Daily Challenge 7-27-11

LAWMAKERS DEADLOCKED AS DEFAULT LOOMS - PG. 2 NATIONAL NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION

THE NATION’S ONLY BLACK DAILY 35 Cents

Final

V O TE R I D ME A SU R ES LI K E ‘J I M C R OW ’

NAACP President Benjamin Jealous (above) con- through some “of the last existing legal pillars of demned state laws requiring photo identification of Jim Crow.” voters as an attempt to disenfranchise minorities SEE PAGE 3.

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011

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N EW S BR IE F S WALCOTT SEES VICTORY FOR CHARTER SCHOOL CO-LOCATIONS Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott is looking to continue the process of school “co-location.”

The term refers to situations in which charter schools move into the same buildings that public schools occupy.

Last week, the city scored a victory when a judge allowed 15 school co-locations to go forward.

In his first public appearance since the ruling, Walcott visited a co-located school in Washington Heights on Monday.

As he toured the school, parents groups appeared on the steps of the Department of Education to announce they’re filing an additional lawsuit over the same issue.

Walcott wouldn’t comment on the newest lawsuit, but said he’ll continue to support charters.

“We want to give parents the ability to have choice and to choose based on their interests and the success of a school, whether it’s a charter school or a non-charter school,” said Walcott.

The new lawsuit from parents focuses on the price of co-locating schools, which they say will cost the city close to $100 million next year.

Meanwhile, opponents continue to oppose a charter elementary school from moving into a high school complex on the Upper West Side.

City Councilwoman Gale Brewer said the decision by the city could cost hundreds of students seats at the Brandeis school complex on West 84th Street.

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and other leaders say the city shouldn’t be mixing elementary school children with older students, especially when buildings have been designed with high school students in mind.

Parents had separately sued to try to stop this co-location, but earlier this month a judge ruled the plan could go forward.

SUBWAY FARE EVADERS MAY HAVE UPPER HAND An analysis of subway fare enforcement statistics finds, in theory, jumping the turnstile might be the most affordable way to ride the rails.

According to reports, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority estimated fare beaters entered the system without paying about 18.5 million times in 2009.

However, only 120,000 summonses were handed out that year.

That means a routine fare evader can expect to be fined $100 about once every six to 13 weeks.

After fines, that same farescammer could save about $60 over the cost of six weeks worth of weekly MetroCards.

Fare evasion cost the MTA $31 million last year.

The MTA says arrests for fare evasion are up 5.5 percent from last year.

Lawmakers deadlocked as default looms

By ANDY SULLIVAN and MATT SPETALNICK WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s Democrats and their Republican rivals on Tuesday headed for a showdown over competing debt plans one week before a deadline for averting a potentially disastrous U.S. default.

With the two sides further apart than ever and the threat of a farreaching U.S. credit downgrade looming, IMF chief Christine Lagarde urged swift resolution of the impasse, warning that failure to reach an agreement would have serious consequences for the world economy.

“The clock is ticking and clearly the issue needs to be resolved immediately,” Lagarde told the Council on Foreign Relations think tank.

But there was no compromise in sight after Obama and Republican House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner delivered dueling televised addresses late on Monday and gave no ground in the bitter debate over how to raise the nation’s $14.3 trillion debt ceiling by August 2 to prevent an unprecedented default.

The continuing gridlock — and signs that neither of the competing plans is likely to win bipartisan support — alarmed investors world-

wide. U.S. stocks and the dollar fell while gold hovered near record highs. There was no hint of panic, however, as markets held out hope the stalemate could still be broken.

A Reuters poll showed that 30 of 53 economists surveyed think at least one of the major credit agencies will strip the United States of its top-notch credit rating and most also say wrangling over debt has already damaged the economy.

Boehner on Tuesday kept up efforts to rally support for his plan, which could come up for a vote in the House as early as Wednesday but is in doubt because of resistance from some conservatives in the Republican camp aligned with the Tea Party movement.

“It’s reasonable, it’s responsible. It can pass the House and it can pass the Senate,” Boehner told reporters.

Boehner is pushing a two-stage deficit reduction plan that would start with an initial $1.2 trillion in savings over 10 years. Obama opposes it because it would raise the debt limit for only a few months, something he has said he will not agree to.

The chief Democratic vote counter in the House, Representative Steny Hoyer, said “maybe a few” Democrats would back Boehner’s plan.

That would boost the bill’s chances in what is expected to be a close vote

on Wednesday.

Boehner will not have enough Republican votes to pass his budget plan through the House without Democratic support, a leader of the chamber’s conservatives said.

“I don’t have an exact count, but I do not believe there are 218 Republicans supportive of it right now,” said Representative Jim Jordan, who heads the Republican Study Committee, a group of more than 150 conservative and Tea Partyaligned lawmakers.

Obama’s Democrats have presented their one-step plan for $2.7 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade but with a debt limit hike that would carry through the November 2012 elections, when he is seeking a second term.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, is expected to hold off on any vote on the plan until the House takes up Boehner’s proposal.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers, despite weeks of intense talks, are far apart on a deal to reduce the budget deficit, which would clear the way for Congress to lift the debt ceiling by next week, when the country runs out of cash to pay all of its of its bills. Democrats control the Senate. Republicans control the House of Representatives.

New York hopes for economic boost from gay marriage

By KRISTINA COOKE New York City businesses hope the Big Apple will become the destination of choice for same-sex marriages, with hotels, wedding planners and caterers vying for a slice of the potentially lucrative trade.

The city’s official tourism agency, NYC & Co, has put in place a global marketing campaign to attract homosexual couples who can now legally wed in New York.

Hotels and restaurants are touting gay wedding deals. The Crowne Plaza in Times Square, for example, is offering private limousine transportation to City Hall and two tickets to a show on Broadway.

Gay and lesbian couples formed a line around the block to be married at the Manhattan marriage bureau on Sunday, the first day same-sex weddings were legal in New York.

“It’s going to have a huge impact, economically speaking, on the wedding industry as a whole,” said Gina Monick, a manager at upscale catering company Abigail Kirsch.

A recent New York State Senate report estimated same-sex marriages will give a $391 million boost to the state’s economy over three years, a welcome development when the United States is still struggling to recover from a crippling recession.

That is no surprise to Tatiana Byron, whose luxury bridal trade show attracted a record number of visitors last week — about 15 percent of whom were same-sex couples. For the first time, she said, the trade show put up a canopy of two brides with a rainbow, as well as one with a

bride and a groom.

“Everybody was very excited because it is such a huge opportunity for vendors in the wedding space,” said Byron, founder of The Wedding Salon.

Weddings are already big business in New York. The average budget for a Manhattan wedding is $70,730, twice the U.S. average, according to a 2010 study by The Knot magazine.

Angie Nevarez, director of weddings at caterer Creative Edge, said one in four phone calls she has received since the marriage equality law was passed has been from gay couples.

Some of the people, she said, are past clients who already had commitment ceremonies but now want official weddings.

Gay wedding planner Bernadette Coveny Smith started her business in Boston after Massachusetts legalized

same-sex marriage in 2004 and said New York should benefit more than other cities from marriage-related tourism.

She opened an office here in late June.

“New York is already the No. 1 destination for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) tourism,” she said. “Broadway is a big draw and the New York night life. And they’ll travel in with 50 guests, all of whom need hotel rooms.”

New York is the largest U.S. state to allow gay marriage, joining Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and the District of Columbia.

Experts said in Boston the first wave of same-sex weddings was typically slightly older couples, who wanted to get married quickly for fear laws could change, as happened in Maine and California. Those initial weddings were smaller and it took a year or so for couples to plan bigger, more lavish weddings.

Same-sex marriages added $111 million to the Massachusetts economy in the first five years, a 2009 study by The Williams Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law estimated.

Eric Eisenberg, president at Eisenberg and Eisenberg, which sells and rents tuxedos and dinner jackets, said he had two same-sex customers this weekend who were getting married.

“I think there will be some impact,” he said. “But the wild numbers that are thrown out are to me absurd. I think it will probably be less than 2 percent of our total business.”

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011

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NAACP head likens voter ID measures to Jim Crow

By JASON KANDE LOS ANGELES — The head of the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights group on Monday condemned state laws requiring photo identification of voters as an attempt to disenfranchise minorities through some “of the last existing legal pillars of Jim Crow.”

NAACP President Benjamin Jealous said a wave of newly enacted photo-ID requirements stemmed from what he saw as “the worst and most racist elements” in conservative Tea Party groups that have immersed themselves in state politics since the 2010 elections.

He compared photo ID laws to poll taxes and other past restrictions — since struck down by the courts — designed to keep Blacks from voting in the segregated Deep South. And he said the latest measures were part of a racial backlash against the 2008 election of President Barack Obama.

“Our voting rights are under attack because a few years ago, we had a great breakthrough in this country,” Jealous said in a speech at the 102nd annual NAACP convention, held in Los Angeles. “We broke

the color line at the White House.”

He said the NAACP would mount education campaigns aimed at preventing minorities and the poor from being disenfranchised.

Supporters of photo ID laws, backed mainly by Republican legislators and governors, say they are aimed at thwarting election fraud and are no more discriminatory than requiring IDs for cashing a check or making credit-card purchases.

Jealous’ comments were dismissed as preposterous by Hans von Spakovsky, a former Federal Election Commission member and a senior legal fellow for the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank, who said they showed a “complete ignorance of the voting process.”

Von Spakovsky said lawsuits challenging voter ID laws in Indiana and Georgia were thrown out in both cases because “the plaintiffs could not produce a single individual” who was kept from voting by those laws.

Voter turnout by minorities actually increased in those two states since voter ID requirements were imposed, he added.

“Jim Crow laws weren’t just about voting. They were about impeding public accommodations and public

transportation. Yet, you cannot check into a hotel anywhere in America without a photo ID. You cannot get on any airplane without a photo ID, and I don’t hear the NAACP claiming those requirements are somehow Jim Crow,” Von Spakovsky said.

Fourteen states require voters to present a government-issued photo identification at the polls according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Liberals and their Democratic allies have said such measures would tend to inhibit voter turnout among minorities, the poor, students and the elderly — all viewed as generally more friendly to Democrats than Republicans.

Democratic governors in at least five states — North Carolina, Montana, Missouri, Minnesota and New Hampshire — have vetoed voter identification bills this year.

About 11 percent of American adults lack an official photo ID, according to the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law. Von Spakovsky criticized that study, saying it included people who were not registered to vote.

Jealous said identification require-

ments in Wisconsin would effectively disqualify about half of otherwise eligible Black and Latino voters because they lacked valid state-issued IDs. “Simply put, people who are too poor to own a car don’t tend to have a driver’s license,” he said, adding an Arizona law requiring photo IDs to be attached to voter registration applications had eliminated 40,000 voters from the rolls.

Atheist group wants to stop Recession worsens racial wealth gap World Trade Center cross

By BEN ROONEY

A group of atheists has filed a lawsuit to stop the display of the World Trade Center cross at a memorial of the 9/11 terror attacks.

The “government enshrinement of the cross was an impermissible mingling of church and state,” the American Atheists say in a press statement.

The group says it filed the lawsuit this week in state court in New York and posted a copy of the lawsuit on its website.

The lawsuit names many defendants, including the state of New Jersey, the city of New York , New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

The World Trade Center cross, two intersecting steel beams that held up when the twin towers collapsed on September 11, 2001, is seen as iconic to some.

The cross was moved Saturday from near a church to its new home at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

There was also ceremonial blessing of the cross in a service led by Father Brian Jordan, a Franciscan monk

who ministered to workers clearing the area after the 9/11 attacks.

Joe Daniels, 9/11 Memorial president, said Saturday that the cross is “an important part of our commitment to bring back the authentic physical reminders that tell the history of 9/11 in a way nothing else could.

“Its return is a symbol of the progress on the Memorial & Museum that we feel rather than see, reminding us that commemoration is at the heart of our mission.”

But the atheist group says the cross sends a symbol of something different.

“The WTC cross has become a Christian icon,” said Dave Silverman, president of the atheist group.

“It has been blessed by so-called holy men and presented as a reminder that their god, who couldn’t be bothered to stop the Muslim terrorists or prevent 3,000 people from being killed in his name, cared only enough to bestow upon us some rubble that resembles a cross. It’s a truly ridiculous assertion.”

The wealth gap in the United States has grown wider in the wake of the Great Recession, with Black and Hispanic American households faring much worse than white households, according to a study published yesterday.

The study, from 2009 data compiled by the Pew Research Center, found the median wealth of white households was 20 times that of Black households and 18 times that of Hispanic households.

Household wealth is defined as the sum of a family’s assets minus the sum of its debts. The study defines assets as homes, cars, savings and financial investments, while debts include mortgages, auto loans and credit card debt, among other things.

Based on data from the Census Bureau, the study highlights how Blacks and Hispanics have been disproportionately affected by the collapse of the housing market, the financial crisis and the recession that marked the period from 2005 to 2009.

It found that the wealth gap between white households and their Black or Hispanic counterparts was the widest it has been since the government began publishing such data by ethnicity in 1984.

The wealth of white households in America has always been greater than Black and Hispanic households. But the recession widened the gap significantly, with the spreads more than double what they were during the two decades leading up to the recession, the study said.

Rakesh Kochhar, one of the

report’s co-authors, said it’s possible that the gaps may have narrowed somewhat since 2009.

Kochhar said home prices have stabilized in the last year, which should lift the net worth of Black and Hispanic homeowners, since both groups draw a large share of their net worth from home equity.

At the same time, he added, the wealth of white households has probably benefited from the rise in stock prices over the last few years, since a much higher share of whites own stocks.

But a recovery would not be enough to narrow the current divide significantly.

According to the study, the inflation-adjusted median wealth among Hispanic households fell 66% from 2005 to 2009. Black households suffered a 53% drop in net worth over the same period. By contrast, whites saw a decline of 16% in household wealth.

In 2009, the typical Black household had just $5,677 in wealth. Hispanic families had about $6,325 in wealth. The average white household had a net worth of $113,149.

The study also showed that a third of Black and Hispanic households had zero wealth, meaning that their debts were larger than the value of all their assets.

Overall, the study attributed much of the disparity to the decline in home values, which hit Black and Hispanic households hardest.

In addition, the downturn in the housing market was most severe in states with large populations of Hispanics and Asians, including California, Arizona, Nevada, Florida and Michigan, according to the study.

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011

JOURNAL OF THE PEOPLE’S PASTOR ‘WRITING THE HISTORY I’VE LIVED, LIVING THE HISTORY I WRITE!’

The 40th anniversary of the Alonzo A. Daughtry Daycare Center, Inc.

THOMAS H. WATKINS

Lessons learned from the Ark

By REV. DR. HERBERT DAUGHTRY

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Part Four The Daughtry Family’s Pursuit of Educational Excellence As I drove back to the church from the daycare center, my mind went to our family’s contribution to education. Education has always been a priority in our family. There have been five generations of preachers.

They were all engaged in some kind of educational effort. I recall four things about my father: his preaching, teaching, business ventures, and courage to go against the grain — the traditions, establishments, and laws.

My wife, Dr. Karen Smith Daughtry, epitomizes the love of, the quest for, and the prioritizing of educational excellence.

She is the original Superwoman.

When we were married in 1962, she had a high school diploma.

During the course of our ministry, we recognized that we needed to increase our educa-

tion, especially since she had become the director of our daycare center.

Georgia Commissioner McMurray had provided free educational opportunities for daycare providers to become qualified to run a daycare center. My wife took advantage of the opportunities. She went back to school and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from Adelphi University.

We decided that she might as well continue to get her Masters.

We reasoned that she would have the qualifications to be a principal. Thus, she gained a supervisory license. As our church grew and the youth membership increased, she returned to the classroom. She earned her second Masters degree in Christian Education from the New York Theological Seminary (NYTS). That’s not all!

We observed our people being “stressed out.” There were tensions and “break-ups” in marriages. A certified counselor became imperative.

She returned to the NYTS and earned her doctoral degree in pastoral counseling.

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While my wife was in school, I was always participating in some kind of educational program and/or extensively travelling. In a word, we were always increasing our education and expanding our minds as we deepened our spirituality. (We still attend various conferences, seminars, etc.)

Books, pencils, and papers were always in our hands. Our children grew up imitating us.

Whenever we would leave the house, everyone had to have paper, pens/pencils, or books.

Their childhood play was always about who would be the president, secretary, or treasurer.

While my wife was in school, she held a full-time job most of the time. During that period, she birthed and nurtured four children. In addition, she had church responsibilities, which were never neglected. Beyond the ordinary responsibilities of a Pastor’s wife, she was always creating new programs, church auxiliaries, and fundraisers while beautifying the church

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011

National Urban League and NAACP presidents meet with President Obama

By Marc H. Morial “It is clear that the unemployment numbers throughout the country require effective legislation and tangible action to address the crisis. To address the unemployment crisis and the need for job creation solutions in underserved communities, the CBC has called upon the private and public sectors to immediately remedy the crisis by going into communities with legitimate, immediate employment opportunities for the underserved.”

— U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II This past week, NAACP President Ben Jealous and I forcefully entered the debt ceiling debate during a meeting with President Obama in the Oval Office. During our meeting, we made it clear that as a final deal is hammered out to raise the debt ceiling and prevent the nation from defaulting on August 2nd, no steps

should be taken that will shred the social safety net — the last line of economic defense for millions of working class and middle class Americans. With African American unemployment at 16.2 percent and the jobless rate for Hispanics also in double digits at 11.6 percent, it would be unconscionable to cut Social Security, Medicaid or Medicare benefits, education, job training or housing services now, especially while businesses and wealthy Americans are protected from any tax increase.

The President has insisted from day one that a final agreement must involve shared sacrifice. After our meeting he issued a statement which read in part: “We cannot afford to balance the budget on the backs of the most vulnerable Americans, including the middle class, lowincome families, seniors and students.” Ben Jealous and I wholeheartedly agree with the President, and we intend to stand with him as

Alonzo A. Daughtry Daycare Continued from page 4 with her exquisite, decorative tastes.

Our children were not neglected; they were lovingly cared for. They were given quality time. We attended all important functions in which they were involved. We had weekly dinner outings (even when our “money was funny”) and special holiday gatherings.

Our children were raised in the church. During worship or programs during the evenings, they would sleep on the pews. My wife made sure that the pews were matted, and there were warm blankets in the winter. Even when we attended programs outside of the church, our children were present. After arriving from the hospital, the first place our firstborn daughter, Leah, went to was a Bible study in Montclair, New Jersey in the cold of winter. From where we lived on 1393 Pacific Street in Brooklyn, New York, which was also the location of the church, we took a cab, two trains, and a bus to reach our destination.

Thank God that all of our children, including our grandsons, are very active in the church. They hold titles such as pastors, National Youth Director, National Director of Artistic Expression, and church drummer.

The youngest grandchildren, ages 4 and 6 years, are members of the children’s church and the youth choir.

Occasionally, they help collect and count offerings.

Moreover, I was not an ordinary, traditional Pastor. I was a leader of human rights movements and organizations. I was constantly develop-

ing and implementing programs to enhance the community. My wife and children were always by my side.

When I went to jail, they also did jail time — civil disobedience, of course, as we fought for human rights.

Demonstrations, boycotts, rallies, sitins were, to me, teaching opportunities. (Maybe, they were the most effective teaching methods.) … to be continued. ** Join Reverend Daughtry in Jersey City for the weekly Thursday Evening Educational, Cultural, and Empowerment Forum from 6pm8pm for an evening of information, inspiration, and challenge at 315 Forrest Street (Ground Floor), corner of MLK, Jr. Drive. For more info, contact The National Community Action Alliance at (201) 716-1585. ** Listen to Reverend Daughtry on the weekly radio program which airs Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. on New York City’s WWRL-AM, dial 1600. ** NEED QUALITY CHILD CARE? Call the Alonzo A. Daughtry Memorial Daycare Center located at: 460 Atlantic Avenue (corner of Atlantic and Nevins) 718 596 1993 333 Second Street (between 4th & 5th Avenues) in Park Slope (718) 499-2066 Immediate openings are available in a state-of-the-art center. ** Visit The House of the Lord Church’s website at holc.org. Or, contact us at 415@holc.org

he steadfastly defends that position.

The President also agreed with us that we need to complete a debt ceiling deal quickly so we can turn our full attention to the most pressing issue facing the nation – high unemployment and the lack of jobs. I urged the President to act on the job creating solutions contained in the National Urban League’s 12-point Jobs Rebuild America plan. We also urged support for New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s Urban Jobs Bill which would make critically needed investments in education and training to prepare young people most in need for jobs.

One day after our meeting, the debt ceiling talks broke down over the refusal by those on the other side of the negotiating table to pursue a balanced approach. They continue to insist on a one-sided plan of spending cuts, including cutting benefits

for the most vulnerable Americans, and no tax increases for the wealthy.

It should be noted that this is the first time in almost 100 years that a raise in the nation’s debt ceiling has been linked to deficit reduction.

Ben and I agree: America must get its fiscal house in order so we can invest in job creation and maintain the benefits that protect our must vulnerable citizens.

And we adamantly disagree with those who would jeopardize the nation’s credit worthiness and risk a financial meltdown much worse than the recent great recession – all because they refuse to compromise.

The NAACP President and I came away from our Oval Office meeting convinced that President Obama understands fundamentally that deep budget cuts to safety net programs and programs that affect urban communities would be harmful, not just to our constituents, but for the nation at large.

We will continue to insist that the concerns of Black and urban America have a voice in this debate.

— Marc H. Morial is President and CEO of the National Urban League.

For Kate Dunham

By DR. FRED MONDERSON In ancient Africa, upon their passing, the great one were enshrined among the heavenly bodies to be perennially observed in the never ending parade of the stars drama in the heavens, reminding those about to die, good works are never forgotten! The life of Mrs. Kay Roberts Dunham, “Kate Dunham’s Way,” is a powerful testimony to all people, service in cause of humanity is a wonderful, though sometimes frustrating, yet still joyful, experience. That such commitments and dedication not only molds the individual but is a powerful testimony of their life’s work that contemporaries and the young can seek to emulate, knowing their just rewards are akin to the tumultuous turnout afforded Kate Dunham at her “Home Going” ceremony where her name is enshrined as a true Brooklynite!

For people in the know, Kate Dunham’s was a ubiquitous presence at the numerous venues where people gathered to give of their time

and energies in service to make their communities a better place. In the case of Ms. Dunham, South Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Lefferts Gardens, Wingate and portions of North Flatbush are certainly better off thanks to her efforts on their behalf. Equally, whether at the Community Board 2, 3, 6,8,9 meetings; the Society of Old Brooklynites, at their meetings or luncheons; in testimony for transportation issues, Parks and Recreation, etc., Kate Dunham’s presence, her sharing information, constantly adding to every discussion, gathering resources to distribute to others, being tremendously helpful in a multitude of ways, certainly qualifies Ms. Kate Dunham for the title “Quintessential New Yorker,” Thus, this city and particularly Brooklyn, Central Brooklyn, is more than an iota better place thanks to the service rendered by Mrs. Kay Roberts Dunham whose death will be memorialized on Thursday July 28, 2011, from 6:00-8:00 pm at Frank Bell Funeral home, 536 Sterling Place at Classon Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 111238 (718) 399-2500.

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011

Tape: Accused Katrina policeman remembered civilians had guns

By KATHY FINN NEW ORLEANS — A secretly recorded conversation played in a New Orleans courtroom on Monday seemed to cast doubt on the government’s claim no civilians had guns when police shot at them in the days following Hurricane Katrina.

A defense lawyer for one of the officers accused in the shooting played the 80minute, obscenity-laced tape during the testimony of officer Robert Barrios, who wore a wire to record the conversation with his former partner, Anthony Villavaso, in 2010.

Trying to get Villavaso to admit he shot at unarmed people, Barrios said more than 20 times on the tape he saw no guns in the hands of civilians.

“The jig is up. There were no guns out there,” he said.

“The people didn’t have a f...king toothpick on them.”

But over and over Villava-

so stuck to his assertion.

“They had guns,” he said. “I remember a f...king gun.”

Villavaso is one of four police officers on trial in the shooting and killing of two unarmed civilians and injuring of four others on the Danziger Bridge on September 4, 2005, while much of New Orleans remained submerged in flood waters.

Along with Arthur Kaufman, the four are also charged with lying and filing false reports to make the shooting appear justified. All face potential life sentences if convicted.

During the first four weeks of the trial, prosecutors attempted to paint a picture of out-of-control police officers firing randomly at innocent people.

The defense is now trying to show that the officers felt threatened in the chaos and were trying to defend themselves and each other.

Barrios has admitted to participating in a cover-up

and faces a potential five-year prison sentence. He is the only one of five officers who have pleaded guilty to a role in the incident and was not called as a prosecution witness in the first three weeks of the trial.

As defense lawyers grilled Barrios about whether he hopes to receive a reduced sentence by supporting the government’s claim the shooting victims were unarmed, they revealed that he also has other legal troubles.

Barrios, who said he has earned money as a fisherman since resigning from the police force, acknowledged he is also being investigated for fraudulently filing a damage claim connected with the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

“Are you hopeful as well that if you provide substantial assistance that they (the government) will assist you in that BP investigation?” lawyer Timothy Meche asked.

“I haven’t thought that far,” Barrios said.

The defense also pressed Barrios about a report his wife complained to the U.S. attorney’s office, saying her husband had been pressured by prosecutors to plead guilty and say things he didn’t believe to be true.

Barrios discounted his wife’s action, saying it was “just emotions.”

As prosecutors began cross-examining Barrios on Monday, he recalled hearing Villavaso and other defendants discussing which of the victims each of them may have shot.

Barrios reiterated that he did not shoot a gun and the civilians were unarmed.

Earlier in the day, the jury heard testimony from former New Orleans Police Superintendent Warren Riley, who was deputy chief at the time of the Danziger Bridge shooting.

Riley, who replaced Eddie Compass as police chief a few

California ‘Dream Act’ approved for illegal immigrants

By ALEX DOBUZINSKIS LOS ANGELES — California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law on Monday a bill allowing illegal immigrants to receive privately funded scholarships to attend the state’s public colleges and universities.

The bill, dubbed the California Dream Act, passed the state Legislature earlier this month and aims at helping illegal immigrants who earned a diploma after attending at least three years of high school in the state.

Enactment of the California measure came three days after opponents of a similar law in Maryland collected enough signatures to force a state referendum seeking its repeal.

“At the end of the day, if we’re going to continue as a powerful, equal-opportunity society, we’re going to have to invest in our people,” Brown, a Democrat, said at the signing ceremony in the library of a Los Angeles community college.

The California law is named after national legislation in Congress to give young, undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States for at least five years a pathway to citizenship through college or military service.

The federal bill failed to

win passage in December 2010, and its chances have dimmed since a newly elected Republican majority took control of the House of Representatives.

Critics say the California Dream Act gives illegal immigrants a false promise because their status will not change after graduating from college and they will remain unable to find legal employment. Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, vetoed an earlier version of the bill last year.

But Julian Rivera, 20, a student at the University of California at Berkeley who entered the United States illegally with his parents at age 12 from Mexico, said the measure could make it easier those like him to afford to

stay in school.

“It doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter what your background is, it just matters that you have passion for something and you want to do it,” he said. “This is a country that has given us that freedom.”

Patrick McDonough, a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates who helped lead the petition drive for the repeal initiative there, said U.S. citizens who are struggling to pay for college should not have to compete with illegal immigrants for scarce financial resources.

“People would say, ‘Why should we, when we’re having tough economic times ourselves, pay for someone

who is here illegally?’” he said.

The new California law is fairly limited in scope, making undocumented students who qualify eligible for private scholarships. A separate bill under consideration in the legislature would allow illegal immigrants to seek publicly funded scholarships as well.

State law already allows illegal immigrants who qualify for admission to a fouryear state university to pay in-state tuition rather than the more expensive out-ofstate tuition rate. But fouryear institutions are still beyond reach for many undocumented students without financial aid.

Twelve other states also grant in-state tuition eligibil-

USPS to close 3,653 post offices WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service is expected to announce a plan to close 3,653 post offices, mostly in small communities, in a cost-cutting measure, officials said.

A USPS spokeswoman said the post offices were chosen because they get the “least amount of foot traffic and retail sales,” The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

They also were selected because there may be local

businesses that could provide some postal services to the community, spokeswoman Sue Brennan said.

The list of the closures, amounting to about 11 percent of the USPS’ post offices nationwide, was be made public yesterday by Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe, The Postal Regulatory Commission would have to approve the widespread closings, as the USPS prepares to file a request for a

“national change of service,” Brennan said.

Donahoe also will announce “a replacement strategy” involving thirdparty retailers, she said.

“If you’re a community and there is a local convenience store, for example, we might be reaching out to these organizations to see if they would be interested in providing limited postal service for the community that might be affected,” Brennan said.

months after Katrina, said he “was completely shocked and surprised” when he heard details about the incident from federal investigators in 2010.

Asked why the incident was not investigated immediately after it happened, he said Compass had temporarily suspended normal investigation procedures due to lack of resources, including communications systems, which had been wrecked in the flood.

Riley testified that after becoming superintendent late in 2005, he received a briefing about the Danziger Bridge incident.

Asked by prosecutor Cindy Chung if the investigation was thorough, Riley said: “Based on what was represented to me at that time and what has been subsequently learned, no.”

One or more of the defendants could take the witness stand as the trial, now in its fifth week, continues. ity to illegal immigrants based on attendance and graduation from a state high school, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, South Carolina and Indiana have laws barring illegal immigrants from in-state tuition benefits.

Passage of legislation in California and Maryland to extend private scholarships to illegal immigrants comes as a number of states, led by Arizona, have taken steps to crack down on the undocumented.

“You’re going to see the red states go more the Arizona approach and blue states the California Dream Act approach,” said John Skrentny, director of the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at University of California, San Diego.

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011

you should always turn off your air conditioner... a. b. c. d.

7

to keep your home cooler in the summer, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a smart idea to...

when zombies attack at night every other hour when you leave home a. use ceiling fans as much as possible to supplement a /c

b. grill outside instead of heating up the oven

c. open windows and turn of f a/c when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cool at night

d. all of the above

answer: d

answer: d

cell phone, mp3 player and pda chargers use energy... a. only when charging b. when plugged in, whether theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re charging or not

what should you do if you smell gas?

a. leave the area immediately, then call Con Edison at 1-800-75-CONED b. do not use electrical devices, including flashlights

Â&#x2039; &RQVROLGDWHG (GLVRQ &RPSDQ\ RI 1HZ <RUN ,QF $G $UQHOO *URXS

c. both of the above c. even when disconnected from the outlet

answer: b

answer: c

for 100+ energy saving tips visit conEd.com or find us on Facebook at Power of Green

AFRICAN SCENE

88

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011

Somali 7-month-old weighs the same as newborn

By KHALED KAZZIHA DADAAB, Kenya - Mihag Gedi Farah is 7 months old, and weighs as little as a newborn with the weathered skin of an old man.

His mother managed to get him to a field hospital in a Kenyan refugee camp after a weeklong odyssey, but the baby’s anguished eyes, hollow cheeks and fragile limbs show just how severe Somalia’s famine is becoming.

Officials have warned that 800,000 children could die across the Horn of Africa, and aid workers are rushing to bring help to dangerous and previously unreached regions of drought-ravaged Somalia.

Mihag’s sunken face brings new urgency to their efforts and raises concerns about how

Mihag Gedi Farah a seven-month-old child with a weight of 3.4kg, lies in a field hospital of the International Rescue Committee, IRC, in the town of Dadaab, Kenya. many children like him International Rescue remain in Somalia, far Committee, puts the litfrom the feeding tubes tle boy’s odds of surand doctors at this vival at just 50-50.

Kenyan refugee camp.

Mihag weighs just 7 His fragile skin pounds, 8 ounces (3.4 crumples like thin kilograms) when a boy leather under the pres- his age should weigh sure of his mother’s three times that. hands, as she touches “We never tell the the hollows where a mother, of course, that baby’s chubby cheeks their baby might not should be. make it,” the nurse Sirat Amine, a nurse says. “We try to give nutritionist with the them hope.”

is the Mihag youngest of seven children in his family. His mother brought him along with four of his siblings on the journey from Kismayo to northern Kenya after all their sheep and cattle died because of drought.

Like the tens of thousands of other Somalis fleeing starvation, the family traveled by foot, other times catching rides with passing trucks, cars or buses.

His mother, Asiah Dagane, isn’t sure of her age but appears in her mid-30s. She sits at her baby’s bedside with little to say: “In my mind I’m not well. My baby is sick. In my head I am also sick,” she says softly.

The United Nations estimates that more 11 million people in East Africa are affected by the drought, with 3.7 million in Somalia among the worst-hit because of the ongoing

Zimbabwe speaker More than 30 dead in wants militants arrested Moroccan plane crash HARARE, Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe’s parliament speaker says he wants police to arrest known militants who violently disrupted four public meetings called by lawmakers on reforms to the nation’s human rights laws.

Speaker Lovemore Moyo said yesterday police must “move with speed” to apprehend militants who assaulted lawmakers and journalists at the Harare parliament on Saturday. Graphic photographs of the mob have appeared in the local media.

He said those who also disrupted provincial parliamentary meetings were following a political agenda of violence mostly blamed on loyalists of President Robert Mugabe.

More than 30 people were killed yesterday when a Moroccan military plane slammed into a mountainside near Guelmim in the south of the country, the interior ministry and a local official said.

“There were more than 30 dead on the aircraft, which was carrying 73 people, mostly soldiers.

For the moment, we have found five survivors,” the local source told AFP, asking not to be named.

The Hercules C-130 aircraft crashed into a mountain close to Guelmim, a town known as “the gateway to the desert” about 830 kilometres (215 miles) south of Rabat.

civil war in the country.

Somalia’s prolonged drought devolved into famine in part because neither the Somali government nor many aid agencies can fully operate in areas controlled by al-Qaida-linked militants, and the U.N. is set to declare all of southern Somalia a famine zone as of Aug. 1.

Aid organizations including the U.N. World Food Program have not been able to access areas under the control of the al-Shabab militants, who have killed humanitarian workers and banned the WFP. The U.N. has said it will airlift emergency rations later this week in an effort to try and reach at least 175,000 of the 2.2 million Somalis who have not been helped yet.

The new feeding efforts in the four districts of southern Somalia near the border

with Kenya and Ethiopia could begin by Thursday, slowing the flow of tens of thousands of people who have fled their homes in hope of reaching aid.

But the WFP hasn’t operated there for more than two years, and must find and rehire former employees to help with distribution.

Transportation is also a substantial obstacle, as land mines have severed key roads and a landing strip has fallen into disrepair.

Donations are also desperately needed to sustain the aid effort in the Horn of Africa: The U.N. wants to gather $1.6 billion in the next 12 months, with $300 million of that coming in the next three months.

Today, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said a coordination conference is due to be held in the Kenyan capital.

Youth leader detained in Senegal DAKAR, Senegal - Police have detained a member of a rap group which has been a leading force behind mass protests calling for the resignation of Senegal’s aging president.

A spokesman for Y An A Marre - the group whose name means “We’ve had it” - said the rapper who goes by the single name Thiat was taken by police on Monday night.

Fadel Barro, the spokesman, said that “at the moment Thiat was arrested, he was not suffering from any illness.” He called on the Division of Criminal Investigations to release him unharmed.

Pro-Gbagbo head of Ivorian constitutional council replaced The head of Ivory Coast’s constitutional council who initially named Laurent Gbagbo as the winner of disputed November presidential polls, has been replaced, state television reported Monday.

President Alassane Ouattara, who was inaugurated in May, issued a decree naming Francis Wodie, a 75year-old jurist, to succeed Paul Yao N’Dre, a Gbagbo loy-

alist, as president of the council.

After a post-election leadership crisis lasting more than four months, Yao N’Dre reversed his initial decision and proclaimed Ouattara the election winner on May 6.

Gbagbo was captured in an underground bunker in Abidjan on April 11 by forces loyal to Ouattara, backed by France and the United Nations, climaxing a conflict that left at least 3,000 people dead.

A veteran opposition figure under the 1960-1993 rule of Ivory Coast’s first president Felix Houphouet-Boigny and a longtime Gbagbo associate, Wodie recently stepped down as president of his Ivorian Workers’ Party.

Wodie ran for president on several occasions. He finished sixth among 14 candidates in the first round of the presidential poll last October 31 and backed Ouattara against Gbagbo in the November 28 runoff vote.

The president of the Ivorian Constitutional Council Paul Yao N'dre speaks at the council's headquarters.

D CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011 DAILY

AFRICAN SCENE

Sierra Leone launches plan to clamp down on illicit arms Sierra Leone has launched a five-year plan to regulate the sale and use of small arms, which still abound a decade after the end of a civil war, causing insecurity, an official said Monday.

“The proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons account for 90 percent of the economic uncertainty” in the country, the head of Sierra Leone’s Small Arms Commission (SAC), retired Brigadier Leslie Lymon, said.

He told AFP that a five year national action plan launched over the weekend aims to “regulate the manufacture, sale and use of small arms and light weapons”.

The plan is based on a 2010 survey which assessed the perception of the role of light weapons after the 1991-2002 civil war, the socio-economic impact of small arms on national recovery and the stockpile management and security on Sierra Leone.

“Public opinion has linked illicit small arms and poverty,” said Lymon.

“Over 90 percent of all respondents were convinced that

AFRICAN SCENE

Measles killf over 1,000 DR Congo children since January: UN

Sierra Leonean rebels line up to return their arms in the capital Freetown. illicit small arms created insecurity and prevented people from pursuing income generating activities because of fear.”

The Small Arms Commission took over from the United Nations Arms for Development Programme in August 2010, and has since collected over 645 rounds of ammunition and nearly 7,000 weapons from around the country.

He said all ammunition col-

lected will be destroyed at a symbolic ceremony in the northern city of Makeni soon to demonstrate the government’s determination to curb the proliferation of small arms.

He said a firearms licensing bureau is to be set up and a new firearms law enacted by parliament which will again pave the way for civilians to own firearms after a ban at the end of the civil war.

Residents again accuse Nigerian soldiers of rampage Residents on Monday accused Nigerian soldiers of shooting civilians and burning homes following a bomb blast blamed on Islamists over the weekend, but the military denied the claims.

Troops deployed to the northeastern city of Maiduguri, hit by scores of attacks, have previously been accused of killing civilians and burning their houses after alleging residents cooperated with the Islamist sect known as Boko Haram.

On Monday, residents of an area of Maiduguri hit by the bomb blast on Saturday said soldiers went on a rampage after the attack, shooting indiscriminately and torching homes and shops, resulting in a number of deaths.

9

Military officials on Saturday said suspected Boko Haram members bombed its patrol team in Budum, wounding three soldiers.

A military spokesman dismissed the residents’ accusations as “outright lies”, insisting that no civilian casualties were recorded on Saturday.

“The fire that burnt homes, shops and vehicles was caused by the impact of the explosion of the bomb detonated by the Boko Haram attackers,” said Lieutenant Colonel Hassan Isijeh M o h a m m e d , spokesman for the military unit deployed in the city.

The attack occurred in an area near the palace of the Shehu of Borno, an influential traditional and reli-

gious leader, though it did not seem the palace was targeted.

“Soon after the bomb went off, military vehicles arrived and soldiers besieged the neighbourhood, shooting indiscriminately and setting houses and shops in and around the market on fire,” one resident told AFP. “They went about burning vehicles and in some cases along with the occupants.”

He claimed dozens of people were either killed or missing, though the allegations could not be independently confirmed.

A nurse at the Maiduguri University Teaching Hospital who asked not to be named said five bodies were brought to the morgue late Saturday.

Another resident said his house was

among those gutted.

“Almost all the houses in the area have been burnt by the soldiers and not less than 60 shops and stalls were burnt in the attack, which were reprisals for the Boko Haram attack,” he said.

An emergency source confirmed officials had received such reports, but they remained unverified and rescue workers were focused on assisting those in need of help.

Thousands of residents have already fled Maiduguri out of fears of further violence.

A m n e s t y International has said at least 25 people were killed during a military raid in Maiduguri after a bomb blast earlier this month, with many others reported missing.

A measles epidemic has killed 1,145 children in the Democratic Republic of Congo since January, the UN’s Humanitarian Affairs mission in Kinshasa said Monday.

The epidemic “has already affected 115,600 children and killed 1,145” between January and June, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement.

This prompted the vaccination of 3.1 million children across five provinces it added.

The campaign swung into action in May after the NGO Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) deplored “the lack of reactivity” of organisations like the World Health Organisation to what it termed an “uncontrollable” epidemic.

The DR Congo is also battling cholera and polio epidemics.

Burundi court jails Frenchman 25 years for rape A court in Burundi on Monday found a Frenchman guilty of raping five teenagers, giving him a 25-year jail sentence and a fine of 14,000 euros ($20,000).

Patrice Faye, 58, was accused of raping five girls aged 13 to 17 — students at a school he set up for poor children. He denied the charges.

Supreme Court spokesman Elie Ntungwanayo said Faye, a long-time resident, could appeal the sentence.

The trial had been held behind closed doors since June 16. Prosecutors had sought a 35-year prison term.

Faye was arrested in early April and was detained in a prison in central Bujumbura following accusations by the girls.

In a letter addressed to AFP in May, Faye said a doctor had confirmed that three of his accusers were still virgins.

“My client is very shocked. This is someone who has spent 35 years of his life in Burundi doing good things and he is being convicted because of young girls who want to extort money,” his lawyer Fabien Segatwa said.

“Patrice Faye did nothing. He still maintains his innocence,” said the lawyer, adding: “It is a death sentence given his age.”

Kadhafi could stay in Libya if he steps down: Britain British Foreign Secretary William Hague demanded that Moamer Kadhafi step down but said the Libyan leader may be allowed to remain in the North African country.

Speaking ahead of talks in London with French counterpart Alain Juppe, Hague said Britain would prefer for Kadhafi to quit Libya and stressed that France and Britain were “absolutely united” in NATO’s current mission against Kadhafi.

1 10

CARIBBEAN NEWS DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011

Cayman Islands premier Turks and Caicos leaders express under investigation views on new constitution GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands - Cayman Islands governor, Duncan Taylor, has told independent member of the Legislative Assembly Ezzard Miller that Premier McKeeva Bush is currently under investigation in respect of an alleged financial irregularity and there is, therefore, no need to appoint a Commission of Enquiry, as requested by Miller on July 14.

“In answer to your request I can confirm that this matter is already the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS). In light of this, I do not see the case for considering a Commission of Enquiry,” Taylor told Miller.

In his response to Miller, the governor acknowledged that the investigation in question centres on a letter said to be written by Bush in 2004, when he was then Leader of Government Business.

The letter to developer Stan Thomas, written on Windsor Development Corporation letterhead, and apparently faxed from

Cayman Islands Premier McKeeva Bush Bush’s ministry in October 2004, asked for a balance of $350,000 to be sent to the corporation’s account as a result of Bush having “ensured that all of the proposed re-zoning issues” had been approved by Cabinet.

Windsor Development Corporation is reportedly owned by Bush’s wife, although according to the official register of interests he is a signatory on the corporation’s bank account.

At the time, land purchased by Thomas was the subject of a zoning application. It was rezoned in July 2004 by the Legislative Assembly after Cabinet approved a change in the territory’s development map.

British press reports not true, says Barbados attorney general BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — Categorically not true!

So says attorney general and minister of home affairs, Adriel Brathwaite, who was responding to accusations by some sections of the British press that Barbados is being “less than honest” in its reporting of crimes with respect to visitors.

The minister noted that the establishment of a crime desk, managed by well-trained officers, has allowed for the Royal Barbados Police Force to accord the “highest possible priority to visitors once a crime is involved”.

“I wish to make it absolutely clear that this is not true.

Indeed it is my knowledge that where there are incidents of crime involving visitors to our island the highest priority is given to these cases and we offer no apology for this

stance,” he claimed.

Brathwaite was speaking on Monday morning at the opening of a two-day PanCaribbean Police Conference, sponsored by the British High Commission entitled “Supporting Victims of Sexual Assault”.

Stating that he was not afraid to let the truth be known, the attorney general added that Barbados had no fear of disclosure and, on the contrary, ensured that visitors were offered the best support possible.

In addition, Brathwaite revealed that, while Barbados had not legislatively addressed victims’ rights, he told those gathered that he was of the opinion the “time was ripe for government to deal with this issue legislatively, so that victims and police as well as other officials involved in the processes, which flowed from a sexual assault, were clear about their respective roles”.

- Theresa Blackman

(L-R) Dr Rev. Conrad Howell; Clayton Greene; Douglas Parnell PROVIDENCIALES, which gave more autonomy the reformed constitution Turks and Caicos to the then Michael Misick- will weaken the power to Islands — Following led government under the govern of local elected offiNational Party cials and in his opinion this closely on the heels of Progressive (PNP), has been downgrad- reflects a lack of trust of all the announcement by ed. islanders by Britain.

Overseas Territories “If we are to move towards Peoples Democratic Minister Henry self rule someday then this Movement (PDM) leader, Bellingham that the document is a step back- Douglas Parnell, who travrevised Turks and wards,” said Howell, who is elled four times to the UK to Caicos Islands (TCI) an acknowledged member of lobby British members of PNP parliament on constitutional Constitution is close to theAlso expressing regret issues, has also appeared on promulgation, local over constitutional changes local television, where he leaders participating in was the current leader of the expressed his concerns the reform process have PNP, Clayton Greene, who regarding the new constitutaken to the airwaves to has taken issue with what he tion.

Parnell listed a number of express their opinions believes is the widening of the voting franchise. improvements that reflect of the new document.

The revised constitution is islanders’ desires that were Dr Rev. Conrad Howell, who was a commissioner on in fact a direct result of the not originally proposed.

“This final draft, which the All Party Group, spoke Commission of Inquiry report, which found the then includes several concerns, is out on WIV TV4.

PNP government responsicertainly an improvement Howell found little to celebrate in the new document. ble for gross mismanage- over what was proposed by In his opinion, the change ment and alleged wide- (constitutional consultant) Kate Sullivan,” said the PDM from the 2006 document, spread corruption.

However, Greene said that leader.

St Vincent opposition leader says Tourism Authority CEO made ‘admission of guilt’

By KENTON X. CHANCE KINGSTOWN, St Vincent — Opposition leader Arnhim Eustace on Monday reiterated his call for the chief executive officer of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority, Glen Beache to resign.

Eustace described as “an admission of guilt” Beache’s de-registration last week of a business that was a “sister company” to and shared directors with Lonsdale Saatchi and Saatchi in Trinidad, which markets St Vincent and the Grenadines

across the Caribbean.

He quoted minutes of a March 2010 meeting of the Tourism Authority, during which the chief operating officer (COO) told the chairman that the Authority was yet to receive a work programme submission from Lonsdale Saatchi and Saatchi.

“She (the COO) reported that in the past year, Lonsdale only submitted invoices regarding work they did but they had never submitted a comprehensive work plan,” Eustace quoted the minutes as saying.

“Now, how is Mr Beache going to tell them to work if he had them on his [compa-

ny’s] board. That is where the conflict of interest comes in,” Eustace said.

“When you look at the information here, the Tourism Authority is in a mess. And at each time, Beache was in control — either as the minister or as the chief executive officer. So he is to blame for a lot of what has happened there,” Eustace added.

Eustace further quoted the Tourism Authority minutes as saying that the chairman requested auditors to send letters to media houses in Trinidad “as a means of corroborating Lonsdale work as our agency”.

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011

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Has Beyoncé’s dad darkened her destiny?

Despite their recent divorce announcement, ending their sevenyear marriage, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony is still set to produce the Latin reality show, Q’Viva! Q’Viva, which is produced

by Simon Fuller’s XIX Entertainment, will continue as planned, reports Access Hollywood. A spokesperson for the former couple announced that Lopez and Anthony are “committed” to the show and added, “The show goes on!” Q’Viva! chronicles Anthony and Lopez’s search for new talent across 21 Latin American countries. The show is set to begin shooting later this year.

According to social media statistics site Famecount.com, Rihanna passed Lady Gaga on July 14 at the number of Facebook like each have. As of press time, Rihanna has reached 40.6 million fans, while Gaga sat at 40.5 million.

While Riri tops Lady Gaga on Facebook, Twitter is a different story. She currently 11.6 million followers and counting, while Rihanna has just 6.1 million.

50 Cent is planning on putting his good fortunes to work, with a new goal of feeding starving people in Africa. 50, who performed in Casablanca, Spain this week is made the announcement on histwitter page. “I want to impact people’s lives more,” 50 Cent tweeted. “I created a new goal for myself, I want to feed 1 billion people in Africa over the next 5 years.” 50 said he decided to target Africa’s due to the severe level of poverty on the continent.

Mariah Carey’s twin babies arrived back in April and according to her husband Nick Can-

non, there aren’t any more kids coming. The daughter-son duo has proven to be enough for the couple. In a recent interview, he said: “I want some (more), but I think my wife’s done. I tried to say, ‘Yo, let’s go for another round!’ and she’s like, ‘I’ll kill you!’”

Ne-Yo is all about providing opportunities for young people in foster care and group homes through his nonprofit, The Compound Foundation.

This weekend, the organization will host the annual Future CEO Academy, where 50 teens from the Georgia foster care system will participate in a threeday entrepreneurship boot camp. Students will learn business basics, business plan development, intellectual property law, and participate in an elevator pitch contest sponsored by 100 Urban Entrepreneurs.

The academy will be hosted on the campus of Clark Atlanta University.

Beyonce bought hundreds of her fans pizza as they waited on line outside of a London studio. The fans were anticipating the start of a taping session for an upcoming Beyonce special. Knowing that the fans had been waiting for hours, likely without leaving the line to eat, she ordered 200 pizzas and bottles of water before the doors opened.

Dame Dash reportedly owes the IRS about $3 million in unpaid taxes. Times are hard.

Hopefully things get better for Dame.

After a few set backs, former Danity Kane member D. Woods takes her destiny in her own hands by releasing ‘The Grey Area’ on her record label WoodGrane Entertainment. Woods

explained the album title as “The Grey Area is the area I have been existing...everybody is in limbo...you might find yourself unemployed or in between professions or you graduate from school and don’t know what to do. Or you are an artist like me who had to make a transition from label to independent situation.”

Woods keeps the guest features to a minimum on the seven track EP. One on the few guest appearances is her sister Shanell (of Young Money) on the “Foolish Dreamer” record Talib Kweli took to Twitter to announce that his sixth solo album, Prisoner of Conscious, will be released in November. It will feature collaborations with Black Star partner Mos Def, Nelly, Curren$y and Jean Grae.

The production responsibilities will be split amongst frequent partner Hi-Tek, as other heavyweights, including Madlib and E. Jones. He also took a moment to heckle the hecklers, tweeting: “I can’t wait til these “purists” hear some of these verses on POC so they can eat they words! I’ll take checks over apologies! Lol” Jill Scott’s former record label will release “Hidden Beach Presents: The Original Jill Scott From The Vault Vol. 1,” a collection of older recordings from the R&B songstress.

Scott was the first artist signed to Steve McKeever’s Hidden Beach Recordings label, where she released her first three albums and earned a Grammy Award in 2005. The unreleased work is a collection of songs Scott recorded before the release of ‘The Light of the Sun.’

By RONDA RACHA PENRICE Her fourth solo album 4 is still number one on the charts but all is not so bright in Beyoncé’s world.

When it was announced in March that the once bootylicious singer had decided to part ways with her longtime dadager Mathew Knowles, few suspected any foul play.

After all, Mathew Knowles had managed his daughter to fame since she was a child. That much togetherness day in and day out certainly seemed to warrant a break, especially for an artist who has expressed interest in taking on new challenges. But “why now” was the logical question that many asked at the time.

Over the years, Daddy Knowles has presented ample opportunities for a split. Most memorable is his recent scandal for fathering a child outside his marriage with a woman reportedly 20 years younger than him. Such acts greatly contradict the wholesome family image that the Knowles family had cultivated

for Beyoncé since the superstar first entered the spotlight.

Grio slideshow: Young stars who found success with stage parents Still, Beyoncé stood by her dad as her manager, even if privately she was emotionally aligned with her mother, Tina Knowles. But even given Daddy Knowles’s soiled public image, few would ever believe him capable of stealing money from his own child, especially one he worked so hard to make a global superstar.

Yet that’s exactly what’s being reported as Knowles challenges Live Nation for relaying to his daughter that he stole money from her.

Apparently an audit her law firm conducted backed up their claims.

Perhaps that explains why no father is present in her video “The Best Thing I Never Had” despite the extensive wedding scenes. Given the traditional Southern background Beyoncé has frequently touted in the past, the omission of a fatherly escort down the aisle or any close family is quite curious even for a video.

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011

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Breast cancer more lethal in Blacks, reason unknown

By FREDERIK JOELVING It is still a mystery why Black women are more likely to die from breast cancer than whites, according to a new study that shows the racial disparity can’t be chalked up to obesity differences.

As a group, Black women in the U.S. tend to be heavier than whites and researchers had thought that might explain why only 78 percent survive five years after diagnosis, compared to 90 percent of white women.

“This has been an important question,” said Susan M. Gapstur of the American Cancer Society, who wasn’t

involved in the new work.

Several studies have tied obesity to poorer survival after breast cancer, but only a few small ones have tested whether that relationship varies by race.

The new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, is the most detailed and well-designed so far, Gapstur told Reuters Health.

Yani Lu of City of Hope in Duarte, California, and colleagues used data collected for an earlier breast cancer study on more than 4,500 women living in major American cities.

About a third of the women were Black and the rest were white, and all were between 35 and 64 years old

when they were diagnosed with breast cancer.

After more than eight years, 14 percent of the white women and a quarter of the Black women had died of breast cancer.

The women had been interviewed about their weight five years before their cancer diagnosis and more than twice as many Black women as white were obese (27 percent versus 12 percent).

Obese white women had a 46-percent higher chance of dying of breast cancer than their normal-weight white peers and the increased risk remained after taking other diseases and education into account.

But there was no such

link for Blacks.

The researchers did find a hint that extra poundage might be related to cancer death in Black women with advanced disease, but Gapstur said those results would need to be replicated by additional studies in other groups.

“It was surprising that this study shows a positive relationship between obesity and breast cancer mortality in white women and not in Black women,” she said. “It raises important questions about other possible reasons.”

While there aren’t any bulletproof answers yet, researchers believe differences in tumor biology as well as health care access

could be at play.

Last year, for instance, one study found that Black and Hispanic women wait longer to get drug treatment after breast cancer surgery than whites.

Previous research has also found that Black women are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancers at later stages than white women.

“We don’t yet have a clear picture,” Gapstur said.

Still, she added, the message to Black breast cancer survivors is not that they shouldn’t worry about their weight.

“It is always important to maintain a healthy weight, for a variety of reasons,” she told Reuters Health.

FDA investigates papaya in Antibiotics beat cranberries to prevent UTIs new salmonella outbreak

By GENEVRA PITTMAN

By ALINA SELYUKH and MICA ROSENBERG WASHINGTON — Health regulators on Monday advised people not to eat papaya from Texas distributor Agromod Produce as they investigate a possible link to a salmonella outbreak in 23 U.S. states.

The outbreak of Salmonella Agona has resulted in 97 reported cases of illness across the country, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.

Ten people have been hospitalized.

Texas and Illinois registered the most cases, especially affecting children under 5 years old and women.

McAllen, Texas-based Agromod is voluntarily recalling its papayas, which were imported from Mexico.

FDA said it is working with the papaya distributor and with officials in Mexico to determine how the fruit

became contaminated.

Mexico’s Agriculture Ministry said it was too early to determine the origin of the outbreak and said salmonella had never been detected in papayas consumed in Mexico.

Agromod announced its papaya recall on Saturday, saying the fruit was distributed across the United States and to Canada. The recall affects all Blondie, Yaya, Mananita and Tastylicious brand papayas sold before July 23. The company was not immediately available for comment on Monday.

Salmonella infection commonly causes diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps in the first few days after eating a contaminated product.

The infection is the most common U.S. foodborne illness and continues to strike the country as often as it did 15 years ago, linked to contaminated meats, produce and processed foods. Last year it caused nearly 2,300 hospitalizations and 29 deaths. One outbreak led to a recall of nearly half a billion eggs.

Antibiotics were better than cranberry capsules at preventing urinary tract infections in a new study of women in the Netherlands who suffered from recurring infections.

Women taking the drugs had fewer UTIs over the next year than those taking cranberry capsules, but they also built up resistance to the antibiotics - meaning that their bodies might not respond to the drugs if they needed them to treat another infection.

When it comes to antibiotics for UTIs, “there’s a really important need here to look for alternatives and to reconsider both what we’ve done in terms of treatment and prophylaxis,” said Betsy Foxman, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor who didn’t participate in the new research.

Cranberries have long been thought to help prevent UTIs through “anecdotal evidence,” she told Reuters Health, but doctors aren’t sure how they might work, and more rigorous studies have shown mixed results on their effectiveness.

Up to three in 10 women suffer from recurring UTIs at some point in their lives, the authors of the new study write in Archives of Internal Medicine. The infections often come with a strong urge to urinate frequently as well as a burning sensation during urination.

While they usually go away on their own, UTIs are treated with antibiotics to ease the symptoms and to prevent rare complications.

Sometimes, doctors also prescribe an antibiotic to women who have already had a few UTIs to prevent another one, because “the longer you can go without having one, the more likely it is that you’ll never have another one,” Foxman explained.

In the new study, researchers led by Dr. Marielle Beerepoot of Amsterdam’s Academic Medical Center randomly assigned 221 premenopausal women with at least three UTIs in the past year to take the antibiotic trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) or cranberry capsules each day.

After one year, women taking the antibiotic had reported an average of close to two UTIs, compared to four in the cranberry group. On average, women got their first new infection eight months after starting the drug treatment versus four months into taking cranberry capsules.

One woman taking the antibiotics had a serious reaction to the drugs.

Resistance to TMP-SMX — and some similar antibiotics — also shot up in the antibiotic group within one month.

That’s important because resistant bacteria won’t be killed off by many common antibiotics — and the same bacteria that become resistant to UTI drugs can also cause more serious infections.

“My concern is this: UTI is one of the most common bac-

terial infections,” Foxman said. “When you give antibiotics even for a short duration on a large scale, you definitely push toward antibiotic resistance.”

When the drugs are given for prevention and not just for treatment, that risk of resistance increases, she said.

In women in the study taking antibiotics, resistance levels did return to normal a few months after they stopped taking the drugs.

Foxman said that women with recurrent UTIs should have a conversation with their doctor about preventing the infections, taking issues such as antibiotic resistance into consideration.

The question, she said, is “whether you feel like you’re so miserable that you really need them or you want to go to alternatives first.”

Taking vitamin C or making sure to urinate often enough might also help ward off UTIs, she added.

And, “certainly taking cranberry juice is not going to hurt you and it may help.”

The authors note that the cranberry capsules used in the study were provided by Springfield Nutraceuticals and that the rest of the study funding came from a national health research organization.

The take-home message of the study, Beerepoot told Reuters Health, “is that cranberries are less effective than the antibiotics, but antibiotic resistance is a big problem.”

Other studies have pointed to a possible benefit of cranberry juice or extract, she said — without serious side effects.

DAILY D CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011

NEW JERSEY

Gas leak is suspected cause of Newark house explosion that injured 1, displaced 17

By JAMES QUEALLY NEWARK - The blast sounded more like a lightning bolt, loud enough to get John Figueroa out of bed at 3:30 a.m.

Seconds later, with bright orange flames streaking across the roof and clumps of plaster falling on the faces of the 48-year-old and his wife, he knew it was time to run.

But as Figueroa and his wife raced down the stairs of their home on South 15th street in Newark, he saw their blind landlady struggling to escape in the swirling smoke. She couldn’t see the flames searing her property, or the damage from the powerful explosion that toppled the vacant home next door and launched a tower of smoke and dust into the air.

Figueroa grabbed the woman who has been “like a grandmother” to him for the past four years and carried her to safety.

His act helped avert a tragedy after an explosion and spectacular fire reduced a vacant home to a twisted pile of charred rubble and displaced 17 people, but left just one injured and no one

dead Monday morning, authorities said.

A gas leak inside 741 South 15th Street is the suspected cause of the explosion early Monday morning, said Capt.

John Brown, a spokesman for the Newark Fire Department. The blast destroyed the building, leaving a five-foot high lump of charred wood and steel that firefighters spent the morning combing through.

The blast shattered windows in two adjacent residences, and subsequent fires scorched both Figueroa’s apartment and another adjacent building, causing a partial roof collapse at 743 South 15th Street, said Brown.

While the fire burned for more than an hour, it was the first “boom” that rocked the neighborhood.

“It was like a big door slammed shut,” Terry Sanders, 43, said. “It knocked me down to my knees.”

Witnesses said a pillar of ash and fire shot into the night sky, while the blast sent shock waves all the way up to Ellis and 18th streets, causing 21-year-old Justus Abongo to run outside, to see smoke and sparks billowing into the air.

“It shook the whole building,” said Abongo, who lives almost eight blocks away.

The blast startled residents and provided some scary visuals throughout the neighborhood, but no one was seriously injured.

Seventeen people were relocated by the American Red Cross, and one firefighter was treated at Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark for a minor burn, Brown said.

The exact cause of the fire remains undetermined, but arson investigators believe the gas leak was the main factor behind the blaze, Brown said. About 75 firefighters responded to the blaze, according to Fire Chief John Centanni, who said rescue crews “did an excellent job given the conditions found upon arrival.”

Figueroa said he was shocked by the chaotic sight of fire and smoke shrouding his home and neighborhood, but was simply thankful everyone escaped without injury.

“The flames were so bright it scared me ... I had to get everybody out of the house,” he said. “I said to myself God is with us. Thank God that I got everybody out of the house.”

15

Tr enton killer draws 26-year ter m

N.J. owes thousands of corrections officers back pay, judge rules

By MARYANN SPOTO TRENTON The state must pay thousands of corrections officers back pay for their participation in a pilot program that lasted 10 years beyond its experimental phase, a Superior Court judge says.

If the ruling is allowed to stand, the state will be responsible for millions of dollars in compensation for new corrections officers whom the court said worked under a job title that didn’t officially exist from 1999 to 2009 during a 14-week training period.

The dispute centers on a program the state began in

January 1998 establishing the pay and training for newly hired corrections e m p l o y e e s .

Previously, new hires, who were classified as corrections officer recruits, were trained for 14 weeks while they worked at correctional facilities for a regular salary.

Under the pilot program, new hires worked under the title student/trainee.

The first 12 weeks of training took place at the State Corrections Officer Training Academy in Sea Girt, and the final two weeks were held at a correctional facility.

During that 14-week period, they earned a stipend of no more than $300 a week.

That student/trainee title was allowed to exist for 10 years even though the state Department of Personnel did not

certify it until 2009.

“They put in place the rule which they should have done 10 years before,” said Colin Lynch, a Newark attorney representing the corrections officers union, local 105 of the P o l i c e m e n ’ s B e n e v o l e n t Association.

The union and five corrections officers sued in 2009, contending that as a pilot program, that arrangement was only valid for a year and after that the state was required to adopt a rule making the arrangement permanent.

However, the state claimed it did not have to adopt the pilot program to make it legal beyond its first year. An appellate court panel in 2009 disagreed and permitted the case to continue.

On July 12, judge Douglas Hurd ruled the state had breached its implied contract with the union by not formally adopting the program and had to pay up, Lynch said. In a subsequent ruling issued Friday, Hurd said the case could be handled as a class action so that the corrections officers don’t have to sue individually, Lynch said.

The state Attorney General’s Office, which represented the departments of personnel and corrections, did not immediately comment.

The pay differential could be up to several hundred dollars per officer because the pay for new hires has increased over the past decade, Lynch said.

Gordon Foley, charged with the 1996 murder of Marlene "Dickie" Downing in her apartment on Stuyvesant Avenue in Trenton. DNA evidence has linked Foley to the killing, police announced.

By LISA CORYELL TRENTON - A city man yesterday was sentenced to 26 years in prison for strangling and stabbing a woman in a 1996 killing that went unsolved for 12 years.

Gordon Foley, 35, formerly of Parkside Avenue in Trenton, pleaded guilty this past May to aggravated manslaughter in the death of Marlene “Dickie” Downing.

Under the terms of his plea deal, Foley must serve 13 years behind bars before becoming eligible for parole.

Because the state’s No Early Release Act for violent offenders was not in place in 1996, Foley was not required to serve a mandatory 85 percent of his sentence.

Downing, 40, was found dead in her bedroom in the 1100 block of Stuyvesant Avenue about 2 a.m. on Aug. 9, 1996, by police officers who had been dispatched to check on her welfare. She had died of multiple stab wounds and had been choked with an electrical cord. Her murder went unsolved until DNA evidence from blood in Downing’s bathtub linked Foley to the crime in July 2008.

At the time he was charged with Downing’s murder, Foley was two days away from being released from prison, where he was serving a seven-year sentence for aggravated assault in the 2002 stabbing of his wife.

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011

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Kelly Rowland means business with ‘Here I Am’

By JOCELYN VENA Kelly Rowland is proudly declaring Here I Am on her new album, which dropped yesterday. And while she’s always been a soulful R&B diva, the past few years, she’s carved out a place for herself among the dancing queens of the world. And, she said, there’s room for both of those characters on this latest release.

“The personalities aren’t really different,” she explained to MTV News. “I think what I’ve grown to know about my voice is, just having a voice, period, as a woman, you mean business, period — whether that’s making people dance or that’s making people feel in an emotional way or whatever it might be when it comes to R&B. “I think that R&B, of course, is where I’m deeply rooted, period,” she contin-

ued. “I’ll never go anywhere.

I just happened to try something out [dance], and it worked, and that’s just the part of it. And I think that’s what I admire about artists like Chris Brown and Rihanna, who don’t mind putting it all on their album. Who cares? It’s music, and they’re making it: great music. And I’m proud of that, that we do have a generation that is just making great music, period.”

With features from the likes of “Motivation” collaborator Lil Wayne, Big Sean and Rico Love, to name a few, Rowland also got production help from heavy hitters such as Tricky Stewart, Jim Jonsin, David Guetta, RedOne and Rodney Jerkins.

“Above anything, I got to work with creative people.

We were in the same pocket sonically,” she explained.

“And I got the chance to go back in with Rodney Jerkins, and we were just in

a pocket together that ... blew me away, period. And with Red[One] too, everybody. It was so much fun.

I’m so happy with the project.”

This album, for Rowland, was a balance of working with a new crop of producers and a familiar set of people.

That combination helped her shape the many sides of herself. “Red didn’t meet me, but he was like, ‘I don’t think you are singing at your full capacity,’ “ she recalled. “We got into the studio, and when we finished the two records that we did together, I just looked at him and was like, ‘You get it?’ He gets it.

“And Rodney’s been knowing me since I was 17 years old,” she continued.

“Rodney comes into the studio, and he’s like, ‘Wait a minute: What’s happening [with your voice]?’ It’s really interesting how the two are not that far off, but they’re both great ears.”

Beyonce on album ‘4’: Mariah Carey dishes ‘It was not about singles’ about pregnancy in HSN appearance

Beyonce recently released her fourth studio album, 4, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart but its first week sales were her lowest to date. The set’s singles “Run the World (Girls)” and “Best Thing I Never Had” also has not performed like previous releases from the 29-year-old superstar but fear not: Beyonce is happy with the results.

Beyonce is adamant about the “body of work” she wanted to accomplish, noting this album wasn’t about chart toppers.

“This album was a labor of love. It was not about singles,” she told Reuters. “I felt like the emotion and live instruments and just soul (were) missing out of the music industry, especially the popular music that’s out.

I wanted to bring it back to the music I grew up listening to. It’s like a mixture of the ‘90s and the ‘70s and rock-n-roll.”

This new take-charge approach will become prominent to Beyonce fans as she transitions into taking full control of her career.

“It just feels like no one else can tell me how I am supposed to perform, and I think it’s what separates the Michaels and the Madonnas from the artists that are great but are just not quite the Michaels and the Madonnas,” Beyonce said.

The 16-time Grammy winner is also gearing up for her lead role in Clint Eastwood’s remake of the film, “A Star Is Born,” calling it the “biggest opportunity” of her career.

“I met with Clint and I was so nervous and I know that it is the biggest opportunity

of my life. I will work as hard as I can,” she said.

“Because I can’t wait. And I am so happy that he trusts me and I am in good hands and I am so fortunate.”

BEYONCE BOOKED TO SING ON ‘THE VIEW’ Beyonce has been booked to perform this week on the female-powered talk show “The View” in New York.

Bill Geddie, the show’s executive producer, said Monday the recording artist will perform “Best Thing I Never Had” and “1+1” live on tomorrow’s edition of “The View.”

There’s a new YouTube clip that edits together choice moments from Mariah Carey’s scattered Sunday night appearance on HSN, where she promoted her various lines (jewelry, handbag, clothing and perfume) and dished about her “47-week” pregnancy with twins Moroccan and Monroe.

Carey, 41, and hubby Nick Cannon, 30, welcomed their babies on April 4, their third wedding anniversary. When one caller asked the new mom if she remembered speaking with her in February, Carey admitted that was a “bleak” time.

“I was so uncomfortable,” she said. “I’m kind of proud of myself. I really am — sorry, pregnant with twins is different than anything!

[People] were always saying to me, ‘Oh, but it’s all worth it!’ Yeah, but it’s easy to say when you’re not the one whose feet are this big! It turned into like a really difficult time.”

“My body went through so

much,” she added. “Holding those twins in — you have to keep them in as long as possible. It’s a sacrifice you make for them. Literally I was like, 47-weeks pregnant.

And anybody pregnant right now, there’s push gifts here.

Tell your baby-father.”

Carey instructed the camera operators to avoid closeups and take the focus away from her. At one point, she explained: “There’s always drama. It follows me.”

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011

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Michael Jackson family members plan tribute concert

By ALEX DOBUZINSKIS LOS ANGELES — Several members of Michael Jackson’s family unveiled plans on Monday for a tribute concert to the late King of Pop, but performers were unnamed leading to a lessthan-thrilling announcement for the “Thriller” singer.

The tribute show, supported by Jackson family matriarch Katherine Jackson, will be held on October 8 in Cardiff, Wales at the Millennium Stadium, which holds about 75,000 people. It will be broadcast live via satellite on pay-per-view television and into movie theaters around the world, some of which will screen it in 3D, said promoter Global Live Events.

Katherine Jackson told reporters at the unveiling in Los Angeles that she is proud of the event and the caliber of singers performing. No names were announced on

Monday.

“If my son was here today, he would feel the same way, and so I’d like to say thank you very much for helping to keep my son’s legacy alive,” she said.

Michael Jackson, who rose to fame in his family of singers then embarked on a solo career that included smash hits such as “Thriller” and “Billie Jean,” died in June 2009, of an overdose of the surgical anesthetic propofol he used as a sleep aid.

His physician at the time, Dr. Conrad Murray, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in Jackson’s death. He has pleaded not guilty and a trial will start in September.

Jackson’s brother, Jermaine Jackson, tried in vain to mount a tribute concert in Vienna in 2009, but plans were scrapped after he struggled to get big-name acts and the event’s organizer went out of business.

Jermaine, and Michael

Katherine Jackson with her children La Toya, Tito, Jackie and Marlon attend a news conference to announce a tribute concert for Michael Jackson in Beverly Hills.

Jackson’s father Joe, were not on hand at Monday’s announcement.

Instead,

Katherine was joined by family members, Tito, Jackie, Marlon and La Toya.

“I know that this tribute will be something spectacular,” LaToya told reporters.

Usher hosts ‘Leadership Conference’ DMC working on heavy metal-laced rap album for his New Look Foundation Usher joined political dignitaries, media titans, sports luminaries and several hundred kids at Atlanta’s Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre last week for his New Look Foundation charity, which was hosting its threeday World Leadership Conference from July 20 to 22, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The charity was founded

by Usher in 1999, when at 20 years old, he was inspired by what he describes as an “innate desire to give.” He conceived it as a multi-tier

leadership program that would follow its participants from junior high through college.

Usher built the charity on four main pillars — talent, education, career and service — and devised a curriculum that was based in large part on his unique experience: seeing the possibilities of your own future through someone else’s success. The strategy seems to be working — 98% of the youth associated with the foundation graduate high school and go on to college.

“Powered by Service,” “Moguls in Training…” these are the buzz words New Look instills in each of its participants, and to drive the point home, the Grammy winner enlisted the likes of CNN founder Ted Turner, former New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin, country star John Rich and Atlanta Falcons fullback Ovie Mughelli to appear at this year’s conference, which also boasted no less than 18 corporate sponsors, including CocaCola, Ford, Goldman Sachs, Shell and AEG.

Diana Ross to perform in San Francisco SAN FRANCISCO — Music icon Diana Ross is to perform her first concert in San Francisco in more than 40 years, the show’s promoters said Thursday.

Ross is to take the stage Sept. 16 at the Golden Gate Theatre. She last performed in the city with her group The Supremes at the Fairmont Hotel’s Venetian Room in 1969.

“Diana Ross, her music and her voice are legendary,” organizers Rick Bartalini Presents said in a news release. “The concert, a full theatrical experience, will include breathtaking costumes and stage design, along with a live string and horn section.”

Ross has sold more than 100 million records and recorded 18 No. 1 songs.

Rap veteran DMC is preparing to release a heavy metal-inspired record that he’s calling Run-DMC’s 1985 album “King of Rock” – “on steroids.”

DMC, whose real name is Darryl McDaniel, said his forthcoming solo project will take inspirations from the likes of Korn and Limp Bizkit.

“It’s going to be fun, and I worked with the best producers and musicians in the business,” he told SOHH.com. “The majority of the music is all live music instruments. The reason why I say ‘King of Rock’ on steroids was because you had beats and guitars being played.

“This album is completely live. I think what I’m trying to do with this album, if you look at rockers Korn, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Kid Rock said ‘Run-DMC and Aerosmith had a baby and I popped out.’ ” But the 47-year-old rapper said the record’s heavier sound is nothing new because Run-DMC “was never just an urban rap

group” and he is revisiting previous styles with his forthcoming solo project.

“We’re known for creating it but even when we were on Arista Records, those A&R people and the radio and all that stuff, they kept us urban but Run-DMC was never just an urban rap group. We were universal.

We were rock and rap. So this record is saying, ‘OK, you say we created this now this is how we did it.’”

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011

18

New home prices rise, consumers perk up WASHINGTON — single-family New home sales unexpectedly fell in June, but a sharp rise in prices and declining supply suggested the market for new houses was starting to stabilize, a government report showed.

Other data showed consumers grew more confident about the future this month, even though there were still concerns about lack of jobs.

The Commerce Department said new single family homes sales slipped 1 percent to a seasonally adjusted 312,000-unit annual rate. However, the median sales price for a new home increased 5.8 percent last month to $235,200.

Compared to June last year, the median price rose 7.2 percent.

The rise in prices is the

latest sign that home values are starting to stabilize.

“New home prices ... appear to have reached a bottom. However, that conclusion must remain tentative given the large number of distressed properties,” said Steven Wood, chief economist at Insight Economics in Danville, California.

“Fortunately, with no excess ... inventory of unsold new homes, any sustained rebound in new home sales should quickly translate into firmer prices.”

U.S. stocks pared losses as a better-thanexpected reading on consumer confidence boosted investor optimism, while U.S. bond prices were steady at higher levels. The dollar fell because of the stalemate in Washington over raising the debt limit.

The Conference Board said yesterday its index of consumer attitudes rose to 59.5 from 57.6 in June, beating economists expectations for a reading of 56.0.

The reports were hopeful signs for the economy, which has struggled to pull out of a soft-patch.

“You got some improvement (in consumer confidence) but I think the one thing that was not very encouraging is that the present situation actually fell,” said Tom Porcelli, U.S. economist at RBC Capital Markets.

“The increase was due to future expectations. It’s good to be hopeful for the future but we want consumers to be more confident in the present.”

Recent data ranging from employment to

retail sales suggest might not growth rebound as strongly as initially anticipated, and economists warn that failure to raise the country’s debt limit could push the fragile economy over the edge.

The government is expected to report on Friday that the economy grew at a 1.8 percent annual rate, according to a Reuters survey, after a tepid 1.9 percent pace in the first three months of the year.

The anticipated pedestrian growth pace will mostly reflect a sharp deceleration in consumer spending, which was hampered by high gasoline prices and a shortage of some popular motor vehicle models because supply disruptions from Japan.

New home sales last month fell as sales in

the Northeast tumbled to a record low. Sales were also pulled down by a sharp drop in the West.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast sales at a 320,000-unit rate. In the 12 months through June, new home sales rose 1.6 percent.

Despite lean inventories, recovery in the market for new homes is being frustrated by a glut of previously owned homes, which are currently selling well below the cost of new construction.

There were a record low 164,000 new homes available for sale in June. That compares to about 3.77 million used homes on the market in June, plus properties that are in foreclosure.

The scarcity of new homes is encouraging builders to break

ground on new projects. Data last week showed housing starts rose to a six-month high in June.

Other data on Tuesday showed single-family home prices were unchanged in May. The S&P/Case Shiller composite index of home prices in 20 metropolitan was flat on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.4 percent in April.

However, prices fell 4.5 percent from a yearago.

Data last week showed the median price of an existing home in June increased 0.8 percent to $184,300 from a year ago.

At the June’s sales pace, the supply of new homes on the market fell to 6.3 months’ worth, the lowest since April 2010, from 6.4 months’ worth in May.

Walmart puts Vudu on its main site to drive use

By JESSICA WOHL CHICAGO — WalMart Stores Inc. is moving its Vudu video streaming and rental service to a place where it can get attract more eyeballs — the Walmart.com web site — as the growing service competes for attention with a variety of video services.

Adding Vudu to the main Wal-Mart site is the latest way the world’s largest retailer is trying to be the go-to destination for shoppers, both in stores and, increasingly, online.

Vudu, which WalMart bought last year, streams films and shows to computers, certain televisions, Blu-ray DVD players and Sony Corp’s Playstation 3.

Wal-Mart declined to say how many people use its service, which does not offer monthly subscriptions like competitors such as Netflix Inc, although it did say Vudu continues to grow rapidly.

“Our user base has tripled since Christmas,” said Edward Lichty,

Vudu’s general manager, who added that Walmart shoppers are a growing part of Vudu’s business.

Before Tuesday, Vudu essentially operated on its own. Now, shoppers browsing Walmart’s website (www.walmart.com/ or www.walmart.com/vudu ) can order a DVD sent to their home or to a store for pickup and can also rent or buy releases digitally and stream them directly from Walmart.com.

These days, video streaming is picking up steam as people use computers, cellphones and tablets such as Apple Inc’s iPad to buy and watch movies and television shows.

Netflix added 1.8 million subscribers during the second quarter, but sees its U.S. subscriber base shrinking this quarter after it made pricing changes that sparked outrage.

Amazon.com Inc, the biggest Internet retailer, just licensed thousands of television shows from CBS Corp.

Adding Vudu to Walmart’s site may chip away at DVD sales, once

a big revenue generator for Walmart stores. Still, studios are supportive of the Vudu business as “they certainly see the future in digital,” said Lichty.

“You can’t get movies any earlier than you can get them on Vudu,” Lichty said.

Vudu’s movie rentals cost $1 to $5.99, or $3.99 to $6.99 for 3D titles. Buying movies costs $4.99 to $19.99 for regular titles and $11.99 to $21.99 for 3D movies.

“Our value proposition is to be the price leader in an industry and it’s no different in this business,” said Steve Nave, president of Walmart.com. “We will always make sure that we’re the price leader so if a competitor does something we’ll make sure that we’re still leading.”

Netflix now charges a $7.99 monthly fee for streaming.

Blockbuster Inc has launched an aggressive

campaign to lure Netflix subscribers, offering them the chance to rent unlimited DVDs by mail and trade them in for new movies in stores.

Walmart would not say whether it would make a bid for Hulu, the

online video site that Walt Disney Co, News Corp., Comcast Corp.’s NBC Universal and Providence Equity Partners have put up for sale. Netflix said on Monday it would not bid for the rival.

Safran completes $1 billion face-recognition deal

By TIM HEPHER PARIS — France’s Safran has completed a $1 billion purchase of U.S. face-recognition software maker L-1 Identity Solutions and said it was now the world leader in biometric identification.

The French aerospace and defense company said on Tuesday that L-1, whose products are used by border security agencies and by financial institutions, would join

Safran’s existing Morpho security business and would be renamed Morpho Trust.

The deal, first announced in September, values L-1 at $12 a share, which was exactly its closing price on Monday. Its completion follows a probe by a U.S. panel responsible for vetting foreign takeovers of firms in sensitive industries.

Shares in Safran were down 1.3 percent at 28.92 euros on Tuesday morning.

Connecticut-based L1 generated sales of

more than $450 million in 2010, and its results will be included in Safran’s from July 26, Safran said in a statement.

L-1 is the latest in a string of mid-tier security and defense companies that have been snapped up by traditional arms suppliers.

As top contractors face tumbling defense budgets, they are looking to acquire smaller companies with niche technologies in cybersecurity, civil security, surveillance and intelligence — a deliberate

shift in focus from bombs to bytes.

Under the deal, Safran paid $1.09 billion in cash for L-1 and its core biometrics business. L-1’s government consultancy business was acquired by Britain’s BAE Systems .

The use of biometrics, allowing machines to identify people through physical characteristics unique to each individual, is spreading quickly as security fears escalate, despite growing privacy concerns slowing their adoption in some markets.

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011

Ford profit tops Wall St. expectations on strong pricing

By BERNIE WOODALL DEARBORN, Michigan — Ford Motor Co.’s quarterly profit topped Wall Street expectations due to higher North American vehicle sales and prices consumers paid globally for such cars as the Focus and Fiesta.

Ford, the only U.S. automaker that did not accept a government bailout in 2009, has posted a net profit for eight straight quarters.

It racked up net losses of $30 billion from 2006 through 2008 when it cut jobs, sold unprofitable brands and reshaped a lineup laden with large SUVs and pickup trucks.

“These results are pretty good considering some of the stumbling bocks in the economy,” said Mirko Mikelic, senior portfolio manager with Fifth Third Asset Management, which owns Ford shares.

“Even after we came out of the recession, this is still a fragile recovery,” he added.

“It’s really tied to employment and the housing market.”

However, Ford, scheduled to begin talks on Friday with the United Auto Workers union for a new labor deal, also said it expects U.S. industry sales this year to finish at the low end of its previous forecast.

Ford shares were little changed at midmorning yesterday after rising as much as 2 percent early in the session.

Smaller rival Chrysler also reported yesterday, posting a wider second-quarter net loss after the U.S. automaker repaid $7.6 billion in debt stemming from its 2009 federal bailout.

North America was the only region where Ford’s profit improved but pricing rose in every region, helping to offset higher commodity costs. North America was particularly strong, with higher prices for vehicles accounting for $900 million in gains, almost evenly split between higher prices and lower incentives.

“While pricing has been a positive story for Ford for much of this cycle, the pricing gains have accelerated despite heightened incentives

at selected Korean manufacturers,” Jefferies analyst Peter Nesvold said in a research note.

He said the auto business saw pricing rise $1.1 billion over last year, almost double his estimate.

Ford’s net income in the second quarter fell to $2.4 billion, or 59 cents per share, from $2.6 billion or 61 cents per share as it reduced debt by $2.6 billion to $14 billion.

In North America, Ford’s pretax profit for the second quarter rose 0.5 percent to $1.91 billion.

“They’re doing a great job holding (market share),” said Citi analyst Itay Michaeli.

“That’s why you’re seeing a quarter like this, where they’re realizing $900 million in positive pricing on a year over year basis in North America.

We were expecting $700 million.”

Excluding one-time items, Ford’s quarterly profit of 65 cents per share was 5 cents better than what analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S had expected.

Revenue rose 13 percent to $35.5 billion.

Analysts had expected $31.6 billion.

“This wasn’t the easiest of quarters,” Ford Chief Financial Officer Lewis Booth told reporters. “We’ve got through the Japanese tsunami issues very well. We lost some units (vehicle production) in Asia Pacific, but managed to lose a lot less than we expected and we didn’t really lose any significant units anywhere else in the world.”

However, Booth added Ford now sees U.S. sales for the full year at the bottom end of its previous forecast of 13 million to 13.5 million vehicles. Earlier in the year, Ford had expected the higher end of the range.

Ford’s forecast includes medium and heavy trucks, which account for 250,000 to 300,000 in annual sales.

The shift in outlook echoed comments previously made by rival General Motors Co and comes after disappointing U.S. industry sales in May and June.

Ford is striving to return to an investment grade rating by the major ratings agencies.

19

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Most major agencies have Ford rated two notches below investment grade. Ford was last at investment grade in May 2005.

However, Booth said he expected a re-examination by the agencies once talks for a new labor deal with the UAW are completed.

The union represents about 41,000 Ford hourly workers.

Ford’s hourly “all-in” labor cost per worker is about $58, compared with about $50-$51 per hour for Chrysler and about $57 per hour at GM. The gap between Ford and its Japanese rivals with U.S. plants has narrowed from about $25 to $30 in 2007 to about $5 to $10 now, according to the Center for Automotive Research of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Ford’s labor costs are higher than Chrysler mainly because it has hired fewer than 100 so-called second-tier workers who make about half the pay of

LinkedIn tightens ties between jobseekers, employers SAN FRANCISCO — Professional social network LinkedIn took the wraps off a tool that allows jobseekers to apply for open positions by sending their LinkedIn profiles directly to prospective employers.

The feature is launching as LinkedIn tries to keep its service ahead of the curve amid competition from new networks such as Google’s Google +, which allows users to segregate contacts into a professional category.

The feature, known as Apply With LinkedIn, allows employers to add a button to online job listings so applicants can

click on it and send their information directly to the company. Applicants have an opportunity to personalize the information

with a cover letter.

For the employer, “it enables them to prioritize better,” said Deep Nishar, senior vice president of products

and user experience at LinkedIn. To some extent, the new service streamlines a process that already takes place, Nishar said. For example, prospective employers often already check applicants’ LinkedIn profiles for insights such as if they know employees at the hiring company.

Prospective employer companies already using the service include movie service Netflix, daily deals service LivingSocial, photo site Photobucket — and, of course, LinkedIn itself.

LinkedIn has 100 million users, but a majority of them don’t

visit the site regularly.

The new Apply With LinkedIn feature will prompt jobseekers to update their profiles by alerting them of the date of their last update.

The tool comes on the heels of LinkedIn’s March introduction of the LinkedIn Today service, which allows members to see news stories that are popular within their networks or industries.

It also comes as Google’s new network steamrolled past the 20 million user mark in just a few weeks, according to ComScore.

Nishar said competition helped LinkedIn stay sharp.

veteran UAW-represented workers, while about 12 percent of Chrysler’s 22,800 union auto workers make the lesser wage.

The Center for Automotive Research also said Ford’s estimated U.S. auto production labor costs are about $5.1 billion annually.

Booth said Ford’s profit was hampered by higher commodity costs related mainly to higher oil prices. He said prices for plastics, steel, aluminum, cooper and precious metals are all on the rise and affecting profit margins.

“As we continue to see growth in Asia, commodities stay under pressure,” he said.

In its home U.S. market, the No. 2 U.S. automaker had a 16.9 percent market share through the first half of this year, compared with 17 percent a year ago.

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DAILY CHALLENGE

SPORTS

21 21

Ragged play, free agency frenzy ahead for NFL

By BARRY WILNER If “futbol” is the beautiful game, football NFL style could be the ugly stepchild this summer.

And maybe into the fall.

With the 41/2-month lockout over, everything about the next few weeks, perhaps months, in the NFL will be tough. The lockout erased all offseason activities; dozens of players, particularly rookies or those whose coaching staffs have changed, haven’t seen playbooks yet. And it prevented players from working out at team facilities with team doctors and trainers, a key to staying in football shape.

“I think it’s pretty much going to be a whirlwind,” Bengals tight end Reggie Kelly said Monday.

“It’s

going to be a lot of not necessarily chaos, but it’s not going to be an ideal type of situation.

A lot of things are fastforwarded ...

“Obviously, we’ve never faced anything like this before. We never faced not having offseason training.”

The whirlwind begins yesterday when teams can start signing 2011 draft picks and rookie free agents.

They also can begin making trades and have conversations with veteran free agents from all teams.

But no signings can occur until Friday, and there will be no window for teams to negotiate exclusively with their own veteran free agents.

“It’s going to be like speed dating,” agent Joe Linta said. “I worry we won’t have the time to think about it like before. And we can’t sign until Friday and can’t practice until (next) Monday or yes-

terday or so.

“Every coach will need a personal psychiatrist.”

Of primary concern is that the product on the field might not match what the NFL usually provides, and that could be the biggest impact of the lockout.

“I don’t think the product is going to be as good as early, especially if we have to play a preseason game as it’s scheduled on a week’s practice,” Cardinals star receiver Larry Fitzgerald said Monday after the players’ executive committee and team representatives approved a labor agreement with the league.

“That’s going to be tough.”

If fans thought preseason games were hard to watch before, just wait.

And don’t wait for the big stars to make many appearances, at least not until deep into the preseason. The first

Ravens will cut Derrick Mason With the NFL lockout over, the Baltimore Ravens have begun to shed veteran players.

First on the chopping block: wide receiver Derrick Mason.

Mason will be released when the league calendar permits it. Sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter on Monday that Baltimore also has told running back Willis McGahee and tight end Todd Heap they will be cut.

Defensive tackle Kelly Gregg also will be released, according to multiple media reports.

Mason, 37, was the most productive of the veteran foursome last season; the 15-year veteran caught 61 passes for 802 yards and seven touchdowns.

Mason’s production dropped in the first season since Baltimore

added Pro Bowl wideout Anquan Boldin last offseason.

“It’s a little bittersweet,” Mason told The Baltimore Sun. “I understand the business of football, and I understand what has to be done in the business of football. It was good while I was there.

I can’t hang my head down. I think I did everything above and beyond what they asked me to do when I came in there six years ago. And I think everybody in that building can attest to that. If last year truly was my last year in a Ravens uniform, then I’ve enjoyed every bit of it.”

Mason signed with the Ravens in 2005 after nine seasons with the Tennessee Titans.

Despite playing in a run-oriented offense for much of his six seasons in Baltimore, he

accumulated four seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards.

Mason told The Sun that he would be open to returning to the Ravens, but regardless plans to play a few more seasons.

“This is just another chip on my shoulder,” Mason told The Sun. “This is something else that fuels me and makes me try to be as productive on the field as I can, whether that be in Baltimore — and I hope it is — or somewhere else. [My return] is solely up to them. I love Baltimore. The city embraced me. The organization is great from top to bottom. My first thing would be: ‘Why not Baltimore?’

They’re primed to win a Super Bowl and I don’t want to go nowhere else but a place that is primed to contend for a Super Bowl.”

two weeks of exhibition games might look like scrimmages - college scrimmages.

“I think we have to be very careful with these training camp practices and preseason games,” Kelly said. “A lot of players don’t have playbooks, a lot of young guys are not acclimated to the NFL yet. You have to gradually work guys into the NFL system. I could see guys suffer a lot of injuries, a lot of miscues and blown assignments.

That’s not what you want out of NFL football. You want to give the fans a good, quality game. Even if you err on the side of caution, I think that’s good.”

Tell that to the folks dishing out regularseason prices for tickets.

Then again, maybe they should be used to hiding their eyes.

“How much sloppier can it get?” said Vikings linebacker Ben Leber, a plaintiff in the antitrust lawsuit that 10 players filed against the NFL on March 11.

“You look at the first

couple games of the preseason, even when we have minicamps and OTAs, the quality of play is to the point where nobody feels good about it. Now that we’ve missed all this offseason time, there are going to be even more growing pains for everybody.”

With rookies and fringe players eager to impress, the prospect of injuries is greater than ever.

“The lack of offseason will seriously affect those that have not prepared on their own or at a facility,” said Brian Martin, CEO of TEST Football Academies in Florida and New Jersey, places where dozens of NFL players train. “Based on working with over 60 active NFL guys, I believe it is roughly 50-50 with those that are workers and those who are not.

Many rely on natural gifts, and they will be affected with the lack of mandatory conditioning.

“The most common injuries will be pulled muscles, hamstrings

and groins primarily, due to lack of preparation,” Martin said.

“Players need to lengthen and strengthen muscles in the offseason to be ready for the rigors of the NFL.” No one can be ready for the rigors of a free agency frenzy, either.

Normally, on March 1, free agents are courted and wooed by various bidders. They make visits to team facilities, meet with coaches and other team personnel, perhaps with the owner. They sometimes even look at potential housing.

Perhaps most significantly, they take physicals. It’s not unheard of for a team to pass on a free agent because of a sketchy physical - just ask the Dolphins about Drew Brees’ shoulder.

All of that could fall victim to the lockout.

“We’ll be trying to get up to speed in 11/2 weeks or two,” Linta said. “When they get on the field, it will be like trying to play a game right after minicamp in May.”

Cowboys to cut Roy Williams IRVING, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys will cut ties with wide receiver Roy Williams, multiple sources said yesterday.

Team owner and general manager Jerry Jones met with some players yesterday morning and told them not to bother reporting to training camp Wednesday in San Antonio because they will be cut.

Marion Barber, Pro Bowl guard Leonard Davis and kicker Kris Brown also will not be returning to the Cowboys, multiple sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter and ESPNDallas.com.

By cutting Williams, the Cowboys will save $5 million against the

salary cap because he has been designated as a June 1 cut.

Williams struggled to produce after the Cowboys traded three draft picks to the Detroit Lions at the trade deadline for the receiver in 2009.

Williams, who battled a groin injury during the second half of last season, caught only 37 passes for 530 yards and five touchdowns in 2010. In his three seasons with the Cowboys, Williams totaled 1,324 receiving yards.

After catching 19 passes in his first season, Williams’ totals were expected to increase after the Cowboys released Terrell Owens. That didn’t happen.

Williams lost his role as the lead receiver in 2009 when Miles Austin — subbing for an injured Williams — emerged with a 250yard, two-touchdown performance at Kansas City.

Williams maintained his role as a starter but didn’t get the ball on a consistent basis and had trouble developing a chemistry with quarterback Tony Romo and then-offensive coordinator — and current head coach — Jason Garrett.

Garrett spoke to Williams late in the 2010 season about comments the receiver made regarding the offense.

Williams said it was a misunderstanding and that the two were fine.

- Calvin Watkins

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SPORTS BRIEFS Boxing promoter Butch Lewis dies at 65.

Butch Lewis, the colorful boxing promoter who worked with Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and Michael and Leon Spinks, has died. He was 65.

Funeral home owner Sammy Congo of Congo Funeral Home in Wilmington, Del., says he received notification of Lewis’ death on Saturday morning and was expected to meet family members on Sunday.

He did not have information about how Lewis died.

Lewis was best known in the ring for sporting tuxedos with no shirt and being involved in some of the sport’s biggest fights. He promoted the Michael Spinks-Mike Tyson fight in 1988 that ended with a first round knock of Spinks, who earned more than $13 million for the fight.

He began his career in boxing in the 1970s, but later branched into music and entertainment.

Before the Zab Judah-Amir Khan fight in Las Vegas on Saturday, Lewis was honored by ring announcer Michael Buffer and given a 10-bell count.

NJ man sentenced for Internet domain name theft ELIZABETH, N.J. - A New Jersey man who admitted stealing a valuable Internet address and selling it to a former NBA player has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Daniel Goncalves pleaded guilty in December to stealing the P2P.com domain name and selling it on the eBay auction website for $111,000. He was sentenced Friday and was ordered to pay restitution.

Goncalves was arrested in 2009 after an investigation by the State Police Cyber Crimes Unit.

He admitted illegally accessing an account belonging to the owners of P2P.com and transferring it to his account. He sold the name to former Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Mark Madsen, known for his uncoordinated dancing at Lakers championship celebrations.

Madsen wasn’t aware the domain name was stolen.

Prosecutors say the name was worth up to $200,000.

Former Olympic sprinter Marion Jones cut by Shock TULSA, Okla. - Former Olympic gold medalwinning sprinter Marion Jones has been cut by the WNBA’s Tulsa Shock, bringing her future in basketball into question.

The Shock announced they had waived Jones to make room for former Oklahoma center Abi Olajuwon.

In her second season, Jones was averaging less than a point per game in 14 appearances for Tulsa, which is a league-worst 1-14 heading into the AllStar break.

“I want to thank the Tulsa Shock, Coach (Nolan) Richardson, the WNBA and my tremendous teammates for providing me the opportunity to fulfill a dream, and a platform to demonstrate to people, especially our youth, that if you have faith, life is full of second chances,” Jones said in a statement released by the team “I love the game and welcome another opportunity to contribute to women’s professional basketball.”

DAILY CHALLENGE

SPORTS

Eagles QB Vick not worried yet about new contract

By DAN GELSTON PHILADELPHIA Michael Vick says he’s focused on football and not yet worried about reaching a new contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles designated Vick their franchise player before the lockout and now have until Sept.

20 to sign him to a multiyear contract or extension. Vick wants to stay with the Eagles.

Entering his third year with the Eagles, but as the No. 1 quarterback for the first time, Vick took over last year for Kevin Kolb. Kolb, expected to be traded by the Eagles, was not among dozens who arrived early at the practice facility on the first day of post-lockout activities.

Vick says he’s not sure if DeSean Jackson will attend the first day of training camp today.

The wide receiver is unhappy with his contract.

Horne Signs Professional Contract With Germany’s BG Gottingen GOTTINGEN, Germany - St. John’s men’s basketball alum Paris Horne became the first member of the Class of 2011 to be inked to a professional contract when he signed with German squad BG Gottingen of the BBL, the team announced today.

Located in Northern Central Germany, BG Gottingen is a member of the German Bundesliga, the premier basketball association in that nation.

League play runs from October to June, and coincides with an international competition called the EuroChallenge, which BG Gottingen won in 2010.

The EuroChallenge features the top teams from across Europe in a tournament setting, where Horne and his squad may face Besiktas, the

Turkish squad of New Jersey Nets star Deron Williams. Former BIG EAST rival Ben Hansbrough, the conference’s 2011 Player of the Year from Notre Dame, has also signed with a team in the German Bundesliga.

“We are pleased that Paris has received this well-deserved opportunity to play professional basketball,” said St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin. “Paris will add true value to his new team as he is one of the hardest workers and best defenders that I’ve had the opportunity to

coach. His best days in basketball are ahead of him.”

“I’m very excited to begin my professional career,” said Horne. “I would like to thank Coach Lavin and the St. John’s coaches for teaching me so much in the past year, as well as the former coaches for giving me the chance to play college basketball at the highest level and in the toughest conference. All of that contributed to my experience at St. John’s and helped prepare me for professional basketball.

I’d also like to thank all of the fans that stuck with us through thick and thin, and I hope they all continue to follow me throughout my career.”

Horne - one of STJ’s toughest perimeter defenders over his fouryear career - also left his mark in the Red

Storm’s offensive career record books. With 148 career 3-point field goals made - including the game-winner at Providence (Jan. 1) Horne finished his tenure tied with Felipe Lopez (1994-98) for second all-time, and was only three treys short of moving into a firstplace tie with Willie Shaw (151, 2000-03).

His 1,199 career points made him St. John’s 46th member of the 1,000-point club, where he finished his career 30th all-time. As a sophomore in 2008-09, he improved his scoring by 9.5 points per game to lead the Red Storm with a 14.6 ppg scoring average, while averaging 16.1 ppg in BIG EAST play and earning first team AllMet honors from the M e t r o p o l i t a n Basketball Writers’ Association.

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SPORTS

Pryor may get around rules again

By DAN WETZEL As the nation’s top high school recruit in 2008, Terrelle Pryor refused to choose a school on signing day.

He instead waited more than a month, pointing the national spotlight gloriously on himself before finally choosing Ohio State.

As a Buckeye quarterback, he had a propensity for driving a different car every few months and living where other college kids don’t normally live. Even after getting caught up in NCAA rule violations, his athletic director and conference commissioner embarrassed themselves by politicking to keep him bowl eligible.

It’s apparent in reading ex-Buckeye coach Jim Tressel’s 139-page interview with the NCAA enforcement staff that Tressel was petrified of Pryor’s attention-starved personality. So much so that Tressel maintained frequent contact with Pryor’s mentor, Ted Sarniak, who would speak to the quarter-

back three or four times a day.

“You gotta remind him,” Tressel said he would tell ted Sarniak, “that he’s under a microscope.”

It was advice that never took. Pryor, after all, was the guy who pulled up in a nice Nissan 350Z to the team meeting following Tressel’s resignation.

The guidelines have never appeared to be a big concern for Terrelle Pryor, which is why he finds himself wondering if the NFL will strictly interpret its rules and thus keep him out of football for a year.

On June 7, Pryor announced he was leaving Ohio State and entering the NFL’s supplemental draft. He was met with mostly good riddance in Ohio due to his role in costing Tressel his job. The question is whether or not he was ever eligible to make such a move. If not, he’d have to wait and work out on his own until the April 2012 draft. “[The supplemental draft] is for players whose circumstances

have changed after the regular draft,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told Yahoo! Sports on Monday.

The problem for Pryor is he originally chose to return to OSU for his senior season and in reversing course, he may not fit any of the NFL’s set criteria to be eligible.

“Flunked out of school, kicked off the team, graduated and decided to leave school,” Aiello listed.

While it doesn’t seem like Ohio State wanted him around anymore he was already suspended for the first five games of the season - he wasn’t technically thrown off the team. He also hadn’t flunked out of school. And he certainly didn’t graduate and then decide to turn pro.

Aiello said that as of Monday night, the NFL hadn’t even scheduled the supplemental draft due to the labor lockout that finally concluded.

A ruling on Pryor is still pending.

And so now here is a moment of comeuppance and there is no lack of fans (even

Buckeye fans) who are enjoying the possibility of the system finally catching up with Pyror.

What his coaches, mentors and the NCAA never would do, perhaps the NFL will: Make Terrelle Pryor follow the rules.

While the sentiment is understandable, it’s also shallow and unnecessary.

The NFL should approve Pryor to enter the supplemental draft.

Look, Pryor isn’t some sympathetic victim, but this isn’t exactly the most important, iron-clad rule ever invented.

The NFL doesn’t want players gaming the draft process to finesse their way to their chosen team or to skip the more comprehensive scouting of the traditional draft. In 1985, quarterback Bernie Kosar used the supplemental draft to get picked by the Cleveland Browns rather than Minnesota Vikings. That’s caused the league to tighten things up.

“It is not a mechanism for bypassing the regular draft,” Aiello

DeSean Jackson to hold out?

By ASHLEY FOX PHILADELPHIA — Michael Vick said yesterday that he was unsure whether his No. 1 target, fourth-year wide receiver DeSean Jackson, will report on time to the Philadelphia Eagles’ training camp, scheduled to open today.

“I spoke to DeSean yesterday, and we’re trying to figure out what’s going to happen,” Vick said.

“Hopefully he’ll be here tomorrow. DeSean just has to think about it and has some decisions to make that only himself can make.”

Jackson is entering the final year of his rookie contract, with a base salary this season of approximately $560,000. Last season, Jackson made his second Pro Bowl and averaged 22.5 yards per catch, the most of any player with a minimum of 45 catches.

Since he entered the

league as a secondround draft choice in 2008 out of California, Jackson leads the NFL in yards per catch (18.3) and punt return yards (1,112).

“Just being realistic about the situation, it’s all in what DeSean wants,” Vick said. “So we’re rooting for him, and hopefully he’ll be here, and I think he will.”

Jackson’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

The Eagles’ other major contract situation involves Vick. The team used the franchise tag on him and will

have until Sept. 20 to sign him to a long-term deal. Vick said he would “obviously” like to stay in Philadelphia beyond this season, but he added he is not overly concerned about getting a new deal done before the deadline.

“My focus now is going to be on football,” Vick said. “I think everything happens when it’s supposed to. I put that totally in the hands of God and this organization to make that happen. My main priority right now is to be the best football player I can be, and let that carry over to the game and let things happen when it’s supposed to.”

said.

Fair enough. One can see why the NFL doesn’t want an X-factor such as Pryor going through an abbreviated scouting process, especially in this post-lockout free-for-all. There are major questions about his ability to play quarterback, which is why he was returning to Ohio State in the first place - even with the lengthy suspension.

“The sooner the better because we’ve got to set up a workout for him; we’ve got to get him meetings with teams; we’ve got have him taking physicals,” Drew Rosenhaus, Pryor’s agent, told ESPN. “So we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Then there are the character and maturity issues that troubled even Tressel. If Pryor can help bring down an iconic college coach although let’s note Tressel did himself in by covering up Pryor’s misconduct then which NFL executive is secure enough to hire him without a long look?

That said, Pryor didn’t lock out the players,

the league did. And he didn’t plan on using the supplemental draft to get over on the NFL. His circumstances did change. It’s understandable the NFL doesn’t have a specific line item about a storied program imploding over a memorabilia-fortattoos swap, but that’s essentially what happened at Ohio State.

Besides, the idea that Pryor would be eligible to enter the NFL if he simply flunked out shows this isn’t supposed to be some moral hurdle.

In a bit of irony, Pryor’s camp may argue that his actions were so egregious that the NCAA should have declared him permanently ineligible rather than just suspend him for five games. As such, he should be eligible for the draft.

It’s like he’s renouncing all past cover-ups.

There’s no doubt Pryor has had the rules rewritten for him time and time again. And while it would be easy to say enough is enough, it’s the spirit of the statute, not the letter that matters.

North Dakota fights alone to keep Sioux nickname GRAND FORKS, N.D. - North Dakota political leaders are asking the NCAA to back off and let the state’s flagship university keep its Fighting Sioux name and logo, even at the risk of potential blacklisting and scorn by other universities and its own conference.

Lawmaker involvement is a strategy even some University of North Dakota boosters question, and is unique among schools forced to decide whether to drop American Indian nicknames deemed hostile and abusive or accept penalties for keeping them.

North Dakota’s debate appeared to be resolved when the state Board of Higher Education agreed in 2009 to drop the Fighting Sioux logo and nickname and UND agreed to phase them out by this Aug. 15.

But state lawmakers intervened earlier this year, passing a law that requires the university to retain the moniker and logo. If the school keeps them past the Aug. 15 deadline, it will not be allowed to use them in postseason tournaments nor host any such events.

- DAVE KOLPACK

DAILY CHALLENGE

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