No Name6: марта 2012

четверг, 15 марта 2012 г.

Ricky Dillard on wings of melody soars into International Acclaim

Ricky Dillard and the New Generation Chorale are performing Monday for the Albertina Walker Scholarship Fund and Dillard's fame is skyrocketing into the realm of superstars.

While the Crystal Rose Records gospel star is soaring throughout the earth because of his new CD, "No Limit," he never forgets his beginning. Recently, he was featured at the Monument of Faith Church, 2750 W. Columbus Ave. and appeared as a guest on a Home Box Office TV special.

Once upon a time when Ricky was just a young man fronting his group the New Generation Chorale, he was suggesting that he and his group appear on the main …

HRW rebukes Jordan for alleged torture

A New York-based human rights group accused Jordan's security services Wednesday of carrying out widespread torture in the country's jails.

The Human Rights Watch report comes a year after the U.N. special rapporteur on torture, Manfred Nowak, said he found evidence of systematic abuse in at least two Jordanian detention facilities but did not believe torture was widespread in the country.

"Torture in Jordan's prison system is widespread, even two years after King Abdullah II called for reforms to stop it once and for all," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director for Human Rights Watch.

But Jordanian police spokesman Maj. Mohammed …

Mountains found on Saturn moon

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Cassini spacecraft spotted a nearly mile-high mountain range on Saturn's giant moon Titan, scientists …

среда, 14 марта 2012 г.

Perez Outduels Rocket to Slow Yankees

NEW YORK - Just the sight of the New York Yankees energized the Mets. Oliver Perez outdueled Roger Clemens, Jose Reyes was 3-for-3 with three steals, two RBIs and a home run, and Carlos Gomez leapt to prevent a three-run homer.

The Mets won the opener of the season's second Subway Series 2-0 Friday, stopping their five-game losing streak and their rival's nine-game winning streak.

Perez (7-5), a flamboyant lefty known for high-jumping foul lines, allowed five hits in 7 1-3 innings to beat the Yankees for the second time this season. He struck out six and walked three, combining three relievers on a five-hitter.

"He pitched a big game for us in a huge situation," …

Mugabe Tied to 'Fuel-From-Rocks' Suspect

President Robert Mugabe has said ministers at a Cabinet meeting he chaired agreed to pay two head of cattle and three buffaloes to a woman who claimed she could produce gasoline out of rocks, the official media reported Friday. Mugabe later ordered the woman's arrest on fraud charges.

The Herald newspaper, a government mouthpiece, reported the woman claiming to be a tribal healer, known in the West as a witch doctor, also took large sums of money, a car and a piece of land from the nation's highest ranking politicians, promising in return to use spells to produce diesel fuel from rocks in the bush outside the provincial town of Chinhoyi, 70 miles northwest of …

Philippine storm death toll goes down to 1,249

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The number of people who died in massive flash floods in the southern Mindanao region a week ago was smaller than earlier reported, Philippine disaster management officials said Tuesday.

Civil Defense chief Benito Ramos said that he has corrected an earlier death toll from the health department of nearly 1,500 to 1,249 based on an actual count of identified and unidentified bodies recovered by soldiers, police, firemen and other rescue workers.

He said the exact number of missing could no longer be determined but the search for bodies will continue.

Heavy rains overnight Monday over the eastern provinces of Mindanao have triggered floods and …

Statewide branching passes in Nebraska

Nebraska lawmakers have given final approval to a statewide branching/deposit cap bill, sending it to the governor for signature. The bill authorizes all Nebraska banks to branch statewide on a de novo basis. The bill also increases the deposit cap from 14% to 22% and expands mobile branching rights to counties contiguous to the bank's home county.

An amendment seeking to delay the effective date until May 15, 2003, was defeated. If signed by the governor, the bill will become effective July 20, 2002.

Once a bank exceeds the 22% deposit cap, it would be prohibited from acquiring another institution, merging with another …

In Africa, Bush shifts his personal 'mission of mercy' to Ghana

U.S. President George W. Bush is pushing trade and aid in this tropical land of gold and diamonds, the latest stop on what he has dubbed his "mission of mercy" to Africa.

Bush got a ceremonial welcome Wednesday in Ghana, a stable democracy that gets U.S. assistance to fight disease, build roads, train teachers and expand markets for its crops. Several thousand children in their school uniforms lined the streets of Accra and waved tiny Ghanian flags as Bush's motorcade made its 10-minute drive to Osu Castle, a centuries-old building that was once a hub of slave-trading and now is the seat of government.

Ghana has the kind of story Bush likes to …

Avon Ready To Take The Big Step-Up

Avon's first team make their debut in the top flight tomorrowafter three successive promotions have brought them National PremierA Division status.

The mixed squad travel to Fenton Manor, in Stoke-on-Trent, for thefirst round of games and play Derbyshire and last year's championsYorkshire tomorrow and Buckinghamshire the following day.

"Team manager Simon Laskey fully expects this to be a season ofconsolidation, with the emphasis on maintaining Premier A status, "said spokesman Nigel Punchard.

"County squads at this level contain many national team playersfrom all the home nations as well as a few from other countries."Meanwhile, Avon's second team went to …

TAKE SHELTER

The secret storm of Michael Shannon

Take Shelter, the controversial new drama about a man's biblical-proportion paranoia, is, for me, the first film that defines the 21st century. Sure, we have seen more than 1,000 movies come and go since the turn of the millennium. But here we have a film for our times. In its simplest of settings (rural Ohio), and its gentlest of characters (loving man, woman and child), we find a probing examination of our greatest fear - fear itself.

Controversy has swirled around Take Shelter, not unlike the massive storm clouds that often frame the movie. A raging debate ensued when I first saw the film at the Toronto …

Jaromir Jagr signs with Russia's Avangard Omsk after being released by Rangers

Russian club Avangard Omsk says it has signed Jaromir Jagr, a day after the New York Rangers parted ways with the Czech winger.

Avangard announced the signing on its Web site Friday, but did not disclose the terms of the contract.

Jagr had long been reported to be considering lucrative offers …

Cubs sued by mom of man killed in car wash collapse

The mother of a 21-year-old man who died in 2007 after a Cubs-owned car wash next to Wrigley Field collapsed on him during a violent August storm sued the baseball franchise Friday.

Tim Tomasik, attorney for Alec Drews' mother, Vicki Drews, said the Cubs walked away from the bargaining table after nearly two years of trying to settle out of court.

"We are here today as a result of the Chicago Cubs' culture of corporate indifference that puts dollars before safety," Tomasik said.

Cubs spokesman Peter Chase had no comment on the suit. He also wouldn't comment on negotiations.

Alec Drews was a computer design student living with his brother in a Seminary …

Tut Oasis 2's riches come from its kitchen

(STAR) (STAR) Tut Oasis 2 1147 W. Madison Oak Park (708) 383-0366 PRICE RANGE: appetizers, $1.50-$4.25; entrees, $6.50-$9.95 HOURS: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily WHEELS: Small parking lot in back and street parking; handicappedaccessible. TRY: Mulukhiyya, hummus, falafil, baba ghanouj, koshary, cauliflowerstew, kifta kebab. TIPS: Generous portions of a variety of dishes are available withcertain combination offerings. Cauliflower stew might not sound tooenticing, but it's a surprisingly good entree. The restaurant is kidfriendly. IN A BITE: A notch above many other Chicago area Middle Easterneateries, Tut Oasis 2 offers good versions of Middle Easternstandards as well as Egyptian edible treasures.

Tut Oasis 2 sits at the heavily trafficked intersection ofMadison and Harlem in Oak Park, but its rather modest exteriordoesn't exactly cry out to be noticed. Unlike the gold and richesassociated with King Tutankhamen's tomb, Tut Oasis 2 is anything butopulent.

The interior walls display numerous decorations depicting a fewof the treasures of the boy king's tomb, but the dining room isn'tfancy. Any real treasures to be found here are of the ediblevariety.

Tut Oasis 2 features Middle Eastern cuisine with an emphasis onEgyptian favorites. Admittedly, Middle Eastern cuisine is not scarceby any means in the Chicago area.

Most of Chicago's mom-and-pop Middle Eastern establishmentsserve adequate to good food. What places some of the better MiddleEastern restaurants, like Tut Oasis 2, a notch above others often canboil down to a few simple - but important - factors: slightly greaterattention to detail and a more intriguing selection of food.

Naturally, Tut Oasis 2 serves dishes such as hummus, falafel,kifta kebabs and tabbouleh, and dish after dish of these MiddleEastern standards were uniformly good on my visits. The high qualitystarts with the appetizers.

The falafel - saucer-shaped patties of ground chickpeas withparsley and other spices - was abundantly moist and flavorful on theinside and just lightly crispy on the outside.

The hummus, covered with a drizzle of olive oil, was apleasantly seasoned version of the ground chickpea and tahini saucemixture.

A bowl of the mild, colorful, pureed lentil soup was a good dealat $1.50. Bulgur wheat played, as it should, only a supporting rolein Tut Oasis 2's tabbouleh. This salad is dominated by fresh parsleyand a strong presence of lemon.

Entree portions generally were large and no less pleasing thanthe appetizers. The kitfa kebabs - seasoned sausage-shaped formsmade with ground lamb or beef - were a good bet. The cauliflowerstew was cooked in a delicious tomato sauce.

The koshary and fatta entrees are good examples of substantialEgyptian fare. Rice, lentils, macaroni and chickpeas combined with atomato sauce to form the oddly appealing koshary.

Fatta contained chunks of tender lamb (with bones) with rice andsmall pieces of pita that had been soaked in lamb broth. The dishwas covered in a mild tomato sauce.

For dessert, a thin, honey and walnut baklava was sweet but notoverbearingly so. The mamoula consisted of a dry pastry filled witha moist, rich date filling.

Service was attentive and often gregarious. The people at TutOasis 2 clearly enjoyed talking about their food, and for goodreason.

Robert Tucker is a local free-lance writer.

вторник, 13 марта 2012 г.

This puzzle is one for the books

It may not be polite to look a gift horse in the mouth, butsometimes it's expedient. Take Secretary of State George H. Ryan'sannouncement Thursday that $435,000 finally had been found to, amongother things, replace a South Side public library's leaky roof.

Grateful as the staff of the Carter G. Woodson Regional Librarywas to achieve one of its goals so soon after taking its complaintspublic in February, there was something fishy about this.

First, there was the timing of the announcement, just a few daysbefore the Chicago elections, in which official neglect of Chicago'spredominantly black South Side had threatened to become an issue.As recently as two months ago, state and city officials said thatalthough they agreed with disgruntled staffers that a new roof wasneeded, there was no money for it.

Second, there was the sum, which Ryan, who also holds the titleof state librarian, said was "made possible by a one-timeappropriation to the state library from the Illinois Civic CenterBond Fund." It was "new money, absolutely," according to Ryanspokeswoman Kim St. Aubin. Funny, but $435,000 was the exact amountthat had been set aside by the state way back in 1989 for acompletely different project at Woodson, according to state Rep.Monique D. Davis (D-Chicago).

And that revived some old, lingering questions aboutexpenditures for carpets and other items that had never found theirway to Woodson, leading to staff suspicions that funds were beingsiphoned off for some North Side project.

Davis insisted the roof would be replaced with "old, unspentmoney from the proceeds of the state's computer software sales tax,"which she helped to push through, not money from the bond fund.Indeed, Chicago Library Commissioner John B. Duff agreed that she hadsaved the day by allowing a portion of that earlier, restricted grantto be spent for the roof, instead of for a new wing.

The original $435,000 had been set aside for preliminary costsassociated with expansion and preservation of the celebrated VivianG. Harsh Collection of Afro-American History and Literature atWoodson - a critical project that Davis says will have to be put offanyway because of current budget constraints.

But then, why had the secretary of state announced a new grantThursday?

"That question is better directed at him than at me," Duff said.

Indeed, library director Hattie Power had taken Ryan at his word,assuming that her understaffed library would be "getting close to amillion dollars" from two different state funds for badly neededrepairs, expansion and staff additions. "It would be nice to havesomething in writing," she sighed, "so I can respond to questionsfrom the staff and the community instead of just playing guesswork."

Ryan press secretary Mike Murphy finally admitted Monday thatthe boss' earlier announcement of an additional grant had been inerror. The state had reappropriated the original $435,000 "because,for whatever reason, it wasn't spent last year," he said.

But this looked like a "game played with taxpayers," from wherePower, who is still using buckets to catch the rainwater and can'tafford to fill 14 staff vacancies, sits. "I've been in situationswhere they tell you funds were lost to balance the books. The bottomline is, you never get what you requested. I'm thoroughly annoyed."

Carole Ashkinaze is a member of the Chicago Sun-Times editorialboard.

[ MORNINGLINE ]

RESULTS

Should a New Jersey man be allowed to use his ex-wife's frozenembryos to have a baby?

YES: 16%

NO: 84%

TODAY'S QUESTION:

Do you think plans for the Comiskey Park renovation are a goodidea?

Zoo Plans Glass Enclosure for Gorilla

BOSTON - Zoo officials plan to build a glass-walled enclosure to display Little Joe, a gorilla who escaped three years ago and mauled a 2-year-old girl.

The new enclosure, with a mesh cap of woven steel and triple-layer glass walls, is part of $2.3 million renovation of the exhibition space inside the Franklin Park Zoo's Tropical Forest building.

The renovation will display all seven of the zoo's gorillas, including Little Joe and another male, Okpara, who have been kept out of the public eye to prevent another escape.

In September 2003, Joe leapt out of the exhibit in his second escape in two months. Joe reached the zoo pavilion and attacked 2-year-old Nia Scott and an off-duty zoo employee, Courtney Roberson, 18. They suffered cuts and bruises after Joe threw both to the ground and dragged them.

Joe was loose in the neighborhood for more than two hours before police subdued him with tranquilizer darts.

Lawsuits filed by Scott's mother and Roberson against the zoo are pending. On Friday, the lawyer representing both families told The Boston Globe that the zoo's improvements are too late.

"Why did it take two escapes and gorilla attacks on two innocent girls before Zoo New England finally decided to make the necessary modifications to the exhibit to contain this gorilla?" Donald Gibson asked.

Zoo New England manages the Franklin Park Zoo.

Twins can't quite pull one off to honor Killebrew

PHOENIX (AP) — The Minnesota Twins fell just short in a rally that would have been so appropriate to honor Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew.

At the end of a day that began with their attendance of Killebrew's funeral in suburban north Phoenix, the Twins scored three times in the ninth inning and had the bases loaded with one out before falling 8-7 to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night.

Manager Ron Gardenhire, a pall bearer at the funeral, said the team tried to just play baseball.

"Once the game gets going you turn it around," he said. "You focus on what you have at hand. That is what we tried to do."

Ryan Roberts doubled in three runs for the Diamondbacks in their fourth win in a row and sixth in seven games.

The Twins scored three times in the ninth and had the bases loaded with one out before rookie left-hander Joe Paterson came on to strike out Jason Kubel and get Justin Morneau to ground out for a save in his first career opportunity.

"I was just trying to get something up to hit in the outfield but that ball kind of stayed down and fooled me, too," Kubel said. "You still want to win but it was a good sign to keep going along and make it interesting and make it close. The guys really beared down at the end, except for myself, and almost made it happen."

The near-miss capped an emotional day for the Twins, who had Killebrew's jersey hanging in their dugout. The crowd was sprinkled with posters honoring the Minnesota slugger and an in-game tribute brought a standing ovation.

Roberts' bases-clearing shot to left-center off reliever Glen Perkins highlighted a five-run seventh that erased Minnesota's 2-1 lead. Twins starter Brian Duensing (2-4) faced four batters in the inning without getting an out.

Roberts also made one of a handful of standout defensive plays for the Diamondbacks, a diving stop to his right at third base. He threw from foul territory and first baseman Xavier Nady scooped up the throw for the out.

"We've been playing really good defense," manager Kirk Gibson said. "When you look at a game, you tend to look at just the hitting part of it and the pitching part of it but we took care of the ball very well tonight, and Minnesota, give them credit, they didn't give in."

Ian Kennedy (5-1) went 7 2-3 innings to get the victory. Paterson has not allowed a run in the first 19 appearances of his major league career, a franchise record.

Michael Cuddyer, Trevor Plouffe and Danny Valencia hit solo home runs for the Twins. Valencia's shot came in the ninth off Juan Gutierrez to cut the lead to 8-5. David Hernandez relieved Gutierrez and gave up an RBI double to Drew Butera, then walked three in a row, the last with the bases loaded to make it 8-7.

That brought in Paterson to face two lefties, Kubel and Morneau. Kubel was called out looking. Second baseman Kelly Johnson chased down Morneau's grounder, then threw to Paterson covering first for the final out.

Stephen Drew's home run tied it at 2 leading off the seventh, then Chris Young doubled and scored on Nady's single to put Arizona up for good 3-2 after Duensing cruised through six. Arizona went on to load the bases for Roberts, who doubled to make it 6-2.

Each team scored twice in the eighth, giving Arizona its four-run cushion going into the ninth.

Johnson, who has been in a season-long slump, singled, doubled and drove in two runs.

At least, Duensing said, the offense is coming around for Minnesota.

"We put up enough runs to win today. It is good to see them stick with it, especially in the last inning," he said. "I think our hitting is starting to click so I think it's up to our pitchers to keep things in check."

NOTES: The Twins and Diamondbacks had not met since 2005. ... Willie Bloomquist started in LF for Arizona, the first time he has played since going on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring April 22, and made a leaping grab to rob Denard Span of an extra-base hit in the third. ... Cuddyer, Morneau and reliever Joe Nathan also were pall bearers at Killebrew's funeral.

Fed distributes $25.3 billion to U.S. Treasury

Some $25.3 billion of the $34 billion total income was distributed by the Federal Reserve banks to the U.S. Treasury during 2000, according to preliminary figures. In addition, $3.75 billion was transferred from surplus to the Treasury in May 2000, as required by statute.

The Federal Reserve System income is derived primarily from interest earned on U.S. government securities that the Fed has acquired through open market operations. This income was $32.7 billion for the year. Additionally, revenues from fees for the provision of priced services to depository institutions totaled $881 million. The remaining income of $335 million includes earnings on foreign currencies, earnings from loans and other income.

Operating expenses of the 12 Fed banks totaled $1.59 billion, including the systems pension cost credit.

Total net income for the Fed banks amounted to $29.9 billion. Under the Fed's policy, all net income after the statutory dividend to member banks and the amount necessary to equate surplus to paid-in capital is transferred to the Treasury. The statutory dividends to member banks were $410 million.

Matthew McConaughey, girlfriend Camila Alves welcome a baby boy

Matthew McConaughey's longtime model girlfriend, Camila Alves, has given birth to the couple's first child, a 7-pound, 4-ounce boy (3.36 kilos), according to OK! magazine.

Alves, 24, gave birth Monday night in California, according to the report.

Calls and e-mails to McConaughey's publicists were not immediately returned early Tuesday.

The 38-year-old actor announced that Alves was pregnant in a posting on his Web site in January.

"Camila and I were side by side the entire time," McConaughey told the magazine. "We are both tired and elated, and are so happy to have created the greatest miracle in the world _ having a child and making a family."

"Now comes the greatest adventure _ raising one, together."

___

On the Net:

http://www.okmagazine.com/news

http://www.matthewmcconaughey.com

Warehouse killings bring new bout with old pain

Gail Wehrheim was watching Oprah at home Wednesday morning whenthe show was interrupted with a report on the slaughter at aBridgeport auto supply warehouse.

Marguerite Papenbrok didn't hear the news until hours later as shedrove home from work.

But both women were immediately consumed with the same searingpain, a pain they first felt more than two years ago in the lastworkplace massacre in the Chicago area, a pain that they knew wouldnow be shared by a fresh batch of families.

Wehrheim's husband Robert and Papenbrok's brother, Don Garcia,were among four killed and four wounded when William D. Baker went ona shooting rampage at the Navistar plant in Melrose Park in February2001.

"They say time heals all wounds, and I used to believe that,"Papenbrok told me Wednesday evening from home. "I don't think thiswill ever heal."

Most people around here had forgotten about the Navistar shootingsuntil Wednesday. I'll bet there aren't 5,000 people in the entireChicago area who could have named the guy who did the killings.

Baker ended up killing himself that day. Case closed. No mystery.No trial. When it ends that way, we in the news media turn the pageand move on--in a couple of weeks if not days. The world forgets.Nothing changes. Then it happens again, and we remember. For amoment. Just a moment, before the cycle starts again.

But Wehrheim and Papenbrok will tell you for a certainty that itwas a godsend for the families of those slain at Windy City CoreSupply that Salvador Tapia, the man who killed their loved ones, alsolost his life Wednesday when dropped by a police officer's bullet.

"Is the shooter dead?" Wehrheim asked me, having watched thecoverage but missed that key point in her grief. I assured her hewas. "I'm glad of that," she said.

"I think it's better that it ends this way for the family becausethen the family doesn't have to go to court and see him sittingthere. I know myself and my kids, we couldn't have gone to court,"said Wehrheim, 47, who still lives in Hanover Park.

Papenbrok, of Carpentersville, put it even more strongly.

"I'm glad that guy's dead. I'm glad the police killed him," shesaid. "If Baker was still alive, I'd want to kill him myself. I thinkjustice was served when police killed that other guy today. We won'thave to waste the taxpayers' money on a trial."

For Wehrheim and Papenbrok, they don't have to wait for a SalvadorTapia to kill six people in our media market to renew their pain.It's lurking there every day, but it comes flooding to the surfacewith every one of these workplace massacres or school shootings allover the country.

"You hear about it all the time, and it still brings everythingback," said Papenbrok, who started crying in her car when she heardthe news on the radio. "There will never be closure."

Both women, however, said their first thoughts were not of theirown lost loved ones but of the families of Wednesday's victims.

"I feel for the families knowing what they're going through andwhat they will be going through--and how one day they also will beforgotten," Wehrheim said.

Forgotten?

"It seems like maybe, I don't know, friends don't talk about itanymore. People don't come around as much. It was just so quick andover with the media," Wehrheim said.

She remembers hearing about the media circus outside Baker's homeafter the killings, about all the attention being paid to him and hisfamily, and she remembers being resentful.

"I was just, like, where is mine? What about focusing on thevictims' families?" she said. "I just feel forgotten sometimes."

I don't want anybody to take that wrong. Wehrheim wasn't lookingfor her 15 minutes of fame. She just was expressing the feeling thatmany victims have that we give more attention to the perpetrators ofa crime than those who get hurt.

Wehrheim is hoping to start a support group for crime victims inDuPage County.

But she's also interested in more pre-emptive solutions.

"We've got to stop the guns. It's going to happen again. It's justa matter of when," she said.

If that point of view irritates the gun crowd, I invite them todirect their anger at me instead of her. She doesn't deserve theabuse, and I'm used to it.

I realize the cause of these workplace killings is morecomplicated than just the ready availability of guns, but even thegun lovers would have to admit that the odds are that neither Bakernor Tapia would have caused as much damage if they could only gettheir hands on a knife.

The gun owners don't need to worry anyway.

Unless there's a wrinkle to Salvador Tapia's crime spree thathasn't surfaced yet, this will probably be over in a few days.

All but a few will forget. Nothing will change. And then in a fewmonths or a few years, it will happen again.

Coroner: Severed hands, feet found in South Carolina residences a mile apart

Authorities in South Carolina are investigating the discovery of severed hands and feet at two homes about a mile (1.6 kilometers) apart.

Greenville County Coroner's investigator Scott Ramsey says the body parts were found early Monday in black plastic bags.

Greenville police Cpl. Jason Rampey says a woman found body parts near her apartment. A second person soon reported a similarly gruesome find inside a home about a mile (1.6 kilometers) away.

Rampey says the callers are related but he would not say how.

Authorities are not sure if the body parts are from the same person and would not say which parts were found where. Ramsey says investigators found very little blood.

понедельник, 12 марта 2012 г.

`Charter' victory for Bulls // Sixers `looked tired'

BULLS 125 76ERS 105

Chalk up an assist for Jerry Krause.

Krause, the Bulls' chief of basketball operations, decided to usecharter flights to speed the Bulls' return from grueling road games.The strategy has resulted in three victories and no losses.

It also helped the Bulls (11-7) begin a five-game home standSaturday night by routing the Philadelphia 76ers 125-105 before astanding-room crowd of 18,655 at the Stadium.

"I can't think of a better way for us to begin," said coach PhilJackson. "It was nice to give everybody a chance to play. Now maybewe can make some hay with this homestand."

Michael Jordan's game-high 29 points, nine assists and ninerebounds paced the victory. Every Bull who played scored.

Scottie Pippen had 20 points, five steals and nine rebounds.Horace Grant had 15 points and three blocked shots. John Paxson had15 points and six assists. Rookie B.J. Armstrong scored acareer-high 13 points.

Reserve guard Derek Smith came off the bench to lead the 76ers(10-8) with 19 points. Chicago native Hersey Hawkins, Jr., withfather Hersey Sr., brother Kenny and sister Laura looking on, had 12points, six below his average.

Philadelphia's Charles Barkley was still weakened by the flu thathad sidelined him two games. Barkley had season-lows of six points,14.7 below his average, and two rebounds, eight below his average.Forward Rick Mahorn was worse with four points, though he did have ateam-high eight rebounds.

But 10 points from Philadelphia's starting forwards and 16 fromits entire front line (center Mike Gminski had six) was evidence thatthe 76ers were hurting. The Bulls broke open the game with a 10-0run to close the second period with a 54-45 lead.

They extended that to 24 points, thanks partly to Krause.

Krause had arranged for the the team to fly back to Chicagoimmediately after the game Friday night at Indianapolis, a drainingaffair that the Pacers won 106-104 at the buzzer. Jordan played allbut 93 seconds of that game and said he was tired down the stretch.He scored 36 points, but only three in the fourth quarter.

"I was tired (Saturday) morning," Jordan said. "But aftergetting some more sleep after shoot-around, I felt fine during thegame. It really helped us to fly back home after the game.Philadelphia flew in here (Saturday) and apparently did not get muchrest. They looked tired.

"Barkley was not in the game tonight. It looked like he'd lostsome weight and he was tired. He just didn't look like the oldBarkley."

Grant said: "Our defense also was key tonight. Coach Jackson hasbeen emphasizing all season that the team that plays the best defensewill usually win the game. It paid off tonight. We hit the boardshard and didn't give them many second shots."

The Bulls exploited the fatigue in the 76ers' front line and hada 43-33 edge in rebounds.

The Bulls also took advantage of the 76ers' lack of defensivepursuit around the perimeter and buried the open shot at aseason-high 58.4 percent clip.

"In the second quarter, we were in it until the last couple ofminutes," Smith said. "I looked up at the clock and hoped we couldhang in there until halftime.

"But we're a Charles Barkley team, and unfortunately he justcouldn't move tonight."

Field day awaits Million bettors

TORONTO - Saturday's Arlington Million at Woodbine Race Coursehere is such a wide-open race that Lou Cavalaris, the track's racingsecretary, can't decide on a second or third choice behind favoredTriptych. Neither can I. That's how many horses have a big chance.

That isn't the main problem. When I asked Cavalaris about the14-horse field, he explained Woodbine can take bets on each entrant.The mutuel machines in Canada are geared that way. That presents aproblem because our tote board can take bets on only 12 horses.

Our system could be arranged to take bets on 14 horses, but onlyby announcing the odds on all 14 and hanging a sign somewhere showingthe 14 names and money bet on them. At Hawthorne, the mutuel fieldwith 12 betting interests must be used.

The problem can be solved by Hawthorne racing secretary FrankArsenault, who can select three horses for the mutuel field. Theycan run as one so you'll have 12 units to bet on at Hawthorne and thefollowing substations: Ditka's at Arlington Park, Maywood, Balmoral,Fairmount Park, Peoria and Rockford.

The payoff is that the 24 tracks, off-track and intertrackparlors must do likewise. What a picnic. Each track in the UnitedStates may have a different mutuel field for its own betting. I'mcertain the various mutuel field-makers will have differentselections.

Cavalaris suggested that the No. 12, 13 and 14 post positionhorses could be put into the mutuel field, but what if Triptych isone of 'em?. That would make the mutuel field an odds-on choice.

There have been many 14-horse fields. The track secretaryselects what appear to be the three slowest horses and puts them inthe mutuel field to run as one. There are no bum horses in theMillion so the mutuel field may not be a bad bet. I believe everyhorse has a chance to win Million VIII and Triptych - the great filly- is the best on paper.

"Yes, she seems to be the one to beat," Cavalaris said. "Thefact that it's supposed to rain a bit here the next few days willhelp her chances because she loves soft turf. She can run prettyfast on a firm strip, too, but yielding turf would increase herchances."

Cavalaris should know. He trained horses for 20 years, both inCanada and the United States, before he was named racing secretary atWoodbine's fine track five years ago. He won a tremendous number ofraces and plenty of stakes. This will be his last year as secretaryat Woodbine. He's going to train horses again next year. In fact,he said he may race at the new Arlington Park.

"I've seen some of the Million horses run," Cavalaris said."Regal Classic, beaten only 3 1/2 lengths in the Kentucky Derby, isin better form now than any time of his life. Not only that, he'smuch better on the turf than the dirt, so he has a fine chance."

Cavalaris didn't say that because Regal Classic is Canadianbred. Regal Classic's trainer, Jim Day, also thinks he has a finechance. That's the problem with the Million. All trainers thinkthey have a fine chance. The other Canadian entrant, the mareCaroten, also has a good shot.

Horses who have raced on the Woodbine turf should have an edge.Triptych was third there last year. Regal Classic and Carotene havewon over the course and so has Yankee Affair, who won the Early TimesHandicap there, equaling the world record, running 1 1/8 miles in1:45 3/5.

The time was tremendous, but the Marshall Course on which YankeeAffair set the record is a downhill course, Cavalaris said. Horsesrun fast coming down that hill. I was there a few times.

Cavalaris said he has much respect for Great Communicator,Equalize and Deputy Governor. In fact, he sounded as though he likedthem all.

"The Million is going to be a great race," said jockey SandyHawley, a Canadian who probably knows Woodbine's turf course betterthan the track superintendent.

Hawley, a three-time national champion (1970, 1972, and 1973)and winner of more than 5,000 races, is listed to ride Regal Classicin the Million. Hawley has won more than $55 million in purses."It's a wide-open race," Hawley said. "My horse is good right now,but so are the others."

Gunmen hold hostages in Pakistan army headquarters

Militants held several security officers hostage inside an intelligence wing of the army headquarters Saturday after they and others attacked the complex in an audacious assault on Pakistan's most powerful institution.

The attack, which left at least 10 people dead, was the third major militant strike in Pakistan in a week and came as the government was planning an imminent offensive against Islamist militants in their strongholds in the rugged mountains along the border with Afghanistan.

It showed that the militants retain the ability to strike at the very heart of Pakistan's security apparatus despite recent military operations against their forces and the killing of Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud in a CIA drone attack in August.

An army statement said more than two assailants were holding several officers hostage in the "security office building" inside the heavily fortified complex close to the capital. The army uses that term to refer to the headquarters of either the military intelligence or the country's premier spy agency, the Inter Services Intelligence.

The whereabouts of military chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and ISI chief Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shujaa Pasha were not known. Separate army statements said Kayani attended meetings at the headquarters and at the president's office in nearby Islamabad during the day.

The attack began shortly before noon when the gunmen, dressed in camouflage military uniforms and wielding assault rifles and grenades, drove in a white van up to the army compound and opened fire, army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas and a witness said.

"There was fierce firing, and then there was a blast," said Khan Bahadur, a shuttle van driver who was standing outside the gate of the compound. "Soldiers were running here and there," he said. "The firing continued for about a half-hour. There was smoke everywhere. Then there was a break, and then firing again."

After a 45-minute gunfight, four of the attackers were killed, said Abbas, who told the private Geo news television channel the assault over and the situation "under full control."

But more than an hour later, gunshots rang out from the compound, and Abbas confirmed that gunmen had eluded security forces and slipped into the headquarters compound in Rawalpindi. The city is filled with security checkpoints and police roadblocks.

"We are trying to finish it (the siege) at the earliest, clear the area of terrorists and restore complete control," Abbas told Dunya TV.

Abbas said six troops were killed and five wounded, one critically. Those killed included a brigadier and a lieutenant colonel, according to a military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Pakistani media said the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, and Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the ongoing assaults strengthened the government's resolve to launch the offensive.

"We have been left no other option except to go ahead to face them," he told Dawn television.

Militants regularly attack army bases across the country and bombed a checkpoint the outside army compound in Rawalpindi two years ago.

The gunbattle following a car bombing that killed 49 on Friday in the northwestern city of Peshawar and the bombing of a U.N. aid agency Monday that killed five in Islamabad. The man who attacked the U.N. was also wearing a security forces' uniform and was granted entry to the compound after asking to use the bathroom.

As the attack wore on Saturday, Pakistan briefly took two news channels, Geo and SAMA, off the air, but several others continued broadcasting.

The attack appeared to be a message to the army that the militants intend to ramp up their strikes across the country in response to the government's planned offensive against Taliban strongholds in the border region of South Waziristan.

Pakistan vowed Friday to launch the new offensive in the wake of the massive Peshawar bombing.

The United States has been pushing Pakistan to take strong action against insurgents using its soil as a base for attacks in Afghanistan. The assault could be risky for the army, which was beaten back on three previous offensives into the Taliban heartland.

But the army may have been emboldened by its successes against the militants in the Swat Valley and by the killing of Baitullah Mehsud.

Islamist militants have been carrying out nearly weekly attacks in Pakistan, but the sheer scale of Friday's bombing _ which killed nine children _ pushed the government to declare it would take the fight to the lawless tribal belt along the border where al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden may be hiding.

___

Associated Press writer Munir Ahmad contributed to this report from Islamabad.

Drug inmates break out of rehab center in Vietnam

More than 100 inmates escaped from at a drug rehabilitation center in southern Vietnam and police were searching for dozens still at large, state media reported Wednesday.

The 103 patients took advantage of the chaos caused by a brawl between fellow inmates Monday night to overpower guards and break through the fence at the facility in Pham Van Coi village, some 40 miles (70 kilometers) northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, the Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper reported.

Police recaptured nearly 50 inmates but were still searching for the others, the report said. Officials were not available for comment Wednesday.

Patients at Vietnam's drug rehabilitation centers are often sent by their families or by the government. Once at the centers they must stay for two years.

This mandatory time requirement has led to more than a dozen breakouts from the centers since 2001. Nearly 1,200 inmates escaped from the same center in 2005.

Officials have said that the rehabilitation programs _ which combine education, communist ideology and physical labor _ have a high failure rate, with more than 90 percent of patients relapsing within five years.

Mobster told to give $1 million to U.S.

Imprisoned mob figure Rocco Infelise must give the government $1million in assets, including a $700,000 Florida home and half of the$150,000 River Forest condo where his wife lives, to compensate forill-gotten gains, a federal judge said Friday.

U.S. District Court Judge Ann C. Williams on Friday orderedInfelise and fellow mobster Salvatore DeLaurentis to turn over assetsvalued at $1.3 million, Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Andersonsaid.

Infelise and DeLaurentis, part of the Ferriola organized crimestreet crew, have been in prison since their 1992 convictions onracketeering charges that included gambling, bribery andloan-sharking, Anderson said. Infelise also was convicted ofconspiracy to murder.

The jury said the pair should forfeit $3 million gained inillegal profits but prosecutors could only identify $1.4 million inassets, most of which was listed in the names of the defendants'relatives, Anderson said.

For example, Anderson said, the home in Hollywood, Fla., waslisted in the name of the mother of Infelise's wife, Ann. However,Anderson said, Infelise twice told witness William Jahoda in tapedconversations that he had bought the house for Ann's mother and spent$700,000 on repairs, saying "that's where most of my money went."

Defense lawyer Patrick Tuite has the option of filing an appeal,Anderson said. Tuite could not be reached for comment.

Anderson said prosecutors will work out with defense lawyerswhether to force Ann Infelise from her homes by seizing them or toaccept payment.

Anderson said the government also may seize half of DeLaurentis'$236,000 home in Inverness, a business property of unknown value inIsland Lake and a $2,400 checking account.

Other items of Infelise's that could be seized are: a $111,000brokerage account in the name of Ann Infelise; his half-interest,worth $78,000, in a leasing company; a $4,600 bank account; a diamondring and gold coins worth $10,000 and $175,974.18 seized by police in1983 and 1986.

Divine Erica Kane

SOAP OPERA superstar Susan Lucci, who has brilliantly played the role of Erica Kane on TV's "All My Children," was in town Friday to hype her new book All My Life: A Memoir. She talked to a packed house at the Union League Club. Lucci, who is still a beauty and has been on the show since it debuted in 1971, shared this beauty secret: Hot water with lemon. Hey, Susan, "You know it takes more than that . . . you ain't foolin' me!" Ha! By the way, Lucci will be on the Wendy Williams show today, and when asked about the rumors that the soap is being canceled she said, "I mean not that I know of. I've just been given my schedule into next year, and there's a really hot story line."

IN MY March 31 column, I mentioned my trip to Maryland to visit with my family, and I left out this observation.

We went to an upscale nightclub that reminded me just how much the sexual images that permeate our media outlets have affected so many young people's minds . . . particularly women. The young women's attire made me feel like I was watching the "skank train to nastyville and that hundreds of young women had boarding passes." I kid you not. At least 95 percent of the women, waiting patiently in long lines to get into this club at midnight, were almost naked. This event was a birthday party for a popular Maryland events planner, and folks were asked to wear black.

Most of the women wore the tightest, shortest and most revealing dresses they could find and not get arrested, no stockings and the highest stilettos they could teeter- totter on and not fall on their butts. Many of the girls in line had no coats, and literally were shivering and shaking because it was cold as heck. Apparently, the objective is to show off all your stuff and hopefully a guy, even if he has an eye in the middle of his forehead and no job, will show some type of attention (You get my point).

The sexy music videos and the misogynistic lyrics have put young women (and men) in some sort of sexual trance of immoral behavior in this country, and this society is paying a huge price with the sexualization of our teens and young children (i.e. Abercrombie & Fitch now promoting padded bikini bras for little girls).

So you ladies frequenting the club scene, including our Rush street area, please put some clothes on. He is only looking at you for instant gratification, not someone he is planning to take home to momma. And here is a recent tweet from R&B artist/actor Tyrese ("Transformers"): "When you carry yourself with class you don't attract trash." Yeah, I said it!

A COOL SIGHTING: Attorney Jim Thompson, who as governor provided the funds to help launch the first Women's Business Development Center in the nation, currently headed by Hedy Ratner and Carol Dougal, was honored at the organization's 25th anniversary celebration last week at the Chicago Cultural Center.

WHAT'S THE BUZZ? Emmy-nominated actress Victoria Rowel l signing her book The Women Who Raised Me, her memoir on being brought up in foster homes, today at DePaul University starting at 5 p.m. Rowell on Monday received an excellence in the arts award from the university's theater school.

THIS reporter attended the special screening of Robert Redford's new film "The Conspirator" Thursday. The movie was long but informative about President Lincoln's assassination. I got a chance to say hi to Justice Anne Burke and Ald. Ed, Candace and Chuck Jordan, Julee Whit e, businessman Everett Rand (who survived a near-fatal January plane crash), the Bears' Israel Idonije and others. Jordan is listed as one of the 100 powerful folks in Michigan Avenue mag's current issue, with Redford on the cover.

ON THE TOWN: The Hawks' Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane dined at the Rosebud on Rush. And on another evening, skating's Kristi Yamaguchi was in. . . . TV chef Guy Fieri and radio's Mancow Muller last week dined at LaScarola and did a little cooking in the kitchen with the co-owner/chef Armando Vasquez. . . . Bulls' exec John Paxson and WSCR radio's David Schuster eating at Real Urban Barbeque in Highland Park. . . . The Bears' Brian Urlacher and his bro Casey dined hearty at Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab. . . . The Hawks' Brian Campbell relaxed at HUB51. . . . Reality star Giuliana Rancic getting her nails done with hubby, Bill, patiently waiting at Fantasy Nails.

BIRTHDAYS: The legendary rock group Chicago's manager Peter Schivarelli, Susan Sher, Pat Brickhouse, Evelyn Echols, Matt Rodriguez, Lisa E and belated to Steve La-Pino. On Wednesday: Library Commissioner Mary Dempsey and Monroe Anderson.

Kathy Brock and Susan Lucci | photo by Steve starrTyrese GibsonBrian KillianVictoria RowellJim ThompsonJim Frost

среда, 7 марта 2012 г.

Dodgers staff checks bounced when accounts frozen

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers says paychecks for some part-time game day staffers bounced, but not because the team didn't have enough money to cover them.

Dodgers spokesman Josh Rawitch said Thursday that when the team filed for bankruptcy, its accounts were frozen for 48 hours.

Some security guards and ushers found their paychecks had bounced. Those who have direct deposit weren't affected.

Rawitch says the checks were reissued Wednesday.

The team filed for bankruptcy on Monday. Owner Frank McCourt, who is in the middle of a high-stakes divorce, blames baseball Commissioner Bud Selig for refusing to approve a multibillion-dollar TV deal.

On Tuesday, a bankruptcy judge in Delaware authorized the team to borrow $60 million to make payroll.

ASU victory shows there's danger in the desert.(Basketball College)

Byline: Bob Clark The Register-Guard

Is Arizona State an indication of how difficult life is going to be in the Pac-10 this season?

Picked to finish ninth when the media cast votes a couple of months ago, the young Sun Devils looked like a contender Saturday night in routing 17th-ranked Xavier, 77-55.

"It says a lot of things," ASU's Jeff Pendergraph said. "It says ASU is going to be one of those teams where you've got to be ready for 40 minutes of a heavyweight fight."

Xavier found that out. It was the widest margin in a victory for ASU against a ranked team, surpassing the 87-67 triumph over No. 1 Oregon State (yes, it had to be a long time ago) to end the 1980 regular season.

The zone defense the Sun Devils went to in desperation last season because of their youthful defensive liabilities has turned into a strength, holding Xavier to .219 shooting in the second half.

"I really mean this," Xavier coach Sean Miller said. "We lost to a good team."

That swing through the desert, which is how Oregon and OSU open the Pac-10 schedule, is looking like a gantlet. Play the athletes of Arizona, who have been toughened up with their interim coach's emphasis on grit, and then comes the challenge of ASU's perseverance and deliberate style a couple days later.

It's in effect what Xavier faced, coming off an emotional win over cross-town rival Cincinnati on Wednesday and then playing at ASU.

"ASU was tough, especially with that turnaround," Miller said. "Pac-10 teams are going to find that out."

The startling factor in this is ASU's youth. Four freshmen started against Xavier, the first time in school history ASU has done that. Granted, sophomore Jerren Shipp, coming off some knee problems, played 31 minutes as the backup for freshman Rihards Kuksiks, but even then the regular lineup will be three freshmen, a sophomore and a junior.

And that group beat the 17th-ranked team in the nation by 22 points? Well, consider this: the freshmen starting this season mostly replaced freshmen who started last season. In the 30 games of the first season with Herb Sendek as the ASU head coach, freshmen accounted for 69 of the possible 150 starting assignments. Now, it's up to 97 of the possible 195 starts in 39 games since Sendek took over.

Yes, there's the Sendek factor, too. While ASU had gone 21 consecutive games without beating a ranked team, Sendek has won his last two games against ranked opponents as ASU beat USC late last season and now Xavier.

Sendek, ASU publicists quickly point out, has 31 total victories as a head coach against ranked teams.

There's also a Sendek impact on the free-throw shooting. The current Sun Devils shoot them well, as most Sendek teams do. In his 10 seasons as head coach at North Carolina State, Sendek's team four times led the ACC in percentage, and in 2004 led the nation and set an ACC record of .799.

If not NIT, there's a what?

In a season in which the Pac-10 might be hoping for six and dreaming of seven teams in the NCAA Tournament (as Joe Lunardi's recent bracket had it) what about a league team with a winning record that doesn't get in?

Well, there's always the NIT. But even that 32-team field shunned Washington last season when the Huskies were 19-13.

It wouldn't happen this year, with the advent of the College Basketball Invitational. It will take 16 teams after the NCAA and NIT fill their fields. The first two rounds and the semifinals of the CBI will be at campus sites, and then the two finalists will play a best-of-three series, with the higher-seeded team (they're going to seed teams that are basically 98 through 113?) at home for the first and, if necessary, third game.

Yes, consider this: Washington against Rutgers, as an example. The first game on one coast, the second on the other, and then possibly another cross-country trip to finish it.

This tournament, the consolation of consolation brackets, might last until mid-April. And then it might not last for another year.

The computer struggles

This early in the season, the computers must be struggling to figure out the relative merits of teams. How else to explain that last week, before its first defeat, Saint Mary's was No. 1 at collegerpi.com. Yeah, it was a good win over Oregon, but the Gaels at No. 1?

"That's just the nature of the data," explained Jerry Palm to the Oakland Tribune. "You can't get too excited about RPI numbers in December ... you'll see teams you know aren't going to be there at the end of the year."

But for now, which is the worst team in the nation in Division I? That would seem to be the New Jersey Institute of Technology, which is 0-13. And that's despite Tech having played only one team ranked in the top 161 ... which was Washington.

Well, at least the Huskies won the game. Oregon State just lost to a team ranked 331st of the 338 teams in Tennessee Tech.

Uh, would New Jersey Tech consider a home-and-home series with the Beavers?

Cougars play who?

Not that there aren't some questionable opponents on other schedules.

Unbeaten Washington State plays its annual nonleague game in Seattle on Saturday, and the opponent is The Citadel.

The what? WSU and the promoter were working on pairing the Cougars against a much more prestigious opponent - Alabama was first mentioned - but everything fell through. That left the Cougars, a top-10 program, playing the team ranked 326th recently.

The Citadel is 4-5, but the wins are over Daniel Webster, Webber College, Charleston Southern and Atlanta Christian.

Stanford plays exhibition

Then there's Stanford, which Sunday night played College of Idaho. At least the Cardinal won't count the game, calling the 81-53 mismatch one of their allowed two exhibition games.

Most college teams start the season with two exhibition games. So why play one now?

Stanford is coming off a two-week break for final examinations, and in the past three seasons has gone 0-3 in the first game after tests were concluded, losing by an average of 16 points to Michigan State, Virginia Tech and Santa Clara.

"Basketball is a game of rhythm, and since I've been here (three seasons) we haven't played that well" off finals, Stanford coach Trent Johnson explained. "This year, we tried to look at doing something differently."

The proof of it will come later this week, with the Cardinal playing Santa Clara on Wednesday and Texas Tech, in Dallas, on Saturday.

Paying while gone

Arizona will pay Lute Olson virtually his entire salary this season, and that could include some of the bonuses in his contract that take it over $1 million. The key is that in the contract wording, Olson is on a "paid leave of absence," and the wording later in his contract says he receives certain other incentives if he is employed by the university, not whether he's actually on the court.

"Lute Olson is still our head coach," university spokesman Rocky LaRose said.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats keep winning with interim coach Kevin O'Neill, who will pass on all the praise he's been receiving, even from other coaches.

"I've always figured in coaching, if they tell you you're doing a great job to your face, behind you're back, they're killing you," O'Neill said. "Guys I won't hear from at all for years, and then all of a sudden they want to tell you what a great job you're doing. I'm like, `who the (expletive) are you?' I take all that with a grain of salt."

RATING THE PAC-10

Basketball

1. UCLA: Love this: backup center Keefe decides to redshirt

2. WSU: Two of next four in Seattle: The Citadel, then UW later

3. Arizona: Sharing the ball well: 21 assists, 27 FGs in last win

4. ASU: Young team best in league at FTs with .773 accuracy

5. Oregon: Still stayed 23rd; 21 straight weeks ranked by AP

6. USC: Taj Gibson's day: three final exams, then Delaware State

7. Stanford: Brook Lopez (and coaches) await posting of grades

8. California: Braun says it's sure: 7-2 Max Zhang redshirting

9. Washington: In nine games, four different starting units

10. OSU: The Giles update: 22 minutes, 10 fouls, nine points