Daily Challenge 8-24-11 by Business In The Black

WORLD TRADE CENTER MAY FACE MORE DELAYS - PG. 2 NATIONAL NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION

THE NATION’S ONLY BLACK DAILY 35 Cents

Final

EARTHQUAKE FELT IN NYC

Workers evacuate the New York after an earthquake strikes the State Supreme Courthouse on East Coast of the United States. Centre Street in lower Manhattan SEE PAGE 3.

Traffic stopped at the New Jersey bound entrance to the Holland tunnel after tremors from a 5.9 earthquake.

WWW.DAILYCHALLENGENEWS.COM

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

N EW S BR IE F S USS NEW YORK COMING TO LOWER MANHATTAN FOR 9/11 ANNIVERSARY The USS New York is coming back to the city to take part in the upcoming September 11th ceremonies. The Navy ship, which was forged from 7.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center, will anchor off Lower Manhattan for the 10th anniversary of the terror attacks. The Navy agreed to bring the ship to the city at the urging of Senator Charles Schumer, who said its presence in New York Harbor would be of great significance to those who lost loved ones. Schumer says it’s only fitting to have a ship born out of the rubble of 9/11 at the ceremonies. It’s not clear how long the ship will be in town or whether it will be open to the public during its stay. BRONX PRINCIPAL RESIGNS AMID GRADE CHANGE ALLEGATIONS The city says a school principal who improperly altered students’ grades has resigned from a Bronx high school, but will continue to work for the Department of Education. A DOE report issued Friday says former Herbert H. Lehman High School principal Janet Saraceno changed 30 students’ course grades from failing to passing if they passed a Regents exam in the same subject. Other allegations against Saraceno were dismissed, including claims she gave credit to students for courses they didn’t take. The DOE says she will work as a so-called “achievement coach” and continue earning her principal’s salary. Saraceno will not be eligible for a $25,000 performance bonus. DOT PLEDGES $745 MILLION FOR RAIL IMPROVEMENTS Rail projects in the city and beyond are getting on track, thanks to a big check from Washington. The Department of Transportation is pledging $745 million for rail improvements in the Northeast, with most of the funding going toward upgrading the tracks between Trenton and New York. The planned improvements will increase the Acela’s top speed from 135 miles per hour to 160. The construction will also allow Amtrak’s next generation of high-speed trains to go as fast as 186 miles per hour. The rest of the money will be used to build an overpass at the crowded Harold Interlocking rail junction in Queens. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the improvements will create 12,000 new jobs. Construction is expected to begin in 2012.

World Trade Center may face more delays By JOAN GRALLA and ILAINA JONAS Uncertainty about what to expect from the federal government’s tax and revenue policies might further delay construction of two out of the five World Trade Center towers, the project’s developer, Larry Silverstein said in an interview. The rebuilding of the World Trade Center, demolished in the attacks of September 11, 2001, is already years behind schedule, because of lengthy battles over Silverstein’s insurance claims, security, and designs. Wall Street’s recent summertime slide, which might puncture the economies of both the city and the country, last month cost Silverstein a major tenant for his Tower 3. Disappointing profits prompted UBS AG to drop plans to move some investment bankers to the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan from Stamford, Connecticut. The developer said he cannot build Tower 3, designed by Britain’s Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, with a facade that features diagonal supports, above seven floors until he get private financing. Landing UBS would have been a big help. Silverstein said a lack of political leadership in Washington on economic policies could make prospective tenants delay any decision to move to the new buildings. Businesses want certainty and predictability, and Washington has not displayed those qualities this summer, particularly in the fight over the debt ceiling and federal spending, he said. “One of the things that creates uncertainty is not knowing who the leadership is, where it’s coming from, what’s going to happen tomor-

A general view shows the south pool waterfall as work continues on the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center site. row,” Silverstein said on Monday. “With all this uncertainty it could be a while before things turn, but when the turn comes it can come pretty quickly.” Silverstein might jump back in the ring for the site of the former Deutsche Bank building, where Tower 5 is planned. That tower had to razed because it couldn’t be repaired, a process that took years because of contamination and a 2007 blaze that killed two firefighters. “I haven’t thought about that (site), but at some time I’m sure that will come into our focus,” he said. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey owns the 16-acre (6.5 hectare) World Trade Center property, one of the world’s most complex construction projects. Four skyscrapers and a mass transit hub

are planned for site, which features waterfalls in the footprints of the former twin towers. An active subway line also runs through the complex. Silverstein has clashed with the Port Authority over financing and its delays in readying the site. Under his current deal, the agency is building One World Trade Center, the 102-story skyscraper formerly called the Freedom Tower. Silverstein’s Tower 4, designed by Japan’s Maki and Associates and which will be clad with a metallic mesh, is fully financed and should open in 2013. The Port Authority and New York City have leased offices there. “Financing issues are not that critical to us,” Silverstein said. Companies with leases expiring in the next few years likely will turn to the World Trade Center towers, he said.

Judge sets September hearing on cigarette ads By JEREMY PELOFSKY and ANNA YUKHANANOV WASHINGTON — A U.S. judge set a September hearing on the tobacco industry’s request to block Food and Drug Administration requirements for new graphic labels and advertising that warn consumers about the risks of smoking. Judge Richard Leon ordered a quick September 21 hearing on the industry’s request for a preliminary injunction, despite objections by the Obama administration, which argued

that the companies would not suffer irreparable harm without it. With the September hearing, Leon said he hoped to have a decision sometime in October. He warned the parties that he had a full calendar of trials over the next several months, making it harder to fit the tobacco case into his schedule. Any decision by Leon is likely to be appealed. Reynolds American Inc.’s R.J. Reynolds unit, Lorillard Inc., Liggett Group LLC and Commonwealth Brands Inc, owned by Britain’s Imperial Tobacco Group Plc, sued the FDA over the labels, saying they are

unconstitutional. The labels are part of a 2009 law passed by Congress that requires color warnings on the cigarette packages and on printed advertising. The industry says the warnings, due to go into effect by September 2012, force them to “engage in anti-smoking advocacy” on the government’s behalf. They argued they need a quick ruling because they would have to start in November or December and spend millions of dollars to comply with the requirements. Justice Department attorneys said the money was a small fraction of the companies’ net sales.

Youth curfew to stop flash mobs in Philadelphia extended By DAVE WARNER PHILADELPHIA — A youth curfew has worked so well at quenching flash mobs in downtown Philadelphia that it has been extended until school resumes after Labor Day, officials said. Not a single flash mob incident has been reported since the 9 p.m. curfew went into effect on August 9, said

Mark McDonald, a spokesman for Mayor Michael Nutter. At the same time, 106 youths have been detained as violators of the curfew for anyone under age 18 in both Center City and University City, he said. Those detained were taken to police stations, where their parents were called to pick them up. “It’s working,” McDonald said. The curfew was scheduled to expire last weekend but was extended until

after Labor Day, when school resumes in Philadelphia. The mayor put the curfew in place after roaming hordes of youths as young as 11 set upon a pedestrian and broke the man’s teeth, and assaulted storeowners. McDonald said the city has been using a carrot and stick approach by detaining violators but also keeping city recreation centers open later and sponsoring events for young people.

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

Earthquake felt in New York City office buildings Tremors shook New York City office buildings yesterday, prompting evacuations of courthouses, City Hall and halting work at the World Trade Center construction site, officials and witnesses said. It was not immediately clear if there was any damage or injuries in the city, but fire department and police officials in nearby Dutchess County, reported structural damage to some buildings. Trade went uninterrupted on the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE said. A spokesman for the city transit agency said the quake was felt but declined immediate comment on whether the subway system was affected. Control towers at John F. Kennedy airport and Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey were also evacuated.

Christina Summers, a young mother who lives in New York City’s Greenwich Village, said she thought the shaking was caused by construction in a neighboring apartment. “Holy cow! My couch was wiggling like those beds you put a quarter in,” Summers said. People working in skyscrapers in Manhattan, including the United Nations headquarters, said they felt their buildings sway at about 1:52 p.m. The tremors struck as Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance had just started a news conference to explain why his office had decided to drop criminal sexual assault charges against former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn. The news conference was halted and state and federal buildings in lower Manhattan were evacuated as a precaution.

People gather outside of their buildings after being evacuated following an earthquake.

NJ GOP lawmaker quit over wife’s Carl Lewis email By ANGELA DELLI SANTI TRENTON, N.J. — A freshman Republican lawmaker resigned because his wife sent “an offensive and racist” email to the Democratic state Senate campaign of nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis, a GOP official acknowledged Monday. Pat Delany stepped down from the state Assembly this month and said he wouldn’t seek a full term in November because of his wife’s missive to Lewis’ campaign, Burlington County Republican Chairman Bill Layton said. Delany originally cited an unspecified family issue as the reason for his abrupt resignation. Delany and his wife, Jennifer Delany, are white. Lewis, a political novice who’s among the greatest athletes of all time, is Black. Jennifer Delany’s email to Lewis’ campaign said, in part, “Imagine having dark skin and name recognition and the nerve to think that

equaled knowing something about politics.” Layton said Pat Delany decided to leave office to shield his three children from “a hurtful and embarrassing public spectacle involving their mother.” “Former Assemblyman Pat Delany’s wife inexplicably sent an offensive and racist email in response to a routine email from Carl Lewis’ campaign; her actions were inexcusable,” Layton said. Delany said in a statement that he and his wife don’t share the same racial views. He said he was sorry. “On behalf of my family, we sincerely apologize to Mr. Lewis for any pain this caused him,” he said. Neither the Delanys nor Lewis could be reached by telephone for comment Monday. Lewis is running for state Senate in New Jersey’s 8th Legislative District. Delany was part of the opposing GOP Assembly slate in the district. Lewis and Republicans have been

fighting over whether he meets the state’s four-year residency requirement for state Senate candidates. He grew up in Willingboro, a middleclass town between Philadelphia and Trenton, but recently has lived in California, where he owns a home. He went to Texas for college and in 1984 moved from track star to celebrity when he won four gold medals at the Los Angeles Olympics. Over the next 12 years, he would collect five more golds at the Olympics. New Jersey’s top elections official, Republican Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, ruled Lewis ineligible to run for office this spring, and this month she declined to certify his name for the November ballot. Lewis, 50, challenged the ruling in federal and state courts. A federal appeals court allowed Lewis’ name to appear on June primary ballots, and he won his party’s nomination with 2,418 votes in an uncontested race. Republican Sen.

Dawn Addiego won her uncontested party primary with 4,350 votes, and the two would face off in the GOPleaning district in November, if the courts allow. Lewis contends he moved back to New Jersey in 2005, when he bought homes for himself and his mother. He has been a volunteer high school track coach since 2007 and has had a valid New Jersey driver’s license since 2006. However, records show that he voted in California through 2009, which Republicans contend made him a legal resident of that state. Lewis exhausted his appeals in state court when the New Jersey Supreme Court declined to hear the case. The issue before the federal court is whether the state’s residency requirement for state Senate candidates violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment as applied to Lewis. Lewis contends that he knows the issues facing the district and that voters know who he is.

Strauss-Kahn criminal sexual assault case dropped By JOSEPH AX and DANIEL TROTTA A New York judge dropped all criminal sexual assault charges against ex-IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn yesterday, leaving him free to rebuild a shattered career after prosecutors said his accuser lacked credibility. The decision to drop the case ended three months of sordid headlines on both sides of the Atlantic about the accusations by a hotel maid who told police the International Monetary Fund director forced her to perform oral sex on May 14. Strauss-Kahn, who many had seen as the next president of France, was hauled off a plane leaving New York for Paris and arrested. He resigned from the IMF days later, his political plans in tatters. Straus-Kahn left court smiling with his wife Anne Sinclair, saying

in a statement that his life had been a “nightmare.” “I look forward to returning to my country but I have a few small matters to take care of first. I will discuss this at greater length (later),” he told reporters. New York State Supreme Court Justice Michael Obus initially stayed his dismissal of the case for an emergency appeal. But within two hours an appeals court rejected the lastditch effort to push the case forward under a special prosecutor. That appeals decision appeared to leave Strauss-Kahn free to return to France. Prosecutors from the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance on Monday outlined how they lost faith in the accuser, Nafissatou Diallo, 32, a Guinean immigrant who alleged that a naked Strauss-Kahn attacked her in his hotel suite. While her account of the assault remained steadfast, Diallo told a

series of lies about her past and about what happened immediately after the incident in the $3,000-a-night suite in New York’s Sofitel hotel, prosecutors said. Physical evidence was unable to prove lack of consent, leaving the case hinging on the believability of the accuser. But with her testimony changing again and again and as more and more lies about her past emerged, prosecutors concluded in a 25-page filing, “If we do not believe her beyond a reasonable doubt, we cannot ask a jury to do so.” “These past two and a half months have been a nightmare for me and my family,” Straus-Kahn said in his statement. “I want to thank all the friends in France and in the United States who have believed in my innocence.” The case pitted supporters of Strauss-Kahn who said he was the victim of an overzealous U.S. criminal justice system versus backers of

Diallo who complained it was an example of sexual assault victims being denied justice. Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers called Vance’s decision to drop the case “courageous” and said there had been a “collective rush to judgment” by U.S. law enforcement and the media. “You can engage in inappropriate behavior perhaps, but that is much different than a crime. And this case was treated as a crime when it was not,” Strauss-Kahn lawyer Benjamin Brafman said outside the courthouse. Diallo’s lawyer Kenneth Thompson told reporters prosecutors would have pushed ahead with the case if the defendant had been a bus driver or a construction worker and not a famous person. “District Attorney Vance has abandoned an innocent woman ... in a rape case and by doing so he has also abandoned other women who will be raped in the future,” Thompson said.

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

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

How many ways do we die? THOMAS H. WATKINS

A dream both realized and deferred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

>6+8>3- @/8?/ '/6 + $$#+

By REV. DR. HERBERT DAUGHTRY Part Three District Attorney Cyrus Vance Dropped Charges - A memorial prayer vigil, walk, and ceremony for Deron Kittrell Following up on two incidents which I mentioned in my previous articles entitled, “How Many Ways Do We Die?” (dated

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

Continued on page 5

&( & % $' #" % ' & *%

<9956C8 "* #

ing to the circumstances of the incident itself.’” Then, Mr. Vance gets to what I believe the crux of the document. He writes, “The nature and number of the complainant’s falsehoods leaves us unable to credit her version of events beyond a reasonable doubt. If we do not believe her beyond a reasonable doubt, we can ask a jury to do so.” The attorney for Mrs. Diallo, Mr. Kenneth Thompson, a former U.S. prosecutor, in a move prior to the DA’s decision filed a motion, asking for a special prosecutor. He is quoted as saying, “If the Manhattan District Attorney, who is elected to protect our mothers, our daughters, our sisters, our wives and our loved ones, is not going to stand up for them when they’re raped or sexually assaulted, then who will?” I had written a statement entitled, “I Believe Ms. Nafissatou Diallo.” I stand by that statement today. Notwithstanding, all that DA Vance has writ-

6/==8/== )2C 89> :?> =97/ 90 >2/ 297/6/== 38>9 @+-+8> 297/= +85= +</ 90>/8 =:/-3+6 @36 6+38= -2+=381 :<903> +8. </:/66381 >2/ :/9:6/ A29=/ .966+<= 2+@/ 3806+>/. >2/3< ,9>>97 638/ /</ 3= A2+> < 381 =+3. E)/ +</ -+66/. ?:98 >9 2/6: >2/ .3=-9?<+1/. ,/11+<= 38 630/H= 7+<5/>:6+-/ ?> 98/ .+C A/ 7?=> -97/ >9 =// >2+> +8 /.303-/ A23-2 :<9.?-/= ,/11+<= 8//.= </=><?->?<381 *9? =// 7C 0<3/8.= A2/8 C9? ./+6 A3>2 >23= C9? ,/138 >9 +=5 >2/ ;?/=>398 G)29 9A8= >2/ 936 H *9? ,/138 >9 +=5 >2/ ;?/= >398 G)29 9A8= >2/ 3<98 9</ H *9? ,/138 >9 +=5 >2/ ;?/=>398 G)2C 3= 3> >2+> :/9:6/ 2+@/ >9 :+C A+>/< ,366= 38 + A9<6. >2+> 3= >A9 >23<.= A+>/< H < 381 =:95/ >9 /-98973- </=><?->?<381 &9 .9/= >2/ '/+ $+<>C >29?12 0<97 +89>2/< :/< =:/->3@/ '99 7+8C 2+@/ ,//8 =36/8> +,9?> >2/ /-98973- .3=:+<3>3/= >2+> ./038/ 9?< 8+>398 /@/8 += >2/C -/6/,<+>/ +<<C 928=98H= +7+D381 +--97:63=27/8> )236/ 928=98H= .</+7 2+= ,//8 </+63D/. < 381H= .</+7 09< /-989734?=>3-/ A23-2 7/+8= /-98973- </=><?->?<381 </7+38= ./0/<</. '23= 3= + .3-29>97C +8. +6=9 + ><+1/.C

1 67AC8. <3@/ #<+81/ " '/6 .+7 6+C>98 $9A/66 < "/A *9<5 "* '/6 (&$&

$?,63=2/. .+36C /B-/:> &+>?<.+C= &?8.+C= C (&$&

6@.

'& +"

'),% ( !

/1+6

963.+C=

$#&'! &' % &/8. -2+81/= 90 +..</== >9 +36C 2+66/81/ >6+8>3- @/ <9956C8 "/A *9<5

$?,63=2/<

" -# .* /() **

August 17 and 19, 2011), the saga of pain and despair continues in District Attorney Cyrus Vance’s decision and a death by a police shooting. On Monday, DA Vance concluded that Mrs. Nafissatou Diallo was not credible. Throughout the interviews with her, she engaged in lies about her past as well as present incidents. He said she lied about being gang raped in Guinea, immigration papers, and the money deposited into her bank account. In fact, seeking that the charges be dropped against Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the prosecutor said in a 25-page document, “The nature and number of the complaint’s falsehoods leave us unable to credit her version of events beyond a reasonable doubt, we cannot ask a jury to do so.” DA Vance got to the crux of the matter. “In virtually every substantive interview with prosecutors, despite entreaties to simply be truthful, she has not been truthful, on matters great and small, many pertaining to her background and some relat-

) +"

' #+* ,+"')* & % 0 &'+ ) $

+ +" -# .* ' +"

#$0

" $$ &!

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

3 stories you won’t read this MLK weekend By GEORGE E. CURRY In the hoopla surrounding Sunday’s dedication of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial on the National Mall in Washington, Harry E. Johnson, Sr., the visionary and fundraising engine behind the project, will finally get his due. Placing Dr. King on the mall was a project of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, but it was Johnson, a Houston attorney and former president of the fraternity, who made it all happen, raising more than $100 million. In the excitement of placing a statue of the first African American on the mall, there are three stories that readers should be aware of, though few journalists, if any, will cover. The first story is surprising. Among the million dollar-donors to the MLK memorial project, only two African Americans had joined that select club as of July, according to the list of donors compiled by the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation. The Website link listing all donors of a million dollars or more was not active as of Monday. But records examined in July showed that Sheila Johnson-Newman, co-founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET), and Victor B. MacFarlane, a San Francisco real estate developer, were the only Blacks who had made personal or corporate contributions of $1 million or more. Many Black stars hosted fundraisers or provided other support, but only MacFarlane and Johnson-New-

man put up the super bucks. Missing in action were the big-name athletes and entertainers. I don’t have to list them – you know who they are. It is also interesting to look at corporate donations. The General Motors Foundation, under the leadership of Rod Gillum, was in a class by itself, giving $10 million. It was followed by Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation with a $5 million contribution. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the National Basketball Association each donated $3 million. The Walt Disney Company donated $2.7 million. Contributing $2 million each were the Coca-Cola Foundation, the Ford Motor Fund, MetLife Foundation, Toyota Foundation and the Verizon Foundation. The federal government provided approximately $10 million and Alpha Phi Alpha, the driving force behind the King memorial, donated $3.4 million. An additional 39 companies or individuals gave at least $1 million, including Delta Airlines, General Electric, Star Wars creator George Lucas, and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). The second story unlikely to be covered this week is the lack of donations from certain Fortune 100 companies. More than a dozen companies contributed less than $100,000 or nothing at all to the King memorial. They include: Citigroup, Philip Morris, Home Depot, J.P. Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, AOL Time Warner, Goldman Sachs Group, United Parcel

How many ways do we die? Continued on page 5 ten about her. The Councilwoman Letitia James made an important statement, “Is there such a thing as a perfect rape victim?” It is an argument that I emphasized in my statement already referred to. I go further than Councilwoman James. I ask, “Is there any one of us who are perfect in our past behavior and verbiage? What is key to me is that the DA usurps the derogative of a jury. He seems to move away from being a human professional with all of the limitations of our humanity to divine insights and knowledge. Who knows what a jury will decide? The cases are two numerous to even begin to cite jury’s decisions which shocked the world. Mr. Vance should have put forth the evidence that he has, yes, even if he did had questions and doubts, and left the jury to decide. Because of his assumption of the attributes of deity, which nobody believes he had, many people questioned his motives. After all, he would have to go against the most powerful man in the world. Mr. Strauss-Kahn was the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund and a

presidential candidate for France, leading people to believe that the “fix was in.” Alas, Poor Deron and Family Deron Kittrell was a twenty-eight year old father of three. He was killed by the police in Jersey City, New Jersey on July 30, 2011. On Thursday, August 25, 2011, working with the family as a spiritual advisor and program planner, we have organized with the family, a prayer vigil on Brinkerhoff Street and Monticello Avenue, the site of the killing. The prayer will commence at 5pm. At 5:30pm, we will walk along Monticello to MLK, Jr. Dr. (Monticello Avenue runs into MLK, Jr. Dr. to Heavenly Temple, where the ceremony will be held. Heavenly Temple pastored by Reverend Kevin Knight. The church is located at 15 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. Speakers will include family members, local leaders, and myself — the principal speaker, delivering the memorial message. We invite the public to join us. For more information, please contact 718.596.1991. …to be continued. ** Join Reverend Daughtry in Jer-

Service (UPS), Allstate, Sprint and American Express, according to records available as of July. Many of those companies actively court Black consumers. Some even quote Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech from time to time. Yet, when it is time to honor the dreamer, they are asleep at the switch. The third story you won’t be reading about this weekend is in equal parts sad and familiar. It is yet another example of the King children’s greediness. Harry Johnson, head of the mall project, should be given the Nobel Peace Prize for being able to deal with the family dysfunction. According to documents examined by the Associated Press, the mall foundation has paid Intellectual Properties Management, a company owned by the King children, approximately $800,000 for the use of Dr. King’s words and image. Records show that the foundation paid the King entity $761,160 in 2007 to use Dr. King image and words in fundraising materials. It also charged the memorial a management fee $71,000 in 2003. The firm representing the Kings issued a statement saying the fees would go to the Martin Luther King Jr. King Center for Social Change in Atlanta. It said the fees will help offset donations that would go toward erecting the memorial instead of the King center, where both parents are buried. The King family has had its own version of the television show “Family Feud” for years. Dexter, the sey City for the weekly Thursday Evening Educational, Cultural, and Empowerment Forum from 6pm-8pm 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.

youngest brother, was named head of the King center but was released within months by his mother, Coretta Scott King. In 2008, Martin III and Bernice sued Dexter, claiming he had misused MLK center assets and failed to properly involve them in family business matters. Dexter counter sued, charging that his two siblings had misused King Center funds and kept money that should have gone to the center. Under pressure from the judge, the Kings settled out of court. But they have never been able to shed the image of profiting from the name of their father. David Garrow, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his biography of Dr. King, said the civil rights leader would have been “absolutely scandalized by the profiteering behavior of his children.” He told the AP, “I don’t think the Jefferson family, the Lincoln family…I don’t think any other group of family ancestors has been paid a licensing fee for a memorial in Washington. One would think any family would be so thrilled to have their forefather celebrated and memorialized in D.C. that it would never dawn on them to ask for a penny.”

— George E. Curry, former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine and the NNPA News Service, is a keynote speaker, moderator, and media coach. He can be reached through his Web site, www.georgecurry.com. You can also follow him at www.twitter.com/currygeorge. ** 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

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

Fruitful gains for farmers markets By PAULA ROGO More Americans are buying locally grown food and new farmers markets are sprouting throughout the country. During the past year more than 1,000 markets opened, for a total of 7,175, according to figures released by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). And most of the growth is in states other than New York and California, which boast the most fresh food markets. “The remarkable growth in farmers markets is an excellent indicator of the staying power of local and regional foods,” said Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. “These outlets provide economic benefits for producers to grow their business and also to communities by providing increased access to fresh fruits and vegetables and other foods.” She attributed the rise in markets to farmers’ desire for direct contact with consumers to gain a larger

share of the consumer dollar and consumer demand for locally grown food and direct access to farmers. “Whenever there is a food-borne outbreak, it drives more consumers to farmers markets,” said Dianne Eggert, executive director of the Farmer’s Market Federation of New York. “They can ask more questions about how their food is produced.” Alaska had the biggest surge in farmers markets at 46 percent with 35 new markets, followed by Texas and Colorado at second and third with a 38 percent increase in farmers markets. “At first we thought it might be a trend, but we are trying to grow an industry from that trend and diversify market opportunities and different venues for consumers to have access to these products,” Cynthia Torres, of the Colorado Farmers Market Association, said about the state’s increase. In New Mexico, a state that also enjoyed a 38 percent increase with 80 new markets, the demand for new farmers markets outpaces the number of farmers who are able to supply them.

FEMA: Entire U.S. east coast should be alert to Irene

“We get calls from communities that want to start their own markets, but there are not enough farmers to go around,” said Denise Miller, executive director of the state Farmers’ Marketing Association. The markets allow local growers to sell their products directly to consumers, which enhances the development of the state’s food systems that can support family farms and build communities. They also offer opportunities for farmers and their customers to interact. The demand in New Mexico has increased the number of farmers involved from 560 in 2005 to 959 in 2010, according to the New Mexico Farmers’ Marketing Association. But demand seems to be outstrip-

ping supply. “The problem is the number of old farmers is shrinking and there are not a lot of new farmers replacing them,” Miller explained. Torres said she gets about five phone calls a week from towns and councils interested in starting and selling in farmer’s markets. “The economic value is definitely catching on and it is creating revenue streams,” she said. Over the last decade, farmers markets have grown in popularity as the nation navigated through different health trends. The USDA first began publishing numbers in 1994 when there were only 1,755 farmers markets nationwide. A decade later it jumped to 3,706 in 2004, a number that is almost half of this year’s 7,175. The updated market listings were submitted to the USDA on a voluntary, self-reported basis by market managers earlier in the year.

Colorado shaken by its biggest quake in decades By MOLLY O’TOOLE WASHINGTON — A 5.3 magnitude earthquake, the biggest in the state in some four decades, shook Colorado late on Monday in an area of the United States where quakes are rare, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quake struck at 11:46 p.m. Monday night 180 miles south of Denver and 20 miles northwest of Raton, New Mexico, at a depth of 2.5 miles. Area media reported minor damage to some homes but no injuries or deaths. “It’s a seismically active area so it’s not unheard of that you would have an earthquake in this area,” USGS National Earthquake Information Center geophysicist Julie Dutton told Reuters yesterday from Golden, Colorado. “But to have a 5.3 anywhere in Colorado, let alone in this area, is rare.” The quake had triggered 1,107 reports from people who felt the

shaking as of mid-morning. The last Colorado quake — discounting an event linked to an underground nuclear test in 1973 — to measure at least 5.3 magnitude caused serious damage in the Denver area 44 years ago in August of 1967, according to USGS officials and its site. Monday’s quake is rare in the area of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains known as the “Stable Continental Region.” “Most of the enormous region from the Rockies to the Atlantic can go years without an earthquake large enough to be felt,” the USGS wrote in its summary of Monday’s seismic activity, “and several U.S. states have never reported a damaging earthquake.” The Monday quake was felt as far north as Fort Collins, Colorado, some 261 miles from the epicenter, according to the USGS “Did You Feel It?” map, a real-time accumulation of data from local shaking and damage reports.

Father held in drowning of two young sons A crop plantation is flooded after Hurricane Irene hit Puerto Rico. MIAMI — The entire U.S. east coast should be alert to Hurricane Irene as it approaches from the south in the next few days, although it is too early to say where it could directly impact, U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate said yesterday. National Hurricane Center Direc-

tor Bill Read said the “best guess” forecast at the moment was that Irene, which he called a “very large storm”, would approach the coast of the Carolinas on Saturday morning. But New England could also be “in play” for a possible impact from Irene, Read added in a conference call with Fugate.

DALLAS — A Dallas man held in the kidnapping and drowning of his two young sons successfully completed a substance abuse program recently, police said. The program declared Naim Rasool Muhammad, 32, “ready to make the behavioral changes needed to become a pro-social and productive member of society,” The Dallas Morning News reported. Police questioned Muhammad late Monday about the deaths of his sons Naim, 5, and Elijah, 3, who were abducted earlier in the day while walking to school with their mother and a third sibling. Police said that hours after

Muhammad drove off with the two boys they received a call from a woman who said her grandchildren had been drowned. Naim and Elijah were pronounced dead at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas. Police Chief Craig Miller said Muhammad had tried to abduct the couple’s third child but was stopped by a relative. “We’re very fortunate that he didn’t get his youngest child in this case and do harm to that child as well,” Miller said. Police and court records indicate Muhammad was prone to violence against his family.

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

over-drying can waste a lot of energy and damage clothing. the best way to avoid over-drying is to…

plugging appliances into a power strip... a. makes them more powerful b. makes it easy to turn them all off to save energy

a. check the dryer every 10 minutes

b. take the clothes out while still damp

c. use the moisture sensor on your dryer

c. uses less energy because it all comes from one outlet

answer: c

what’s the largest energy user for homes in our area?

answer: b

showers use less energy than baths because... a. they require the water to be less hot than a bath does b. the acoustics are better for singing

c. they use about half as much hot water a. lighting

b. heating

c. electronics

d. toasters

answer: b

answer: c

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

AFRICAN SCENE

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

AFRICAN SCENE

Car thieves’f network dismantled in Algeria Algeria’s paramilitary gendarmerie has dismantled a network dealing in stolen luxury cars that was operating via France and Tunisia, the local press reported yesterday. Police arrested five people and two others are on the run, according to the French-language daily Liberte. At a first hearing, the detainees admitted to running a complicated network between Paris, Tunis and El-Oued, 650 kilometres (400 miles) south of Algiers. The stolen vehicles were shipped across southern Tunisia and wound up at Oued Souf in Algeria. The cross-border network had accomplices “including in France”, according to the paper, which said that the expensive cars “needed forged vehicle logbooks, consular papers, residency certificates and the availability of foreign currency.” The network hired emigrants or frequent travellers to drive the cars for them across border zones. The Algerian gendarmerie and Interpol are working together to identify the stolen cars, the press said.

11 Mauritanian opposition parties want election delay Eleven Mauritanian opposition parties have called for October legislative and municipal elections to be delayed over a lack of transparency in how they were being organised. The parties, which form part of the 13-party Coordination of Democratic Opposition (COD), asked for election preparations to be cancelled as they were taking place without consultations with the opposition. “And we demand the postponement of the elections,” the parties said in a joint communique. The two parties who did not sign the statement had also previously asked for a delay during a meeting with Prime Minister Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghdaf on August 17. According to the statement, the parties demand “a preliminary agreement between all parties on the conditions under which reliable elections should be held.” The country’s opposition parties have criticised “the absence of electoral lists established on a scientific basis, a reliable registry office and independent electoral commission.” Reforms have yet to take place after President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz took power in a 2008 coup, and was later elected in 2009 elections, during which the opposition alleged fraud. The president and opposition parties have been unable to agree on a framework for political dialogue which is meant to address issues on the electoral code, electoral lists, media access, national unity and the political role of the army. The first rounds of municipal and legislative elections are scheduled for October 16.

‘Inhumane conditions’ in S.African wine farms

Workers on South Africa’s renowned wine and fruit farms face unfit housing and exposure to pesticides and are blocked from forming labour unions, a new study showed yesterday The 96-page Human Rights Watch (HRW) report said farmworker wages were among the lowest in South Africa despite the two industries contributing billions of rand to the economy, aiding tourism and exporting products around the world. “The wealth and well-being these workers produce shouldn’t be rooted in human misery,” said Daniel Bekele, the organisation’s Africa director. “The government, and the industries and farmers themselves, need to do a lot more to protect people who live and work on farms.” HRW accused the government of failing to monitor worker conditions and enforce labour laws and said the system used to identify violations of workers’ rights was weakened by labour inspectors who gave farmers notice before site visits. It also said some worker housing was uninhabitable and that workers were vulnerable to

evictions despite protective legislation since 1997, with civil society groups estimating 930,000 expulsions between 1994 and 2004. “One farmworker showed Human Rights Watch the former pig stall without electricity, water or protection from the elements where he has lived with his wife and children for 10 years,” the group said in a statement. Health and safety was also a problem, with the majority of workers not protected from pesticide exposure, many denied access to drinking water, toilets or places to wash hands, and paid sick leave almost always refused without a medical certificate. Trade union representation was as low as three percent on Western Cape farms, as compared to 30 percent in formal labour nationwide. The study was carried out in March, with more than 260 interviews ranging from farmworkers and owners to academics. Industry groups criticised HRW’s research methods, accusing the organisation of bias. “The study relies on anecdotal evidence that uses the cover of respondent protection to avoid

Trial begins of DR Congo driver in mining scam The trial of a local driver who works for the United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, accused of illegally trying to export minerals, has begun, a judicial official said yesterday. On Monday, the provincial mines minister of Nord-Kivu province, Naasson Kubuya Ndoole, announced the arrest of the driver “Julien Mukala illegally transporting 1,200 kilogrammes (2,465 pounds)” of cassiterite and trying to cross the border into Rwanda on a UN mission (Monusco) jeep. “The trial began yesterday (Monday) and will continue tomorrow at the scene of the crime, on the grand barrier between the DR Congo and Rwanda,” said the official close to the case. The prosecutor accused Mukala of hiding the mineral under a tarpaulin and lying to border guards that he was going to fetch water from Gisenyi, on the Rwandan side of the border from Nord-Kivu’s capital, Goma. Mukala told the prosecutor that the bags of minerals had been put there by someone else, who said they contained rice. A second suspect, a trader named Dodo Mukanza, also faces trial for being an accomplice. Cassiterite, like coltan, is found in the NordKivu, Sud-Kivu and Maniema provinces of unstable eastern DR Congo, where rebel forces, local militias and the army are frequently accused of exploiting the mines. Both minerals are widely used in making electronic equipment.

substantiating the claims it makes,” Su Birch, chief executive of Wines of South Africa, said in a statement. “Readers of the report have no basis for understanding how representative the sample of respondents is.” The group questioned HRW’s findings on protecting workers from pesticides and its accusations of sub-standard housing, saying wine farmers had invested billions of rand to house workers. Industry group AgriSA called the report “one-sided, malicious, unfair and highly irresponsible.” HRW acknowledged that conditions varied on farms and not all workers had faced rights abuses, with a small number of positive cases cited that included employers handing workers land to grow crops. “The answer is not to boycott South African products, because that could be disastrous for farmworkers,” said Bekele. “But we are asking retailers to press their suppliers to ensure that there are decent conditions on the farms that produce the products they buy and sell to their customers.”

Trade to top agenda at S.Africa-EU summit Trade and diplomatic ties between the largest economies in Africa and Europe will top the agenda at the fourth annual South Africa-European Union summit on September 15, an official said yesterday. The high-level meeting will focus on “national issues, regional and African issues and trade,” Roeland van de Geer, the EU’s ambassador to South Africa, told journalists. He said the summit would also discuss South Africa’s preparations to host the next major round of UN climate talks from November 28 to December 9 in the eastern port city of Durban. The EU has given South Africa six million euros ($8.7 million) toward the climate conference, which activists are calling a last-ditch chance to renew the emissions reduction targets in the Kyoto Protocol, the only binding global deal to cut greenhouse gases. “We think South Africa has the moral authority to bring (the climate talks) forward,” Van de Geer said. EU President Herman van Rompuy, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton are all expected at the meeting, to be held at Kruger National Park, South Africa’s largest.

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

1 10

NEW JERSEY

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

Beaten to death for crying, Irvington toddler mourned by relatives at Elizabeth funeral By JAMES QUEALLY ELIZABETH When she came to one of the last verses in a poem written to honor her baby cousin, Breanne Dentsy asked what every mourner lining the pews at Union Baptist Church in Elizabeth wanted answered. “I don’t want to question you God, but I keep asking. Why her? Why Madison?” Dentsy said yesterday as she stood over a tiny pink casket which held the body of 10-month-old Madison Marie Spearman. The toddler was beaten to death in Irvington last week. She died because she was crying, authorities say, and her mother’s 15-year-old boyfriend didn’t want to hear it anymore. As relatives in Union County gathered to bury the battered body of Madison, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray announced she would seek to have the alleged killer tried as an adult, a decision

Grandmother Natasha Levant is embraced before funeral services for 10month-old Madison Jade Spearman, who was beaten to death last week in Irvington. Services were at the Union Baptist Church in Elizabeth. Photo/Ed Murray praised by relatives out- her head and body on said Ambrose. side the church this Aug. 15 suffered inside Two law enforcement morning. an apartment rented at sources say the 15-year“We want him Roosevelt Terrace by old, who is not the charged as an adult for the suspect’s family, child’s father, hit the horrific crime that said Anthony Ambrose, Madison because she he committed,” said chief of detectives for wouldn’t stop crying. Natasha Levant, the vic- the Essex County The child’s mother, 19tim’s 37-year-old Prosecutor’s Office. year-old Chrystal grandmother. “I have The boyfriend of the Spearman, was in the pictures of Madison child’s mother, whose house during the from when she was in identity was withheld assault, according to the hospital. He beat because of his age, is the sources, who spoke her to a pulp. He beat being held without bail on condition of her senseless.” on charges of murder, anonymity because Madison died of child endangerment they were not allowed blunt force trauma to and aggravated assault, to officially discuss the

case. She has been charged with child endangerment, and was released on $20,000 bail, Ambrose said. Residents on Roosevelt Terrace said the neighborhood isn’t perfect and is known to be a hot zone for drug trafficking, but news of the infant’s slaying still shocked people yesterday on the tiny block between Grove and 21st streets. “That’s crazy to do that to a baby,” 25-yearold Tiffany Campbell said. “He better serve the maximum sentence.” Nearly 70 people, many wearing T-shirts with a picture of Madison emblazoned on front, filled Union Baptist Church for a short service to say goodbye to “Maddy” before she was buried at Rosehill Cemetery in Linden. As relatives and friends walked up to the casket, a woman screamed “Why?” over and over again, then collapsed in hysterics before the funeral. Delvonte LevantWest, the baby’s father, kept his head down, while wearing a T-shirt bearing his daughter’s

face, as he carried her casket towards a waiting hearse an hour later. Levant, the victim’s grandmother, said both Spearman and her son were loving parents who split custody of Madison. “He took fatherhood seriously and he gave up his friends, and those weekends,” Levant said. “Chrystal loved her to death. She was always happy and clean, a bubbly baby ... when you saw her mother, you saw her.” Spearman had been staying at the Irvington apartment with her boyfriend’s sister, who Levant described as her “best friend.” Relatives were unsure how long she had been dating the defendant. As she wiped away tears and smoked a cigarette outside the church, Levant looked toward her 9-year-old son, Amar’e. Last night, he asked his mother for the box of stuffed animals and blankets placed on Madison’s bed while she was in the hospital. “I need my Maddy box,” he told his mother before bursting into tears.

Elizabeth school lunch discounts come under scrutiny; N.J. officials call for investigation By CHRISTOPHER BAXTER ELIZABETH - The governor’s office has asked the Elizabeth school district and “other authorities” to look into allegations that some of its highranking officials signed their children up for free and subsidized lunches paid for by taxpayers. Four New Jersey lawmakers Monday also urged state and federal authorities to investigate the matter, and the district’s own lawyers said applications for the federally financed pro-

gram - intended to help low-income families would be reviewed. The calls for an investigation came a day after The Sunday Star-Ledger reported that the president of the Elizabeth Board of Education, a school principal and a supervisor of custodians have enrolled their children in the free or reduced lunch program even though they do not meeting federal income eligibility requirements. “The story raised serious allegations that must be addressed by the school district and by other authorities as appropriate,” said Michael Drewniak, a

spokesman for Gov. Chris Christie. In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, state Attorney General Paula Dow and Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow, three Union County Democrats said swift legal action should be taken against the three employees. “Also, we ask that the district administration be investigated for complicity in the fraud and abuse,” wrote Sen. Raymond Lesniak, Assemblyman Joseph Cryan and Assemblywoman Annette Quijano. Among state

Republicans, Sen. Michael Doherty (RWarren) also called for an investigation. “If The Star-Ledger story is true, it appears that highly paid school officials in Elizabeth are gaming the system for their own personal enrichment,” Doherty said in a news release. Kirk Nelson, general counsel for the school district, said school officials are working with the state Department of Agriculture, which oversees the National School Lunch Program, to review the applications disclosed in the newspaper article and to “tighten up anything we may

have to do with regard to that.” The state Department of Agriculture has requested records of the applicants for the program from the district, a department spokeswoman, Lynne Richmond, said. She added that the information will also be reviewed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A spokesman for the state Attorney General’s Office, Paul Loriquet, said that while it was aware of the matter, it does not comment on potential investigations. School records obtained by The Star-

Ledger showed that children of the three highranking officials in the heavily state-supported district eat lunch for little or nothing, even though the parents’ gross incomes appear to exceed federal incomeeligibility limits set by the federal government. Marie L. Munn, president of the Elizabeth Board of Education who is a human resources administrator for a New Jersey nonprofit organization, has a son listed as eligible for free lunch. Her husband is also employed, according to her most recent financial disclosure statement.

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

New American

The

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

One Thought - One Humanity

Tia and Tamera get real with new TV series

For the conclusions of these stories check out the August 4th - August 10th, 2011 issue of The New American, which hits newsstands every Thursday Congratulations may be in order for Janet Jackson who reportedly has let billionaire boyfriend Wissam Al-Mana put a 15carat ring on it!!! According to reports: The singer’s boyfriend, bil lionaire Qatari businessman Wissam Al Mana, recently popped the question, and now the happy couple is planning an end-of-theyear marriage ceremony. “Janet is head over heels in love with Wissam,” said a close source. “He’s showered her with love, expensive presents and boosted her self-esteem by helping her lose weight and shape up.” Wissam, 36, first brought up a walk down the aisle last fall, when he reportedly presented the Jackson clan beauty with a magnificent 15-carat diamond ring. But Janet, 45, wasn’t ready because she wanted to focus on preparations for her current concert tour, which runs into September. “Now Janet’s telling friends that an official engage ment announcement will come by summer’s end, and that she and Wissam will marry in late 2011 – and they’re shopping for an even bigger diamond ring to celebrate their official engagement.” The two are anxious to start a family as soon as possible. Janet would love to have a baby the natural way, but at 45, she’s also looking into adoption possibilities, according to the source. The-Dream will make his dedicated fans very happy this month. The producersinger-songwriter will release a free 10-track LP, entitled ‘Terius Nash Est. 1977,’ prior to dropping his fourth studio album ‘The Love, IV: Diary of a Madman’ later this year. According to The-Dream, ‘Terius Nash Est. 1977’

will be released to the public free on August 31. “LP4 is Underway I THE-DREAM have decided to go forward with Diary Of A Madman LP it almost didn’t happen. So ill be in my Def Jam uniform for at least one More Season!” he tweeted. “Also a free 10 song Internet album will be released by Aug 31st. LP 4 because of the Contract negotiations does not have a date but it will be released 4th quarter but I will give a 10 song Internet LP while you guys wait!!!! LOVE YOU.” Chante Moore made an announcement that she and her hubby of nine years Kenny Lattimore are officially a wrap. The singer posted the following “private announcement” on her Facebook page. In the meantime Chante’ has her hands full as the host of an upcoming Sporty Girl Fitness 90 Day Transformation reality show. Michael Jai White, Vivica Fox and Tamyra Gray are also involved with the project. “Can’t Be Friends” producer Mario Winans is finalizing his new album with plans to release the project by the end of the year. Winans’ third album, entitled ‘My Purpose,’ is a follow-up to his 2004 platinum effort ‘Hurt No More.’ During his hiatus from releasing solo material, Winans told YKIGS “I produced some stuff for the Diddy and Dirty Money [album] and with different artists like Rick Ross and all the Bad Boy artists.” With urge to continue his solo career, he was inspired to record new material: “I had been living a little differently than what my purpose is, and that is really just to humbly serve others to pray for others and to really be a good person and live

the way I believe. From that, I was inspired to title my album that because those changes were going on in my life while I was working on the album.” In addition to his forthcoming album, Winans is grooming Hip Hop artist Superstar Piper, who is credited for producing Carl Thomas’ new single “It Ain’t Fair.” Beyonce’s publicist told Today.com that Beyonce has no plans for a cookbook. “This is untrue,” she said. Rumors started that Beyonce Knowles planned to publish a soul food cookbook, a “source” told the Daily Mirror. The singer was allegedly inspired by her mother, who prepares a spread of collard greens, cornbread, macaroni and cheese and fried chicken no matter where in the world they were. The only problem is that Beyonce has previously admitted that she isn’t such a great cook, and that she doesn’t really enjoy it. In fact, Beyonce says she’s a disaster in the kitchen. Will.i.am has signed up to perform a special concert in China to encourage American students to study abroad and expand their cultural boundaries. The Black Eyed Peas star met with officials at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C. and agreed to headline a gig for the 100,000 Strong Initiative, a motion made by President Barack Obama to match the rising number of Chinese students who travel to America to learn. The singer’s show will benefit Americans Promoting Study Abroad, a non-profit organization which provides financial support to low-income students partaking in exchange programs in the Asian country.

with the pressures of their personal relationships and responsibilities. During the series, viewers get to see The twin sisters best known for Tia preparing for the birth of her their hit ‘90s sitcom Sister, Sister first child and Tamera planning the are back again. Tia Mowry Hardrict wedding of her dreams. and Tamera Mowry-Housley have In an interview, Tia and Tamera teamed up with the Style Network opened up about their new show, for a behind the scenes look into obstacles of parenting, balancing their major life transformations. their relationships and careers, and Their new docu-series Tia & Tamera, how they were able to break the teen premieres Monday, August 8 at star curse. 9:00pm ET/PT. What made you want to do this Last summer Tia and Tamera show? aired a successful preview to their Tia: This is the time... the timing series on The Style Network, and is right. Tamera and I have such this summer they are giving a more loyal fans that have stuck with us in-depth look into their lives as sis- throughout the years and we ters and friends. Throughout the thought it would be nice to open series they learn how to balance them to our world and let them their successful acting careers along know who we really are. - Full Story In This Week’s New American Newspaper -

By CHRIS WITHERSPOON

Subscribe Today!

Make Checks and Money Orders Payable to:

New American Newspaper P.O.Box 1668 Brooklyn, NY 11247 YES! Please enter a one year subscription ($55) for: Name: Address: City: State: Zip: (Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery of your first issue)

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

Jackson fans say tribute concert ‘doomed to fail’ By JILL SERJEANT LOS ANGELES — A group of 35 Michael Jackson fan clubs have joined forces to lobby for the cancellation of a Michael Jackson tribute concert, saying the October event is “doomed to fail”. In an open letter to organizers Global Live Events, the fan clubs representing thousands of die-hard Jackson followers in Europe, Australia, China and Russia, said they had multiple concerns with the October8 event in Wales. These ranged from confusion over charitable donations to the timing of the concert during the scheduled involuntary manslaughter trial in Los Angeles of the singer’s doctor. Organizers on Monday announced that Beyonce would sing one song via satellite at the “Michael Forever Tribute.” Other headliners include Christina Aguilera, Smokey Robinson and Cee Lo Green who are due to perform a Jackson hit along with their own songs. Ticket prices range from 55 to 240 pounds (about $90$390). Last week, organizers were forced to oust rock band Kiss from the line-

Katherine Jackson (L) with her children La Toya, Tito, Jackie and Marlon attend a news conference to announce a tribute concert for the 40th anniversary of the late pop star Michael Jackson's career in Beverly Hills, California. up after Jackson fans recalled that frontman Gene Simmons called the “Thriller” singer a child molester last year. Jackson, who died in Los Angeles in June 2009 at age 50, was acquitted of all charges in a 2005 child sex abuse trial. “From the timing of this tribute...to the ticketing prices, to the obscurity over what charities will be receiving the donation, to the noguarantee policy of performers, the

Zoe Saldana: I’m proud of film injuries Zoe Saldana has revealed she was proud to be covered in bruises after filming her new action movie. But the Avatar star, who plays an assassin avenging her parents’ deaths in Colombiana, told the New York Daily News her family were “mortified” when she turned up to a wedding with her badges of honour. Zoe said: “I had this really nice dress on and I was full of bruises on my legs and arms. “I’m talking about huge black and blue lumps all over my body. My family was mortified, but I take great pride in these bruises. I’m not a masochist but I work really hard, and these were proof of the blood, sweat and tears I poured into this role.” The 33-year-old actress revealed she was comfortable with the guns and stunts involved for the film because she grew up hunting. She said: “I was really prepared for the fighting and the guns. I knew I would have to learn new fighting techniques since Cataleya (Zoe’s character) has a unique fighting style that she learned through her uncle on the streets. But the guns weren’t an issue. “I grew up around a family of hunters in the Caribbean and guns were always around. I’ve gone hunting before, too. I have a lot of respect

addition of Gene Simmons and dishonoring, thus tarnishing Michael Jackson’s legacy was simply the last straw,” said the letter from the 80,000 strong members of MJJ Community, and more than 30 other fan clubs. “Please understand that this concert is doomed to fail now...Do the right thing for Michael Jackson and cancel this tribute,” said the letter, posted on the Fans against Michael Forever Tribute Facebook page. “There has been one catastrophic

mistake after another. We don’t feel like it’s the tribute he (Jackson) deserves,” MJJ Community founder Gary Taylor told Reuters. Global Live Events did not return calls for comment on Monday. Attorneys for Jackson’s estate also expressed concerns last week about the planned concert, which is supported by the singer’s mother Katherine and several of her children, but not by Jackson brothers Jermaine and Randy Jackson. Organizers said last week they had pledged $100,000 of their own money to establish a trust fund for Jackson’s three children and that ticket revenue “is going, at least in part” to the trust fund and to a Los Angeles Aids charity and the Princes Trust which helps youth job training and education in the UK. Fans were encouraged to register in advance for tickets online and make a charity pledge. Organizers have not said how many people registered and how many tickets are left for public sale, which starts on Wednesday. The stadium in Wales holds about 75,000 people and the concert is due to be broadcast around the world on pay television and in movie theaters.

Lil Wayne sets ‘Tha Carter IV’ release after Video Music Awards By JILL SERJEANT

for weapons. Now, I obviously didn’t know about all the weapons used in this movie, but that allowed me to create my own sort of swagger.” And Zoe admitted: “The fight scenes were certainly easier for me because I’m a dancer. The fight scenes were all about reacting and deflecting, and that doesn’t always look graceful. It takes a lot of rhythm and physical grace.”

LOS ANGELES — He won’t be wearing a meat dress nor engaged in a same-sex kiss, but rapper Lil Wayne still hopes to create big media buzz after MTV’s Video Music Awards by releasing his new CD minutes after Sunday’s TV show. Lil Wayne, the four-time Grammy winner and “Lollipop” rapper, said Monday he will start selling his new album, “Tha Carter IV,” online at midnight after the widely-watched awards show on August 28. The CD hits retail stores on Monday. The album features 15 tracks and includes collaborations with other artists such as Drake, Rick Ross, John Legend, T-Pain and Tech N9ne. A deluxe edition adds three tracks. “I am extremely excited to be the first artist to utilize such an amazing idea,” Lil Wayne said in a statement. “I hope that I can open the door for others.” While releasing a full CD online just minutes after MTV’s Video Music Awards (VMAs) may be new, the rapper is hardly the first musician to use the show to generate media hype. In 2003, Britney Spears and Madonna famously kissed onstage in what became an instant cause celebre, and last year Lady Gaga showed up in a dress made of raw

meat, generating headlines around the world. The VMAs, which honor musicians and performers in categories such as best new artist and top videos, is among MTV’s most watched programs. Last year about 11.4 million viewers tuned in, making the program a strong advertising vehicle to reach a highly-targeted, music-oriented audience. Lil Wayne will perform on this year’s telecast, as will Adele, Lady Gaga, Chris Brown and Bruno Mars, among others. Presenters include Selena Gomez, Jonah Hill and Kim Kardashian.

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

Grades may suffer when teens get bullied Bullying may contribute to a drop in high school students’ grades, especially if they’re Black and Hispanic teens who are high achievers, a new study has found. Researchers compared the grade point averages (GPAs) of 9,590 students from 580 U.S. high schools. The students were asked if they experienced bullying in grade 10. Compared to kids who were not bullied, kids who were bullied experienced a 0.049 drop in their GPA between grades 9 and 12, according to the study presented yesterday at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, held in Las Vegas. “This effect, though small, is highly significant and suggests that bullying negatively affects GPA even after factoring in previous grades, family background and school char-

acteristics often associated with achievement, which are all variables the study controls for,” lead author Lisa M. Williams, a doctoral student in sociology at Ohio State University,

said in an association news release. The effect of bullying was especially strong among high-achieving Black and Hispanic students. For example, Black students who had a

Study links writing difficulties to ADHD By ALAN MOZES Children diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have a much higher risk of developing a written language disorder, a new study indicates. To ADHD experts, the current observation does not come as a particular surprise. It has long been known that children with ADHD stand a much higher chance of developing some form of learning disability — especially a reading disability, which accounts for about 80 percent of all learning disabilities affecting ADHD patients. But the new finding, say researchers, is the first evidence to support a specific link between ADHD and a writing disorder. “Most of the ADHD research is based on a clinical research sample of children, which may not reflect the full spectrum of ADHD in the population at large,” noted study coauthor Dr. Slavica K. Katusic, an associate professor of epidemiology and pediatrics. “So this is the uniqueness of this study, because this is population-based.” “And what we found is that, regardless of gender, there is a dramatic difference” in the risk of written-language disorder, said Katusic, who is also a consultant in the Mayo Clinic’s department of health sciences research in Rochester, Minn. “ADHD kids are at a five times greater risk for having writing problems compared to all others who do not have ADHD.” Katusic and her colleagues report the findings in the September issue of Pediatrics. Just this week, a new U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey reported that over the last decade the number of young Americans diagnosed with ADHD has been on the upswing. Whether this is a

function of an actual increase in incidence or improved screening remains unclear. What is clear is that ADHD is currently the most common behavioral disorder among children, with between 3 percent and 5 percent of school-aged Americans diagnosed with the condition, according to the National Institutes of Health. ADHD patients tend to have difficulties maintaining focus and often express themselves through inappropriate impulsive and/or overactive behavior. The authors note that WLD — the acronym for written-language disorder — is distinct from reading disabilities: The problems revolve around an impaired ability to express oneself through the written word. In the case of WLD, the impairment may cause memory and organizational issues, as well as compromised handwriting and/or spelling. To explore a possible link between ADHD and WLD, the authors focused on 5,718 children who had been born between 1976 and 1982 in Rochester,

Minn. The majority of the participants were white and middle-class. All were tracked from birth until roughly the age of 19. Information about the children’s ADHD status and learning disabilities was gleaned from medical records, as well as records drawn from public and private schools and private tutorial settings. The results: by the age of 19 the risk for developing WLD was much higher among those boys and girls who had been diagnosed with ADHD than for those who had not. Specifically, among boys, those with ADHD had a nearly 65 percent risk for having writing difficulties, compared to 16.5 percent among those without ADHD. Among girls, the figures were 57 percent vs. 9.4 percent. In addition, for girls with ADHD who also had a reading disability, the risk of developing writing problems was significantly higher for girls than for boys with the same conditions.

3.5 GPA in grade 9 and were bullied in grade 10 had a GPA decrease of 0.3 points by grade 12. The decrease was 0.5 points for Hispanic students who had a 3.5 GPA in grade 9 and were bullied in grade 10, the investigators found. In comparison, the decrease was 0.03 points for white students who had a 3.5 GPA in grade 9 and were bullied in grade 10. “Stereotypes about Black and Latino youth suggest that they perform poorly in school,” Williams said. “High-achieving Blacks and Latinos who do not conform to these stereotypes may be especially vulnerable to the effect bullying has on grades.” Because this study was presented at a medical meeting, the data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peerreviewed journal. However, for ADHD boys and girls who did not have a reading disability, the risk of having WLD was similar. The authors said that their findings should reinforce standing recommendations issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics that children with ADHD be screened for coexisting disabilities, including written language disorders. “When someone suspects that a child has ADHD, people are so impressed with concerns over dyslexia that they sometimes kind of forget about problems with writing,” Katusic cautioned. “So, this should bring some needed attention to the need for equal testing and equal help for kids who also have writing problems.” Dr. Tanya Froehlich, a developmental and behavioral pediatric specialist and assistant professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, noted the findings were not unusual. “It’s completely in line with what’s expected and with prior research data,” she said. “We already know that people with ADHD have a higher rate of reading disabilities. So this makes sense, and goes along with [prior research] as well as with what we have observed in clinic.”

Key ways young adults can find, keep a job A drive to further your education, a focus on a particular career and productive job search methods are the three key ingredients to helping today’s young adults get and keep jobs, even in a “down” economy. That’s the take-home message of a new study to be presented Monday at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in Las Vegas. “Although structural factors like industry, region, etc. are undoubtedly important, these three characteristics are found to be particularly significant career transition resources,” study co-author Mike Vuolo, an assistant professor of

sociology at Purdue University, said in a news release. The researchers examined data from the ongoing Youth Development Study, which began following a group of ninth-graders from St. Paul, Minn. public schools in 1988. The participants have been surveyed each year since then and are now 37 to 38 years old. Those who maintained high career aspirations and clarity of career goals from ages 18 to 30 were more likely to be employed when they were 33 to 36 years old and to have higher wages in 2009 than those who were indecisive in their career goals.

These differences persisted even after the researchers accounted for educational achievements. “The factors identified in this study are interrelated amongst themselves and also influence longer-term successes and vulnerabilities during difficult economic times,” study co-author Jeylan Mortimer, a sociology professor at the University of Minnesota, said in the news release. Experts note that research presented at meetings has not been subjected to the same type of rigorous scrutiny given to research published in peer-reviewed medical journals.

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

Weight gain hits women after marriage, men after divorce Tying or untying the knot seems to affect men’s and women’s waistlines differently: A new study shows that women are more apt to pile on excess pounds after marriage, while men add the weight after a divorce. “Clearly, the effect of marital transitions on weight changes differs by gender,” lead author Dmitry Tumin, a doctoral student in sociology at Ohio State University, said in a university news release. His team looked at weight gain in the two years following a marriage or divorce among more than 10,000 people in the United States surveyed from 1986 to 2008. Both men and women who

divorced or married were more likely than never-married people to have a small weight gain in the two years following their marital transition, the team found. In most cases, the weight gain was minor and not a serious health threat. But the risk of incurring a large weight gain was higher among men after a divorce and among women after getting married. “Divorces for men and, to some extent, marriages for women promote weight gains that may be large enough to pose a health risk,” Tumin concluded. The study didn’t examine the reasons why major weight gain is more

likely for men after a divorce and for women after marriage, and the research did not go beyond the twoyear marital transition period. But the findings fit with previous research. “Married women often have a larger role around the house than men do, and they may have less time to exercise and stay fit than similar unmarried women,” study co-author and sociology professor Zhenchao Qian theorized in the news release. “On the other hand, studies show that married men get a health benefit from marriage, and they lose that benefit once they get divorced, which may lead to their weight gain.”

The researchers also found that people over age 30 were most likely to gain weight after marriage or divorce, and the risk grew stronger as people grew older. This may be because they’ve settled into certain patterns of diet and physical activity, the researchers said. “As you get older, having a sudden change in your life like a marriage or a divorce is a bigger shock than it would have been when you were younger, and that can really impact your weight,” Tumin said. The research was to be presented Monday at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in Las Vegas.

Seattle Genetics cancer drug price may top $100,000 By ALINA SELYUKH WASHINGTON — The price of Seattle Genetics Inc.’s blood cancer drug Adcetris could top $100,000 for a course of treatment, becoming the latest cancer medicine to come at a high cost. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday gave its nod to Adcetris, the first drug specifically indicated for anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) and the first one approved for Hodgkin’s lymphoma since 1977. Seattle Genetics on Monday said the drug will cost $4,500 per vial. In its

clinical trials, the company said, patients on average received three vials per dose and between seven and nine doses per treatment. The total price would then generally vary from $94,500 to $121,500 per patient, within Wall Street’s expected range. The drugmaker’s shares were down 2.3 percent to $14.70 in afternoon trading on Nasdaq, underperforming the Nasdaq Biotech index, which was down 0.3 percent. “Seattle Genetics’ decision to price Adcetris north of $100,000 seems to be causing some concern in the investment community following the recent failure of Dendreon’s Provenge to live

Happy teens usually crime-free teens A new study helps support the notion that happy young teens are more likely to avoid crime. To reach this finding, researchers at the University of California, Davis analyzed 1995 and 1996 data from nearly 15,000 students in grades 7 to 9. About 29 percent of the students said they’d committed at least one criminal offense and 18 percent said they had used at least one illegal drug. The researchers, who used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, then looked at the students’ self-reported levels of emotional well-being. They found that those who said they were happier were less likely to commit crimes or use drugs. The team also found that youth with even minor depression were much more likely to be involved in criminal activity or drug use. And while most adolescents have periods of happiness and depression, it’s when negative periods begin to outnumber the more positive ones that trouble can start, the California team said. They theorized that the benefits of being generally happy — such as maintaining strong bonds with others, feeling good about oneself, and gaining good social skills — can help kids make good decisions that are “informed by positive emotions.” The study was presented Monday

to up to sales expectations,” said Morningstar Inc analyst Lauren Migliore. Adcetris is the latest cancer drug to hit the market with a hefty pricetag to the discontent of patient groups. Earlier this month, Dendreon Corp lost two-thirds of its market value when it could not deliver on promised sales of its prostate cancer vaccine Provenge, which costs about $93,000 per course, as doctors weren’t confident enough about getting reimbursed. “I think you get a reason for pushback (against highly-priced cancer drugs) because many of these cancer drugs are really not that effective, but in this case I think it’s one of the most effective drugs out there,” Leerink Swann analyst Howard Liang said of Adcetris. “I would think that the pricing is high but it’s not outrageous compared to other cancer drugs.” In March, U.S. regulators approved

Bristol Myers Squibb Co’s Yervoy for patients with advanced melanoma, a deadly skin cancer. A course of treatment with Yervoy costs about $120,000. Earlier in August the FDA approved another melanoma drug, Zelboraf by Roche Holding, which costs about $56,400 for a six-month course of treatment. “Life science companies are aware of the debt and deficit situation in Washington, D.C., and that indirectly limiting Medicare and Medicaid drug prices could be on the horizon,” said Ipsita Smolinski, senior health policy analyst at Capitol Street. For Adcetris, however, the patient population is generally younger and so more likely to rely on private insurance than federal programs, making the pricetag less controversial, analysts said. About 9,000 Americans a year are diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and 3,000 with ALCL.

Several types of drinking tied to poor diet

at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in Las Vegas. The bottom line is that “the emphasis placed on happiness and wellbeing by positive psychologists and others is warranted,” co-author and sociology professor Bill McCarthy said in an ASA news release. “In addition to their other benefits, programs and policies that increase childhood and adolescent happiness may have a notable effect on deterring nonviolent crime and drug use.” Since the study has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, the findings should be viewed as preliminary.

Drinking is associated with a poor diet, a new study says. Spanish researchers surveyed more than 12,000 adults aged 18 to 64 about their drinking and eating habits. They found that heavy drinking, binge drinking, a preference for hard liquor and even drinking at mealtimes were associated with poor adherence to major nutrition guidelines. Although drinking during mealtimes is traditionally associated with good health, the researchers found that this was not true if the drinkers ate carelessly. “Our results are of relevance because they show that drinking at mealtimes is associated with insufficient intake of healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, and with excessive intake of animal protein,” said study corresponding author Jose Lorenzo Valencia-Martin, a doctor at the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, said in a journal news release. “In Spain, alcohol is frequently drunk during meals, particularly

lunch and dinner. Because of this, and the lower prevalence of abstainers, our findings apply to most adults in Spain and in other Mediterranean countries in Europe,” he added. Valencia-Martin pointed out that heavy drinkers were likely to develop liver disease, and that many tended to favor high-energy fast foods high in trans fat. Unfortunately, a diet high in trans fats might also contribute to liver disease, he said. Excessive drinking and an unhealthy diet are two major preventable factors that contribute to health problems in developed nations, the researchers noted. “Drinking alcohol may reduce maintaining a healthy diet, leading to adverse metabolic effects which, in turn, add to those directly produced by alcohol,” Valencia-Martin said. “Alcohol may indirectly contribute to several chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease or cancer,” he added.

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

World stocks gain 1 percent on stimulus hopes By CAROLINE VALETKEVITCH World stocks shot higher yesterday and the dollar fell as dismal data spurred hopes the Federal Reserve could offer more economic stimulus. U.S. bond prices edged up as some fresh safe-haven buying took hold of the market. Oil prices were slightly higher. A weaker-thanexpected reading on the U.S. housing sector was the latest disappointing news on the U.S. economy. Financial markets have been struggling for weeks with fears of another U.S. recession and of growing debt problems in the euro zone, which could

People, standing in front of an electronic board displaying share prices, wait to cross a street as cars pass by in Tokyo. begin to affect the global economy. World stocks, as measured by the MSCI All-Country World

Index, shot up 1.4 percent, while U.S. stocks also rallied more than 1 percent. The FTSEurofirst

300 index of top European shares was up 0.9 percent. “The data today has raised hopes about the

Fed’s actions and after four straight days of losses and flat market yesterday, people are willing to jump at buying opportunities,” said Larry Peruzzi, senior equity trader at Cabrera Capital Markets in Boston. U.S. stocks ended slightly higher on Monday after posting a fourth week of losses on Friday. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will speak at the central bank’s annual retreat in Wyoming on Friday. Speculation is widespread in financial markets that Bernanke will use his speech to signal a new monetary offensive to support a faltering U.S. economy. Bernanke, however, is most likely to outline gradualist measures, which would disap-

point those looking for a big bang approach such as a fresh round of bond buying, known as QE3. Such measures increase the amount of dollars in the system, driving down the currency’s value, which helps U.S. exports, and prompting investors to seek higher returns elsewhere. The dollar edged down 0.3 percent against a basket of currencies. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 142.02 points, or 1.31 percent, at 10,996.67. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was up 16.55 points, or 1.47 percent, at 1,140.37. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 43.94 points, or 1.87 percent, at 2,389.32.

Shell faces challenges over Iraq gas deal By RANIA EL GAMAL BAGHDAD — Shell, Europe’s biggest oil and gas company, is likely to face long delays in bringing a $17 billion gas deal with Iraq into operation as it tackles infrastructure, export constraints and sufficient access to gas from oilfields run by industry rivals. Iraq’s state-run South Gas Co. in July, in what was hailed as a breakthrough, initialed a final draft agreement with Royal Dutch Shell and Japan’s Mitsubishi for a deal to capture associated gas flared at three major southern oilfields. Iraq is unlikely to shelve the deal now after talks have advanced, but Shell must navigate opposition from other oil companies and Iraqi officials, who wanted the joint venture to go through a public tender like other oil contracts. The deal still requires the approval of the Iraqi cabinet. The lack of modern oil and gas laws in Iraq

and discussions over how much of the gas can be exported are also likely to complicate a final agreement. “The deal is still facing opposition from selected Iraqi stakeholders, who are hoping to derail the final decision,” said Leila Benali at IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates. “I think it is still too early to judge on the actual work and what will be achieved.” The venture is a vital part of Iraq’s master plan to boost electricity production to meet an expected surge in demand and cope with a rapid rise in associated gas output as Iraq embarks on one of the biggest oil development programs in history. Repeated delays could force it to seek other solutions to avoid flaring volumes of gas, which have already reached an estimated 1 billion cubic feet per day. It could invite other firms to build new gas facilities or ask each producer developing southern fields to manage gas themselves. In a sign of those

complications, industry sources say some oil companies are already starting their own plans to integrate oil and gas, while others oppose handing over associated gas needed for reinjection and power generation in their fields. Under the Shell agreement, a joint venture, Iraq will own a 51 percent stake and Shell will hold 44 percent in a joint venture known as Basra Gas Company or BGC. State-run South Gas Co. will supply BGC raw gas from three fields — Rumaila, Zubair and West Qurna Phase One. SGC will then buy the processed gas for the domestic market. SGC will also buy any natural gas liquids such as LPG for sale in Iraq and for export. Shell must build gas facilities almost from scratch and keep up with the rapid pace of development in the oilfields, while maneuvering around opposition from other oil firms, which would prefer to process and sell the gas themselves. Oil companies working the fields where

Shell will get gas — including BP, ENI and ExxonMobil — were not involved in negotiations and have made no commitment on the amount of gas they will use and the amount they will deliver to BGC. Under their contracts with Iraq, they are not required to capture the associated gas, and they are allowed to use it for the power they need for oil operations and reinject it to maintain pressure in crude reservoirs. “BP, Exxon and Eni — these companies don’t get remunerated for gas production, so why should they help gather gas for Shell if they’re not being paid for it?” said Stewart Williams, an analyst at consultancy Wood Mackenzie. “That could have been part of the delay,” he said, adding that Shell might not have received sufficient guarantees from Iraq for the volumes it would need for the project. Baghdad signed a series of deals with international oil companies in 2009, which

could boost its crude output capacity to 12 million barrels per day. As natural gas builds up in association with rising oil output, Iraq is under pressure to quickly capture the gas and tackle chronic power shortages, which earlier this year helped spark public protests over blackouts and poor services. Analyst Samuel Ciszuk of IHS Energy said majors developing the three oilfields are already under tight deadlines to boost crude production and are likely to see the gathering of gas for Shell and BGC as an additional infringement of their contracts. “The agreement ... remains complicated and politically controversial,” said Ciszuk. One oil executive said the oil development deals signed with Iraq do not include any specifics on how much associated gas the companies can utilize and how much to hand over to SGC. One sticking point in the initial talks with Shell was whether it would get any guarantees for the amount of

associated gas it could utilize from the oilfields, Iraq has said. “If you don’t know how much gas you will get, how will you know how much gas you will produce?,” said the oil executive. The Shell project aims to handle up to 2 billion cubic feet of gas per day. The project could include building a LNG export facility with a maximum capacity of 600 million cfpd, after Iraq’s own gas needs are satisfied. Analysts say that with rapid development of oilfields there should soon be more gas than Iraq can consume, opening up the export option. Another cause for delay, however, will be the wrangling between the two sides over the volumes of gas that Shell will be able to export in the long run, analysts say. “They’re probably not going to make a high rate of return on supplying domestic power plants,” said Greg Priddy at Eurasia Group in Washington. “I think the issue of giving Shell flexibility on exports is what the real sticking point is.”

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

Analysis: Hurricane could boost insurance pricing By BEN BERKOWITZ Hurricane Irene, threatening to become the first hurricane to hit the United States in three years, could be the catalyst the insurance industry has been seeking in its quest for across-the-board premium increases after years of weakness. Like speculators in the futures market who applaud the effects of drought on wheat prices, another disaster could ultimately cheer investors in insurance and reinsurance stocks. Major storms in 2004 and 2005 triggered a surge in insurance stocks after the fact. Since Hurricane Ike in 2008, though, the United States has enjoyed relatively mild weather by disaster standards, up to this year. Weather-tracking maps on Monday suggest Irene could make landfall as soon as late Thursday. Though the tools are less reliable in advance of 72 hours from landfall, some models forecast that the

Carolinas are vulnerable to a major storm with winds in excess of 110 miles per hour. Regardless, 2011 already promises to be the costliest year in history for natural disasters around the globe. By some estimates, insurers have lost as much as $90 billion already this year, 20 percent more than they lost in 2009 and 2010 combined. Insurers have not been able to raise rates for three years amid strong competition and readily available supply, but industry veterans say even a small storm now would be enough to trigger premium hikes. “It wouldn’t take much of a material event to cause significant firming,” said Gary Prestia, chief executive of the U.S. business at global reinsurer Flagstone Re. “It wouldn’t take the typical $40 billion Katrina to push this into a firmer market than it is currently.” If prices firm, then analysts say it is a fair bet that share prices will follow. Most property and casualty insurers are

now trading at historically depressed multiples of their book value. Property insurance stocks at their peak typically trade at two times book value, according to analysts at Barclays Capital. At a sector median of 0.83 times book today, according to Thomson Reuters data, that makes them cheap. Historically, shares of reinsurance companies, which insure the insurers, lose value during typical late summer and early fall hurricane seasons but rally sharply after major storms, according to an August 22 research report from JMP Securities. Share prices across the sector rose, on average, about 32 percent in 2004 and 20 percent in 2005. “We see similar upside going into the heart of the 2011 hurricane season as we believe a modest windstorm ($20 billion) could have a significant impact on rates that would normally follow a $50+ billion event,” analyst Matthew Carletti wrote. Shares of many of the largest insurers and

reinsurers based in Bermuda are down sharply this year despite the active hurricane season. ACE Ltd, XL Group, PartnerRe and Everest Re are down between 10 and 24 percent since June 1. Whether Irene wreaks the $15 billion damage mark that can turn the market depends to a great degree on where it hits. A weak Category 1 hurricane in Miami would probably not have enough power to trigger rate hikes. On the other hand, any catastrophe modeling company will say that a Category 4 or greater hurricane in Miami —storms can ascend as high as Category 5 — would be devastating. The U.S. National Hurricane Center’s fiveday forecast showed the first hurricane of the 2011 Atlantic season swinging up Florida’s east coast on Thursday for possible landfall in South Carolina on Saturday. “If the forecasts are verified by the actual event, this’ll just be another multibilliondollar event on top of an incredibly busy year already,” said Jose Miranda, a senior executive at catastrophe modeling company Eqecat. “Hurricane season is only one-third over and

Nintendo jumps on talk of 3DS add-on, revamp Shares of Nintendo Co. Ltd. surged more than 8 percent yesterday amid expectations the Japanese video game maker is taking steps to shore up lackluster sales of its 3DS handheld games player. Dow Jones Newswires and other media reported that Nintendo would hold a trade show for its 3DS device next month in Tokyo, which caused some to speculate the firm will announce details on how it will improve sales of the 3D-capable device. French technology website 01net also helped spur buying with a report the Kyoto-based company was developing a joystick for the 3DS while working on a new ver-

sion of the games player for release next year. The peripheral device would be aimed at overcoming the lack of a second analog joystick controller, widely seen as needed for a superior gaming experience, the website reported, citing a source close to the company. Nintendo has also asked certain game developers to come up with new titles that would be specifically designed for a dualcontroller game, the website added. A Nintendo spokesman in Japan declined to comment on the reports. Nintendo shares jumped 8.4 percent to close at 13,100 yen on the Osaka Securities

Exchange. “There is no investment decision behind the rise. There’s an element of short-covering,” said a trader at a European brokerage, adding that news of the 3DS trade show in Tokyo on September 13 helped fuel the stock’s rally. “People are expecting that there will be some announcement.” Nintendo launched the 3DS in February to fend off growing competition from other games companies, as well as makers of smartphones and tablets, but a limited selection of new software for the device led to lower-than-expected sales. In July, Nintendo slashed its full-year profit forecast, after

posting an operating loss in the April-June quarter, in part due to sluggish 3DS sales. In a bid to lift sales, the company behind the Super Mario franchise cut the price of the 3DS by 40 percent to 15,000 yen ($195.39) in Japan and by nearly one-third in the United States to $169.99. 01net also cited various sources as saying that Nintendo was developing a replacement for the 3DS — originally heralded for its ability to provide a three dimensional gaming experience without the use of external glasses — which would deemphasize the significance of 3D and be released sometime next year.

9,, -,4(3, (5+ 4(3, '6920, 7<7 <33@ =,; */,*2,+ >694,+ (5+ =(**05(;,+ 90,5+ 3@ (5+ *<;, %6<3+ 4(2, ( .9,(; *647(5 065 *65;(*; 5(5*@4(9;05: (63 *64 we’ve already had almost a full year’s activity on average already,” said Miranda, a meteorologist. The Carolinas, which were ravaged in September 1989 by Hurricane Hugo, one of the 10 worst natural disasters in the United States, are particularly vulnerable. The coastal population of the two states more than doubled between 1960 and 2008, according to U.S. census data. South Carolina has successfully wooed private insurers but its northern neighbor has been less successful, insurance executives say. The Insurance Information Institute earlier this summer reported that the potential loss exposure of the North Carolina Insurance Underwriting Association — the state-created insurer of last resort — increased 60 percent in the last six years. The NCIUA, which says it can cover up to $4 billion in losses, is funded by insurers that operate in North Carolina and share losses equally in a disaster. Any payouts beyond that could force the group to issue bonds, it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

has said. Among the biggest members, by percentage share of liability, are State Farm, Nationwide and Allstate. NCIUA on Monday said the approach of Irene could lead its members to stop writing new policies or impose restrictions on existing ones in the next two days. Insurers have complained for years that the North Carolina consortium is underfunded and could be undermined by a once-in-50years type of windstorm. (Insurers consider a one-in-100 year storm a benchmark of serious disaster.) Some worst-case scenarios are covered by catastrophe bonds, which insurers and reinsurers use to transfer risk to outside investors. The percentage of the “cat bond” market with exposure to U.S. hurricane risk has grown from 38 percent in 2003 to 71 percent today, according to broker Guy Carpenter.

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

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011 ! !

687 555 452 645 657 782 369

451 789 123 558 441 220 115

MON

✔ 217

621 xxx

240 xxx

8xx xxx

xxx xxx

12x xxx

356 448

127 xxx

120 xxx

85x xxx

xxx xxx

2xx xxx

843 236

08x xxx

983 xxx

70x xxx

xxx xxx

54x xxx

426 570 879 449 80x xxx xxx xxx

511 101

506 xxx 961 337

SUN

✔ 268

✔ 113

67x 679 480

xxx xxx

PICK OF THE DAY

xxx

85x xxx xxx 994 xxx 002 xxx

056 839

821 xxx

xxx

36x xxx

312 51x

765 883 891 519

95x xxx

xxx xxx

xxx

xxx xxx

xxx

17x xxx

xxx xxx

744 323

xxx

63x xxx

xxx xxx

36x xxx

xxx

238 xxx

xxx xxx

04x xxx

807

264 xxx

xxx xxx

82x xxx

25x 241 234

xxx

xxx xxx 91x

707

730 xxx

FRI

✎

54x xxx

80x xxx

WED THURS

54x 621 240 8xx xxx 12x xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx

982

753 xxx

TUES

070

xxx

0754

926

41x 428 415

#36/ 32 0)+-8-1%8) *-2%2'-%0 ()%07 8,%8 1%= )2%&0) =39 83 &6-2+ -2 731) )<86% '%7, ) '%98-397 3* 1%/-2+ %2= 6)7-()28-%0 ',%2+)7 83(%=

%/) 796) 8,%8 =39 +)8 0)+%0 1%88)67 ',)'/)( 398 46-0 %6 8,3639+,0= &7)6:%8-327 ;-00 &) *%6 136) 463(9'8-:) $396 ()8)61-2%8-32 %2( 78%1-2% ;-00 1%/) =396 ;36/ 033/ *0%;0)77 %2( )**3680)77 !4(%8) %2( 6):-); =396 4)6732%0 -2:)781)287 %= 46 ! ! (6)2 ;-00 /))4 =39 &97= 639&0) '390( &) &6);-2+ %8 ,31)

,-0

32')286%8) 32 ;36/ ) 796) 83 7-()78)4 8,37) ;,3 92) %= %6) )'')286-' 36 9246)(-'8%&0) )8 &%'/ -283 % 6398-2) 8,%8 4631-7)7 % &)88)6 033/-2+ 136) %;%6) -2(-:-(9%0 6%:)0 -7 ):-()28 &98 &) '%98-397 ;,-0) -2 86%27-8 90= 92) 3'97 32 97-2+ =396 '6)%8-:) %&-0-8-)7 -2 38,)6 ;%=7 $39 1978 &) '%6)*90 238 83 6):)%0 7)'6)87 36 +)8 -2:30:)( -2 +377-4 * =39 '%2 8 +)8 %,)%( -2 8,) '314%2= =39 6) ;-8, 4)6 9+ 90= ,%47 -8 7 8-1) 83 13:) 32 $39 '%2 +)8 % +6)%8 ()%0 %''3140-7,)( -* =39 &6-2+ ;36/ ,31) $39 '%2 ')68%-20= +%-2 43490%6-8= ,3;):)6 (32 8 (3 -8 &= 4%=-2+ *36 ):)6=32) )07) )0= 32 =3967)0* %2( =39 ;-00 033/ +33( 83 794)6)48 9+ " 367 !2)<4)'8)( &-007 1%= 7)8 =39 &%'/ -+ ())4 *)66)8 398 %2= ,-(()2 '32 ')627 &)*36) =39 7-+2 =396 0-*) %;%= )48

6= 238 83 0)2( 36 &3663; 132)= 36 &)032+-2+7 83(%=

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

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

DAILY CHALLENGE

SPORTS

Slam Jam Tournament at PS 192 Renaissance Playground in Harlem

On her fast break D. Jennings drives around Westchester Hoopers Kelly Oliver

The Commissioner of Slam Jam Harlem Clyde Frazier Sr.

The Slam Jam girls basketball league is still going strong, being kept active by former Knicks’ All Star for-

1994 through the efforts of Clyde Frazier, Jr., and became a popular attraction at Riverbank State Park on the Hudson River in Harlem. The

ward Clyde Frazier whose son, the league’s founder, died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The league started in

action is now at the R e n a i s s a n c e Playground nearby on Amsterdam Avenue where the annual tournament is now under-

A. Williams takes a jumper way. Prince and Kia Vaughn The event is one of the once played in the tourbest girls tournaments nament’s high school in the tri-state region. division. Future WNBA stars - All Photos By Tina Charles, Epiphany Lem Peterkin

Durant scores 44 as DC All-Stars topple LA 76ers F Brand says players will stick together WASHINGTON Kevin Durant scored 44 points to lead Washington’s Goodman League to a thrilling 135134 victory over the Drew League from Los Angeles on Saturday night. Locked-out NBA stars from both cities played in the game on the campus of Trinity University. The stands were packed beyond the listed 1,500 seat capacity and the crowd watched local hero Durant walk away with the game’s Most Valuable Player honors. The overflow crowd ringed the court while scores of local and national media lined the track above the court, basking in the hardwood contest for coastal supremacy, one that was more intense than even the players anticipated. “Yeah, it was,” said Durant, who sank a

pair of throws with 21 seconds to put Goodman up one point, then blocked his Oklahoma City Thunder teammate James Harden’s baseline jumper at the buzzer. “It was fun though. We hadn’t played together or anything, but in the end we came together.” The most anticipated game of the summer, one trying to answer that age old question of which city balls best, might be the last time for a while this many NBA players take to the same court at the same time. The Goodman side let a 16-point, thirdquarter lead slip away and Harden’s late 3pointer tied the game at 133. The lefty guard then sank one of two free throws with 29 seconds left to put Drew up one, before Durant reclaimed the lead. On the final possession, Brandon

Jennings was matched up against former No. 1 pick John Wall of the Wizards, who scored six of the Goodman League’s final 10 points and dove head first into a group of photographers while going for a loose ball after sinking a jumper for that late threepoint edge. Jennings, who led Drew with 34 points, settled for a long shot that missed. The rebound was corralled by Harden, who scored 29, along the left baseline with Durant in pursuit. Harden’s game face was showing behind his full beard before the game, intensity that was not surprising considering the Los Angeles players paid their way to travel East. He said the battle to show which city has the best talent was “why we set this whole thing up. Both teams are going to play hard.”

By DAN GELSTON PHILADELPHIA - Lockout or not, Elton Brand is set to play basketball with his Philadelphia 76ers teammates. Brand helped organize a team workout scheduled for next week in Los Angeles and most of the key Sixers have told him they will attend. Andre Iguodala, Evan Turner, Lou Williams and others will fly in, share a hotel, play and work out together and do what they can to get ready for the season. Whenever that starts, no one is quite sure. “I can’t wait to see where the guys are at,” Brand said. “I’ve been talking to them all summer. They seem to be in shape already in case we get this thing going.” The lingering,

messy lockout has thrown doubt that training camp and the regular season will start on time. These loosely organized team activities - without any input or supervision from the coaching staff - are as close as the Sixers can get to a training camp without traveling to Philadelphia. Brand’s weekly, upbeat offseason texts from coach Doug Collins have vanished from his BlackBerry. The Sixers have completely faded from Philadelphia’s bustling sports scene. But the numerous economic issues that have divided the players and owners are still a daily harsh reality for everyone connected with the sport. Brand attended an NBPA meeting this week in Los Angeles where the message from union leaders and superstars like Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce was a simple one: Stick together. “I can’t speak for the

owner’s side, but on the player’s side, there’s definitely a sense of urgency to meet and talk,” Brand said. Brand has assumed the role of de facto team player rep. Jason Kapono held the position last season, but is a free agent now. Brand keeps in touch with Players Association executive director Billy Hunter and keeps his teammates informed. Brand, entering the fourth of a five-year contract, said “it’s tough to answer” if the Sixers really will open the season Nov. 2 in Toronto. “I’ll have a better feel closer to training camp,” Brand said. “As of now, it doesn’t look good. It doesn’t look good at all. I don’t think we’re going to start with a normal training camp because the numbers are so far apart. But I think as training camp gets closer, we’ll know more if we have to miss games.”

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

3-time champ Serena Williams seeded 28th at Open By HOWARD FENDRICH Serena Williams was seeded 28th for the U.S. Open, which stuck with its policy of following the rankings instead of taking into account players’ past performances. It means Williams could face one of the Grand Slam tournament’s top eight seeded players as early as the third round. The 29-year-old American leads active women with 13 major championships, including three at Flushing Meadows - in 1999, 2002 and 2008. She recently won consecutive hardcourt tuneup tournaments at Stanford and Toronto, making her one of the favorites to win the U.S. Open, which starts next Monday. A former No. 1, the American is ranked 29th this week. That’s up from 175th in July, a few weeks after she returned to the tour following nearly a year off because of a series of health problems. “After careful deliberation

regarding Serena Williams’ seeding, we decided to maintain the objective criteria in place to determine the women’s singles seeds at this year’s U.S. Open,” tournament director Jim Curley said in a statement released yesterday by the U.S. Tennis Association. In the past, Grand Slam tournaments have taken into account factors other than the official rankings when determining seedings. At the most recent major tournament, Wimbledon, twotime defending champion Williams was moved up to No. 7

in the seedings, 19 spots higher than her ranking at the time, even though it was only the second tournament of her comeback. She wound up losing in the fourth round at the All England Club. Her older sister Venus, a fivetime Wimbledon champion, also was bumped up in the seedings there. But Venus Williams isn’t seeded at all for the U.S. Open, which she won in 2000 and 2001; she’s ranked 36th this week. Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki, the 2009 U.S. Open runner-up, is also No. 1 in the women’s singles seedings announced yesterday, followed by Vera Zvonareva, last year’s losing finalist. Two-time reigning U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters, who is ranked No. 3, will miss the tournament this year with a stomach muscle injury. Fourth-ranked Maria Sharapova, the 2006 champion in New York, moves up to third in the seedings. The men’s seedings are to be announced Wednesday, and the draw for the year’s last Grand Slam tournament is Thursday.

Giants’ Terrell Thomas tears ACL By MIKE MAZZEO EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Just before the end of the first half, tears were shed on the New York Giants’ sideline. Later, at halftime, prayers were said inside the locker room. Cornerback Terrell Thomas, who is in a contract year and had aspirations of making the Pro Bowl this season, tore his right ACL in Monday night’s 4113 win over the Chicago Bears, and will likely miss the entire season. And the devastating news became too much to take for Thomas’ teammates in

the Giants’ secondary. “We found out before halftime, and most of us had tears in our eyes,” safety Deon Grant said. “Just to see the work he put in this offseason, and seeing his confidence level and what he’d been doing during training camp, it bothered us more than regular injury.” “We had tears in our eyes for him, because we knew how humble he was with it, and how good he was looking. “(At halftime) I prayed with him, and told him don’t kill your spirit. We know your plan was to go out there and play big, but sometimes God’s plan is a lot different than what our plan is, and we told him that.”

Thomas suffered the injury with 22 seconds remaining in the second quarter. As he was coming in to try and sack Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, Thomas was legged-whipped by defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. Thomas tripped over his teammate and fell to the ground. Thomas lay prone for a few minutes before getting attention from the team’s medical staff. He finally got up and limped toward the lockerroom with the help of the medical staff. Thomas tweeted later Monday: “”Without a TEST, YOU have no TESTIMONY” GOD IS GOOD!” Defensive end Justin Tuck said it was sup-

posed to be Thomas’ last play of the evening. “It’s devastating,” Tuck said. “The timing couldn’t be worse for him. Obviously, he was looking for a big pay day. My heart goes out to him. He has done everything the right way, everything the Giants and the coaches have asked him to do, he has done above average.” The 26-year-old Thomas had a teamhigh 101 tackles, five interceptions, four forced fumbles and a sack last season, and was primed for an even greater year in 2011. In an expanded role, Thomas was being brought in on blitzes and also covering slot receivers on third downs.

DAILY CHALLENGE

SPORTS

SPORTS BRIEFS Bengals get S Taylor Mays from 49ers

CINCINNATI - The Cincinnati Bengals have acquired safety Taylor Mays from the San Francisco 49ers in a trade yesterday for an undisclosed draft pick. Cincinnati’s pass defense has struggled during preseason losses to the Lions and the Jets. Mays was the 49ers’ second-round pick last year, when he started six games. Mays had played sparingly in the preseason for San Francisco. Mays met with Bengals coaches yesterday as he started catching up on the playbook. Coach Marvin Lewis declined to say whether he might play in a preseason game Thursday against Carolina at Paul Brown Stadium.

Larry Johnson signs with Dolphins DAVIE, Fla. - For one-time workhorse Larry Johnson, the handoffs stopped coming nearly a year ago. He says he learned his lesson waiting for another chance to carry the ball. Johnson signed yesterday with the Miami Dolphins and knows he must quickly make a good impression, including off the field, where repeated missteps derailed his career. “It’s kind of hard to convince anybody with my colorful background that, yeah, I’ve changed,” said Johnson. “But you change with every situation you go through. You know that you can’t get many more shots. You do the best you can with your opportunity and ride on out to the sunset.” Johnson sat out most of 2010 after being released by the Washington Redskins last September. He twice made the Pro Bowl and has career rushing totals of 6,221 yards and 55 scores, but his most recent touchdown came in 2008. He was drafted in the first round by Kansas City in 2003, and his time there was marred by off-field problems, including two suspensions in his final 12 months with the team. The Chiefs released him in 2009 after he posted a gay slur on his Twitter account and questioned the competence of coach Todd Haley. Johnson cited his background as the reason he remained out of work this summer until almost four weeks into training camp. “I don’t think it had anything to do with talent,” he said. “I understand you want your best guys to represent the organization. You go with the guy with the cleaner slate. That’s what I realized going through this process. All you can do is be thankful for one little shot.” Miami coach Tony Sparano made the acquisition of Johnson sound very much like a tryout. Sparano said conversations with Johnson convinced the Dolphins he was worth the risk. “I think he’s at a different place in his career,” Sparano said. “It’s no secret - I don’t think there are many more opportunities. The guy has a chance to make an impression, and hopefully he uses that to the best of his ability.” With the addition of Johnson, the Dolphins hope to upgrade their depth behind Reggie Bush and rookie Daniel Thomas. The team waived running back Kory Sheets, who missed all of last season with an Achilles tendon injury. Before signing Johnson, Miami worked out at least two other veterans, Tiki Barber and Clinton Portis. When asked why the Dolphins added Johnson after declining to re-sign Ronnie Brown or Ricky Williams, Sparano said: “This is a different role totally. ... I’m not asking him to be anything more than he is. I’m not asking him to be the man.

DAILY CHALLENGE

S SP PO OR RT TS S WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

GEORGETOWN COACH: BEIJING BRAWL BEHIND THE HOYAS SHANGHAI - Georgetown coach John Thompson III said he has made peace with the coach of a Chinese basketball team over a benchclearing brawl and denies the melee carried any political connotations. Thompson said Saturday that he met with the Bayi Rockets’ coach on Friday and they shook hands and chatted about basketball and other matters. Thompson doesn’t think the brawl in Beijing on Thursday had any political overtones. The Rockets are affiliated with China’s military, and the fight seemed to embody often contentious U.S.-China relations on the second day of a highly publicized visit by Vice President Joe Biden. “Beijing is behind us, man,” Thompson said Saturday, a day after flying to Shanghai as part of a 10-day goodwill trip. “We are excited to be here in Shanghai. And our team was invited to come here to the city of Shanghai to be part of this. Beijing is over.” Asked what he told his players, Thompson said: “I told them, ‘Let’s go to Shanghai and have fun.’” While China likes to use sports to promote diplomacy, at times that has been affected by violent flare-ups by players and fans. Tensions ran high Thursday when referees began calling the Hoyas for numerous fouls. After Bayi players knocked guard Jason Clark to the ground, the melee ensued with players throwing punches and chairs. The Hoyas left the court as fans threw water bottles at them, the score tied at 64. Coaches and players representatives from the two teams met at Beijing’s airport Friday to rec-

oncile. “Yeah, we just got together and shook hands and their coach and me talked about things other than basketball, about families, and we both are ready to move on,” Thompson said. While the Hoyas were originally scheduled to

play the Rockets again on Sunday in Shanghai, that match was canceled prior to Thursday’s fight. Instead, Georgetown will face the Liaoning Dinosaurs. “We expect good competition against a very difficult team,” Thompson said.

3-TIME CHAMP SERENA WILLIAMS SEEDED 2 8 T H AT O P E N S EE PA GE 22