June 1 , 2015

On Top Of The News Email:news@arubatoday.com website: www.arubatoday.com Tel:+297 582-7800 Monday, June 1, 2015

Beau Biden’s Young Death Triggering an Outpouring of Grief

In this Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2008 photo, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden introduces his father Joe Biden at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Late Saturday, May 30, 2015, Vice President Biden announced the death of son, Beau, from brain cancer.

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Page 4

5% DISCOUNT For Tourists

L.G. SMITH BLVD # 150

THE #1 LOWEST PRICE SUPERMARKET ON THE ISLAND!

Opening hours Mon-Sat: 8am-10pm Sunday: 9am - 6pm

U.S. NEWS A3

Monday 1 June 2015

Kerry delays return to US after injury in bicycle crash

BRADLEY KLAPPER Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has delayed his trip back to the United States to stay in a Swiss hospital overnight after breaking his leg in a bicycle crash Sunday.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said that after further consultation, it was decided it was sensible for Kerry to remain in the hospital for observation overnight. Kerry had to scrap the rest of a fournation trip that included an international conference on combating the Islamic State group. “The secretary had planned on flying back to the U.S. this evening, but after further consultation it was sensible for him to remain in the hospital for observation overnight for purely precautionary measures and fly home tomorrow,” Kirby said Sunday.

“The secretary continues to be in great spirits and active. He has done a range of phone calls including with the president?.”

Kerry broke his leg after

a bicycle crash when he struck a curb. Kerry was in stable condition as he prepared to return to Boston for further treatment with the doctor who previously operated on his hip, Kirby said. He said X-rays at a Swiss hospital confirmed that Kerry fractured his right femur.

“The secretary is stable and never lost consciousness, his injury is not life-threatening and he is expected to make a full recovery,” Kirby said in an earlier statement.

Kerry, 71, was taken by helicopter to Geneva’s main medical center, HUG, after crashing his bike near Scionzier, France, about 40 kilometers southeast of the Swiss border.

Paramedics and a physician were on the scene with his motorcade at the time and provided him immediate attention. They quickly decided to order the 10-minute-long helicopter transport.

The Dauphine Libere, a local newspaper, said Kerry fell near the beginning of his ride to the famed moun-

In this March, 2015 picture, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry rides his bicycle along the shore of Lake Geneva after holding meetings with Iran’s Foreign Minister in Lausanne, Switzerland. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has delayed his trip back to the United States to stay in a Swiss hospital overnight after breaking his leg in a bicycle crash Sunday.

(Brian Snyder, Pool Photo via AP)

tain pass called the Col de la Colombiere, which has been a route for the Tour de France more than a dozen times.

Right around the time of his fall, a Twitter feed about local driving conditions

warned of the danger due to gravel along the pass.

But U.S. officials said there was no gravel on the road where the accident occurred. According to the newspaper, some Haute Savoie officials were with

Kerry at the time, including the head of the region.

Kerry’s regular plane was returning to the United States carrying much of his staff and reporters who had accompanied him on the trip.q

A4 U.S.

Monday 1 June 2015

NEWS

Beau Biden’s death triggers an outpouring of grief MICHAEL D. SHEAR © 2015 New York Times WASHINGTON - In a town where few events ever truly break through the thick layer of partisanship, the death of Beau Biden on Saturday night unleashed an outpouring of genuine sorrow.

Biden, the son of Vice President Joe Biden, died Saturday night after battling brain cancer for nearly two years. His death at the age of 46 ended a promising political career in Delaware and left his wife and two children without a husband and father.

In an unusually lengthy and emotional statement Sunday morning, Secretary of State John Kerry, a longtime friend of the Biden family, eulogized Biden as a “class

In this Saturday, July 4, 2009 photo, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, right, talks with his son, U.S. Army Capt. Beau Biden, at Camp Victory on the outskirts of Baghdad, Iraq. Late Saturday, May 30, 2015, Vice President Biden announced the death of son, Beau, from brain cancer.

(AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed, Pool)

act, period, ingrained with integrity, compassion, a sense of moral obligation to

help others, and especially people who were hurting.”

Kerry’s statement echoed

the sense of deep sadness for the vice president that flowed through most of the reaction. The elder Biden lost his first wife and young daughter in a car crash in 1972, and now must lay his eldest son to rest.

Similar expressions came quickly from top Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in the House, and Harry Reid, the top Democrat in the Senate. Former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former secretary of state, each shared their anguish on Twitter.

“Hillary & I mourn the loss of Beau Biden - so full of life, love, honor, and service - and we pray for the strength of his wonderful family,” Bill Clinton wrote shortly after Biden’s death was announced by the vice president’s office Saturday night.

President Barack Obama said in a statement Saturday that Biden had been a “good, big-hearted, devoutly Catholic and deeply faithful man.” On Sunday, out of respect for Biden’s family, the White House canceled a reception that Obama was scheduled to hold on behalf of Ford’s Theater.

The sense of grief came from Republicans, too.

Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida and a likely presidential hopeful, offered his prayers for the vice president and his family. Liz Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, extended the family’s “deepest sympathy and heartfelt prayers.”

Donald Trump offered condolences to the vice president for “the loss of his wonderful son, Beau. Met him once, great guy!” And Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential candi-

date in 2008, noted Biden’s service in the Iraq War and said she had enjoyed spending time with his family when she debated his father during that campaign.

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer,” Palin wrote, quoting the Bible’s Psalm 18:2. “My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Celebrities, too, used Twitter to communicate their emotions, often directing their support to the vice president. “My heart is broken 4 Vice President of the United States,” wrote Cher, the singer and actress. “The 1 thing I know about Joe is, He prizes family above all else.”

She ended her post with emojis of a heart and two hands pressed together.

Mia Farrow, the actress, wrote: “So sad for the Biden family. Everyone loved Beau.”

The surge of reaction on Twitter was a virtual testament to the cheer and good will that the elder Biden has earned over decades in the public spotlight. Where some politicians earn reputations for playing hardball politics, Biden has long been seen as a kind of happy warrior, always smiling.

That seemed to make the loss harder to comprehend, according to many tweets in the hours after the announcement of Beau Biden’s death.

“Just awful for Mr. Biden to have 3 family losses so young. My heart is heavy for him,” one person wrote.

Another said: “VP Biden is the epitome of family.” A third said: “No one should have to bury two children in their lifetime. My condolences and prayers to the Biden family.”q

U.S. NEWS A5

Monday 1 June 2015

At Press Time:

NSA powers set to lapse with no deal in Senate ERICA WERNER KEN DILANIAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — At press time, the National Security Agency was set to lose its authority at midnight last night to collect Americans’ phone records in bulk, after an extraordinary Sunday Senate session had failed to produce a deal to extend the fiercely contested program.

Intelligence officials warned that the outcome amounts to a win for extremist groups. But civil liberties groups applauded the demise, at least temporarily, of the once-secret program made public by NSA contractor Edward Snowden, which critics say is an unconstitutional intrusion into Americans’ privacy. The program is all but certain to be revived in a matter of days, although it also looks certain to be completely overhauled under House of Representatives-passed legislation that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reluctantly blessed Sunday evening. With most senators opposed to extending current law unchanged, even for a short time, McConnell said the House bill was the only option left, other than letting the program die off.

The Senate voted 77-17 to move ahead on the House-passed bill.

But no final action was expected before Sunday’s midnight deadline after McConnell’s fellow Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul said he would assert his prerogatives under Senate rules to delay a final vote for several days.

“This is what we fought the revolution over, are we going to so blithely give up our freedom? ... I’m not going to take it anymore,” Paul said.

McConnell countered: “We shouldn’t be disarming unilaterally as our enemies grow more sophisticated and aggressive, and we certainly should not be doing so based on a campaign of demagoguery and disinformation launched in the

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., walks to the Senate Chamber to begin a special session to extend surveillance programs, in Washington, Sunday, May 31, 2015.

(AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

wake of the unlawful actions of Edward Snowden.”

Fellow Republicans exited the chamber en masse when Paul stood up to speak after the Senate’s vote on the House bill.

In addition to the bulk phone collections provision, two lesser-known Patriot Act provisions also lapse at midnight: One, so far unused, helps track “lone wolf” terrorism suspects unconnected to a foreign power. The second allows the government to eavesdrop on suspects who continually discard their cellphones.

The House bill, backed by the White House, extends those two provisions unchanged, while remaking the bulk collection program over six months by giving phone companies the job of hanging onto records the government could search with a warrant.

CIA Director John Brennan was among those warning that letting the authorities lapse, even for a time, will make America less safe.

Brennan, speaking on CBS, bemoaned “too much political grandstanding and crusading for ideological causes that have skewed the debate on this issue” and said the tools are important to American lives.q

A6 U.S.

Monday 1 June 2015

NEWS

Sun returns to Texas, revealing flood damage across state

ALLEN REED DAVID WARREN Associated Press DALLAS (AP) — Most of Texas was set to get its first period of extended sunshine in weeks, allowing surging rivers to recede as emergency-management officials turn their attention to cleanup efforts in such places as Houston, where damage estimates top $45 million.

Parts of the state were finally beginning to recover on Sunday from weeks of rain and flooding that have made Texas a place of extremes: severe drought conditions earlier in the year that have given way to unprecedented rainfall in some areas. At least 31 people have been killed in storms that began in Texas and Oklahoma last weekend. Twenty-seven of the deaths have been in Texas, and at least 10 people were still missing over the weekend.

The plentiful sun forecast for much of the state this week was expected to allow engorged rivers such as the Trinity in North and East Texas, the Brazos southwest of Houston and Nueces in South Texas to flush massive volumes of water into the

In this aerial photo, people canoe through floodwaters past a stop sign near Bear Creek Park in Houston. Most of Texas was set to get its first period of extended sunshine in weeks, allowing surging rivers to recede as emergency-management officials turn their attention to cleanup efforts in such places as Houston, where damage estimates top $45 million.

(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Gulf of Mexico.

More than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain has fallen during the last 30 days across nearly the entire central and eastern portion of the state — from the Texas Panhandle to the Mexico border. Isolated areas have received 15 to more than 20 inches (37.5 to more than 50 centimeters).

“It’s looking like there won’t be any additional rain this week and that’s

good news,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Dan Reilly in Houston.

The bad news, forecasters warn, is that the ground remains saturated and rivers and lakes swollen headed into tropical storm season, which begins Monday.

“We are more vulnerable now than we were before the rain,” Reilly said.

Water authorities near Houston and elsewhere in the state in the coming days have to release rising

water from reservoirs but be mindful of flooding that could result along downstream tributaries that are already running over their banks.

In the Houston area alone, preliminary damage estimates show the flooding from torrential rains will cost at least $45 million, according to Francisco Sanchez with the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. There was more than

$25 million in damage to public utilities and infrastructure, he said, and the cost to remove storm debris from bayous, flooded neighborhoods and elsewhere is about $15 million.

There’s another $4.5 million in damage to buildings and equipment.

There are about 1,500 homes in Harris County, including those in Houston, with some level of flood damage, and this number will increase as damageassessment teams canvass the region, he said.

Hays County spokeswoman Laureen Chernow said officials there have recorded at least $32.7 million in damage to public infrastructure following record flooding that overflowed the banks of the Blanco River. Many roads have been closed and two bridges destroyed, Chernow said.

“There are a couple of pillars standing in the riverbed,” she said. “It’s going to take years to rebuild this whole area.”

The flooding in Hays County alone has claimed 10 lives.

Authorities Sunday in Victoria, in South Texas, said more than 160 homes had been flooded or threatened by rising water but that no injuries were reported.q

U.S. NEWS A7

Monday 1 June 2015

Qatar extends travel ban on ex-Gitmo inmates; talks continue MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Qatar has agreed to temporarily extend travel bans on five senior Taliban leaders released last year from the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in exchange for captured Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, a senior U.S. official said on Sunday.

The official said the ban would remain in place until diplomatic talks for a longer-term solution are completed. The restrictions had been due to expire on Monday under a May 2014 exchange for Bergdahl. U.S. officials said Friday the Obama administration was closing in on an agreement with Qatar to extend the restrictions for six months that could be announced this weekend.

It was not immediately clear why that agreement had not been finalized.

The official said the U.S. remains in “close contact” with Qatari authorities “to make sure these individuals do not pose a threat to the United States.” As a result of the talks to date, Qatar “has agreed to maintain the current restrictive conditions on these individuals as we continue these discussions,” the official said.

The official said the former detainees are all currently in Qatar and remain subject to the travel ban and extensive monitoring. Under the terms of the exchange, the five detainees were sent to Qatar, where government officials agreed to monitor their activities and prevent them from traveling out of the country for one year. In return, Bergdahl, who had been held captive by the Taliban for nearly five years after walking away from his Army post in Afghanistan, was released to the U.S. military. He recently was charged with desertion.

At least one of the five allegedly contacted militants during the past year while in Qatar. No details have been disclosed about that contact, but the White House confirmed that one of the Taliban leaders was put under enhanced surveillance.

One or more of the detainees met with some members of the al-Qaida-affiliated Haqqani militant group in Qatar earlier in the year, according to Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. That was an indication that the group was reaching out to communicate with the so-called Taliban Five, said Graham, who predicted all five will rejoin the fight.

Four of the five former detainees remain on the United Nations’ blacklist, which freezes their assets and has them under a separate travel ban.

But the U.N. itself has acknowledged that its travel ban has been violated. In a report late last year, the U.N. sanctions committee stated, “Regrettably, the monitoring team continues to receive a steady — albeit officially unconfirmed — flow of media reports indicating that some listed individuals have become increasingly adept at circumventing the sanctions measures, the travel ban in particular.”

The State Department insists that U.S. officials work to mitigate the risk of former Guantanamo detainees returning to the fight, threatening Americans or jeopardizing U.S. national security. U.S. officials have noted in the past that the five Taliban leaders are middle-aged or older, were former officials in the Taliban government and probably wouldn’t be seen again on any battlefield, although they could continue to be active members of the Taliban.q

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. A one-year travel ban was extended for five senior Taliban leaders held in U.S. detention at Guantanamo Bay. (AP Photo/Brett Carlsen)

A8

Monday 1 June 2015

WORLD NEWS

Israeli PM Netanyahu lashes out at criticism of Israel JODI RUDOREN © 2015 New York Times JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said on Sunday that his country faces “an international campaign to blacken its name” based not on his policies toward the Palestinians but “connected to our very existence,” likening the mounting boycott movement to anti-Semitic “libels” of earlier eras.

Speaking to his Cabinet after Israel’s successful diplomatic blitz to block a Palestinian bid to suspend it from international soccer competition, Netanyahu declared: “This is a phenomenon that we have known in the history of our people,” citing as examples accusations that Jews

“are the focus of all evil in the world” and “drink the blood of little children.”

“It is important to understand that these things do not stem from the fact that if only we were a little nicer or a little more generous that anything would change,” the prime minister said, according to a statement released by his office, “because this campaign to delegitimize Israel entails something much deeper that is being directed at us and seeks to deny our very right to live here.”

The Palestinian push to suspend Israel from FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, was based on complaints about Israeli restrictions on athletes’ travel

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, sits during a ceremony at Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem. Netanyahu of Israel said on Sunday that his country faces “an international campaign to blacken its name.”

(Ammar Awad/Pool photo via AP)

through checkpoints and border crossings, tariffs on imported equipment, racism among soccer fans and the inclusion in Israeli leagues of teams from five settlements in the occupied West Bank. Under intense pressure and unable

to garner the 75 percent majority required for suspension, the Palestinians dropped the demand at the last minute, accepting instead the formation of a FIFA committee to address the situation.

Hanan Ashrawi, a member

of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s executive committee, said Netanyahu’s comments were a familiar scare tactic through which he aimed to discredit criticism of his government’s actions on the ground.q

WORLD NEWS 9

Monday 1 June 2015

Suicide bombing in Libya’s west claimed by IS kills 5 SULIMAN ALI ZWAY D. KIRKPATRICK © 2015 New York Times TRIPOLI, Libya - The branch of the Islamic State that controls the city of Sirte has expanded its territory and pushed back the militia from the neighboring city of Misrata, militia leaders acknowledged Sunday.

In the group’s latest attack, a suicide bomber killed at least four fighters Sunday at a checkpoint west of Misrata on the coastal road to Tripoli, according to local officials and Libyan news reports.

The continued expansion inside Libya of the Islamic State group has alarmed

Western officials because of its proximity to Europe across the Mediterranean.

Four years after the removal of Moammar Gadhafi, the near collapse of the Libyan government has left no central Libyan authority to check the group’s advance or even partner with Western military efforts against it. Two armed factions, each with its own paper government, are fighting for control, and each has focused more on internal quarrels than on defeating the Islamic State.

The group’s expanding turf in Libya also gives it an alternative base of operations even as it appears to

Libyan soldiers try to fix a weapon that jammed during clashes with militants 75 miles west of Tripoli, Libya. A suicide bomber killed at least four fighters Sunday at a checkpoint west of Misrata on the coastal road to Tripoli, according to local officials and Libyan news reports.

(AP Photo/Mohamed Ben Khalifa)

be gaining ground - in Palmyra, Syria, and in Ramadi, Iraq. Suliman Ali Mousa, an officer with the brigade from Misrata, confirmed in a telephone interview Sunday that over the past two days its forces had retreated in the face of Islamic State advances to the east, south and west of Sirte. Islamic State fighters have captured the Gardabya air base, about 20 kilometers south of Sirte; it had been all but destroyed by NATO airstrikes during the 2011 campaign against Gadhafi, but Libyans describe it as a strategic foothold.q

A10 WORLD

Monday 1 June 2015

NEWS

Russian lawmaker asks for EU blacklist to be made public LYNN BERRY Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov needs to explain why 89 politicians from 17 European countries have been banned from entering Russia and confirm their names, an opposition lawmaker said Sunday in a formal inquiry.

Dmitry Gudkov, the sole member of Russia’s parliament who opposes the Kremlin, also told Lavrov that while he understood such a step might have been necessary, it should have been taken transparently and in consultation with parliament.

Russia has shared the list with European Union officials, but has refused to release it.

The explanation Russia has given for the blacklist is that it was in response to EU economic sanctions and travel bans imposed on Russia for its actions in Ukraine.

The Associated Press obtained the list from a source

at EU headquarters in Brussels. The person who released it to the AP wanted to remain anonymous since the list had yet to be made official in Moscow.

The 28-nation EU on Saturday criticized the Russian bans as “totally arbitrary and unjustified, especially in the absence of any further clarification and transparency.” Two German politicians who were turned back after flying into Moscow are on the list and were among several refusals that led the EU to ask Russia to share the list. The bans also apply to several prominent high-ranking officials from Britain, including the head of the MI5 security service, the chief of its defense staff, former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg and former foreign secretary and parliament member Malcolm Rifkind. Britain said the Russians have provided no legal basis for the list. “If Russia thinks this action will cause the EUto change its position

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks to the media in Moscow, Russia. Lavrov needs to explain why 89 politicians from 17 European countries have been banned from entering Russia and confirm their names, an opposition lawmaker said Sunday in a formal inquiry.

(AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

on sanctions, it is wrong,” the British Foreign Office said Sunday in a statement.

Gudkov’s request drew a harsh reaction from Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

“Was he this active when EU countries put together their blacklists? And did he write such critical, or perhaps objective, letters to the leadership of EU countries with the request to stop

compiling stop lists against Russian citizens?” Zakharova said on Govorit Moskva radio. “Probably he did this, but unfortunately for some reason no one knows about it.”q

Italy holds regional vote; test of PM Renzi’s hold on party ROME (AP) — Italians voted for several governorships and many municipal posts Sunday in what was being seen as a partial test of Premier Matteo Renzi’s grip on his oft-squabbling Democratic Party.

Seven of Italy’s 20 regions were voting for governorships and hundreds of towns were holding local elections Sunday. In Sicily, the voting

for local posts will last two days, ending Monday. In Italy, regions determine when they hold an election.

Significant results weren’t expected before Monday morning. By law, no opinion polls were made public in the last two weeks.

Balloting in northwestern Liguria, considered a stronghold of the left, could indicate how deep the re-

sentment of Renzi’s party leadership runs. Among the several governorship candidates in that region, whose capital is the blue-collar city of Genoa, two are from the left. One is a Democrat backed by Renzi ; the other is from an alternative leftistcoalition that could attract disgruntled Democrats.

Renzi has insisted the regional vote has no impact on his

national government, now in its second year and concentrating on bringing more economic and political reforms to the nation.

In the northern Veneto region, the anti-immigrant Northern League party is hoping for gains as Italy struggles to shelter tens of thousands of migrants arriving by sea on smugglers’ boats. On the eve of

the vote, Northern League leader Matteo Salvini contended that anyone who doesn’t cast a ballot for his party is favoring what he called an “invasion” of migrants.

Straining its thin government coffers, Italy rescued 170,000 migrants in the sea near Libya last year and tens of thousands more so far this year.q

WORLD NEWS A11

Monday 1 June 2015

China says it could set up air defense zone in South China Sea

China’s Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun holds up a report on China’s Military Strategy in Beijing, China. A Chinese admiral said Sunday that Beijing could set up an air defense zone above disputed areas of the South China Sea if it felt it was facing a large enough threat.

(AP Photo/Andy Wong)

EDWARD WONG © 2015 New York Times BEIJING - A Chinese admiral said Sunday that Beijing could set up an air defense zone above disputed areas of the South China Sea if it felt it was facing a large enough threat, according to Chinese news media.

Adm. Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of staff of the People’s Liberation Army, told a regional security forum in Singapore that China had not said it would definitely create a so-called air defense identification zone, but that any decision would be based on an

aerial threat assessment and the general security situation. He also said other nations should not overemphasize the issue.

The creation of an air defense zone would be viewed by the United States and Southeast Asian nations as a huge provocation. In recent years, foreign officials have speculated whether one of Beijing’s next moves in the South China Sea would be to set up such a zone, whose existence would further solidify China’s military presence in the waters.

In November 2013, to the dismay of Japan and the United States, China declared an air defense identification zone over disputed waters in the East China Sea. Chinese military aircraft began requiring all other aircraft flying through the zone to identify themselves, and com-

Poroshenko:

Ex-president of Georgia to lead Odessa

D. M. HERSZENHORN © 2015 New York Times MOSCOW - President Petro O. Poroshenko of Ukraine on Saturday appointed the former president of Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili, as governor of the Odessa region, turning to a longtime nemesis of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia for help governing an area coveted by pro-Russian separatists.

Poroshenko announced the appointment of Saakashvili during a visit to Odessa, a port city on the Black Sea, calling him a “great friend of Ukraine.”

He has also granted Saakashvili Ukrainian citizenship.

Saakashvili replaces Ihor Palytsia, who was appointed governor in May 2014

after more than 40 people, most of them pro-Russian separatists, died in a fire in Odessa during clashes with pro-Western street demonstrators. Palytsia is an ally of Igor V. Kolomoisky, a billionaire and former governor of Dnipropetrovsk.

Kolomoisky was dismissed from his own governor’s position after clashing with Poroshenko this year as the president began a “deoligarchization” campaign aimed at reducing the power and influence of Ukraine’s wealthiest businessmen. The appointment of Saakashvili was immediately interpreted in Ukraine as a message to Kolomoisky as well as a jab at Putin. Saakashvili and Putin have an animosity that dates to before the

brief war fought between Georgia and Russia in 2008.

Although Poroshenko portrayed the appointment as an effort to speed up the government overhaul in Odessa, it also highlighted the continuing challenges the Ukrainian government faces, even as it confronts a constant threat of renewed warfare on the Russian border. It is increasingly clear that there is insufficient domestic capacity for implementing widescale changes, and the Ukrainian public’s general willingness to accept the appointment of foreigners to high-level positions underscores the deep lack of trust in any government after nearly a quarter-century of mismanagement and corruption.q

mercial airliners complied, though the United States sent B-52 bombers through the zone without advance warning to challenge Beijing.

In late May, Chinese officials told the United States to stop sending surveillance flights near land formations that China claims are its territory. U.S. officials say the flights had taken place over international waters.

Sun’s remarks came during a question-and-answer session after he delivered the main Chinese speech at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore. As at previous such meetings, much of the focus of the conference, which ended on Sunday, was on territorial disputes in the South

China Sea, where China, Taiwan and Southeast Asian nations all have competing claims to waters, islands, reefs, shoals and sandbars. In recent weeks, the United States has criticized China for island-building and land reclamation efforts on disputed reefs and atolls that were uninhabited until recently.

In his address to the security conference on Saturday, Ashton B. Carter, the U.S. defense secretary, reiterated an earlier demand for China and other nations to stop such islandbuilding. The United States has said that China is building much faster than any other nation and has completed 2,000 acres of land reclamation in the last 18 months.q

A12 WORLD

Monday 1 June 2015

NEWS

Venezuelans mass for year’s largest anti-government protests HANNAH DREIER Associated Press CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Thousands donned white and took to the streets in cities across the country this weekend in the biggest show of frustration with Venezuela’s socialist administration since a wave of bloody anti-government protests a year ago.

The day of marches was called less than a week ago by imprisoned opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. In a video leaked from his prison cell, Lopez urged demonstrations to demand a firm date for this year’s legislative elections and freedom for jailed opposition politicians like himself who human rights groups consider political prisoners.

A Harvard-educated for-

mer mayor, Lopez has been jailed for 15 months in connection with his leadership of the spring of 2014 protests that resulted in dozens of deaths on both sides of Venezuela’s yawning political divide.

The opposition coalition did not endorse Saturday’s rallies, underscoring longstanding fissures among critics of the country’s 16year socialist government.

Before his imprisonment last year, Lopez clashed with other high-profile politicians, including moderate opposition leader Henrique Capriles, about the wisdom of organizing nationwide protests.

Capriles, who came close to beating President Nicolas Maduro in the 2013 presidential election, led a march through the inland

Lilian Tintori, wife of jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, speaks during an anti-government protest in Caracas, Venezuela. A former mayor, Lopez has been jailed for 15 months in connection with his leadership of a wave of protests that left dozens dead in spring 2014. At right is de Mitzi Capriles, whose husband Antonio Ledezma was jailed while serving as Caracas’ mayor.

(AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

town that is home to a prison where former opposition mayor Daniel Ceballos was transferred from a military jail last week.

In Caracas, a sea of sweltering protesters shut down a main thoroughfare in wealthy eastern Caracas for hours, slurping up sweetened crushed ice, shading themselves with umbrellas and waving flags among the mango trees and halffinished buildings.

Ceballos’ wife, Patricia, who won a landslide election victory to replace her husband as mayor of the

restive western city of San Cristobal was a crowd favorite.

“They’ll never divide us.

Don’t ask, don’t beg; demand freedom,” she shouted, prompting the blocks of protesters to chant back “liberty!”

Other opposition leaders stood under a banner reading “Venezuela United for Change” and shaved their heads in solidarity Ceballos, whose hair was reportedly cut off when he was transferred.

Maria Fernanda Zerpa, a student wearing a tie-

dye T-shirt and peace sign necklace, had shaved her head, too. She came out to support Lopez, who opinion polls peg as Venezuela’s most popular politician, but she doesn’t trust the rest of the opposition coalition and has little interest in the coming elections. “The elections are like whatever, because we know the people who run them have been bought by the government. And Capriles is a scaredy-cat who didn’t fight Maduro for the presidency,” she said.q

Virgin Islands:

Governor gives up state-funded residence

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) — The governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands says he has renounced his state-funded residence on the island of St. Thomas out of economic concerns.

Ken Mapp made the an-

nouncement in a statement this weekend following public criticism of government expenditures. The government paid $12,500 a month to rent the villa where Mapp has been residing.

Mapp said he will live in his

private home on St. Croix for now.

A local law requires that the governor live in the island’s capital of Charlotte Amalie, n St. Thomas. Mapp said he will address the issue when he returns from an official trip abroad.q

LOCAL A13

Monday 1 June 2015

Loyal Visitors Honored at the Marriott Ocean Club

PALM BEACH - Recently the Aruba Tourism Authority had the great pleasure of honoring a group of loyal and friendly visitors of Aruba at the Marriott Ocean Club as Distinguished Visitors. The symbolic honorary title is presented in the name of the Minister of Tourism as a token of appreciation to guests who visit Aruba for 10-to-19 consecutive years.

The honorees were Mr. James Skelton from Alama, California, Mrs. Fay Grindrod from New York, New York, and Ms. Jasmin Storey from Ancaster, Ontario. The honorees are loyal

members of the Marriott Ocean Club and they love Aruba very much because of the friendly people, the weather, the beaches, the restaurants, the shopping and the multi lingual experience! The employees at the Marriott Ocean Club are like a family to these guests, and the resort and Aruba feel like their ‘home away from home.’ The certificates were presented by Mr. Ernest Giel representing the Aruba Tourism Authority together with family members of the honorees and Management and staff members of the Marriott Ocean Club.q

A14 LOCAL

Monday 1 June 2015

Aruba Tourism Authority Honors Group of Goodwill Ambassadors

PALM BEACH - Recently the Aruba Tourism Authority had the great pleasure of honoring a large group of loyal and friendly visitors of Aruba at the Casa del Mar Beach Resort as

Ambassadors of Goodwill.

The symbolic honorary title is presented in the name of the Minister of Tourism as a token of appreciation to guests who visit Aruba for 20-to-34 consecutive

years.

The honorees were Mr. Michael and Mrs. Vicki Baldwin of Islip, New York, Mr. Charles and Mrs. Patricia Starner of Pennsylvania, Mr. Robert and Mrs. Celestina Smith of Barrington, Rhode Island, Mr. Joseph and Mrs. Renee Prata of Goslten, New York, and Mr. Michael and Mrs. Dora Cudemo of Leesburg, Florida.

The honorees are loyal members of the Casa del Mar Beach Resort and they love Aruba very much because of the friendly people, the weather, the beaches and the restaurants, and because being on Aruba is like being in

paradise for them! The certificates were presented by Ms. Darline S. de Cuba representing the Aruba Tour-

ism Authority together with Mr. Bob Curtis, Managing Director of Casa del Mar Beach Resort.q

LOCAL A15

Monday 1 June 2015

Exclusively at Bugaloe Beach Bar:

Fresh Fish, Double Happy Hour & Live Entertainment! sense-of-place feel”.

Reservations are not nec-

PALM BEACH – Bugaloe Beach Bar & Grill is perfectly located between the Radisson Resort and Riu Hotel on De Palm Pier with stunning 360˚ views of the crystal clear ocean.

Open daily from 8.30AM till midnight, you can begin your day with a delicious cappuccino. Stop by later to enjoy casual lunch or dinner and join Bugaloe for live music and entertainment at night. Monday nights tend to get a bit crazier than usual with Crazy Fish Monday! Whether you choose the Fried Fish Basket or a delicious Red

Snapper, you’ll wish every day was Monday!

Double Daily Happy Hour from 5–6PM and 10–11PM, brightens peoples’ nights with special priced Balashi beers, wines and cocktails.

To complete your evening, Bugaloe’s very own exclusive live entertainers will sing their heart out during Happy Hour!

Both Endless Vacation and Cruiseline Magazine named Bugaloe as a top 10 best beach bars in the Caribbean. In the words of The Huffington Post: “Bugaloe is a sexy locale right on the water with that true

essary; just follow your tapping feet down to De Palm

Pier where music and fun await you! q

A16 LOCAL

Monday 1 June 2015

At Cordova International Raceway:

Team Aruba Hopes to Continue Coveted Undefeated Record

CORDOVA, Ill. - Two years ago this month was the first time Team Aruba ventured to Cordova International Raceway (CIR). Driver Trevor Eman had just graduated from college and things were moving forward for the team who, at the time, was often considered one of the underdogs of Mountain Motor Pro Stock. That event at CIR would be a turning point, however, as Eman captured the pole

and went on to win the race. From that moment on, Team Aruba has consistently been one of top runners in Mountain Motor Pro Stock.

Now, Team Aruba returns to CIR and is hoping to repeat their previous success. “It’s always great to return to a track that you’ve had success at in the past,” told Eman. “We have nothing but great memories here and want

to keep it that way! This group of Pro Stock racers is tough, but we know our team has what it takes to win here again.”

Cordova International Raceway has undergone recent improvements to its facility, including new asphalt for the quarter-mile and new grandstands. “I know for a fact that there was not very much wrong with the track, as we were #1 qualifier in our league’s class and even took the win in 2013,” continued Eman. “However, the fact that they are performing this work shows that the race track is not shy to perform general maintenance and hopeful improvements. Whenever you perform such proactive investments in the infrastructure of a race track, it shows the company is making strides forward.

“It makes it very comfortable for us as Pro Stock

racers to make investments in new race cars, new parts, new tools and new equipment to continue racing in the future, because moves like Cordova is doing, shows how they and the IHRA plan on being around for a long time. Hats off to the IHRA and Cordova International Raceway for these positive

steps forward. We look forward to a fantastic racing surface, and hopefully we can maintain the reputation that Team Aruba has left behind in 2013.”

Follow Team Aruba on Facebook and Twitter. Find race results, team updates, videos and photos. Also leave your comments to cheer on Team Aruba!q

A17 SPORTS Mets Edge Out Marlins 4-3, Avoid Three-Game Sweep Monday 1 June 2015

Page 19

Drenched Open

In Paris;

Rain Delays Federer-Monfils; Sharapova Doesn’t Play Stadium employees remove water from a protective canvas on the Suzanne Langlen court as rain delayed the match opposing Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova to Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic during their fourth round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium, Sunday, May 31, 2015 in Paris, France.

(AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Page 20

A18 SPORTS

Monday 1 June 2015

Reds complete sweep of Nationals with solid 8-2 win

By MARK SCHMETZER CINCINNATI (AP) -- Todd Frazier and Brandon Phillips each homered and drove

Cincinnati Reds’ Billy Hamilton steals second against Washington Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa, Sunday, May 31, 2015, in Cincinnati.

(AP Photo/John Minchillo)

in two runs and the Cincinnati Reds completed a three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals with an 8-2 win on Sunday.

Phillips snapped a 2-2 tie with an RBI single off Aaron Barrett (3-1) in the seventh inning, and Frazier followed with a run-scoring double, sparking a six-run inning.

Jay Bruce added an RBI double and Cincinnati sent 10 batters to the plate against three Washington relievers.

The Reds have won four of their past five games after a nine-game losing streak and swept the NL East leaders for the first time since Aug. 26-28, 2011.

The Reds have won three straight games for the first time since May 12-14. The Nationals have lost three straight games for the first time since a six-game losing streak from April 22 through April 27.

Frazier gave the Reds a 1-0 lead with his 16th homer of the season and third in the past four games, a 366foot shot down the left field line on a 3-1 pitch from Tanner Roark leading off the fourth.

Phillips snapped a 0-for-18 slump with a 378-foot solo homer to left on a 0-1 pitch with two outs in the fifth, his third home run of the season.

Cincinnati starter Michael Lorenzen walked the bases loaded with one out in the seventh, setting up Michael Taylor’s game-tying two-run single off reliever J.J. Hoover (4-0).

Lorenzen gave up just one hit and two runs, but walked six with four strikeouts in 6 1-3 innings. Roark allowed four hits and two runs with two walks and one strikeout over six innings.q

SPORTS A19

Monday 1 June 2015

Mets edge out Marlins 4-3, avoid three-game sweep

New York Mets’ Bartolo Colon hits an RBI-double during the second inning of the game against the Miami Marlins, Sunday, May 31, 2015, in New York.

(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

By HOWIE RUMBERG Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) -- Bartolo Colon became the NL’s top winner this season, helping himself with an

RBI double and getting a five-out save from closer Jeurys Familia to lead the New York Mets over the Miami Marlins 4-3 Sunday.

Ruben Tejada hit a tie-

breaking double in the seventh and Familia struck out Giancarlo Stanton in a rare eighth-inning appearance as the Mets avoided a three-game

sweep.

The 42-year-old Colon (8-3) gave up six hits and three runs without walking a batter in seven innings.

He ended May on a positive note after struggling in the month, and matched Seattle ace Felix Hernandez for the most wins in the majors.

Filling in at third base for injured captain David Wright, Tejada followed his tying three-run double Saturday with a drive to the wall in left off demoted closer Steve Cishek (15), enabling the Mets to finish their homestand 4-2.

Justin Bour homered in his third straight game for the Marlins.

Terry Collins race-walked out of the dugout after Carlos Torres gave up a one-out single to Martin Prado in the eighth and called for Familia to face the Marlins’ Nos. 3-4 hitters, Stanton and Bour.

Stanton and Bour each homered twice in the se-

ries. Bour connected off Colon in the sixth after sitting out Saturday.

Familia struck out Stanton, who flailed at an 89 mph slider far off the plate after missing on two fastballs.

Bour singled and moved second on the throw, but Familia got pinch-hitter Jeff Baker on a bouncer back to the mound for the third out.

Familia then finished for his 15th save.

Miami manager Dan Jennings went with an unusual lineup of Ichiro Suzuki batting fifth and starter David Phelps in the No. 8 hole. Suzuki has faced only John Lackey more than Colon in his major league career and has great success against the Mets’ portly pitcher, going 32 for 101 (.317) with three homers and 10 RBIs. The Japanese star singled to center field in his first atbat and scored on Christian Yelich’s grounder, tying it at 1 in the second.q

20 SPORTS

Monday 1 June 2015

In Paris;

Rain Delays Federer-Monfils; Sharapova Doesn’t Play HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer PARIS (AP) — Roger Federer could be excused if he has a restless night.

With thick gray clouds overhead and light slipping away at the end of a rainy day, Federer got broken by Gael Monfils to even their French Open fourth-round match at a set apiece, right before play was suspended Sunday.

They met on the sideline to chat with the chair umpire, then clasped hands, and Monfils gave Federer a playful pat on the shoulder. Spectators at Court Philippe Chatrier booed and whistled upon hearing there’d be no more tennis.

Federer, the 17-time Grand Slam champion, and Monfils, the flamboyant Frenchman who won their two most recent encounters, will resume Monday. At least they finished two sets, with Federer taking the first 6-3, and Monfils winning the second 6-4.

Two women’s matches did not begin at all Sunday, including defending champion Maria Sharapova against Lucie Safarova.

In the quarterfinals, Federer or Monfils will face Federer’s Swiss Davis Cup teammate Stan Wawrinka, seeded eighth, who had no trouble beating 12thseeded Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.

Wawrinka said he’ll be watching the rest of Federer-Monfils “like any tennis fan.”

On the other half of the draw, No. 5 Kei Nishikori

became the first Japanese man in 82 years to reach the quarterfinals in Paris, eliminating Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

“I hope it’s just the start of

mid-match lapse to defeat No. 4 Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3.

Tsonga, the 2008 Australian Open runner-up, served for the match at 5-4 in the third

and Monfils might have finished. They didn’t get on court until after 7 p.m. and competed for less than 70 minutes.

With the temperature in

France’s Gael Monfils plays a shot in his fourth round match of the French Open tennis tournament against Switzerland’s Roger Federer at the Roland Garros stadium, in Paris, France, Sunday, May 31, 2015. Gael Monfils broke Roger Federer to even their French Open fourth-round match at a set apiece, right before play was suspended Sunday.

(AP Photo/Francois Mori)

my journey and I hope I can keep going,” said Nishikori, who had three days off because his third-round opponent withdrew with an injury.

The only other man from his country to make it this far at this tournament was Jiro Satoh, a semifinalist in 1931 and 1933.

Next for Nishikori is No. 14 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France, who overcame a

set but got broken, and his sloppy play carried into the tiebreaker.

“I had a little bit of a dip, when I fell back into my bad, old ways,” Tsonga said. “I’ve been working a lot with my coaches to limit that.”

Had he managed to close things out earlier, or if a rain delay of about 2 1/2 hours hadn’t interrupted action in the afternoon, Federer

the low 60s (teens Celsius), Monfils covered up with a blanket and blew his nose into a tissue during a changeover. As natural light disappeared — there are no artificial lights at Roland Garros, and a roof won’t arrive before 2019 — the chair umpire reminded fans they shouldn’t use a flash while taking photos during points.

Monfils got broken while

serving for the second set at 5-3, and Federer — who lost in the fourth round last year — had an opening to perhaps steal a two-set lead. But Monfils responded in the next game, winning an 18-stroke exchange with a forehand to earn to set point, then converting with a backhand that drew roars from the crowd.

Monfils leaped, yelled “Allez!” and waved both arms to ask for more noise.

Moments later, everyone was sent home, setting up quite a schedule Monday.

Along with Federer-Monfils and Sharapova-Safarova, there will be matches featuring Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Serena Williams.

In a women’s match Sunday, No. 7 Ana Ivanovic beat No. 9 Ekaterina Makarova 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 to return to the quarterfinals for the first time since winning the 2008 title.

“On the one hand, it does feel like it’s a different life.

On the other hand, I feel like time is really flying. I feel it hasn’t been that many years,” said Ivanovic, who briefly was ranked No. 1 after winning her lone Grand Slam trophy. “I definitely do have the feeling it’s amazing.”

Her match was halted by rain after five games, and tournament officials wavered about when to resume.

“It was like, ‘OK, in half an hour. In half an hour. In half an hour.’ So it was really not easy to relax and refocus,” Ivanovic said. q

SPORTS A21

Monday 1 June 2015

Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen wins Irish Open in 3-way playoff

Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen kisses the Irish Open Golf trophy after he won on the first play off hole at Royal County Down, Newcastle, Northern Ireland, Sunday, May 31, 2015.

(AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

S. POGATCHNIK Associated Press NEWCASTLE, Northern Ireland (AP) — Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark won the Irish Open in a three-way playoff Sunday after his short winning putt on the first extra hole just barely managed to avoid lipping out.

Kjeldsen entered the final round with a two-stroke lead, but shot a 5-over 76 to finish tied with Eddie

Pepperell of England (69) and Bernd Wiesberger of Austria (73). All scored a 2-under total of 282 on the wind-swept, rain-battered Royal County Down, where just five of the 156 competitors finished the tournament under par.

The 40-year-old Kjeldsen took command of the playoff by hitting a second shot that reached the sloping green of the par-5, 525-

yard 18th hole — which he had bogeyed Thursday and Saturday and nearly again Sunday.

Wiesberger’s second shot came up short, while Pepperell twice found the rough to bogey the hole.

Wiesberger managed par and hoped Kjeldsen would slip up.

But Kjeldsen struck a 35-foot eagle putt that stopped just 3 feet right of the pin. His putt for a winning birdie circled the rim before falling in.

Kjeldsen couldn’t help but smile. Ranked just 303rd in the world entering the Irish Open, he qualified for the British Open with the win.

He last played in Europe’s biggest tournament in 2009.

“It’s ridiculous, like I’m dreaming but I don’t want anyone to wake me up,” he said while holding the crystal trophy alongside Rory McIlroy, the host for the Irish Open who failed to make Friday’s cut. Mc-

Bowditch shoots 64, rolls to Nelson win

Steven Bowditch watches a tee shot during the Byron Nelson golf tournament in Irving, Texas. Bowditch rode his best birdie binge on the PGA Tour to a 5-under 64 and a four-shot victory Sunday, May 31, 2015.

(AP Photo/LM Otero)

SCHUYLER DIXON AP Sports Writer IRVING, Texas (AP) — Steven Bowditch rode his best birdie binge on the PGA Tour to a 5-under 64 and a four-shot victory Sunday in the AT&T Byron Nelson, winning in the Australian’s adopted home for his second career title — both in Texas.

Bowditch, who got married at the resort next to the TPC Four Seasons five years after attempting suicide at his Dallas home while battling depression in 2006,

had 27 birdies while becoming the seventh player to lead all four rounds of the event. He finished at 18-under 259 on the rainaltered layout.

Charley Hoffman (65), Texan Jimmy Walker (66) and Scott Pinckney (66) tied for second at14 under. Zach Johnson shot 63 to finish alone in fifth at 13 under.

Hometown favorite and Masters Champion Jordan Spieth finished 7 under after an even-par 69.

Playing with Bowditch in the final group, Dustin

Johnson briefly overtook him early in the round before making an 8 at the par-4 sixth. He finished at 11 under with a 69.

A sunny day wrapped up two otherwise soggy weeks of golf in Dallas-Fort Worth, including a 5-inch overnight downpour after the first round of the Nelson that turned one of its toughest holes — the par-4 14th — into a pitchand-putt par 3 of barely 100 yards for the final three rounds.

While birdies were the norm after easy wedge shots from what might normally be a drop area in front of a greenside pond, Bowditch had to save par from about 12 feet to keep a three-shot lead, pumping his right fist after the ball dropped in.

The temporary tee box was about 20 yards farther back Sunday, and tour officials believe par of under 70 was a first according to records going back to 1983. The overall par total was 277.q

Ilroy was far from the only big name who struggled, as many struggled to sink even straightforward putts amid gusting winds and violent rain showers sweeping down onto the seaside course from the nearby Mourne Mountains.

Kjeldsen displayed the same final-stretch nerves that had cost him shots Saturday when he bogeyed the two final holes.

On Sunday he lost a one-

shot lead at the par-4 17th despite putting to within 5 feet of the hole on a 35foot birdie attempt amid 40 mph (65 kph) winds.

The crowd groaned when his short putt for par rolled wide.

And on the 18th, he nearly threw away his chance at the playoff, over-hitting his third shot from manicured rough straight across the green and behind another green-side obstacle.q

A22 sports

Monday 1 June 2015

NASCAR: Johnson makes history with 10th win at Dover

DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer DOVER, Del. (AP) — Jimmie Johnson pulled away on the final restart Sunday to win at Dover International Speedway and become the fifth NASCAR driver with 10 or more Sprint Cup victories at a single track.

Johnson led the final 23 laps, staying out on cold tires when other contenders made late race pit stops. The six-time series champion has 10 wins in 27 career starts on the concrete mile track. He needed five extra laps beyond the scheduled 400 because a late accident brought out the caution.

He has four wins this season, 74 in his career and has won at least four times in a season 11 times.

Johnson took his familiar spot in victory lane and took a quick, congratulatory phone call from team owner Rick Hendrick.

“I know what I’m capable

of and felt just fine doing it,” Johnson said. “And, I’ve got a great rhythm.

I’ve got great support at home.”

Kevin Harvick was second, followed by Kyle Larson, Kasey Kahne and Aric Almirola.

No active driver owns a track like Johnson does Dover. Johnson joined NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty (Martinsville-15, North Wilkesboro-15, Richmond-13, Rockingham-11, Daytona-10), Darrell Waltrip (Bristol-12, Martinsville-11, North Wilkesboro-10), Dale Earnhardt (Talladega-10) and David Pearson (Darlington-10) as drivers to win 10 races at a single track.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver swept Dover in 2002 and 2009 and also won races in 2005, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Harvick held a comfortable lead until the field was bunched on a late caution. Kyle Busch, who was

Jimmie Johnson drives during a NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race, Sunday, May 31, 2015, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. Johnson won the race.

(AP Photo/Nick Wass)

in the top five, connected with Brian Scott to end the race for each driver. Busch, who poked his head inside Scott’s window for a chat, was unhurt in his second points race since he suffered leg and ankle injuries at Daytona.

Busch needs a win and to hit the top 30 in the points standings to become eligible for the Chase for the

Sprint Cup championship.

Harvick and Johnson both stayed out during cautions. Johnson’s crew chief Chad Knaus gambled that the No. 48 Chevrolet was as stout on four cold tires as others would be on two or four fresh ones.

He was right. Johnson never lost control, even with two more cautions, including one that that came

after Clint Bower, Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch all tangled on the track.

Casey Mears wrecked to bring out the final caution with three laps remaining.

“I was trying to be smart with my line and I guess guys on two tires weren’t all that fast,” Johnson said.

“The No. 4 (Harvick) and I did just fine on old tires and held those guys off.”q

Bourdais earns first IndyCar win of season in Detroit

NOAH TRISTER AP Sports Writer DETROIT (AP) — Sebastien

Bourdais raced to his first IndyCar victory of the season Sunday, outlasting Takuma

Sato in a caution-filled ending at Belle Isle.

Bourdais held on in his No.

Sebastien Bourdais drives during the second race of the IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix auto racing doubleheader, Sunday, May 31, 2015, in Detroit. Bourdais won the race.

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

11 Chevrolet in a race that was shortened from 70 laps to 68 because of a twohour time limit. The first caution didn’t come until lap 37, but there were eight caution periods in all — as well as a red flag with 5:33 remaining on the clock.

Bourdais led coming out of the final caution and had little trouble staying in front. The French driver’s final lap of 1 minute, 17.9133 seconds was the fastest for anyone on the day.

Graham Rahal finished third. Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya was awarded the pole based on entry points when qualifying Sunday morning was halted by bad weather.

Montoya finished 10th.

Carlos Munoz, who won Saturday’s rain-shortened

race, finished last Sunday.

Bourdais had enough fuel to finish strong after the string of cautions during the second half of the race. The red flag came after Penske teammates Will Power and Helio Castroneves crashed. The field came back under a yellow flag, which turned green with about 3:20 left.

Bourdais led Sato by 0.6 seconds after lap 66. By the end, his margin had almost tripled. It was the 33rd IndyCar win of his career.

Bourdais’ victory for KVSH Racing was a bright spot for Chevrolet on what was otherwise a fine weekend for Honda. Munoz won Saturday in a Honda, and the next eight spots after Bourdais on Sunday were taken up by Hondas.q

TECHNOLOGY A23

Monday 1 June 2015

Google intensifies focus on its cardboard virtual reality device CONOR DOUGHERTY © 2015 New York Times SAN FRANCISCO - Google has seen the future, and it is littered with cardboard boxes.

At its Google I/O developer conference last week, the search giant announced several programs that aim to put its virtual reality viewer, called Cardboard, at the center of a growing online world in which people can use their smartphone and YouTube to watch videos rendered in 3-D. Google introduced its virtual reality viewer - a cardboard box, with some lenses and a magnet, that looks a lot like a plastic View-Master toy - as a gift at last year’s I/O conference.

The idea was to create an inexpensive virtual reality device that allowed anyone with a smartphone to do things like fly through a Google Earth map of Chicago or view personal pictures in three dimensions.

It is a comically simple contraption: A smartphone slips into the front so it sits just inches from a user’s eyes. Peering through a pair of cheap, plastic lenses renders the images on the phone’s screen in 3-D. It costs around $4.

Typical of the Google playbook, the company put Cardboard’s specifications

online so hobbyists and manufacturers could build them.

In the year since, people have made viewers from foam, aluminum and wal-

At this year’s I/O, Google is doubling down on Cardboard with initiatives meant to expand virtual reality to as many phones as possible. First of these is a new

modest offering compared with the product splashes of previous Google conferences, which have included a spherical entertainment system that was nev-

Google executive Clay Bavor with the company’s virtual reality viewer, called Cardboard, at the Google campus in Mountain View, Calif. The search giant Google is introducing several initiatives to highlight its inexpensive virtual reality viewer, including a partnership with GoPro and plans to post VR videos on YouTube.

(Peter Earl McCollough/The New York Times)

nut, and the Cardboard app was downloaded 1 million or so times.

“We wanted the viewer to be as dumb as possible and as cheap as possible because we basically wanted to open VR for everyone,” said David Coz, an engineer in Google’s Paris office who developed Cardboard.

software kit that will make it easier for developers to build Cardboard apps for iPhones. The company also redesigned the cardboard hardware so that it is easier to fold and can now accommodate any smartphone, including popular, larger-screen, so-called phablets.

The Cardboard update is a

er released and Google Glass, the much hyped and now discontinued computerized eyewear that caused significant privacy concerns.

With Cardboard, Google’s virtual reality is decidedly low cost and low frills, but, as in other Google efforts, like the free Android software that is the most wide-

ly used operating system in the world, it seems meant more to amass an audience than make money.

Over the last year, Google has developed a 360-degree camera that looks like a chandelier rigged with 16 GoPro video recorders, and currently has about a dozen of them filming sights around the world. When run through Google’s software and processors, the footage will turn into a virtual reality rendering that tries to mimic the view from a human eye. Google said it would allow people to start uploading virtual reality videos to YouTube this summer. During a recent demonstration at Google’s Mountain View, California, campus, Clay Bavor, vice president for product management for Google’s virtual reality efforts, demonstrated a video of a courtyard at the University of Washington. The video felt like an immersive version of the company’s Street View mapping product that displays street-level views of city streets and historical sites. Over time, the company is hoping this real-life version of virtual reality will grow into a vast collection of videos and experiences similar to how YouTube videos are shared now.

Continued on Page 27

A24 BUSINESS

Monday 1 June 2015

Humana weighs sale, as merger appeal grows for insurers M. J. de la MERCED JULIE CRESWELL © 2015 New York Times The wave of deal-making that has swept across the health care industry now appears poised to pull in health insurers, a development driven by the Obama administration’s insurance overhaul.

Humana, one of the country’s largest health insurers, is weighing a potential sale of itself after having been approached by several competitors, people briefed on the matter said this weekend. These people, who were not authorized to speak publicly, cautioned that the company had made no decisions and might choose not to sell.

Still, the news that the insurer had hired Goldman Sachs to help it consider a deal captivated investors, who appeared eager for a round of consolidation.

Shares of Humana surged to an all-time high Friday, while the shares of rivals like Aetna and Cigna also rose sharply.

Underpinning the expectations of an increase in dealmaking among insurers are two contrasting themes.

Revenues have been on the rise, bolstered both by the federal health law’s requirement that individuals have health insurance and by rising enrollment in Medicare plans offered by private companies. But profit margins are being squeezed through continued declines in Medicare Advantage funding and increased transparency for consumers shopping for policies.

“Because of the Affordable Care Act, the whole insurance market is shifting towards a lower margin model,” said Chris Rigg, an analyst with Susquehanna Financial Group. “Generally speaking, the bigger you are, the better.”

Analysts had been expecting a wave of industry mergers to begin sooner rather than later. The last wave occurred in 2011 and 2012, when Cigna acquired HealthSpring for $3.8 billion; and Aetna bought Coventry Health Care in a deal valued at $5.7 billion.

Based in Louisville, Kentucky, Humana is one of the smaller of the big five insurers by market capitalization. And it has struggled to meet analysts’ profit ex-

pectations for much of the past year, though its membership rolls and revenue rose in the first quarter.

But it is considered a particularly ripe prize because it gets the bulk of its reve-

Advantage plans, with Humana a close second. That has led analysts to discount UnitedHealth as a potential buyer, since the size of the companies’ combined Medicare Advantage busi-

This photo shows the entrance to the Humana building, in Louisville, Ky. Humana, one of the country’s largest health insurers, is weighing a potential sale of itself after having been approached by several competitors, people briefed on the matter said this weekend.

(AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

nues from its Medicare Advantage business, which has been growing rapidly as baby boomers age and choose to enroll in a plan operated by private companies rather than the traditional version of the federal program.

UnitedHealth is the largest purveyor of Medicare

ness could raise the ire of antitrust regulators.

Analysts and investors have instead focused on peers like Aetna, Cigna and Anthem, which generally have smaller Medicare Advantage operations, as potential suitors.

Some of those companies were among those that

had expressed interest in Humana, according to a person briefed on the matter.

Any deal for Humana would be expensive: The insurer had a market value of about $27 billion before The Wall Street Journal reported on the company’s deliberations.

Humana’s shares jumped 20 percent, closing Friday at $214.65.

Other rivals are of similar size. Cigna had a market capitalization of about $35 billion as of Friday’s market close, while Aetna is valued at about $40 billion and Anthem at $43 billion.

The potential suitors, whether Aetna, Anthem or another company, are well aware that much of the organic growth opportunity that exists for health insurers today can be found in Medicare Advantage, said Todd Van Tol, a partner in the health and life sciences practice at the consulting firm Oliver Wyman.

“These programs now have enough critical momentum to be politically protected, viable and stable, and Humana has proven to be exceptionally good at the program,” Van Tol said.q

Chip maker Intel takeover of Altera expected M. J. de la MERCED QUENTIN HARDY © 2015 New York Times SAN FRANCISCO - Intel is close to clinching a takeover of fellow chip maker Altera for more than $15 billion, a person briefed on the matter said this weekend, the latest sign of consolidation in the semiconductor industry.

Intel is expected to pay about $54 a share for Altera, whose specialized chip designs would help Intel expand beyond chips for personal computers, this person said.

An agreement could be announced as early next week, though this person cautioned that talks are continuing and might still collapse.

The two sides had been in talks earlier this year, though the discussions

were eventually put on hold when Altera rejected an offer in the ballpark of $54 a share, people briefed on the talks said previously.

began to publicly campaign for a resumption of talks with Intel.

If completed, a takeover would be the latest among chip makers as compa-

The Intel logo is displayed at the entrance of Intel Corp. headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif. Intel is close to clinching a takeover of fellow chip maker Altera for more than $15 billion, a person briefed on the matter said this weekend.

(AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

But after the talks ended, Altera reported quarterly earnings that fell below expectations. Meanwhile, one investor, TIG Advisors,

nies seek larger scale and more diversified offerings.

Growing and having more products can give those manufacturers greater

savings and negotiating leverage with customers.

On Thursday, Avago Technologies struck a roughly $37 billion acquisition of Broadcom to break into the top tier of semiconductor companies.

Intel and Altera both make semiconductors, but vastly different types.

Intel is known primarily for the standard chips that go into personal computers and computer servers.

They consist of millions of transistors, and once created, their performance can be changed only slightly by changing the software that works with them.

Altera’s chips - known as field programmable gate arrays, or FPGAs - are lower in power and performance but can be altered after manufacturing

to carry out different functions. That gives them far greater flexibility.

Intel may be seeking Altera to create computers that combine the power of a standard semiconductor with the flexibility of an FPGA, by means of a board with both types of chip. This could potentially give Intel the ability to build, for example, a computer server that can add functions so it lasts longer inside a corporate data center.

This move would reflect several recent trends in the industry. Giant cloud computing centers have become an increasingly large part of Intel’s business, made even more significant as smartphones have lowered the demand for “Intel Inside” personal computers.q

The Small, Happy Life

DAVID BROOKS © 2015 New York Times A few weeks ago, I asked readers to send in essays describing their purpose in life and how they found it. A few thousand submitted contributions, and many essays are online. I’ll write more about the lessons they shared in the weeks ahead, but one common theme surprised me.

I expected most contributors would follow the commencement-speech clichés of our high-achieving culture: dream big; set ambitious goals; try to change the world. In fact, a surprising number of people found their purpose by going the other way, by pursuing the small, happy life.

Elizabeth Young once heard the story of a man who was asked by a journalist to show his most precious possession.

The man, Young wrote, “was proud and excited to show the journalist the gift he had been bequeathed. A banged up tin pot he kept carefully wrapped in cloth as though it was fragile. The journalist was confused, what made this dingy old pot so valuable? ‘The message,’ the friend replied. The message was ‘we do not all have to shine.’

This story resonated deeply.

In that moment I was able to relieve myself of the need to do something important, from which I would reap praise and be rewarded with fulfillment. My vision cleared.”

Young continues, “I have always wanted to be effortlessly kind. I wanted to raise children who were kind.” She notes that among those who survived the Nazi death camps, a predominant quality she noticed was generosity.

“Perhaps,” she concludes, “the mission is not a mission at all. ... Everywhere there are tiny, seemingly inconsequential circumstances that, if explored, provide meaning” and chances to be generous and kind.

Spiritual and emotional growth happens in microscopic increments.

Kim Spencer writes, “I used to be one of the solid ones - one of the people whose purpose was clearly defined and understood. My purpose was seeing patients and ‘saving lives.’ I have melted into the inbetween spaces, though. Now my purpose is simply to be the

person ... who can pick up the phone and give you 30 minutes in your time of crisis. I can give it to you today and again in a few days. ... I can edit your letter. ... I can listen to you complain about your co-worker. ...

I can look you in the eye and give you a few dollars in the parking lot. I am not upset if you cry. I am no longer drowning, so I can help keep you afloat with a little boost. Not all of the time, but every once in a while, until you find other people to help or a different way to swim. It is no skin off my back; it is easy for me.”

Terence J. Tollaksen wrote that his purpose became clearer once he began to recognize the “decision trap”: “This trap is an amazingly consistent phenomena whereby ‘big’ decisions turn out to have much less impact on a life as a whole than the myriad of small seemingly insignificant ones.”

Tollaksen continues, “I have always admired those goal-oriented, stubborn, successful, determined individuals; they make things happen, and the world would be lost without them.”

But, he explains, he has always had a “small font purpose.”

“I can say it worked for me. I know it sounds so Midwest, but it’s been wonderful. I have a terrific wife, 5 kids, friends from grade school and high school, college, army, friends locally, and sometimes, best of all, horses, dogs, and cats. Finally, I have a small industrial business that I started and have run for 40 years based on what I now identify as principles of ‘Pope Francis capitalism.’”

Hans Pitsch wrote: “At age 85, the question of meaning in my life is urgent. The question of the purpose of my life is another matter. World War II and life in general have taught me that outcomes from our actions or inactions are often totally unpredictable and random.”

He adds, “I am thankful to be alive. I have a responsibility to myself and those around me to give meaning to my life from day to day. I enjoy my family (not all of them) and the shrinking number of old friends.

You use the term ‘organizing frame’ in one’s life. I am not sure if I want to be framed by an organizing principle, but if there is one thing that keeps me focused, it’s the garden.

Lots of plants died during the harsh winter, but, amazingly, the clematises and the roses are back, and lettuce, spinach and tomatoes are thriving in the new greenhouse. The weeping cherry tree in front of the house succumbed to old age. I still have to plant a new tree this year.”

This scale of purpose is not for everyone, but there is something beautiful and concrete and well-proportioned about tending that size of a garden.q

COMMENTARY

A25

Monday 1 June 2015

The Insecure American

PAUL KRUGMAN © 2015 New York Times America remains, despite the damage inflicted by the Great Recession and its aftermath, a very rich country. But many Americans are economically insecure, with little protection from life’s risks. They frequently experience financial hardship; many don’t expect to be able to retire, and if they do retire have little to live on besides Social Security.

Many readers will, I hope, find nothing surprising in what I just said. But all too many affluent Americans - and, in particular, members of our political elite seem to have no sense of how the other half lives. Which is why a new study on the financial well-being of U.S. households, conducted by the Federal Reserve, should be required reading inside the Beltway.

Before I get to that study, a few words about the callous obliviousness so prevalent in our political life.

I am not, or not only, talking about right-wing contempt for the poor, although the dominance of compassionless conservatism is a sight to behold.

According to the Pew Research Center, more than three-quarters of conservatives believe that the poor “have it easy” thanks to government benefits; only 1 in 7 believe that the poor “have hard lives.” And this attitude translates into policy.

What we learn from the refusal of Republican-controlled states to expand Medicaid, even

though the federal government would foot the bill, is that punishing the poor has become a goal in itself, one worth pursuing even if it hurts rather than helps state budgets.

But leave self-declared conservatives and their contempt for the poor on one side. What’s really striking is the disconnect between centrist conventional wisdom and the reality of life - and death - for much of the nation.

Take, as a prime example, positioning on Social Security. For decades, a declared willingness to cut Social Security benefits, especially by raising the retirement age, has been almost a required position - a badge of seriousness - for politicians and pundits who want to sound wise and responsible. After all, people are living longer, so shouldn’t they work longer, too? And isn’t Social Security an old-fashioned system, out of touch with modern economic realities?

Meanwhile, the reality is that living longer in our ever-moreunequal society is very much a class thing: Life expectancy at age 65 has risen a lot among the affluent, but hardly at all in the bottom half of the wage distribution, that is, among those who need Social Security most.

And while the retirement system FDR introduced may look oldfashioned to affluent professionals, it is quite literally a lifeline for many of our fellow citizens. A majority of Americans over 65 get more than half their income from Social Security, and more than a quarter are almost completely reliant on those monthly checks.

These realities may finally be penetrating political debate, to some extent. We seem to be hearing less these days about cutting Social Security, and we’re even seeing some attention paid to proposals for benefit increases given the erosion of private pensions. But my sense is that Washington still has no

clue about the realities of life for those not yet elderly. Which is where that Federal Reserve study comes in.

This is the study’s second year, and the current edition actually portrays a nation in recovery: In 2014, unlike 2013, a substantial plurality of respondents said that they were better off than they had been five years ago. Yet it’s startling how little room for error there is in many American lives.

We learn, for example, that 3 in 10 non-elderly Americans said they had no retirement savings or pension, and that the same fraction reported going without some kind of medical care in the past year because they couldn’t afford it. Almost a quarter reported that they or a family member had experienced financial hardship in the past year.

And something that even startled me: 47 percent said that they would not have the resources to meet an unexpected expense of $400 - $400! They would have to sell something or borrow to meet that need, if they could meet it at all.

Of course, it could be much worse. Social Security is there, and we should be very glad that it is. Meanwhile, unemployment insurance and food stamps did a lot to cushion unlucky families from the worst during the Great Recession. And Obamacare, imperfect as it is, has immensely reduced insecurity, especially in states whose governments haven’t tried to sabotage the program.

But while things could be worse, they could also be better. There is no such thing as perfect security, but American families could easily have much more security than they have. All it would take is for politicians and pundits to stop talking blithely about the need to cut “entitlements” and starting looking at the way their less-fortunate fellow citizens actually live. q

A26 COMICS

Monday 1 June 2015

CLASSIFIED A27

Monday 1 June 2015

Google Continued from Page 23

Classifieds

Google also said Thursday it had formed a partnership with GoPro to develop a version of its virtual reality recorder that anybody could buy. The companies did not list a price for the recorder, but given that it has 16 cameras that retail for $400 each, it is likely to be expensive.

Where any of this goes is anyone’s guess. One might imagine videos from the front row of a concert or a television channel filming breaking news in 3-D. At the same time, one might remember that Google has a history of announcing new products and initiatives that flop, like Google Glass.

And virtual reality has for decades been the next big thing that never actually happened.

Now companies like Facebook, Sony and Microsoft are placing big bets on both virtual reality, a computer-generated version of the world, as well as augmented reality, or AR, in which real-world experiences are enhanced with computer-generated images.

Analysts expect the first applications will be in video games. But in time they say virtual reality experiences could feature in everything from business meetings to doctor’s appointments.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, has on several occasions said he believed virtual reality could be the next computing platform. That belief is enough to drive significant investment. Beyond the virtual reality videos it plans on putting on YouTube, Google is also using its Cardboard device in its growing education efforts.q

__________ TIMESHARE FOR RENT

Divi Golf and Beach Resort 1 bedroom Golf Villas, max.

4 persons. Two weeks available: Jul. 25th-Aug.1st and Aug.1st -Aug. 8th $1400 per week, taxes excluded, $300 refundable deposit at check-in Contact email: bac2bac.abc@gmail.com 203092 _________________________

TIMESHARE FOR SALE

RENAISSANCE Week room price 26 507 $ 4,500 26 543 $ 5,300 40 105 $ 5000 48/49 119 $ 4,500 48/49 551 $ 5,500 35 314 $4,000 30/31 524 $4,500 30 515 $4,900 30 311 $5,000 23 343 $4,500 27 103 $4,000 29 134 $4,500 20&21 347 $4,500 Contact Brian Cell: 593-0200 vr.realty@mac.com

211892

____________________________

TIMESHARE FOR SALE/RENT

Paradise Villers week 26 1 br, Rm 322, starts on June 28 and week 27 same rooms starts on July 5 $695. Rent, buy $2700 ea., also week 32 rm 308 $1800 Phone 565-9394 or email: rmwjmw@aol.com 508-651-0016

203077 ____________________________

FOR SALE

Investment opportunity 11 fully furnished hotel rooms, laundry facilities, lots of paved parking 4600 m2 property land Awg 2.500.000 $1,430.000 583-4624 733-1201

primehomesrealty1@setarnet.aw 203501 ____________________________

FOR SALE

Jaburibari , beautiful view 2 bedroom 2 bathroom 700 m2 leased property a must see $125.000, only priced for a quick sale 733-1201

primehomesrealty1@setarnet.aw 203100 ____________________________

DOCTOR

ON DUTY Oranjestad Dr. Gonzalez

EMERGENCIA

911

POLIS POLIS ORANJESTAD NOORD STA. CRUZ SAVANETA SAN NICOLAS FIRE DEPT. FIRE DEPT. POLIS TIPLINE HOSPITAL AMBULANCE SAN NICOLAS AMBULANCE

100 581-1100 582-4000 587-0009 585-4710 584-7000 584-5000 115 582-1108 11141 527-4000 582-1234 584-5050

PHARMACY Oranjestad: Sta. Cruz Tel: 585-8028

San Nicolas: San Lucas Tel: 584-5119

INFORMATION SETAR TAXI TAXI-TAS PROF. TAXI TAXI D.T.S. SERVICE ARUBA

118 582-2116 582-5900 587-5900 588-0035 587-2300 583-3232

CRUISESHIP June 1 Monarch Carnival Sunshine Aruba Aiport American Airline Avianca Dutch Antilles Insel Air Jet Blue Spirit Airlines Tiara Air Venezolana

524-2424 582-2700 588-0059 588-1900 588-9314 588-2244 582-7117 588-4272 583-7674

FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIP CLINIC Tel: 584-6440 Alcoholism & Drug Addiction, Anonymity guaranteed

FUNDACION Anti-Droga Aruba (FADA) Tel: 583-2999

FUNDACION Respetami Tel: 582-4433

TIMESHARE FOR SALE/RENT

Aruba Beach Club Superior Studio wk 22 start on May 30 Unit 151, ground floor, all amenities, $2500 and Casa del Mar Amb. 1 br, unit 1326, week 29, start date July 18 Rent $695 Sale $2500 + MF local until 6/1 Phone 565-9394 or email: rmwjmw@aol.com 508-651-0016

203076 ____________________________

Diabetic Foundation Arubano Tel: 583-3808

Narcotics Anonymous Tel: 583-8989

Foundation Amor pa Prohimo Tel: 583-3345 /586-6976

Women in Difficulties Foundation Tel: 583-5400

Bloodbank Aruba Tel: 587-0002

A28 SCIENCE

Monday 1 June 2015

New lab can create hurricane conditions on demand JENNIFER KAY Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — Researchers trying to figure out what makes some hurricanes strengthen into catastrophic monsters have a new lab that allows them to generate tropical storm conditions with the flip of a switch.

The lab is at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. It’s known as the Surge-Structure-Atmosphere Interaction, or SUSTAIN. THE TANK: The lab features a clear acrylic tank about 75 feet (23 meters) long and 6.5 feet (2 meters) high. Inside, 38,000 gallons of seawater can be whipped into whitecapped waves by a 1,700-horsepower fan that can create Category 5 conditions, with winds topping 157 mph.

Satellite sensors have been mounted on the lab’s high ceilings to look down at hurricane conditions churning in the tank. This will help fine-tune satellites watching real storms, said lab director Brian Haus.

“The satellites, even

though they see a really big area, they tend to be sensitive to really small things on the surface. We don’t really know, when

ing a recent test-run, Haus stood atop the tank, his shoes dry and his clothes unruffled while frothy, seagreen waves raced be-

cane-force winds interact with spray coming off the surface of seawater, researchers aim to improve real-time tropical storm

Brian Haus, director of the Surge-Structure-Atmosphere Interaction, or SUSTAIN, lab, stands atop the storm simulation tank during a demonstration at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) Marine and Atmospheric Science in Miami.

you get into extreme conditions, what the satellite is seeing — whether there’s a spot reflecting off sea spray or bubbles or short waves,” Haus said.

IMPORTANT BUBBLES: Dur-

neath him. He also stood underneath the tank and along its sides, watching sea spray blast bubbles and water droplets down the tank.

By studying the way hurri-

observations made by satellites, ocean buoys and drones and other sensors launched from “hurricane hunter” aircraft.

Hurricanes run like engines, fueled by warm ocean

waters. Some aspects still stump researchers, because they can’t clearly see what’s happening where a storm’s winds meet the water’s surface.

Researchers are testing small drones to fly down into those dark and stormy places, while a variety of other sensors from buoys and underwater gliders and satellites collect data for hurricane forecasting models. All those tools still are prone to technical difficulties in extreme conditions.

Researchers think that understanding the role those tiny elements play in the transfer of energy from the ocean to a storm may crack the mystery of what causes some storms to fizzle while others strengthen.

INTENSITY FORECASTS: Predictions for a storm’s path have improved significantly over the last couple decades, narrowing the socalled “cone of uncertainty” that influences preparations. However, forecasters have made little headway when it comes to improving predictions for how strong a tropical storm will become.q

Solo flight in solar plane sets off on leg to Hawaii BEIJING (AP) — A Swiss pilot of a solar plane on Sunday embarked on the longest leg of the first attempt to fly around the world without a drop of fuel.

André Borschberg took off from Nanjing, China, at 2:39 a.m. Sunday (1839 GMT Saturday) in the Solar Impulse 2 for a flight across the Pacific Ocean expected to last six days and five nights, or at least 130 hours.

The journey started in

The Solar Impulse 2 takes off from Nanjing Lukou International Airport in Nanjing in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, Sunday May 31, 2015. The solar-powered plane was beginning a planned six-day, six-night non-stop flight over the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii.

(Chinatopix Via AP)

March in Abu Dhabi, and the solar plane has stopped in Oman, India, Myanmar and China. The 8,175-kilometer (5,079mile) flight from Nanjing to Hawaii is the seventh of 12 flights and the longest and most dangerous.

Borschberg and another Swiss pilot, Bertrand Piccard, have been taking turns flying the singleseater Swiss plane during a five-month journey to promote renewable energy use.

“This is the moment of truth,” Borschberg, 62, said before takeoff.

He said that if successful, the flight to Hawaii will demonstrate the credibility of the vision he and Piccard embraced 16 years ago “to change our mindset regarding the enormous potential of clean technologies and renewable energies.”

After Hawaii, the plan is for Piccard to pilot the aircraft on to Phoenix, Arizona.q

PEOPLE & ARTS A29

Monday 1 June 2015

‘San Andreas’ shakes way to top spot at domestic box office RYAN NAKASHIMA AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson out-muscled the competition at domestic movie theaters as the earthquake epic “San Andreas” hauled in an estimated $53.2 million over the weekend. It was Johnson’s biggest debut for a non-sequel as the top-billed actor, according to box office tracker Rentrak.

The action star helped the movie over-perform on the West Coast despite fears that audiences in earthquake-prone regions would shy away, said Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution for Warner Bros., which distributed the film made by its New Line unit.

“Some people felt they’d be a little nervous watching such a disaster hit both Los Angeles and San Fran-

cisco, but there was a curiosity factor,” Fellman said.

“They went, they packed the theaters and they liked it.”

“Aloha,” the critically maligned romantic comedy from director Cameron Crowe, opened in sixth place with $10 million.

The movie was dogged by controversy. Leaked emails from former Sony Pictures Entertainment cochair Amy Pascal last year labeled the “Aloha” script “ridiculous.” Then, some Native Hawaiian groups opposed the title as misappropriating the concept of the word. An Asian American group spoke criticized the use of a nearly all-white cast in a film shot in Hawaii, a heavily-Asian island chain.

A slew of critics slammed the movie — many calling it “confusing,” wondering if parts of it were missing, and

Celebrities make a splash with California drought awareness SANDY COHEN AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — From drought-shaming to ecoboasting, willing or not, celebrities are playing a role in raising awareness about California’s debilitating drought.

Stars whose homes boast lush, green lawns at a time when residents have been asked to cut back on water may be drought-shamed on social media. Meanwhile, Eco-conscious entertainers hoping to take the lead on water conservation talk proudly of their droughtfriendly gardens.

“We’re all in this together,” said actress Wendie Malick, who relies on well water at her home in the Santa Monica Mountains. “Unfortunately, it had to come to this crisis moment to get us all on board.”

Celebrity enclave Beverly Hills, where many lawns remain bright green, recently approved new water restrictions and penalties for violating them. Enforcement is set to begin this month.

Tony, beachside Malibu has long had water restric-

Cher arrives at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. From droughtshaming to eco-boasting, willing or not, celebrities play a role in raising awareness about the debilitating drought in Calif. Cher, a Malibu resident, has let her grass go brown and has talked about the water shortage on Twitter.

(Photo by Charles Sykes/ Invision/AP)

tions in place, according to the city’s environmental programs specialist, Casey Zweig. While she says the city would never engage in drought-shaming, it does offer a website where residents can anonymously report their water-wasting neighbors. Zweig said her team visits the offending properties personally.q

This photo provided by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Dwayne Johnson as Ray in a scene from the action thriller, “San Andreas.” The movie released in theaters on May 29, 2015.

(Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

saying it was Cameron’s “worst” film ever despite the all-star cast of Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, and Rachel McAdams. They combined to give it a Rotten Tomatoes score of just

17 percent.

Sony Pictures Entertainment’s president of worldwide distribution, Rory Bruer, said “Aloha” did well enough with women aged 25-34 to overcome the

negative buzz. The film cost about $37 million to make.

“Ultimately, we are going to come out just fine on the movie, but more than anything we’re proud of the film,” he said.q

A30 PEOPLE

Monday 1 June 2015

& ARTS

B.B. King recalled with love, humor at Mississippi funeral

Country music star Marty Stuart tells mourners the B.B. King created a musical legacy for the home state they share during King’s funeral at Bell Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Indianola, Miss., Saturday, May 30, 2015.

(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, Pool)

EMILY PETTUS Associated Press INDIANOLA, Mississippi (AP) — B.B. King’s early life personified the blues: He was born to dirt-poor sharecroppers in the cotton country of the Missis-

sippi Delta and left alone by the deaths of his mother and grandmother when he was a child. But he never let those circumstances hold him back or define him, a minister said Saturday at the funeral of the

blues legend.

“Hands that once picked cotton would someday pick guitar strings on a national and international stage. Amazing,” the Rev. Herron Wilson said in a standing-room-only sanc-

tuary at Bell Grove Missionary Baptist Church in King’s hometown of Indianola, Mississippi.

King, whose distinctive guitar style influenced generations of entertainers, was 89 when he died May 14 in Las Vegas. At his request, his body was returned to his native Mississippi for a final homecoming.

“He will forever be the king of the blues,” Stevie Wonder said in a spoken tribute that was played at the funeral, although he did not attend.

About 500 people filled the sanctuary of the church, a red brick structure that sits in a field off of B.B. King Road in Indianola.

More than 200 people who couldn’t get into the sanctuary watched a live broadcast of the funeral in the church’s fellowship hall, many waving handheld fans with a blackand-white photo of a smiling King hugging his black

electric guitar, Lucille.

At the beginning of the service, family members filed past King’s open casket, which had an image of Lucille embroidered on the padded white cloth inside the lid. Later, the casket was closed and covered with a large arrangement of red roses.

Christopher Clouser, a businessman and longtime friend of King, said King instructed him to deliver several messages during the funeral. He sent love to family and friends and thanked his bandmates and otherentertainers.

Clouser said King also wanted people to know how uncomfortable he was “riding in the back of the car that Eric was driving” — a reference to “Riding With the King,” an album that King and Eric Clapton released in 2000 with a cover photo of the two guitarists on a road trip.q