August 1, 2019

Honor to Connor Thursday

August 1, 2019 T: 582-7800 | F: 582-7044 www.arubatoday.com

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Page 13

U.S. to set up plan allowing prescription meds from Canada

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration said Wednesday it will create a way for Americans to legally and safely import lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada for the first time, reversing years of refusals by health authorities amid a public outcry over high prices for life-sustaining medications.

The move is a step toward fulfilling a 2016 campaign promise by President Donald Trump. It weakens an import ban that has stood as a symbol of the political clout of the pharmaceutical industry.

But it's unclear how soon consumers will see benefits, as the plan has to go through time-consuming regulatory approval and later could face court challenges from drugmakers.

Continued on Page 3

In this Tuesday, July 16, 2019, file photo, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar pauses while speaking during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, in Washington.

Associated Press

A2 UP

FRONT Senate confirms Kelly Craft as U.S. ambassador to U.N. Thursday 1 August 2019

By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has confirmed Kelly Craft to become the next U.S. envoy to the United Nations despite Democratic concerns about her inexperience and potential conflicts of interest.

Craft, a longtime GOP activist from Kentucky, is currently U.S. ambassador to Canada. She was confirmed 56-34, ending a more than seven-month vacancy in the key diplomatic position.

She and her husband, Joe Craft, have donated millions of dollars to Republican political candidates, and she will be first major political donor to occupy the top U.N. post for any administration. Joe Craft is the chief executive of Alliance Resource Partners, one of the largest coal producers in the country.

In her confirmation hearing, Craft vowed to continue the efforts of Trump's first ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, to push for reform at the world body and to fight against anti-Israel resolutions and actions by

In this Sept. 26, 2017, file photo, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Kelly Knight Craft stands during her swearing in ceremony in the Indian Treaty Room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House grounds in Washington.

Associated Press

the United Nations and its affiliated agencies. During Haley's tenure, the administration withdrew from the U.N. Human Rights Council and the U.N. educational and scientific agency for adopting positions it deemed to be hostile to Israel.

Trump nominated Craft to replace Haley after his first choice for the job, former State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert,

withdrew from consideration. Haley stepped down from the post in December.

Democrats criticized Craft at the hearing for previous remarks she had made doubting the causes and severity of climate change and suggesting that climate change skeptics have valid arguments.

They were also concerned about possible conflicts of interest as she holds extensive investments in fossil fu-

els.

Craft said at the hearing that she acknowledges the "vast amount of science" regarding climate change and the role humans have played.

"If confirmed, I will be an advocate for addressing climate change," she said.

The Democrats have also expressed concerns about her time away from Canada during her tenure as ambassador. Craft testified that all of her travel had been approved in advance by the State Department, that much of it was work-related and that she and her husband had paid for all personal trips.

A report issued by the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, just before the vote called Craft "inexperienced," ''unknowledgeable" and "outmatched."

The report said Craft's "lack of diplomatic or substantive policy experience" could threaten her ability to forcefully represent and defend U.S. national interests against other powerful nations.

"Never in our nation's history have we nominated such an underqualified person to this critical post," said Menendez.

Republicans, including her home-state senator, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, came to her defense.

"During her tenure as ambassador to Canada, America's relationship with our northern neighbor was tested," McConnell said in a floor speech before the vote. "A number of challenging policy hurdles threatened to trip up progress on several important issues, including trade negotiations. But by all accounts, Ambassador Craft's involvement led to greater cooperation."

As ambassador, Craft played a role in facilitating the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, Trump's long-sought revamp of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

It was also a low point in relations between the two counties. Last year, Trump called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau weak and dishonest, words that shocked Canadians.q

U.S. NEWS A3

Thursday 1 August 2019

PRESCRIPTION MEDS Continued from Front

And there's no telling how Canada will react to becoming the drugstore for its much bigger neighbor, with potential consequences for policymakers and consumers there.

The U.S. drug industry is facing a crescendo of consumer complaints over prices, as well as legislation from both parties in Congress to rein in costs, not to mention proposals from the Democratic presidential contenders. Ahead of the 2020 election, Trump is feeling pressure to deliver on years of harsh rhetoric about pharmaceutical industry prices.

Making the announcement, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the administration recognizes that prescription drug manufacturing and distribution is now international.

"The landscape and the opportunities for safe linkage between drug supply chains has changed," Azar said. "That is part of why, for the first time in HHS's history, we are open to importation. We want to see proposals from states, distributors, and pharmacies that can help accomplish our shared goal of safe prescription drugs at lower prices."

Stephen Ubl, president of the industry group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America called the plan "far too dangerous" for American patients. "There is no way to guarantee the safety of drugs that come into the country from outside the United States' gold-standard supply chain," Ubl said

in a statement. "Drugs coming through Canada could have originated from anywhere in the world."

Most patients take affordable generic drugs to manage conditions such as high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol. But polls show concern about the prices of breakthrough medications for intractable illnesses like cancer or hepatitis C infection, whose annual costs can run to $100,000 or much more. And longavailable drugs like insulin have seen serial price increases that forced some people with diabetes to ration their own doses.

Azar, a former drug company executive, said U.S. patients will be able to import medications safely and effectively, with oversight from the Food and Drug Administration. Azar used to be a skeptic of importation, and was once quoted dismissing it as a gimmick.

One prong of the administration's proposal would allow states, wholesalers and pharmacists to get FDA approval to import certain medications that are also available here. Trump had recently endorsed a new Florida law to allow importation.

Another part of the plan would allow drugmakers to seek approval for re-importation of their own drugs.

This second provision would cover cutting-edge biologic drugs as well mainstays like insulin, and it could apply to drugs from other countries besides Canada.

Azar said complex regulations setting up the system could take "weeks and months." He called on Congress to pass legislation that

would lend its muscle to the effort, making it harder to overturn the policy in court.

"The FDA has the resources to do this," said acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless. "The agency is interested in considering any reasonable proposal that maintains the bedrock of safety and efficacy for the American consumer."

Importation has backers across the political spectrum.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the panel that oversees Medicare, is a longtime supporter. He and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota have a bill to facilitate im-

In this Wednesday, July 10, 2019, file photo, President Donald Trump speaks about kidney health, accompanied by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, left, in Washington.

Associated Press

portation. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who chairs the health committee, wel-

comed the plan but said the key is whether importation can be done safely.q

A4 U.S.

Thursday 1 August 2019

NEWS

Fed cuts key rate in its first reduction in more than decade

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Wednesday for the first time in a decade to try to counter threats ranging from uncertainties caused by President Donald Trump's trade wars to chronically low inflation and a dim global outlook.

The Fed also repeated a pledge to "act as appropriate to sustain the expansion" — wording that the financial markets have interpreted as a signal of possible future rate cuts.

Stocks tumbled soon after the Fed issued its statement at 2 p.m. Eastern time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which had been nearly flat before the announcement, was off nearly 300 points about an hour later just as Chairman Jerome Powell was holding a news conference. Investors appeared disappointed that Powell declined to say that the Fed envisions multiple rate cuts to follow Wednesday's.

The central bank reduced its benchmark rate —

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference following a two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting in Washington, Wednesday, July 31, 2019.

Associated Press

which affects many loans for households and businesses — by a quarter-point to a range of 2% to 2.25%.

It's the first rate cut since December 2008 during the depths of the Great Recession, when the Fed slashed its rate to a record low near zero and kept it there until 2015. The economy is far healthier now despite risks

to what's become the longest expansion on record.

In addition to its rate cut, the Fed also said it would stop shrinking its enormous bond portfolio in August, two months earlier than planned. This step is intended to avoid putting upward pressure on long-term borrowing rates. The Fed had aggressively bought Treasury and mortgage bonds after the financial crisis to drive down long-term rates but had been gradually shrinking its balance sheet as the economy strengthened. The Fed's action Wednesday was approved 8-2 vote, with two dissents: Esther George, president of the Fed's Kansas City regional bank, and Eric Rosengren, head of the Boston Fed, wanted to keep rates unchanged.

It was the first time there have been as many as two dissents since December 2017 and suggested that Powell may face opposition if he seeks further rate cuts this year.

Compared with when the Fed previously cut rates

more than a decade ago, the economy is now solid by most measures, if not spectacular.

Consumers are spending. Unemployment is close to a half-century low. A recession hardly seems imminent.

Yet the Fed under Powell has signaled that rising economic pressures, notably from Trump's trade wars and from weakness in Europe, Asia and elsewhere, have become cause for concern. So has an inflation rate that remains stubbornly below the Fed's 2 percent target level.

So the Fed has decided that a rate cut now — and possibly one or more additional cuts to follow — could provide a kind of insurance policy against an economic downturn.

The idea is that lowering its key short-term rate could encourage borrowing and spending and energize growth. Wall Street has welcomed that prospect with a stock market rally since the start of the year.

A key concern expressed by the Powell Fed is that

Trump's pursuit of trade conflicts, with his punishing tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars in Chinese and European goods, have escalated uncertainties for American companies.

Some companies have put off plans to expand and invest.

Powell has also expressed concern about undesirably low inflation. In delivering the Fed's semiannual monetary report to Congress this month, he noted that the central bank needs to prevent the economy from sinking into a low-inflation trap like the one that has bedeviled Japan's economy for more than two decades. Ultra-low inflation can slow growth by causing consumers to postpone purchases, which, in turn, slows consumer spending, the economy's main fuel.

Another source of pressure for the Fed has been a relentless series of public attacks by Trump over its rate policy under Powell. Trump has blamed the Fed's four rate hikes in 2018 as a key reason why the U.S. economy is slowing.

This week, the president said he wanted to see a "large cut" in rates as well as an immediate halt in the reduction of the Fed's bond holdings, to avoid putting upward pressure on longterm rates.

Powell has asserted that Trump's pressure has had no effect on the rate policies of the Fed, which is considered an independent agency. But the president's incessant criticism raises the question of whether the attacks could eventually undermine confidence that the Fed will remain politically independent and not try to boost the economy before next year's presidential election. q

U.S. NEWS A5

Thursday 1 August 2019

HUD leader Ben Carson compares Baltimore to cancer patient

By REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press BALTIMORE (AP) — The only black member of President Donald Trump's cabinet is comparing Baltimore to a cancer patient whose illness can have a devastating effect if ignored.

U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson spoke Wednesday in the wake of tweets from Trump describing Baltimore as a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess" where "no human being would want to live."

Carson worked in Baltimore for more than three decades and rose to fame for his groundbreaking surgeries at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He said Baltimore, like a cancer patient, cannot sweep its challenges under the rug.

"You can dress them up and put a nice suit on them, and you can try to ignore it, but that cancer is going to have a devastating effect," Carson said. "You have to be willing to address that issue if you are ever going to solve it."

Carson's visit to Baltimore was not welcomed by everyone. A neighboring church demanded that Carson's press conference be moved off their lot. Carson criticized that decision, calling the church's attitude an example of people not wanting to collaborate to address Baltimore's problems.

Earlier this week, Carson defended Trump against allegations of racism because of the incendiary tweets.

He touted the president's record on the economy and prison reform during an interview with Fox News.

"These are not things that a person who is a racist would do," Carson said during the Monday interview.

He told reporters Wednesday that Trump is "very willing to work with people here in Baltimore, including with Elijah Cummings."

Cummings has represented Maryland in Congress for decades and currently chairs the House Oversight and Reform Committee, which is investigating the Trump administration,

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson speaks during a news conference after touring the Hollins House, a high rise building housing seniors and persons with disabilities, during a trip to Baltimore, Wednesday, July 31, 2019.

Associated Press

Trump family and White House.

Maryland's 7th Congressional District, which Cummings represents, includes neighborhoods that have struggled with poverty and crime, like the one where Carson stopped Wednesday to tour a high-rise building that's home to seniors and individuals with disabilities. The district also includes more affluent areas and landmarks such as Johns Hopkins University and its hospital, the Social Security Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Thinking back on his many years working in Baltimore, Carson also recalled the poor condition of the homes some of his patients had to return to after he saved their lives.

"I spent a lot of time trying to give the children here in Baltimore a second chance at life, operating for hours and hours, all night sometimes, most of the times being successful, days later being in the dilemma about sending those kids back to some of the neighborhoods that I knew that they came from," he said. Those neighborhoods, he said, had mice, roaches, ticks, rats and an "unabated lead problem" that affected the children's mental development.

Baltimore managed to chip away at its violent crime rate in 2018, but still had more than 300 homicides for the fourth year in a

row. In 2017, the 342 homicides in the city of roughly 612,000 inhabitants yielded a homicide rate of 56 per 100,000 people, a rate the FBI called well above that

of any other large U.S. city.

Carson touted the Trump administration's "Opportunity Zones" program as a vehicle to bring investments and positive changes to

Baltimore. The program offers massive tax breaks to developers who invest in certain low-income areas.

One such area is the neighborhood Carson visited.

After Carson objected to having to move his news conference off the Morning Star Baptist Church of Christ property, a member said he asked HUD staff to move because nobody asked the church for permission.

Church member Gregory Evans said he does not see Carson's visit as a promising sign for the district.

"The man may have been a great neurosurgeon, but for him to be in housing makes no sense," Evans said. "He's stepping in Baltimore maybe because of what's going on with the comments that the president's made.

I don't think it's going to be that big of a difference."q

Opening Hours: Monday to Monday from 5:00 pm to 10:30 pm

A6 U.S.

NEWS U.S. records nearly 20 mass killings for the year so far Thursday 1 August 2019

By MARTHA BELLISLE and MEGHAN HOYER Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — The U.S. has recorded nearly 20 mass killings so far this year, the majority of them domestic violence attacks that receive scant national attention compared to highprofile public shootings in recent years at schools, churches and concerts.

A database compiled

by The Associated Press, Northeastern University and USA Today shows that the number of mass killings has held steady in 2019 compared with past years. But if the trend continues, the year could end with a lower death count because there have been fewer mass-casualty attacks such as those in Las Vegas, Parkland, Florida, and the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando.

Four mass shootings happened in public places so far this year, compared with 10 in 2018 and seven in 2017. But 2019 saw a big increase in the number of mass killings in domestic disputes, helping to keep this year's overall numbers similar to past years.There have been 10 family mass killings this year; there were 10 during all of 2017.

In July alone, 13 people were slain in three killings involving domestic violence

In this June 2, 2019, file photo, a volunteer prepares to place crosses for victims of a mass shooting at a municipal building in Virginia Beach, Va., at a nearby makeshift memorial.

Associated Press

or drugs in Missouri, Wisconsin and Washington state, but those stories drew little attention. Meanwhile, a gunman killed three people and wounded 12 at a garlic festival in California, with smartphones and social media quickly spreading the word.

"There were more people killed in Wisconsin than in California," said Northeastern University professor James Alan Fox, referring to five family members killed Sunday in Wisconsin. "Three of the four were family

members, so it doesn't get the same attention because people don't feel at risk."

The database examines every mass killing dating back to 2006 and tracks a number of variables for each. It counts killings involving four or more fatalities, not including the killer, the same standard used by the FBI. Part of the problem with determining whether there are trends in mass shootings is "everyone has a different way of counting the data,"

said Adam Winkler, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.

While the FBI defines a mass shooting as four or more dead, others use a standard of three dead, and some count injuries, he said.

"It's hard to imagine that you can shoot 12 people but it's not considered a mass shooting," Winkler said, referring to the attack Sunday at the Gilroy Garlic Festival that left three dead, not including the shooter, and 12 people

wounded. That shooting is not included in the AP database.

Seven months into 2019, there have been 19 mass killings in the U.S., and all but three of them were carried out with guns.

The deadliest attack occurred May 31 at a government office in Virginia Beach, where a 40-yearold city employee walked through his office building with two .45-caliber pistols, killing 12 people before being fatally shot by police.

Many other shootings occurred under the radar.

A 26-year-old man went on a shooting spree in Southern California last week, killing his father, brother, a former girlfriend and a man at a gas station.

A man in Port Angeles, Washington, was charged with murder and arson after killing his wife and three children ages 9, 6 and 5 on July 6. He then set fire to their home.

And federal prosecutors say four suspects are responsible for the shooting deaths of five people near Yakima, Washington.

Seventy-seven people have died this year in mass shootings that include family violence and other events, while 26 people were killed in mass shootings in public places, the

U.S. fighter jet crashes in Death Valley, injures 7 visitors

This July 17, 2019, photo provided by the U.S. Air Force shows a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet in flight after refueling over the Pacific Ocean near the coast of Brisbane, Australia.

Associated Press

By BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — A U.S. Navy fighter jet crashed Wednesday in Death Valley National Park, injuring seven people who were at a scenic overlook where

aviation enthusiasts routinely watch military pilots speeding low through a chasm dubbed Star Wars Canyon, officials said.

The crash sent dark smoke billowing in the air, said Aaron Cassell, who was

working at his family's Panamint Springs Resort about 10 miles (16 kilometers) away and was the first to report the crash to park dispatch.

"I just saw a black mushroom cloud go up," Cassell told The Associated Press.

"Typically you don't see a mushroom cloud in the desert."

A search was underway for the pilot of the single-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet that was on a routine training mission, said Lt. Cmdr. Lydia Bock, spokeswoman for Naval Air Station Lemoore in California's Central Val-

ley.

"The status of the pilot is unknown at this time," Bock said about four hours after the crash.

A military helicopter searched for the pilot.

Ambulances were sent to the crash site near Father Crowley Overlook, but it wasn't clear if anyone was transported for further medical treatment, said park spokesman Patrick Taylor. He said initial reports were that seven park visitors had minor injuries.

The lookout point about 160 miles (257 kilometers) north of Los Angeles is pop-

ular with photographers and aviation buffs who gawk at jets flying training missions in the steep, narrow canyon.

U.S. and foreign militaries train pilots and test jets in the gorge officially called Rainbow Canyon near the park's western entrance.

Training flights are almost a daily feature with jets screaming below the rim of the canyon and passing so close viewers can see the pilots' facial expressions.

Cassell said he heard jets roaring through the area and then saw the cloud of smoke.q

U.S. NEWS A7

Thursday 1 August 2019

Fire at Texas Exxon Mobil refinery slightly injures 37

By JUAN A. LOZANO Associated Press HOUSTON (AP) — An explosion and fire at an Exxon Mobil oil refinery in Texas on Wednesday left 37 people with minor injuries, in the latest of a series of petrochemical industry blazes this year in the Houston area.

The fire began after an explosion at approximately 11:07 a.m. at an Exxon Mobil plant in Baytown, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Houston. The facility processes light hydrocarbons including propane and propylene, materials used to make plastic and industrial products.

Jason Duncan, the plant manager, said many of those hurt suffered minor burns and all were being treated at a local clinic.

Earlier, Exxon Mobil had said in a statement that six people were injured.

All employees at the plant had been accounted for, officials said.

Right after the explosion, the fire sent large plumes of black smoke into the sky. By Wednesday afternoon, the smoke had lessened. Duncan said the fire had been isolated and contained but had not yet been extinguished.

"It is our number one priority to protect the people in the community and the people that work for us," Duncan said.

The city of Baytown issued a shelter in place for residents living west of the plant shortly after the fire.

It remained in place for

about three hours before being lifted Wednesday afternoon.

The cause of the explosion and fire was still being investigated, Duncan said.

Exxon Mobil, as well as officials with Baytown and Harris County, had conducted air quality monitoring of the plant and surrounding area but had not found anything to raise any health concerns.

Wednesday's fire is the latest at a Houston-area petrochemical facility this year, including one at another facility on the Exxon Mobil Baytown complex.

On March 16, a fire erupted at a refinery at the complex. The fire was extinguished hours later, but Harris County officials say it continued to release toxic pollutants for eight more days. The county has sued Exxon Mobil, accusing the company of violating the federal Clean Air Act. Also in March, a fire burned for days at a petrochemical storage facility owned

by Intercontinental Terminals Company in nearby Deer Park and caused chemicals to flow into a nearby waterway. After the fire, the Harris County District Attorney's Office filed water pollution charges against ITC. In April, one worker died after a tank holding a flammable chemical caught fire at a plant operated by KMCO LLC in nearby Crosby.

Prior to Wednesday's fire, Harris County had conducted an analysis of how

local officials and agencies respond to such incidents in the wake of the petrochemical complex fires from earlier this year, said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.

Some of the steps the county is taking as a result of this analysis include asking for more air monitors, improving how the public is informed about such incidents and improving communication between agencies that respond to such incidents. Hidalgo said the county fire marshal's office is also working to increase its inspections of area petrochemical facilities.q

Flames and smoke rise after a fire started at an Exxon Mobil facility, Wednesday, July 31, 2019, in Baytown, Texas.

Associated Press

Los Angeles restores limits on homeless living in vehicles LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles has restored regulations barring people from sleeping at night in vehicles on residential streets or living anytime in vehicles within a block of parks, schools, preschools or daycare facilities.

A recent count found more than 9,500 people live in vehicles throughout the city, and safe parking sites currently have room for fewer than 200 vehicles each night, according to the city's Homeless Services Authority. The City Council unanimously approved regulations Tuesday that expired at the beginning of July. Democratic Mayor Eric Garcetti is expected to

sign the measure extending the rules to January, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Opponents cite inadequate housing, shelters and so-called safe parking sites for the homeless, while advocates cite a host of problems stemming from people living in vehicles, especially big RVs, in residential areas.

"It has been a nightmare in Venice with people living in cars (and RVs) leaving trash and creating unsanitary conditions on our streets and sidewalks as well as taking away much needed parking," Carol Katona wrote in a letter to the council. A federal court struck down a city-wide

ban on living in vehicles in Los Angeles several years ago, leading to the new limits intended to keep vehicles out of neighborhoods but allowing them in commercial or industrial areas.

The city has since imposed additional restrictions on a street-by-street basis The concern is widespread throughout the state. A recent report in San Francisco found a growing number of homeless people are living out of vehicles, contributing to a 17% increase in homelessness there in the last two years. San Francisco identified nearly 600 passenger vehicles, RVs or vans that appeared to be inhabited.q

A8 WORLD

Thursday 1 August 2019

NEWS

Boris Johnson visits Belfast as Brexit woes hurt UK economy

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — New British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday finished his rocky debut tour of the U.K. in Northern Ireland, where he faces a doubly difficult challenge of restoring the collapsed Belfast government and finding a solution for the Irish border after Brexit.

Since he took office a week ago, Johnson has been touring England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but it has not been a triumphal parade. After facing protests and political opposition in Scotland and Wales, Johnson met Wednesday with the leaders of Northern Ireland's five main political parties in hopes of kick-starting efforts to restore the suspended Belfast administration.

Northern Ireland's 1.8 million people have been without a functioning administration for 2 1/2 years, ever since the Catholic-Protestant power-sharing government collapsed over a botched green-energy project. The rift soon widened to broader cultural and political issues separating Northern Ireland's British unionists and Irish nationalists.

Johnson said he would "do everything I can to help that get up and running again, because I think that's profoundly in the interests of people here, of all the citizens here in Northern Ireland."

But a breakthrough did not look imminent. Opponents say Johnson can't play a constructive role in Northern Ireland because his Conservative government relies on support from the Democratic Unionist Party, the largest of Northern Ireland's pro-British parties. Without the votes of the DUP's 10 lawmakers in London, Johnson's minority government would collapse.

Critics say that gives the pro-Brexit DUP an oversized influence with the British government, unsettling the delicate balance of power in Northern Ireland.

Mary Lou McDonald, lead-

Ireland's DUP party leader Arlene Foster, centre, talks to the media with DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds, centre left, and Emma Little-Pengelly, centre right, following a meeting with Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Stormont House in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Wednesday July 31, 2019.

Associated Press

er of the Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein, accused Johnson of being the DUP's "gofer."

"He tells us he will act with absolute impartiality. We have told him that nobody believes that," she said.

Britain's 2016 vote to leave the European Union has strained the bonds among the four nations that make up the U.K. A majority of voters in England and Wales backed leaving in the referendum, while those in Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain.

Scotland's nationalist government wants to hold a vote on independence from the U.K. if Scotland is dragged out of the EU against its will. Similarly, nationalists in Northern Ireland argue there should be a referendum on unification with the Irish republic if there is a damaging nodeal Brexit.

Johnson insists the U.K. will leave the EU on the scheduled date of Oct. 31, with or without a divorce deal.

Economists say a no-deal Brexit would be economically damaging for the whole U.K. and politically destabilizing for Northern Ireland, the only part of the U.K. to share a land border

with the bloc.

The British government said Wednesday that it is setting aside more than 2 billion pounds ($2.4 billion) to prepare for leaving the EU. Treasury chief Sajid Javid said the additional Brexit funds would go to hiring 500 border officers, stockpiling essential medicines and other areas such as public information.

The government plans to spend 1.1 billion pounds immediately. That comes on top of billions spent before Britain's originally scheduled departure date of March 29.

DUP leader Arlene Foster played down the risk of a no-deal Brexit, saying Johnson is "focused on finding a deal and we're here to help him find that deal."

She said Brexit must be carried out "in a way that does no damage either to the U.K., the Republic of Ireland — our neighbors — or the wider European Union."

A divorce agreement between the U.K. and the EU has foundered largely because of the complex issue of the 300-mile (550 kilometer) border between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland. An invisible border is crucial to the regional

economy and underpins the peace process that ended decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland.

Both Britain and the EU have promised there will be no hard border after Brexit, but they disagree about how to avoid it.

The EU and Johnson's predecessor, Theresa May, came up with a solution known as the backstop — an insurance policy to guarantee an open border if no other solution can be found. But British Brexitbackers loathe the backstop because it locks Britain into EU trade rules to avoid customs checks, something they say will stop the U.K. from striking new trade deals.

Johnson is refusing to hold new talks with EU leaders unless they agree to scrap the backstop and sent Europe adviser David Frost to Brussels on Wednesday to deliver that message.

Johnson's office said Frost would tell EU officials that "we will work energetically for a deal but the backstop must be abolished. If we are not able to reach an agreement, then we will, of course, have to leave the EU without a deal."

The bloc is equally adamant that Brexit deal won't be reopened and the backstop must stay.

The stalemate has sent the pound plunging to its lowest levels in more than two years, as economists warn a no-deal Brexit would disrupt trade and send Britain into a deep recession.

The currency was trading around $1.22 Wednesday, up slightly from a day earlier but still its lowest level since March 2017.

Business confidence has also been battered. Britain's auto trade body said Wednesday that investment in the industry effectively stopped in the first half of this year amid nodeal fears.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said companies made just 90 million pounds ($110 million) of new investments between January and June, compared with an average annual total of 2.7 billion pounds. Car production dropped 20.1% in the first half of 2019.

"The fear of no deal is causing investors to sit on their hands," said chief executive Mike Hawes.

On his tour of the U.K., Johnson was booed by protesters in both the Scottish city of Edinburgh and the Welsh city of Cardiff. He was also accused of playing "Russian roulette" with the agriculture industry by Welsh farmers who face high tariffs on their exports to Europe if there is a nodeal Brexit.

A variety of protesters greeted Johnson Wednesday in Northern Ireland, including border residents, steelworkers at a Belfast shipyard threatened with closure and anti-Brexit demonstrators.

After the meetings, Nichola Mallon, deputy leader of the Irish nationalist SDLP party, said Johnson "gave us bluff and bluster around Brexit." "We went into this meeting concerned that he would have a limited understanding of the complexities and the fragility of this place and those concerns have been confirmed," she said.q

WORLD NEWS A9

Thursday 1 August 2019

2nd person dies from Ebola in Congo's city of Goma

By SALEH MWANAMILONGO CARA ANNA Associated Press KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A second person died Wednesday of Ebola in Congo's major crossroads city of Goma, again raising fears the virus could spread beyond the country's borders as the outbreak enters a second year.

The man may never have known he had Ebola and was contagious for days before the illness was confirmed, officials said — alarming some in the city of more than 2 million people on the Rwandan border that has an international airport.

The death "in such a dense population center underscores the very real risk of further disease transmission, perhaps beyond the country's borders, and the very urgent need" for more global support, United Na-

In this Sunday, July 14, 2019 photo, workers bury the remains of Mussa Kathembo, an Islamic scholar who had prayed over those who were sick in Beni, Congo.

Associated Press

tions agencies said in a joint statement marking a year of the outbreak. More than 1,800 people have died — nearly a third of

them children.

The man in his 40s was a miner returning home from an area of northeastern Ituri province where no Ebola

cases in this outbreak have been recorded, World Health Organization officials told reporters. He was exposed to Ebola some-

where along the roughly 300-mile-long (490-kilometer) route from Komanda to Goma as he took motor taxis over a number of days through the densely populated region at the heart of the outbreak, WHO emergencies chief Dr. Michael Ryan said.

The man arrived in Goma on July 13 and started showing symptoms on July 22. He was isolated at an Ebola treatment center on Tuesday. He had spent five days being treated at home and then went to a health facility, where Ebola was suspected. "He may not even have been aware of the exposure that he had," Ryan said, adding that the man's potential contacts were being identified and given an experimental but effective Ebola vaccine. Symptoms such as fever can be confused with malaria, which is endemic in the region.q

Official: Germany has moral not monetary war debt to Poland Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Germany feels moral responsibility for the huge damage done to occupied Poland during World War II but also no duty to make financial reparations, the country's foreign minister said Wednesday in Warsaw.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is on a two-day trip to Poland for diplomatic talks and to attend 75th anniversary observances for the ill-fated Warsaw Rising revolt, when Polish resistance fought the occupying Nazi German troops.

After meeting with his German counterpart, Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said Poles have a sense of not having been

properly compensated for wartime wrongs.

Poland's right-wing government has said it is assessing losses and plans to seek reparations from Germany.

Maas said Nazi crimes were a source of "shame" for him personally and for all Germans. He said his presence at Thursday's events to mark the Warsaw Rising anniversary was an expression of that.

The invitation he received from Warsaw reflected "deep trust" among friends, said Maas, who will be the highest-level German official in years to attend the annual events held in Poland to observe the 1944 revolt's anniversary since communism ended.

But the minister also

stressed that for Germany the issue of reparations is "closed from the legal point of view."

Berlin has pointed to postwar documents in which the communist authorities governing Poland at the time relinquished claims to any reparations.

Poland argues the action was taken under pressure from Moscow.

Some 6 million Polish citizens, half of them Jewish, were killed during World War II, which began with Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland on Sept. 1, 1939.

The 63-day revolt against the occupying Germans in 1944 left some 200,000 fighters and civilians dead and Warsaw razed to the ground.q

Poland's President Andrzej Duda, left, greets German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on a two-day visit to Poland for political talks and for the Sept. 1 anniversary observances of World War II Warsaw Rising of 1944, in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, July 31, 2019.

Associated Press

A10 WORLD

NEWS Israel approves Palestinian construction in West Bank Thursday 1 August 2019

By ILAN BEN ZION Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli Cabinet unanimously approved a proposal to build over 700 housing units for Palestinians in addition to 6,000 Israeli settlement housing units in the West Bank.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government advanced the proposal late on Tuesday, according to an Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the closeddoor meeting.

A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas responded to the development by saying that the Palestinians don't need Israeli permits to build on land that Israel occupied.

The approval appeared timed to coincide with a visit by President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is also the White House's chief Mideast envoy.

Kushner kicked off a new

In this Feb. 7, 2017 file photo, Palestinian laborers work at a construction site in the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, near Jerusalem.

Associated Press

regional tour in Jordan on Wednesday to promote the Trump administration's call for a $50 billion economic support plan for the Palestinians. The funds would accompany a Mideast

peace proposal, which the administration has yet to release. He later flew to Israel and was expected to meet with Netanyahu later in the evening. The Israeli permits are for construction in what

is known as Area C — the roughly 60% of the West Bank where Israel exercises full control and where most Jewish settlements are located. Netanyahu's government has approved

the construction of tens of thousands of settler homes there, but permits for Palestinian construction are extremely rare.

Israeli officials declined to provide specifics to The Associated Press about what exactly the 700 approved Palestinian units entailed.

Israel captured the West Bank, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast war.

The Palestinians seek these areas as parts of a future state. Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law and an impediment to a two-state solution to the conflict.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, Abbas' spokesman, said the Palestinians have the right to build on all territory occupied in 1967, "without needing a permit from anyone" — referring to Israel.

"We will not give any legitimacy to the construction of any settlement," he also said.q

Bus hit by roadside bomb in Afghanistan, 32 killed

By RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A roadside bomb tore through a bus in western Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing at least 32 people, including children, a provincial official said.

Mohibullah Mohib, spokesman for the police chief in Farah province, said the explosion also wounded 15 people. Most of the wounded were said to be in critical condition, indicating the death toll could rise.

The bus was traveling on a main highway between the western city of Herat and the southern city of Kandahar.

No one immediately claimed responsibility, but the Taliban operate in the region and frequently use roadside bombs to target government officials and security forces. The Islamic State group's affiliate in Afghanistan is also known to have been behind attacks in the area. IS militants fre-

Afghans assist a wounded man in a hospital after a roadside bomb on the main highway between the western city of Herat and the southern city of Kandahar, in Herat, Afghanistan, Wednesday, July 31, 2019.

Associated Press

quently target civilians, especially the country's minority Shiites.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned Wednesday's attack and reiterated that

"international humanitarian law explicitly prohibits indiscriminate attacks and attacks directed against civilians," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The U.N. chief appealed to

all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations to protect civilians, Dujarric said.

The Taliban have kept up a steady tempo of attacks even as they have held

several rounds of peace talks with the United States aimed at ending the 18year war.

The attack came a day after the U.N. mission in Afghanistan released a report saying that most civilian deaths in the first half of the year were caused by Afghan forces and their international allies. The report apparently referred to civilians killed during Afghan and U.S. military operations against insurgents.

The U.N. report said 403 civilians were killed by Afghan forces in the first six months of the year and another 314 by international forces, a total of 717. That's compared to 531 killed by the Taliban, an Islamic State affiliate and other militants during the same period. It said 300 of those killed by militants were directly targeted. The U.N. said the leading cause of civilian deaths and injuries was "ground engagements," which caused one in three casualties. q

WORLD NEWS A11

Thursday 1 August 2019

Moscow couple shaken but defiant after police crackdown MOSCOW (AP) — The young woman screamed as her boyfriend lay atop her, absorbing the blows of a helmeted riot policeman.

It's one of the indelible images of the violent police response to an unauthorized protest in Moscow.

Inga Kudracheva's terror and anguish are clear in the video and photos that spread across Russian social media and foreign news coverage of the July 27 crackdown in which an arrest-monitoring group said nearly 1,400 people were detained.

Yet Kudracheva and Boris Kantorovich say the ordeal has only strengthened them.

"People are not afraid of police anymore. Even though police were beating us violently and tried to intimidate us, it was worth it," the 27-year-old told The Associated Press on Tuesday, sitting on a sofa with Kudracheva and occasionally squeezing her hand reassuringly.

"I'm really scared, but being scared is fine, and there are other things more important than fear," said Kantorovich, who works in sales.

Such determination suggests that the fierce police response might have been a miscalculation, hardening resistance rather than dissipating it. Both police and activists likely will be tested again on Saturday, as protest organizers have called for another unsanctioned rally in the Russian capital.

There have been a series of demonstrations denounc-

In this July 27, 2019, file photo, protesters clash with police during an unsanctioned rally in Moscow.

Associated Press

ing the exclusion of some opposition and independent candidates from a Sept. 8 election for the Moscow city council. In the past month, the issue has provoked a surprisingly large outcry for a local election; on July 20, about 20,000 people turned out for a demonstration that was the largest in the city in several years.

But that earlier demonstration had been sanctioned.

When the July 27 protest was called, authorities were clearly determined to stifle the dissent.

The police actions were "demonstrative cruelty," said Ilya Shablinsky, head of the voters' rights committee of the presidential human rights council, in an interview with the newspaper Kommersant.

Ivan Sustin, a human-rights lawyer, said the police violence was at a level previously seen only in a 2012 demonstration against President Vladimir Putin's inauguration and that the recent protesters were far less aggressive.

The police action came amid declining approval rates for Putin and the dominant United Russia party, whose nominees suffered crushing defeats in several gubernatorial elections last fall.

There has been widespread condemnation of the crackdown. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow decried it as "use of disproportionate police force."

Hugh Williamson, Human Rights Watch's director for Europe and Central Asia, said the "government's

strong-arm response is a warning to Russians that people who take to the streets, no matter how peaceful, to demand free and fair elections will face dire consequences."

But Russian authorities show no sign of backing down.

In his first public comments on the disorder, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Tuesday the protesters "forced police to use force that in this situation was completely appropriate."

At the same time, Russia's Investigative Committee opened a criminal investigation for charges of organizing or participating in mass disorder, a crime that carries a potential prison sentence of up to 15 years.

During the July 27 demonstration, police tried to grab Kantorovich as he was sit-

ting on a curb. He curled up as police hit him with their batons, and Kudracheva tried to intervene. Nearby police dogs barked and howled.

Moments later, she was on the pavement with Kantorovich atop her.

"The scariest moment was when I was lying underneath Boris ... and I felt as if the policeman was jumping on him," said Kudracheva, a 27-year-old human resources specialist. "I felt like he was going to crush my chest."

"We were not doing anything," Kudracheva said of the minutes before the melee. "We were not trying to break the cordons, we weren't throwing anything at the police."

Kantorovich was shoved into a police van; after arriving at a police station, he called for an ambulance and went to a hospital for treatment of heavy bruises.

Kudracheva suffered only scratches.

By coincidence, Kudracheva also figured in one of the day's other stunning visual scenes, helping to wrap gauze on the head of Alexandra Parushina, her face masked with blood, after she was beaten by police at a different site.

Parushina, a deputy in a Moscow district council, told AP she hadn't known Kudracheva before that earlier incident.

The beating left her with stitches in her head and severe bruises, and she said she was so unwell that she couldn't leave her apartment. But she said she's ready for future protests.q

A12 WORLD

NEWS Puerto Rico braces for clashes over island's next leader Thursday 1 August 2019

By DÁNICA COTO SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico's political crisis appeared to deepen on Wednesday as the island's outgoing governor and legislators — including those from his own party — clashed over who should be the next leader of a U.S. territory unbalanced by massive protests.

Gov. Ricardo Rosselló announced that he had chosen Puerto Rico's former non-voting representative to Congress, Pedro Pierluisi, as his secretary of state.

That post would put Pierluisi in line to be governor when Rosselló steps down on Friday. But he's unlikely to be approved by legislators.

Several lawmakers have already said they will reject Pierluisi's nomination because he works for a law firm that represents the federal control board that was created to oversee Puerto Rico's finances before the territory, saddled with more than $70 billion in public debt, declared a

In this July 25, 2019 photo, a young woman takes part in the festivities to celebrate the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Rossello, after weeks of protests over leaked obscene, misogynistic online chats, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Associated Press

sort of bankruptcy. Pierluisi's brother-in-law also heads the board.

"That's a serious conflict of interest," Rep. José Enrique Meléndez told The Associ-

ated Press.

Rep. Milagros Charbonier and House of Representatives President Johnny Méndez also said they would vote against Pierluisi. Both

urged Rosselló to instead nominate Puerto Rico Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz, who is running for governor in 2020.

Méndez has said Pierluisi

does not have the votes needed in the House of Representatives. All three legislators are members of Rosselló's pro-statehood New Progressive Party.

"The situation could not be more complicated," said Sen. José Antonio Vargas Vidot, who ran for Senate as an independent. "This is absurd, what we're going through. We never thought something like this could happen. In an extraordinary crisis, we have to take extraordinary measures."

Rosselló has said he will resign on Friday, bowing to the demands of massive street protests by Puerto Ricans frustrated with corruption, mismanagement and an obscenity-laced chat that was leaked in which Rosselló and 11 other men made fun of women, gay people and victims of Hurricane Maria.

More than a dozen officials have resigned in the wake of the chat, including former Secretary of State Luis Rivera Marín.q

US Homeland Security discusses asylum agreement in Guatemala GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — The acting head of U.S. Homeland Security held discussions behind closed doors in Guatemala on Wednesday on an agreement that would force many asylum seekers to file claims in the Central American country instead of the United States.

Details on Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan's agenda and activities were scant, and there was no immediate access for journalists. But the Guatemalan government said it included a meeting with Interior Minster Enrique Degenhart, who signed the deal in Washington last week.

Presidential candidate Sandra Torres' political party also said McAleenan would meet with her, a week and a half before her runoff election against Alejandro Giammattei — who was also due to meet the acting secretary.

The president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Guatemala said

The Spanish message "I refuse to live in a dictatorship" hangs outside the University Museum in Guatemala City, Tuesday, July 30, 2019.

Associated Press

McAleenan would present a plan of action to implement the deal.

Washington is apparently seeking to win local approval for the pact, which could significantly ease the wave of mostly Central

Americans arriving at the U.S. border. It would mean Hondurans and Salvadorans who travel by land through Guatemala must apply for asylum there rather than on U.S. soil.

Critics of the deal point out

that Guatemala, which is both a sending and transit country for irregular migration, has the same problems driving Hondurans and Salvadorans to flee their homes: violence, poverty, joblessness and a pro-

longed drought that has severely hurt farmers.

Guatemala is ill-prepared financially or in infrastructure terms to provide safety, housing, education and other support for potentially tens of thousands of Central Americans.

The agreement has been challenged in Guatemala's Constitutional Court.

Human rights prosecutor Jordán Rodas asked the tribunal to overturn it, arguing that U.S. President Donald Trump's threats of tariffs or other consequences made the agreement null.

The Constitutional Court had also issued injunctions before the signing, telling President Jimmy Morales' government not to enter into a deal without approval from the country's Congress, but the rulings were ignored.

In a statement Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador Luis E. Arreaga called the agreement "a bold new approach to reduce irregular immigration."q

A13

Thursday 1 August 2019

Honor to Connor Steelband Celebration is on its way

PALM BEACH — The third edition of Honor to Connor Steelband Celebration is planned for Sunday, August 18th at Paseo Herencia Mall. Keep this date reserved for a spectacular event where steelband legend Mr. Edgar Connor is honored for his pioneer work in music. This is a celebration of Aruba’s music and artists.

The Paseo Herencia Mall has given tribute to father Connor in their Amphitheatre in 2007 and in 2017 this happened again in their Walk of Stars. The mall put the names of all the local stellar athletes, artists and entertainers in a spot to be admired by thousands of visitors and by the local community in general, being a role model for all.

The team of Sweet Pan Music consist of Nico Connor and Lee Connor, sons of the legend. Paula Engelen and Zaira Orman from the mall and Tico Kock and Ronwayne Kock from Touch of Steel participate too. Steelpan music has a rich history and Connor’s sons cherish the value of this typical music by continuing their father’s legacy. Quiver Quips Steel Orchestra, The Aruba Invaders Steel Orchestra 2nd y 3rd generation, N.L.G. Dancers accompanying Nico Connor, Wesley Connor standing by his father Lee Connor and Carnaruba with their majestic costumes complete the event presentation. Four persons that dedicated to the steelpan music of Aruba are being honored, who they are will be kept a secret until the event night.

Steelpan Story Connor’s sons are professional steel pan players these days and learnt it all from their father who was one of the pioneering steelpan players on the island. Steelpans (also known as steel drums or pans, and sometimes, collectively with other musicians, as a steel band or orchestra) is a musical instrument originating from Trinidad and Tobago. Steel pan musicians are called pannists. Steelpans are built using sheet metal with a thickness between 0.8 and 1.5 mm (1⁄32 and 1⁄16 in). Historically, steelpans have been built from used oil barrels, just like James Edgar Connor did. q

A14 LOCAL

Thursday 1 August 2019

“Creative Development”: More Than Just Entertainment Maastricht – With the successful performance of the Aruba Symphony Festival (ASF) this summer, one impressive captured moment was when a group of children who were participating in a local summer camp were invited to witness what a musical symphonic orchestra looks and sounds like in Cas di Cultura. The representatives of the ASF expressed that their intention was to inspire the children present to consider learning how to play an instrument. Besides just witnessing a beautiful performance by the participants of the ASF, some children got the opportunity to engage in the musical activity and experienced hands on how to “direct” the orchestra. With this lead, today we are going to discuss the role of creativity in the development of children, considering the importance of exposing children to the opportunity to developing their artistic and creative skills.

It is known to many that creativity starts early in life. Babies and toddlers express themselves through language, singing, dancing, the way they play with their toys, painting etc. If we try defining creativity we can summarize the following: the ability to see things in new ways, boundary breaking and going beyond the information given (thinking outside the box), thinking unconventionally, making something unique, or combining unrelated things into something new. From previous research, specific personality traits have been identified linking to people who are highly creative. These personality traits include: being open to the new or unexpected; a tolerance for ambiguity; a willingness to experiment and take risks impulsivity for complexity; being highly intuitive and sensitive; being flexible; individualism, independence and introversion; nonconformity; playfulness and a sense of humor; and a strong sensory awareness (Gelineau, 2004).

Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something - Steve Jobs Now, if creativity is known for being inherent in people, there must be external developmental factors that could either enhance or deplete creative potential as growth occurs. Potential obstacles for creativity to manifest in the development of children can occur from their home environment; school environment; gender roles; and the society, culture and traditions they pertain to. We all know the saying “education starts at home” and the fact that the home environment is the first space where children develop their characteristics and abilities. In the case of highly creative children most times behave and act differently due to their particular personality traits. Families in this case need to be informed about the essence of creativity and they should be educated on how to enhance the development of their children and not break their spirits.

Now, considering the special personality traits of highly creative children, too often they are expected to perform well in a school system that for the most part is based on a convergent way of thinking, which goes against all traits of these artistic and creative children. These children might rebel or become extremely uninterested in the daily activities they are expected to perform. Next to

this, besides the environment children are growing up in, most of the time they also face societal norms and expectations. In this case, gender roles have a lot of influence of creative children by pinpointing expectations on boys to be manly and girls to be sensitive. It is hard for creative boys who want to become fashion designers or ballet dancers, because they are considered more feminine traits, or even girls who want to become sculptors or work with wood and other raw materials, because they are considered more manly. On the other hand, another way we can limit highly creative children is by imposing cultural traditions that go against their core personality. It is important to recognize a child’s abilities and respect their individual development, because in the end they will be successful because they got the chance to grow and strengthen what they naturally are talented at.

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge - Albert Einstein Now how can we facilitate creativity in children (not only highly creative ones)? Well, there are endless ways to accomplish this. One way is to simply celebrate creativity and diversity by allow children to be curious. It is important for children to realize that creativity is not only limited to arts, but it can transcend into

other subjects as well. Also, we must value a child’s creativity and not diminish their vision and freedom to explore “newness”, but instead encourage children to be different. This will require the provision of time and space for creative expression, and materials conductive to creativity.

Allow children to activate the right side of the brain which is completely depended on context formation, visual stimuli, intuition, emotion and imagination. Fun fact, guess which side of the brain is most dominant.

Well, it is the right side, the unconventional side, the side most people ignore.

Coming back to the influence of music on children, which is simply one artistic element available, it is important to also understand how music can add value to the child on a deeper level. Music does not only teach children how to play an instrument, it teaches the child team work skills, responsibility, accountability, punctuality, respect, ownership, humbleness, perseverance, focus and concentration abilities, the ability to listen, good coordination and structure.

Continued on Page 14

LOCAL A15

Thursday 1 August 2019

More Than Just Entertainment Continued from Page 14

But notice, these skills are also important when children grow up to be teenagers and soon after, young adults that should be productive citizens in society. Music teaches children expression through stability, which is a gift all children should experience at least once in their lives.

Without change, there is no innovation, creativity, or incentive for improvement. Those who initiate change will have a better opportunity to manage the change that is inevitable - William Pollard Now, as a society we keep hearing concepts such as sustainability, innovation, creativity, knowledge

and change, but these concepts are rooted in the foundations we have laid from when we were little.

If we want to become an innovative island, we should encourage innovative behavior in our children.

If we want positive socio-economic development, we should realize that many traits of these highly creative children are traits needed to become a successful entrepreneur. If we want sustainability, we should consider not “throwing away” perfect capable and talented children into the sea of convergence. In the past we discussed impressive musical programs such as the “Leer Orkest” in the Netherlands, which provides a haven for all children respectable of their background and resources. So, we should create the space for chil-

dren to make mistakes and learn from them by allowing them to initiate that improvement.

Change will be inevitable as time goes by, but one thing we know for sure: creativity and innovation

go hand in hand. The vision for enhancing the creative development in children goes beyond just entertainment, it determines the holistic development of the next generation. q

Biography – Currently, Thaïs Franken is a 23-year-old Aruban student at the University of Maastricht (UM). She is studying a Master of Science in Public Policy and Human Development in collaboration with the Unites Nations University (UNU). Back home, on the beautiful island of Aruba she completed her Bachelor of Arts in Organization, Governance & Management (OGM) at the University of Aruba (UA). She successfully graduated and defended her thesis titled “Placing Culture and Creativity at the Heart of the Aruban Sustainable Development” on July 6th 2018. Thaïs is very passionate about topics such as sustainability, innovation, culture and creativity. Next to her academic interests, she enjoys reading, writing, dancing and cooking.

A16 LOCAL

Thursday 1 August 2019

Bohemian Restaurant:

Tonight live Violinist Angela

PALM BEACH — Avant-garde from France, nonconformist in style and ethnic in cuisine. That is what the new kid in town is about. Bohemian Restaurant is different, unconventional and a rebel with a cause. The cause is to make you feel king in this hidden garden with outstanding dishes that connect you to the European liaisons of Aruba. TONIGHT has an extra magic: the live Violinist Angela performs! From traditional French and Italian famous melodies to more upbeat pop and rock and roll. A taste for everyone.

A garden full of strong trees and dressed up in New York-style industrial-look elements creates a cosmopolitan vibe while at the same time the tropical breeze and outside dining connect to the Caribbean.

Waiters with French barrettes and pant suspenders service you with a happy and loose style with on the background the sounds of underground chill music varied with French classics.

ONLY French owned Restaurant The French are famous for their culinary art. Bohemain

is the ONLY French owned restaurant on Aruba and offers you Grande gastronomy in a hip decor.

French classics like Coqau-Vin, Beef tartare, Escargot, Duck Foie Gras Terrine, Bouillabaisse Fish Soup, Tuna-Tartare, Quinoa-Salad, Rib-Eye Butter MaîtreD, Crème Brulee, Chocolate Lava Cake and Pineapple Carpaccio are on the menu. Mediterranean

inspired dishes like Ras el Hanout Fish Kebbab, Honey and Rosemary Lamb Shank, Moroccan Lamb sausages, Mediterranean Sea Bass and Grilled Local Catch are other finger licking options. Directly imported wines from wineries in Europe make up for a perfect pairing. You are welcome to enjoy the Happy Hours and Daily Early Birds from 5 to 7 PM. Bon appetite!

Free Parking available at the parking lot in front of Barcelo Resort.

Make your reservations through their website: https:// bohemianaruba.com.

Call them at 00 297 280 8448.

Facebook: Bohemian.q

Honoring at Divi Village Resort

EAGLE BEACH — Recently, Marouska Heyliger honored Diane Boswell and Amanda Russell from Rhode Island with their Distinguished Visitor’s certificate in the name of the Aruba Tourism Authority.

The event which commemorates their 14th consecutive visit to the island was held at Divi Village resort. They love coming to the island for its hospitality, beaches and safety that the island provides. q

Peter Pappas honored at Marriott Surf Club Resort

PALM BEACH — Peter Pappas from Connecticut was recently honored as Distinguished Visitor due to his 17th consecutive visit to Aruba.

Marouska Heyliger representing the Aruba Tourism Authority conducted the ceremony which was held at the Marriott Surf Club Resort. Mr. Pappas loves coming back to Aruba for the great weather, fantastic food and the feeling of home away from home. q

A17

Thursday 1 August 2019

In this July 7, 2019, file photo, U.S. players hold the trophy as they celebrate their victory in the Women's World Cup soccer final in Decines, outside Lyon, France.

Associated Press

FIFA expands Women's World Cup from 24 teams to 32 for 2023

By The Associated Press FIFA's Council has unanimously approved expanding the Women's World Cup from 24 teams to 32 for 2023 and has reopened bidding to host the tournament but made no mention of changing prize money.

FIFA said Wednesday the decision was made remotely.

Nine national associations had expressed interest in hosting and were due to submit their formal bids by Oct. 4: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and South Korea, which could bid jointly with North Korea Under the new timetable, any national association has until December to make a bid. FIFA expects a bid evaluation report next April and a decision the following month.

After the U.S. won the women's final in Lyon, France, fans in the stadium chanted "Equal Pay!"q

Power for Bauer Indians trade fiery Bauer to Reds, land Puig in 3-team deal

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Trevor Bauer throws against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, July 23, 2019 in Toronto.

Associated Press Page 19

A18 SPORTS

Thursday 1 August 2019

Pirates, Reds await suspensions for latest brawl

By JOE KAY AP Sports Writer CINCINNATI (AP) — Major League Baseball is reviewing video of the latest fight between the Pirates and Reds, with Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle expecting suspensions on both sides.

Reds manager David Bell faces a significant suspension for running onto the field and going after Hurdle during the ninth inning of Pittsburgh's 11-4 win Tuesday night. Bell already had been ejected from the game.

Hurdle spoke with Chief Baseball Officer Joe Torre on Wednesday before an afternoon game against the Reds that concludes their raucous series. Hurdle said MLB was reviewing video of the numerous confrontations during the game, which turned into a fight in the ninth when Reds reliever Amir Garrett charged the Pittsburgh dugout.

Four from each team were ejected, including aboutto-be-traded Yasiel Puig.

"Yeah, I anticipate suspensions, and seeing some of the things that our guys were involved with, there definitely could be ramifications coming our way as well," Hurdle said.

Pittsburgh Pirates' Kyle Crick (30) falls between Cincinnati Reds' Eugenio Suarez, left, and Amir Garrett (50) during a brawl in the ninth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, July 30, 2019, in Cincinnati.

Associated Press

The NL Central rivals have a history of run-ins that crept into this season when Derek Dietrich admired his home run at PNC Park in April, prompting a fracas. Puig was at the center of the fight, taking on the Pirates by himself at one point.

Puig got a two-game suspension and Bell a onegame ban.

Tempers flared again Tuesday night in the eighth inning when Keone Kela

threw up-and-in to Dietrich.

Joey Votto yelled into the Pirates dugout between innings, taking exception to the pitch. Separately, Bell was ejected for arguing after a strike was called with Puig at bat in the eighth.

Jared Hughes hit Starling Marte with his first pitch in the ninth, bringing things to a boil. Garrett later traded words from the mound with Pittsburgh's Trevor Williams, who was in the dugout.

Garrett ran to the dugout and started swinging as the benches emptied.

Bell emerged from the Reds dugout and ran across the field toward Hurdle, who was shoved to the ground.

Pirates hitting coach Rick Eckstein got Bell in a headlock. Bell screamed profanities at Hurdle as he left the field.

"There's a lot of adrenaline and even rage," Bell said Wednesday.

Bell contends the Pirates throw at batters purposely and has complained that Major League Baseball hasn't clamped down. Bell and Hurdle exchanged lineup cards with the umpires before Wednesday's game but didn't interact.

Asked if he would talk to Hurdle about what happened, Bell said, "I told him exactly how I felt about it last night."

Hurdle pointed out pregame Wednesday that he was hit in the head three times as a player.

He said he's never told one of his pitchers to throw at a hitter, contrary to Bell's opinion.

"He's going to think what he thinks, he's going to feel what he feels," Hurdle said. "I just shared with him, as he was telling me what I was (during the brawl), I just said you have no idea what you're talking about."

Bell, Puig, Garrett and bench coach Freddie Benavides were ejected from the Reds. Williams, Chris Archer, Kyle Crick and Francisco Cervelli — who is on the injured list — were ejected from the Pirates.

Garrett said Wednesday that he can't explain how he lost his cool and charged the Pirates dugout.q

Ryan Lochte returns to competition with fast 200 IM

Ryan Lochte looks on after competing in the men's 200-meter individual medley time trial at the U.S. national swimming championships in Stanford, Calif., Wednesday, July 31, 2019.

Lochte is returning from a 14-month suspension.

Associated Press

By RICK EYMER Associated Press STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Olympic champion Ryan Lochte made an emphatic return to competition Wednesday, swimming the fourth-fastest time by an American in the 200-meter individual medley during a

time trial at the Phillips 66 National Championships at Stanford University.

"I'm back, Woo!" Lochte proclaimed in his opening remarks on the pool deck at Avery Aquatic Center after qualifying for the U.S. Olympic trials with the time of 1 minute, 57.88 seconds.

"It's been a long three years but it's good to be back, get on those blocks and race again."

Lochte is entered in the 100 butterfly, 100 and 200 backstroke and 200 and 400 IM this week, though he hasn't decided which events he will focus on for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics "I don't do that much anymore," Lochte said. "I've been splotchy with my swimming. Family trumps everything. Swimming has been my second priority.

Nationals, for me, is a stepping stone to see where I'm at in the swimming world.

It's a long journey to next year to see what I can do."

Lochte said he's not the same man he was three years, when he partied

hard during and following the 2016 Rio Olympics, in which he was involved in a fake police report.

Last year, he was given a 14-month suspension for receiving an infusion of vitamin B-12 above the allowed limit.

The meet is his first event since the suspension ended last week. During that time, he checked himself into a rehab center for six weeks to fight alcohol abuse.

"There was a point in my life where I needed to change, so I checked myself in," Lochte said. "My wife was pregnant and I needed to help her. I did all the classes and got out. Since Caiden and my new daughter Liv, I have a new perspective on life."

He said he has limited himself to a glass of wine to celebrate the birth of his daughter but that's been the extent of his alcohol intake since going to rehab.

"There are bigger and better things in my life," he said.

"I'm glad I went to rehab. I needed help and I came out a better man."

Competing in his fifth Olympics motivates him in the pool. His family drives him to succeed.

"I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone," Lochte said. "My big goal is 2020 and to reach the podium.

I do it for me and my family. I'm having fun again. I haven't had fun since the 2012 Olympics. My wife and kids have been my backbone. It's awesome."q

SPORTS A19

Thursday 1 August 2019

Astros ace Greinke deal; 2 dozen trades on deadline day

By BEN WALKER AP Baseball Writer Out of nowhere, the Houston Astros got a huge head start on October.

On a dizzying day that featured two dozen trades, the Astros pulled off the biggest and most startling deal, adding ace Zack Greinke to an imposing rotation already loaded with All-Stars Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole.

Plenty of familiar names were on the go Wednesday — Shane Greene and Mark Melancon boosted the Braves' bullpen, with Scooter Gennett, Jesús Aguilar, Mike Leake and Tanner Roark among those also moving.

But it was the Astros' acquisition of Greinke from Arizona for four minor leaguers that quickly became the talk of baseball. The deal came right before the deadline for swapping players to still have them eligible for the postseason.

"We had him high on our list and we didn't know this was even remotely possible and it really wasn't until the last 48 hours and really the last 24 hours that we started to get traction on something," Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow said.

The AL West leaders and 2017 World Series champions added two other pitchers, too, getting starter Aaron Sanchez and reliever Joe Biagini from Toronto.

"Houston made some big deals. They're really good.

They were good before," Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski said.

A lot of contenders were busy.

The Chicago Cubs added Detroit's Nicholas Castellanos to their lineup, the Phillies got outfielder Corey Dickerson from Pittsburgh and the Washington Nationals acquired relievers Daniel Hudson, Roenis Elías and Hunter Strickland.

In most cases, major leaguers were swapped for minor leaguers.

"When it comes to trades, one thing I've learned is, just

wait," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "You've got to wait until the very end and it plays itself out. The 11th hour is the most powerful hour there is. To get things done before that, it normally doesn't work to get what you want. There's the 11th hour at work."

Several players whose names swirled in the tradewinds stayed put.

Giants ace Madison Bumgarner, Mets starters Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler and Pirates closer Felipe Vázquez remained in place. So did Mets closer Edwin Díaz and Texas starter Mike Minor.

"Nothing changed for me.

I never expected to be somewhere else until that happened," Bumgarner said. "I just have a job to do and I'm going to do it.

We're going to miss a few guys we got rid of. That's going to be tough."

Major League Baseball made July 31 a hard deadline this year for trades.

Now, no deals can be made until after the World Series.

"This was a unique deadline, it felt," said Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, whose AL Eastleading team didn't make any significant moves.

Pitchers Marcus Stroman, Andrew Cashner, Homer Bailey and Jason Vargas were among the players who were traded in recent weeks.

And on Tuesday night, the Cleveland Indians agreed to send pitcher Trevor Bauer to Cincinnati in a threeteam swap that brought back outfielder Yasiel Puig.

That trade became official Wednesday, setting off a full morning and afternoon of swaps.

Wheeler heard the speculation involving him.

"It's almost happened several times and never did. I'm happy to be here and I'm concentrating on producing and doing well here," he said. "It was all there for it to happen and just didn't.

I was ready for it, especially with me being a free agent

after the season."

Atlanta concentrated its effort on padding its bullpen.

A day after getting reliever Chris Martin from Texas, the Braves got Greene from Detroit and Melancon from the Giants.

"We engaged everything — position players, starting pitchers, the bullpen — right up until the end," general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. "At the end of the day, where we thought there were deals that made sense for us and what we had to give up and so on, the bullpen made the most sense. But we definitely tried some other areas. We just couldn't wind up with

Arizona Diamondbacks' Zack Greinke delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees Wednesday, July 31, 2019, in New York.

Associated Press

a deal that made sense to our organization."

The 30-year-old Greene has 22 saves and 1.18 ERA and was an All-Star this season.

He's likely to take over the closer's role — Luke Jackson had been the latest to try it for the Braves, and

was just 17 for 25 in save chances.

"They're excited, I'm excited," Greene said in Anaheim, where the Tigers played the Los Angeles Angels. "I'm starting a new chapter and going to a contender."q

A20 SPORTS

Thursday 1 August 2019

Dolphins Hall of Fame linebacker Buoniconti dead at 78

By STEVEN WINE AP Sports Writer MIAMI (AP) — Pro Football Hall of Fame middle linebacker Nick Buoniconti, an undersized overachiever who helped lead the Miami Dolphins to the NFL's only perfect season and became a leader in the effort to cure paralysis, has died at the age of 78.

Buoniconti died Tuesday in Bridgehampton, New York, said Bruce Bobbins, a family spokesman.

In recent years, Buoniconti struggled with symptoms of CTE, a degenerative brain disease associated with repeated blows to the head. He had recently battled pneumonia, Dolphins senior vice president Nat Moore said.

The 5-11, 220-pound Buoniconti was bypassed in the NFL draft but went on to a 15-year career. He was captain of the Dolphins' back-to-back Super Bowl champions, including the

In this Dec. 16, 2012, file photo, Nick Buoniconti, former Miami Dolphins player and member of the 1972 undefeated team, in introduced during the half time show of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, in Miami.

Associated Press

1972 team that finished 170.

Following retirement, Buoniconti and his son, Marc, worked to raise more than a half-billion dollars for paralysis research. The younger Buoniconti was para-

lyzed from the shoulders down making a tackle for The Citadel in 1985.

Marc Buoniconti said his father was his biggest hero.

"He could have been sitting on the beach sipping champagne for the rest of

his life," the younger Buoniconti said in 2017. "But what did he do? He went around and gave the rest of his life to help his son."

Following retirement, Buoniconti worked as an attorney, a broadcaster, as president of U.S. Tobacco and as an agent to such athletes as Bucky Dent and Andre Dawson. For 23 seasons he was co-host of the weekly sports show "Inside the NFL" on the HBO cable network.

"He lived a life of honor and nobility, and his legacy will live forever through his Bronzed Bust in Canton, Ohio," said Pro Football Hall of Fame president and CEO David Baker.

Buoniconti was chosen for the all-time AFL team in 1970, and for the NFL Pro Bowl in 1972 and 1973.

A native of Springfield, Massachusetts, Buoniconti played guard on offense and linebacker on defense for Notre Dame. He was

small for a pro linebacker, but after being taken in the 13th round by the Boston Patriots of the upstart AFL, he played for them from 1962 to 1968.

He made the AFL All-Star Game six times and had 24 career interceptions for the Patriots, including three in a single game in 1968.

Buoniconti played for the Dolphins from 1969 to 1974 and in 1976. He was the leader of Miami's famed "No-Name Defense" and in 1973 he set a team record with 162 tackles. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001.

In 1985, he and Marc Buoniconti helped to found the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, which has become the world's largest spinal cord injury research center.

"Marc, the Miami Project Team and I are committed to carry Nick's banner and legacy forward to the goal line," project chairman Dr. Barth Green said.q

SPORTS A21

Thursday 1 August 2019

Duvall homers twice, Braves beat Nats 11-8

By The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Adam Duvall had two home runs and four hits, Josh Donaldson added a three-run homer and the Atlanta beat Washington to reopen a 5½-game lead in the NL East.

Julio Teheran (6-7) allowed two runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings for Atlanta.

Erick Fedde (1-2) allowed nine runs, nine hits and four walks in 3 2/3 innings.

Ozzie Albies and Ender Inciarte each had three hits for Atlanta.

Yan Gomes, Trea Turner and Juan Soto homered for the Nationals.

PIRATES 11, REDS 4 CINCINNATI (AP) — Reds reliever Amir Garrett rushed the Pirates' dugout and threw punches in the ninth inning, starting a brawl prolonged by Cincinnati outfielder Yasiel Puig, and Pittsburgh ended its longest losing streak in eight years Reds manager David Bell ran onto the field to join the fracas after being ejected an inning earlier. In all, five Reds were ejected.

The dust-up was sparked when Pittsburgh's Keone Kela threw up-and-in to Derek Dietrich in the seventh. After the inning, first baseman Joey Votto walked toward the Pirates dugout and exchanged words with Kela.

The ejections started in the eighth, when Josh Bell was tossed for arguing a strike call. Reds reliever Jared Hughes was ejected in the ninth for hitting Starling Marte.

The Pirates ended a ninegame losing streak behind Corey Dickerson, who drove in a career-high five runs with a pair of homers and a single.

Bell doubled home a pair of runs in the first inning, giving him an NL-leading 88 RBIs. Dickerson singled home two more in the third, and connected on a tworun shot and solo homer.

Joe Musgrove (8-9) set a career high with his eighth win.

Tanner Roark (6-7) lasted only 3 1/3 innings and gave up five runs.

Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr., right, high-fives Ozzie Albies after the team's baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Tuesday, July 30, 2019, in Washington. Atlanta won 11-8.

Associated Press

DODGERS 9, ROCKIES 4 DENVER (AP) — Kristopher Negron homered in his first at-bat with Los Angeles, one of four home runs in a win over Colorado.

A.J. Pollock, Russell Martin and Justin Turner also went deep for Los Angeles. The Dodgers became the first team in the majors to reach 70 wins and increased their lead in the NL West to 15 games over San Francisco.

Rockies starter Kyle Freeland (2-9) struggled again.

Colorado fell to 6-18 in July and has lost 24 of 34 since late June to fall eight games below .500.

Colorado got RBI doubles

by Nolan Arenado, Ian Desmond and Garrett Hampson, and a run-scoring single by Daniel Murphy.

Casey Sadler (1-0) tossed 2 1/3 innings in relief of Julio

Urias to get the win.

CARDINALS 2, CUBS 1 ST. LOUIS (AP) — Paul Goldschmidt homered for the seventh time in eight games, a go-ahead drive off Yu Darvish in the sixth inning that lifted St. Louis into sole possession of the NL Central lead.

Goldschmidt hit a fastball from Darvish (3-5) to center for his 25th home run this season.

St. Louis (57-49) dropped out of first place on May 7 but has held at least a share of the lead since Thursday and moved one game ahead of the Cubs (56-50).

Giovanny Gallegos (3-1) earned the win in relief of Adam Wainwright, who allowed one run and five hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Darvish gave up two runs

and six hits in six innings with nine strikeouts, no walks, a hit batter and two wild pitches. Darvish has 10 wild pitches this season.

PHILLIES 4, GIANTS 2 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Drew Smyly tossed seven shutout innings and Rhys Hoskins homered to lead Philadelphia over San Francisco.

The Giants had won 12 of 15 and 19 of 24 to jump back into the playoff picture, but couldn't solve Smyly (2-5) in his second start for the Phillies.

Smyly scattered four hits and struck out five, helping send the Giants to their seventh straight loss in Philadelphia. Hector Neris picked up his 19th save.

San Francisco got pinch-hit homers from Brandon Belt and Stephen Vogt in the eighth.

The Phillies scored twice off Giants starter Tyler Beede (3-5) in the fourth inning and then chased him after with two more runs in the fifth. Beede walked Bryce Harper, and Hoskins followed with a shot to center for his 23rd homer of the year and a 4-0 lead.

ORIOLES 8, PADRES 5 SAN DIEGO (AP) — Chris Davis hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning to snap an 0-for-18 slump, and Baltimore rallied from a four-run deficit.

Davis connected off Matt Strahm (4-8) with one out in the eighth for just his eighth home run this season.

Baltimore added on with a two-run single by Trey Mancini off Michel Báez, saddling Strahm with five runs in 1 2/3 innings. Strahm allowed five hits while striking out four and walking one.

Miguel Castro (1-1) pitched the seventh for the win, and Shawn Armstrong got six outs for his third save.

The comeback spoiled a milestone day for Padres rookie Fernando Tatis Jr., who at 20 years, 209 days became the youngest player in major league history to hit leadoff homers in consecutive games. Manny Machado also homered for the Padres.

TWINS 2, MARLINS 1 MIAMI (AP) — Byron Buxton homered and Jake Odorizzi followed his worst big league start by pitching one-run ball into the sixth inning, leading Minnesota past Miami.

Odorizzi (12-5) allowed a run and four hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out five and walked one.

Tyler Duffey relieved Odorizzi and struck out two in 1 1/3 innings. Sergio Romo, acquired from Miami on Saturday, pitched a scoreless eight and Taylor Rogers retired the three batters he faced in the ninth for his 16th save.

Buxton homered in the third. Miguel Sano added an RBI double in the fourth.

Gallen (1-3) went seven innings and allowed two runs and four hits, striking out eight and walking three.

Curtis Granderson had an

A22 SPORTS

Thursday 1 August 2019

Verlander strikes out 13, Astros blank Indians 2-0

By The Associated Press CLEVELAND (AP) — Justin Verlander struck out 13 to reach double figures for the third straight start and sixth time this season, leading the Houston Astros over the Cleveland Indians 2-0 on Tuesday night.

Verlander (14-4) outpitched Shane Bieber and won his fourth consecutive start, tying Washington's Stephen Strasburg for the major league lead in wins.

Verlander allowed two hits in seven innings and walked none.

He allowed one runner to reach second. Cleveland's only hits were singles by Roberto Pérez leading off the third and Greg Allen starting the sixth.

Cleveland struck out 15 times. Will Harris fanned two in a perfect eighth and Roberto Osuna followed with a 1-2-3 ninth for his 24th save in 28 chances.

Bieber (10-4) gave up two runs and nine hits in seven innings with eight strikeouts and one walk.

Robinson Chirinos hit a goahead homer in the tworun fifth, Michael Brantley had an RBI single and AL West-leading Houston won its third straight.

RAYS 6, RED SOX 5 BOSTON (AP) — Avísail García homered and added the go-ahead, two-run double in the sixth inning in Tampa Bay's win over Boston.

Travis d'Arnaud and García homered to give the Rays a 4-3 lead in the fifth and help chase David Price.

Andrew Benintendi homered for Boston.

Adam Kolarek (4-3) earned the win.

Josh Taylor (0-1) took the loss.

Emilio Pagán, Tampa's seventh pitcher, picked up his eighth save.

DIAMONDBACKS 4, YANKEES 2 NEW YORK (AP) — Rookie Taylor Clarke was an impressive winner in his Yankee Stadium debut, and Arizona got home runs from Christian Walker and Carson Kelly to beat New York.

Nick Ahmed hit an RBI single and Adam Jones had an early sacrifice fly for the

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander delivers in the first inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Indians, Tuesday, July 30, 2019, in Cleveland.

Associated Press

Diamondbacks.

J.A. Happ (8-6) allowed three runs in six innings for a struggling New York staff.

Edwin Encarnación had an RBI double and Tyler Wade hit his second major league homer for the Yankees.

Clarke (4-3) did not permit an earned run over 5 1/3 innings of three-hit ball in his 12th big league start. He struck out six and walked two to win his third decision in a row. Archie Bradley got four straight outs for his fifth career save and first since June 18 last year.

MARINERS 8, RANGERS 5 ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Kyle Seager had a solo homer, a tiebreaking tworun triple and drove in four runs as Seattle stretched its winning streak to six games.

Domingo Santana hit his

21st homer for the Mariners (47-63), who matched their longest winning streak this year.

Sam Tuivailala (1-0) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of starter Mike Leake, who allowed 10 hits and five runs in 5 2/3 innings.

Roenis Elias worked the ninth for his 14th save in 16 chances.

Texas lost for the 18th time in 25 games and has an overall losing record for the first time since May 27.

Reliever Brett Martin (1-2) took the loss.

BLUE JAYS 9, ROYALS 2 KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a grand slam in the ninth inning to give him a careerhigh five RBIs, Sean ReidFoley tossed five innings of four-hit ball in Toronto's win

over Kansas City.

Freddy Galvis drove in a pair of runs with a brokenbat single, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. also had an RBI for the Blue Jays, who clinched their first winning series at Kauffman Stadium since April 2013.

The Royals stranded 14 while going 2 for 14 with runners in scoring position.

Reid-Foley (1-1) allowed four hits and walked four while striking out four in his third start of the season.

Mike Montgomery (1-4) was tagged for two runs in the first and allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk.

METS 5, WHITE SOX 2, 11 INNINGS CHICAGO (AP) — Noah Syndergaard put aside trade talk to turn an eighth-

inning lead over to his relievers, and New York rebounded from another bullpen meltdown when Jeff McNeil and Michael Conforto hit consecutive home runs in the 11th.

The Mets extended a winning streak to five games for the first time since April 2018.

Syndergaard struck out a season-high 11 in 7 1/3 innings. Robert Gsellman (22) pitched perfect two innings.

José Ruiz (1-2) took the loss as the White Sox lost for the sixth time in seven games.

The Mets had lost their previous five extra-inning games since beating Detroit on May 25.

ANGELS 6, TIGERS 1 ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Matt Thaiss homered and drove in three runs, Shohei Ohtani had three hits, Griffin Canning threw four-hit ball over six innings as Los Angeles beat Detroit.

Ohtani had his sixth game this season with three or more hits, including an RBI single.

Canning (4-6) struck out seven, going at least six innings for the seventh time in 15 starts.

Catcher Jake Rogers, who was making his big league debut, drove in Detroit's lone run in the seventh with a single. Drew VerHagen (1-2) went 4 2/3 innings and surrendered four runs (three earned) on 10 hits.

ATHLETICS 3, BREWERS 2, 10 INNINGS OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Matt Olson homered with one out in the 10th inning off Josh Hader and Oakland beat Milwaukee to win its third straight.

Blake Treinen (5-3) pitched a 1-2-3 10th with two strikeouts, including slugger Christian Yelich on a big swing for the third out.

Olson sent the first pitch from Hader (1-4) to deep center for his second career walkoff homer and No. 22 on the year.

Eric Thames hit a tying homer with one out in the ninth after Khris Davis put the A's ahead in the bottom of the eighth with a drive to left.

The A's blew their 22nd save opportunity.q

SPORTS A23

Thursday 1 August 2019

Jones leads Sun past Sky 100-94 for 5th straight win

Andy Murray, right, talks with his brother and doubles partner, Jamie Murray, both of Britain, during a match n the Citi Open tennis tournament against France's Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Nicolas Mahut, Wednesday, July 31, 2019, in Washington.

Associated Press

Andy Murray, brother Jamie advance in doubles at Citi Open WASHINGTON (AP) — Brothers Andy and Jamie Murray have advanced in doubles at the Citi Open.

The Scottish Murray brothers beat France's Nicolas Mahut and Edouard RogerVasselin 6-4, 6-7(7), 10-5 on Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinals. They rallied to win on their fourth match point.

Former No. 1-ranked Andy Murray and his brother, who was once ranked No. 1 in doubles, are teaming up for the first time since 2016.

The field at the Citi Open features the top 10 doubles players in the world.

In singles action, fifth-seed-

ed John Isner beat Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-4, and eighth-seeded Milos Raonic defeated American qualifier Tim Smyczek 6-1, 6-4. Top-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas faces wild card Tommy Paul under the lights on stadium court.

On the women's side, No. 3 seed Sofia Kenin was upset by fellow American Lauren Davis, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, and Jessica Pegula beat Iga Swiatek 5-7, 6-4, 6-1. Kenin's exit followed a stunning Tuesday when top-seeded Sloane Stephens and Wimbledon star Coco Gauff were knocked out of the tournament.q

By The Associated Press UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Jonquel Jones had 27 points and 11 rebounds for her 10th double-double this season, and the Connecticut Sun held off the Chicago Sky 100-94 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight win.

Connecticut had a 21-point lead in the second half until Chicago got as close as 94-90 on Courtney Vandersloot's 3-pointer with 1:18 left. Jones grabbed an offensive rebound on the Sun's next possession, was fouled and hit two free throws. She added two more foul shots as Connecticut made six straight in the final minute.

Jasmine Thomas added 18 points, and Alyssa Thomas and Courtney Williams each scored 12 for Connecticut (14-6), which reached the century mark for the first time this season.

Allie Quigley led Chicago (11-9) with 24 points and four 3-pointers. Vandersloot had 22 points and 11 assists.

MYSTICS 99, MERCURY 93 WASHINGTON (AP) — Elena Delle Donne scored 15 of her season-high 33 points in the third quarter, and leading the Mystics to the victory. Washington led by

Connecticut Sun center Jonquel Jones drives around Chicago Sky center Stefanie Dolson during a WNBA basketball game Tuesday, July 30, 2019, in Uncasville, Conn.

Associated Press

as many as 23 points, but Phoenix closed to 95-93 on Leilani Mitchell's eighth 3-pointer with 1:21 remaining. Kristi Toliver answered with a 3 at the other end and Natasha Cloud made a foul shot with 20.5 seconds remaining to help

close it out. Toliver had 25 points for Washington (136), and Cloud finished with 12. The Mercury wasted a terrific performance by Mitchell, who was 8 of 12 from long range to tie a WNBA single-game record for made 3-pointers.q

Chris Kunitz retires after 15 NHL seasons CHICAGO (AP) — Chris Kunitz announced his retirement Tuesday after winning four Stanley Cup titles in 15 NHL seasons.

He wasn't out of work for very long.

Kunitz is joining the Chicago Blackhawks' front office as a player development adviser. He will work with the coaching staffs for the Blackhawks and their American Hockey League affiliate in Rockford.

The 39-year-old Kunitz had 268 goals and 351 assists in 1,022 NHL games with Anaheim, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Chicago.

He also had 27 goals and 66 assists in 178 career playoff appearances.

In a statement put out by the Blackhawks, Kunitz thanked practically everyone from his playing career. He said his teammates "taught me to give my very best."

"Your leadership helped mold me into the player I knew I could be," he said.

"I was given the opportunity to play with the very best teams and the very best players and I'm grateful for the laughs and the friendships that we shared together."

The forward made his NHL debut with Anaheim in 2004 but spent most of his career as Sidney Crosby's linemate with Pittsburgh. He was part of championship teams with the Ducks in 2007 and Penguins in 2009, 2016 and 2017. Kunitz played for the Blackhawks last season, collecting five goals and five assists in 56 games. He skated in his 1,000th game Feb. 14 against New Jersey.

"While coaching him last year, I recognized what an asset he would be for our staff and the organization," Chicago coach Jeremy Colliton said in a release.

In this Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019 file photo, Chicago Blackhawks left wing Chris Kunitz controls the puck in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Associated Press

"I'm very pleased to have him a part of our coaching group and, also, use him as

a development resource for our young players in Rockford."q

A24 TECHNOLOGY

Thursday 1 August 2019

U.S. issues hacking security alert for small planes

By TAMI ABDOLLAH Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security issued a security alert Tuesday for small planes, warning that modern flight systems are vulnerable to hacking if someone manages to gain physical access to the aircraft.

An alert from the DHS critical infrastructure computer emergency response team recommends that plane owners ensure they restrict unauthorized physical access to their aircraft until the industry develops safeguards to address the issue, which was discovered by a Boston-based cybersecurity company and reported to the federal government.

Most airports have security in place to restrict unauthorized access and there is no evidence that anyone has exploited the vulnerability. But a DHS official told The Associated Press that the agency independently confirmed the security flaw with outside partners and a national research laboratory, and decided it was necessary to issue the warning.

The cybersecurity firm, Rapid7, found that an attacker could potentially disrupt electronic messages transmitted across a small plane's network, for example by attaching a small device to its wiring, that would affect aircraft systems.

Engine readings, compass data, altitude and other readings "could all be manipulated to provide false measurements to the pilot," according to the DHS alert.

The warning reflects the fact that aircraft systems are increasingly reliant on networked communications systems, much like modern cars. The auto industry has already taken steps to address similar concerns after researchers exposed vulnerabilities.

The Rapid7 report focused only on small aircraft because their systems are easier for researchers to acquire. Large aircraft frequently use more complex systems and must meet additional security requirements. The DHS alert does

This March 12, 2013 photo shows the air traffic control tower at Chicago's Midway International Airport.

Associated Press

not apply to older small planes with mechanical control systems.

But Patrick Kiley, Rapid7's lead researcher on the issue, said an attacker could exploit the vulnerability with access to a plane or by bypassing airport security.

"Someone with five minutes and a set of lock picks can gain access (or) there's easily access through the engine compartment," Kiley said.

Jeffrey Troy, president of the Aviation Information Sharing and Analysis Center, an industry organization for cybersecurity information, said there is a need to improve the security in networked operating systems but emphasized that the hack depends on bypassing physical security controls mandated by law.

With access, "you have hundreds of possibilities to disrupt any system or part

of an aircraft," Troy said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that a scenario where someone has unrestricted physical access is unlikely, but the report is also "an important reminder to remain vigilant" about physical and cybersecurity aircraft procedures.

Aviation cybersecurity has been an issue of growing concern around the world.

In March, the U.S. Department of Transportation's inspector general found that the FAA had "not completed a comprehensive, strategy policy framework to identify and mitigate cybersecurity risks." The FAA agreed and said it would look to have a plan in place by the end of September.

The UN's body for aviation proposed its first strategy for securing civil aviation from hackers that's expected to go before the General As-

sembly in September, said Pete Cooper, an ex-Royal Air Force fast jet pilot and cyber operations officer who advises the aviation industry.

The vulnerability disclosure report is the product of nearly two years of work

by Rapid7. After their researchers assessed the flaw, the company alerted DHS. Tuesday's DHS alert recommends manufacturers review how they implement these open electronics systems known as "the CAN bus" to limit a hacker's ability to perform such an attack. The CAN bus functions like a small plane's central nervous system.

Targeting it could allow an attacker to stealthily hijack a pilot's instrument readings or even take control of the plane, according to the Rapid7 report obtained

by The AP. "CAN bus is completely insecure," said

Chris King, a cybersecurity expert who has worked on vulnerability analysis of large-scale systems. "It was never designed to be in an adversarial environment, (so there's) no validation" that what the system is being told to do is coming from a legitimate source.

Only a few years ago, most auto manufacturers used the open CAN bus system in their cars. But after researchers publicly demonstrated how they could be hacked, auto manufacturers added on layers of security, like putting critical functions on separate networks that are harder to access externally.

The disclosure highlights issues in the automotive and aviation industries about whether a software vulnerability should be treated like a safety defect — with its potential for costly manufacturer recalls and implied liability — and what responsibility manufacturers should have in ensuring their products are hardened against such attacks. The vulnerability also highlights the reality that it's becoming increasingly difficult to separate cybersecurity from security overall.

"A lot of aviation folks don't see the overlap between information security, cybersecurity, of an aircraft, and safety," said Beau Woods, a cyber safety innovation fellow with the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank. "They see them as distinct things."

The CAN bus networking scheme was developed in the 1980s and is extremely popular for use in boats, drones, spacecraft, planes and cars — all areas where there's more noise interference and it's advantageous to have less wiring.

It's actually increasingly used in airplanes today due to the ease and cost of implementation, Kiley said.

Given that airplanes have a longer manufacturing cycle, "what we're trying to do is get out ahead of this."

The report didn't name the vendors Rapid7 tested, but the company alerted them over a year ago, the report states.q

BUSINESS A25

Thursday 1 August 2019

Businesses learn hard lessons when not prepared for disaster

By JOYCE M. ROSENBERG Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — When Hurricane Irma hit Puerto Rico in September 2017, Carlos Melendez couldn't contact the staffers or customers of his San Juanbased technology firm, Wovenware.

Melendez learned a lesson that would help his business during the next storm, that disaster preparedness includes being able to communicate with people when the emergency is over. He quickly signed up with an online messaging service — and got to use it two weeks later when Hurricane Maria decimated Puerto Rico.

"The amount of damage was a situation we had never had before here on the island," Melendez says.

But because he was now able to communicate with employees, he could determine how they were, arrange to meet with those able to get to the office and let customers know Wovenware was working despite the widespread devastation and lack of power and resources.

Small businesses have already contended this summer with earthquakes in Southern California and Hurricane Barry in the Gulf Coast and Midwest, and the most intense portions of the Atlantic hurricane and Western wildfire seasons are still ahead. But many owners don't prepare for potentially devastating natural disasters, leaving them to learn during a crisis what they should have done differently. And even companies that do plan can be unprepared for the unique circumstances of a particular disaster — no owner in New Orleans could have predicted they'd be unable to operate for months, even years, after Hurricane Katrina turned the city and some of its suburbs into a ghost town in 2005.

Melendez also learned lessons from Hurricane Maria. His company had no power for two weeks, until the building's backup generator began working. But it broke down again, forc-

In this undated photo provided by Wovenware, Inc., Carlos Melendez, Wovenware Co-Founder and COO, poses for a photo at the Wovenware office in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Associated Press

ing Melendez to find work space for his staffers at other companies.

Since then, Wovenware has brought in its own generators, moved its operations online and issued laptops to all staffers.

Sam Beasley learned businesses don't have to suffer catastrophic damage to be affected. Beasley owns Prevention Education Program, with counseling centers in Chico and Gridley, California, near the town of Paradise that was virtually destroyed in a massive wildfire last November.

One of Beasley's offices was filled with smoke, but the business also suffered in other ways Beasley never expected.

"I was thinking I would continue to operate as always, but that's not true," Beasley says. He quickly discovered that his staffers were as traumatized by the devastation as people who lost their homes. There were more absences than usual, and those employees who came to work were struggling emotionally.

"Don't expect your staff, even in the mental health field, to bounce back quickly and fully in a natural disaster," Beasley learned.

"All people in the region experience trauma if only from being in the presence of thousands of people

who have lost everything."

Moreover, his income plunged. One office was closed for a week, then had no income for six more weeks. Clients had more immediate financial concerns, such as rebuilding their homes and lives, although many later re-

turned. Beasley realized that he needed to pull together emergency funds going forward.

Some companies change their entire operations in response to a disaster. When Hurricane Charley hit Florida, in 2004, Jimmy McMillan and his family evacu-

ated. When the storm had passed, he realized that his Palm Coast-based insurance business was paralyzed.

"My office was without power for a week, our phones were down for the same amount of time, many of our records were on paper, and without those records I was completely flying blind," says McMillan, owner of Heart Life Insurance.

McMillan says he could have used technology available before the storm, scanning paper records and turning them into electronic documents, but hadn't done so. The lesson he learned was to get his company up to speed on business technology and reduce the risk of being shut down the next time a storm hit. The business is now paper-free and all staffers are able to work remotely. And, because of that capability, McMillan has been hiring people in distant cities like Jacksonville, Florida, and Roswell, Georgia, making it less likely he'd be completely shut down by a storm.q

How major US stock indexes fared Wednesday Associated Press Stocks fell and bond yields rose after the Federal Reserve lowered its key interest rate for the first time in a decade but left investors feeling uncertain about the likelihood of further cuts.

The quarter-point cut announced Wednesday was widely expected. What wasn't: Powell's said during a news conference that the central bank was not intending to embark on a long cycle of cutting rates.

On Wednesday: The S&P 500 index dropped 32.80 points, or 1.1%, to 2,980.38.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 333.75 points, or 1.2%, to 26,864.27.

The Nasdaq composite fell 98.19 points, or 1.2%, to 8,175.42. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies

Trader Tommy Kalikas, center, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, July 31, 2019.

Associated Press

slid 10.99 points, or 0.7%, to 1,574.61.

For the week: The S&P 500 is down 45.48 points, or 1.5%.

The Dow is down 328.18 points, or 1.2%. The Nasdaq is down 154.79 points, or 1.9%. The Russell 2000 down

4.36 points, or 0.3%.

For the year: The S&P 500 is up 473.53 points, or 18.9%.

The Dow is up 3,536.81 points, or 15.2%. The Nasdaq is up 1,540.14 points, or 23.2%. The Russell 2000 is up 226.05 points, or 16.8%.q

A26 COMICS

Thursday 1 August 2019

Mutts

Conceptis Sudoku

6 Chix

Blondie

Mother Goose & Grimm

Baby Blues

Zits

Yesterday’s puzzle answer

Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

CLASSIFIED A27

Thursday 1 August 2019

Mexico makes giant sandwich to kick off 'Torta Fair'

By MICHAEL KRUMHOLTZ Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — A line of Mexican chefs spread sauces, layered cheeses and stuffed in meats to assemble what they called the world's biggest "torta" Wednesday.

Sandwich makers from across the country took less than three minutes to assemble the 236-foot (72-meter) creation in Mexico City, featuring a variety of fillings from ham to rib meat to seafood.

Exhibitions of Mexico's signature sandwich will be on display all week at the 16th annual "Torta Fair" in the capital's Venustiano Carranza district as thousands celebrate the Mexican classic.

Event organizers say they expect more than 300,000

attendees through Sunday.

More than 100 sandwich venues from Mexico and seven other Spanish-speaking countries have stalls, including an Argentine grill and a Colombian arepa stand.

One of the common ingredients found in Mexico's beloved sandwich is the avocado, which has seen its cost skyrocket in recent months. Prices have as reached as high as $5.20 a kilogram ($2.36 a pound) in the most expensive supermarkets.

Claudia Saavedra, who has set up her stand Cemitas Poblanas Marito for all 16 years of the "Torta Fest," said she has been affected "a lot" by the avocado price surge. "The avocado is crucial, every ingredient is crucial," Saavedra said.q

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A28 SCIENCE

Thursday 1 August 2019

U.S. officials say key rail safety technology 90% complete

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The railroad industry has installed safety technology on nearly 90% of tracks where it is required, federal officials said Wednesday, but "significant work" is needed to ensure the technology is completely installed by a December 2020 deadline.

Federal Railroad Administration chief Ronald Batory told a Senate committee that technology known as positive train control, or PTC, is in operation on more than 50,000 route miles (80,000 kilometers) of the nearly 58,000 miles (93,000 kilometers) where it is required. The GPS-based technology is intended to prevent deadly crashes by automatically stopping or slowing a train before a collision or derailment.

Congress required in 2008 that railroads adopt PTC and gave them seven years to do the job. When it became clear that wasn't enough, Congress extended the deadline through 2018 and again through Dec. 31, 2020. No more extensions are expected.

This Aug. 3, 2018, file photo shows a New Jersey Transit train leaving the Bound Brook Station in Bound Brook, N.J. Associated Press

At a hearing Wednesday before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Batory praised the railroad industry for "its significant progress" toward fully putting PTC systems in place nationwide, despite a series of delays that pushed the current deadline to 12 years after Congress initially adopted the law.

"Nonetheless, railroads

must still complete significant work to fully implement their PTC systems by December 31, 2020," he said, adding that the railroad agency "will continue to hold railroads accountable for timely implementation of PTC systems and will enforce the statutory mandate."

The industry expects to spend nearly $15 billion implementing the technol-

ogy on Amtrak and freight and commuter railroads throughout the country.

An additional $80 million to $130 million a year will be spent on maintenance and operation, according to the American Public Transportation Association, an industry group.

Forty-two railroads are subject to the PTC mandate, including 30 commuter railroads, Amtrak and 11

freight railroads. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, 22 rail accidents it investigated since the 2008 law could have been prevented by PTC, including the December 2017 derailment of an Amtrak passenger train in Washington state that killed three passengers and injured 57 people.

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the committee chairman, said after the hearing he was "mindful there's some challenges" in implementing PTC, but said he was confident most or all of the required installation would be completed ahead of the 2020 deadline.

Officials will likely have a better handle on progress by the end of this year, Wicker said, adding, "I don't know if we're going to vaporize people who do not comply."

In a report last month, the NTSB's vice chairman blasted what he described as a "Titanic-like complacency" among those charged with ensuring that train operations on the new Amtrak route from Tacoma, Washington, to Portland, Oregon, were safe.q

Holiday Inn owner to ditch mini shampoos to save seas

In this file photo dated March 28, 2019, the sign for a Holiday Inn in New York.

Associated Press

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The fight to save the seas from plastic waste may mean the end for mini bottles of shampoo and other toiletries that hotel guests love to stuff into their luggage.

The owner of Holiday Inn and InterContinental Hotels said Tuesday that its nearly 843,000 guest rooms are switching to bulk-size bathroom amenities as part of an effort to cut waste. The transition is due to be completed in 2021.

"Switching to larger-size amenities across more than 5,600 hotels around the world is a big step in the right direction and will allow us to significantly reduce our waste footprint and environmental impact as we make the change," said InterContinental Hotels

Group CEO Keith Barr.

IHG, which uses an average of 200 million bathroom miniatures every year, said customers expect them to act responsibly.

And there is little doubt that public awareness of the problem of plastic waste has been swelling.

Global plastic production increased to 380 million metric tons (418 million tons) in 2015 from 2 million metric tons in 1950, according to research by Roland Geyer, a professor of industrial ecology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, together with Jenna Jambeck of the University of Georgia and Kara Lavender Law of the Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

About 60% of the 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic pro-

duced throughout history has ended up as waste, with more than threefourths of that going into landfills or the environment, the authors estimated in a 2017 article. In 2010 alone, between 4 million and 12 million metric tons of plastic entered the marine environment. Shocking images keep hammering the point home. Notable campaigns included one by Britain's Sky News, which showed whales bloated by plastic bags when the creatures were cut open after dying.

Further trash horrors were underscored by TV naturalist David Attenborough, whose documentary "Blue Planet II" delivered heartbreaking shots of sea turtles shrouded in plastic.

And where consumers' attention goes, so does that of companies.q

PEOPLE & ARTS A29

Thursday 1 August 2019

Huge NY show honors Brazilian Modern landscape architect

By KATHERINE ROTH Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Through flowers, foliage and works of art, a big botanical garden show distills the genius of influential Brazilian artist and landscape designer Roberto Burle Marx.

Curvy, graphic pathways draw visitors in, winding through eye-catching tapestries of bright, almost sculptural plant forms. Exotic water lilies resemble rimmed serving trays. Brazilian music plays in the background.

Oh, and it's all in the Bronx.

In what the New York Botanical Garden says is its largest botanical exhibition ever, "Brazilian Modern: The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx" celebrates the artist, landscape architect and conservationist in a dazzling display of his garden style. Accompanying programming showcases the sights and sounds of Brazil, with music and dance performances meant to evoke Rio de Janeiro, the inspiration of the artist's life and work.

The show opened June 8 and runs through Sept. 29.

While many people have heard of mid-century modern furniture and homes,

This undated photo provided by The New York Botanical Garden shows a visitor in NYBG's Art Gallery looking at the artwork of Roberto Burle Marx in part of the exhibit "Brazilian Modern: The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx" at NYBG in New York.

Associated Press

mid-century modern landscaping? Not so much.

This show is a tribute to a master of that form.

"Roberto Burle Marx was arguably the world's most celebrated modernist landscape architect. He was born in 1909 and died in 1994. His career as a landscape architect began in the late 1930s, and he went on to design nearly 3,000

landscapes, on scales ranging from a small estate garden to roof gardens on institutional buildings to massive urban parks," says Todd A. Forrest, vice president for horticulture and living collections at the garden.

"Most of his work was done in Brazil, but he was globally recognized for his influence."

One of Burle Marx's signature elements was the use of biomorphic paving patterns, with walkways functioning as part of the site's aesthetics, not just a way through it, Forrest says. In addition, the artist often used architectural elements, such as walls, using diverse materials like concrete or corten steel.

Burle Marx advocated for

the use and preservation of Brazilian wild plants, taking long collecting trips into the Amazon and other areas, often ahead of logging companies or road building concerns, Forrest says. He would identify and rescue plants that might otherwise have been lost, bringing them back and planting them in his own garden.

Besides Brazilian plants, Burle Marx "also used the plants of the world in his designs. His designs are well known for stunning tropical plant forms," Forrest says.

"He had an exuberant personality. He was a great singer, and made all kinds of drawings and paintings and tapestries and mosaics. That modern abstract style of his can be seen in his landscapes," says Forrest.

"There's a sense of scale and drama that links his landscapes to the broader landscape surrounding it.

There's a strength of design, a boldness to it. You see large blocks of color. And there are often water features."

Aerial photos of his landscapes, on view in the exhibit, resemble his abstract paintings of the same era.q

Bird and Bee cover Van Halen no guitars, much fun

By PABLO GORONDI Associated Press The Bird and the Bee, "Interpreting the Masters, Volume 2: A Tribute to Van Halen" (No Expectations/ Release Me Records) An album of Van Halen covers without guitars.

Wait, what?

Singer Inara George and producer-keyboardist Greg Kurstin, who make up The Bird and the Bee, carry off the intriguing concept with plenty of fun, grace and aplomb, focusing mostly on Van Halen's debut album and some of the band's other big hits from the David Lee Roth era, as well as a fresh take on their own homage to the spandexclad vocalist.

Opener "Runnin' With the Devil" is elevated by

George's multi-tracked vocals on the refrain — a reminder of the greatness of ex-Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony's backing vocals — and a just-right combination of the original's stomp with a lighter touch.

"Panama" gets a dancefloor makeover and what sounds like a solo of tuned bottles.

Kurstin, a seven-time Grammy-winning producer who has worked with everyone from Adele to Sia to Beck, has a wild piano solo on "Hot for Teacher," which features a spokenword cameo by Beck. That leads right into "Eruption," where Kurstin turns Eddie Van Halen's flurry of notes into a quasi-classical piano piece.

This cover image released by No Expectations/Release Me Records shows “Interpreting the Masters Volume 2: A Tribute to Van Halen” by The Bird and the Bee. Associated Press

It was shocking when Van Halen featured keyboards on their biggest hit, "Jump," and while George sings the synth lines beautifully, it could have been a neat twist to play some on guitar. The Kinks' "You Really Got Me" was Van Halen's first single and sounds so good here that George and Kurstin should target Ray and Dave Davies' band for their next volume of interpretations.

"Diamond Dave," the final song on the 10-track album, pays tribute to Roth.

Even if the lyrics, written when he rejoined Van Halen in 2007, show their age, the ballad is a fitting closer to an album where the Bird and the Bee's love for Van Halen requires no euphemisms.q

A30 PEOPLE

& ARTS Ace cast commands in tense family drama in 'Luce' Thursday 1 August 2019

By LINDSEY BAHR Associated Press "Be yourself" is a loaded idea for any 17-year-old, but especially for one Luce (pronounced "loose") Edgar, the title character of director Julius Onah's riveting adaptation of JC Lee's play "Luce ."

In this simmering drama, complex themes of race, privilege, youth, family and parenting are poked at, deconstructed and

left scattered all over the frame for the audience to piece back together however they see fit. It's a perfectly crafted cocktail of vision, talent and script that will leave your mind spinning for days.

Luce (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) is the adopted son of two white parents, Peter Edgar (Tim Roth) and Amy Edgar (Naomi Watts). He's a model student, charming and polite to adults and

This image released by Neon shows, from left, Octavia Spencer, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Naomi Watts in a scene from "Luce."

Associated Press

peers, a talented athlete and has a bright future in front of him. Current accolades aside, his background makes him even more tantalizingly perfect as far as college admissions counselors are probably concerned (because what else matters in upper middle-class suburbia?).

You soon find out that Peter and Amy plucked this former child soldier from his war-torn African home and

plopped him down in the tony suburbs of Arlington, Virginia, to raise him starting at age 7.

And everything seems to be going great.

Everyone loves Luce, except for Harriet Wilson.

Played by Octavia Spencer, Harriet is a no-nonsense history teacher who infuses her own worldview into lessons — especially those about race and justice — much to the an-

noyance and exhaustion of her students. And in a class assignment where her students assume the voice of a controversial world leader, she believes she sees something concerning about Luce. When she finds illegal fireworks in his locker, she becomes even more convinced that there might be a sociopath beneath the smarts and charm and decides to tell his parents about her suspicions.q

Red scare of '50s tests friends in 'Chelsea Girls'

This cover image released by Dutton shows "The Chelsea Girls," a novel by Fiona Davis.

Associated Press

By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL Associated Press "The Chelsea Girls: a Novel" (Dutton), by Fiona Davis

Best friends Hazel and Maxine, stars of Fiona Davis' new book, "The Chelsea Girls," never really got to be girls. Circumstances forced them to grow up quickly, so when they met during World War II as USO actresses in Italy, they were already brave women. Set up to be rivals, they developed an unbreakable bond when they stood up to the atrocity of war. They were stronger together, and they'd always be that way.

When they returned stateside, they went their separate ways, but their relationship's foundation was solid and they were destined to be reunited. When Hazel left the comfortable Up-

per West Side apartment in New York City that she had grown up in — and the stifling family that she had shared it with — she headed straight downtown to the artist hangout Chelsea Hotel, a place she knew from Maxine's colorful stories. The two women seemingly picked up where they had left off.

Of course, as independent thinkers in a time of change, they had their ups and downs. Maxine achieved some fame in Hollywood, but was basically a B-lister with a decent paycheck and a photogenic face.

Hazel carved out a career as a theatrical writer but longed to write her own Broadway blockbuster.q

PEOPLE & ARTS A31

Thursday 1 August 2019

Towering Broadway director and producer Hal Prince dead NEW YORK (AP) — Harold Prince, a Broadway director and producer who pushed the boundaries of musical theater with such groundbreaking shows as "The Phantom of the Opera," ''Cabaret," ''Company" and "Sweeney Todd" and won a staggering 21 Tony Awards, has died. Prince was 91.

Prince's publicist Rick Miramontez said Prince died Wednesday after a brief illness in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Prince was known for his fluid, cinematic director's touch and was unpredictable and uncompromising in his choice of stage material. He often picked challenging, offbeat subjects to musicalize, such as a murderous, knife-wielding barber who baked his victims in pies or the 19th-century opening of Japan to the West.

Along the way, he helped create some of Broadway's most enduring musical hits, first as a producer of such shows as "The Pajama Game," ''Damn Yankees," ''West Side Story," ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and "Fiddler on the Roof." He later became a director, overseeing such landmark musicals as "Cabaret," ''Company," ''Follies," ''Sweeney Todd," ''Evita" and "The Phantom of the Opera."

Prince worked with some of the best-known composers and lyricists in musical theater, including Leonard Bernstein, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, John Kander and Fred Ebb, Andrew Lloyd Webber and, most notably, Stephen Sondheim.

"I don't do a lot of analyzing of why I do something," Prince once told The Associated Press. "It's all instinct."

Only rarely, he said, did he take on an idea just for the money, and they "probably were bad ideas in the first place. Theater is not about that. It is about creating something. The fact that some of my shows have done so well is sheer luck."

During his more than 50year career, Prince received a record 21 Tony Awards, including two special Tonys — one in 1972

In this June 4, 1995 file photo, Harold Prince holds his Tony award for best director in a musical for "Show Boat," at Broadway's Minskoff Theater in New York.

Associated Press

when "Fiddler" became Broadway's longest running musical then, and another in 1974 for a revival of "Candide." He also was a recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor.

He earned a reputation as a detail-heavy director.

Barbara Cook in her memoir "Then & Now" wrote: "I admire him greatly, but he also did not always make things easy, for one basic reason: he wants to direct every detail of your performance down to the way you crook your pinky finger."

A musical about Prince called "Prince of Broadway" opened in Japan in 2015 featuring songs from many of the shows that made him famous. It landed on Broadway in 2017.

It was with Sondheim, who was the lyricist for "West Side Story," that Prince developed his most enduring creative relationship. He produced "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" (1962), the first Broadway show for which Sondheim wrote both music and lyrics.

They cemented their partnership in 1970 with "Company." Prince produced and directed this innovative, revue-like musical

that followed the travails of Bobby, a perpetual New York bachelor ever searching for the right woman.

"Company" was followed in quick succession by "Follies" (1971), which Prince co-directed with Michael Bennett; "A Little Night Music" (1973); "Pacific Overtures" (1976); and "Sweeney Todd" (1979).

Their work together stopped in 1981 after the short-lived "Merrily We Roll Along," which lasted only 16 performances. It wasn't to resume until 2003 when Prince and Sondheim collaborated on "Bounce," a musical about the adventure-seeking Mizner brothers that had a troubled birth and finally made it to Broadway as "Road Show."

Prince was mentored by two of the theater's most experienced professionals — director George Abbott and producer Robert E. Griffith.

"I've had a unique life in the theater, uniquely lucky," Prince said in his midlife autobiography, "Contradictions: Notes on Twenty-Six Years in the Theatre," which was published in 1974. "I went to work for George Abbott in 1948, and I was fired on Friday that year from a television job in his

office. I was rehired the following Monday, and I've never been out of work since."

Born in New York on Jan. 30, 1928, Prince was the son of affluent parents, for whom Saturday matinees in the theater with their children were a regular occurrence.

A production of "Julius Caesar" starring Orson Welles when he was 8 taught him there was something special about theater.

"I've had theater ambitions all of my life," he said in his memoir. "I cannot go back so far that I don't remember where I wanted to work."

After a stint in the Army during the Korean War (he kept his dog-tags on his office desk), he returned to Broadway, serving as stage manager on Abbott's 1953 production of "Wonderful Town," starring Rosalind Russell.

The following year, he started producing with Griffith.

Their first venture, "The Pajama Game," starring John Raitt and Janis Paige, was a big hit, running 1,063 performances. They followed in 1955 with another musical smash, "Damn Yankees," featuring Gwen Verdon as the seductive Lola.

In 1957, Prince did "West Side Story," a modern-day

version of "Romeo and Juliet" told against the backdrop of New York gang warfare. Directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins and with a score

by Bernstein and Sondheim, it, too, was acclaimed.

Yet even its success was dwarfed by "Fiddler on the Roof" (1964), which Prince produced and Robbins directed and choreographed. Set in Czarist Russia, the Bock-Harnick musical starred Zero Mostel as the Jewish milkman forced to confront challenges to his way of life.

Prince had gotten his first opportunity to direct on Broadway in 1962. The musical was "A Family Affair," a little-remembered show about the travails of a Jewish wedding. Its Broadway run was short — only 65 performances — but "A Family Affair" gave Prince a chance to work with composer John Kander.

Four years later, Kander would provide the music for one of Prince's biggest successes, "Cabaret," based on Christopher Isherwood's "Berlin Stories."

And it was "Cabaret" that established Prince as a director of first rank. With its use of a sleazy master of ceremonies (portrayed by Joel Grey), the musical juxtaposed its raunchy nightclub numbers with the stories of people living in Berlin as the Nazis rose to power in the 1930s.

"I became a producer because fate took me there, and I was delighted," Prince recalled in his book. "I used producing to become what I wanted to be, a director. (Ultimately, I hired myself, which is more than anyone else would do.)"

As he became more interested in directing, he withdrew from producing altogether.

Among his more notable achievements: "On the Twentieth Century" (1978) and two of Lloyd Webber's biggest hits, "Evita" (1979), starring Patti LuPone as the charismatic Argentinian, and "The Phantom of the Opera," in London (1986), New York (1988) and around the world.q

A32 FEATURE

Thursday 1 August 2019

A breed apart: Rare Westminster dogs have ring to themselves

By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Every dog breed has its day at the Westminster Kennel show. That day can start by facing off against dozens of dogs — or no others at all.

Outside the ring where as many as 48 French bulldogs vied this week to be best of their breed, Peter and Tracy Rousseau kept a sense of perspective about the field their Norwegian lundehund would face later in the day.

A member of the rarest breed in the American Kennel Club's rankings, Eva was one of only two lundehunds at the nation's most prestigious dog show. Last year, she was the only one.

"We're trying to get people to understand this breed and have an opportunity to see" a small dog that is truly a breed apart, Tracy Rousseau said. Originally bred to hunt cliff-dwelling puffins, lundehunds have extra toes and extraordinary flexibility to help them climb.

"They're very unique," so much so that fanciers strive to make sure people realize the unusual feet aren't a deformity, Rousseau said.

To the Rousseaus, it's worth traveling from Franktown, Colorado, to New York just to get attention for lundehunds at Westminster, where Eva had a memorable turn in last year's televised semifinals. She stopped to scratch her ear and back while parading around the ring, drawing

An English foxhound, the only one of its breed to compete, appears at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show on Monday, Feb. 11, 2019, in New York.

Associated Press

laughs from the audience.

On Monday, Eva's only competitor, Pikku, won the breed and took its spot on TV. Owner Carrie Riley of Rockwall, Texas, said she'd like to see more people take an interest in lundehunds.

Some dogs had the breed ring all to themselves at this week's show, including a Boykin spaniel named Nana, a harrier named Cora and an English foxhound named Whiskey.

The English foxhound and harrier are among the 10 rarest breeds in the AKC rankings, but Boykins aren't all that uncommon, and they're the state dog of

Tracy Rousseau, left, owner and handler of dog Eva, and Jessica de Jong, handler of dog Pikku, both the Norwegian Lundehund breed, compete in the Best of Breed event at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show on Monday, Feb. 11, 2019, in New York.

Associated Press

South Carolina. But the small, water-loving hunting dogs were for years something of a South Carolina secret, and they're still not as widely known as some other spaniel breeds.

The sole sloughi that was entered didn't show up.

The athletic, greyhoundstyle dogs became eligible for Westminster just two years ago.

Rarity and super-popularity are both seen as mixed blessings in canine competition, and sometimes in the purebred dog world as a whole.

Less competition in the breed ring makes it easier to reach at least the semifinals. But that means facing other breeds that judges may know better. Points toward championship titles are based partly on how many dogs of the same breed a winner beats at a given show.

And aficionados such as Mary Clegg, who owns the winning kuvasz in a ring of three on Tuesday, sometimes worry for the futures of their beloved breeds.

"They're becoming more and more rare," said Clegg, whose 17-year-old daughter, Caroline, showed their kuvasz Mo'Ne. The stunning, snowy-white Hungar-

ian livestock guardian has a protective, independent nature that requires an experienced owner, said Clegg, of Lebanon, Ohio.

The harrier, meanwhile, is trainable and a great family pet if provided enough exercise, said Cora's cobreeder, Donna Smiley.

"We'd love to get more folks interested in them, so we can keep the breed going," said Smiley, of Indio, California. "This is a breed that is very much in danger of going extinct."

Overall, the more than 2,800 dogs that signed up to compete for Best in Show this year come from

203 breeds and varieties.

That's every AKC-registered breed except the Chinook, a sled-puller that's the official state dog of New Hampshire.

Dogs such as French bulldogs and golden retrievers — the show's biggest entry, with as many as 57 competing Tuesday — have to best a crowd just to get past the breed ring.

Frenchies have rocketed from 76th to fourth in the AKC rankings in 20 years, the kind of surge that makes aficionados both proud and concerned about lax breeders trying to cash in.

"It's a great breed, and you want people to fall in love with it," Christine Dudney of Temple Terrace, Florida, said as she waited to show her French bulldog, Millie.

"You just worry about people getting into it for the money aspect."

Some uncommon breeds do put together a robust presence for Westminster.

There were nine keen hound faces in the Cirneco dell'Etna ring, though the rabbit-hunting breed is the seventh-rarest in the U.S. and debuted at Westminster only in 2016.

Dr. Cheryl McDermott and her 12-year-old daughter, Brenna, brought four of the Cirneco contestants.

"The biggest thing for us is to represent the breed with the best dogs possible," said McDermott, a veterinarian in Ethel, Washington, "so that people can have more exposure to this breed as a possibility."q

Yvore, a 10-month-old French bulldog, waits her turn to compete at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show on Monday, Feb. 11, 2019, in New York.

Associated Press