike any other course in the world. On Saturday, at the 73rd edition of the renowned race carnival in the Austrian Tyrol, in the western part of the country near Innsbruck, the Hahnenkamm downhill champion will take home €70,000, or $93,500, and achieve instant legend status within the sport. Warming up for the downhill test on Saturday, Aksel Lund Svindal, a Norwegian, who won the opening race this season in Canada and leads the downhill standings, captured his fourth victory this season — and first-ever in Kitzbühel — winning the super-G on Friday by .13 of a second over Matthias Mayer, an Austrian. Christof Innerhofer of Italy was third. “You need to ski well top to bottom, taking good risk, without making too big mistakes,” Svindal said of the keys to success Saturday. “The top is the worst part. It is so bumpy and dark that you can’t really see the bumps, and it seems that the skis are up in the air as much as they are on the snow.” Svindal is trying to become the first Norwegian champion at the Hahnenkamm since Lasse Kjus won in 2004. Svindal’s teammate, Kjetil Jansrud, was third in training Thursday and could also contend. As always in Kitzbühel, there will be enormous pressure on the Austrian skiers to perform well, with thousands of home fans watching and cheering their every turn. While the home nation has won the fabled race 22 times, more than any country, an Austrian racer has not triumphed in Kitzbühel since 2006, when Michael Walchhofer, now retired, took top honors. “It’s about time, and we’re trying everything to change that,” Kröll said of the possibility of snapping the streak. “I think we’re in very good shape. Our team is confident and me, too, and I’m looking forward to hopefully winning this race.” Like Svindal, Kröll emphasized that nailing the upper section, which includes the 85 percent degree Mausefalle jump and the gnarly and icy Steilhang turn combination, is paramount. “You have to push very hard in the first 30 seconds out of the start and then keep that speed through the middle section,” Kröll said. “When you come to the Hausberg jump approaching the bottom, you have to say to yourself, ‘Now its time to win,’ and risk a lot hoping it turns out good.” It seemed that Innerhofer would pose a threat to Svindal and Kröll, having won two of five downhills this season, while carrying momentum from a victory in Wengen, Switzerland, last weekend. But controversy ensued Thursday. During his training run, Innerhofer lost his right ski near the top of the course and, after stepping back into his binding, he completed his run despite a course hold and warnings to cautiously slide his skis down the piste. After meeting with the race jury following the run, Innerhofer was given a fine and penalized to start 46th on Saturday, substantially hurting his chances for a strong result. “I was going on and they gave me a yellow flag and said, ‘Go, but don’t go fast,’ and you can’t go in the gates. But someone else said if you go in the gates, don’t go fast. So I didn’t understand what I should do,” Innerhofer explained. “I’m a little bit sorry about that.” His fellow Italians — Dominik Paris, who won at Bormio, in northern Italy, last month, and the veteran Werner Heel — both clocked quick training times in the past week in what has been an impressive season for Italy. The three downhill wins by Innerhofer and Paris this season ties the Italian national record, and a victory Saturday would make history. “We had good summer training, and maybe that’s the secret,” Heel said. “We also have good ski materials, and our service men are working well. All the coaches are behind us so it makes it easier for skiing.” Glaringly absent from the start list Saturday is Didier Cuche of Switzerland, the three-time defending champion, who announced his retirement from racing this time last year in Kitzbühel. Cuche held a news conference in the past week and said that he would watch the race from the finish area. In addition to Cuche and Walchhofer, former champions present during the past week include the Austrian legends Karl Schranz and Franz Klammer, as well as the American Daron Rahlves and the Canadian Todd Brooker. For Brooker, who is working for Canadian television, the weekend marks the 30th anniversary of his victory in 1983. “What makes Kitzbühel so important is that all of the best skiers that ever lived have won here and they all come back,” Brooker said. “It’s like the Masters in golf; one of the reasons you want to win is that all the best have won there and the history entices you.” Rahlves, who won the downhill in 2003 and the super G in 2004 and is one of two American champions in the history of the Hahnenkamm race, which dates back to the 1930s, was a forerunner for the training run Thursday. “It’s still fun, but I was having trouble mentally with it today,” Rahlves said. “There were a lot of nerves. It’s a serious track, the toughest one out there and with high consequences.” Rahlves, who has not been back to Kitzbühel in many years, said it was special to return. “I show up in Kitzbühel and I can feel the energy coming through the ground in my feet,” Rahlves said. “It’s all about the passion from the people and athletes here. It just gives me chills being here.” When asked about the impact of the numerous champions who return, the Austrian favorite Kröll said: “Maybe it’s inspiration. I hope I can also come back as a champion in 20 years from now. That’s my goal.” Svindal, who is battling for the overall World Cup lead with the Austrian Marcel Hirscher — who does not compete in speed races, though he will start in a slalom Sunday — offered his outlook for the Saturday downhill. “The way I see it, it looks like the Norwegians, Italians and Austrians might be the strongest,” Svindal said. “We’ll see how it plays out in the race.”
|
Alpine skiing;World Cup Skiing;Skiing;Austria;Innsbruck;Kitzbuhel Austria
|
ny0107581
|
[
"nyregion"
] |
2012/04/13
|
Would-Be Terrorist Pleads Guilty in Brooklyn
|
A Brooklyn man arrested last year as he was boarding an airplane destined for the Middle East admitted in court on Thursday that he had provided money to a terrorist group that he was traveling to join. The man, Agron Hasbajrami , an Albanian citizen who had been living legally in Brooklyn since 2008, was accused of sending more than $1,000 to a contact in Pakistan to finance terrorist activities before deciding to head overseas to become a member of a radical Islamist group. The group was not named in court documents. Mr. Hasbajrami, 27, pleaded guilty before Judge John Gleeson in Federal District Court in Brooklyn to one count of attempting to provide material support to terrorists. He faces a maximum of 15 years in prison when he is sentenced on Sept. 14. He could have faced up to 60 years in prison if he had been convicted at a trial. Under a plea agreement, three other counts of providing material support to terrorists were dropped. Mr. Hasbajrami also agreed to be deported after he serves his prison term. During the hearing on Thursday, Mr. Hasbajrami, wearing a brown prison jumpsuit, spoke in halting English, occasionally with the help of an interpreter. He hesitated at first when Judge Gleeson asked him to admit to his crimes. Then he read from a prepared statement: “I tried to help a group of people who I believed were engaged in fighting in Pakistan. I agreed with the group and attempted to help the group by providing money and myself, in support of their efforts.” Mr. Hasbajrami was arrested on Sept. 6 after arriving at Kennedy International Airport with a one-way ticket to Istanbul, where he planned to meet with people who would help him join the fighting, according to court documents. He had already obtained an Iranian visa, according to court documents, and was carrying a tent, boots and cold-weather gear. Mr. Hasbajrami, according to the documents, had written in an e-mail to his contact that he wanted to “marry with the girls in paradise,” a common reference to dying as a martyr fighting jihad.
|
Terrorism;Brooklyn (NYC);Plea Bargaining;Gleeson John;Hasbajrami Agron
|
ny0223958
|
[
"world",
"europe"
] |
2010/11/06
|
Switzerland: U.S. Disputes Criticism of Its Record on Human Rights
|
The United States weathered criticism of its human rights record from friends and foes alike on Friday in a United Nations forum in Geneva that the administration of President George W. Bush had boycotted as hypocritical. Senior American officials defended the United States against allegations that it used torture and said the Obama administration had begun “turning the page” on practices of the Bush administration that had caused global outrage. But the United States’ conduct in its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and its campaign against terrorism — notably its treatment of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba and the Abu Ghraib jail near Baghdad — have come under heavy criticism from human rights organizations. The Obama administration is committed to closing Guantánamo and ensuring that all detainees, no matter where they are held, are treated humanely, American officials said. “Between Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantánamo, we have conducted hundreds of investigations regarding detainee abuse allegations, and those have led to hundreds of disciplinary actions,” a State Department legal adviser, Harold Hongju Koh, told the forum.
|
Human Rights and Human Rights Violations;Detainees;United Nations;Bush George W;Obama Barack;Switzerland
|
ny0177752
|
[
"business"
] |
2007/09/09
|
It’s Monetary Policy, Not a Morality Play
|
WHEREVER there are problems, people look for villains. The subprime mortgage crisis is a case in point. Hedge fund managers and speculators have been blamed for buying securitized loans heedlessly and spreading financial risk beyond the banking sector. And since every villain must be punished, the Federal Reserve is being attacked as “bailing out the speculators.” Because it has injected additional liquidity into the economy, and kept short-term interest rates from rising, the Fed has been portrayed as a craven tool of the rich, in the pocket of Wall Street but neglecting the concerns of Main Street. But financial markets rarely fit into simple moral narratives, and much as these stories may comfort many of us, they are not a good guide to understanding financial policy. Talk of a bailout is overstated. Some institutions have benefited from Fed policy, but the story is not a conspiratorial one: liquid markets are good for many investors, and if the Fed succeeds in keeping markets running, that helps hedge funds, too. The Fed, for all its economic influence, cannot undo most investment mistakes. Bad mortgage loans, in particular, are of many years’ duration and won’t be made good by a temporary dip in short-term interest rates. It is true that a more liquid short-term loan market can give a highly leveraged institution a second chance. An immediate infusion of cash can be a lifeline for a solvent, but illiquid, company. But keeping loan markets open is not a bailout; it’s simply getting part of the economic infrastructure back on line, much as the police clear a road after a traffic accident. Note that when the Fed makes it easier for financial institutions to borrow money, the loan must still be repaid. Colorful interpretations of recent monetary policy abound, from both commentators and politicians. Depending on the storyteller, the policy reflects the triumph of the rich over the poor, an atonement for the sins of the Bush administration, a long-awaited comeuppance for the American economy, a continuing hangover from the dot-com bubble, or an inability of the professor (Ben S. Bernanke) to handle a real-world job (running the Fed). Journalists are especially likely to embrace narratives, if only because their editors and their readers clamor for them. Of course, if there are enough competing stories, some of them will fit or predict some real-world events, if only because of random luck. Nonetheless, Fed watchers should resist the tendency to put all events into a simple or a morally plausible narrative. Monetary policy is a largely technical subject, and its ups and downs don’t usually fit into the kinds of emotion-laden stories that human beings apply to daily life. The “us versus them” tag registers in human memory, but monetary policy is not always or even usually about moral issues. As Freud famously noted, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Financial market news, which is by nature unpredictable, suffers from distortion when it is crammed into the form of a simple story. Unlike most well-structured narratives, the zigs and zags of daily profit and loss defy simple categorization in terms of moral precepts. In the case of subprime mortgages, many investors did not foresee the risk of collateralized debt securities. In response to this crisis, the Fed has been trying to keep a steady hand and prevent a credit crunch. We don’t yet know how well the Fed has succeeded, or how well it could have done in the first place. And the storm has not yet fully passed. Of course, such an account of recent financial history sounds mundane and offers less human conflict. It’s less like the stories that people have gossiped about for thousands of years and thus will have less traction, even if it is a better guide to monetary policy issues. Debating Fed policy in terms of strong moral narratives makes it harder for the Fed to do a good job. For instance, if interest-rate cuts are portrayed as a bailout for hedge fund managers, it’s harder for the Fed to cut interest rates, if that turns out to be the appropriate policy. It also makes the public wonder — unjustifiably — who else might deserve a subsidy as well. Both President Bush and Congress are preparing plans to assist homeowners facing foreclosure. Many of these proposals are political pandering, designed to win votes by easing the pain of homeowners. Yet someone else is paying the bill, so protecting people from their mistakes in this way does not promote the general public welfare. In any case, these proposals should be evaluated on their (often slight) merits, rather than seen as a quid pro quo for another bailout already made. THE American public has a hard-enough time understanding relatively simple economic issues like the benefits of free trade, much less the Fed or monetary policy. So if the picture sticks that the Fed is a shill for hedge fund managers, or that it is treating homeowners unfairly, the pressure will mount for Congress to limit the Fed’s independence. Yet most economists, on a bipartisan basis, agree that relatively independent central banks have a better record of maintaining economic stability and keeping down price inflation. Wealthy financiers and hedge funds make for easy targets, especially when combined with the arcane field of central banking. But the real moral question is whether we will prove mentally tough enough. Can we resist the temptation to force financial markets and the Fed into oversimplified moral narratives? Or will we continue to blame Zeus for lightning strikes? The question of our mental strength and discipline is also a story — and I hope it has a happy ending.
|
Finances;United States Economy;Federal Reserve System
|
ny0187053
|
[
"sports",
"golf"
] |
2009/04/20
|
In Uncertain Times, the Business of Golf Is Thriving in New Orleans
|
NEW ORLEANS — On the surface, this week’s $6.3 million Zurich Classic of New Orleans could be viewed as just another nicely packaged PGA Tour event, with familiar pros doing civilized battle on T.P.C. Louisiana’s manicured grass. Even with its Louisiana flourishes — daily ticket holders can munch on fresh oysters or alligator-on-a-stick, and well-heeled patrons can graze on haute cuisine from Emeril’s and other French Quarter eateries — it all may seem unremarkable to those who have not sampled the smells, tastes and textures of this resilient city. But the Zurich Classic is remarkable for those and other reasons, not the least of which are the strength of its title sponsor and the tournament’s financial health. The event is flourishing, thanks to the continuing support of New Orleans businesses and the community ties forged by Zurich’s chief executive, Jim Schiro, early in the sponsorship and strengthened during Zurich’s swift settlement of its customers’ insurance claims after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Tommy Fonseca, in his third year as the tournament’s director, said ticket sales this year were up more than 5 percent year over last year; that all 63 corporate skyboxes sold out at prices ranging from $16,000 to $23,000; and that the tournament’s purse was increased by $100,000. “No other tournament can offer what we offer,” said Fonseca, a New Orleans native who spent 15 years in the banking industry before switching to golf. “We have the best food in the world, great entertainment and great music. “And most importantly, we have the people of New Orleans, who are known for our hospitality. Not only have we recovered, but we’re open for business.” Fonseca said the business of tournament golf, and notably the brand-building benefits that accrue to the companies of tournament sponsors, has been unfairly criticized by politicians unfamiliar with the impact a PGA Tour event has on charitable giving in its community. “This tournament equates to a more than $30 million annual impact to this region,” Fonseca said, “but more importantly, it helps us serve the local children’s charities. This is our 51st year of producing a PGA Tour event in New Orleans and with Zurich’s help we’re not only able to showcase New Orleans to the world, but we’ve been able to give back more than $1 million a year to local children’s charities.” St. Michael Special School is among the 41 charities the tournament assists through its foundation, Fore!Kids. The school has received tournament proceeds for more than a decade, and its children have done a presentation for the employees and guests of Zurich the past five years. Jane Silva, the principal at St. Michael, has the same concern for special-needs children she had when she arrived 17 years ago. When talking about how Schiro sent her an e-mail message checking on her and telling her the school was O.K. after he inspected hurricane damage from a helicopter, she choked up and lengthened her stride to prevent a visitor from seeing her watery eyes. “All I know about that man,” she said of Schiro, “is that he will get down on the floor, with the kids, just as if he were a teacher.” Schiro, born and raised in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn and educated at St. John’s University, is considered one of the most influential chief executives in America. He has a reputation as a visionary with traditional views about the importance of things like customer service. Months after Zurich’s first experience as a tournament sponsor, Katrina hit and the company had more than 20,000 claims from businesses and homeowners. Schiro called Kenneth Feinberg, who had overseen the resolution of 5,300 claims for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, with only 94 going to litigation. He told Feinberg he wanted him to set up the same type of operation for Zurich’s claims in New Orleans. “I told Ken that we could distinguish ourselves with the way we handled the claims,” Schiro said. “People buy an insurance policy expecting to never use it. But when they want to use it, we ought to be there, not making life difficult for them.” Within 18 months, all but 100 claims were settled. This year, the Fore!Kids foundation will look into financing the St. Bernard Project , a volunteer house-refurbishing operation founded in March 2006 that has rebuilt 204 homes and has 30 more such projects under way in Chalmette, one of the most devastated areas of New Orleans. The work there is overseen by two people with Washington roots: Zack Rosenberg, a former criminal defense lawyer; and Liz McCartney, the executive director of a community-based nonprofit there. “Zurich and their guests will pitch in and work on their houses for two days during our tournament,” Fonseca said. “Zack will also give a presentation to the players wife’s association during the Emeril luncheon, and a donation will be made to the St. Bernard Project from the players wife’s association at the event. “This is a great story about the kind of things that can happen because of golf when great partners come together.”
|
Golf;New Orleans (La)
|
ny0129646
|
[
"science"
] |
2012/06/08
|
Frogs, Phones and Other Acoustic Invaders
|
I sympathize with the Brazilian white-banded tree frog, at least the ones subjected to recorded bullfrog calls, because I myself have had some negative experiences with recorded cricket noises. I’ll get to my story later. First, what happened to the tree frog is that there it was, minding its own business in a Brazilian pond, calling out for a mate, as tree frogs do. “Here I am,” it called, “oh, female white-banded tree frogs, here I am.” And then, out of the blue, or probably the green, came the aggressive bray of a North American bullfrog. “Yo, Adrian! Yo, Adrian!” the bullfrog croaked. (Or something to that effect. All amphibian calls in this article are loosely translated.) The croak overwhelmed the calls of the tree frogs, as well as those of other pond dwellers, and the tree frog raised its voice to a higher frequency to rise above the bullfrog clamor. We know this happened because scientists went to ponds in a Brazilian national park that had been invaded by bullfrogs, and played a bullfrog’s recorded croak, directing it at specific tree frogs. They also recorded the tree frogs before, during and after the croaking of the virtual bullfrog. They were exploring the idea that in addition to taking up space and eating whatever it could fit in its mouth, the bullfrog was an acoustic invader, forcing the the tree frog to find a new “acoustic niche.” That’s the term used by the scientists who conducted the experiment, Camila Both of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul and Taran Grant of the University of São Paulo, in Brazil . They reported the results of the simulated audio invasion online on Wednesday in Biology Letters . (More frog sounds can be found here .) The bullfrog is a problematic invasive species that spread from its original habitat in the Northeastern United States to much of the rest of the country and to Europe , Africa and South America . And the acoustic invasion of the soundscape, the scientists say, is as real as the physical one, and should be considered in assessing the effects of other invasive species as well. The idea of soundscapes, and of audio ecology, was put forth by R. Murray Schafer, a Canadian composer and thinker who published “The Tuning of the World” in 1977. Since then, these ideas have become part of cultural and environmental thinking. Often the soundscapes are divided into natural and human. But what struck me about the bullfrog experiment was how mixed up the soundscapes have become. Scientists, hunters and birders routinely play recordings of wild creatures to other wild creatures. If a natural sound is perfectly reproduced in its appropriate environment, is it natural or unnatural? Once, you had to have some sophisticated equipment to acquire natural sounds and take them back into nature in unnatural form. Now all you need is a cellphone. I used to have a loon as a ringtone. Researchers themselves are making their recordings available as ringtones. Rodney Rountree, a marine biologist at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst , offers ringtones on the Web to raise money for research . By far the most popular involve fish flatulence , he said, “but the cusk eel, toadfish and sea robin sounds make much better ringtones.” It is all confusing —at least for me, and I bet for more than a few wild creatures. Which brings me to the cricket. One night a while ago, I heard a cricket sound and started crawling around my bedroom, half asleep on hands and knees, trying to find the source. The thing is, I didn’t know whether I was looking for an insect or a cellphone, because I had at one time used a cricket sound as an alarm on my phone. I am going to get a new ringtone for a phone I just bought, but it will not be something that could occur naturally in my office or house. Right now I’m thinking of a cusk eel.
|
Frog;Acoustics;Science and Technology
|
ny0144761
|
[
"business"
] |
2008/10/09
|
Loss Narrows at Monsanto, Which Sees a Rosy 2009
|
The Monsanto Company , the world’s largest seed producer, reported a smaller fourth-quarter loss than last year and said profit might increase 20 percent in fiscal 2009 because of rising sales of weed killer and gene-modified seeds. The net loss narrowed to $172 million, or 31 cents a share, from a loss of $210 million, or 39 cents a share, a year earlier, Monsanto said. Sales in the period, which ended Aug. 31, increased 35 percent, to $2.05 billion. Excluding one-time items, Monsanto lost 3 cents a share, a better result than the 10-cent loss expected by analysts, and the company’s stock rose $7.26, or 10 percent, to $81.44 a share. Monsanto, which is based in St. Louis, doubled full-year profit by raising prices for Roundup weed-killer and modified crop seeds that enhance yields. The chief executive, Hugh Grant, told analysts in a conference call that “dangerously low” grain stockpiles would help the company more than double gross profit from 2007 to 2012 as farmers sought higher yields with engineered seeds. Net income in fiscal 2009, which began Sept. 1, will rise to a range of $4.20 to $4.40 a share, Monsanto said. Results in Monsanto’s fourth quarter often are weaker than in other periods because farmers in North America and Europe have already planted most of their crops. Monsanto raised its forecast for gross profit in 2012 to a range of $9.5 billion to $9.75 billion, from an earlier estimate of $8.6 billion to $9.1 billion. Gross profit in 2008 rose 46 percent, to $6.18 billion, led by a doubling of profit in the Roundup weed-killer line and a 28 percent gain in the business that makes seeds and licenses genetic technology.
|
Monsanto Co;Company Reports;Seeds
|
ny0144105
|
[
"us",
"politics"
] |
2008/10/16
|
Rivals Split, With Joe in the Middle
|
Barack Obama looked like a prosecutor delivering a polished summation in a long civil case, Joe the Plumber v. George W. Bush. John McCain was closer to a personal injury lawyer, staring into the camera to address “Joe the Plumber” as if he were standing by with an 800 number. (“If you or a loved one has been wronged in an accident ...” or in this case, in an Obama tax bracket.) It was the last debate before the November election, the last chance to measure the two candidates side by side. But much of the debate turned into a tug of war over Joe the Plumber, an Ohio man who had an off-the-cuff discussion with Mr. Obama about his tax policies and complained that if he fulfilled his “American dream” of owning his own plumbing company his taxes under Mr. Obama would rise. Mr. Obama told him other less-fortunate people needed a tax break to “spread the wealth.” The plumber’s name was invoked more than 20 times. Mr. McCain repeated his name more than nine times and kept looking into the camera and addressing Joe the Plumber directly, as when he said, “Joe, you’re rich! Congratulations.” At a moment when conservative Republicans are complaining that President Bush has led the country into socialism with a country-club face, Mr. McCain went on the attack against Mr. Obama for “class warfare.” It was Mr. McCain’s last chance to cast doubt on his opponent’s character and credentials, and he threw the kitchen sink at him — along with the plumber. Mr. McCain invoked class war, culture war and the Iraq war. He cast himself as a victim of a Democratic attack machine, calling Representative John Lewis’s reference to former Gov. George Wallace of Alabama in criticizing the McCain-Palin campaign for stirring up the crowds “so hurtful.” They were seated, and this time, Mr. McCain made a point of looking at Mr. Obama, if often with a disdainful smirk and roll of the eyes. He kept taking out his pen to write on his yellow pad, almost as though it were a surrogate for reaching across and throttling the younger man he does not think should be challenging him because, as his aides put it, he hasn’t bled. Instead of roaming restlessly across the stage, Mr. McCain roamed restlessly across Mr. Obama’s résumé. Mr. McCain spoke vividly, and often personally, even mentioning his adopted daughter from Bangladesh in a terse exchange about abortion. He smiled tightly when Mr. Obama spoke, perhaps under instruction from aides not to be grumpy as he attacked on multiple fronts. But viewers saw not the happy warrior so much as the harping warrior as Mr. McCain needled Mr. Obama about his relationship with an “old, washed up terrorist,” William Ayers, the group Acorn (he said a voter fraud scandal was “destroying the fabric of democracy”), and Hugo Chávez. With viewers obsessing about their shrinking retirement funds and a drop of more than 700 points in the Dow, Mr. McCain yanked the conversation to free trade with Colombia and vouchers in the District of Columbia. “Free Trade with Colombia is something that is a no-brainer,” he said scornfully. “But maybe you ought to travel down there and visit them and maybe you could understand it a lot better.” Mr. McCain succeeded at steering the conversation away from the economic crisis that is the conversation in America, and Mr. Obama let himself be led away. Mr. McCain tried to distance himself from the Republican in the White House. “I am not President Bush,” Mr. McCain said. “If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago.” Mr. Obama was calm, but also flat and dispassionate. He looked defensive, smiling and shaking his head as the fusillade of charges came at him. Mr. McCain was more focused and had a narrative about Joe the Plumber, but his tone was often sarcastic. He managed to change the subject from the economy, as he tried to woo independent and working-class voters and put himself on the side of the working man. And in this bad economy, he even knows his name: Joe.
|
Presidential Election of 2008;Debating;McCain John;Obama Barack
|
ny0020627
|
[
"business",
"energy-environment"
] |
2013/09/03
|
A Bet on the Environment
|
Just after his sophomore year at Yale in 2002, Billy Parish stood before a rapidly retreating glacier in India that feeds the Ganges River, convinced that he had come face to face with climate change and that he had to do something about it. It did not take long. Back in the United States, he started a youth coalition that, within a few years, had mobilized thousands of people with similar environmental concerns. He never made it to his junior year at Yale. In the years since, Mr. Parish has come to another conclusion: that capitalism is a powerful force that can be harnessed to combat global warming. Now 31, he is well into making that his next mission, building an online solar energy investment platform that could turn ordinary Americans into mini-financiers. Called Mosaic , the company functions like a virtual renewable energy bank, soliciting investments for solar projects and making loans to be paid back, typically, over about 10 years. Mosaic collects a fee on every loan. It is similar to the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter , a Web site that matches creative ventures with financial supporters. In the case of Mosaic, with a minimum of $25, investors can earn a return. “Our goal is to build the No. 1 investment platform for clean energy,” Mr. Parish said. Mosaic, he added, allows investors “to not just be passive consumers but to be creators, to be owners, to collaborate to make things happen.” The company is still in its infancy. About 2,000 clients in 44 states have put in more than $4 million in project financing since it began soliciting money in January, and it is open nationwide to accredited investors — a category that includes certain institutions and high-net-worth individuals — and, so far, to the general public in New York and California. Whether Mosaic can execute its vision is an open question. But it is poised to grow, with deals in the works that would allow investors to use money from retirement accounts like 401(k)’s and I.R.A.’s. That, along with new financial regulations that permit broader marketing of investment projects, promises to vastly expand the potential sources of money for solar projects as well as other types of renewable energy the company plans to develop. Although it is among the first crowdfunding platforms to focus on energy, Mosaic borrowed inspiration from earlier online ventures that gave consumers more direct access to products and services. Financing clean-tech projects and start-up companies is ripe for such an approach, adherents say, because only a small coterie of investors has been able to participate, making financing harder to obtain and more expensive. “All these platforms are called marketplaces because they bring populations together, whether it be males and females on Match.com or banks and borrowers on Lending Tree,” said Judd Hollas, the founder of EquityNet, which allows direct investment in start-up companies as a sort of venture capital platform for the masses. “It was logical to assume that the same thing could happen and should happen in private equity.” Mosaic’s approach is seen by many as bringing together small-scale solar projects, which are by nature decentralized, and a younger generation that is comfortable with technology. “At a time of social networking and the peer-to-peer experiences of media, of music making, of all these industries, capturing that capability — that distributed, decentralized phenomenon — and applying it to financing an energy source that is also built around a distributed architecture is a very big play,” said Danny Kennedy, a founder of the solar development company Sungevity and a member of Mosaic’s board. “That’s why the crowd makes sense. This is a distributed future.” Image Dan Rosen, left, and Mr. Parish, the founder of Mosaic, on the roof of an Oakland youth center. Credit Peter DaSilva for The New York Times At the same time, many Americans have been showing an increasing interest in aligning their money with their social or political leanings, especially younger investors. Almost half of millennial-generation investors worth more than $1 million screen their investments for social values as well as value, according to a recent survey by the Spectrem Group, an investor research organization. “If I had a mutual fund sitting alongside an investment through Mosaic,” said Stan Hazelroth, a former executive director of the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank, “even if it was maybe a notch lower return, I’d still take the Mosaic investment because I’m such a firm believer in the future of renewable energy.” The seeds of Mr. Parish’s evolution toward combining environmental issues with profit were planted early. A child of two liberal-leaning lawyers who fell in love working on a securitization deal — his father specialized in financing for electric utilities — he grew up comfortably in Manhattan, near Central Park and the Museum of Natural History. During high school, he spent a semester at the Mountain School in Vermont, where his concern for “what was happening on a planetary scale” crystallized; at Yale, he designed his own major in sustainable economic development, and then took a leave that became permanent to build the Energy Action Coalition , which describes itself as “a coalition of 50 youth-led environmental and social justice groups.” “Young people had been at the forefront of every major social movement in history, and almost nothing was happening with young people and climate change at that point,” he said. By 21, he was managing a $5 million budget and a staff of 80 in the United States and Canada. That work led to an advocacy effort that Mr. Parish said helped inspire President Obama’s green jobs programs, as well as a book, “Making Good: Finding Meaning, Money, and Community in a Changing World,” which he wrote with Dev Aujla, a founder of the charitable organization DreamNow . But it was a stint working at the Black Mesa Water Coalition in Flagstaff, Ariz., starting in 2007, that brought together Mr. Parish’s entrepreneurial vision and personal network. It was there that he worked alongside his wife, Wahleah Johns, to shut down coal plants that had fouled the water supply in the Navajo Nation . He also reconnected with Dan Rosen, now Mosaic’s chief executive, who had met Mr. Parish while trying to get a solar array for his high school in Ridgewood, N.J., and had gone to work with Black Mesa after graduating. “That was one of the big, kind of ‘Aha!’ moments about what would become Mosaic,” Mr. Rosen said, referring to discussions about developing solar energy as part of the transition after closing the coal plants. Navajo residents, he said, “wanted to own the projects — they wanted to be owners, they wanted to participate, they wanted jobs, they wanted to invest, even.” Based in Oakland, Calif., Mosaic is trying to capitalize on that desire, finding and vetting as many projects as its staff of 22 can handle while it raises more money so it can expand. Mosaic makes loans only to projects that already have deals to sell the electricity they will produce; it then raises money from investors, who receive a return of roughly 4 to 6 percent as a loan is paid back. The company takes a 1 percent fee on each investment and a small-percentage origination fee on each loan, which varies from project to project. The company’s projects have been modest so far: among others, a solar array atop a youth employment center in Oakland as well as the convention center in Wildwood, N.J., and apartments at the University of Florida in Gainesville. For its biggest project, it plans to help finance the installation of over 55,000 solar panels on more than 500 military homes at Fort Dix, N.J. Investors say they like knowing where their money is going, in contrast to buying into a mutual fund. “There appears to be more of a story, and they’re very defined about what they’re investing in,” said Laura Deer Moore, who sits on the board of a community bank and came across Mosaic because she wanted to invest her small nest egg “conscientiously,” as she put it, and was having trouble finding ways to do that. “There’s a defined mission, and I like that about it.”
|
Mosaic;Renewable energy;Crowdfunding;Solar energy;Billy Parish
|
ny0175957
|
[
"sports",
"baseball"
] |
2007/07/04
|
The Links Between Bonds and Griffey End When the Fans React
|
CINCINNATI, July 3 — Warm hearts greet his every move now, as if Ken Griffey Jr. were a dog-eared scrapbook rediscovered in the corner of an attic. Fans practically had a coronation for him when he recently returned to Seattle, cheered him in tough Philadelphia and have warmed to their native son here after seven-plus seasons of a relationship that Griffey described as awkward. “Everybody’s a front-runner,” said Griffey, who has 585 career home runs. That proclamation by Griffey, the Cincinnati Reds’ right fielder, is in tune with his suspicious nature. Even during his wildly popular younger days, he always encased himself with a defense radar. Griffey is 37 now, grizzled by ups and downs, and aware of the public’s fickleness. He has seen his good friend Barry Bonds condemned in the court of public opinion because of unproven allegations of steroid use, and disparaged instead of celebrated as he nears baseball history. “He takes some unnecessary punishment,” Griffey said. Bonds, who drew to four behind Hank Aaron’s record 755 home runs with a two-run shot Tuesday night, declined all pregame interview requests as the San Francisco Giants made their first trip this season to Cincinnati — a town so uninterested in Bonds’s chase that none of the three games in this series have sold out. Bonds, booed before and after clubbing home run No. 751 in the first inning of the Reds ’ 7-3 victory over the Giants, did have time to hug and chat with Griffey during batting practice. The game itself featured the most home runs by two players (1,335) entering a game since Cleveland played at Milwaukee on Aug. 1, 1976, when Frank Robinson (586) and Aaron (755) met. Griffey and Bonds, 42, will have more time for giggles and grins next Tuesday when, for the first time, they will play in the same outfield as National League starters in the All-Star Game in San Francisco. “People compare us, and we just laugh about it,” Griffey said. “We’re two different baseball players, but we want the same things. We want to win championships. We want to do well.” Similarities have linked the two sluggers. Both grew up in baseball clubhouses, the sons of major league players. Both were mentioned as the game’s best players of the 1990s. Both returned to play for their hometown teams. Controversy, however, has stained only Bonds. He is still under investigation for perjury in the court case dealing with the Balco steroid scandal. Kevin Grace, archivist and adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati, teaches a Social History of Baseball class. He has discussed with students the public images of particular players, especially in the steroid era. “Griffey comes off pretty well,” Grace said. “When he first came here, there was a little feeling that he was standoffish. In the last several years, the public has warmed to him. He’s essentially viewed as doing things the right way, and that fits in the culture here pretty well. “Bonds, whether you prove it or not, has the stigma of steroids attached to him. Barry Bonds has always been a crummy human being in terms of his relationship with fans and the press. Griffey gives you something to root for and feel good about. Most of that is due to him not only opening up to the fans, but not being touched by the steroid problem.” Finally healthy after six injury-marred seasons, Griffey is hitting the baseball and warming hearts as he did in his younger days. “I’ve always produced when I’ve been able to,” said Griffey, who is batting .291 with 22 home runs and 53 runs batted in. “I just haven’t been able to do as much as I’d like to do. That’s no one’s fault. I ran into a little bad luck.” Griffey has been on the disabled list eight times since he orchestrated a five-player trade from Seattle, his team of 11 years, to Cincinnati before the 2000 season. He missed 418 games from 2001 through 2006. Griffey was the youngest player in history to reach 350, 400 and 450 homers. In 1999, Aaron said Griffey had the best chance to break his home run record. “If I would have done something stupid and gotten hurt, then I’d wonder what if,” said Griffey, who led the National League with 2,986,818 votes in earning his 13th All-Star Game selection. “I got hurt trying to help the ballclub win ballgames.” Although happy for Bonds that he is so close to breaking Aaron’s mark, Griffey dismissed the significance of personal achievement in favor of team success. “The important thing is to win the World Series,” he said. “People look at it differently. If you play long enough, you’re going to get home runs and hits.” Still, with a career marred by injuries and no World Series appearances, there is an undercurrent of lost opportunity beneath the joy that has returned with Griffey’s on-field revival. “You can’t control what happens,” he said. “You can only hope for the best.”
|
Griffey Ken Jr;Bonds Barry;Baseball;Steroids;San Francisco Giants;Cincinnati Reds
|
ny0064753
|
[
"world",
"europe"
] |
2014/06/11
|
Le Pen’s Far-Right Party Eyes Major Status in France, but Voters Are Still Deciding
|
BOHAIN-EN-VERMANDOIS, France — Armand Pollet, the representative of the far-right National Front in this struggling, largely rural town in the north, sat back in his leather easy chair recently and smiled with satisfaction, declaring that his party was now locked in place as France’s third mainstream party. “The new voters, I think we really have them now,” Mr. Pollet said. “They have stepped over the barrier to vote for the National Front, and once you have done that, which is a big step, you will stay.” Whether that is true is being hotly debated in France these days. In the past, French voters have turned to the National Front to express their unhappiness with politics as usual and the elites who dominate government. But many of these voters proved to have little allegiance to the National Front and quickly returned to the main parties of the center right and center left for the next election. Now, after the National Front’s success over the past few months in both municipal and European Parliament elections , the party and its leader, Marine Le Pen , face the challenge of proving that the results represent more than a protest vote at a time of continued economic frustration. Their goal is to make it acceptable for voters to embrace nationalist policies and think of Ms. Le Pen as a credible candidate when the 2017 presidential election comes around. If Ms. Le Pen is to succeed, she will have to build on her performance in places like this, a town of 6,000 that produced one of the highest vote counts for the far right in the European elections, about 47 percent, up from about 15 percent in the European elections five years go. It is easy to see why people here might be looking for a third way. Even the baskets of flowers that hang from lampposts do not entirely distract from the many crumbling stucco walls and shutters in need of paint. Many industries have gone to Poland or Romania, where labor is cheaper. The unemployment rate is about 20 percent here, about twice the national average. The town’s electronic welcome sign flashes announcements for local festivals — and job fairs. Image If Marine Le Pen is to succeed, she will have to build on her performance in places like Bohain-en-Vermandois, which had one of the highest vote counts for the far right in the European elections. Credit Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times But even here, there is evidence that support for the National Front remains both limited and something that many voters are reluctant to admit to. That reluctance suggests that Ms. Le Pen and her party have yet to fully overcome the stigma of racist and anti-Semitic remarks attributed to the National Front’s founder, Jean-Marie Le Pen, Ms. Le Pen’s father, and have some way to go before they can claim to be firmly in the mainstream. On Monday, Mr. Le Pen, 85, came under intense criticism for remarks he made in a video that appeared on the National Front’s website. In the video , later removed from the site, Mr. Le Pen responded to a question about a critic of the party by saying, “We’ll include him in the next batch.” Mr. Le Pen used the French word “fournée,” which refers to a batch of bread to be baked, which was interpreted by his critics to be a reference to crematories at Nazi death camps. Mr. Le Pen said his comments had no anti-Semitic overtones. Even before Mr. Le Pen’s remarks, the party has had trouble building more public support in strongholds like Bohain-en-Vermandois. Asked to produce a single new convert to his party who would be willing to speak with a reporter, even without being named, Mr. Pollet said he could not. Nor, in fact, could his party come up with anyone to run in the municipal elections here in March. One man, identified by a friend as being a first-time National Front voter in the European elections, slammed the phone down when asked if he would talk about it. Many residents of Bohain-en-Vermandois, it seemed, were far more willing to say that they came close to voting for the National Front. Those voters cited the economy and the sense that the European Union was out of control, admitting too many nations (it has grown from 15 member countries in 2004 to 28 today) and insisting on open borders while almost never putting such decisions to a vote or considering the consequences, especially when it involved immigration from North Africa, the Middle East and Southern and Eastern Europe. Cassandra Aza, 22, said she lived here because the rent was cheap and it was near the home of her partner’s family. She said that she would much rather be in Paris but that neither she nor her partner had found work. She suspects that someone from North Africa got the job driving trucks that her partner applied for recently. So, Ms. Aza said, she would have voted for the National Front, if she had voted at all, and would probably vote for the party in the future. “It is isn’t even that I like Marine so much,” she said. “It’s just such a sense of having had enough.” “I just want to see the borders closed,” Ms. Aza added. Such sentiments can be found among both traditionally center-right and center-left voters. One man who said he usually voted Green said he came close to voting for the National Front this year because his 80-year-old mother had to pay taxes on her pension for the first time, the result of a policy change by President François Hollande’s Socialist government. The Appeal of the Fringe In the elections for the European Parliament over the weekend, many traditional, centrist political parties lost ground to smaller or upstart parties from both sides of the spectrum. The mayor, Jean-Louis Bricout, a Socialist who was re-elected this year with 64 percent of the vote, said he believed that many residents voted for the National Front, as they have in the past, as a signal of their distress. But some analysts say that National Front voters are growing more comfortable with showing their support openly, particularly in the South of France, where the party has done well more consistently. Nationally, the numbers have bounced around. In the last three presidential elections, the National Front won 16.9 percent of the vote in 2002, 10.4 percent in 2007 and 17.9 percent in 2012. One resident of Bohain-en-Vermandois, François Tetart, 45, who supports former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s center-right Union for a Popular Movement, said that backing the National Front had become more appealing to voters from both the left and the right. Many, he said, have begun to focus on the 800 immigrants in the town, who are for the most part employed. “There are a lot of people around here who can’t eat at the end of the month,” Mr. Tetart said. “Or they can’t dress their children. They have trouble paying the heating bills. We never used to have that. I can see the National Front getting through the first round in the next presidential elections.” That happened once before, in 2002, when Mr. Le Pen came in second in the first round of the presidential election, ahead of Lionel Jospin, the Socialist candidate, giving him an opportunity to challenge the incumbent, Jacques Chirac, in the second round. But supporters of the mainstream parties closed ranks to give Mr. Chirac, who took 82 percent of the vote, the largest margin of victory in a French presidential election.
|
Marine Le Pen;National Front France;Jean-Marie Le Pen;Immigration;France;European Parliament;Discrimination;Antisemitism
|
ny0119746
|
[
"business",
"global"
] |
2012/07/17
|
Markets Await I.M.F. Report on Global Growth
|
LONDON — Financial markets were subdued Monday, at the start of a week that is expected to bring a report on the state of the global economy from the International Monetary Fund , a vote in the German Parliament on Spain’s bank bailout and further talks among euro zone finance ministers. Investors and policy makers will be watching the I.M.F. report later Monday, and how the fund views the decisions European leaders have made to try to stem a debt crisis that is affecting growth around the globe. On Thursday the German Parliament is expected to approve a plan to provide up to €100 billion, or $122 billion, in aid for the Spanish banking industry, which is struggling to deal with huge losses resulting from the country’s property crash. The Bundestag vote will be watched closely for signs of opposition to the bailout among supporters of Germany’s center-right chancellor, Angela Merkel. In particular, it remains unclear whether Ms. Merkel will gain an outright majority of the deputies, a benchmark that is seen as significant for the political authority of any German chancellor. Finance ministers of the 17 European nations that use the euro have promised to speed up the timetable of Spain’s bank bailout by making €30 billion available by the end of the month. The ministers are on standby to hold a meeting or a teleconference on Friday that could give final approval to the decision. The proposed bailout was designed to avoid increasing the debt burden on the Spanish government, which is struggling to reduce its budget deficit. Madrid announced a new series of austerity measures last week after it was given more time to reach European Union targets for deficit reduction. Under the deal, however, aid from the euro zone bailout funds can only be lent directly to banks once a new structure for European banking regulation is in place. That is not likely before the end of the year, and details still need to be finalized to ensure that the terms of Spain’s banking rescue do not unsettle financial markets, which have pushed borrowing costs for Spain close to unsustainable levels. Finance ministers probably would use a teleconference if they restrict their discussions to Spain. Expanding the agenda to cover the situation in Greece, which is on its second bailout, or Cyprus, which is seeking aid, probably would require a full meeting, according to E.U. officials. Jean-Claude Juncker, the Luxembourg prime minister who leads the group of countries using the euro, was expected to make the decision on whether to hold a teleconference or a full meeting during the day on Monday, the officials said. At midday in Europe the Euro Stoxx 50, an index of euro zone blue chips, was down 0.47 percent, and the FTSE 100 index in London was down 0.27 percent. Asian markets were up slightly. The euro was at $1.2186, down from $1.2240 late Friday in New York. The yield on the 10-year Spanish sovereign bond, a measure of borrowing costs, was at 6.635 percent, up 0.061 percentage point. Comparable Italian bonds were at 6.043 percent, up 0.013 percentage point. James Kanter contributed reporting from Brussels.
|
International Monetary Fund;Stocks and Bonds;European Sovereign Debt Crisis (2010- );Euro (Currency)
|
ny0105712
|
[
"us"
] |
2012/04/05
|
The Carolinas Work to Clarify Their Borders
|
CLOVER, S.C. — Errors can compound over time. A couple of hundred years ago, intrepid surveyors carved out a line between North Carolina and South Carolina and marked their work with notches on trees and, later, the occasional rock. The federal government eventually approved the boundary and life went on. But trees fell. The rare stone marker was lost. Land was bought and sold and guesses were made. Bit by bit, the border shifted a little bit north. In an ambitious project, the states of North Carolina and South Carolina are trying to set the record straight. After years of historical research and old-fashioned survey work mixed with global positioning technology, they are moving the boundary back to where it belongs. In some places, the boundary will not change at all. In others, the shift does not matter much. What’s a couple of hundred feet in the middle of the forest? But for about 30 households and a gas station along the most populated part of the boundary, the consequences are big. Judy Helms, for example, suddenly finds herself living in North Carolina. But her dog, who stays in the backyard, lives in South Carolina. The state line now slices through the four acres she bought in 1979. That means she will probably have to change insurance and her driver’s license and pay North Carolina’s higher taxes, which could amount to several thousand dollars. She will have to vote for North Carolina politicians. And how is she supposed to untangle the utilities? The well she and her husband use is now in North Carolina, but the power that pumps the water comes from a South Carolina electric company. “This is like living in some kind of comic book serial,” said Mrs. Helms, 64, a retired nurse. “I just feel like I’m being kicked out of South Carolina. I’m being expelled.” Boundary battles between states are not common, but they can be intense. California has argued with Nevada and Oregon, even taking one case as far as the United States Supreme Court . Georgia has tried to get Tennessee to create a joint boundary commission , but Tennessee has refused. In 1835, Ohio and Michigan even went to war over the issue, amassing militias. No one was hurt, and the two sides compromised. The Carolinas embarked on the effort to determine exactly where one began and the other ended in the mid-1990s, when Duke Energy, the North Carolina power company, sold some land along the border to the state. South Carolina did not want to buy land in North Carolina, but figuring out exactly where North Carolina was proved difficult. “We’d been having nagging problems along the state line for years,” said Sid Miller, who heads the South Carolina side of a joint boundary commission. “This was a way to re-establish the boundary once and for all.” The problems began, as they sometimes do, with the king of England, who ordered a survey of the two colonies in the 1700s. It was hard, long and imprecise work. Equipment was rudimentary. Surveyors marked the boundary as best they could by hatching notches into trees, sometimes giving up when the swamps and the panthers became too much. Although other surveyors came behind them in ensuing years, the official boundary set in 1772 is what Mr. Miller and his counterpart in North Carolina, Gary Thompson, have been working together since the 1990s to re-establish. They are part detectives, part geography geeks and part historians. And they are almost done. Out of the 335-mile-long border, they have gotten all of it but about 40 miles re-established. By the end of the year their work will be complete and their findings will be turned over to the legislatures in both states for ratification. They had not hit many big bumps until they started to unpack the situation west of Charlotte. When the lines were originally drawn, Charlotte “had six houses and a courthouse and tavern. It was just a little flat place in the dirt road,” Mr. Miller said. Since then, the city has grown, and a boom in the 2000s pushed development into the rural areas around Lake Wylie, where most of the people who now find themselves in North Carolina live. The men say that if the state does not solve its border issue now, problems will just get worse as development continues in the area. The surveyors understand how difficult this makes things for people who relied on faulty county maps and official parcel maps to buy land. “Our opinion is it’s not their fault,” Mr. Miller said. “The states have let this go for 240 years. This is going to be a pain in the neck for some people.” At a gas station right on the border at Route 321, business has always been good because smart North Carolinians knew to drive just across the road into South Carolina to get gas that can be 30 cents cheaper a gallon. There is beer to buy on Sunday and fireworks, too. But the gas station is now technically in North Carolina and the days of cheap gas may be over. Taxes, of course, are the biggest issue for many who are facing higher bills. But other questions abound. Will a handful of children be forced to change school districts? Will football loyalties have to change? And worse, will South Carolinians fond of that state’s mustard-based barbecue sauce have to learn to sop their pork in the peppery vinegar sauce preferred in the state to the north? Lawyers in the attorney general’s offices in both states are looking into ways to minimize the impact. They cannot do much about football rivalries and barbecue preferences, but they can suggest to the legislatures some grandfathering in of families and businesses hard hit. Utility companies may be able to cross state lines in some cases, and the states’ departments of revenue are investigating how to offer some tax relief. “We don’t have all the answers yet,” said Emory Smith of the South Carolina attorney general’s office. “The intent is to work this out now so that everybody knows exactly where the boundary is and there won’t be problems in the future.” Suggestions on possible solutions will probably be presented to the legislatures next year, he said. Mrs. Helms is trying to remain calm and hoping solutions will be found. “I was a nurse for 35 years,” she said. “I have seen everything, and I am very tolerant unless something’s going to harm me.” She appreciates the historical value of a proper boundary. Still, she worries. So much will have to be changed. And besides, she likes living in South Carolina. “I just want to keep a nice little place in one state,” she said. “I don’t think that’s asking too much.”
|
North Carolina;South Carolina;States (US);Politics and Government;Geography;Taxation;Education (K-12)
|
ny0234810
|
[
"us",
"politics"
] |
2010/01/17
|
For Antiterror Chief, a Rough Week Ahead as Hearings Begin
|
WASHINGTON — Not long after President Obama was inaugurated, Michael E. Leiter, the man in charge of the agency that is supposed to “connect the dots” to prevent terrorist attacks, took a stroll on the National Mall with a friend. The friend, a New Jersey doctor named Arthur Gross, mused aloud about what a new president feels when he learns of all the threats against the United States. “I said something like, ‘Can you imagine what it must be like to walk into the White House and just be president, you’ve made all these promises, and somebody has to sit you down and explain the world to you, what the reality is?’ ” Dr. Gross recalled. “And Michael said, ‘Well, who do you think sits him down?’ ” The comment — confident to the edge of being cocky, matter-of-fact yet not boastful — was typical of Mr. Leiter, an extremely bright, intensely ambitious 40-year-old who rocketed through a career as a Navy flight officer and Harvard-trained federal prosecutor (including a stint as a Supreme Court clerk) to land a job running the National Counterterrorism Center. He is so meticulous, one friend said, that she once glanced at his computer and noticed only three e-mail messages in his inbox, a sign that the super-efficient Mr. Leiter had already categorized and dispensed with his mail. Now Mr. Leiter’s unblemished résumé has suffered its first big black mark — the Christmas Day terrorist plot that his agency failed to thwart — and on Monday, he will begin answering for it on Capitol Hill. As Congress opens a string of hearings into how a Nigerian national nearly blew up a plane bound for Detroit, Mr. Leiter, little known outside Washington policy circles, will be a star witness. It could be a painful debut; Mr. Leiter has been mentioned as a possible future head of the Central Intelligence Agency, and how he performs might help determine whether he remains on the fast track. Already, he has suffered the harsh glare of the spotlight, amid news reports citing anonymous sources that he took a ski vacation in the days after the attempted attack. The trip, it turned out, was with his 7-year-old son. The White House publicly defended him, and aides to the president said Mr. Obama called to convey his support. The vacation flap, though, pales in comparison with the flak his agency is taking for failing to recognize the threat posed by the Nigerian, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab , whose name was on at least one government watch list. Last week, during a private briefing with members of the House Intelligence Committee, Mr. Leiter told lawmakers that he was planning changes to the watch list system “to make it more meaningful, not to just have lists for the sake of having lists,” said Representative Peter King, Republican of New York, who attended the briefing. “Obviously it’s had a real impact on him; there’s no doubt this is — devastating is too strong a word — but professionally, and with his obligations to the country, it went wrong and it went wrong on his watch,” said Mr. King, who is also the senior Republican on the Homeland Security Committee. The impression from members of both parties, Mr. King said, “was that he was being very straight with us. He realizes what went wrong, what has to be done. He made no attempt to give excuses.” Mr. Leiter declined, through a spokesman, to comment. But in an interview with National Public Radio, which was conducted shortly before the Christmas Day attempt and was broadcast earlier this month, he spoke of the difficulties of his job. “We’re not going to stop every attack,” he said then. “Americans have to very much understand that it is impossible to stop every terrorist event. But we have to do our best, and we have to adjust, based on, again, how the enemy changes their tactics.” Mr. Leiter took an unusual path into the intelligence business. He volunteered with the Fire Department in Englewood, N.J., where he grew up, and at one point thought of becoming a New York City police officer, friends said. But he went on to an academic career that mirrors Mr. Obama’s own, graduating from Columbia University (the president’s alma mater) and Harvard Law, where he, like Mr. Obama, was elected president of the law review. He spent six years in the Navy between college and law school; after law school, he clerked for Justice Stephen G. Breyer of the Supreme Court. He was at the court on Sept. 11, 2001, watching on television as the World Trade Center collapsed. He had attended his senior prom and been sworn into the Navy there. “It hit very close to home for me,” he told NPR. In 2004, while working as a federal prosecutor, Mr. Leiter joined the staff of a commission, appointed by President George W. Bush, to examine intelligence failures leading up to the war in Iraq. That led to a series of jobs in the intelligence world, and in 2008, Mr. Bush appointed him director of the counterterrorism center. Mr. Obama kept him on — no surprise to Bush officials, said Juan Zarate, a deputy national security adviser to Mr. Bush. “Michael wasn’t political,” Mr. Zarate said. The center was created in 2004 as part of the post-Sept. 11 reforms, to analyze and integrate information from 16 different government agencies and departments — the C.I.A., the F.B.I., the Pentagon and others, each with its own culture and history. Running it is a job that requires a keen ability to navigate turf battles. Rick Nelson, a former colleague and domestic security expert, said Mr. Leiter “came into it with clear thinking, with a freshness and an eagerness to cut through the bureaucracy.” And Mr. Leiter won the admiration of his staff, Mr. Nelson said, when in August 2008 he very publicly took on a congressman, Representative Brad Miller, Democrat of North Carolina, who had criticized his agency. The two engaged in a pointed exchange of letters on the editorial page of The New York Times — a rare example of Mr. Leiter being undiplomatic. “I have to say, it left a bad taste in my mouth,” the congressman said in an interview. “He was very sensitive to criticism.” Mr. Miller, though, seems to be the exception; other lawmakers involved in intelligence and domestic security affairs count themselves as Leiter fans. They include Representative Jane Harman, Democrat of California; Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine; Senator John D. Rockefeller IV, Democrat of West Virginia, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California; and Mr. King. Still, as this week’s hearings unfold, Mr. King predicted a difficult road ahead for the counterterrorism chief, if not from lawmakers, then from his own colleagues. “He’s in a very rough business, the intelligence business, and a lot of people in that business do a very good job of going after the enemy,” Mr. King said. “But they also do a good job of going after their own.”
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Terrorism;Leiter Michael E;National Counterterrorism Center;Appointments and Executive Changes;Abdulmutallab Umar Farouk
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ny0131531
|
[
"us"
] |
2012/12/28
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Frank Calabrese, Chicago Mob Hit Man, Dies at 75
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Frank Calabrese, also known as Frankie Breeze, a Chicago loan shark and hit man responsible for at least 13 murders, died in prison on Tuesday in Butner, N.C. He was 75. His death, at the Federal Medical Center at the Butner Federal Correctional Complex, was confirmed to The Associated Press by Ed Ross, a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. No cause was given, but Mr. Calabrese was known to be in poor health, with heart disease and other ailments. Mr. Calabrese, an especially vicious member of the Chicago organized crime family known as the Outfit, was serving a life sentence after his conviction, with four other men, on racketeering charges in September 2007 in what became known as the Family Secrets trial. The trial was the result of years of federal investigation aimed at weakening the Outfit and clearing 18 unsolved murder cases dating to the 1970s. A jury found Mr. Calabrese the perpetrator of seven of the murders, but at a sentencing hearing in January 2009, Judge James Zagel of Federal District Court, by his own reading of the evidence, held him responsible for six additional killings. The trial was a sensational one, with testimony for the prosecution from Mr. Calabrese’s closest relatives. His brother, Nick, an admitted gangster himself, described his brother’s murderous style: He beat his victims, strangled them with a rope and then cut their throats. And his son Frank Jr. , who had once served time in the same prison with his father, told how he had volunteered to cooperate with the F.B.I., writing a letter from his cell, and had recorded conversations with his father in which he spoke about mob killings. He had wanted his father to back away from the mob, Frank Jr. said, explaining his decision, and his father had promised to do so but had not. At the sentencing hearing, another son, Kurt, testified that his father had beaten and threatened him, prompting Judge Zagel to remark, “I’ve never seen a case in which a brother and a son — and counting today, two sons — testified against a father.” The judge added, speaking to the defendant, “I just want to say that your crimes are unspeakable.” Mr. Calabrese was born on the West Side of Chicago on March 17, 1937. According to his testimony at his trial, he attended several grade schools and fared poorly. He sold newspapers on the street as a boy, but grew up to become a thief. He said that he was in the Army after the Korean War but that he deserted. By the early 1960s he was running his own loan sharking business when he was approached by Angelo LaPietra, a rising member of the Outfit who became his mentor. Mr. Calabrese never denied loan sharking, but he claimed at his trial that he had nothing to do with any murders. Mr. Calabrese was married twice and had three sons, Frank Jr., Kurt and Nicky. Information about survivors was unavailable on Thursday. Frank Calabrese Jr. wrote about his family, his own criminal activities and his part in convicting his father in a 2011 book, “Operation Family Secrets: How a Mobster’s Son and the F.B.I. Brought Down Chicago’s Murderous Crime Family,” written with Keith and Kent Zimmerman and Paul Pompian. “There were many people on the streets of Chicago’s South Side who played by my dad’s rules,” Frank Jr. wrote. “But if you crossed Frank Calabrese he was fast and furious. My father had multiple personalities, and what made it hard was that I never knew which one I might be dealing with at any given time. He was a chameleon and could change in an instant. A lot of people knew about his dual personality, but only a tight core knew about his third, the deadly one. “The first was the caring and loving provider, the patriarch. The second was the controlling and abusive father, demanding and strict, the streetwise Outift member who ran a vicious and profitable crew. And the third was the killer, whose method of murder was strangulation, followed by a knife to the throat.”
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Calabrese Frank;Chicago (Ill);Organized Crime;Deaths (Obituaries)
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ny0086398
|
[
"us"
] |
2015/07/19
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Seeing Crowd, G.O.P. Donors Holding Back
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Despite a wealth of choices in a crowded primary field, the vast majority of high-level Republican donors and fund-raisers have not yet backed any candidate financially, magnifying the importance of the coming debates as the presidential hopefuls seek to impress potential backers. Only about a fifth of the 1,000 or so fund-raisers and their spouses who rallied around Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee in 2012, have given money to any of the 2016 candidates, according to a New York Times review of fund-raising records reported by the candidates last week. Those who remain uncommitted — hundreds of volunteer “bundlers” who could collect contributions from their friends and business associates — represent a huge pool of untapped campaign cash, potentially hundreds of millions of dollars, that could remake the primary campaign. Image Paul E. Singer is uncommitted. Credit Steve Marcus/Reuters Some of the bundlers and donors said they had held back, in part, because the field was the strongest they had seen in years, with several viable contenders representing the party’s different generational and ideological segments. Unlike in 2012, when Mr. Romney dominated fund-raising even as he fought off a series of insurgencies by more populist candidates, the affections of many donors in 2016 are divided among three or four candidates. Others are quietly weighing the impact of Donald J. Trump, who has jumped to the lead in some national polls despite raising almost no money from the party’s establishment. “I haven’t committed to anyone at this point, and I’m not on the verge of committing to anyone,” said Paul E. Singer, a hedge fund manager who is among the most sought-after Republican bundlers in the country, at an investment conference last week. “I think there are a number of candidates that are smart, solid, good potential leaders, leaders and potential leaders.” The slow recruitment of major donors and bundlers is also a function, several donors and Republican leaders said, of the candidates’ early emphasis on raising money for “super PACs,” which tend to be funded by a much smaller pool of extremely wealthy donors. Candidates cannot solicit the unlimited checks that fuel super PACs, and several White House aspirants delayed entering the race this year and spent the winter and spring securing commitments from mega-donors. One result: Vast amounts of money are already flowing into the Republican race, but mostly to super PACs, not candidates. Super PACs and outside groups backing individual Republican candidates have raised about $230 million, while the candidates took in just $64 million through the end of June. “The super PAC donors were more important, to some extent eclipsing the traditional world of hundreds of bundlers,” said Fred Malek, the finance chairman of the Republican Governors Association . “The next quarter is going to be hugely different.” Mr. Romney’s financial operation raised $1 billion in 2012, more than any Republican campaign in history, by combining those who raised money for former President George W. Bush with hundreds of new Republican bundlers, many of them from Wall Street. Some of Mr. Romney’s top bundlers, including the Oklahoma energy executive Harold Hamm and Joseph W. Craft, the chief executive of one of the country’s largest coal producers, have not yet given to a Republican candidate in 2016. The Times analyzed a list of Mr. Romney’s bundlers and their spouses that USA Today assembled in 2012 with data from the Sunlight Foundation , which tracks invitations to political fund-raisers, and the Federal Election Commission , which requires that candidates disclose the names of registered lobbyists who raise money for them. Image Harold Hamm is also uncommitted. Credit The Journal Record/Reuters Jeb Bush, the former president’s brother, appears to have won over the largest share of Mr. Romney’s bundlers, with at least 120 donating to his campaign. They include Brian Ballard, a Florida lobbyist, and Dan Loeb, a hedge fund manager who shares Mr. Bush’s passion for education issues. “Jeb’s record as a champion of parent choice and academic excellence is unparalleled,” Mr. Loeb said in an email. “He understands that as a nation we have a responsibility to even the playing field through education so that every child has a chance at the American dream.” Some bundlers are committed to Republicans who did not enter the race until July and have not yet reported any fund-raising numbers, such as Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin. An unknown number may have given to the candidates’ super PACs, which do not have to report their donors until the end of July. Other bundlers, like Jenny Craig, the California-based diet guru, have given to multiple candidates. Still others, like Frank VanderSloot, who runs an Idaho-based health products company, are weighing the prospects of two candidates they like. Image Brian Ballard has donated money to Jeb Bush. Credit Steve Cannon/Associated Press “Frank VanderSloot is committed to helping both Marco Rubio and Scott Walker get their messages out,” said Tony Lima, a spokesman for Mr. VanderSloot. “He is engaged in that process.” But the scramble for other major bundlers is a boon for candidates not named Bush, several of whom are banking on the debates, which begin Aug. 6, as a chance to prove their mettle and recruit new donors and fund-raisers. Almost 50 Romney bundlers, among them Wayne Berman, an executive at the Blackstone Group, and Harlan Crow, a Texas builder, have already given money to Mr. Rubio, the Florida senator; 14 each have contributed to Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina; and at least 10, including the prominent New York hedge fund manager John Paulson, have donated to Carly Fiorina, the former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard. A separate analysis, looking at the top 250 donors to Republican candidates and party organizations, showed a similar phenomenon: Fewer than 100 have contributed to any of the 2016 candidates, according to the Times analysis. Some of them have contributed to more than one candidate, indicating that they are hedging their bets in what is likely to be a volatile and fiercely fought campaign. Who Is Running for President? Donald J. Trump officially accepted the Republican party's nomination on July 22. Hillary Clinton was officially nominated on July 26 at the Democratic Convention. “I decided to give all of the ones I like the support, just in case they made the primary,” said Elloine M. Clark, a Texas philanthropist who wrote large checks to Mr. Cruz, Mr. Rubio, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. “I didn’t want to cut anybody out,” Ms. Clark added. “I want to see some intelligent young people in the race.” The Republican contenders are moving aggressively to tap that money. In recent weeks, some have begun shifting from raising money for their super PACs, which typically depend on a handful of ultra-wealthy donors, to their campaigns, which require the help of hundreds of bundlers and thousands of donors. “As we talk to bundlers around the country, there is still a great pause going on right now,” said Ray Washburne, the finance chairman for Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey. “There’s been no breakaway candidate, and everyone is waiting to see the first debate.”
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Campaign finance;2016 Presidential Election;US Politics;Republicans;Mitt Romney;FEC
|
ny0062785
|
[
"us",
"politics"
] |
2014/01/09
|
Senator Signals Support for Sending Helicopters to Iraq
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WASHINGTON — A powerful Senate Democrat signaled Wednesday that he might allow the transfer of AH-64 Apache helicopters to Iraq as the government in Baghdad struggles to recapture key territory seized by Islamic extremists in the western part of the country. The senator, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, has blocked the lease and sale of the powerful attack helicopters for months while seeking assurances that Iraq would not use them to attack civilians and that the government in Baghdad would take steps to stop Iran from using Iraqi airspace to ship arms to Syria’s military. Mr. Menendez received a three-page letter last week from Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq responding to his concerns and received an urgent call from the State Department on Tuesday promising a further response. Although committee officials said the answers so far do not go much further than Mr. Maliki or the administration have in the past, Mr. Menendez was convinced that they are serious about dealing with the concerns given the latest strife in Anbar Province. “The administration is now addressing concerns first raised in July that required responses before this sale could proceed,” said Adam Sharon, the senator’s spokesman. “Provided these issues are sufficiently addressed, Chairman Menendez will be ready to move forward.” The Obama administration has proposed selling 20 to 30 of the helicopters to the Iraqi government, but, because it could take years for them to be built, it has also asked to lease up to 10 aircraft in the interim. Administration officials said the Apaches could be useful in targeting fighters affiliated with Al Qaeda like those who have taken over parts of Fallujah and Ramadi in recent days. But even if Mr. Menendez dropped his objections, it could take until April to deliver them, and officials noted that pilots would still need to be trained. Moreover, other senators remain concerned. “I think we have to be very careful,” said Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, the ranking Republican on the Intelligence Committee. “All of that could fall into the wrong hands.” The administration is separately planning to provide an additional shipment of Hellfire missiles as early as this spring, seeing them as effective at denying Al Qaeda a haven in Anbar. In addition, the administration plans to send Iraq 10 ScanEagle surveillance drones in coming weeks and 48 Raven surveillance drones later in the year. Those come on top of Aerostat surveillance balloons provided to Iraq in September and three additional Bell IA-407 helicopters sent last month. Still, even some senior Democrats who support reinforcing Iraqi troops said Mr. Maliki ultimately bore the burden for crafting a long-term political solution with Sunnis in restive Anbar Province. “You could tactically go in with enough force to displace Al Qaeda, but the long-term success is based on the politics,” said Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, a senior Democrat on the Armed Services Committee. “Maliki has to help himself out.”
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Bob Menendez;Helicopter;Iraq;Nuri Kamal al-Maliki;US Politics;Military
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ny0038166
|
[
"world",
"middleeast"
] |
2014/03/25
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Israel: Reporter Denied Saudi Visa
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The Washington bureau chief of The Jerusalem Post has been denied a visa to Saudi Arabia to report on President Obama’s visit to that country, the newspaper reported on Monday. The reporter, Michael Wilner, had submitted forms to the White House requesting a visa, the newspaper said. He was scheduled to arrive in Riyadh, the capital, on a commercial flight on Wednesday and to leave with the president on Saturday. On Monday, Mr. Wilner, an American citizen, said he thought his visa request had been denied because of his media affiliation or his Jewish faith. The State Department referred inquiries to the Saudi Embassy in Washington, which did not respond to requests for comment.
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Visas;Jerusalem Post;Saudi Arabia;Michael Wilner
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ny0280415
|
[
"sports",
"baseball"
] |
2016/10/26
|
Kyle Schwarber Admits He May Cry Over His Unlikely Return to Action
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CLEVELAND — It was not until last week that Kyle Schwarber realized he might be able to play in the World Series. He had visited the doctor almost monthly since the mid-April operation that was expected to end his season, and all along the target was for him to be ready by next spring training. That changed with Schwarber’s most recent visit to the doctor, just before the Chicago Cubs went to Los Angeles in the National League Championship Series. Schwarber was told that his left knee, in which he tore the anterior cruciate ligament, was strong again, and that he was medically cleared to return. Schwarber then called Theo Epstein, the Cubs’ president for baseball operations, to ask for a chance to earn a World Series roster spot. So forgive Schwarber if all the emotions happened to come pouring out in Game 1 against the Cleveland Indians. After playing only two major league games this season before the knee injury, Schwarber was in Tuesday’s starting lineup, hitting fifth as the designated hitter. “I’ll probably cry at some point today,” Schwarber said before the game. “It was a long road, but once we step in between those lines, it’s game time. I’m going to be locked in. I’m going to be ready to go and go out there and try to win this.” After striking out swinging in his first at-bat, Schwarber nearly managed a home run in the fourth with his second at-bat, crushing a double off the right-field wall. But the Cubs could not capitalize as Javier Baez popped out to end the inning. Image Fans taking in the scene at Progressive Field, above, before the start of Game 1 between the Indians and the Chicago Cubs. Credit Andrew Spear for The New York Times Schwarber’s improbable return culminated in a rush to get him as ready as possible. Although he played in only two Arizona Fall League games, Schwarber said he had tracked about 1,300 pitches off a pitching machine. “I tried to set it to the nastiest setting that I could to where it would be a really sharp break, just to train my eyes all over again,” Schwarber said. Manager Joe Maddon said the Cubs had faith in Schwarber because he was mentally prepared for a return despite the long layoff. He also looked good running, Maddon said. “My knee feels great,” Schwarber said. “My body feels great. It’s just my hands hurt. I had about eight blisters on my hand. But those are about all gone now.” Even though Schwarber was not with the Cubs on Saturday when they clinched their first trip to the World Series in 71 years , he watched the game closely from Arizona and was even sprayed with Champagne after his fall league game. After his final fall league game, on Monday, Schwarber iced his knee, took a private jet to Cleveland, stopped by Progressive Field to get a peek — but then could barely sleep. When he received a text message from Brandon Hyde, the Cubs’ first-base coach, on Tuesday morning with the official word that he was starting, Schwarber said, he smiled. Image Austin Howell wore a costume that resembled Chief Wahoo, the Indians’ sometimes controversial mascot. Credit Andrew Spear for The New York Times “It was a really good feeling,” he said. While Schwarber was in the starting lineup, the struggling outfielder Jason Heyward, whom the Cubs signed to a $184 million contract in the off-season, was not. He hit .230 during the regular season and is 2 for 28 in the postseason. Maddon said he went with Chris Coghlan in right field because of his bat, but the manager admitted he was willing to bring in Heyward if the Cubs took a lead. Maddon also said the outfield alignment could change late in a game. The Indians, on the other hand, featured their standard lineup against a left-handed pitcher, with Jon Lester starting for the Cubs in Game 1. As far as the rest of the Indians’ World Series roster, there were no surprises. Trevor Bauer, who lasted only two-thirds of an inning in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays because of his cut pinkie, said he was on track to start Game 2 of the World Series. The bizarre injury occurred when Bauer cut himself fixing his drone. Bauer and the Indians were confident his finger would not be a problem last week, but the wound opened up during his start, and he lasted only 21 pitches . After some time off, Bauer threw 20 pitches in a simulated game on Monday night with “no pain, no blood.” “I’m really encouraged by it,” he said. “I feel like I’m on a regular preparation for my start.” CENTER OF THE SPORTS UNIVERSE For Cleveland, Tuesday night was the sports version of a lunar eclipse. Side by side downtown, separated by a plaza, the Cavaliers raised their N.B.A. championship banner in Quicken Loans Arena before playing their season opener against the Knicks, and the Indians played Game 1 of the World Series against the Cubs. A city that had become famous for its lack of sports success suddenly was overwhelmed with riches. As both games approached, the scene outside the stadiums was both jubilant and disorienting. Shawn Edwards, a 32-year-old mortage-loan officer, wore an Indians cap and a Cavaliers jacket as he walked between the two venues. “I’m confused,” he said with a laugh. “This is so surreal. It’s the best day in Cleveland history.” Mark Zemba, a senior assistant attorney general for the state of Ohio, said: “This is such a special time for Cleveland. I’m going to the baseball game, but I wouldn’t want to miss the Cavs raising that flag. Actually, I’m DVR-ing both. “I’ve had to hear my whole life about the river catching fire and the Mistake by the Lake and 52 years of losing,” added Zemba, 59. “We’ve put all that to rest in one great day.” Meanwhile, amid all the wonderment, about 10 people holding signs and chanting, “Change the name, Change the logo,” stood on the sidewalk protesting the fact that Cleveland’s baseball team is called the Indians and has a Chief Wahoo logo. Some fans who were passing by made their displeasure with the protesters pretty clear. The protest was set to end when the World Series game began, but those taking part did not intend to watch the game. The leader of the protest, Philip Yenyo, said he would watch the Cavaliers. “l love the Cavs,” he said. “I still can’t believe they won it all.”
|
Baseball;World Series;Chicago Cubs;Kyle Schwarber;Basketball;Cavaliers
|
ny0037506
|
[
"world",
"middleeast"
] |
2014/03/23
|
Palestinians Criticize Abbas for Public Fatah Feud at Delicate Time Diplomatically
|
RAMALLAH, West Bank — When Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, returned to his headquarters here late last week after a quick trip for talks in Washington, the welcome-home reception featuring waving flags, a marching band and posters with his portrait seemed like a forced attempt to boost the spirits of an embattled leader. Supporters say Mr. Abbas is facing intense Israeli and American pressure to compromise on some core Palestinian principles and to agree to extend peace talks beyond next month. That pressure, they say, comes even as he contends with his Palestinian rivals in the militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, and deals with cracks in the Arab world’s support for the Palestinians. But some of Mr. Abbas’s current difficulties are of his own making. Palestinians say they are baffled by Mr. Abbas’s decision to open up another front within his own Fatah movement by beginning a nasty, public campaign against a onetime ally who Mr. Abbas now sees as a rival, Muhammad Dahlan, a former Gaza strongman and Fatah security chief. In the two weeks since Mr. Abbas’s opening salvo against Mr. Dahlan, who is living abroad, the Arabic media has been filled with unproved accusations by Mr. Abbas about the long-ago killings of prominent Palestinians, and by both men about collaboration with Israel and financial corruption. Mr. Abbas even implied that Mr. Dahlan might have had a hand in the mysterious death of Yasir Arafat, the father of the Palestinian cause, in 2004. For the most part, the two camps have not offered detailed responses to all the accusations. Many Palestinians have characterized the dispute as a shameful airing of dirty laundry that shines an unflattering spotlight on the state of the Palestinian leadership at a critical period in the diplomatic battle for the Palestinians’ future. “It is ugly,” said Mahdi Abdul Hadi, the director of the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs, an independent research institute in East Jerusalem. “People are saying: ‘Is this the history of Fatah? Collaborators, corruption and killers — is this us?’ ” Underlying the feud is the knowledge that Mr. Abbas, at almost 79, has no deputy or obvious successor. His presidential term technically ran out in early 2010, but because of the internal Palestinian schism, no new elections have been held. In any case, Mr. Abbas has repeatedly stated that he does not intend to run again. A committee that was appointed to nominate a deputy recently said it was incapable of doing so and did not see the need, according to Mr. Abdul Hadi, who said there was not only a crisis of leadership in Fatah, but also a crisis of vision with the peace talks apparently at an impasse. Mr. Dahlan, 52, rose from humble beginnings in a Gaza refugee camp to become a powerful figure in the Palestinian Authority who earned the trust of Israel and the United States. Some saw him as a potential successor to Mr. Abbas. Mr. Dahlan initially fell out of favor when Hamas routed the Fatah forces from Gaza in 2007 after a brief factional war. Mr. Dahlan was abroad, recovering from knee surgery, at the time. Then in 2011, amid accusations that Mr. Dahlan was working to undermine Mr. Abbas, he was expelled from Fatah and effectively banished. He is currently based in the United Arab Emirates and is raising funds there and elsewhere to aid Gaza — and, some say, to buy back influence there. Mr. Abbas took up the fight against Mr. Dahlan at a meeting of the Revolutionary Council, Fatah’s Parliament, in Ramallah on March 10. In a speech that was later broadcast on the official Palestinian television channel, he accused Mr. Dahlan of, among other things, having ordered the murder of six well-known Palestinians. He offered no evidence, and some relatives of the victims and others named as involved parties or sources of information have since denied Mr. Abbas’s assertions in the Arabic news. Mr. Dahlan’s response came a week later in a three-hour interview on a private Egyptian channel. He described Mr. Abbas’s speech as “a farce” and “a disgrace to Abbas and the history of Fatah.” Among other things, he called Mr. Abbas’s sons “thieves” and said that everybody knew that Mr. Abbas had ridden to power on the Israeli tanks that had surrounded Mr. Arafat when he was confined to his Ramallah compound. Mr. Dahlan declined a request to be interviewed for this article. A spokeswoman cited the delicate timing. Mr. Abbas’s aides have also been reticent on the subject. Disputes within Fatah are nothing new. But a former Palestinian Authority official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of the matter, said that this public exchange was “bad for the image of the Palestinians and for the cause.” He added that the platform granted to Mr. Dahlan by Egypt was significant, reflecting Mr. Abbas’s waning influence with Arab governments. (An Egyptian official later sent a letter to the Palestinian representative in Cairo saying the broadcast did not reflect the views of the Egyptian government or people.) For the Dahlan camp, the dispute is about Mr. Abbas’s strong-arm tactics against a political opponent. Months ago, through an Arab-Israeli law firm, Mr. Dahlan filed a complaint against the Palestinian Authority leadership in the International Criminal Court, accusing it of corruption, violations of human rights and political and personal persecution, though it is unclear whether anything will come of it other than angering the Palestinian leader. Mr. Abbas, for his part, may also have been stung by Mr. Dahlan’s apparently successful effort to make inroads in Gaza, where he still has some supporters. In January, Hamas allowed two pro-Dahlan lawmakers from Gaza to return to their homes from the West Bank. It also allowed Feta, a nongovernmental organization run by Mr. Dahlan’s wife, Jalila, to distribute aid to Gazan families hit by a severe winter storm. Alaa Yaghi, one of the lawmakers allowed back to Gaza, said donations from the United Arab Emirates, with Mr. Dahlan’s encouragement, had paid for group weddings, Ramadan meals, expenses for university students and food for the needy. In a telephone interview with The Associated Press from London last month, Mr. Dahlan said he was collecting money for desalination projects in Gaza. He called for new elections and an overhaul of Fatah. Nasser Jumaa, a Fatah legislator from Nablus in the West Bank, said the dispute affected the unity of Fatah “horizontally and vertically,” increasing fragmentation at the leadership level and among the rank and file. Dimitri Diliani, a member of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council, said in an interview that many Palestinians were asking why it had taken Mr. Abbas until 2014 to accuse Mr. Dahlan of being involved in events that took place more than a decade ago and, if there was any evidence, why no charges were filed against him in a Palestinian court. Mr. Diliani said he passed a note to Mr. Abbas at the meeting asking, “Why now?” “I did not get a direct answer,” Mr. Diliani said. “He said everything has its time, he is a patient person and he had to do this for the sake of national interests.” Mr. Abbas did not elaborate.
|
Mahmoud Abbas;Muhammad Dahlan;West Bank;International relations;Hamas;Palestinians;Israel
|
ny0166856
|
[
"sports",
"tennis"
] |
2006/01/20
|
Hingis Finds Form, and the Field Looks Inviting
|
MELBOURNE, Australia, Friday, Jan. 20 - It has been a warm week on and off the tennis courts for Martina Hingis, as her former and future rivals have greeted her return to the Australian Open with near-universal approval. After two rounds and two easy victories, including Thursday's 6-1, 6-1 defeat of the Finnish teenager Emma Laine, Hingis's draw has become very friendly, as well. It is easy to imagine her moving comfortably into the second week and even possible to construct a chain of events that takes her much closer to the trophy she won in 1997, 1998 and 1999. There are no longer any seeded players blocking her path to the quarterfinals, and the only true power player and proven winner in her quarter of the draw is the second-seeded Kim Clijsters, who is fighting a hip injury and back pain and said on her Web site Friday that she was uncertain whether she would be healthy enough to play her third-round match against Roberta Vinci. As for Hingis, instead of facing the big-hitting, big-returning Mary Pierce in the third round Saturday, she will face the less imposing and much less experienced Iveta Benesova, the Czech left-hander who upset the fifth-seeded and suddenly ineffectual Pierce, 6-3, 7-5, on Thursday. Welcome back, Martina, indeed. Matters have worked out so promisingly that Hingis, making her first appearance in a Grand Slam event since 2002, had to downshift quickly on Thursday from projecting sunny optimism to projecting caution. "I wouldn't necessarily say the draw has opened up because she lost," Hingis said of Pierce. "I guess Benesova was the better player today, and I can't take things like that just, you know, easy. I still have to go out there and be at my best." It was not easy to be at one's best on Friday with temperatures soaring into the 90's and icepacks becoming all the rage on changeovers. At 3:30 p.m. local time, organizers invoked the extreme heat policy and stopped putting matches on nonstadium courts. No. 1 seed Lindsay Davenport and the 25th-seeded Maria Kirilenko of Russia were deep into the second set in Rod Laver Arena. They played on, with Davenport prevailing, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in the third round. Earlier, the fourth-seeded Maria Sharapova became the first woman to reach the fourth round with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Jelena Kostanic. In her on-court interview, Sharapova was less interested in chatting about the weather than in talking a big game about her possible rematch with Serena Williams in the next round. Last year, Williams saved three match points against Sharapova in the semifinals here and went on to win the title. But to face Sharapova here again, the 13th-seeded Williams had to beat the 17th-seeded Daniela Hantuchova later on Friday. "It would be great," Sharapova said. "Of course I was disappointed last year, but I know I'll get the support again this year, and I'm going to get my revenge." Once out of the sun and in the cool of the interview room, Sharapova was much less inclined to bold statements. "I forgot about it two days after," she said of their epic match. "I mean, it made me a stronger player mentally, but yeah, I forgot about it." Andy Roddick's fourth-round matchup is with the flashy 20-year-old Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus. Roddick continued his fine form Friday, overwhelming the French qualifier Julien Benneteau, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2, in only an hour and 22 minutes. While Roddick kept winning, Lleyton Hewitt did not, losing to Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina in four sets Thursday. Without Hewitt, this tournament risks becoming mere entertainment instead of an emotional investment for his Australian compatriots. Hewitt willed himself to the final last year during the Open's centennial celebration in an attempt to become the first Australian man since Mark Edmondson in 1976 to win his national title. This year, he rallied to win a marathon in the first round against Robin Vik, but Hewitt's health and game were not in the same fighting shape. Chela certainly noticed the difference. Last year, Hewitt beat him in a testy match that made the normally mild-mannered Chela angry enough to spit in Hewitt's direction on a changeover. This year, Chela was the one who prevailed in a second-round encounter that was free of diplomatic incidents, but hardly free of Hewitt errors. "He's not at the same level," said Chela, after his 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (8), 6-2 victory. The third-seeded Hewitt did not argue. "I wasn't striking the balls as well as I would have liked to," he said. Nor did he seem as riled up as usual. One theory is that Hewitt was too low on energy after falling ill with a virus earlier this month. "I actually felt like I had more energy out there than I did in my opening match," he said. "So there's no doubt that it lingered into the tournament a bit, but I felt like I was getting better and better each day." Still, he was not feeling too hale and hearty near the end as he limped around between points after injuring his left foot early in the third set. Hingis certainly has no shortage of spring in her step. After routing 30th-seeded Vera Zvonareva in the opening round, she needed only 52 minutes to dispose of Laine, a diminutive 19-year-old making her Australian Open debut. "I was maybe more nervous about Hingis than the crowd," said Laine, who had only seen Hingis on television until they walked into Vodafone Arena together. Hingis showed her plenty, attacking second serves and rushing the net and putting a remarkable 85 percent of her first serves in play. That was a fine idea, considering that her second serve remains her weakness. "That's what I'm aiming for; I think in today's tennis you have to have a really high percentage of first serves," she said. "Especially in my case." Pierce failed to play the percentages Thursday. She has been on a roll, reaching the finals of the French Open, the United States Open and the Tour Championships last year. But Pierce, the French player with the American accent, took a step back against the 42nd-ranked Benesova. Pierce, 31, struggled in the wind on Margaret Court Arena, where it tends to swirl. But she still led by 5-3 in the second set before losing the next four games, with Benesova finishing off the biggest victory of her career with a drop shot winner. "I played her a year ago in Antwerp, and I won three games," Benesova said of Pierce. "I felt like a ball boy on the court, because she was hitting winners everywhere. Today was totally different. She gave me the chances from the beginning." When pressed, Pierce had some explanations, above all the windy conditions that tend to dry out her contact lenses. But Pierce said she had not been distracted by her prospective match with Hingis. "You never know what can happen in life," Pierce said. "It's better to stay in the present." Sound advice. But for those who cannot help looking ahead, the near future suddenly looks brighter for Hingis. MATCH POINTS Paul Goldstein was overwhelmed, 6-0, 6-1, 6-2, in the second round by Tommy Haas, who is moving toward a possible fourth-round encounter with the top-seeded Roger Federer. The American qualifier Alex Bogomolov Jr. was defeated, 6-0, 7-6 (5), 6-2, by Paul-Henri Mathieu. Before the match, Bogomolov was fined $4,500 for uttering obscenities and verbally abusing the chair umpire Pascal Maria during a contentious first-round upset of No. 9 Fernando Gonzalez.
|
HEWITT LLEYTON;LAINE EMMA;HINGIS MARTINA;AUSTRALIAN OPEN (TENNIS);TENNIS
|
ny0056149
|
[
"us"
] |
2014/09/11
|
South Carolina: House Speaker Indicted
|
Speaker Bobby Harrell of the State House used hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds for personal expenses and falsified his private plane’s logbook to seek payment for travel that did not occur, a nine-count indictment on Wednesday said. A grand jury in Richland County indicted Mr. Harrell, a Republican who has been speaker since 2005, on criminal charges of misconduct in office, using campaign funds for personal purposes and false reporting of candidate campaign disclosures. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The indictment says he unlawfully paid himself $294,000 in untaxed income and used $70,000 to pay an administrative assistant at his insurance firm. He also used campaign money to pay off credit card debt and to cover goods and services for his home, friends and family that were unrelated to his campaign or elected office, the indictment said. Mr. Harrell created flights in his plane’s logbook that did not take place in order to get travel reimbursement and accepted about $96,000 in payments for legislative travel even though some of the trips were personal, according to court documents.
|
Robert W Harrell Jr;South Carolina;Campaign finance;Ethics Misconduct Malfeasance;US Politics;Republicans
|
ny0094209
|
[
"sports",
"ncaafootball"
] |
2015/01/02
|
Melvin Gordon Leads Wisconsin Over Auburn in Outback Bowl
|
TAMPA, Fla. — Once Wisconsin turned Melvin Gordon loose on Auburn, there was no stopping the nation’s leading rusher. Melvin Gordon rushed for an Outback Bowl-record 251 yards and three touchdowns, and Rafael Gaglianone kicked a 25-yard field goal in overtime to give No. 17 Wisconsin a 34-31 victory over No. 19 Auburn on Thursday. Gordon scored on runs of 25, 53 and 6 yards, bouncing back from a subpar performance in the Big Ten championship game, to threaten Barry Sanders’s single-season rushing record in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Gordon, who has said he will skip his final season of eligibility to enter the N.F.L. draft, finished with 2,587 yards in 14 games, second most in F.B.S. history. Sanders gained 2,628 in 11 games in 1988, when the N.C.A.A. did not include bowl results in a player’s statistics. Nick Marshall threw for two touchdowns for Auburn, which also got a pair of scores on the ground from Cameron Artis-Payne. The Tigers (8-5) were unable to move the ball in overtime, though, and lost when Daniel Carlson’s 45-yard field goal hit the right upright and bounced away. Joel Stave threw a 7-yard scoring pass to Corey Clement for an early Wisconsin lead. The Badgers’ offense, however, did not really take off until it started feeding Auburn’s defense a steady diet of Gordon, who finished second in Heisman Trophy balloting. New Year’s Day Bowl Games 24 Photos View Slide Show › Image Streeter Lecka/Getty Images Gordon went over 100 yards for the day with a 17-yard gain on the first play of the second half. His 27th rushing touchdown finished a six-play, 75-yard march. His 28th, on a carry up the middle on fourth-and-1, put the Badgers ahead, 21-17, late in the third quarter. Stave completed 14 of 27 passes for 121 yards. He threw two of his three interceptions in the first half, but that did not stop him from making a couple of big completions on a 64-yard drive the Badgers put together to send the game into overtime. With help from a 20-yard run by Gordon and an accompanying 15-yard penalty on Auburn for a late hit on the running back out of bounds, Wisconsin marched to the Auburn 11 before settling for Gaglianone’s 29-yard field goal. Marshall threw touchdown passes of 66 yards to Ricardo Louis and 20 yards to C.J. Uzomah. Artis-Payne, who rushed for 126 yards, scored on a pair of 2-yard runs — the second giving Auburn a 31-28 lead. Both teams were coming off disappointing losses, Wisconsin falling, 59-0, to Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game and Auburn rolling up 630 yards total offense in coming up short, 55-44, against Alabama in the Tigers’ regular-season finale. The Badgers and the Tigers also went through some upheaval between those games and Thursday, with Gary Andersen’s abrupt decision to leave Wisconsin to coach Oregon State and Auburn firing defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson after yielding 539 yards to Alabama and finishing ninth in the SEC in total defense. Andersen’s departure brought Badgers Athletic Director Barry Alvarez back to the sideline on an interim basis to coach in a bowl for the second time in three seasons. Auburn wasted no time in hiring the former Florida coach Will Muschamp to lead the Tigers’ defense next season. He was on the field before the game, but not working while the interim defensive coordinator Charlie Harbison led the unit against Wisconsin.
|
College football;Nick Marshall;Melvin Gordon;Bowl Games;University of Wisconsin-Madison;Auburn
|
ny0032518
|
[
"sports",
"soccer"
] |
2013/12/02
|
Terry Leads Chelsea Rally
|
John Terry capped his 400th Premier League appearance with a goal as host Chelsea fought back from an early deficit to beat Southampton, 3-1, on Sunday and move up to second in the standings. After conceding a goal just after kickoff, Chelsea recovered in the second half and closed the gap with the league leader, Arsenal, to 4 points. Samir Nasri scored twice as Manchester City maintained its perfect home record and moved to third place with a 3-0 win over Swansea, and host Hull beat Liverpool, 3-1, for the first time. Wayne Rooney scored twice as the defending champion, Manchester United, came from behind twice to extend its unbeaten run to 12 matches in all competitions with a 2-2 draw at Tottenham. ■ Barcelona had its first loss of the season in La Liga, falling by 1-0 at Athletic Bilbao. Barcelona played without the injured Lionel Messi, who is not expected back until mid-January. The club is tied with Atlético Madrid at 40 points, and Real Madrid is 3 points further back in third. (REUTERS)
|
Soccer;Southampton Soccer Team;Chelsea Soccer Team;John Terry;Fulham Soccer Team;Barcelona Soccer Team
|
ny0025097
|
[
"business"
] |
2013/08/31
|
Early Date Set for U.S. Suit to Block Airlines’ Merger
|
A federal judge set a trial date of Nov. 25 in the government’s legal challenge to the merger of American Airlines and the US Airways Group. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly announced the date at a hearing in United States District Court. The Justice Department had asked for a March trial, but the airlines said holding a deal together for months would strain both parties. The judge agreed. “March 3, I think, is too far off. It needs to be a tighter, expedited schedule,” she said. The Justice Department sued on Aug. 13 to block the deal, which would create the world’s biggest air carrier.
|
Airlines,airplanes;Mergers and Acquisitions;American Airlines;US Airways Group;Justice Department;Colleen Kollar-Kotelly
|
ny0202038
|
[
"world",
"africa"
] |
2009/09/22
|
China Spreads Aid in Africa, With a Catch
|
WINDHOEK, Namibia — It is not every day that global leaders set foot in this southern African nation of gravel roads, towering sand dunes and a mere two million people. So when President Hu Jintao of China touched down here in February 2007 with a 130-person delegation in tow, it clearly was not just a courtesy call. And in fact, China soon granted Namibia a big low-interest loan , which Namibia tapped to buy $55.3 million worth of Chinese-made cargo scanners to deter smugglers. It was a neat illustration, Chinese officials said, of how doing good in Namibia could do well for China, too. Or so it seemed until Namibia charged that the state-controlled company selected by China to provide the scanners — a company until recently run by President Hu’s son — had facilitated the deal with millions of dollars in illegal kickbacks. And until China threw up barriers when Namibian investigators asked for help looking into the matter. Now the scanners seem to illustrate something else: the aura of boosterism, secrecy and back-room deals that has clouded China’s use of billions of dollars in foreign aid to court the developing world. From Pakistan to Angola to Kyrgyzstan , China is using its enormous pool of foreign currency savings to cement diplomatic alliances, secure access to natural resources and drum up business for its flagship companies. Foreign aid — typically cut-rate loans, sometimes bundled with more commercial lines of credit — is central to this effort. Leaders of developing nations have embraced China’s sales pitch of easy credit, without Western-style demands for political or economic reform, for a host of unmet needs. The results can be clearly seen in new roads, power plants, and telecommunications networks across the African continent — more than 200 projects since 2001, many financed with preferential loans from the Chinese government’s Exim Bank . Increasingly, though, experts argue that China’s aid comes with a major catch: It must be used to buy goods or services from companies, many of them state-controlled, that Chinese officials select themselves. Competitive bidding by the borrowing nation is discouraged, and China pulls a veil over vital data like project costs, loan terms and repayment conditions. Even the dollar amount of loans offered as foreign aid is treated as a state secret. Anticorruption crusaders complain that secrecy invites corruption, and that corruption debases foreign assistance. “China is using this financing to buy the loyalty of the political elite,” said Harry Roque, a University of the Philippines law professor who is challenging the legality of Chinese-financed projects in the Philippines. “It is a very effective tool of soft diplomacy. But it is bad for the citizens who have to repay these loans for graft-ridden contracts.” In fact, such secrecy runs counter to international norms for foreign assistance. In a part of the world prone to corruption and poor governance, it also raises questions about who actually benefits from China’s projects. The answers, international development specialists say, are hidden from public view. “We know more about China’s military expenditures than we do about its foreign aid,” said David Shambaugh , an author and China scholar at George Washington University . “Foreign aid really is a glaring contradiction to the broader trend of China’s adherence to international norms. It is so strikingly opaque it really makes one wonder what they are trying to hide.” Until recently, wealthy nations could hardly hold themselves out as an example of how to run foreign aid, either. Many projects turned out to be tainted by corruption or geared to enrich the donor nation’s contractors, not the impoverished borrowers. But over the past 10 or 15 years, some 30 developed nations under the umbrella of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development ( O.E.C.D. ) have made a concerted effort to clean up their assistance programs. They demanded that foreign money be awarded and spent transparently, using competitive bidding and outlawing bribery. Increasingly, they also are also pushing to give borrowers more choice among suppliers and contractors, rather than insisting that funds be recycled back to the donor nation’s companies. China, which is not a member of the O.E.C.D., is operating under rules that the West has largely abandoned. It mixes aid and business in secret government-to-government agreements. It requires that foreign aid contracts be awarded to Chinese contractors it picks through a closed-door bidding process in Beijing . Its attempts to prevent corrupt practices by its companies overseas appear weak. Some developing nations insist on independently comparing prices before accepting China’s largesse. Others do not bother. “Very often they are getting something they wouldn’t be able to get without China’s financing,” said Chris Alden , a specialist on China-African relations with the London School of Economics and Political Science. “They presume that the Chinese are going to give value for money.” Development experts say they have tried to convince the Chinese government that better safeguards and a more open process will enhance its efforts to gain influence and business. If its projects collapse because of kickbacks or inflated costs, they argue, China will end up exporting not only goods and services, but a reputation for corruption that it is already battling at home. But Deborah Brautigam, the author of a coming book on China’s economic ties with Africa titled “The Dragon’s Gift,” says Beijing is hesitant to hobble its companies with Western-style restraints before they have become world-class competitors. Thinking Business, Not Ethics “The Chinese are kind of starting out where everyone else was years ago, and they see themselves as being at a disadvantage,” Ms. Brautigam said. “The Chinese don’t particularly want a big scandal. That doesn’t further their interests. They just want their companies to get business.” Sometimes they get both. In 2007, the Philippines was forced to cancel a $460 million contract with the Beijing scanner company, Nuctech Company Ltd., to set up satellite-based classroom instruction after critics protested the company had no expertise in education. It also canceled a $329 million contract awarded to ZTE Corporation , a state-controlled Chinese communications company, after allegations of enormous kickbacks. ZTE denied bribing anyone, but the controversy has lingered. Last month an antigraft panel recommended filing criminal charges against two Philippines officials in connection with the contract. A Manila -based nonprofit group, the Center for International Law, has mounted a legal challenge against still another Chinese contract in the Philippines, to build a $500 million railroad. Professor Roque, who leads the center, contends that the price of China’s state-owned contractor “was simply plucked out of the sky.” Officially, China’s directive to its companies is toe an ethical line overseas. “Our enterprises must conform to international rules when running business, must be open and transparent, should go through a bidding process for big projects and forbid inappropriate deals and reject corruption and kickbacks,” Wen Jiabao , China’s prime minister, told a group of Chinese businessmen in Zambia in 2006. But China has no specific law against bribing foreign officials. And the government seems none too eager to investigate or punish companies it selects if they turn out to have engaged in shady practices overseas. Indeed, it has an added incentive to look the other way because of the state’s ties to many foreign aid contractors — connections that sometimes extend to families of the Communist Party elite. In January, for example, the World Bank barred four state-controlled Chinese companies from competing for its work after an investigation showed that they tried to rig bids for bank projects in the Philippines. But two of those companies remain on the Chinese Commerce Ministry’s list of approved foreign aid contractors, according to its Web site. The Namibia controversy is especially delicate because until late last year, the contractor’s president was Mr. Hu’s son, Hu Haifeng. The younger Mr. Hu is now Communist Party secretary of an umbrella company that includes Nuctech and dozens of other companies. As soon as allegations against the company surfaced this summer, China’s censors swung into action, blocking all mention of the scandal in the Chinese news media and on the Internet. “This is a signal to everyone to back off,” said Russell Leigh Moses, an analyst of Chinese politics in Beijing. “Everyone goes into default mode, because once you get the ball rolling, no one knows where it will stop. No one wants their rice bowl broken.” Nuctech has denied any wrongdoing in court papers filed here in Windhoek. A spokeswoman said the company had no comment because the matter was unresolved. China’s Commerce Ministry and other government agencies did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Namibia’s anticorruption investigators allege that Nuctech funneled $4.2 million in kickbacks to a front company set up by a Namibian official, who split the funds with her business partner and Nuctech’s southern Africa representative, a Chinese citizen. A Deal Ends in Arrests China has promoted Nuctech as one of its global “champions.” In 10 years the company has gained customers in more than 60 countries, marketing advanced-technology scanners that help detect contraband or dangerous materials inside cargo containers. Nuctech’s spokesman says it is the only Chinese company that makes such equipment. The Namibian government was interested in equipping its airports, seaports and border posts with scanners to comply with stricter regulations on international commerce. On a state visit to China in 2005, Hifikepunye Pohamba, Namibia’s president, visited Nuctech’s headquarters and factory, according to court testimony. The following year, Nuctech sent a representative, Yang Fan, to Windhoek, Namibia’s capital. Hu Jintao’s visit to Windhoek a few months later opened up an option for finance. “China says the sky is the limit. Just say what you want,” said Carl Schlettwein, the permanent secretary of the Namibian Finance Ministry, who participated in the negotiations. At first, Mr. Schlettwein said, the talks stalled because Namibia was unwilling to grant China access to its substantial mineral deposits in exchange for lines of credit. Once China dropped that condition, Namibia agreed in principle to a $100 million, 20-year-loan at a 2.5 percent interest rate, then well below the market. “Purely from a financial point of view, it was a fine deal,” Mr. Schlettwein said. Namibian officials decided to draw on the credit line to finance most of the cost of the scanners. Mr. Schlettwein, who negotiated the scanner contract, said he wanted to seek competitive bids from scanner suppliers around the world, but Chinese negotiators refused. “They said ‘that is not our system,’ “ he said. “ ‘We tell you from whom you buy the equipment.’ All of us, including the minister, were very worried about the nontransparent way of doing things,” he said, but reasoned that the Chinese government “will not unduly cheat us.” Last March, less than a week after the Finance Ministry paid Nuctech an initial $12.8 million, Mr. Schlettwein’s unease turned to distress. A Windhoek bank official, following the strictures of Namibia’s new money-laundering act, called to ask why Nuctech had deposited $4.2 million in the account of a consulting company set up by Tekla Lameck, a Namibian public service commissioner. Mr. Schlettwein, who says that he has never met Ms. Lameck and that she had nothing to do with the scanner purchase, alerted Namibia’s anticorruption commission. In July, Ms. Lameck, her business partner and Nuctech’s representative in Windhoek were arrested on suspicion of violating Namibia’s anticorruption law. All three have denied wrongdoing. Investigations Galore Investigators charge that Nuctech agreed to hire Ms. Lameck’s consulting company, Teko Trading, in 2007, a month after President Hu’s visit. Nuctech agreed to pay Teko 10 percent of the contract if the average price of one scanner was $2.5 million. If the price was higher, Nuctech would pay Teko 50 percent of the added cost. A subsequent agreement fixed the amount of commissions at $12.8 million, according to court records. At his bail hearing last month, Yang Fan, Nuctech’s representative, said his company hired Teko because “Teko explained how to do business here in Namibia.” He did not elaborate. But in 2007, another Namibian official complained to the anticorruption commission that Ms. Lameck had introduced herself to the Chinese Embassy in Windhoek as a representative of Swapo, Namibia’s governing political party. She claimed that no business could be done in Namibia without Swapo’s involvement, the complainant said. Investigators have been seeking Nuctech’s explanation of the affair for more than two months. There is little sign the company has complied with their requests, although investigators say they remain hopeful. Namibia’s chief national prosecutor, Martha Imalwa, traveled to Beijing in July, hoping to question officials from Nuctech and another company involved in a separate inquiry. But according to her deputy, Danie Small, Ms. Imalwa was allowed to present questions only to the international division of China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate. A court has temporarily frozen $12.8 million in Nuctech’s assets while the inquiry continues. Meanwhile, at Namibia’s Finance Ministry, Mr. Schlettwein is belatedly trying to determine what other buyers paid for comparable scanners. When he asked South African officials for pricing information, he said, he was told Nuctech’s contract there is also under investigation. Perhaps predictably, competitors say Namibia agreed to pay far too much. Peter Kant, a vice-president at Nuctech’s American rival, Rapiscan Systems , said that comparable equipment and services costs about $28 million, or $25 million less than Nuctech’s contract. Mr. Schlettwein last month tried to send a letter through official channels to Rong Yonglin, Nuctech’s chairman, to ask that the contract be renegotiated. But a Chinese Embassy official in Windhoek refused to accept the correspondence, saying he knew no one with that name.
|
China;Namibia;Foreign Aid;Third World;Hu Jintao
|
ny0153282
|
[
"business",
"worldbusiness"
] |
2008/01/02
|
Mall Owner in Australia Seeks Buyers for Company
|
The Centro Properties Group, facing a Feb. 15 deadline to refinance 3.9 billion Australian dollars ($3.4 billion) of debt, said Wednesday it is seeking buyers for the company. The company, which owns 700 malls in the United States, will consider offers for all of the company or assets including its Australian and United States funds, it said. Centro, which is based in suburban Melbourne, said it also might recapitalize or sell stock. Centro has been approached by potential buyers after a decline of 4.1 billion Australian dollars in its market value on Dec. 17 and 18. Centro, with a market value of 933.8 million Australian dollars, did not provide the names or the number of potential buyers that had made approaches. The company took on debt to help finance $9 billion of acquisitions in the last two years. Centro’s largest shopping centers in the United States are Independence Mall in North Carolina and Cortlandt Towne Center in Mohegan Lake, N.Y. Its eight most valuable properties are in Australia, including Centro Galleria, outside Perth, and Centro Bankstown, near Sydney, according to the company’s latest annual report. John Snowden, head of property securities at Centro’s largest shareholder, Colonial First State, said the company was not a “distressed asset” because its shopping centers, particularly in Australia, were “performing very well.” Centro said Dec. 7 that sales at its shopping centers rose 6 percent in the quarter that ended Sept. 30. Centro’s shares rose 8.4 percent, to 1.095 Australian dollars, at midday in Sydney. “The market is sensing the company is finding a way out of its problems,” said Richard Wallace, a fund manager at Wallace Funds Management in Sydney.
|
Australia;Mergers Acquisitions and Divestitures;Retail Stores and Trade;Centro
|
ny0061614
|
[
"us",
"politics"
] |
2014/01/18
|
Two Senators Have Little but a State in Common
|
WASHINGTON — He offered to explain the intricacies of the federal budget. She reminded him that she had majored in math. From the moment they knew they would be colleagues, representing the same state, it was clear the relationship would not be a great one. Meet the Senate’s oddest couple: Ron Johnson, Republican, and Tammy Baldwin, Democrat, of Wisconsin, the personification of this polarized Congress, right down to their mahogany desks at opposite ends of the Senate chamber. No two senators from the same state vote against each other more often than they do — 75 percent of the time in 2013, a review of Senate records shows. And when they do find patches of common ground it is often on uncontroversial nominees to lower courts and innocuous legislation like a bill to privatize the federal helium reserve. He, an uncompromising fiscal conservative, had never run for anything before the Tea Party wave of 2010 helped sweep him into office. She, a member of the House for 14 years who championed universal health care and stricter financial regulations, got her start in politics while still in law school. One of the 10 richest members of the Senate, he started a business that makes plastic packaging for medication and lunchmeat in Oshkosh, the quaint working-class city where he lives. She is of more modest means, makes her home in the liberal bastion and capital city of Madison and is the first openly gay person to serve in the Senate. He has earned a 100 percent rating from the American Conservative Union and the endorsement of the National Rifle Association. She has “A” grades from the Sierra Club and the National Education Association, the teachers’ union. And while he filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration last week over the Affordable Care Act, she received an invitation to a reception at the White House. Canceling Each Other’s Votes The two senators from Wisconsin disagreed on more votes last year than any other pair representing the same state. “You know, we’re not best buds,” Mr. Johnson said with a grin, characterizing their relationship as very respectful. “I think Tammy’s a nice person.” Then, thinking about it some more, he added a caveat. “I would argue that the folks on the other side of the aisle, their ideology is destroying the country. But other than that, they’re nice folks.” Ms. Baldwin was more discreet. “We have a perfectly cordial relationship,” she said in her soft-spoken murmur, which can be hard to hear. The divides in Congress that have grown deeper in an era of increasing political polarization are on evident display in the words and actions of Wisconsin’s two senators. Mr. Johnson and Ms. Baldwin represent the kind of political diversity that has been relatively uncommon in Congress, a legacy of 19th-century politics when geography largely determined how people cast their votes for statewide office. Today, just 16 states have one Democratic senator and one Republican senator. Vermont has a Democratic senator and an independent, Bernard Sanders, who caucuses with the Democrats. In several of those states, the senators often find areas of political agreement, or camaraderie at the very least. Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, and her colleague Angus King, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, have drawn up official letterhead with both of their names stripped across the top. A prolific texter, he sends her so many messages that her once-minimal texting skills now rival a teenager’s. Mark Begich, a Democrat, and Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, regularly share long flights home to Alaska and live a block and a half from each other in Washington. They often chat when Ms. Murkowski is out walking her dog in the neighborhood. Mr. Johnson and Ms. Baldwin have very little relationship inside or outside of the Senate. Neither could recall the last time they spoke at length. Image “You know, we’re not best buds,” said Ron Johnson, a Republican, of his fellow senator from Wisconsin, Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat, although he characterized their acquaintance as respectful. Credit Gabriella Demczuk/The New York Times Dinner together, perhaps? “Haven’t done that, no,” Mr. Johnson said. “First of all, we don’t have time.” There was lunch once in the Senate dining room, which Ms. Baldwin said she brokered with the help of Representative Jim Sensenbrenner, the senior Republican from Wisconsin. They had a businesslike time talking mostly about federal judges, but no one offered to make it a standing appointment. Mr. Johnson won in 2010, a year with no presidential contest when energized conservatives were toppling Democratic candidates all over the country. It was a low-turnout election, with only 2.2 million Wisconsin voters showing up at the polls . When Ms. Baldwin was elected in 2012 , President Obama was on the ballot, and three million people cast ballots for senator. The president carried the state, and she easily beat Tommy Thompson, a Republican former governor. “This state has always vacillated from one extreme to another,” said Representative Ron Kind, a centrist Democrat from the western part of the state. “You go back to Bob LaFollette, the father of the modern-day Progressive Era, and then there was Joe McCarthy,” he added, referring to two of the state’s most famous senators. Mr. Kind said he was encouraged that Ms. Baldwin and Mr. Johnson have worked together when Wisconsin is concerned, citing their effort to fill empty seats on the federal bench. “That seemed to work well,” he said. Besides, rivalries between members of the same party can often be far worse, others pointed out. Those who have worked with both of them said their differences even extend to their delivery style and demeanor. Image Ms. Baldwin said about Mr. Johnson, “We have a perfectly cordial relationship.” Credit Stephen Crowley/The New York Times Mr. Johnson travels the state showing a PowerPoint presentation on the country’s financial woes — not exactly inspirational stuff, he is the first to acknowledge. But it animates him to the point that he can talk himself hoarse and now carries throat lozenges. “He’s not trying to appeal to your heartstrings,” said Robin Vos, the Republican speaker of the State Assembly. “He’s trying to appeal to your head. And I have to say, sometimes it’s a little depressing.” Ms. Baldwin’s low-key approach is what endears her to supporters. “She seemed to have an equanimity about her, almost a serenity,” said Senator Al Franken, Democrat of Minnesota, one of her closest friends in the Senate, who started campaigning for her in the 1990s when she was running for the House. Last month they had one rare area of agreement on a major piece of legislation that Republicans largely opposed: they both voted yes for the budget bill that will keep the government funded. And in a move that surprised many in his party, Mr. Johnson was highly critical of his Republican colleagues for forcing a government shutdown in October. If Ms. Baldwin was at all heartened to hear him speak out against the shutdown, she wasn’t showing it. “I hope it would be an obvious fact that this was not something that was constructive,” she said. And Mr. Johnson emphasized that his budget vote and shutdown critique were not signs that he is going soft. He likened his approach to government to taking candy away from someone with a sweet tooth — if candy were government-subsidized assistance, and the sweet tooths were the American people. “We are in the unenviable position of saying, ‘We know you like that candy. And we like it too,’” he said. “But if you notice, that candy caused you a cavity. It’s an abscess. It’s infecting the body. In the end it could kill you.”
|
Ron Johnson;Tammy Suzanne Green Baldwin;US Politics;Wisconsin;Senate;Congress
|
ny0156126
|
[
"world",
"asia"
] |
2008/06/16
|
Karzai Threatens to Send Soldiers Into Pakistan
|
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan threatened on Sunday to send soldiers into Pakistan to fight militant groups operating in the border areas to attack Afghanistan. His comments, made at a news conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, are likely to worsen tensions between the countries, just days after American forces in Afghanistan killed 11 Pakistani soldiers on the border while pursuing militants. “If these people in Pakistan give themselves the right to come and fight in Afghanistan, as was continuing for the last 30 years, so Afghanistan has the right to cross the border and destroy terrorist nests, spying, extremism and killing, in order to defend itself, its schools, its peoples and its life,” Mr. Karzai said. “When they cross the territory from Pakistan to come and kill Afghans and kill coalition troops, it exactly gives us the right to go back and do the same,” he said. Mr. Karzai repeated that he regarded the Pakistani government as a friendly government, but he urged it to join Afghanistan and allied nations to fight those who wanted to destabilize both countries, and to “cut the hand” that is feeding the militants. The prime minister of Pakistan, Yousaf Raza Gilani, said the border was too long to prevent people from crossing, “even if Pakistan puts its entire army along the border.” “Neither do we interfere in anyone else’s matters, nor will we allow anyone to interfere in our territorial limits and our affairs,” The Associated Press quoted Mr. Gilani as having said. Mr. Karzai named several militant leaders, including Baitullah Mehsud, a Pakistani who has sent scores of fighters and suicide bombers to Afghanistan, and Maulana Fazlullah, a firebrand militant leader from the Swat Valley. Both men have recently negotiated peace deals with the Pakistani government, but vowed to continue waging jihad in Afghanistan. “Baitullah Mehsud should know that we will go after him now and hit him in his house,” Mr. Karzai said. The president also taunted the leader of the Afghan Taliban , Mullah Muhammad Omar, calling him a Pakistani, since he has been based in this country since fleeing Afghanistan in 2001. “And the other fellow, Pakistani Mullah Omar, should know the same,” Mr. Karzai said. “This is a two-way road in this case, and Afghans are good at the two-way-road journey. We will complete the journey and we will get them and we will defeat them. We will avenge all that they have done to Afghanistan for the past so many years.” “Today’s Afghanistan is not yesterday’s silent Afghanistan,” he warned. “We have a voice, tools and bravery as well.” Mr. Karzai’s comments came two days after Taliban fighters assaulted the main prison in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, blowing up the mud walls, killing 15 guards and freeing about 1,200 inmates. It is not known if the fighters received assistance from outside Afghanistan. Mr. Karzai has adopted a tougher stance in recent months toward Pakistan and even toward foreign allies like the United States and Britain, a shift that analysts say is driven by political concerns at home, with presidential elections due next year. He says Pakistan has been giving sanctuary to militants for several years and his frustration has grown as the threat has grown. He has often accused the premier Pakistani intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence, of training and assisting militant groups, to undermine his government and maintain a friendly proxy force for the day that United States and NATO troops withdraw from Afghanistan. His relations with the president of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, have deteriorated over the years, amid mutual recriminations that the other side was not doing enough to curb terrorism. Mr. Musharraf always denied that the Taliban was operating from Pakistani territory and accused Mr. Karzai of failing to put his own country in order. Mr. Karzai has welcomed the electoral victories of the secular, democratic parties in Pakistan, since he had longstanding good relations with the late Benazir Bhutto and her Pakistan Peoples Party, and in particular with another coalition partner, the Awami National Party. In a recent interview, Mr. Karzai expressed optimism that relations between the countries would improve under the new government, in particular because of its opposition to militant Islamism. Yet Afghanistan has watched Pakistan’s peace deals with militant groups with concern and has protested that cross-border infiltration has already increased. In southern Afghanistan, Mr. Karzai said, British commanders reported that 70 percent of the Taliban fighters killed in recent fighting in the Garmser district were from Pakistan, and 60 percent were Pakistanis. Mr. Karzai complained that the Pashtuns, the ethnic group that lives on both sides of the border, have been used by the Inter-Services Intelligence and have suffered the most at the hands of the militants. Mr. Karzai is an ethnic Pashtun and spoke out for his fellow tribesmen in Pakistan as well as in his own country. The militants “have been trained against the Pashtuns of Pakistan and against the people of Afghanistan, and their jobs are to burn Pashtun schools in Pakistan, not to allow their girls to get educated, and kill the Pashtun tribal chiefs,” Mr. Karzai said. “This is the duty of Afghanistan to rescue the Pashtuns in Pakistan from this cruelty and terror,” he said. “This is the duty of Afghanistan to defend itself and defend their brothers, sisters and sons on the other side.”
|
Afghanistan;Karzai Hamid;Pakistan;Taliban
|
ny0063450
|
[
"sports",
"football"
] |
2014/01/15
|
Giants Hire Packers Assistant to Reconstruct Offense
|
The Giants on Tuesday named Ben McAdoo, an innovative Green Bay Packers assistant, as their new offensive coordinator, a move that signals the team’s desire to move away from the system of Kevin Gilbride, who retired Jan. 2. One of the leading candidates for the job had been the former Giants assistant Mike Sullivan, who as the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season had operated Gilbride’s offensive system. But the 2013 Giants offense was ranked 28th, and John Mara, a co-owner, said after the season that it was “broken.” Coach Tom Coughlin said he expected a transformation. “There will be change, and that change will be very positive and very well-received by our team and our players,” Coughlin said. “And if our players are scrambling around to learn a new system — good. That’s another fire in their rear end.” McAdoo, 36, who signed a two-year deal with the Giants, spent six years as the tight ends coach for Green Bay and the last two seasons as its quarterback coach. He came highly recommended by Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who had completed 67 percent of his passes with McAdoo as his mentor. Eli Manning, who appeared to be part of the hiring process, said he talked with McAdoo last week. Manning is coming off one of the most difficult seasons of his career, throwing a team-record 27 interceptions. Rebuilding Manning’s confidence will be a focus for McAdoo, who, in a statement, promised an “up-tempo, attacking offense.” Image Ken Whisenhunt, introduced as the Titans’ coach on Tuesday, said he had developed a strong rapport with the team’s general manager. Credit Mark Humphrey/Associated Press CALDWELL TO COACH LIONS The Detroit Lions said that Jim Caldwell, who led Indianapolis to a Super Bowl and then coordinated the offense for the champion Baltimore Ravens, had been hired as the Lions’ new coach. Ken Whisenhunt, a San Diego assistant and former Arizona Cardinals coach, was seemingly Detroit’s top choice, but he took the coaching job at Tennessee on Monday. Mike Munchak, recently fired as the Titans’ coach, and Gary Kubiak, let go as the Texans coach during the season, were also in the running. Caldwell, 58, was 26-22 in three seasons as the Colts’ coach. (AP) WHISENHUNT’S RATIONALE Ken Whisenhunt, the Titans’ new coach, said he developed a rapport with the team’s general manager, Ruston Webster, which helped him decide that Tennessee was the best fit for his second chance to run a team. Detroit and Cleveland were also interested in Whisenhunt, who was introduced by the Titans on Tuesday. “I felt great about Ruston, about that working relationship,” Whisenhunt said. (AP) TICKET SALES RESTRICTED The Seattle Seahawks said concerns about brokers led them to exclude people with California billing addresses from purchasing tickets to Sunday’s N.F.C. championship game against the San Francisco 49ers. The Seahawks sold out a small allotment of tickets — fewer than 3,000 — in less than 30 minutes Monday. The team said that when tickets went on sale for last weekend’s game against New Orleans, brokers manipulated the system, acquired most of the tickets and then increased the prices. (AP) BRONCOS SIGN EX-PATRIOT The Denver Broncos signed the free agent Marquice Cole to replace cornerback Chris Harris Jr., who tore his anterior cruciate ligament in Sunday’s game against San Diego. Cole was released Dec. 26 by the New England Patriots, whom the Broncos host on Sunday for the A.F.C. championship. (AP)
|
Football;Detroit Lions;Jim Caldwell;Giants;Ben McAdoo
|
ny0003077
|
[
"business",
"global"
] |
2013/04/03
|
European Car Sales Point to Continuing Slump
|
European car sales shrank again in March, threatening more losses for automakers in the region after a dismal 2012, figures and forecasts suggested on Tuesday. French car sales fell 16.4 percent in March and 14.7 percent overall in the first quarter, according to figures published by the country’s main auto industry body, CCFA, on Tuesday. The March decline also reflected a smaller number of business days than a year earlier because of the timing of Easter holidays. Adjusted for these calendar effects, French car registrations fell 12.5 percent last month and 12 percent in the first quarter. Sky-high unemployment and limited credit have hit car sales badly in Spain, which is in its second recession in five years. Spanish car sales fell 13.9 percent in March from the previous year, deeper than a 9.8 percent fall in February as a seasonal effect undermined a government subsidy to stimulate the sector, the car manufacturers association Anfac said Monday. “The company car sector continues to be very worrying and continues to register falls of over 20 percent,” David Barrientos, head of communications for Anfac, wrote in a note. March car sale figures for Germany, due on Wednesday, are also likely to show a decline, in part because there were two fewer working days in the month this year than last year. German car sales dropped 10.5 percent in February, year on year. Italian car sales fell 17.4 percent in February from the same month a year ago. The automotive research group Centro Studi Promotor said in February that if sales continued on the past six months’ trend, Italians would buy 1.3 million cars in 2013 — the fewest since the 1970’s. The euro zone crisis has turned long-standing overcapacity into an urgent problem for mass-market manufacturers, although German automakers seen as having the most valuable brands are weathering the storm better than rivals. Carmakers fearing European demand will stay weak for years are battling to cut production, their restructuring efforts often met with opposition from governments worried about rising unemployment. Most are already struggling from a dire 2012, when annual sales slumped 8.2 percent to a 17-year low of 12.05 million vehicles as consumers in recession-hit European economies postpone purchases. The March sales figures suggest an even worse year for the industry. LMC Automotive, a research group, sees sales this year dropping 3.1 percent in Western Europe, to 11.4 million vehicles.
|
Cars;Europe;Euro Crisis;Earnings Reports
|
ny0056446
|
[
"nyregion"
] |
2014/09/28
|
The Anonymous Literary Salon in a Brooklyn Bar
|
Walk into the Plank, a dim, creatively furnished dive in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on a Sunday around 5 p.m., and the number of patrons quietly reading is surprising. They are bent over their beer-stained pages while sitting at the bar, on nearby chairs and on the patio out back. From behind the bar, Matthew D’Abate, 37, has an unusual come on: “Do you like short stories?” he asks between mixing drinks. Mr. D’Abate is the founder of Literate Sunday , a highly inclusive writing workshop, literary social club and email list. Each week, he puts out a new crop of five stories, which are available to read at the Plank during his bartending shift, from 2 to 10 p.m. During those hours, the printed stories come out from a drawer in a low chest in the back of the bar, and are stacked on a nearby desk. The chalkboard out front, on the corner of Bedford Avenue and North Fifth Street, reads, “Literate Sunday/Free Short Stories/Try the Best Bloody Marys Ever/$3 PBR.” The regulars pick up a piece to read and sit down with their friends. One of the five new stories printed out that week may well have been one that they submitted, and they are eager to see if they received any feedback. “You’d be so surprised,” Mr. D’Abate said. “People who you’d think would never have any interest — a rough-and-tumble guy, a gangster guy rolling in — it turns out they love short stories.” The most unexpected aspects of the sessions, however, is that there are no names attached; the stories are all published anonymously. The idea, Mr. D’Abate said, is that the stories he selects could be written by anyone. And they might be, he said, hinting at well-known writers who submit work. But that’s not the point. Image Mr. D’Abate Credit Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times “The point of Literate Sunday is to remove, if not subvert, the idea of fame, removing the ego and the names from the pieces so the stories may speak for themselves,” Mr. D’Abate wrote recently to his email list, which features one of the five stories each week. He started the group about a year ago with three friends who wanted to share their writing with each other, but anonymously. “It started as a literary game,” he said. “We didn’t want to tell each other whose stories they were.” The game was a byproduct of the way fiction is often taught in universities. “When I was taking some grad classes, there was such an emphasis on where the writer was from, whether it was a man or a woman, what country they were from,” Mr. D’Abate said, sipping from a can of Rolling Rock on a recent afternoon at Library Bar on the Lower East Side, where he said he wrote much of the novel he has nearly completed. So he stripped the stories of their names — and with them, the expectations. For the writers who make up Literate Sunday — new, experienced, professional and hobbyist — Mr. D’Abate’s no-names rule is welcome, even in a field where jockeying for recognition is common. “There’s this real fear through social media and through the experience of having grown up online of being very conscious of what’s linked to your name,” said Kara Rota, 26, who discovered the email list through a friend about a month ago and has already submitted writing. On the positive side, she said, “I think there’s a real value to be found in doing something creative anonymously that gives you a freedom you don’t have a lot anymore.” Steve Carlsen, 25, who moved to New York about eight months ago, agreed. “It allows the writing to live dangerously,” he said. He seemed to be among Literate Sunday’s more enthusiastic members. “As soon as I found out about this,” he said, “I went back to the squat I was staying at and submitted my first story a week later.” To protect the idea of anonymity, he declined to say whether one of his pieces had been chosen for distribution. That’s not to say that curiosity doesn’t break through. “Tell me who wrote this story!” demanded a first-timer, a young woman in yellow, waving a sheaf of paper at Mr. D’Abate on a recent Sunday. He refused. ‘Like Mother Used To Make’ A short story from a writer participating in Literate Sunday, a writing workshop, literary social club and email list. In most cases, Mr. D’Abate knows the identity of the writers who are submitting works, though some use email addresses with aliases to avoid detection. And while Mr. D’Abate said he would not name Literate Sunday’s better-known members, he could not resist mentioning that authors featured in Literate Sunday have also contributed to publications like The Paris Review, n+1 and McSweeney’s. One member, he says, had a New York Times best-selling book, and another had a book translated into 12 languages. There is, of course, no way to check whether any of that is true, unless the stories eventually get more conventional publication. Those in the know can also drop in at the Plank at other times to read and comment on the stories; a cache of well over 100 is kept in that chest in the back. Literature fans can select a few pages to read, have a drink or two — maybe even take out a pen and add to the comments and critiques on the back. “It’s very secret,” Mr. D’Abate said, proudly, of the trove of stories. “If you’re a member, you definitely know it’s there. But if you don’t know, you won’t.” To draw subscribers to the email list, Mr. D’Abate spreads the word mostly via strategically placed business cards that read only, “Literate Sunday. New Stories. New authors. All anonymous,” followed by an email address to contact to receive a new short story every week. Cards might be found tucked into a mirror in an East Village bar bathroom, or slipped between the pages of the used books at the Strand or Housing Works . “We got people,” Mr. D’Abate said of the bartenders, booksellers and email list members who make up his distribution network; he also hands out plenty himself. While the Sunday crowd at the Plank skews young, people in their 20s or 30s, the email list (now numbering 500 people in 12 countries) is broader, ranging “from students to creative-writing professors, from my 15-year-old cousin to seniors in Providence, Rhode Island,” Mr. D’Abate said. He said his goal was to democratize what has often been a clubby, rarefied form of literature. “There is a higher purpose,” Mr. D’Abate said. “It is about the writer being free. It is about not being chained by money or expectations or what school you came from. All the greats have always come from outside the system.” A freelance writer, Danny Bellini, 26, put it more simply: “If you have a famous author’s short story in your right hand and a local author’s story in your left, you’re going to read the one on the right. But if you don’t know which is which? It puts everyone on even ground.”
|
Writer;The Plank;Matthew D'Abate;Williamsburg Brooklyn;bars,nightclubs;Literate Sunday
|
ny0013122
|
[
"sports",
"ncaabasketball"
] |
2013/11/26
|
Syracuse Wins in Maui
|
C. J. Fair scored 16 points and had 10 rebounds as No. 8 Syracuse held off Minnesota, 75-67, on Monday in the first round of the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii. The Orange withstood a late run by the Golden Gophers, who pulled to 67-65 with a little more than 2 minutes left. ■ Andrew Harrison’s 3-point play broke a 57-57 tie before his twin brother, Aaron, followed with a 3-pointer with 1 minute 20 seconds remaining, helping No. 3 Kentucky escape stubborn Cleveland State, 68-61, in Lexington. With the Wildcats trailing by 54-44 with 7:41 to play, the twins helped spur a 24-7 run. The freshman Julius Randle scored 15 points for Kentucky.
|
College basketball;Syracuse University;University of Minnesota
|
ny0161453
|
[
"sports",
"baseball"
] |
2006/04/08
|
Franco Embraces His Role as Diplomat in the Dugout
|
After Carlos Beltran broke his season-opening 0-for-9 slump by hitting a home run against the Washington Nationals on Thursday, he was in no mood to celebrate. But after some coaxing by Manager Willie Randolph and the reserve Julio Franco, Beltran indulged the cheering fans and made a curtain call. Beltran said yesterday that he was pleased with his decision to ultimately wave to the fans from the dugout steps. "I'm going to enjoy it, every moment of it," he said of the Mets' season. "Yesterday was only the third game of the season. There's a lot of season left." The fans have been riding Beltran since opening day, booing him after the outs he made at the plate. Beltran seemed miffed that the fans were so willing to slap a bull's-eye on his back. After his seventh-inning homer Thursday, Beltran retreated into the dugout. Randolph said yesterday that he encouraged Beltran to make a curtain call. Franco also spoke with Beltran after the hit, putting his left hand on Beltran's right shoulder and giving him the same advice. It was the type of veteran leadership that Randolph said he expected of Franco. "He's a good teammate all the way around," Randolph said of Franco, who is 47 and playing in his 29th professional season. "Part of being a veteran is maybe to give advice in some way or whatever. But he's here to get hits for us and help us win ballgames." Franco also served as a peacemaker after Jose Guillen approached Pedro Martínez in the fifth inning after being hit by a pitch for the second time Thursday. Franco walked Guillen to first base and calmed him down by telling him that he understood his frustration. "Just trying to do good," Franco said of his role as elder statesman. Beltran eventually took Franco and Randolph's advice, albeit halfheartedly, and waved to the fans. "Well, I went out," Beltran said. "I just took my time. Like I say, at the beginning, I don't feel like doing it, but I just put myself in the situation of what would God have done in a situation like that. You know, I'm a Christian guy, and after getting booed the first two days, and all of a sudden you come through and get a hit and all of a sudden they want you to go out in a curtain call, I put myself right there and I do believe God would have gone out." Beltran heard the same boos last season, his first in New York. Huge expectations came with the $119 million deal he signed with the Mets. But he played through injuries last season and hit only .266 with 16 homers and 78 runs batted in. Beltran said that he knew that playing in New York would be unlike playing anywhere else. He added that he did not regret his decision to sign with the Mets, and that he was happy to be in New York. After a good season, he said, Mets fans would be fully on his side. They seemed to be last night: Beltran received a standing ovation when he went to bat in the first inning. "I know this is tough," he said of playing in the New York spotlight. "I went through a lot of difficult things last year. What I got to say is, it's early in the year. This has only been the third game in the season." Then he issued a message to the fans. "They need to relax a little bit and enjoy the game," he said. MARTíNEZ WON'T APOLOGIZE -- Pedro Martínez said yesterday that he would not apologize for plunking Jose Guillen twice during Thursday's game against the Nationals, saying that the errant pitches were not intentional. "No need for me to do that," Martínez said when asked if he would reach out to Guillen. "No need for anybody to do that. Nothing happened. So I'm just going to go about my business and keep my cool." He added: "In my heart, I know that I didn't mean to do anything like that."
|
NEW YORK METS;FRANCO JULIO;BASEBALL
|
ny0015383
|
[
"us"
] |
2013/10/11
|
2 Face Court-Martial in Naval Academy Assault Case
|
WASHINGTON — Two former Naval Academy football players accused of sexually assaulting a female midshipman at an off-campus party will face court-martial proceedings, the latest in a string of high-profile cases in the military that are drawing increased scrutiny from the Pentagon and Congress. The case stems from a “yoga and toga” party last year near the academy in Annapolis, Md., where the woman, then a 20-year-old second-year student, arrived intoxicated and later had sex with some of the players. In grueling testimony last month during a military hearing at the Washington Navy Yard, she said she had no memory of parts of the evening. The day after the party, the woman testified, she learned via social media of the encounters with three players, who were subsequently charged with sexually assaulting her and making false statements. The investigation was stymied in part by the woman’s initial refusal to cooperate, academy officials said. The superintendent of the academy, Vice Adm. Michael H. Miller, following an initial hearing known as an Article 32 hearing, referred two midshipmen, Eric Graham and Joshua Tate, to general court-martial. Mr. Graham is charged with abusive sexual contact and Mr. Tate with aggravated sexual assault. Both are charged with making false official statements. Admiral Miller did not refer charges against another midshipman, Tra’ves Bush, the third player accused. Admiral Miller, who is what the military calls the “convening authority” in the case, made the highly unusual choice of pressing for courts-martial against the advice of the investigating officer, who oversaw the hearing and predicted the prosecution would fail to convict the three men. Admiral Miller determined that there were not reasonable grounds for the charges against Mr. Bush, but that “reasonable grounds did exist to believe that the offenses were committed by Midshipman Graham and Midshipman Tate,” said John Schofield, a spokesman for the academy. He added: “The convening authority decision is not based on the probability of a successful prosecution. Rather, it is the convening authority’s responsibility to independently evaluate evidence and determine if reasonable grounds exist that a crime has been committed by the accused.” Image Eric Graham, left, is charged with abusive sexual contact and Joshua Tate with aggravated sexual assault in a 2012 episode. Credit U.S. Naval Academy Andrew Weinstein, the lawyer for Mr. Bush, said he felt gratified. “Midshipman Bush is a young man who has committed his life to the protection of our country,” Mr. Weinstein wrote in an e-mailed statement, “and with these criminal charges now behind him, he looks forward to continuing his loyal and devoted service.” Chip Herrington, the lawyer for Mr. Graham, said his client was “not guilty and the allegations of sex abuse against him are completely false.” Pointing to the recommendation of the hearing investigator, Mr. Herrington said: “Obviously, we are disappointed with Vice Admiral Miller’s rejection of the recommendation of his own investigating officer. However, we believe we have the truth on our side.” During the Article 32 hearing, the woman was aggressively grilled about her sexual habits, generating public outrage about the proceedings, which help determine whether cases are sent to court-martial. Article 32 hearings permit questions not allowed in civilian courts. Susan Burke, the woman’s lawyer, said, “We’re pleased that the two men have been court-martialed,” although she was unhappy that one was not. “Despite the abusive Article 32 process,” Ms. Burke said, “the victim is strong and remains willing to testify at trial.” Defense lawyers in the case may argue that the case be thrown out because of so-called unlawful command influence exercised by President Obama , who has called for sex offenders in the military to be punished severely. Mr. Obama, as commander in chief of the armed forces, is considered the most powerful person to wield such influence. Several sexual assault cases across branches of the military have been thrown out or curtailed on such grounds. “We have no doubt that the president’s comments have had an influence with regard to the public pressure placed on Vice Admiral Miller,” Mr. Herrington said. The problem of sexual assault in the military has increasingly alarmed Congress, which is considering changes to the system, including removing prosecutorial powers from commanders and perhaps re-examining the entire Article 32 process. “Admiral Miller’s action does nothing to foster public confidence in the administration of justice in the armed forces,” said Eugene R. Fidell, who teaches military justice at Yale Law School. “His referral of charges against two individuals to a general court-martial in no way blunts the force of the compelling arguments for fundamental reform of the Article 32 process and the transfer of the charging power from commanders to military prosecutors entirely independent of the chain of command.”
|
Naval Academy;Rape;Annapolis MD;Court-martial;US Military;Joshua Tate;Eric Graham;College football;College
|
ny0025224
|
[
"world",
"africa"
] |
2013/08/30
|
As Floods Ravage Sudan, Young Volunteers Revive a Tradition of Aid
|
KHARTOUM, Sudan — Their temporary headquarters are a beehive of young volunteers buzzing in and out of rooms, up and down stairs, carrying bags of donated food, medicine and large packets of plastic sheets. “What happened to your house?” one volunteer asks on the phone, as others load aid on trucks or create maps and charts on laptops. “And where do you say you are? We’ll have a team out there soon.” They are the members of Nafeer, a volunteer, youth-led initiative that responded swiftly to the humanitarian crisis caused by heavy rains and flash floods that struck Sudan this month. The deluge has taken a heavy toll. Beyond the dozens of people killed, more than 300,000 people have been directly affected, with 74,000 homes damaged or destroyed, according to the United Nations. The spread of diseases like malaria is also reported to be on the rise. The impact of the heavy rains and floods has been felt in most of Sudan, including the camps for displaced people in the war-torn region of Darfur. In one case, six United Nations peacekeepers were swept away by a current. Four are still missing. But the area around Khartoum, the capital, suffered the hardest blow. More rain is expected, and as the Nile and the Blue Nile rise to record levels, many fear the worst is yet to come. “We saw that the heavy rains and floods were going to impact the lives of many, and we felt we had a social responsibility to help people,” said Muhammad Hamd, 28, a Nafeer spokesman. “The idea came out of a discussion on Facebook among friends.” A “nafeer” is a Sudanese social tradition that comes from an Arabic word meaning “a call to mobilize.” The group’s formation was all the more important because the Sudanese government was slow to respond, some critics say. “It was a weak response,” said Khalid Eltigani, the executive editor of Ilaf, a weekly newspaper. “The Nafeer youth broke the silence on the flood situation.” Government officials said that the level of rain this year had surpassed their expectations, but they maintained that matters were under control. “There is no need to declare a state of emergency,” said Sudan’s interior minister, Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid. Mark Cutts, the head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan, described the situation as a “huge disaster,” which his agency called the worst floods in 25 years. Aid has arrived from United Nations agencies, Qatar, the United States, Japan, Egypt, Ethiopia and others. The rainy season started late this year in Sudan, but when it arrived, it came with a vengeance. “We can attribute this to climate change,” said Nagmeldin Elhassan of the Higher Council for Environment and Natural Resources, a government agency. Mr. Elhassan, who has contributed to reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , referred to studies that predicted what he called “incidents of frequent and intense droughts and incidents of high levels of rains” in the region and “shifts in rain patterns,” like later start dates of the rainy season. Poor urban planning, however, may have also contributed to the immense damage caused by flash flooding, especially around Khartoum. “Khartoum is in a shallow basin that will always be prone to flooding,” said Howard Bell of the United Nations Environment Program in Sudan, “and urban areas should be planned accordingly.” Image Credit The New York Times Over 5,000 volunteers have registered to help with the Nafeer campaign, organizers said. At the hot line desk, volunteers work in two-hour shifts, receiving emergency calls, 24 hours a day. Hundreds of Sudanese living abroad have joined the Nafeer campaign, with hot lines set up to receive donations in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Canada, Australia and other countries. At the hot line desk in Khartoum, volunteers are glued to their cellphones. “The phones don’t stop,” said Wafa Tawfig, 16, a student volunteer. “People call for food, sheets and covers.” After receiving calls, Nafeer sends out assessment teams to evaluate the needs of different areas. The next day, a team goes back with whatever aid it can offer. On a trip to one flooded area east of Khartoum, a team of 20 Nafeer volunteers, men and women, mounted two four-wheel-drive vehicles and a pickup truck loaded with bags of food, plastic tarps and sandbags. Both sides of the highway leading east from Khartoum were crammed with families seeking refuge. The road itself is elevated, sitting above the flooded areas flanking it, so families dragged their mattresses, suitcases and other belongings to the highway’s edge, desperate for help. An old woman sat on a stool, her head lying on her fist, waiting. Behind her was a puddle of water where a donkey lay dead. At the Nafeer volunteers’ first stop, several families went to meet them. Ahmad Sadig, 65, enthusiastically explained what had happened. “The night it rained, it didn’t stop, and it was windy,” he said. “My daughter had just given birth a couple of weeks before.” His daughter, Zainab Sadig, 26, continued. “Then a wall fell, and a stream of water came in,” she said. “I carried my baby and ran.” Mr. Sadig said he called the local authorities the day after. “But no one answered the phone,” he said. “At least these Nafeer guys answer the phone.” A Nafeer volunteer offered them a bag filled with sugar, flour, dry milk, fava beans and macaroni, along with a plastic sheet. “May God bless you,” Mr. Sadig replied. The Nafeer volunteers then moved to another stop down the road, Al Samra, which looks not like an inhabited village but an ancient ruin frozen in time. Flood ponds cover empty spaces, and from across one pond, a little girl shouted, “We are over here!” The Nafeer volunteers formed a line and moved around the pond. As they got closer, the girl’s mother, Nur Jafar Bashir, 38, met them. “It was raining really hard,” she said. “We were asleep, but then we heard a loud noise. The ceiling from a nearby room fell.” Ms. Bashir said she and her family woke up terrified, walked out and saw a stream of water in the yard. “The water was up to our knees,” she recalled. “We got buckets and stared to scoop the water outside.” After hours of driving around and delivering aid to flood victims, the Nafeer volunteers headed back to their headquarters in Khartoum as night fell. “These youth brought back an old Sudanese tradition,” said Mr. Eltigani, the editor. Ms. Tawfig, the student volunteer, explained what made her come back every day to volunteer with Nafeer. “You have to imagine yourself in their place — no shelter, no food, no water,” she said. “You wouldn’t stand it.”
|
Nafeer;Sudan;Volunteering,volunteers,community service;Humanitarian aid;Flood;Khartoum;Darfur
|
ny0143900
|
[
"world",
"americas"
] |
2008/10/27
|
Mexican Drug Lord Is Arrested
|
TIJUANA, Mexico (Reuters) — Mexican security forces have arrested the drug cartel leader Eduardo Arellano Félix, one of the international traffickers most sought by the United States, after a shootout in this border city, the government said Sunday. Mr. Arellano Félix, nicknamed the Doctor, is a senior member of a family cartel embroiled in a violent struggle for control of the lucrative drug trade in which more than 3,700 people have been killed in Mexico this year, including 450 in Tijuana. He is accused of running the cartel along with his sister Enedina, the only main suspect from the family who remains at large after several brothers have been arrested or killed. The police arrested Mr. Arellano Félix on Saturday after they chased his car to a three-story home in an upscale neighborhood, according to federal police officials in Tijuana. A three-hour gun battle with more than 100 police officers and soldiers ensued, leaving the home riddled with bullet holes. The United States indicted Mr. Arellano Félix in 2003 on drug-smuggling and money-laundering charges and had offered a reward of up to $5 million for his capture. President Felipe Calderón has sent tens of thousands of troops and federal police officers across the country to fight escalating drug violence since late 2006, but there have been few arrests of major cartel leaders. The Arellano Félix family dominated the smuggling of cocaine and marijuana into California in the 1990s and was feared for its ruthless elimination of enemies. Francisco Arellano Félix, Eduardo’s youngest brother, was sentenced to life in prison in the United States last November after being captured while deep-sea fishing off Mexico. Mexican authorities agreed in June to extradite another brother, Benjamín, to the United States to face smuggling charges.
|
Tijuana (Mexico);Drug Abuse and Traffic;Police
|
ny0132905
|
[
"world",
"europe"
] |
2012/12/12
|
Declared Loser Proposes New Election Within French Party
|
PARIS — Three weeks into an impasse over who won a leadership vote in France ’s center-right opposition party, François Fillon — who was declared the loser, though he has refused to concede — proposed on Tuesday that a new election be held next spring in which he most likely would not run. In a radio interview, Mr. Fillon, a former prime minister under former President Nicolas Sarkozy , gave his formal support to an increasingly vocal campaign within the party, the Union for a Popular Movement, or U.M.P., to hold a new ballot under ground rules to be determined. “If we are talking about a revote before the summer, with a reform of the statutes and fully opening the game to new candidates to ensure a reoxygenation of our party, then I am in favor,” Mr. Fillon, a centrist, said. The disputed Nov. 18 election has sown confusion and embarrassment across France and in particular within the party, which this year has ceded both the presidency and its parliamentary majority to the Socialists. Mr. Fillon, 58, had been favored to win the vote and has made no secret of his belief that it was stolen from him by Jean-François Copé , a 48-year-old protégé of Mr. Sarkozy. Mr. Copé is the party’s acting leader, and he wants to move the party further right to challenge the popularity of the far-right National Front. Mr. Fillon and Mr. Copé, who have seen their popularity drop precipitously in opinion polls since the dispute began, have held a series of meetings over the past week, ostensibly aimed at forging a face-saving compromise and averting a damaging party split. Against the advice of several party luminaries, including Mr. Sarkozy, Mr. Fillon has nonetheless moved to establish a splinter faction in the National Assembly — the Rally U.M.P., or R.U.M.P. — which as of last week counted 72 of the party’s 194 parliamentary representatives. The group has vowed to dissolve, however, if a new vote is held next year, in advance of municipal and regional elections slated for 2014. Mr. Copé has said he, too, would be open to a new party vote — but only after the 2014 local elections. In the radio interview Tuesday, Mr. Fillon emphasized the urgency of choosing a new leader soon in order to limit further damage to the party’s image, which is seen as benefiting the Socialists as well as the National Front. He said he would “probably not” present himself again as a candidate — a move that appeared to be a not-so-veiled challenge to Mr. Copé to do the same. “My ambition is to rally the French around a plan for national recovery, but not necessarily as leader” of the party, Mr. Fillon said. “I am not fighting for me.”
|
Fillon Francois;Elections;France
|
ny0262315
|
[
"sports",
"baseball"
] |
2011/06/14
|
Calf Strain Slows Jeter’s Pursuit of 3,000 Hits
|
It was already a challenge for Derek Jeter to notch the seven hits he needed for 3,000 in the last four games of this homestand, but his quest is bound to take a little longer now. On the verge of a hallowed milestone, Jeter left the Yankees’ 1-0 loss to the Cleveland Indians on Monday night after injuring his right calf muscle , an injury expected to sideline him for at least a few days, if not land him on the disabled list. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a Grade 1 strain — the lowest severity — and a Yankees spokesman said a determination on Jeter’s status would be made Tuesday. “Obviously, we’re worried about it,” Manager Joe Girardi said. Girardi’s worries are concentrated on how Jeter’s injury will affect the team as a whole, but Girardi, like everyone pinstriped, had been hoping that Jeter could accomplish the feat at Yankee Stadium — instead of during the six-game trip that begins Friday at Wrigley Field. He ripped Carlos Carrasco’s second pitch of the night through the left side for career hit No. 2,994, grounded into a fielder’s choice in the second inning, then flied out to lead off the fifth. He took two steps out of the batter’s box before limping toward first base and, Girardi said, “just walked off the field and you could tell he was done.” Mark Teixeira said: “It wasn’t a question of is he going to stay in the game or not. It was get him out of the game.” Favoring his right leg, Jeter hobbled into the dugout, where he was met by the assistant trainer Steve Donohue. Donohue escorted Jeter into the tunnel and toward the Yankees’ clubhouse, where he was evaluated before being sent to NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia hospital for an M.R.I. exam. On his way down the stairs, he flung his helmet. For someone who is famous for playing down injuries, the discomfort must have been significant for him to leave the game. “We knew it wasn’t something really minor because he pretty much plays through everything,” Teixeira said of Jeter, who was unavailable to the news media. Above all else, 3,000 is a number that signifies consistency and durability. Jeter has not been on the disabled list since 2003, when he dislocated his shoulder on opening day, but that eight-year streak could end Tuesday. The coming schedule could influence the Yankees’ decision, as six games in National League ballparks will test the depth of their bench. With Russell Martin managing back stiffness that knocked him out for five of the last six games, the Yankees are already playing short-handed, and going with a three-man bench is hardly appealing. And as Alex Rodriguez knows, calf strains can be temperamental. Last August, he missed three games before aggravating the injury in his first at-bat, eventually winding up on the disabled list. “For our team, it’s frustrating,” Girardi said. “He’s our leadoff guy.” Without Jeter, the Yankees’ offense sputtered just as it did with him, failing to support A. J. Burnett, who struck out eight and allowed one run over seven and two-thirds innings but was outdueled by Carrasco, who overcame a shaky start to retire 13 of his final 14 hitters. Among the Yankees’ starters, only Curtis Granderson (2 for 6) had ever batted against Carrasco, who came over as part of the package from Philadelphia in the 2009 trade for Cliff Lee. With Detroit, Granderson saw a slightly less polished version of Carrasco, who integrated his curveball — his third-best pitch — with a low-90s fastball and changeup to great success. The Yankees loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning and failed to score, missing their best opportunity when Jeter seemed to hesitate after Grady Sizemore caught Rodriguez’s fly ball in shallow center. He tagged, but when Sizemore double-clutched, Jeter stayed at third, perhaps hoping that Robinson Cano or Nick Swisher would drive him in. Neither did, and the Yankees stranded two more runners in the second, and another in the third, when Swisher grounded into an inning-ending double play. The day after pounding out 18 hits while going 7 for 15 with runners in scoring position, the Yankees were 0 for 7 in that situation through the first three innings. No doubt the Indians could empathize, having scored a total of one run over their last two games. It took until the 31st inning of the series, and fourth inning Monday, for the Indians to take their first lead, capitalizing on a leadoff triple by Michael Brantley that skidded off Swisher’s glove. Asdrubal Cabrera followed with a chopper through the left side, scoring Brantley to put Cleveland ahead. “I tipped it,” Swisher said. “It was just kind of like, man, that play right there is the reason why we lost, you know? It’s like we play all these outs, and a bouncing ball through the hole on the left side scored the only run.” It was a tough loss for Burnett, who rebounded from a poor start against Boston, but he seemed more concerned about Jeter. “We can just keep our fingers crossed,” Burnett said. INSIDE PITCH The Class AAA right-hander David Phelps emerged as a favorite to start Thursday in place of Bartolo Colon when he was scratched from his start Monday with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Joe Girardi said he probably would not announce his decision until Wednesday, waiting to see if another option, Hector Noesi, pitches in relief.
|
Baseball;New York Yankees;Jeter Derek;Cleveland Indians
|
ny0007143
|
[
"us"
] |
2013/05/10
|
Texas’ Chemical Depots Fall Under a Jumble of Regulations
|
NEW BRAUNFELS — Off a dirt road connected to ever-flowing Interstate 35, a little metal sign on a wooden fence is the only indication of what lies ahead. Nearby, Buckley Powder, a mining and construction supply company, stores large quantities of ammonium nitrate, the source of the explosion at a fertilizer depot that killed at least 14 people and injured hundreds more last month in West. In 2012, according to state records, Buckley Powder had as much as 90,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate in bins at this Central Texas plant — stored, according to Howard Wichter, Buckley’s chief financial officer, under conditions in which “nothing can happen to it.” At a Country Fare restaurant tucked inside a truck stop not far from the bins, Lisa Slickerman, a waitress, said people who lived in the community nearby knew little about what was stored at the plant, but perhaps should have, especially after the West explosion. “Nobody talks about it,” she said. The facility is one of more than 110 across the state that report storing 10,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate or more at a time. Some companies hold it in powder form, like the depot in West, which in 2012 reported storing 540,000 pounds of the chemical. Others store it in a liquid solution, which is a much less volatile form, said Charles C. Mitchell, a professor of soil sciences at Auburn University. The responsibility for overseeing these facilities varies. Some, like Buckley, which supplies materials used for blasting at rock quarries and construction sites, are inspected by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Others, like Adair Grain, which owned the West storage site, are subject to inconsistent scrutiny by a long list of state and federal agencies, said Neil Carman, director of the clean air program at the state’s chapter of the Sierra Club. As the authorities continue to investigate the cause of the West explosion, and state and federal lawmakers discuss whether new regulations and greater oversight are needed, stockpiles of chemicals stored in communities across the state are the subject of intense concern. A patchwork of regulations, generated by municipal, state and federal authorities, has led to almost exclusively local control over disaster preparation. “If I have a plant near my house, do I know that they have a plan?” said State Representative Joe Pickett, Democrat of El Paso, the chairman of the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee. “The public needs to know who to go to and who to ask for a plan, so it brings attention to these facilities.” Mr. Carman said: “It’s just ludicrous. I think it’s a pattern of lax regulation in Texas, and it’s surprising, given the number of industrial plants.” At the federal level, safety and accident prevention falls to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which according to an agency fact sheet oversees more than seven million workplaces, and last inspected the West depot in 1985. The Environmental Protection Agency requires companies to report their methods of handling certain dangerous chemicals, but not ammonium nitrate. And the Department of Homeland Security keeps track of facilities that hold ammonium nitrate, but the agency did not know about the West facility, which had not reported to it. According to a department spokesman, Peter Boogaard, the agency is currently investigating whether the West facility should have submitted documentation. At the state level, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality focuses on pollution and air quality, not accident prevention. The Office of the State Chemist checks the composition of feed and fertilizer for consumers, and whether explosives are behind fences and locked doors. The primary responsibility for tracking potentially dangerous chemicals in Texas falls to the Department of State Health Services, but Commissioner David L. Lakey told lawmakers at a hearing this month that the agency did “not have authority related to the regulation of these chemicals.” Its role is as a data depository , Dr. Lakey said, suggesting that regulations are the responsibility of local officials in the form of fire and safety codes. Those local officials are also responsible for preparing communities for disaster prevention, Steve McCraw, the director of the state’s Department of Public Safety, testified at the same hearing. “There’s no orchestrated, overarching effort to educate people about what’s in their areas,” he said. “It’s local level, not state down.” Image Buckley Powder in New Braunfels stores ammonium nitrate, the source of a fertilizer plant explosion in West that killed 14. Credit Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune Mr. McCraw’s department oversees a statewide network of 270 local emergency-planning committees, which operate differently in every county, and bring together public officials and industry leaders to develop safety plans. “The best experts are on the ground,” said W. Nim Kidd of the public safety department. Amarillo knows the importance of local involvement in disaster planning firsthand. High on the Texas plains, the city is home to several heavy industry and petrochemical facilities — including the largest repository of ammonium nitrate in the state — and has adapted to the risk. The city’s fire department includes a hazmat team, which drills to prepare for specific threats. Sonja Gross, a community relations coordinator for the city, said the regional planning committee met quarterly to work on disaster preparation and prevention. A fertilizer depot in the northeast quadrant of the city, owned by the multinational company Gavilon, reported an average daily stockpile of more than 2.1 million pounds of a liquid ammonium-nitrate mixture in 2012. The fertilizer at the Gavilon facility is stored as a liquid with the organic chemical urea, which experts say ordinarily poses little combustion risk. But while the solution is much safer than ammonium nitrate stored in a powder form, explosions at similar facilities — as a consequence of spills or misused equipment — are not unheard of. In Amarillo, as in New Braunfels, many who live near the fertilizer facility say they had no idea about the chemical stockpile next door and are concerned, even if the risks were comparatively low. “They should have let us know” in some way, said Judy Watson, manager of the Red Rock Saloon, a bar down the street from the plant. “A lot of people live here. A lot of homeless people sleep here, too.” An appreciation for the benefits and hazards of industry may explain why some, including State Senator Kel Seliger, Republican of Amarillo, remain reluctant simply to call for more oversight of industrial facilities. “In our part of the state, because it’s been very heavy in oil and gas production and plastics and fertilizers,” Mr. Seliger said, “a lot of lessons have been learned” on the importance of setting and enforcing regulations to ensure safe practices, he said. In New Braunfels, home of Buckley Powder, Lynn Lindsay, the local emergency-management coordinator, said Comal County’s committee had little financing and did not meet regularly. “We are actively working to rectify the situation,” Mr. Lindsay said. “We have active relationships with first responders, but it’s a matter of tying it all together.” Mr. Lindsay said New Braunfels residents had expressed more concerns since the West explosion, and he is trying to develop a database of chemicals in facilities across the county so first responders know what to do in case of an emergency. He said the Legislature could consider creating standards for reporting or directing an agency to list best practices for first responders. State Senator Donna Campbell, Republican of New Braunfels, said there was “a point at which you can overregulate” companies that store dangerous chemicals and that many large manufacturing companies had their own emergency preparation plans. “I think we’re doing a good job,” she said. “Just periodically something happens that’s not predictable.”
|
Texas;Accidents and Safety;Regulation and Deregulation;HazMat;Fertilizer;Explosion
|
ny0041883
|
[
"sports",
"soccer"
] |
2014/05/27
|
New Contract for Liverpool’s Manager
|
Liverpool Manager Brendan Rodgers signed a new long-term contract with that Premier League club. Liverpool finished second in the league standings after an unexpected challenge for the title, and also secured a return to the Champions League.
|
Soccer;Liverpool Soccer Team;Brendan Rodgers
|
ny0165487
|
[
"nyregion"
] |
2006/09/05
|
Politicians Go on Parade in Brooklyn, and Some Come Under Fire
|
The four-way Democratic race for a Congressional seat in Brooklyn intensified yesterday on the busiest campaign day of the New York primary season, as one candidate faced hecklers — and even a hurtling doughnut — in a showdown that underscored the racial tensions in that race. The biggest names in state politics also descended on Eastern Parkway for the West Indian American Day Carnival Parade, like Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, a candidate for re-election, and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, a candidate for governor. Both are on next Tuesday’s primary ballot and were eager to energize voters in hopes of increasing their margins of victory. Yet it was the candidates in the two fiercest primary contests, the Brooklyn Congressional race and a four-man competition for attorney general, who had the most to gain from the voter contact along the route before tens of thousands of New Yorkers, at least some of whom were surely Democrats still undecided about their Primary Day choices. And if the scene was typically jubilant for a parade, there was also unpredictability elsewhere on the political trail. Angry residents of Wyckoff Gardens, a public housing complex in the Boerum Hill neighborhood, confronted one of the Congressional candidates, City Councilman David Yassky, and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, heckling them as they announced a $600,000 allocation for security cameras. The news conference, held in the courtyard of the complex after both men visited the parade, was to be a boost for Mr. Yassky. But it quickly degenerated as a hostile crowd gathered and jeered, exposing the racial fault lines running through the campaign. Mr. Yassky is white and his three rivals are black; African-American politicians have held the seat for decades. “We don’t need him,” a few in the crowd shouted, referring to Mr. Yassky. Others called out, “Are the cameras going to catch police harassment?” and “We need jobs.” Things got so out of hand that at one point, the mayor’s companion, Diana Taylor, the state banking superintendent, took cover beneath a concrete overhang to avoid a chocolate frosted doughnut flung from the upper reaches of an apartment building. “This was a joke,” Beverly Corbin, a longtime resident, said of the news conference, “and it was a political ploy played on the people of Wyckoff Gardens. “And I’m mad about it because I’m a black woman who has lived here and has worked and paid taxes,” she continued, saying that the residents were being used and that both men should have come to the project when they “had shootings here.” “It wasn’t about no cameras, it was about supporting David Yassky,” she said, adding that city housing workers had rushed to clean up the grounds in recent days in preparation for the visit. A man in the crowd, Eddie Leigh, said, “It’s all politics — why come here?” None in the crowd would say whether they worked for any of Mr. Yassky’s opponents. Mr. Bloomberg, who has frequently slipped and referred to Mr. Yassky as Congressman, said that he was not endorsing the councilman’s candidacy. But the mayor, a Republican, had extremely kind words for Mr. Yassky nonetheless. “I’ll leave it up to the voters who they vote for, but he is a guy who’s really cared and has done exactly what I think City Council people should do: Focus not on yelling and screaming, but focus on trying to make life better in this city,” said Mr. Bloomberg, who was still in the festive hot pink sweater and matching socks he had worn for his march in the Caribbean parade. The parade’s proximity to the primary has always made it a prime spot for political photo opportunities. Four years ago, Mrs. Clinton decided to march alongside State Comptroller H. Carl McCall, then a candidate for governor, instead of a rival candidate, Andrew M. Cuomo, who withdrew from the campaign soon after. This year, Mr. Cuomo is a candidate for attorney general, and he marched with his three daughters — at first, just in front of Mrs. Clinton’s contingent. But Mr. Cuomo began to walk faster and caught up with the Rev. Al Sharpton, who was walking beside State Senator Carl Andrews, a candidate in the Brooklyn Congressional race. Mr. Sharpton was clearly one of the most popular political figures in the parade, with near universal recognition and applause; only Senator Clinton drew more enthusiastic cheers, as women and girls leaned over barricades to shout out warmly as she passed by. Mr. Sharpton said in an interview that he did not know if he would endorse Mr. Cuomo in the primary. “We’ll see,” he said, adding that he was interested in the campaign of Charlie King, another candidate in the Democratic primary for attorney general. By walking with Mr. Andrews, Mr. Sharpton sought to bolster his campaign in a parade that winds through a major thoroughfare in the 11th Congressional District. Another of Mr. Yassky’s rivals in the primary in the 11th Congressional District, Yvette Clarke, a city councilwoman whose mother was the first Jamaican-born member of the Council, campaigned at the parade with a large group of supporters. She walked along Eastern Parkway with United States Representative Anthony D. Weiner, who used a bullhorn to shout his support of Ms. Clarke to the cheering crowd. Mr. Yassky was received politely along the route. And the other Congressional candidate, Chris Owens, was there with a group of supporters, and at one point played a steel drum while riding on a flatbed truck with a group of Caribbean musicians. His father, Representative Major R. Owens, is retiring from the Congressional seat. Mr. Cuomo’s three rivals in the attorney general’s race, Mr. King, Mark Green and Sean Patrick Maloney, also waved and shook hands along the parade route. Mr. Green — whose fierce attacks were returned this weekend as Mr. Cuomo released his first negative television commercial — marched with former Mayor David N. Dinkins. Mark Benoit, a spokesman for Mr. Green, argued that the Brooklyn Congressional race would help Mr. Green because it would draw more Democrats to the polls — and many of them would remember Mr. Green fondly from his years as the city’s public advocate in the 1990s. “Any race in New York City that brings out the vote will help Mark,” Mr. Benoit said, “and the Brooklyn race has got a lot of people feeling engaged.” Another candidate who campaigned in this heavily Democratic borough was Jeanine F. Pirro, the Republican candidate for attorney general. She did not wear the flat shoes that many parade marchers chose, instead donning a pair of heels while carrying 14 flags of various Caribbean islands.
|
Parades;Primaries;Bloomberg Michael R;Yassky David;Clinton Hillary Rodham;Brooklyn (NYC)
|
ny0237947
|
[
"sports",
"tennis"
] |
2010/06/01
|
Sweden’s Soderling Is a Force to Be Reckoned With
|
PARIS — Robin Soderling is blunt, both in play and personality, and it has cost him admirers. He wields his racket like a carpenter with a hammer. “Soderling epitomizes many of the things I dislike in modern tennis,” the retired Australian player Pat Cash wrote a year ago for The Times of London. “He is Swedish but is no Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander or Stefan Edberg . There is no grace to his game, no guile, not a glimmer of personality.” Soderling’s interactions with other players occasionally display some of the same forceful qualities. Rafael Nadal , who rarely volleys a bad word toward any opponent, once said Soderling’s conduct was “maybe worst possible,” and added, “In the end, we will see what’s happening in the end of life, no?” But Soderling can no longer be easily dismissed. Long seen as a prodigious talent wasting in inconsistency, a big banger who could be undone by nuance, he is now firmly in the top 10, a threat to go deep in every Grand Slam event. Evidence came at Roland Garros last year when Soderling beat Nadal in the fourth round, one of the more stunning results in years. It ended Nadal’s French Open winning streak at 31 matches and his bid for a fifth straight title. Soderling advanced to the final and lost to Roger Federer . A year later, Soderling is the fifth seed, ranked seventh in the world. On Tuesday he will play Federer in the quarterfinals. “I don’t know if I changed,” Soderling said. “One year ago or two years ago, I think I could play really good tennis. My highest level then was pretty much the same as now, I think. But of course I’m winning more matches, and I think I’m winning more matches when I’m not playing my best tennis, which I didn’t do so often before. That’s the biggest change.” Beating Federer would be akin to beating Nadal last year. Soderling, 25, has had 12 tries and never done it — not counting an exhibition match a few months ago. (“Exhibition play,” Federer said dismissively.) Among the losses were ones at last year’s French Open, Wimbledon and United States Open . “We know each other,” Federer said. Federer sounded coolly confident, for good reason. Soderling plays one style, that of a jackhammer. Federer plays them all. “I’m really looking forward to this match because he hits very strongly: forehand, backhand and serves,” Federer said. “So it’s going to be up to me to do my best to vary the game. This is what I like. This is why I have a good record against him.” Much of Soderling’s notoriety stems from a contentious third-round match with Nadal at Wimbledon in 2007. Nadal was ranked second, as he is here, and Soderling was 28th. Their match extended from a Saturday to a Wednesday, 92 hours interrupted many times by rain. Nadal finally emerged with the victory, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (7), 4-6, 7-5. But he took aim at Soderling afterward, angry at a number of perceived slights. Soderling had mocked Nadal’s habit of picking at the back of his shorts. He did not offer a courtesy wave after a shot hit the net cord and tumbled over for a point. He offered a limp handshake after the match and did not return Nadal’s greetings each of the many times they took the court together. “After four days, that’s not normal, no?” Nadal said at the time. Soderling offered no apologies. He was frustrated by Nadal’s slow pace, he said, should not apologize for winning a point and was perplexed by Nadal’s desire for niceties. “If he’s complaining about that, that I never say hi to him, what can I do?” Soderling said. Back then, however, Soderling was just another talented player on the outside of the elite level. He was easy to dismiss, if not always easy to beat. No longer. Big (6 feet 4 inches) and powerful, he has given Nadal fits. His 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2) victory last year here showed that he was capable of beating any player on any surface. He beat Nadal again last fall on the hardcourts of the world tour finals. Some of the credit for Soderling’s finally harnessing his talent belongs to his coach, Magnus Norman , who peaked at No. 2 in the world after reaching the 2000 French Open final. Since Norman came aboard about 18 months ago, Soderling’s consistency is much improved, and his ranking has leapfrogged from the 30s to his current No. 7, a career best. Still, Soderling lost, inexplicably, in the first round at the Australian Open to Marcel Granollers. Maybe he is not quite ready to threaten the Federer/Nadal duality of dominance in men’s tennis, after all. Tuesday may be the best indicator yet, as Federer is Soderling’s next mission. In the 12 losses, Soderling has managed to win only two sets, including one the last time they played at the United States Open. Asked what would be a more satisfying result, beating Nadal last year at Roland Garros or Federer this year, Soderling demurred. “They’re both really tough players to beat,” Soderling said. “They’re No. 1 and 2 in the world. Beating them, it’s a great achievement, I think. You have to play your best tennis. It’s very difficult, but it’s not impossible.”
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Soderling Robin;French Open (Tennis);Tennis;Nadal Rafael;Federer Roger;Cash Pat;Wilander Mats;Edberg Stefan;Norman Magnus
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ny0202844
|
[
"technology",
"companies"
] |
2009/08/28
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Price of Xbox Lowered to Match PlayStation’s Cut
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Microsoft is cutting the price of the high-end Xbox 360 console by $100, matching Sony ’s price cut for the PlayStation 3 last week. Now, both the Xbox 360 Elite and the PS3 will cost $299. The price cuts in both cases are worldwide, though the exact amounts vary by region depending on currencies. Microsoft, which has had three versions of its Xbox 360 available at three different prices, also was expected to announce on Thursday that it would phase out the midrange Pro version of the console. It will be available for $249, down from $299, while supplies last. The cheapest Xbox, the Arcade, which comes without a hard drive, will still cost $199. The price cuts are effective Friday, a spokesman for Microsoft, David Dennis, said. Video game companies hope the price cuts will reignite sales in time for the holiday season. For most of this year, the industry has suffered from weak sales — hurt by the recession and lackluster game release schedules, which have kept consumers waiting to spend money on new games. The announcement from Microsoft leaves only Nintendo without a price cut for the fall. The Wii has cost $250 since it was released nearly three years ago. Microsoft has sold more than 31.4 million Xbox 360 machines globally, compared with 23.7 million PS3 machines sold by Sony and 52.6 million Wiis.
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Microsoft Corporation;SONY Corporation;Computer and Video Games;Xbox 360 (Video Game System);PlayStation 3 (Video Game System)
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ny0202756
|
[
"sports",
"baseball"
] |
2009/08/29
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As Manager Piniella Relaxes, the Cubs Are Just Lax
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CHICAGO — A normal workday for Lou Piniella involves handling questions about his enigmatic right fielder, his underperforming catcher, his punchless slugger, his ragged bullpen, his closer who rarely closes, his mellow demeanor and, last but not least, his plans for 2010. He shrugs. He raises his hands in mock defeat. His eyes wander. His sentences meander. Piniella as performance art — the toughest part of his day, he says. “The game is relatively easy,” Piniella said. “You get a chance to relax and watch the team play.” His relaxation will last about five more weeks before it starts in earnest, when barring a minor miracle — hardly this team’s specialty — the playoffs commence without the Chicago Cubs for the first time in Piniella’s three seasons in charge. A miserable three-week stretch this month dropped the Cubs from a share of first place into the better-luck-next-year ranks, disappointment setting in two months earlier than usual. However flawed, they are not a bad team. But the Cubs, who have a $135 million payroll, are not particularly good, either, owning a 64-62 record that, while acceptable in some precincts, is most certainly not on the North Side, where big things — yup, that big, curses be damned — were expected after they rolled to a National League-best 97 wins last season. “We have a good team, we have a great starting rotation and we have a great lineup, and that’s what makes everything so frustrating,” third baseman Aramis Ramirez said. “We’ve got the talent. We’ve got it everywhere. We should be better than this — much better — but we’re not.” As recently as Aug. 5, the Cubs were tied with St. Louis atop the N.L. Central. Then they lost 13 of 20, including two of three at Wrigley Field this week against the woeful Washington Nationals before scoring four runs in the eighth inning Friday to defeat the slightly less woeful Mets, 5-2. Trailing by six and a half games in the wild-card standings — and by nine in the division — the Cubs have as much chance of rebounding as of the Wrigley beer taps running out of Old Style. “I’ve seen how much can happen over 20 games,” said Cubs reliever Aaron Heilman, a veteran of the Mets’ two recent collapses. “We’ve got time. There’s still hope.” Hope? This is Heilman’s first season as a Cub. Forgive him. On a cool and breezy afternoon — playoff weather if you didn’t know better — pockets of empty seats dotted Wrigley. And until the bottom of the eighth, fans who normally root, root, root for the Cubbies provided an alternate soundtrack. Before the Cubs rallied, their demoted closer, Kevin Gregg, gave up the go-ahead run, a rocket double from Fernando Tatis that deflected off left fielder Alfonso Soriano’s glove. Before igniting the comeback with a leadoff double, Milton Bradley misplayed a short fly by Omir Santos in the second. Before capping the outburst with a three-run homer — his first blast since July 29 — Soriano dropped Santos’s shallow pop-up in the fourth. Before notching his second save in 10 days since replacing Gregg, Carlos Marmol issued a leadoff walk in the ninth. As Soriano limped around the bases, restricted by a sore left knee, Bradley climbed the dugout steps and waved a white towel — in support, not surrender. It truly was cause for celebration: only three times in their last 12 games had the Cubs scored as many as five runs. This, from a lineup mostly unchanged from last year’s bunch, which led the N.L. in runs, walks and on-base and slugging percentage. Catcher Geovany Soto, last season’s N.L. rookie of the year, is batting .215. Soriano, .243. Ramirez missed two months with a dislocated shoulder. And then there is Bradley. An All-Star last season with Texas, Bradley hauled his combustible image to the Cubs, his seventh major league team this decade, after signing a three-year, $30 million deal. To clear payroll room, the Cubs traded the sturdy starter Jason Marquis and the versatile and beloved Mark DeRosa, whose departure, and those of Henry Blanco and Kerry Wood, contributed to a clubhouse chemistry that Piniella said “hasn’t been one of our better mixes.” Expected to balance their heavily right-handed hitting order, Bradley, a switch-hitter, has struggled from the left side. On Friday, he attributed his struggles with the Cubs to adjusting to the abundance of home day games — while mixing dugout tantrums and outfield misadventures with controversial remarks. On Wednesday, he said that he had been the target of racial epithets at Wrigley and that he hoped games lasted only nine innings so he could leave as soon as possible. On Thursday, he said the news media twisted his comments. “I’m always the story whether I hit .500 or I hit .100,” said Bradley, now batting .262. “Somehow, some way, everything revolves back to me. I guess I’m kind of a big deal or something. People like talking about Milton Bradley.” But not Piniella, who refused to address Bradley’s statements. He has been criticized locally for not showing enough, as they say, fire (calling Piniella “fiery” is as standard as calling a finesse left-hander “crafty”). To which, earlier this season, he replied, “I’m not a dragon.” If anything, he said, he is more patient, less inclined to erupt, even if bizarre injuries — Ryan Dempster broke his toe after jumping over the dugout fence — and inconsistent play have tested his resolve. “I mean, look, invariably when things don’t go right, it’s always the manager’s fault, O.K.?” Piniella said. “You want to blame me? Take your shots. It doesn’t bother me one bit, O.K.?” Under contract through next season, Piniella said he planned to — he wanted to — return. But his wishes may be complicated by the pending sale of the team to the Ricketts family. On Friday, Piniella turned 66. He joked before the game that he felt more like 76, and afterward, after a rare victory, he was asked if he still felt that old. “It hasn’t changed one bit,” Piniella said. “It’s just nice to win a baseball game.”
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Chicago Cubs;Baseball
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ny0244239
|
[
"nyregion"
] |
2011/04/03
|
The Workout Begins When Pants Go Missing
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I HAVE braved wars in the Caucasus, frothing-at-the-mouth nationalists in the Balkans, jihadi radicals and environmental sludge disasters. So I thought I could handle a workout at the Equinox gym near Columbus Circle. I recently moved to Hell’s Kitchen from Prague after more than 10 years as a foreign correspondent. The sleek, modern fitness center on West 60th was a far cry from the malodorous post-Communist gyms where I had worked out in the Czech Republic, where the only luxury was the occasional shower curtain and Navratilova look-alike trainers with six packs yelling at doughy Westerners to jump over bright orange pylons. At the Columbus Circle Equinox , where I was starting a free three-day trial membership, impossibly good-looking men and women whom I presumed to be Abercrombie models and Broadway dancers preened their pecs and thighs to Lady Gaga tracks as immigrant janitors with vacuum cleaners strapped to their backs hovered nearby, sucking up the sweat residue and refilling refrigerators with moistened, eucalyptus-scented hand towels. I remember being barely able to conceal my excitement as I entered the locker room to change for my first New York workout. It was a Sunday evening, and my pockets were bulging with the recently acquired necessities of my new life: keys to a one-bedroom apartment and the company car; my BlackBerry; and a wallet containing new credit cards and $400 in cash. I folded my jeans neatly and shoved them in a locker, then headed to a stair-climbing machine to try to work off my stress. More than a little self-satisfied at having dragged my lazy buttocks to the gym on a Sunday, I returned to the locker room about two hours later, drenched with sweat and triumphalism. But when I opened my locker after a shower, my favorite old pair of jeans was gone. There was no sign of forced entry, though I’d swear I had secured the lock. Like a hapless character out of some coming-of-age story, I was the victim of what the police would later tell me was an increasingly common occurrence at fancy gyms across the city: exercisers stealing from one another. Or as one police official put it, yuppie-on-yuppie crime. According to the Manhattan district attorney’s office, there have been 56 arrests for some kind of theft over the past three years at four of the most upscale sports clubs in Manhattan; of those arrested, 17 had no prior criminal records. That, law enforcement officials say, suggests that about one-third of gym crimes were inside jobs committed by fitness club members. “Some people just like to steal for the thrill of it,” said John Ryan, the chief assistant district attorney of Queens, bringing to mind kleptomaniac Hollywood starlets who pocket designer clothes. “They don’t do it for the money, but for the thrill of getting away with it.” Scott Rosen, the chief operating officer of Equinox, said in an interview that the staff members at his clubs were trained to be vigilant spotters of sticky-fingered athletes and other petty thieves. Just in case, he said, Equinox was adding more security cameras in its 51 fitness centers across the country (including 18 in New York) — though not in locker rooms, where Equinox says it is illegal to film gymgoers, toned or otherwise, in various states of undress. Then last week, I got an e-mail from Equinox warning me to be on high alert after a recent spate of locker-room thefts at health clubs across New York. A spokeswoman explained, when I inquired, that the note routinely went out to all new male members, but not to women, because “almost all known gym thieves are male.” None of which helped me that day in the locker room. I ran around, opening every cubby in search of my jeans, as onlookers — including, I was certain, the wily pants fancier — gawked at the frantic man in Calvin Klein boxer briefs. I burrowed fruitlessly in the eucalyptus-scented towel fridge, but the jeans weren’t there, either. Defeated, I put on my long, dark blue wool coat over my gym shorts and rushed into the bone-chilling, 37-degree New York night looking like a deranged flasher. After braving more than a few looks, I arrived panting at my apartment and rang my new super’s bell to get a replacement key and to call the police. He opened the door a few inches and stared at me with barely concealed horror. “Sorry, you can’t use our phone,” he said. He pushed his two young daughters farther inside the apartment, then slammed the door in my face. “Welcome to New York,” my neighbor said when I told him about my ordeal. Colleagues stared at me with “I told you so” incredulity, insinuating ever so delicately that if, as I admitted was ever-so-remotely possible, I had accidentally left the jeans on a bench in a New York gym, however upscale, it was equivalent to leaving your BMW convertible purring outside a crack den. In other words, I had it coming. After filing a police report, along with other traumatized victims, including an Australian tourist who had his phone swiped in Times Square, I joined Equinox anyway, paying $178 a month for access to any of its gyms, and I have been back three or four times each week. Now, like a seasoned New Yorker, I make sure to lock my locker, and tug several times at the lock to make sure it’s closed. I also can’t help scouring the gym in search of some investment banker wearing my favorite jeans.
|
Health Clubs;Robberies and Thefts;Manhattan (NYC)
|
ny0183798
|
[
"us"
] |
2007/12/15
|
2 L.S.U. Students Shot Dead Inside Campus Apartment
|
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Two graduate students were found shot to death late Thursday at a Louisiana State University apartment, and officials decided to keep the campus open on Friday while the police searched for three killers. The victims, Chandrasekhar Reddy Komma and Kiran Kumar Allam, both Ph.D. students from India, were found inside an apartment at the Edward Gay complex late Thursday night after the authorities received an emergency call. Police patrols were increased on the 28,000-student campus on Friday. The decision not to lock down the campus was made by the police after they determined that the shooting was an isolated attack, said Sean O’Keefe, the university chancellor. Mr. Allam’s pregnant wife called 911 at 10:37 p.m. Thursday after finding the men dead, campus officials said. Mr. Komma, a biology student, had been visiting Mr. Allam, who was in the chemistry program. The men were each shot once in the head, said Charles Zewe, a university spokesman. Mr. Komma, 31, was bound with a computer cable, and Mr. Allam, 33, was found near the door. Mr. O’Keefe said that nothing appeared to be stolen, leaving the police unclear about a motive. Three men were seen leaving the area, and the police searched for them on Friday, Mr. Zewe said. The apartment building where the shootings occurred is designated for married and graduate students and is on the edge of the campus, close to one of Baton Rouge’s highest-crime areas. The complex has a tall fence separating it from the off-campus neighborhood, but it has no gates or surveillance cameras.
|
Colleges and Universities;Murders and Attempted Murders;Louisiana State University
|
ny0041912
|
[
"nyregion"
] |
2014/05/11
|
Events in Connecticut for May 11-17, 2014
|
A guide to cultural and recreational events in Connecticut. Items for the calendar should be sent at least three weeks in advance to [email protected]. Comedy BRIDGEPORT The Bijou Theater “It’s All Fun and Games,” improvisation. May 16 at 8 p.m. $20 and $25. The Bijou Theater, 275 Fairfield Avenue. (203) 332-3228; thebijoutheatre.com. COLLINSVILLE Bridge Street Live Kevin Downey, Jr. and Tom Dustin. May 17 at 10 p.m. $15 and $25. Bridge Street Live, 41 Bridge Street. 41bridgestreet.com; (860) 693-9762. MASHANTUCKET Fox Theater, Foxwoods Casino Jo Koy. May 17 at 8 p.m. $30 to $60. Fox Theater, Foxwoods Casino, 350 Trolley Line Boulevard. (800) 200-2882; foxwoods.com. MASHANTUCKET Grand Theater, Foxwoods Casino Chris Tucker. May 17 at 8 p.m. $35 and $45. Grand Theater, Foxwoods Casino, 350 Trolley Line Boulevard. (800) 200-2882; foxwoods.com. STAMFORD Stamford Center for the Arts Demetri Martin. May 15 at 7:30 p.m. $35. Stamford Center for the Arts, 61 Atlantic Street. (203) 325-4466; stamfordcenterforthearts.org. Film HARTFORD Cinestudio “Nymphomaniac: Volume One,” directed by Lars von Trier. May 11 through 14. “Nymphomaniac: Volume Two,” directed by Lars von Trier. May 15 through 17. $7 and $9. Cinestudio, 300 Summit Street. (860) 297-2463; cinestudio.org. HARTFORD Real Art Ways “Finding Vivian Maier,” documentary by Charlie Siskel. “Mistaken for Strangers,” documentary by Tom Berninger. Through May 14. “For a Woman,” directed by Diane Kurys. “God’s Pocket,” directed by John Slattery. May 16 through 22. $4.50 to $10. Real Art Ways, 56 Arbor Street. realartways.org; (860) 232-1006. OLD SAYBROOK The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center A screening of “A Dancer’s Dream,” featuring the New York Philharmonic. May 18 at 3 p.m. $10 and $16. The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main Street. (877) 503-1286; thekate.org. RIDGEFIELD Ridgefield Playhouse “The Met in High Definition: ‘Werther,’ ” screening of the opera by Massenet. May 11 at 2 p.m. $15 to $25. Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road. (203) 438-5795; ridgefieldplayhouse.org. STAMFORD Avon Theater “No Kidding? Me Too!” Directed by Joe Pantoliano. May 13 at 7:30 p.m. Free. “Betty,” directed by Claude Chabrol. May 15 at 7:30 p.m. $6 to $11; Carte Blanche members, free. Avon Theater, 272 Bedford Street. avontheatre.org; (203) 967-3660. For Children BRIDGEPORT Downtown Cabaret Theater “Aladdin,” British pantomime-style performance. Through May 18. $27. Downtown Cabaret Theater, 263 Golden Hill Street. (203) 576-1636; dtcab.com. HARTFORD Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts “Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ ” musical. Through May 11. $19 to $87. Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, 166 Capitol Avenue. (860) 987-5900; bushnell.org. HARTFORD XL Center “Legends,” Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Through May 11. $18 to $103. XL Center, 1 Civic Center Plaza. (860) 249-6333; xlcenter.com. NORWALK Stepping Stones Museum for Children “Healthyville,” exhibition on nutrition, fitness, hygiene and safety. Through Sept. 1. Daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Stepping Stones Museum for Children, 303 West Avenue. steppingstonesmuseum.org; (203) 899-0606. OLD SAYBROOK The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center The New Haven Symphony Orchestra Family Concert. May 11 at 3 p.m. $10 and $16. “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe,” musical. May 17 at 1 p.m. $10 and $16. The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main Street. (877) 503-1286; thekate.org. RIDGEFIELD Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum Family Art Experiences—Plaster casting, storytelling, games and hands-on art projects. May 17. Ages 2 to 5: 10 a.m. to noon. Ages 6 to 10: 1 to 3 p.m. $5 and $10. Members, K-12 teachers, active-service military families and children under 18, free. Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, 258 Main Street. (203) 438-4519; aldrichart.org. WEST HARTFORD Playhouse on Park “A Year With Frog and Toad,” Willie Reale and Robert Reale. Through May 11. $13 and $15. Playhouse on Park, 244 Park Road. playhouseonpark.org; (860) 523-5900. Music and Dance DANBURY The Palace Theater Well-Strung, pop and classical. May 17 at 8 p.m. $30 and $40. The Palace Theater, 165 Main Street. thepalacedanbury.com; (203) 794-9944. BETHEL Pizzeria Lauretano Maydie Myles with the Tom Devino Trio, soul and gospel. May 11 at 6 p.m. $20. Ruth Ahlers Quartet with Joe Carter, jazz. May 18 at 6 p.m. $10. Pizzeria Lauretano, 291 Greenwood Avenue. (203) 792-1500; pizzerialauretano.com. BRIDGEPORT Downtown Cabaret Theater Doug Church, tribute to Elvis Presley. May 16 at 7:30 p.m. and May 17 at 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. $47. Downtown Cabaret Theater, 263 Golden Hill Street. (203) 576-1636; dtcab.com. BRIDGEPORT The Bijou Theater Amy Lynn, pop and soul. May 17 at 8 p.m. $17 and $23. The Bijou Theater, 275 Fairfield Avenue. (203) 332-3228; thebijoutheatre.com. COLLINSVILLE Bridge Street Live Jimmie Vaughan and the Tilt-A-Whirl Band, blues and rock. May 11 at 8 p.m. $55 and $75. Steve Forbert, folk. May 15 at 8 p.m. $22 and $32. Cracked Ice and the Mighty Soul Drivers, R&B. May 16 at 8 p.m. $15 and $25. Mike Zito and the Wheel, blues. May 17 at 7 p.m. $17 and $27. Bridge Street Live, 41 Bridge Street. 41bridgestreet.com; (860) 693-9762. FAIRFIELD StageOne, Fairfield Theater Company Ray Lamontagne, blues and funk. May 15 at 7:45 p.m. $25. Early Elton, tribute to Elton John. May 16 at 7:45 p.m. $35. The Main Squeeze, funk and jazz. May 18 at 7:45 p.m. $25. StageOne, Fairfield Theater Company, 70 Sanford Street. (203) 259-1036; fairfieldtheatre.org. HARTFORD Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts The Hartford Symphony Orchestra, with Edward Cumming, conductor. Through May 11. $10 to $67.50. (860) 244-2999; hartfordsymphony.org. Under the Streetlamp, pop. May 16 at 7:30 p.m. $35 to $45. Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, 166 Capitol Avenue. (860) 987-5900; bushnell.org. HARTFORD Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art “Men on Broadway,” Hartford Gay Men’s Chorus. May 16 and 17 at 8 p.m. $25. Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 600 Main Street. hartfordgaymenschorus.org; (860) 527-5151. NEW HAVEN Fair Haven School The New Haven Chamber Orchestra. May 17 at 4 p.m. Free. Fair Haven School, 164 Grand Avenue. newhavenchamberorchestra.org; (203) 799-2240. NEW HAVEN Firehouse 12 The Russ Nolan Quartet featuring Manuel Valera, jazz. May 16 at 8:30 and 10 p.m. $12 and $18. Firehouse 12, 45 Crown Street. (203) 785-0468; firehouse12.com. NEW LONDON Garde Arts Center “Madama Butterfly,” Connecticut Lyric Opera. May 16 at 8 p.m. $44 to $64. Garde Arts Center, 325 State Street. (860) 444-7373; gardearts.org. NORFOLK Infinity Hall The Glenn Miller Orchestra, big band. May 11 at 1:30 p.m. $39 and $54. Robben Ford, blues and jazz. May 11 at 7:30 p.m. $45 and $65. The Deadly Gentlemen, with Grace and the Victory Riders, bluegrass. May 15 at 8 p.m. $20 and $30. Reckless Kelly, alternative country. May 16 at 8 p.m. $30 and $45. Luka Bloom, folk and Celtic. May 17 at 8 p.m. $35 and $50. A. J. Croce with Emily Elbert, jazz and blues. May 18 at 7:30 p.m. $25 and $35. Infinity Hall, 20 Greenwoods Road. infinityhall.com; (866) 666-6306. OLD LYME The Side Door Rene Marie, jazz. May 14 at 7 p.m. $35. Sachal Vasandani Trio, jazz. May 16 at 7:30 p.m. $30. Ray Vega and his New York Latin Jazz All Stars. May 17 at 7:30 p.m. $30. The Side Door, 85 Lyme Street. (860) 434-0886; thesidedoorjazz.com. OLD SAYBROOK The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center John Hammond, blues. May 16 at 8 p.m. $35. Early Elton, tribute to Elton John. May 17 at 8 p.m. $37. The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main Street. (877) 503-1286; thekate.org. RIDGEFIELD Ridgefield Playhouse Boz Scaggs, rock. May 15 at 8 p.m. $125 to $175. Dan Finnerty and the Dan Band, rock. May 17 at 8 p.m. $40. The Wailers, reggae. May 18 at 8 p.m. $50. Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road. (203) 438-5795; ridgefieldplayhouse.org. STAMFORD Stamford Center for the Arts Soundtrack Live performs the music of “American Hustle.” May 15 at 9:30 p.m. $15. Chris MacDonald, tribute to Elvis Presley. May 16 at 7:30 p.m. $32 to $52. The Stamford Young Artists Philharmonic. May 18 at 4 p.m. $40 to $100. Stamford Center for the Arts, 61 Atlantic Street. stamfordcenterforthearts.org; (203) 325-4466. Image MASHANTUCKET The comedian Chris Tucker will perform on May 17 at 8 p.m. at the Grand Theater, Foxwoods Casino, 350 Trolley Line Boulevard. Tickets are $35 and $45. For further information: (800) 200-2882 or foxwoods.com . Credit Phil McCarten/Reuters UNCASVILLE Mohegan Sun The Killers, alternative rock. May 14 at 7:30 p.m. $54.50 and $70. Bruce Springsteen, rock. May 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m. $98 and $118. Mohegan Sun, 1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard. mohegansun.com; (888) 226-7711. WALLINGFORD Oakdale Theater Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration featuring Warren Haynes, rock. May 15 at 7:30 p.m. $47 to $187. Oakdale Theater, 95 South Turnpike Road. (203) 265-1501; oakdale.com. Outdoors ANSONIA Ansonia Nature Center Full Flower Moon Hike, guided walk. May 13 at 7:30 p.m. Free. Ansonia Nature Center, 10 Deerfield Road. (203) 736-1053; ansonianaturecenter.org. MILFORD Connecticut Audubon Society Coastal Center at Milford Point Peak migration bird walk at Mondo Pond. May 17 at 7:45 a.m. $5 to $9. Connecticut Audubon Society Coastal Center at Milford Point, 1 Milford Point Road. (203) 878-7440; ctaudubon.org. NAUGATUCK New Haven Bird Club New Haven Bird Club field trip to Naugatuck State Forest. Meet at the commuter parking lot at Exit 25 off Route 8. May 11 at 7 a.m. Free. newhavenbirdclub.org; (203) 389-6508. NEW LONDON New London Waterfront District Spring Food Stroll, with more than 35 restaurants. May 14, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. $20 to $30. New London Waterfront District. newlondonwaterfrontdistrict.org; (860) 444-2489. POMFRET CENTER Connecticut Audubon Society at Pomfret Early-Morning Bird Walks. Tuesdays at 8 a.m. through May 27. $5; members, free. Wednesday noon walks, guided hikes, with naturalist lessons. Through May 28. $3; members, free. Connecticut Audubon Society at Pomfret, 218 Day Road. (860) 928-4948; ctaudubon.org. STAMFORD Stamford Museum and Nature Center Spring on the Farm Festival Weekend, sheep shearing, live music, llama trekking and more. May 17 and 18, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. $5 to $10; members and children under 3, free. Stamford Museum and Nature Center, 39 Scofieldtown Road. (203) 322-1646; stamfordmuseum.org. STONINGTON New Haven Bird Club New Haven Bird Club Field Trip to the Barn Island Wildlife Management Area. Meet at the commuter lot at Exit 55 of I-95 to car-pool to the refuge. May 18 at 7 a.m. Free. newhavenbirdclub.org; (203) 389-6508. Theater EAST HADDAM Goodspeed Opera House “Damn Yankees (Red Sox Version),” musical comedy by George Abbott, Douglass Wallop, Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. Through June 21. $27 to $75. Goodspeed Opera House, 6 Main Street. (860) 873-8668; goodspeed.org. HARTFORD TheaterWorks Hartford “Love/Sick,” comedy by John Cariani. May 16 through June 22. $15 to $65. TheaterWorks Hartford, 233 Pearl Street. (860) 527-7838; theaterworkshartford.org. IVORYTON Ivoryton Playhouse “I Ought to Be in Pictures,” comedy by Neil Simon. Through May 11. $15 to $42. Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main Street. (860) 767-7318; ivorytonplayhouse.org. NEW HAVEN Long Wharf Theater “The Last Five Years,” musical by Jason Robert Brown. Through June 1. $40 to $75. Long Wharf Theater, 222 Sargent Drive. (203) 787-4282; longwharf.org. NEW LONDON Flock Theater “Romeo and Juliet,” by Shakespeare. May 15 through 25. $10 and $15. Flock Theater, 10 Huntington Street. flocktheatre.org; (860) 443-3119. NEW MILFORD TheaterWorks “The Last Night of Ballyhoo,” drama by Alfred Uhry. Through May 24. $23. TheaterWorks, 5 Brookside Avenue. (860) 350-6863; theatreworks.us. NEWTOWN Town Players of Newtown “The Glass Menagerie,” drama by Tennessee Williams. Through May 17. $15 to $20. Town Players of Newtown, 18 Orchard Hill Road. newtownplayers.org; (203) 270-9144. SHERMAN Sherman Playhouse “See How They Run,” comedy by Philip King. Through May 18. $20. Sherman Playhouse, 5 Route 39 North. shermanplayers.org; (860) 354-3622. WATERBURY Seven Angels Theater “Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?” Comedy by John Powers, James Quinn and Alaric Jans. Through June 15. $34 to $48.50. Seven Angels Theater, Plank Road, Hamilton Park. sevenangelstheatre.org; (203) 757-4676. WEST HARTFORD Playhouse on Park “The Trestle at Pop Lick Creek,” drama by Naomi Wallace. May 15 through 18. $18 and $20. Playhouse on Park, 244 Park Road. playhouseonpark.org; (860) 523-5900. Museums and Galleries COS COB Greenwich Historical Society “Enjoying the Country Life: Greenwich’s Great Estates.” Through Aug. 1. $8 and $10; members and children under 6, free. Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. Greenwich Historical Society, 39 Strickland Road. (203) 869-6899; greenwichhistory.org. COS COB The Drawing Room “Ebb and Flow,” group show. Through July 28. Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Drawing Room, 220 East Putnam Avenue. thedrawingroom.cc; (203) 661-3737. DARIEN Geary Gallery “Jim Grabowski: Inventing Abstracts.” Through May 31. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Geary Gallery, 576 Boston Post Road. gearygallery.com; (203) 655-6633. DARIEN The Darien Historical Society “Here Come the Brides: Grace and Elegance 1855-1950.” Through Aug. 31. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. The Darien Historical Society, 45 Old Kings Highway North. (203) 655-9233; darienhistorical.org. ESSEX Gallery19 “Nancy Lasar: Prints and Paintings” and “James Reed: Works on Paper.” Through June 30. Wednesdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Gallery19, 19A Main Street. (860) 581-8735; gallery19essex.com. FAIRFIELD Art/Place Gallery “Internal/External,” works by Diane Pollack and Dave Pressler. Through June 29. Thursdays through Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m.; Sundays, 2 to 5 p.m. Art/Place Gallery, 70 Sanford Street. (203) 292-8328; artplace.org. FAIRFIELD Thomas J. Walsh Art Gallery, Fairfield University “Jason Peters: Refraction.” Through June 27. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thomas J. Walsh Art Gallery, Fairfield University, 1073 North Benson Road. fairfield.edu/walsh; (203) 254-4062. GREENWICH Bruce Museum Annual Outdoor Crafts Festival, ceramics, jewelry, wood, fiber, metalwork, leather, paper arts and glass. May 17 and 18, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Ed Clark: American Photojournalist.” Through June 1. “Pasture to Pond: Connecticut Impressionism.” Through June 21. “Tales of Two Cities: New York and Beijing.” Through Aug. 31. “Extreme Habitats: Into the Deep Sea.” Through Nov. 9. $6 and $7; members and children under 5, free. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive. (203) 869-0376; brucemuseum.org. GREENWICH Flinn Gallery “Other Worlds,” group show. Through June 18. Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays to 8 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Flinn Gallery, 101 West Putnam Avenue. flinngallery.com; (203) 622-7961. GROTON Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art, University of Connecticut Groton Spring Exhibition, group show. Through June 7. $3 suggested donation. Members and students, free. Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art, University of Connecticut, 1084 Shennecossett Road. averypointarts.uconn.edu; (860) 405-9052. GUILFORD Greene Art Gallery “Sail Away,” paintings by Brec Morgan. May 15 through June 14. Sundays and Mondays, noon to 4 p.m.; Wednesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Greene Art Gallery, 29 Whitfield Street. greeneartgallery.com; (203) 453-4162. HAMDEN Arnold Bernhard Library “The Lady Sligo Letters: Westport House and Ireland’s Great Hunger,” more than 200 letters. Through April 30. Mondays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Arnold Bernhard Library, 275 Mount Carmel Avenue. (203) 582-8633; quinnipiac.edu. HARTFORD Real Art Ways “Allison Kaufman: Amplified Stages.” Through June 8. $3 suggested donation; members and cinema patrons, free. Daily, 2 to 9 p.m.; and by appointment. Real Art Ways, 56 Arbor Street. (860) 232-1006; realartways.org. HARTFORD The Mark Twain House and Museum “At Your Service,” photographs and artifacts. Through Sept. 1. $6 to $18; members and children under 6, free. Mondays through Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Mark Twain House and Museum, 351 Farmington Avenue. marktwainhouse.org; (860) 247-0998. LITCHFIELD Wisdom House “Realms: Inner Light,” sculpture by David Colbert. Through Sept. 13. Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wisdom House, 229 East Litchfield Road. (860) 567-3163; wisdomhouse.org. MYSTIC Maritime Art Gallery, at Mystic Seaport “Modern Marine Masters,” group show. Through June 15. Daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Maritime Art Gallery, at Mystic Seaport, 47 Greenmanville Avenue. (860) 572-5388; mysticseaport.org/gallery. Image RIDGEFIELD “Reflecting,” encaustic, gold leaf and mixed media on wood panel, is on view in an exhibition of works by Hans Fischer through June 1 at the Watershed Gallery, 23 Governor Street. For further information: (203) 438-4387 or watershedgallery.com . Credit Jennifer Mathy MYSTIC Mystic Arts Center “The Blues,” group show. “The Elected Artists,” group show. Through May 31. Daily, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mystic Arts Center, 9 Water Street. mysticarts.org; (860) 536-7601. NEW BRITAIN New Britain Museum of American Art “Click! Clack! Ding! The American Typewriter.” Through June 1. “James Prosek: Wondrous Strange.” Through June 8. “NEW/NOW: Joe Fig.” Through July 20. “Science Fiction Pulp Art.” Through Oct. 6. $8 to $12; members and children under 12, free. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. New Britain Museum of American Art, 56 Lexington Street. (860) 229-0257; nbmaa.org. NEW CANAAN Carriage Barn Arts Center “Absolut Kuba!” Group show. Through June 1. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Carriage Barn Arts Center, 681 South Avenue. carriagebarn.org; (203) 972-1895. NEW CANAAN New Canaan Library “Figuratively Speaking in New York City,” paintings by Elinore Schnurr. Through May 18. Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. New Canaan Library, 151 Main Street. newcanaanlibrary.org; (203) 594-5003. NEW CANAAN Silvermine Arts Center Galleries The 24th Annual Juried Student Exhibition. Through May 21. Wednesdays through Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. Silvermine Arts Center Galleries, 1037 Silvermine Road. silvermineart.org; (203) 966-9700. NEW HAVEN City Gallery “Mixing Memory With Desire,” sculpture by Meg Bloom. Through June 1. Thursdays through Sundays, noon to 4 p.m.; and by appointment. City Gallery, 994 State Street. city-gallery.org; (203) 782-2489. NEW HAVEN DaSilva Gallery Paintings by Susan Nally. Through May 31. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. DaSilva Gallery, 897 Whalley Avenue. (203) 387-2539; dasilva-gallery.com. NEW HAVEN Giampietro Gallery “Will Lustenader: Approximating Continuity.” Through May 24. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and by appointment. Giampietro Gallery, 91 Orange Street. giampietrogallery.com; (203) 777-7707. NEW HAVEN Kehler Liddell Gallery “Oil and Water,” group show. Through May 25. Thursdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and by appointment. Kehler Liddell Gallery, 873 Whalley Avenue. (203) 389-9555; kehlerliddell.com. NEW HAVEN New Haven Museum “Nothing is Set in Stone: The Lincoln Oak and the New Haven Green,” group show. Through Nov. 2. $2 to $4; children under 12, free. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, noon to 5.p.m.; first Sundays, 1 to 4 p.m. New Haven Museum, 114 Whitney Avenue. newhavenmuseum.org; (203) 562-4183. NEW HAVEN Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University “Tiny Titans: Dinosaur Eggs and Babies.” Through Aug. 30. $4 to $9; members and Yale ID holders, free. Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, 170 Whitney Avenue. peabody.yale.edu; (203) 432-5050. NEW HAVEN Yale Center for British Art “Fame and Friendship: Pope, Roubiliac and the Portrait Bust in 18th-Century Britain.” Through May 19. “Richard Wilson and the Transformation of European Landscape Painting.” Through June 1. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel Street. britishart.yale.edu; (203) 432-2800. NEW HAVEN Yale University Art Gallery “Byobu: The Grandeur of Japanese Screens.” Through July 6. “Five West Coast Artists: Bischoff, Diebenkorn, Neri, Park and Thiebaud.” Through July 13. “Jazz Lives: the Photographs of Lee Friedlander and Milt Hinton.” Through Sept. 7. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Yale University Art Gallery, 1111 Chapel Street. (203) 432-0600; artgallery.yale.edu. NEW HAVEN Yale-China Association “Paintings of Hong Kong Street Markets,” by Michael Sloan. Through June 30. Mondays through Fridays, 2 to 5 p.m., with appointment. Yale-China Association, 442 Temple Street. yalechina.org; (203) 432-0884. NEW LONDON Lyman Allyn Art Museum “Sub Urbanisms: Casino Company-town, China-town.” Through May 12. “Spirits of the Forest, People of the Herd: African Art in Two Worlds.” “Greasy Luck: The Whaling World of the Charles W. Morgan.” Through June 8. $5 to $10; members and children under 12, free. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Lyman Allyn Art Museum, 625 Williams Street. lymanallyn.org; (860) 443-2545. NORWALK The Leclerc Contemporary “Objective-Subjective,” group photography show. Through June 15. Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Leclerc Contemporary, 19 Willard Road. (203) 826-8575; leclerccontemporary.com. OLD LYME Florence Griswold Museum “Lucien Abrams: A Cosmopolitan in Connecticut.” Through June 1. $8 to $10; children under 12, free. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Florence Griswold Museum, 96 Lyme Street. (860) 434-5542; flogris.org. RIDGEFIELD Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum “Jack Whitten: Evolver.” Through July 6. “Standing in the Shadows of Love: The Aldrich Collection 1964-1974 Robert Indiana, Robert Morris, Ree Morton, Robert Rauschenberg, Robert Smithson.” “Taylor Davis: If you steal a horse, and let him go, he’ll take you to the barn you stole him from.” “Jessica Jackson Hutchins: Unicorn.” “Michael Joo: Drift.” “Michelle Lopez: Angels, Flags, Bangs.” Through Sept. 21. $5 and $10. Members, K-12 teachers, active-service military families and children under 18, free. Tuesdays, free. Tuesdays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, 258 Main Street. (203) 438-4519; aldrichart.org. RIDGEFIELD Seven Arts Gallery Works by Tom Bennett. May 17 through June 15. Thursdays and Fridays, 4:30 to 7 p.m.; Saturdays, noon to 7 p.m.; Sundays noon to 4 p.m. Seven Arts Gallery, 54 Ethan Allen Highway. (203) 278-3204; sevenartsgallery.com. RIDGEFIELD Watershed Gallery Hans Fischer solo exhibition. Through June 1. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays, noon to 7 p.m.; Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Watershed Gallery, 23 Governor Street. watershedgallery.com; (203) 438-4387. ROXBURY Minor Memorial Library “Ken Cornet: Art and Design, New Work on Paper.” Through June 7. Mondays, noon to 7 p.m.; Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays, noon to 5 p.m.; Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Minor Memorial Library, 23 South Street. minormemoriallibrary.org; (860) 350-2181. STAMFORD Franklin Street Works “The Sunken Living Room,” group show. Through May 25. Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m.; Thursdays, noon to 7 p.m. Franklin Street Works, 41 Franklin Street. (203) 595-5211; franklinstreetworks.org. STAMFORD Loft Artists Association “The Drawing on V,” group show. Through May 18. Saturdays and Sundays, 1 to 4:30 p.m. Loft Artists Association, 575 Pacific Street. (203) 247-2027; loftartists.com. STAMFORD P.M.W. Gallery “Suzanne Benton: From Paintings in Proust.” May 18 through June 29. By appointment only. P.M.W. Gallery, 530 Roxbury Road. (203) 322-5427; pmwgalleryplus.com. STAMFORD Stamford Art Association The 15th Annual Vivian and Stanley Reed Marine Show. Through June 5. Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 3 p.m. Stamford Art Association, 39 Franklin Street. stamfordartassociation.org; (203) 325-1139. STAMFORD Stamford Museum and Nature Center “Black - White - Color - Light: The Art of Rick Shaefer.” “The Sun as Art: NASA Photographs.” Through May 26. $5 to $10; members and children under 3, free. Mondays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Stamford Museum and Nature Center, 39 Scofieldtown Road. (203) 322-1646; stamfordmuseum.org. STORRS William Benton Museum of Art, University of Connecticut “Unclaimed Space: The 2014 Master of Fine Arts Exhibition.” Through May 11. “Ronnie Wood: Art and Music,” paintings, lithographs, and pen-and-ink drawings. Through Aug. 10. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 1 to 4:30 p.m. William Benton Museum of Art, University of Connecticut, 245 Glenbrook Road. (860) 486-4520; thebenton.org. WASHINGTON Gunn Memorial Library and Museum “Over There: Washington and The Great War.” Through Jan. 18. Thursdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. Gunn Memorial Library and Museum, 5 Wykeham Road. (860) 868-7756; gunnlibrary.org. WASHINGTON Stairwell Gallery, at Gunn Memorial Library and Museum “Arthur Carter: Studies for Construction.” Through June 21. Mondays and Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. Stairwell Gallery, at Gunn Memorial Library and Museum, 5 Wykeham Road. gunnlibrary.org; (860) 868-7586. WASHINGTON DEPOT Washington Art Association “Art and Food,” group show. May 17 through June 14. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Washington Art Association, 4 Bryan Memorial Plaza. washingtonartassociation.org; (860) 868-2878. WATERBURY Mattatuck Museum “Learn This! Why American Kids Went to School,” interactive exhibition. Through May 25. “Sphere of Influence,” Ira Barkoff and the Washington Art Association. “BroLab: Bevel and Rub.” “Stories and Journeys: Faith Ringgold and Aminah Robinson.” Through June 8. “Undefeated! The 1959 Croft High School Football Champions,” photographs and artifacts. Through July 12. “Fancy This: The Gilded Age of Fashion.” Through Oct. 19. $6 and $7; members and children under 16, free. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Mattatuck Museum, 144 West Main Street. mattatuckmuseum.org; (203) 753-0381. WESTPORT Nylen Gallery “Flow,” Sholeh Janati and Jeff Becker. Through May 14. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nylen Gallery, 606 Post Road East. picturethisofwestport.com; (203) 227-6861. WESTPORT Westport Arts Center “Solos 2014,” group show. “Abstract Notes,” works by Smilow Cancer Hospital patients. Through June 1. Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. Westport Arts Center, 51 Riverside Avenue. westportartscenter.org; (203) 222-7070. WILTON Wilton Historical Society “Changing Times — Hand Tools Before the Industrial Revolution: Connecticut Tools of the Trades from the Walter R. T. Smith Collection.” Through Oct. 4. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wilton Historical Society, 224 Danbury Road. wiltonhistorical.org; (203) 762-7257. WINDSOR Windsor Art Center “Performance Scripts: The Babbletive and Scribbletive Arts by Edmond Chibeau.” May 10 through June 21. Thursdays, 6 to 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Windsor Art Center, 40 Mechanic Street. (860) 688-2528; windsorartcenter.org.
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The arts;Connecticut
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ny0054614
|
[
"sports",
"worldcup"
] |
2014/07/06
|
Brazilian President Calls Recuperating Neymar ‘a Great Warrior’
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Brazil striker Neymar was airlifted from the team’s training camp in a medical helicopter and will be treated at home for the back injury that has ruled him out of the World Cup. Neymar was on a stretcher when he was transferred from an ambulance to the helicopter, which took off Saturday afternoon from one of Brazil’s practice fields in Teresópolis, about an hour’s drive from Rio de Janeiro. Neymar was taken to his home in Guarujá, in the state of São Paulo, where he will continue to undergo treatment for the vertebra he fractured late in Brazil’s 2-1 quarterfinal win over Colombia on Friday. Sports channels were broadcasting live as Neymar, 22, a star on the field and a celebrity off it, waved briefly from his stretcher inside the helicopter. President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil published a letter of support in which she called Neymar “a great warrior.” “Your expression of pain on the field yesterday hurt my heart and the hearts of every Brazilian,” she said. “I know that as a Brazilian you never give up, and sooner than expected, you will be back filling our souls with happiness and our history with success.” Neymar had flown back to Rio de Janeiro with the rest of his Brazil teammates after the match, held in Fortaleza, and then rode in an ambulance the rest of the way to the team’s training camp in Teresópolis. How Much Will Brazil Miss Neymar? Teams that have relied heavily on one player being involved in its scoring chances have fared much better than teams that have shared those opportunities more evenly. When the plane arrived in Rio early Saturday, teammates embraced him one by one as he sat in a wheelchair. Neymar broke his third vertebra when he was kneed in the back by Colombia’s Juan Camilo Zúñiga in the 86th minute. Doctors said Neymar would not need surgery, but he is expected to be sidelined for at least four weeks. He is wearing a strap to help keep his back immobilized. Zúñiga sent a letter of apology to Neymar, saying he was “deeply sorry and sad” for causing the injury. “Although I feel the situation was normal in a game, there was no bad intention, malice or negligence on my part,” Zúñiga said in a statement released Saturday by the Colombian team. He added: “I admire you, respect you and consider you one of the best players in the world. I hope you recover and return quickly.” Zúñiga addressed part of his letter to the Brazilian fans — many of whom have expressed anger at him — thanking them “for all the support you showed to the Colombian team during every one of our games.” TICKET SCALPING INVESTIGATION FIFA said 131 World Cup tickets, including 70 for corporate hospitality packages, were seized by Rio de Janeiro police officers investigating ticket scalping. Thierry Weil, FIFA’s marketing director, said 60 tickets were originally issued directly to the public; one came from Brazil’s soccer federation. Weil said all but two of the tickets were for previous matches that the scalping ring seemed to have been unable to sell. It was unclear how many tickets the scalpers had already sold illegally. The Rio police said they suspected a person of influence with FIFA was a source for tickets, which Brazilian law forbids being resold for profit.
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2014 World Cup;Soccer;Neymar;Dilma Rousseff;Sports injury;Brazil;Colombia
|
ny0198874
|
[
"business"
] |
2009/07/07
|
Event Planners Lose Commissions as Meetings Shrink
|
When meetings or conferences are canceled — a relatively common occurrence in these financially difficult times — hotels collect a fraction of the money they were expecting, and participants lose the chance to network or gain knowledge about their industry. But one group of hospitality professionals is literally watching its livelihood go down the drain as corporate events are pared to the bone — the corporate event planners hired by companies to book and coordinate meetings. “One hundred percent of my revenues are made on commission,” said Stephanie Edwards, a partner at Conference Consultants Worldwide. “I would say when we got our first-quarter results, they showed a 40 percent cut in revenue.” Other independent planners report similar and occasionally even steeper drops. Those who focus on troubled industries like automotive and financial services have been hit the hardest. But no one is immune. “It’s been a really challenging time for the industry,” said Brenda Anderson, chief executive of Site Global, an association for corporate event planners. “Let’s say you’re a small planner. One big piece of business that goes away is going to put you out of business. It’s your survival on the line.” While Ms. Edwards and others like her are hired by companies, their contract is actually with the hotel. The property agrees to pay them a commission — 10 percent is standard in the industry — based on the room revenue they bring to the hotel. This means that if a meeting for 2,000 is suddenly scaled back to half that, or if a four-night booking is halved to become a two-night event, the amount of money people like Ms. Edwards earn automatically drops by 50 percent, even though the work they do does not change. “We’re working twice as hard for half as much money,” said Brian Stevens, president of ConferenceDirect, a site selection company that makes bookings for some 6,000 groups a year. He added that his booking pace for 2009 so far is down by about 33 percent from last year. In fact, many freelance planners who depend on commission say they are working harder than ever to drive hard bargains on hotel rates and lobby for lenient contracts that will not penalize a group if the number of delegates they draw is smaller than the number promised. “Our clients realize we’re working twice as hard for them, and they realize our job is to get them the best rates even if that cuts our commission,” Mr. Stevens said. Other planners report that they have been able to shave as much as 40 percent off previously negotiated rates — a boon for the event sponsor, but a loss for the planner. If an event is canceled outright, planners who work on commission usually do not make a dime. While a rare few freelancers say they have been able to wrangle concessions from hotels that promise them a piece of the damages a group must pay the hotel if it cancels, the vast majority have to chalk it up as a loss. An equally tough challenge is if a company or association decides to postpone the event for a year, or even indefinitely. This holding pattern has become so common it even has a nickname among the professionals — “helicoptering” — to describe clients who are afraid to commit to a future event because of current financial uncertainty. “Clients are so afraid the pickup isn’t going to be there that they’re not signing the contracts for future years,” said David N. Bruce, managing director of CMP Meeting Services. As the economy has worsened, some site selection professionals have even found themselves embroiled in disputes with hotels resistant to paying a commission on rates that have been slashed to the bone. John Foster, a lawyer who specializes in group hotel contracts, said some hotels are now taking the position that they won’t pay a commission if a conference attendee books accommodations outside the block of rooms designated for the group. Part of the difficulty is the ubiquity of online discount-booking sites, on which conference delegates can often find rooms nearby or even at the same property for less than the rate being offered by the event’s sponsor. Hotels generally pay these third-party sites a commission per booking, so they are loath to pay a second commission to the event coordinator. To sustain income during these difficult times, planners like Cecilia Rose who offer site selection are changing how they are paid. “We’ve redefined how we charge a little bit,” said Ms. Rose, who owns an event booking and planning firm. “We’ve gone to more flat fees as opposed to a commission,” and her contract in those cases is with the group not the hotel. Although planners run the risk of putting off clients who would prefer to have the hotel pay the planner, Ms. Rose says her clients appreciate knowing how much her services are going to cost. Nor, she said, do they have to worry that the hotel is padding the room rate to make her commission. Other freelance event planners and companies that depended on commission dollars in the past are exploring the prospect of offering other, fee-based services to insulate them from a drop in hotel bookings. They will run a conference registration desk, for example, or help develop seminar topics, all for flat or hourly fees that supplement their shrinking commission income. The industry trade group, Meeting Professionals International, added new educational sessions for its coming convention to teach freelance planners how to expand their services beyond room booking and into more strategic areas like creating education curriculums or running group activities.
|
Conventions and Conferences;Hotels and Motels
|
ny0000802
|
[
"sports",
"ncaabasketball"
] |
2013/03/29
|
Duke’s Mason Plumlee Keeps Practicing a Dying Art: the Hook Shot
|
INDIANAPOLIS — Let’s get this straight: that hook shot Duke’s Mason Plumlee used against Albany in the second round of the N.C.A.A. tournament was not a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sky hook. Close, but not quite. Plumlee is 6 feet 10 inches, and his locked-elbow extension comes up a few inches shy of Abdul-Jabbar’s unstoppable, right-handed signature move that carried him to an N.B.A.-record 38,387 points. “We call it a running hook,” said the Duke associate head coach Steve Wojciechowski, who coaches the Blue Devils’ post players. “We don’t specifically say we’re trying to teach Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s sky hook. It’s very similar.” Still, so few college players shoot hook shots anymore that it is hard to distinguish one type from another. Albany Coach Will Brown said he never saw a player even attempt a hook shot in his 12 seasons with the Great Danes until last Friday, when Plumlee hit three running hook shots and scored 23 points in Duke’s 73-61 victory. “Plumlee did the best Kareem Abdul-Jabbar imitation I’ve seen in a long time,” Brown said in a postgame news conference. That Duke and Michigan State, who meet Friday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in a Midwest Region semifinal, are among the few programs still teaching the hook shot adds to the matchup of the extremely successful coaches Mike Krzyzewski and Tom Izzo. “It’s an unguardable shot if you can shoot it,” Michigan State’s associate head coach, Dwayne Stephens, said. “I don’t know why more kids don’t shoot it.” The modern emphasis on drive-and-dish perimeter shooting over traditional post play makes someone like Plumlee stand out. Hal Wissel, who taught the hook shot for decades as a college coach and an N.B.A. assistant before opening a basketball school with his sons Scott and Paul in Suffield, Conn., places blame on college coaches who spend too much time recruiting and not enough time instructing. “The game is overcoached and undertaught,” Wissel said. “That’s the single best answer. If you go to the N.B.A. predraft camp in Chicago, very few of the players have any post-up ability. I watch the drills. They’ll put the ball on the floor, they will travel, and no one is correcting them.” Wojciechowski says the tendency to shy away from hook shots starts long before college. “A lot of kids want to play facing the basket, even tall kids,” he said. “Very few kids grow up dreaming about being back-to-the-basket players. “A lot of the systems in college now are pick-and-roll systems where guys are catching it in the post on the move, instead of catching it with their back to the basket and having to make a move.” Image Duke’s Mason Plumlee, practicing his hook, has gone against the tide by continuing to use it. Credit Michael Conroy/Associated Press Stephens, who also played at Michigan State, said he taught the hook as a nod to his former coach Jud Heathcote, who insisted every player, regardless of position, master a hook shot with either hand. So Celtics fans can blame Heathcote for the running hook Magic Johnson flipped over Robert Parish and Kevin McHale to win Game 4 of the 1987 N.B.A. finals for the Lakers. Stephens said that forwards Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix could shoot a hook, but that they were not keen on it. “Those guys don’t think that shot is fashionable,” Stephens said. “You equate it with Kareem shooting a roll hook — that’s what we call it — or a sky hook, whatever you want to call it. They think it’s an old-school move, and they’d rather shoot a jump hook or turnaround jump shot.” Plumlee had no such hesitation when he started working on it several years ago. “I’m not overpowering,” the 230-pound Plumlee said. “I play against guys who are 250-plus. I can’t just back people all the way under the rim. So I have to have something I can go to and use touch and shoot over people. “I think really at the end of last year, I felt like it was more of a go-to move for me.” The hook has helped Plumlee average 17.2 points a game, just behind guard Seth Curry’s team-leading 17.3, and post the nation’s sixth-best field-goal percentage (.598). He leads the Blue Devils with 10 rebounds a game and has 67 assists, more than any Duke player who is not a guard. “The game has changed, and that’s why for us, having a low-post player like Mason is so valuable,” Wojciechowski said. “He’s a guy who not only can score with his back to the basket, but he’s one of our best passers. When he is double-teamed, he can make the right pass out of a double. That’s rare in today’s day and age.” Stephens said he did not see the hook shot making a revival. “Dwight Howard shoots one every now and then, but he’s not as good at it,” he said. “Until you see a really popular or high-profile big guy shooting it, I don’t think the kids will start to shoot it.” For now, Plumlee offers a glimpse of a lost art, fitting for a cultural anthropology major. “Let’s bring it back in style,” Plumlee said with a smile. COLLINS TO NORTHWESTERN Less than a week after Mike Krzyzewski gave him a public vote of confidence, the longtime Duke assistant Chris Collins was given his first head-coaching job, by Northwestern. Collins played for Duke from 1993 to 1996 and has served on Krzyzewski’s bench for the past 13 seasons, including as an assistant for the United States Olympic basketball team. He is the son of the Philadelphia 76ers’ coach, Doug Collins. Krzyzewski said Thursday that Collins was “perfect for the job.” “I’m so excited for Chris,” Krzyzewski said. “Northwestern provides an opportunity to be at a great school, a private institution with an A.D. and president who are totally committed to building a great program and upholding the standards of their school.” Collins grew up in Northbrook, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, and is a former Mr. Basketball honoree for Illinois. “Northwestern University is a special place that strives for excellence in every regard, and our program will be no different,” Collins said in a statement. “I can’t possibly thank Coach Krzyzewski and Duke University enough for preparing me for this day.” ZACH SCHONBRUN
|
College basketball;NCAA Men's Basketball,March Madness;Duke;Mason Plumlee;Kareem Abdul-Jabbar;Michigan State;Chris Collins
|
ny0131163
|
[
"world",
"asia"
] |
2012/12/18
|
Bangladesh Finds Gross Negligence in Factory Fire
|
DHAKA, Bangladesh — Criminal charges for “unpardonable negligence” should be brought against the owner of the Bangladesh garment factory where a fire killed 112 people last month, according to a preliminary report from a government inquiry submitted Monday. “The owner of the factory cannot be indemnified from the death of large numbers of workers from this fire,” Main Uddin Khandaker, the official who led the inquiry, said in an interview. “Unpardonable negligence of the owner is responsible for the death of workers.” The Nov. 24 fire at the Tazreen Fashions factory , where workers were making clothes for global retailers like Walmart and Sears, has focused attention on the unsafe work conditions and low wages at many garment factories in Bangladesh, the No. 2 exporter of apparel after China. The fire also has exposed flaws in the system that monitors the industry’s global supply chain: Walmart and Sears say they had no idea their apparel was being made there. Mr. Khandaker submitted a 214-page report to Bangladesh’s Home Ministry on Monday, blaming the factory owner, Delowar Hossain, for negligence and saying that nine of his midlevel managers and supervisors prevented employees from leaving their sewing machines even after a fire alarm sounded. Mr. Hossain could not be reached for comment. The report also stated that the fire was “an act of sabotage,” but it did not provide any evidence. Some labor advocates found that explanation unconvincing. “They don’t say who did it, they don’t say where in the factory it was done, they don’t say how they learned it,” said Scott Nova, executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium , a monitoring group in Washington. “Regardless of what sparked the fire, it is clear that the unsafe nature of this factory and the actions taken by management once the fire started were the primary contributors to the horrendous death toll.” Bangladeshi officials have been under intense domestic and international pressure to investigate the blaze and charge those deemed responsible. Families of the victims have demanded legal action against Mr. Hossain. Labor advocates have argued that the global brands using the factory also shared in the responsibility for the tragedy. Fires have been a persistent problem in Bangladesh’s garment industry for more than a decade, with hundreds of workers killed over the years. Mr. Khandaker said his inquiry recommended the creation of a government task force to oversee regular inspections of factories and uphold the rights of workers. Bangladesh has more than 4,500 garment factories, which employ more than four million workers, many of them young women. The industry is crucial to the national economy as a source of employment and foreign currency. Garments constitute about four-fifths of the country’s manufacturing exports, and the industry is expected to grow rapidly. But Bangladesh’s manufacturing formula depends on keeping wages low and restricting the rights of workers. The minimum wage in the garment industry is $37 a month, unions are almost nonexistent, and garment workers have taken to the streets in recent years in sometimes violent protests over wages and work conditions. Workers at Tazreen Fashions had staged small demonstrations in the months before the fire, demanding wages they were owed. On the night of the fire, more than 1,150 people were inside the eight-story building, working overtime shifts to fill orders for various international brands. Fire officials say the fire broke out in the open-air ground floor, where large mounds of fabric and yarn were illegally stored; Bangladeshi law requires that such flammable materials be stored in a room with fireproof walls. The blaze quickly spread across the length of the ground floor — roughly the size of a football field — as fire and toxic smoke filtered up through the building’s three staircases. The factory lacked a sprinkler system or an outdoor fire escape; employees were supposed to use interior staircases, and many escaped that way. But on some floors, managers ordered workers to ignore a fire alarm and stay to work. Precious minutes were lost. Then, as smoke and fire spread throughout the building, many workers were trapped, unable to descend the smoke-filled staircases and blocked from escape by iron grilles on many windows. Desperate workers managed to break open some windows and leap to the roof of a nearby building and safety. Others simply jumped from upper floors to the ground. “We have also found unpardonable negligence of midlevel officials at the factory,” Mr. Khandaker said. “They prevented workers from coming down. We recommend taking proper legal measures against them.” Mr. Khandaker listed a host of violations at Tazreen Fashions: managers on some floors closed collapsible gates to block workers from running down the staircases, the ground-floor warehouse was illegal and the building’s escape plan improper, and the factory lacked a required closed-circuit television monitoring system. None of the fire extinguishers in the factory appeared to have been used on the night of the fire, suggesting poor preparedness and training. Moreover, Mr. Khandaker said, the factory lacked a required fire safety certificate. It had applied for an annual renewal, but a certificate had not yet been issued. Asked about the allegation of sabotage, Mr. Khandaker said that investigators had found no evidence of an electrical short circuit, and that eyewitnesses had suggested possible foul play. He said the report recommended a full criminal investigation into the matter. “It seems to us that it was sabotage,” he said. “Somebody set the fire.”
|
Tazreen Fashions;Bangladesh;Factories and Manufacturing;Fires and Firefighters;Hossain Delowar;Sabotage (Crime)
|
ny0069907
|
[
"nyregion"
] |
2014/12/25
|
Inside Gramercy Park’s Gates, One Night Less Silent Than the Other 364
|
The line of people laced down the block an hour before the opening on Wednesday night, stalwart as rain spat down, growing in size even as the damp descended. Before them lay not a velvet-roped nightclub or a red-carpet awards show, but something far more exclusive: a park. Gramercy Park, a blip of green between 20th and 21st Streets on the East Side of Manhattan, is a rare private space, open only to those who hold a key to its wrought iron gates — residents of the buildings that surround it and some select others. Except on this day, once a year. For one hour. Such a whiff of exclusivity is catnip to Nocturnalist, inspiring us, your retired night life Sherpa, to dust off our rusty pen, unearth our yellowing notebook and embrace once more the first-person plural. But who would have thought that in New York City’s most rarefied spot, our gown would stay resting in tissue-papered serenity, replaced by an undignified raincoat? “Not many people in New York can say they’ve been inside this park,” said Tony Hernandez, 23, who had brought Eimy Martinez, 21, along as a Christmas treat, explaining why the two had stood for an hour in the wet in front of the metal gates on the park’s south side. There are just 383 keys in circulation, some of them stewarded by doormen of the nearby buildings. The locks and keys are frequently changed to thwart duplicitous duplicators. At 6 p.m. the fortress swung open with a quiet creak. The park had been opened on Christmas Eve for an hour of caroling, a longstanding tradition. “Peasant people!” said a man hovering near the line who (somewhat wisely, we think) declined to give his name. And inside the masses streamed. They prowled around the park, a pleasure garden established by a man named Samuel B. Ruggles in 1831. They took selfies with the Christmas tree and snapped photos of shrubbery bending under the weight of rain. “We are the proletariat,” said Noelle Miller, 28, of Brooklyn, with a wry smile. “We’ve dreamed of this moment our whole lives!” Those who love the greensward feel no compunction that it is not egalitarian. Arlene Harrison , who has visited it daily throughout the 44 years she has lived alongside it, becoming the park’s de facto mayor — “Empress” to some, she said — drew a parallel between the urban oasis and a suburbanite’s yard. “This is the private property of the people who own the park,” she said. That is, homeowners like the television personality Jimmy Fallon, who has a residence beside the greenery. This year, the evening’s festivities were dedicated to the city’s police officers, and the park’s flag hung at half-staff in honor of the two killed last weekend. A soaring “Silent Night” underscored brief moments of solemnity, while peals of laughter trailed “Jingle Bells.” Bedecked with droplets from an overhanging bough, Nocturnalist, a native New Yorker, recalled nights of our wrongheaded youth spent pondering how to get through — or, more accurately, over — the gates after dusk. Standing inside now, amid the cheerful, soggy singers, it seemed somehow improper that the city’s most standoffish swath of green had gotten a reverse Cinderella treatment: For the evening, it seemed simply to be a park like any other, its rarefied gravel tramped by rain boots, its fallow flower beds sodden. As the carolers caroled, Nocturnalist had another tune in mind, a decidedly un-Christmassy metal melody, “The Key to Gramercy Park,” by a band called Deadsy. “Now I’ve got the key to Gramercy Park,” the rocker croons, “But I might, might miss breaking in through the bars.” Even on this night of exception, some people were still bent on breaking the rules. Sacha Jones, 46, a holistic wellness practitioner from the East Village, stood clandestinely sipping spiked apple cider from a mug (the juice was organic; the brandy, she said, not so much). But some of her friends had refused to join her, Ms. Jones said, on principle. Visitors from as far away as Florida and Texas who had heard of the park were charmed by the singing, by the soaked fir tree, by the puddle-riddled paths. The only real complainer was a beagle named Stanley. Even on this one night, during the one hour in which the outside world was allowed in, dogs had to stay out. His owner had ducked inside. Stuck outside the gate on 21st Street, as most of us are, most of the time, Stanley howled.
|
Gramercy Park Manhattan;Christmas;Parks
|
ny0018776
|
[
"nyregion"
] |
2013/07/17
|
A Delayed Ambulance Response Prompts Quinn to Act
|
When a young woman fainted in the sweltering heat in Brooklyn on Tuesday, it did not immediately draw much attention, even though the woman, a City Council intern, tumbled to the ground during an outdoor news conference with Christine C. Quinn, the Council speaker. Nor did it draw an ambulance for 31 minutes — and only after Ms. Quinn, surrounded by reporters and cameras, phoned the police commissioner directly for assistance. By then, what had begun as a routine call on a hot summer day, according to fire officials, became a chaotic and politically tinged scene. Ms. Quinn sat by the 18-year-old intern on the scalding pavement; made calls to the cellphones of the fire and police commissioners; and made her outrage known at the scene and later at City Hall. “I don’t know what in God’s name could have taken so long to get this ambulance to help this young girl,” Ms. Quinn, a Democratic candidate for mayor, told the reporters, who had gathered for the news conference, about solid waste management. “But you can rest assured that I am going to find out. It’s just not acceptable.” Hours later at City Hall, she said she had met with fire officials, including Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano, and pressed for more ambulances to be added during the summer heat, when the volume of calls to 911 spikes drastically. “This cannot be the standard in New York City,” Ms. Quinn said. The episode came amid criticism of New York City’s emergency response network, which has experienced technical problems and allegations of dropped calls and delayed response times since switching to a new system this spring. But the Fire Department said the long wait had nothing to do with its new system. It was instead, officials said, the result of normal triage meant to give priority to life-threatening emergencies, and the fact that all 15 ambulances that could have responded in the area were on other calls. “Murphy’s Law was occurring in northern Brooklyn; we were getting slammed,” said Francis X. Gribbon, a Fire Department spokesman. “There were real emergencies.” He added that of the 71 basic life-support ambulances on the road in all sectors of Brooklyn, 45 were busy at the time of the fainting. The intern, who recently began working with Councilwoman Diana Reyna, fainted just before noon, toward the end of the news conference, which had been held on a Williamsburg sidewalk under the shade of a tree. Almost immediately, several people called 911, Ms. Quinn said, and the police officers assigned to her security detail radioed in as well. One of those officers, a detective and trained emergency medical worker, administered oxygen, she said, and put cold packs on her. Fire officials said that based on details given by the initial caller, the 911 operator categorized the call as “Segment 5” — a medium priority call. (Calls given a 1 to 3 — cardiac arrest, gun shots — are responded to by paramedics.) “She fainted, may have hit her head on the sidewalk,” the female caller told the operator, according to a copy of the transcript read by Mr. Gribbon. “Is she awake now?” the operator asked. “She is,” the caller replied. “You said that when she fell, she may have hit her head,” the operator asked again, seeking to determine the severity of the call. “She may have, I couldn’t tell,” the caller said. (She did not hit her head, Ms. Quinn later said.) Ms. Quinn said she kept telling the woman that an ambulance would arrive in a minute. “That’s all you can tell someone who’s lying on the ground in need of medical attention,” she said. “Because I can’t really say to her, they’re going to be here in a half an hour.” But as the minutes stretched nearly that long, and Ms. Quinn failed in trying to reach the commissioner of the Fire Department, she got the police commissioner, Raymond W. Kelly, on the phone. “I just said, I need an ambulance and he said where are you and I told him where I was,” she said. After that, she added, things moved “quickly.” Around the same time, someone from Ms. Quinn’s office called 911 again, saying the woman appeared to be losing consciousness. That, Ms. Quinn and fire officials said, elevated the priority of the call. At around 12:21 p.m., a squad car from the local precinct arrived. Then a fire engine. Then volunteers from Hatzolah , the Jewish ambulance service, got there and took the woman to Woodhull Medical Center; she was released in the afternoon. Ms. Quinn said a Fire Department ambulance arrived a few minutes after the woman had been taken away.
|
Ambulance;Vasovagal Syncope;Christine C Quinn;Mayoral races;NYC;Emergency medicine
|
ny0106384
|
[
"sports",
"baseball"
] |
2012/04/28
|
Mets Lose Ugly One to Rockies, 18-9
|
DENVER — There was something cruel about the half-inning, how it stubbornly refused to end. Here was the damage, accrued over 35 excruciating minutes: 11 runs, 7 hits and 3 walks. Two long home runs. Four head-slapping errors. Two arguments, though no ejections. Innumerable slumped shoulders. Countless faraway stares. The Mets ’ strongest offensive output of the year, which included the 10th cycle in the history of their franchise, was nullified by an embarrassing and seemingly unending display of futility in the bottom of the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies on Friday night at Coors Field. The Mets carried an optimistic four-run lead into the inning but then saw it wiped away, agonizingly, bit by bit, until they found themselves trailing by seven runs after the third out was recorded. The madcap game, which featured 36 hits, finished 3 hours 47 minutes after it began, with the Mets on the wrong end of an 18-9 score line. “It’s probably one of the most craziest games I’ve ever been a part of,” said Hairston, his lips pursed into a wry smile as he tried to describe the day’s conflicting emotions. Hairston hit a home run to left field in the fourth that tied the game at 2-2. In the fifth, his triple helped kick-start a four-run, two-out rally that seemed to grant the Mets control of the game. But then everything came undone. Chris Schwinden’s throwing error to first base allowed Eric Young Jr. to reach safely, giving the bottom of the fifth an appropriately inauspicious beginning. “Throwing the ball away wasn’t what was planned,” said Schwinden, who made his first start of the year, “and it just snowballed from there.” Young, who stole second and took third on another throwing error, scored on Jonathan Herrera’s single to right. Carlos Gonzalaez came up next and crushed a three-run home run into the visitors’ bullpen in right-center field, pausing in the batter’s box to watch the ball’s flight. With no outs, Manny Acosta jogged in from the bullpen to replace Schwinden, but the carnage continued. Troy Tulowitzki scored on a fielder’s choice, the first out of the inning. One batter later, Dexter Fowler pounded a ball deep into the right field stands to score another three runs. He too, paused to admire his work. Young, up again, walked, Marco Scutaro singled, and Herrera was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. All three runners scored on Gonzalez’s hit to right field, making the score 13-6. Miguel Batista, the third Mets’ pitcher of the inning, entered, and 33 minutes after the inning began he got Tulowitzki to fly out deep to center. A minute later, Todd Helton grounded out to first, ending the inning. The crowd of 35,103 rose to their feet, happy and amazed by what it had seen. “You come into this ballpark, you’ve got to make pitches,” Manager Terry Collins said of Coors Field, which is known for its hitter friendly dimensions and conditions. “And if you don’t, stuff like this happens.” The 11 runs allowed by the Mets in the inning tied a franchise high, and so did their four errors, which were sprinkled frustratingly through the half-hour. The historic incompetence sullied a game that otherwise had the potential to produce some positivity. Hairston, who started in left field to face the left-handed starter Drew Pomeranz, drove in five runs and became the 10th Mets player to hit for the cycle. The last player to do it for the Mets was Jose Reyes in 2006. Yet when Hairston doubled in the sixth, shortly after the butchery of the previous inning, to complete the rare feat, it seemed like a strange afterthought, something that would be difficult to celebrate, even as the Mets pulled themselves within striking distance with three more runs. “It was great when it was happening,” Hairston said, “but when they kept scoring runs, it really wasn’t that enjoyable, to say the least. But the Rockies were not done. Ramon Hernandez hit an opposite-field grand slam off Bobby Parnell to highlight a five-run seventh for the Rockies that gave them twice as many runs as the Mets. The Mets had another error in the inning, too, their sixth, one shy of the franchise record. Amid the mortification, there could be culled traces of positivity, mostly on the offensive side. The Mets had 17 hits and their run total surpassed their previous high this season of seven, which they produced in their third game. Ruben Tejada, like Hairston, matched a career high with four hits. Schwinden, meanwhile, was the first pitcher to have a go in the rotation spot of Mike Pelfrey, who will travel Monday to see Dr. James Andrews, with Tommy John surgery likely to treat a torn ligament in his elbow. Collins said he was impressed by how Schwinden settled down after giving up two runs in the first. But Schwinden was not happy with his performance. “This wasn’t a good way to go about it, to show myself,” he said. “But hopefully I get another opportunity to do that.” After a day of ugliness, most of his teammates would say the same about themselves. INSIDE PITCH Andres Torres (strained left calf) went 0 for 4 and played a full game in center field for the Mets’ Class AAA team in Buffalo, remaining on course to be activated for Monday’s game against the Houston Astros. Terry Collins hinted Friday that Torres would play center field and Kirk Nieuwenhuis would move to left.
|
New York Mets;Colorado Rockies;Hairston Scott;Baseball
|
ny0201634
|
[
"nyregion"
] |
2009/09/23
|
Overhead, Empire State Building Lobby Restored to Old Glory
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Every day, people walk into Grand Central Terminal and look up at the vaulted ceiling over the main concourse, with its star constellations and zodiac signs. It helped make the station “a triumphant portal to New York,” in the words of one of its architects, Whitney Warren. People who walked into the Empire State Building have done their looking up outside, craning their necks to see the top, 1,250 feet above the street. As they made their way to the observation deck, they had little reason to look up in the cathedral-like lobby. Now there is something to look up at. The ceiling in the lobby has undergone a $12.5 million renovation that has brought back two shiny Art Deco murals that disappeared from view in the 1960s. They are to be unveiled on Wednesday. The murals were left to deteriorate more than 35 years ago after being covered with white plastic panels and fluorescent light fixtures, which were the latest things for office buildings in those days. Anthony E. Malkin, the president of Malkin Holdings, which owns the building, said the lobby had become “a real letdown,” in contrast with the lobbies of two other famous skyscrapers of similar age, the Chrysler Building and 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Mr. Malkin wanted the lobby to be more of a triumphant portal than a utilitarian passageway for tourists on the way to the observation deck and workers on the way to their offices. So as part of a $550 million project to upgrade the entire building, Mr. Malkin and a team of architects and designers set out to make the lobby as impressive as it was when the building opened in 1931. Frank J. Prial Jr., an architect with Beyer Blinder Belle who worked on the lobby restoration, said the idea was “to take the most famous building of the 20th century back a few steps to prepare for the 21st.” That made the murals a priority. Like the mural on the ceiling in Grand Central Terminal, the ones in the Empire State Building show the sky. But this sky was imagined when the building was on the drawing board in the 1920s, when assembly lines were humming and people dreamed of the ultimate symbol of the machine age: the car. The sun and the planets on the ceiling look like gears and wheels and cogs. “It’s like you’re looking inside a watch,” Mr. Prial said, albeit a giant watch. The murals cover more than a third of the square footage of a football field. Bill Mensching, a vice president of EverGreene Architectural Arts, which copied the originals, said they had 15,000 square feet of aluminum and 1,300 square feet of 23-karat gold leaf. Because the original murals, designed by an artist named Leif Neandross, were damaged, reproductions were installed. Mr. Mensching said more than 50 artists, site painters and installers worked on them. Despite the Wall Street crash in 1929, the murals’ design was unchanged for the building’s opening. The result, Mr. Malkin said, was a ceiling that “is not trying to find hope in the depths of the Depression — it was created before that. You don’t have that labor and toil and struggle feeling that you have in Rockefeller Center.” In the 1960s, large acrylic panels showing eight wonders of the world were installed at eye level in the lobby: the seven wonders in the history books and — no surprise — the Empire State Building. The panels were completed in 1964, in time for the World’s Fair, and remained in the lobby until last year, when the renovation team put them in storage. Mr. Prial said they would eventually be put in a ticketing area on the way to the observation deck. They were replaced by marble panels from as far away as Italy and as close as a warehouse in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The panels’ colors and patterns are strikingly similar to that of the original marble in the lobby. Two other changes have made the lobby more faithful to the building’s original plans. The clock over the information desk in the Fifth Avenue lobby was replaced by what was originally called for: an anemometer, which measured wind speed where dirigibles were supposed to dock. And then there are the two chandeliers beside the pedestrian bridges. They differ from the chandeliers shown in early photographs; those were taken out in the 1960s. The new ones, based on the original plans, were fabricated by the successor to the company Neandross worked for when he designed the murals. Why were the chandeliers that were planned never installed? “Our theory,” Mr. Prial said, “was they were in a hurry, they had to open, and they ran out and got two chandeliers.”
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Empire State Building (NYC);New York City;Restoration and Renovation;Art;Murals
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ny0180430
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[
"sports",
"baseball"
] |
2007/08/06
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Rookie Helps Braves Win in 10th
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ATLANTA, Aug. 5 (AP) — The rookie Yunel Escobar hit a run-scoring single in the 10th inning Sunday, giving the Atlanta Braves a 6-5 victory against the Colorado Rockies. The liner to left easily scored Jeff Francoeur, who had doubled into the left-field corner against Taylor Buchholz (5-4), giving the Braves their fifth victory in seven games. Atlanta took two of three from Colorado. Chipper Jones went 3 for 4 with a two-run homer, his 18th homer of the season. Oscar Villarreal (2-1), the Braves’ sixth pitcher, earned the win with a scoreless 10th. The Rockies reserve outfielder Ryan Spilborghs hit solo home runs in the second and fifth innings, his eighth and ninth of the year, against Braves starter Chuck James. Spilborghs came into the season with four home runs in 171 career at-bats. He has nine homers in 133 at-bats this year. The Rockies had tied the score at 5-5 in the seventh against reliever Octavio Dotel on Todd Helton’s two-out flare to left, just past Escobar’s glove at shortstop.
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Baseball;Atlanta Braves
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