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In Cairo, Obama to face hope and skepticism over USA’s intentions By Mimi Hall USA TODAY CAIRO — Muhammad Farag isn’t planning to take time away from his studies to tune in when President Obama speaks at his university here Thursday. “It’s not like the world will change after he ends his speech, will it?” says Farag, 27, an engineering student. He sums up his feelings about Obama’s historic visit with one word: “So?” Across town, merchants in the narrow, dusty passageways of the 14th-century Khan al-Khalili bazaar are only vaguely aware of Obama’s visit to Egypt. But their faces brighten at the mention of his name. “Mr. Obama is welcome any time in Cairo,” says Hassam Yosef, 25. “You have a friend in the Muslim man.” Obama touches down here in this ancient heart of the Arab world Thursday on a critical mission: to try to repair the United States’ rela-

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“it is fair to ask why,” the report says. Education leaders said the report could be useful. “We can learn from universities who are beating the odds,” says Geri Malandra of the By Mary Beth Marklein American Council on Education. Find your school USA TODAY Examples from the study, which grouped schools by categories in Full list at Even as colleges nationwide celeBarron’s Profiles of American Colleges: schools.usa brate commencement season, hunuAmong schools that require only today.com dreds of schools are failing to gradua high school diploma for admission, ate a majority of their students in six Heritage University and Walla Walla years, a report says today. University, both in Washington state, reported Nationally, four-year colleges graduated an aver- graduation rates of 53% and 17%, respectively. uAmong colleges that require high school age of just 53% of entering students within six years, and “rates below 50%, 40% and even 30% are grades averaging a B-minus or better, John Carroll distressingly easy to find,” says the report by the University in Cleveland and Chicago State UniverAmerican Enterprise Institute, a conservative think sity in Illinois graduated 74% vs. 16%, respectively. uIn the “most competitive” group, Amherst Coltank. It’s based on data reported to the Education Department by nearly 1,400 schools about full- lege in Massachusetts and Reed College in Portland, Ore., graduated 96% vs. 76%, respectively. time first-time students who entered in fall 2001. The data have limits: They don’t account for stuSome findings aren’t surprising. Harvard University boasts one of the highest rates, 97%. Southern dents who transfer, for example. And they should University at New Orleans, which faced upheaval in not be used as a sole measure of quality, the report 2005 with Hurricane Katrina, reported 8%. says, because “schools should not be unfairly penalEven so, the report documents a “dramatic varia- ized for maintaining high standards.” tion” even across institutions with comparable adBut as graduation rates grow increasingly central missions standards, which suggests some schools to discussions about accountability, co-author are more effective in educating similar students. Mark Schneider says, families ought to be thinking “While student motivation, finances and ability that way, too. “We are emphasizing transparency” matter greatly when it comes to college comple- and urging students to factor graduation rates into tion, the practices of higher education institutions decision-making, he says. “It’s one of these little sematter, too,” says lead author Frederick Hess. When crets that everybody in the industry knows. We’re similar colleges have a large gap in graduation rates, just trying to highlight it.”

and

By Anne R. Carey and Dave Merrill, USA TODAY

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4-year colleges graduate 53% in 6 And some are far below that average, study ﬁnds

Source: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

tions with Muslims after a decade of violence and recrimination, and to reinforce voices of moderation in a long-volatile region. The setting of his speech — the capital of a country that calls itself a democracy but is run as a police state — speaks to the complexities before him. In many Muslim nations, from Lebanon to Afghanistan, where Obama’s words also will be heard, extremists are gaining ground. Obama promised a new approach to the Muslim world during his campaign. He said he would address Muslims from a major Muslim capital early in his presidency to try to soften hearts and minds hardened by the U.S. response to 9/11, its close ties to Israel, the war in Iraq, its treatment of terrorism suspects and more. “The president will be addressing a group of people who not only feel that U.S. government policy has wronged them, but that they’ve unfairly been its targets,” says Jon Alterman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. The speech will be at 6:10 a.m. ET. The White House says the president plans to remind Muslims of his personal connection to them: His la-

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mMoney: Bernanke’s deficit concern Fed chief warns long-term budget deficits threatBy H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY en financial stability. 6A. uSome online travel agencies dropping fees. 6A. Fulfilling a promise: As a candidate, President Obama vowed to address Muslims from a Muslim capital. Thursday in Cairo, he’ll follow through by, among other things, urging them to reject violent extremists.

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Searchers from three continents are focusing on a remote Atlantic Ocean stretch where Air France Flight 447 mysteriously went down in water thousands of feet deep, leaving debris scattered for miles and little hope of finding survivors. A 23-foot chunk of plane and a 12-mile-long oil slick were found early Wednesday, Brazilian air force spokesman Col. Jorge Amaral said. Rescuers have still found no signs of life. The new debris was discovered about 55 miles south where searchers a day earlier found an airplane seat, a fuel slick, an orange lifevest and pieces of white debris. Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim confirmed that a 3-mile swath of wreckage, found more than 300 miles off the coast by military planes, came from the doomed flight. The Airbus 330-200 disappeared Sunday night in a lightning storm while cruising at 35,000 feet, carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. The crew never sent a Paris mayday message, and automated transmissions from the cockpit suggest Rio de loss of cabin pressure and Janeiro electrical failure. Jobim said the hunt for the Debris found plane’s "black box" voice and flight data recorders will be extremely difficult Natal considering the wide area of the search and the Brazil ocean’s depth. Fernando "It’s going to be very de Noronha islands hard to search" because the toaster-size black boxAtlantic es are under up to 2 miles Ocean of water, Jobim said. Search crews headed to the area with some of the Rio de Janeiro most advanced military 0 500 N and commercial technolMiles ogy. A sonar- and radarBy Dave Merrill, USA TODAY equipped U.S. Navy plane arrived in Brazil on Tuesday morning with 21 crewmembers to run lowaltitude search flights over the ocean. A French ship headed to the site with unmanned submersibles capable of exploring depths of up to 19,600 feet. "We are in a race against the clock," French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said, noting that "pingers" attached to the recorders transmit signals for 30 days before their batteries Technology’s run out. limits tested Ocean depths average just over 9,000 feet mData devices around the area where hard to find, 4A some of the debris was found, according to AccuWeather.com, which said the search effort is likely to be hampered by heavy thunderstorms. Earlier Tuesday, Brazilian military pilots spotted two areas of floating debris about 35 miles apart. The discovery indicated that Flight 447 might have tried to reverse course and land at the remote Brazilian archipelago Fernando de Noronha, said Jorge Amaral, a spokesman for Brazil’s air force. The distance between the two debris fields suggests that other aircraft parts, including black boxes, could be spread over hundreds of miles, said Francois Leroy, general manager of Teledyne Benthos. The Massachusetts company makes homing beacons used to track black boxes. Leroy said the odds of finding the black boxes are "remote." Among the passengers were 61 French citizens, 58 Brazilians, 26 Germans, nine Chinese and nine Italians. Two Americans living in Rio de Janeiro also were on board. Michael Harris, 60, and his wife, Anne, 54. They lived previously in Lafayette, La.

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Sotomayor explains ‘wise Latina’ remark to senators Republicans seek hearings in fall The Associated Press WASHINGTON — Judge Sonia Sotomayor on Tuesday countered Republican charges that she would let her background dictate her rulings. As Sotomayor made her Senate debut with a series of private meetings, Republicans said they would prefer holding hearings on her nomination in September, which could delay the speedy summertime confirmation President Obama wants. Sotomayor, who would be the Supreme Court’s first Latina and its third woman, told senators she would follow the law as a judge without letting her life experiences inappropriately influ-

Republicans are questioning how she would apply the law, noting her remark in 2001 that she hoped her decisions as a “wise Latina” would be better than those of a white male who hadn’t had the same experiences. Obama has said she misspoke. Radio host Rush Limbaugh and former House speaker New Gingrich have said Sotomayor is a racist. Limbaugh said choosing her is like nominating former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. Leahy, hoping to shepherd a smooth and quick conﬁrmation for Sotomayor, asked her what By H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY she meant by her 2001 comment Supreme Court nominee on Capitol Hill: Judge Sonia Sotomayor and said the judge told him, “Of meets Tuesday with Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., in his ofﬁce course one’s life experience shapes who you are, but . . . as a ence her decisions. been,” Judiciary Committee judge, you follow the law.” “Ultimately and completely, a Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, judge has to follow the law no quoted the nominee as saying in the top Republican on the commatter what their upbringing has their closed-door session. mittee, said Sotomayor used sim-

ilar words with him as well. “We talked about the idea and the concept of personal feelings and . . . how that inﬂuences a decision and how it should not,” Sessions said, declining to elaborate on the private discussion. Sessions, who is to meet Wednesday with Leahy to discuss scheduling Sotomayor’s conﬁrmation proceedings, said he thought hearings should wait until September. The exchanges came as Sotomayor rushed from one meeting to another on Capitol Hill — 10 in all — visiting senators who will decide her future. She meets 10 more Wednesday. In public, the nominee and senators were all grins and polite exchanges. Sotomayor chatted with Leahy about his grandchildren and smiled demurely as Senate Majority Leader Harry

Reid praised her. Sessions called their talk “a delight.” Democrats praise Sotomayor’s life story as the New York-born daughter of Puerto Rican parents who was reared in a housing project and went on to Princeton and Yale before ascending to the highest legal echelons. “We have the whole package here,” said Reid, D-Nev. “America identiﬁes with the underdog, and you’ve been an underdog many times in your life, but always the top dog.” Democrats hope to begin the sessions next month, which would meet Obama’s goal of having her conﬁrmed before the Senate departs in early August for a month-long vacation. Reid said that although Democrats want to hold hearings “as quickly as we can,” they will not seek to impose “arbitrary deadlines.”

Speaking in Cairo, Obama plans to reach out to Muslim youths Continued from 1A

President Obama will find a skeptical public when he arrives in Egypt this week to deliver a major address to the Muslim world. A look at findings from a poll of six Arab nations: Positive view of Obama’s actions toFavorable opinion ward the Arab world of the United States Egypt Jordan

14%

Saudi Arabia

26%

38%

Lebanon Morocco

18%

25%

29%

15%

35%

27%

51% 52%

United Arab Emirates

50%

Obama can bring positive change to U.S.-Arab relations Agree

Disagree

No president can

60% By Cris Bouroncle, AFP/Getty Images

Waiting for Obama: On the outskirts of Cairo, a worker applies fresh paint on the fence surrounding the Sphinx, one of Egypt’s most famous landmarks, in anticipation of President Obama’s visit Thursday.

Egypt

Jordan

Lebanon

Morocco

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Source: 2009 Arab Opinion Poll by the University of Maryland/Zogby International. The poll surveyed 853 people in Egypt, 760 in Saudi Arabia, 500 in the United Arab Emirates, 774 in Morocco, and 600 each in Lebanon and Jordan from April 21 to May 11. The margin of error: ± about 4 percentage points for each poll.

Romania

Italy

France

Black Sea Spain Turkey Iran Tunisia

Algeria

Syria

Mediterranean Sea

Iraq Jordan

Egypt

500 Libya Miles

2 Thursday

Sources: USA TODAY research, ESRI

Saudi Arabia

1 Today By Julie Snider, USA TODAY

Obama to go from the Mideast to Europe President Obama’s four-nation trip begins today in Saudi Arabia and ends Sunday in France. A look at his schedule: uToday — Saudi Arabia Obama meets with King Abdullah in Riyadh. uThursday — Egypt The president speaks to the Muslim people from Cairo University at 6:10 a.m. ET. He also plans to visit a

mosque and the pyramids. uFriday — Germany Obama meets with Chancellor Angela Merkel at Dresden Castle; visits Buchenwald concentration camp, Ramstein Air Base, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. uSaturday — France He meets with President Nicolas Sarkozy in Caen; visits Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial.

these ideals dear. But if I’m hon- cern that Democrats in the U.S., est, I have to concede that they particularly Clinton, are “more on don’t really resonate among Mus- the side of the Zionists.” lim audiences; justice does.” Former United Nations secretary-general Boutros BoutrosThe influence of extremists Ghali, now living in Cairo and serving as the chairman of the Although it is officially banned, National Council for Human a group called the Muslim Broth- Rights, says the Brotherhood erhood has been making gains in “represents extremists” and is parliamentary elections in Egypt, being funded by extremist and its members now hold 88 of groups from outside Egypt. 454 seats. The organization, Elaasar called the rise of the which seeks to impose an Islamic Brotherhood and similar groups state, publicly renounces vio- “a danger that the West is not lence and is pushing for demo- paying attention to.” The Brothcratic reforms so that its mem- erhood, he says, “has a very funbers can gain more seats through damentalist agenda. It would open elections. turn Egypt into a theocracy.” During an interview in his ofThe White House also is fice in which his cellphone rang watching parliamentary elecincessantly, Muslim Brotherhood tions in Lebanon that could see Deputy Chairman Mohamed Ha- Hezbollah, considered a terrorist bib emphasized that “we don’t organization by the U.S., win in a like violence” and favor “the victory that could boost influpeaceful changing of authority.” ence for Iran and Syria. Officials He said he’s optimistic Obama haven’t said whether Obama will can bring change on behalf of the address the June 7 elections in his Palestinians but expressed con- speech. Clinton and Vice Presi-

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A Nationline headline on Monday misidentiﬁed the military service of Isaiah Mays. Mays, a Congressional Medal of Honor winner, was an African-American Buffalo Soldier who died in 1925.

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Fans of the president: A souvenir shop owner in Cairo displays a metal plaque comparing Obama with the pharaoh Tutankhamen.

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By Julie Snider, USA TODAY

dent Biden have visited the coun- process moves forward. try, sparking accusations of inter“It is important for us to be ference from Hezbollah. clear about what we believe will lead to peace and that there’s not Justice for Palestinians equivocation and there’s not a sense that we expect only comObama is not expected to offer promise on one side,” he told a point-by-point Arab-Israeli NPR. “When it comes to the conpeace plan, but Muslims here are crete, then the politics of it get expecting strong pro-Palestinian difficult, both within the Israeli statements from him. Analysts and the Palestinian communities. say he’ll have to offer something But, look, if this was easy, it concrete beyond recent demands would’ve already been done.” that Israel to halt West Bank settlements if he wants to earn cred- Changing hearts at home ibility with the Muslim people. Sheik Tantawi will not discuss “Any American president’s the Muslim Brotherhood, human principle audience is domestic,” rights issues or the elections in says Lisa Anderson, provost of Lebanon, but has plenty to say the American University in Cairo. when it comes to the peace procObama’s outline of why the ess. Obama should use “the pow- Arab-Muslim world matters to er and the weight” of his office to the United States “is all supposed “give the Palestinians their to echo back home,” she says. rights,” he says. Obama has some work to do in It’s a common theme here. reshaping opinions about MusAhmed Gheina, a tour guide at lims in the United States, as well. the Egyptian Textile Museum on A new Gallup poll finds that only the edge of the bazaar, calls Oba- 21% have a favorable opinion of ma a “good man” for wanting to Muslim countries. bring change to U.S.-Muslim relaBoutros-Ghali, an Egyptian tions. But he wants to hear some whose grandfather served as specifics on the peace process as prime minister, says too many well: “We want him to stay with people think of Muslims as exthe Palestinian people. We want tremists. “This is our main probhim to change (the U.S. relation- lem,” he says. “How to explain ship with) the Israelis.” that they represent only 2-to-3% Analysts say that after address- of Muslims?” ing the U.S.-Muslim relationship Atef Fahmey, 29, who sells in a post-inauguration interview brightly colored cotton scarves with an Arab TV network and in and dresses from a small stall in an April speech in Turkey, Obama the middle of the city’s mazelike must offer specifics this time. bazaar, says he has a simple hope “He can only give the ‘America for Obama’s speech. He says he loves and respects the Muslim hopes Obama tells the world that world’ speech so many times,” “Islam is a good religion, not bad says former Mideast peace nego- like some people say in America.” tiator Aaron David Miller. “In my view, Cairo should be about deal- Contributing: Theodore May ing with the Arab-Israeli issue, but it has to be backed up by a strategy. . . . You can only get by being Barack Hussein Obama for so long. ” Published by Gannett Co., Inc. In an interview with National Vol. 27, No. 109 (ISSN 1051-7405) Public Radio earlier this week, USA TODAY Obama said achieving peace in 7950 Jones Branch Drive the Middle East “is not going to McLean, VA 22108 Telephone: +1-703-854-3400 be an easy path.” Fax: +1-703-854-2095 He did not say whether he will offer an expanded policy preInternational Headquarters (London): USA TODAY, P.O. Box scription in Cairo. But he said he 30793, London WC1A 1AZ, England. will be tough on both sides as the All general inquiries

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more power in the region, “it’s an important time,” says national security spokesman Denis McDonough. “The president believes it’s an important opportunity to advance the national interest.” Human rights in Egypt Americans seem to agree. In a new Gallup Poll taken on the eve Like presidents before him, of Obama’s trip, 76% said the Obama is taking heat from some quality of the relationship be- human rights groups, such as the tween the Muslim and western Alliance for Egyptian Americans, worlds is important to them. that fear he will paper over Ali Hadi, vice provost of the Egypt’s abuses in the name of American University in Cairo, maintaining relations with a strasays people in Egypt and across tegic ally and long-time peacethe Islamic world want a better maker in the Arab world. relationship with the United After a recent meeting with States. After the 9/11 attacks, Egyptian pro-democracy activ“the entire world, inists, Secretary of cluding the Arab and State Hillary Clinton Muslim worlds, was said the issue would very sympathetic,” come up during Hadi says. “UnfortuObama’s trip, but nately, the U.S. did not said it wouldn’t be a capitalize on that to dominant theme. lead the world in a “We always raise better direction. This democracy and huis a chance for the man rights,” she United States to redisaid. “And I think rect.” that there is a great New Gallup polls awareness on the By Mimi Hall, USA TODAY from 11 Arab counpart of the Egyptian tries show dramatic Hassam Yosef: “Mr. government that improvement in ap- Obama is welcome with young people proval ratings for the any time in Cairo.” like this and with U.S. government’s enhanced commuleadership in eight of the coun- nications, it is in Egypt’s interest tries since Obama took ofﬁce. The to move more toward democracy approval ratings, however, are and to exhibit more respect for still well below 50%. Egypt’s ap- human rights.” proval rating of U.S. leadership Some say it’s a mistake not to was just 6% in May 2008; it’s now push harder. “It’s great that Obaup to 25%. ma’s going there to give a speech, There’s a weariness and some but it’s going to send mixed mescynicism among the young here. sages. It’s going to give validation Farag says former president to a repressive regime,” says George W. Bush publicly promot- Aladdin Elaasar of the Alliance of ed democracy in Egypt and Egyptian Americans. “It is a brupeace in the region, as did Bill tal regime, and people are living Clinton and other U.S. presidents. in subhuman conditions.” But because of Egypt’s long role In Cairo, however, people don’t as a peacemaker and U.S. ally, necessarily expect — or even democratic nations have looked want — much from Obama when the other way while President it comes to human rights issues. Hosni Mubarak has ruled under If he pushes for change and it emergency law for 28 years, im- happens, that would be great, Faprisoning thousands of dissi- rag says. “If, over the next year, dents, political opponents and we start to see more democratic anyone else he wishes at will. reforms, ending marshal law, that “After a while,” Farag says, would be a positive thing,” he “you know exactly what’s going says. But “there’s a lot that we to be happening.” should be doing, not him. The Obama will make a concerted solving of our democracy issues effort to reach out to Muslim is our problem to deal with.” youth when he speaks at Cairo Alterman, who heads CSIS’ University, McDonough says. Middle East Program, says efforts Hundreds of students have been to push democracy simply don’t given tickets to attend. play well in the Mideast. Rania Al Malky, 37, editor of “In the last administration, we the Daily News Egypt, says she heard a lot about democracy and believes most young people are liberty and freedom,” Alterman open to Obama’s message. “Peo- says. “These are ideas that come ple are deﬁnitely still a little skep- out of our own enlightenment, tical but not extremely skepti- history and tradition, and I hold

20%

cal,” she says. “People feel he is familiar to them. They see him in a very different light from any previous president.” The human rights issues in Egypt, she says, need to be addressed — and the White House says Obama will do that. But Al Malky says Obama should tread carefully there because “no one wants the U.S. to try to impose democracy.” Obama is getting no shortage of advice about what to say in an address that’s scheduled to last less than an hour.

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Arab attitudes toward Obama and the U.S.

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te father was a Muslim from Kenya, and the president spent some of his childhood living in Indonesia, which has the world’s largest Muslim population of more than 206 million. Grand Sheik Mohammad Sayed Tantawi of Al-Azhar University and mosque, one of the world’s top Muslim leaders, says he appreciates that Obama “rejects the idiot racism . . . that any normal person would reject.” Obama’s speech may be most closely watched, though, for how he addresses some of the intractable foreign policy challenges he faces, from Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the prospects for a Palestinian state to the military buildup in Afghanistan and troop drawdown in Iraq. Aides say Obama will make the case that better relations with the Islamic world will contribute to peace, prosperity and security for all nations. “He doesn’t hesitate to take on tough issues,” says deputy national security adviser Mark Lippert. As more U.S. troops move into Afghanistan and elections are held in Lebanon and elsewhere that could give Islamist groups

USA TODAY · THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2009 · 3A

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Gardens ease bills, brighten cityscape

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Mississippi’s three-month legislative session ended Wednesday unless two-thirds of lawmakers By Kathleen Gray vote to extend it. USA TODAY Also: uNew Hampshire lawmakers are scheduled to take a second vote on expanded religious protecDETROIT — Every little bit helps for tions needed to win the governor’s signature on a Earlean White’s family. bill to permit gay marriage. The neighborhood garden a block from her home was the source of Across the nation fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers for her family last summer. Man charged in abortion doctor’s death So on a recent sunny Saturday, The man accused of killing abortion clinic owner White, 48, enlisted two of her kids — George Tiller was charged with ﬁrst-degree murder. Katherine White, 9, and David Smith, Scott Roeder, 51, allegedly shot Tiller on Sunday 13 — and her grandson Robert Puriat the physician’s church. tan, 8, to start planting for this year. Tiller’s Wichita abortion White says the garden helps ease clinic is one of only a few her grocery bill and “helps the comthat provided late-term munity and makes it look better.” abortions in which the fetus can live outside the womb. Roeder, whose last address was Kansas City, Mo., is an abortion opponent. Roeder’s only question was when he could see his lawyer. Sedgwick County Jail via AP Tiller’s funeral will be at Roeder: 1st-degree 10 a.m. Saturday at College murder charge. Hill United Methodist Church in Wichita.

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Tulsa fireworks plan can’t get off ground A proposal for Tulsa to sell $20 permits that would have allowed July Fourth revelers to shoot fireworks within city limits bombed before coming to a vote, the Tulsa World (tulsaworld.com) said. The city banned fireworks in the 1970s after wooden-roofed houses caught fire See more stories from across the from bottle rockets, Web at our the World said. On Deadline blog at Council members USATODAY.com, your 24/7 expressed concerns site for news from around about the measure, by the nation and the world Dennis Troyer, that would have helped raise money for a public fireworks festival. “If just one house caught fire because of this, it wouldn’t be worth it,” council member Bill Christiansen told the World.

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Ohio troopers fight firings over weight In Ohio, state troopers are fighting a rule that allows dismissal for those consistently exceed weight limits. The highway patrol is among a handful in the USA that allow punitive measures for troopers who fail to meet weight requirements. Union contracts in Alaska and Massachusetts allow removing officers from duty if they’re overweight, but it rarely happens, National Troopers Coalition chairman Mike Eades said. Ohio contract talks are underway.

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A Muslim who pleaded not guilty to killing a soldier outside a recruiting center had the ﬁrepower to take out many more while on a mission to “kill as many people in the Army as he could,” police said. Court documents said Abdulhakim Muhammad had Molotov cocktails, three guns and ammunition in his pickup truck when he ﬁred at two soldiers Monday in a suburban Little Rock shopping center. Pvt. William Long, 23, was killed; Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula, 18, was wounded. Muhammad targeted soldiers “because of what they had done to Muslims in the past,” police said in the documents.

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. — Even as Starbucks shutters stores, some coffee shops in Southern California’s Little Saigon are booming with a formula that seems to defy recession. They are serving up strong Vietnamese brew, delivered to tables by young women in bikinis, spandex, fishnet sarongs or lingerie, displaying bountiful skin and cleavage. Lots and lots of cleavage. “I think it’s kind of like Starbucks meets Hooters,” says Tina Nguyen, 19, a waitress at Café Lu, who was exposing a bare midriff between tight Lakers jersey and black micro-mini tube skirt. Like all the six to eight Photos by Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY servers on duty at any time, she was teetering on 6-inch Brewing up customers: Jen Tran works at Café Lu in Santa Ana, Calif., which specializes in coffees, teas and smoothies. platform stiletto-heeled shoes of clear plastic. She paused to chat and laugh boys-will-be-boys attitude toward businesses. scene is different. Manager Ann Hsu says her store with customers as she delivered $5 servings of “I’ve met people who wouldn’t go to those shops, is on a list of shops the corporate office may close. thick, sweet iced coffee and refilled bottomless but I don’t think I’ve met anyone who is so offended But she doesn’t see the cafes as competition. glasses of weak iced tea. they want the places closed down,” Vu says. “It’s a different clientele,” says Hsu, 29. “You don’t Customers are overwhelmingly male and largely At Café Di Vang II, manager Dan Nguyen (also not go there for the coffee. You definitely go there for Vietnamese-Americans, although men of all eth- related) says the shops offer an enjoyable experi- something else.” nicities find their way into Café Lu or one of its ence at a cheap price. Even laced with milk and sugWhile Starbucks’ baristas get a few bills and many nearby competitors. Ten large TVs line the ar, the coffee is so strong no one can drink more change in a jar on the counter, customers at Café Lu walls, tuned to sports and cable news. Customers than two, he says, and a $5 or $10 bill, plus tip, is a may tip $5 or more, says customer Sonny Tran, 35, such as James La play Chinese checkers and talk bargain for an hour or two of ogling. who brings a laptop computer and works afterwith friends at 40 or more tables. In a patio corner, Beverly Hills producer John noons from the cafe. “It’s kind of like a bikini bar, almost,” says La, 36, a Wilson and Darko Ostojic, a Croatian-born actor “They’re really generous,” Tina Nguyen says of recent medical school graduate. “It’s unique. I don’t and producer, were holding a business meeting customers. think other cultures have this.” about a film they are producing about vampires in Waitresses say they rarely get an inappropriate Indeed, while risqué coffee shops have been tried 3-D. touch or proposition and laugh off customers who elsewhere, and bars that display ample amounts of “Not only do they look great, they are so nice,” assume too much. the female form are commonplace, the mixture of Wilson says of the servers. “All we serve is coffee,” Nguyen says. “It’s not a eye candy and coffee seems to have taken hold like At Starbucks a few blocks up Euclid Street, the brothel. Guys here know their limits.” nowhere else here in the nation’s largest Vietnamese community. Natalie Nguyen, 36, owner of Café Lu, says the concept has been popular for more than two decMetLife Bank ades in an area that became a magnet for Vietnamese refugees after the fall of Saigon in 1975. In recent times, she says, more competitors have opened. She estimates there are 50 to 60 such places in this area of Orange County outside Los Angeles. Like her competitors, Nguyen’s café doesn’t serve alcohol or food. Nguyen (pronounced WIN) is a common name in the Vietnamese community. Five of six waitresses at Café Lu one day shared For a gallery of the surname but were not relatphotos from the ed. coffee shops, Love of coffee is something visit us at Vietnamese immigrants usatoday.com brought with them, the owner says, as is entrepreneurial zeal. Nguyen arrived in the U.S. at 16 and at 17 was a coffee waitress. By 18, she opened her own shop. A fixed-rate reverse mortgage from MetLife Bank offers the most money Some may find the concept offensive, servers acavailable from a federally insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM). knowledge. Some women haven’t told their parents exactly what their job is. And, at an interest rate that may be lower than other lenders. When you add “I was scared at first to tell them,” says Natalie it all up, it’s the reverse mortgage for homeowners age 62 or older who want Tran, 21, who has been a server for three years. “Most Vietnamese parents are kind of strict.” more money now, and less to worry about later. Police have not detected any funny business. Police departments in three cities with jurisdiction over parts of Little Saigon — Westminster, Santa A great rate and more: Ana and Garden Grove — say the coffee shops aren’t • more money—the fixed-rate HECM offers the highest principal limit allowed a big source of concern or complaints, though gang fights and gambling arrests were seen years ago. in a reverse mortgage “Overall, ours (coffee shops) are very low on our • more convenience—all of your funds provided in a lump sum at closing radar as far as a concern,” Westminster Police Sgt. Dan Schoonmaker says. • more security—from a name you trust Daniel Nguyen, pastor at Calvary Chapel Living Water of Little Saigon church, says he doesn’t like If you want the most money available from a federally insured the shops but says the community is OK with them because they make money. reverse mortgage—and a great rate—call MetLife Bank today: “I feel sorry for them, that they feel they have to 1-800-764-0175. do what they do.” he says. “I think it’s very inappropriate.” Hoa-Nhien Vu, who publishes a Little Saigon blog, Bolsavik.com, (a word play on Bolsa Avenue, the main street in the community) says an almost All loans are subject to property approval. Appraised property value may affect loan amount. Certain conditions and fees may apply. Victorian prudishness in the older generation of Mortgage financing provided by MetLife Bank, N.A., Equal Housing Lender. Vietnamese Americans is coupled with a tolerant, © 2009 METLIFE, INC. L0509038211[exp0510][All States][DC] PEANUTS © United Feature Syndicate, Inc. UT509

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Police: Man wanted to kill more soldiers

By William M. Welch USA TODAY

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In Danvers, Mass.: Police Sgt. William Carleton surveys the scene where a 91-year-old driver plowed through the entrance of a Wal-Mart on Tuesday, injuring a woman and her 1-year-old girl.

Spots give customers eye candy with caffeine

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By Mark Lorenz, The Salem News, via AP

Car drives into Wal-Mart

Steamy atmosphere: Dustin Jorgensen, 21, is a regular at Garden Grove, Calif.’s Cafe Di Vang II where Southeast Asian women serve coffee, tea and fruit smoothies.

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Court nixes schools’ random drug tests A North Carolina school board violated teachers’ constitutional rights by deciding to subject employees to random tests for drugs and alcohol, the state Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday. The court ruled that the drug-testing policy violates the state constitution’s prohibitions on unreasonable searches. The ruling could discourage other districts in the state from following the lead of 1,200-student Graham County Schools. The school board in 2006 approved random testing for its 250 teachers, staff and administrators, saying it would be unsafe for them to interact with students while under the inﬂuence of drugs or alcohol. — Jordan Schrader

These baristas add a jolt to coffee shops

Gray reports for the Detroit Free Press. Contributing: Tina Irgang, USA TODAY

Chicago cop guilty in bartender beating Suspended Chicago police officer Anthony Abbate was found guilty of aggravated battery in the videotaped beating of a female bartender who was half his size. He acknowledged being drunk but said Karolina Obrycka pushed him first as she tried to remove him from behind the bar. She had refused to serve him more drinks. The judge allowed Abbate to remain free before June 23 sentencing, at which he faces up to five years in prison.

With the help of Urban Farming, a Detroit-based non-proﬁt group, this 20-foot-by-20-foot lot and more than 600 others like it across the USA are being turned into gardens.

enough to sustain their own program,” she says. Sevelle says she has been helped by Wayne County and the city of Detroit, which have turned over tax-foreclosed lots to the group. The land stays in the name of the city or the county, so if a developer arises it can be returned, says Terrence Keith, Wayne County deputy treasurer. In the past, the program was able to turn over about 50% of the produce grown to food banks throughout the city, Sevelle says. As the recession hit, that dropped to 5% last year. “That’s how badly people needed food,” Sevelle said. “People were picking the gardens clean.”

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Former Mass. House speaker indicted Salvatore DiMasi, the former Massachusetts House speaker, and three associates were indicted on federal charges of conspiring to help a software company win $20 million in state contracts and then conceal the money received from the ﬁrm. “Every decision I made as speaker and as a state representative was made in the best interests of . . . the people of the Commonwealth,” the Boston Democrat, who denied the charges, stated.

By Kathleen Gray, USA TODAY

Pulling weeds: Earlean White, center, works with her children David Smith, left, and Katherine White.

Taja Sevelle, an R&B recording artist from Detroit, started the agency in 2005 with three gardens in the city. That’s grown to gardens in seven other states as well as Jamaica, she says. The group also operates gardens in New York, New Jersey, California, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina and Hawaii. In each location, Urban Farming sponsors provide seeds and other needed materials, she says. “The whole focus is getting rid of hunger,” Sevelle says. “But it also beautiﬁes the area and brings people together.” In Los Angeles, Joyce LapinskyLewis, program development consultant for Urban Farming’s West Coast operation, says one of the aims is to pass on the skills needed to farm independently. “Everyone can learn

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Deadline looms to pass laws in Miss.

4A · THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2009 · USA TODAY

World

Crash mystery hinges on 4-inch ‘pingers’ Tragedy tests limits of technology, resources By Thomas Frank USA TODAY It weighs less than half a pound, is 4 inches long, and can potentially unlock the mystery of Flight 447. French navy ships searching the Atlantic Ocean will dip a receiver into the water to pick up signals from the 4-inch “pinger” attached to the airplane’s “black box” recorders possibly resting on the ocean floor. The search will cost millions of dollars and involve sophisticated military equipment. It also could ignite a debate about whether airplanes should be equipped with recorders that float. The Transportation Security Administration, prodded by lawmakers for years, plans this summer to test a recorder that detaches from an airplane in a crash, agency spokeswoman Kristin Lee said. House Democrats began urging a test shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The cockpit-voice and flight-data recorders never were found for the two planes that hit the World Trade Center. “The circumstances of 9/11 have demanded the need for this type of recorder,” former National Transportation Safety Board chairman Jim Hall said. “This (Flight 447) accident puts an exclamation point on it.”

Robotic submersible

Flight data recorder

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The pingers can withstand water pressure at depths up to 20,000 feet. Their sounds travel through water columns for several miles, either vertically or horizontally. That means that if a pinger is in shallow water, it can be detected from a point on the surface a few miles away. If a pinger is in deep water, the listening device must be almost overhead.

Source: Source: Teledyne Benthos

By Dave Merrill, USA TODAY

Details emerge of the 228 on doomed jet From staff and wire reports PARIS — A woman from Dublin had toured with the Riverdance troupe for years and performed at Radio City Music Hall. One man was a descendant of Brazil’s last emperor. And a Hungarian therapist who worked with children with motor disabilities in Budapest was traveling with her 7-year-old son. They were among 216 passengers on the ill-fated Air France Flight 447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. The jet, which crashed in the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday night, carried 61 French citizens, 58 Brazilians, 26 Germans, nine Chinese and nine Italians. People from 27 other coun-

tries also were on the passenger list, including two Americans. Air France said 11 of the 12 crewmembers were French. French tiremaker Michelin had three executives aboard the plane, including Michelin’s president for South America, Luiz Roberto Anastácio, 50, who had been promoted May 4 and was traveling to France to meet fellow top executives. Ten salesmen and their spouses from CGE Distribution, a French electronics supply company, had won company prizes of a trip to Brazil. Canadian Brad Clemes, 49, was a Coca-Cola executive working in Brussels. The dancer, Eithne Walls,

Iraqi gets life term in Briton’s murder An Iraqi court Tuesday convicted a Sunni architect in the 2004 kidnap-slaying of British aid worker Margaret Hassan and sentenced him to life in prison. Her family appealed for Ali Lutfi al-Rawi to reveal where her body is buried so her remains can be returned to Britain. The Irish-born Hassan, who was married to an Iraqi and had lived in the country for 30 years, was among the highest-profile figures in the wave of kidnappings that swept Iraq in the early years of the war. She was seized in October 2004 on her way to work in Baghdad, where she served as director of CARE International in Iraq. Shortly after her abduction, a terrified Hassan, 59, was shown on a video trembling and pleading for her life. She was killed a month later. Her body has not been found.

dancing feet,” her parents and siblings said in a statement. “Her friends will, we hope, remember their special time together with fondness and joy.” Five Britons aboard included Arthur Coakley, 61, a structural engineer from near Whitby, North Yorkshire. His wife of 34 years, Patricia, broke down describing her By Robert Pratta, Reuters “fabulous husband,” father to At Saint-Étienne stadium: French soccer players wear black their three grown children. armbands Tuesday to honor victims of Air France Flight 447. “He worked so hard for his family; that’s all he wanted, 29, had gone on a two-week 2000 and spent nearly a dec- to retire,” she told Britain’s vacation in Brazil with two ade dancing in troupes from Press Association. “It’s not other women who had grad- New York to Shanghai and going to happen, is it?” uated from medical school in was pursuing a career as a Contributing: Claudia San2007 from Ireland’s Trinity Dublin eye surgeon. College Dublin. “Eithne, we will miss your chez in Paris, the Associated Walls joined Riverdance in easy smile. We will miss your Press

Hope of finding survivors dissolves The chance of finding survivors in Flight 447 “is very, very small, even non-existent,” said Jean-Louis Borloo, the French minister overseeing transportation. The recorders may be the only hope in finding out what may have happened, Borloo said. Borloo called the A330 “one of the most reliable planes in the world” and said lightning alone, even from a fierce tropical storm, probably couldn’t have brought down the plane. “There really had to be a succession of extraordinary events to be able to explain this situation,” Borloo said on RTL radio Tuesday. Contributing: The Associated Press

A three-judge panel handed down the sentence Walt, confirmed the detainee’s apparent suicide but against al-Rawi, 36, after a one-day trial in Baghdad, declined to discuss details or to say whether any convicting him of kidnapping, murder and extor- family members had been contacted. tion. The defendant, who had pleaded not guilty, Illegal miners found dead in S. Africa showed no reaction after the sentencing. At least 61 prospectors have been found dead in U.S. military: Gitmo detainee killed self an abandoned gold mine in South Africa, police said A Yemeni detainee at Guantanamo Bay has died Tuesday. of an apparent suicide, U.S. military officials said The bodies were found by other illegal miners, Tuesday. The Joint Task Force that runs the U.S. pris- who brought 36 to the surface over the weekend, on in Cuba said guards found Muhammad Ahmad according to Harmony Gold Mining. The company Abdallah Salih unresponsive and not breathing in no longer uses the mine shaft in central Free State his cell Monday night. province. In a statement issued from Miami, the U.S. milAn additional 25 bodies underground were itary said the detainee was pronounced dead by a brought up Tuesday, said Tom Smith of Harmony. doctor after “extensive lifesaving measures had Harmony said more bodies may be in the shaft, and By Tauseef Mustafa, AFP/Getty Images been exhausted.” he suggested an underground fire could have The Yemeni prisoner, also known as Mohammad caused the deaths. The miners may also have died Ahmed Abdullah Saleh Al-Hanashi, had been held after inhaling poisonous gas sometimes found in In Srinagar, India: Kashmiri demonstrators are arwithout charges at Guantanamo Bay since February mines, police spokesman Stephen Thakeng said. rested Tuesday. They were protesting the deaths of 2002. two women whom they say soldiers killed. A prison spokesman, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Brook De- From wire reports

Police break up protests

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In shallow depths, divers can look for the recorders. In deeper depths, robotic devices with electronic arms and cameras or sonar are submersed to search for the recorders.

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Flight data recorder

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Flashlightsize pinger

They listen for pinging sounds emitted by flashlight-size mechanisms attached to airplane recorders.

When a “pinger” is detected, a boat will move in various directions to get the strongest signal from the pinger. That spot will be the best indication of where the recorders are sitting.

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The listening devices are lowered as deep as 300 feet into the water.

Acoustic pinging

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adviser on projects in West Africa and Asia. Last July, Devon transferred the couple to Rio de Janeiro. LAFAYETTE, La. — Mary Miley expect“They enjoyed Rio,” Miley said. “Anne ed to hear from her sister Anne Debaillon said she’d never have that experience Harris on Sunday once Harris and her again, so they went. They enjoyed Carnihusband, Michael, reached Paris, but the val. They had friends at the American couple never reached their Club. They were making destination. the best of it.” The Harrises were the Miley described Anne only two Americans on the Harris as “a brilliant redlist of named passengers head.” aboard Air France Flight “She put herself through 447, which disappeared physical therapy school over the Atlantic Ocean and was ﬁrst in her class,” Sunday. she said. They were headed to Miley’s last communicaFrance for a training semition with Anne Harris was nar involving Michael Harthrough e-mail. “I got an eris’ work with Devon Enermail from her day before gy, and then planned some yesterday, and she said her vacation time in France son would have their itinand Spain. erary, but he never got it,” “We’re all in a state of Miley said. “He is a pilot shock,” Miley said. with Continental who lives Family photo The Airbus 330-200 carat their house” in Texas. The Harrises: Planned ried 228 people. The Harrises planned to Anne Harris, 54, was a vacation after seminar. visit Lafayette in Decemphysical therapist. Michael ber. Harris, 60, was a geologist. The couple, “They were both gregarious, caring, married 16 years, lived in Lafayette until patient, kind, fun-loving individuals,” Mifour years ago when they moved to the ley said. “My only comfort is that they Houston area. died together.” Michael Harris began working with The couple had two children, B.S. Devon as a contractor in Houston in July Hampton Harris IV, 27, and Andrew Mus2004, supporting international projects. grove, 30, according to the Associated In 2006, he became a full-time geological Press.

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By Bruce Brown The (Lafayette, La.) Daily Advertiser

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When airplane debris is found on the surface of water, boats equipped with special listening devices patrol the area.

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How to find “black box” airplane recorders:

Underwater search Patrol boat

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Sister in shock at loss of U.S. couple on ﬂight

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Low-tech lookout: A member of a French search team scans the Atlantic Ocean. Debris along a 3-mile swath was conﬁrmed to be part of the missing jet.

The detachable recorder emits a signal within minutes of a crash indicating its location, potentially saving days of searching and millions of dollars, said Hall, who consults for a New Jersey company, DRS Technologies, that makes the devices. Unlike standard black boxes that are embedded deep in an airplane’s tail assembly, the detachable recorders would sit in an inset on a plane’s tail, Hall said. U.S. commercial ships recently have been required to install the detachable beacons to help rescue efforts if a ship sinks, said Francois Leroy, general manager of Teledyne Benthos, a Massachusetts company that makes pingers. Adding them to jets might be fruitless, though, because “an airplane hitting the water at great speed creates a violent impact” that could destroy the devices, Leroy said. For now, searchers look“We’re closer ing for the recorders from to the limits of Flight 447 will undergo a painstaking process that technology than began Tuesday when Bra- I’d like to be.” zilian military planes found — Bill Voss, a 3-mile swath of debris flight-safety expert from the Air France plane in a remote stretch of the Atlantic Ocean. Searchers will first do a complex study of wind and ocean currents to try to determine where the debris went Sunday, said Richard Limeburner, an oceanographer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. That could narrow the area where military ships will begin listening for the pinger. When ships pick up a signal, they will continue to move around the vicinity to find the loudest sound from the pinger, indicating the most likely spot where it’s located, Leroy said. At that point, unmanned, remote-controlled submersibles would be dropped in the water and lowered to the ocean floor to take camera or sonar images. Workers on the ship can guide the submersibles and use their electronic arms to pick up objects that would be brought back to the ship, Leroy said. Although the technology has been used for years, Leroy and others say Flight 447 will put it to an extreme test because the recorders are submerged under thousands of feet of water. “I’m a little worried how deep” the recorders are, said Bill Voss, president of the non-profit Flight Safety Foundation. “We’re closer to the limits of technology than I’d like to be.” Leroy said searchers “will be looking for a small object in the middle of an area that could be several hundred miles square.” Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration plans to require by next March that black-box recorders meet stricter reliability requirements and hold more information critical to helping accident investigators solve crashes. The proposal, first suggested by the safety board in 2005, would require cockpit voice recorders to be impervious to power failures and that the devices have two hours of recording time instead of the current 30-minute limit.

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