Daily Challenge 8-31-11

MOST AMERICAN MUSLIMS ARE SATISFIED OBAMA BACKERS - PG. 2 NATIONAL NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION

THE NATION’S ONLY BLACK DAILY 35 Cents

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‘9/11 GENERATION’ OF VETS PRAISED President Barack Obama praised the “9/11 genera- Photo: President Obama addresses the American tion” of military veterans and vowed the federal Legion Annual Conference at the Minneapolis Congovernment wouldn’t abandon those who served. vention Center in Minneapolis.

SEE PAGE 3.

IRENE COSTS RESTART WASHINGTON BUDGET BATTLE SEE PAGE 3 Washington’s never-ending budget battle threatened to snarl the recovery from Hurricane Irene as a top Republican said that any federal aid will have to be offset by spending cuts elsewhere.

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2011

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N E W S B RI E F S FANS REMEMBER R&B LEGEND NICK ASHFORD Family, friends, and stars said a final farewell to R&B legend Nick Ashford Monday.

They packed the Absynnian Baptist Church in Harlem for his funeral.

There was also a crowd of fans outside the church, all in a show of support for Ashford and to say goodbye.

“His spirit will always be with me and all my friends. His contribution to the music industry and everything about him will always fly high with my spirits,” said one fan.

“I’ve known about him for a lot of years. I used to see him in the neighborhood, and he was a happy person that just inspired good wishes and kindness and good feelings in his songs,” said another.

Ashford and his wife, Valerie Simpson, made up the songwriting duo Ashford and Simpson.

They gained fame for hits such as “Solid” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

They also owned the Sugar Bar on West 72nd Street.

Ashford died of throat cancer last Monday at the age of 70.

PARKS AND BEACHES SLOWLY COMING BACK TO LIFE Many area parks and beaches are still being cleaned up after the storm.

Jacob Riis Park in Queens is still closed.

The park’s bath house was damaged by wind, water and sand.

Sandy Hook in New Jersey is also closed until power is restored.

Officials say that may not happen until Sunday.

Great Kills Park on Staten Island is open except for the beach area, which suffered serious erosion.

Plumb Beach in Brooklyn is open, but due to erosion, officials are urging visitors to use caution.

Meanwhile, Gateway National Recreation Area has reopened.

All of the city’s outdoor swimming pools are back in business along with the Parks Department marinas and nature centers.

The Bronx, Central Park, Queens, and Prospect Park Zoos have all reopened their doors.

DOE OPENS STUDENT REGISTRATION CENTERS TODAY The Department of Education opened a dozen registration centers for parents and guardians to register their kids for school this fall.

They’re for new students or those without a zoned school.

The centers will be set up until September 16th, but will be closed on Labor Day. Classes start next Thursday, September 8th.

For specific locations, and a list of items you’ll need, you can call the city’s hotline at 311 or visit nyc.gov.

Most American Muslims are satisfied Obama backers

By ANDREW STERN CHICAGO — A majority of U.S. Muslims are content with the nation’s direction in contrast to many Americans and few Muslims believe there is support for Islamic extremism here, a survey released on Tuesday found.

With the 10th anniversary of the al Qaeda attacks on New York and the Pentagon approaching, the Pew Research Center found that most Muslims felt ordinary Americans were friendly or neutral toward them.

In contrast to the majority of the general public dissatisfied with the nation’s direction, 56 percent of the estimated 2.75 million American Muslims said they are satisfied, the survey showed. Seven out of 10 view President Barack Obama’s tenure favorably.

“On a variety of measures, Muslims in America are very content with their own lives and with the communities where they live,” Pew researcher Greg Smith said in an interview.

Four out of five Muslim Americans surveyed were satisfied with the way things are going in their lives and rated their communities very positively as places to live.

“We’ve seen Muslims move in a different direction than the rest of the country (with more) believing America is going in the right direction,” Smith said.

Only 6 percent of Muslims in the

survey of slightly more than 1,000 surveyed by telephone between April and July said they there is a great deal of support for Islamic extremism in Muslim-American communities.

Another 15 percent said there is a fair amount of support among U.S. Muslims of extremism.

Among the general public, four in 10 believe extremism is supported in the Muslim American community, researchers said.

Pew last surveyed American Muslims in 2007, and researchers compared their attitudes in light of various disputes over mosque building, attacks on Muslims and mosques, a heating up of the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan and hearings in the U.S. Congress about the threat of homegrown Muslim terrorism.

Since 2007, there has been little change in how Muslim Americans see how they are viewed by the rest of America, with 28 percent saying other Americans viewed them suspiciously and 22 percent saying they had been called offensive names. Only 6 percent said they had been threatened or attacked, while 38 percent were bothered by their sense that they were singled out for increased government surveillance.

In response to questions about being a Muslim in the United States since the September 11 attacks, 55 percent said it is more difficult while 37 percent saw no change.

Two-thirds of those survey said the quality of life for Muslims in the United States is better than in most Muslim countries.

In 2007 only one-quarter of Muslim Americans believed the U.S.-led war on terrorism was sincere, while 43 percent surveyed this year believed the effort was sincere.

The survey found nearly seven in 10 Muslim Americans said the Muslim community is cooperating to the extent it should with U.S. law enforcement — an issue raised in congressional hearings. However, only onethird said U.S. Muslim leaders had spoken out sufficiently against extremism.

Muslim American attitudes toward terror attacks and al Qaeda had not changed much in four years, with 81 percent saying suicide bombings and other violence against civilians to defend Islam were never justified, with 1 percent saying it was often justified.

Only 5 percent had a somewhat or very favorable view of al Qaeda, with a growing majority of 70 percent holding very unfavorable views of the group.

The general level of satisfaction among American Muslims was reflected in the 76 percent who approved of Obama’s performance as president — nine out of 10 said they voted for the Democrat in 2008. Muslim support for Obama contrasts with unfavorable views of his Republican predecessor, George Bush.

There are an estimated 1.8 million Muslim adults in the United States, including U.S.-born converts, a 300,000 increase since 2007. Twothirds were born in other countries.

The survey had an error margin of 5 percentage points.

Court bars former Detroit mayor from pocketing memoir profits

By JAMES B. KELLEHER DETROIT — Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick will be barred from profiting from the sale of his memoirs, a court ruled on Tuesday, until he pays off nearly $900,000 in restitution he still owes under his 2008 conviction on obstruction of justice and perjury charges.

Kilpatrick, released from state prison earlier this month after serving nearly 14 months for violating the terms of his probation, had asked the Michigan Court of Appeals to throw out a lower court’s order establishing an escrow account for profits from the memoir.

But a three-judge panel rejected Kilpatrick’s request, saying it lacked merit.

Under a plea deal he reached with state prosecutors in 2008, Kilpatrick resigned as mayor, spent four months in jail, surrendered his law license and agreed to pay about $1 million in restitution.

He was sent back to prison last year, after a judge ruled he had violated the terms of his probation by failing to report his assets and pay the restitution.

Kilpatrick, 41, still faces multiple federal charges after a grand jury last year indicted him on fraud and tax charges, alleging he used a nonprofit fund for cash kickbacks, political campaigns and personal expenses.

Those personal expenses included yoga and golf lessons, summer camp for his children, college tuition for relatives and a crisis manager to burnish his image after public disclosure

of text messages of a sexual nature, according to the federal indictment.

In December, federal prosecutors expanded the charges against Kilpatrick to include bid-rigging, bribery, extortion and other offenses involving city sewer, water and construction deals.

His father Bernard Kilpatrick, friend and contractor Bobby Ferguson, and two aides also were charged for what prosecutors called a “wideranging and sweeping pattern” of abuse.

The charges included attempts to steer business toward Ferguson including demolition of Tiger Stadium and the renovation of the Book Cadillac Hotel, two of the most noted construction projects in Detroit over the past decade.

The federal trial has been scheduled for September 2012.

Police impersonators made Hurricane Irene warnings New York police allege a man posing as a law enforcement official tried to get people to evacuate before Hurricane Irene so houses could later be burglarized.

Authorities said Daniel DiGianni, 46, a former city correction officer, and his girlfriend, Linda Fleshner, 28, were walking along Liberty Avenue on Staten Island between 3 and 4 p.m. Sunday, wearing fake badges around their necks and identifying themselves to residents as

“corrections officers.”

Authorities allege they informed residents they were in an evacuation zone and had to leave their homes.

Police said they believe DiGianni and Fleshner had burglary in mind.

“That’s what we feel,” an NYPD source told the Staten Island Advance. “They wanted to know who was evacuating [their homes] and who wasn’t. So they were trying to take a tally of who was and who wasn’t.”

DiGianni’s gold badge read “New York City Authority” and he was carrying handcuffs. Fleshner wore a silver corrections shield that had belonged to DiGianni.

DiGianni was hired as a city correction officer in 1995 but dismissed in 1997 due to unspecified charges against him, corrections department spokeswoman Sharman Stein said.

DiGianni and Fleshner were charged with misdemeanor criminal impersonation.

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2011

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Obama praises ‘9/11 generation’ of vets MINNEAPOLIS — President Obama praised the “9/11 generation” of military veterans Tuesday and vowed the federal government wouldn’t abandon those who served.

“These men and women succeeded together as one American team,” Obama said in a speech before the American Legion National Convention in Minneapolis. “In a decade of war, they’ve borne an extraordinary burden.”

Obama honored the more than 6,000 Americans in uniform who died in wars since the terrorist attacks on the United States Sept.

11, 2001.

The president listed military successes and said credit for them belongs “to all those who wore the uniform in the 9/11 generation.”

“Thanks to these Americans, we’re moving forward from a position of strength,” he said.

The audience applauded loudly when he spoke of U.S. troops “delivering justice” to al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, who was killed in a Navy SEALS operation in May. Americans can look to veterans from all wars for strength as the country navigates through tough times today, the commander in chief said.

“Americans have been through tough times before,” Obama told veterans. “We didn’t just get through them, we emerged stronger than before. In times like these, all Americans can draw strength from your example.”

Balancing the budget would not

be done “on backs of our veterans.

As commander in chief I will not allow it,” Obama said.

He reiterated his commitment to honor his responsibility to assist military veterans, whether through more efficiently processing claims, making available more mental health services or finding vets in need a home or a job or both.

“These are the obligations we have. These are responsibilities we must fulfill, not just when it’s easy … but always,” he said.

“No matter when you serve, no matter how many years ago you took off your uniform … America will never leave your side,” Obama told veterans. “America will never forget. We will always be grateful to you.”

Irene costs restart Washington budget battle

By ANDY SULLIVAN WASHINGTON — Washington’s never-ending budget battle threatened to snarl the recovery from Hurricane Irene as a top Republican said on Monday that any federal aid will have to be offset by spending cuts elsewhere.

“Yes there’s a federal role, yes we’re going to find the money. We’re just going to make sure that there are savings elsewhere,” Representative Eric Cantor, the No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives, told Fox News.

Democrats who oversee disaster funding in the Senate said they won’t cut other programs to boost emergency aid.

“It makes no sense to cut programs that help respond to future disasters in order to pay for emergencies that have already occurred,” Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu said in a prepared statement.

Irene killed at least 21 people and caused substantial property damage from North Carolina to Vermont over the weekend. Cantor’s Virginia district was among the areas hit by the storm, and was the epicenter of an earthquake last week.

Obama administration officials

said they had no estimate of the storm’s cost and were still assessing the damage, but other elected officials and companies have indicated it will likely amount to billions of dollars.

The administration will likely have to ask Congress for additional funding at a time when lawmakers are debating further budget cuts.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has suspended funding for some rebuilding programs from earlier disasters to ensure that its disaster-relief fund will not run out of money, according to agency administrator Craig Fugate.

FEMA currently has $972 million in the fund, according to congressional Republicans.

President Barack Obama has signed declarations committing the federal government to helping states from North Carolina to New Hampshire cover disaster-response costs.

Obama also approved federal funding for individuals in Puerto Rico who were affected by the storm.

People in other storm-ravaged areas could become eligible for federal money once damage assessments are completed, Fugate said.

“Once we know how much impact Irene will have we’ll have a better sense of what assistance we may

White House directs Sept. 11 tributes WASHINGTON — U.S. government officials have received detailed guidelines from the White House on how to commemorate the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

They call for honoring the memory of those who died on American soil but also remembering that attacks by al-Qaida and extremist groups have occurred in many other countries, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

“The important theme is to show the world how much we realize that 9/11—the attacks themselves and violent extremism writ large — is not “just about us,” said one U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Copies of the guidelines were provided to the Times by officials in several agencies involved in planning the commemorations.

One set is framed for overseas allies and their citizens, another includes themes for Americans.

One significant theme in both sets of documents is that Americans must be prepared for another attack and must be resilient in recovering from the loss.

Resilience is a repeated theme of the communications.

“It’s a statement of strength that the United States can outlast our adversaries,” said Benjamin J. Rhodes, deputy national security adviser. “We’re stronger than the terrorists’ ability to frighten us.”

need,” Fugate said on a conference call.

This year has been one of the most extreme for weather in U.S. history, with $35 billion in losses so far from floods, tornadoes and heat waves.

FEMA has struggled to fund these recovery efforts, warning lawmakers that its disaster-relief fund is running low.

The Republican-controlled House passed a bill in June that would give FEMA an additional $1 billion in disaster-relief funds for the current fiscal year, which ends September 30, as well as $2.65 billion for the coming fiscal year.

But that bill would require the White House to cut other government programs if it needed more money for disaster relief — a provision the administration has said it would ignore.

Landrieu said her Senate Homeland Security appropriations subcommittee will hold a vote on its own

funding bill on September 6, the day Congress returns from its August recess. That bill will differ substantially from the House-passed version, her staff indicated.

Cantor and other Republicans have made spending cuts a top priority since taking control of the House in November 2010 in a bid to bring trillion-dollar budget deficits under control. Budget battles pushed the government to the brink of a shutdown in April and to the edge of a first-ever default in August.

Republicans have not in the past been reluctant to approve disasterrelief money free from normal budget constraints.

After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and much of the surrounding region in 2005, the Republican-controlled Congress approved $81.6 billion as “emergency spending” outside of the normal budget process.

New laws allow more eavesdropping WASHINGTON — Privacy advocates say new laws and technologies allow the U.S. government to eavesdrop on Americans as it never could before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

“It used to be the case that if the government wanted to find out what you read and what you wrote, it would have to get a warrant and search your home,” said Daniel J. Solove, a law professor at George Washington University and author of books on privacy law.

Solove told the Los Angeles Times in an article published Tuesday that now “it just obtains your Amazon purchase records, your Facebook posts, your Internet browsing histo-

ry — without you even knowing.”

U.S. intelligence officials say the government’s new surveillance powers have been crucial to stopping terrorist plots but privacy advocates disagree.

They argue the new systems have actually weakened security by burying investigators in irrelevant information.

“We are caught in the middle of a perfect storm in which every thought we communicate, every step we take, every transaction we enter into is captured in digital data and is subject to government collection,” said Fred H. Cate, a professor at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2011

FORUM

Republicans contradict themselves on Texans THOMAS H. WATKINS

By GEORGE E. CURRY

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If there was ever any lingering doubt that Republicans favor the rich over poor and middle-class Americans, it should be removed by the GOP’s opposition to President Obama’s proposal to extend the payroll tax cut for another year.

Let’s face it: Republicans oppose almost everything advocated by the nation’s first Black president. And Republican leaders have made it clear that their top priority is defeating Obama in 2012, even if that means wrecking the country in the process.

Whether it was coming up with a budget compromise last

December or the most recent round of deficit haggling, Republicans have adamantly refused to roll back the tax rate for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans to the preGeorge W. Bush level. That move alone would cut the federal deficit by half. GOP leaders also refuse to close tax loopholes that allow some U.S. companies to pay little or no federal taxes. year, Congress Last approved President Obama’s 1-year plan to reduce the share of payroll taxes designated for Social Security from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent.

Now, Obama is proposing adding another year, a move that would affect 46 percent of all taxpayers, saving the average family $1,000.

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But Republicans, who, until now, had never met a tax cut they didn’t like, are balking.

Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee said: “We don’t need short-term gestures. We need long-term fundamental changes in our tax structure and our regulatory structure that people who create jobs can rely on.”

A spokesman for another Republican, Eric Cantor, told the Associated Press, that the House majority leader “has never believed that this temporary tax relief is the best way to grow the economy.”

Republicans are conveniently ignoring the fact that the Bush tax cuts, enacted in 2001 and 2003, were sup-

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5

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2011

This Labor Day must be more than a holiday

By DR. JOHN E. WARREN SPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM THE SAN DIEGO VOICE & VIEWPOINT Appropriately 126 years ago, the first Labor Day holiday was established to honor American workers and their place and importance in our society. It was set aside as a time for parades and celebrations. It was a time to honor workers, no matter what area of labor.

In the last 60 years, this holiday has also become a time for politicians to knick off their fall campaigns with speeches and appearances at civic events; but now, how things have changed.

While the nation’s unemployment rate appears to be stuck at approximately 10 percent, officially, it is more than 16 percent for African American adults, and nearly 50 percent for African American youth

between 16 and 21.

For what may be the first time in this nation, with such high unemployment there is no national policy, legislation or proposed program to create jobs, as of this writing.

This lack of a jobs initiative appears to be a part of the Republican plan to cripple and wipe out gains made by organized labor, which represents the last potential threat to the idea of helping this nation’s poor and unemployed at the expense of the wealthy.

This is not a time for celebration, when one considers that more than 40 years ago this nation adopted a Full Employment Policy under the Humphrey/ Hawkins Full Employment Act. No one appears to remember this, including Organized Labor.

That policy set triggers for unemployment assistance to areas of high unemployment, since all of the country was not affected equally.

The difference between then and now is that 40 years ago America still had a conscience and concern

for neighbors and fellow citizens whether poor or middle class.

Today, the Tea Party and its Republican supporters are hiding behind a false concern for this nation’s debt, while seeking to protect the wealth of the rich by fighting tax increases and protecting their tax brakes at all cost—regardless of who is hurt.

The greatest fight for Organized Labor is no longer for pay raises, but the keeping of jobs for those who are employed, while fighting not to lose health benefits and future retirement for those younger workers entering the workforce.

Labor must educate its new generation of Public Employees to the struggles and accomplishments of the Labor movement during the last 50 year. The struggle now is to obtain Collective Bargaining under state by state attack by the Tea Party and its Republican legislative advocates. African Americans in particular should not forget the struggles of A. Philip Randolph and the Sleeping Car Porters who had to fight for

Republicans contradict themselves Continued from page 4 posed to be temporary. When they were set to expire, both Republicans and President Obama extended them.

When he was a candidate, Obama pledged to end the Bush tax cuts for the top 2 percent of taxpayers – individuals earning at least $200,000 a year and couples making $250,000 or more. Under pressure from Republicans, however, Obama agreed last December to extend the cuts.

According to Citizens for Tax Justice, 52.5 percent of the Bush tax cuts benefit the richest 5 percent of taxpayers.

David Stockman, the budget director in the Reagan administration, called for letting the Bush tax cuts expire and said the rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer. In an interview with 60 Minutes, he said: “In 1985, the top 5 percent of the households, the wealthiest 5 percent, had a net worth of 8 trillion dollars, which is a lot. Today, after serial bubble after serial bubble, the top 5 percent have a net worth of 40 trillion.”

Republican National Chairman Ed Gillespie defends the GOP’s defense of the wealthy by contending that 80 percent of the tax relief to the rich goes to job-creating small businesses. FactCheck.org debunks that myth.

“It may be true that 79% of upper-income taxpayers have some income from business, but Gillespie’s definition of ‘small’ business actually includes big accounting firms, law firms and real-estate partnerships, and ‘businesses’ that are really only sidelines – such as

occasional rental income from a corporate chief’s condo,” it said. “In fact, tax statistics show that upperincome taxpayers get more of their income from salaries, capital gains, stock dividends and interest than they do from small business.”

The Tax Policy Center found that slightly more than 22 percent of income reported by the wealthy will be derived from business income.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, providing tax cuts to the wealthy is the least effective way to stimulate the economy because rich people are more likely to save the money. A more effective way to encourage spending is by placing money in the hands of poor and middle-class citizens, people more likely to spend the funds.

And that’s exactly what President Obama seeks to do by extending the payroll tax cut, which would benefit almost half of all Americans. If it is not extended, it will expire Jan. 1.

Social Security payroll taxes apply only to the first $106,800 of wages. Many people are unaware that the rate was reduced by 2 percent last year because they pay little attention to their pay stubs. The employer’s share was not reduced from its rate of 12.4 percent for each worker.

Many Republicans have put themselves in a box by pledging to never raise taxes. Over the past 25 years, Grover Norquist, president of the conservative Americans for Tax Reform, has encouraged Republicans to sign a pledge that they won’t raise taxes. More than 200 members of Congress have signed that pledge.

Republicans have voted against letting the Bush tax cuts expire because, according to their reasoning, that would amount to a tax increase. Many of those same Republicans, however, object to extending the payroll tax cut proposed by Obama. It shows how far Republicans are willing to go to

human dignity in their work place as well as wages.

Today, the so called “playing field” is still not level when one considers the disparity in wages that continues between men and women and between Blacks and Whites in particular.

While other ethnic groups like Latinos and Asians have entered the picture, disproportionate representation of Blacks still exist in the Trade and Construction industries; imported workers are taking jobs that many Americans refuse to do, even in this period of high unemployment. A number of unemployed people must come to grips with the difference between a job and a position.

Yes, this Labor Day is not one for celebration. Rather, it is a day for reflection, observance and a recommitment to developing strategies that will provide jobs for our own unemployed, before exporting jobs or importing workers for existing technical jobs.

Truly the struggle continues. protect the wealthy, to oppose Obama, and to be insensitive to the poor and middle-class.

— 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.

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6

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2011

Miami-Dade County jails cited for ‘shocking conditions’

By DALE K. DUPONT MIAMI — The nation’s eighth largest jail system in Miami-Dade County has used excessive force on inmates and given them inadequate medical care, results of a federal investigation showed on Monday.

The U.S. Department of Justice released the findings on Monday after a three-year probe into the MiamiDade County Corrections and Rehabilitation Department, which houses an average of 7,000 inmates.

“Prisoners have suffered grievous harm, including death,” said Thomas E. Perez, assistant attorney general for the civil rights division. “The systemic failures of the jail facilities have resulted in prisoners living in inhumane and shocking conditions.”

The Justice Department said the jail system was “deliberately indifferent to the suicide risks and serious mental health needs” of inmates. At least eight have committed suicide since 2007, officials said.

The probe also found that officers used excessive force, openly engaging

Judge bars testimony from longtime Jackson doctor

By ALEX DOBUZINSKIS LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson’s dermatologist will not testify in the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray (right), a judge ruled on Monday, in a blow to defense plans to portray the singer as a drug addict who may have given himself the substance that caused his death.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor also barred witnesses in the case from testifying about Jackson’s 2005 trial and acquittal on child molestation charges.

Murray’s involuntary manslaughter trial is slated to begin next month over the “Thriller” singer’s June 25, 2009, death from what authorities said was an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol and other drugs.

Murray has admitted giving Jackson, 50, propofol as a sleep aid, even though it is normally used in a hospital setting. Murray’s lawyers have suggested the pop star could have given himself a further dose when his physician was out of the room.

In court papers, Murray’s attorneys said they wanted to call Jackson’s longtime dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein, to the witness stand.

The papers said Klein gave frequent injections of the painkiller Demerol to Jackson for “no valid medical purpose” and that “Jackson became physiologically and psychologically dependent on Demerol.”

“I do not think it is relevant,” Pastor ruled on Monday. Pastor also barred the testimony of five other doctors, but said he would allow defense attorneys to call two other physicians — Allen Metzger and David Adams.

Murray was hired as the singer prepared for a series of comeback concerts which had been scheduled to begin in London in July 2009.

The defense contends that Adams told police Jackson was so familiar with propofol that he called it “milk.”

“in abusive and retaliatory conduct, which frequently causes injuries.”

The department did not provide adequate care to mentally ill prisoners and instead relied inappropriately on medication without considering diagnoses or treatment plans, the investigation showed.

The probe concluded that the system was indifferent to serious medical needs of inmates, who wait weeks or months for care from HIV, cardiology and neurology doctors, while providing inadequate initial health screenings.

Since 2008, at least five prisoners have died after not being treated for drug or alcohol withdrawal, the findings showed.

The investigation also cited unacceptable fire and safety systems at the jail and sanitation problems including inadequate laundry, housekeeping and pest control.

During one visit to a medical clinic, investigators found bags of biohazardous materials and trash stored in

hallways unsecured and unattended.

“The isolation cells in the clinic were filthy,” the findings showed.

The government made a number of recommendations for improvements and said if conditions don’t change, it may sue the county under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said in a statement he was deeply concerned about the findings and would review what progress had been made to deal with the problems identified.

Jackson Health System, which provides medical services at the county’s six jails, said it was working with the county to address issues in the report.

The mayor and Jackson Health officials said they were cooperating with investigators.

“Many changes have already been implemented since the DOJ site visits in 2008 and 2009, and our proposed budget for the coming year would address many others,” the health provider said.

Relative of President Obama arrested in Massachusetts

By LAUREN KEIPER

Metzger had treated Jackson for two decades, and as recently as two months before the singer’s death, Jackson had asked Metzger for intravenous sleep medicine, the court papers from defense attorneys said.

Prosecutors told the judge on Monday that Metzger had turned down Jackson’s request.

Pastor on Monday also refused a request by the defense to bring up a 2003 raid of the singer’s Neverland Ranch in California, in which defense attorneys said propofol and Demerol were found.

Murray’s team had said in court papers that they did not plan to refer to the child molestation charges on which Jackson was later acquitted.

Pastor said testimony about the Neverland raid would be “irrelevant” and that it “proves absolutely nothing” involving Jackson’s 2009 death.

Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

Jury selection in the case is due to begin on September 8 and opening arguments are set for September 27.

BOSTON — A relative of President Barack Obama was arrested last week outside Boston on charges of drunk driving, a spokesman for his lawyer said.

Onyango Obama, 67, of Framingham, Massachusetts, was arrested last Wednesday and charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, failure to yield at an intersection and negligent operation of a motor vehicle, said Cara O’Brien, a spokeswoman for the Middlesex District Attorney’s office.

Onyango Obama is a half-brother of President Obama’s father, an administration official confirmed.

Onyango Obama pleaded not guilty on Thursday in Framing-

ham District Court and was released on personal recognizance, O’Brien said, but he was being held on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer.

He hired Ohio immigration attorney Margaret Wong, the same lawyer used by his younger sister, Zeituni Onyango, said Wong spokesman Mike Rogers.

Zeituni Onyango was granted asylum last year by a Boston judge, putting the Kenyan woman on the path to citizenship.

Rogers said Onyango Obama was released from a Massachusetts jail on Monday and was being supervised at an undisclosed location until reporting back to immigration officials on Tuesday.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Washington had no immediate comment on the report.

U.S. rolls back rule requiring street sign changes WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Tuesday rolled back a proposal requiring states and local governments to replace street signs that did not comply with new safety standards.

The change is part of the administration’s effort to reduce what it calls burdensome regulations but also followed criticism from officials in at least two states.

This one would cost municipalities millions to update signs by 2018.

“It’s just plain common sense,” Transportation Secretary Ray

LaHood said in a statement on the proposal to eliminate 46 deadlines mandated by federal traffic control regulations.

Transportation planners still favor street signs with larger lettering and improved reflectivity, but have concluded that the deadlines for upgrades are impractical.

LaHood’s agency will, however, retain 12 deadlines changes considered critical for public safety, including One Way signs at certain intersections and Stop or Yield markers at rail crossings.

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AFRICAN SCENE

88

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2011

AFRICAN SCENE

IMF review slams crisis-hit Swaziland

Flooding in southwest Nigeria kills 102 people LAGOS, Nigeria - The Nigerian Red Cross says flash flooding in the country’s southwest this week has killed at least 102 people.

Umar Mairiga, a Red Cross spokesman, said Wednesday that the flooding was mostly in Oyo state, where homes washed away and people died trapped inside their homes earlier this week.

Mairiga said it took time to have a proper casualty figure as water levels in some areas remain high as seasonal rains continue throughout Africa’s most populous nation.

Last year, some 500,000 people were displaced nationwide by floods in Nigeria. Nigeria’s rainy season lasts roughly from June to September.

Nigeria’s emergency agency had warned that rains will be heavier this year than last year.

Zimbabwe PM warns against ‘another Ivory Coast’ Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Wednesday urged Nigeria and the African Union to help ensure his country does not become “another Ivory Coast” amid disagreement over upcoming elections.

Tsvangirai made the comments to journalists after meeting with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan here.

“I am just updating him so that they can play a more active role in ensuring that we can go to the elections next year hopefully in a free and fair manner so that we put a closure to the dispute in Zimbabwe,” he said.

“I was requesting President Jonathan to play a much more active role. Nigeria and the brother AU must be involved actively in support of the SADC initiative, but also to ensure that we don’t have a repeat of another Ivory Coast.”

SADC is the Southern African Development Community.

Zimbabwe’s longtime leader Robert Mugabe and Tsvangirai share power as president and prime minister in a tense unity government formed under a SADC-brokered deal after a flawed 2008 vote which pushed the country into crisis.

The pair have disagreed on a date for new polls, with Mugabe insisting on this year while Tsvangirai wants reforms first.

November elections in Ivory Coast led to a fivemonth standoff and two weeks of full-out war sparked by Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to concede to Alassane Ouattara.

S.Africa unveils new land reform draft policy South Africa aims to restrict private and foreign land ownership in a new draft reform policy released Wednesday that aims to overhaul lagging efforts to transfer farms to the black majority.

The 11-page draft sets out the state’s vision to transform land ownership patterns — still skewed 17 years after the end of apartheid — and will lay the basis for future legislation.

The IMF on Wednesday gave cash-strapped Swaziland a firm thumbs-down on its fiscal reform programme, effectively dashing King Mswati III’s hopes of accessing international loans.

An International Monetary Fund delegation closed out a twoweek visit to the small southern African kingdom with a harsh appraisal of the government’s progress on getting its finances in order — the IMF’s third negative assessment in a year.

“Expenditure overruns and lack of financing have led to the nonobservance of several targets under the staffmonitored programme,” said the head of the IMF’s mission to Swaziland, Joannes Mongardini, in a statement.

The negative report

represents a failure for a six-month IMF monitoring programme that hoped to bring about reform in Africa’s last absolute monarchy and help it cope with a financial melt-down that has seen the government nearly run out of cash.

The most important missed targets relate to the country’s soaring government deficit — which stands at more than 14 percent of total economic output — and its failure to curb spending on social programmes like health and education.

The IMF also sharply criticised Swaziland’s public wage bill, one of the continent’s highest at 51 percent of recurrent spending in the government’s annual budget.

Mswati’s cabinet has been reluctant to force through salary cuts recommended by the IMF after fierce resistance by trade unions

and a series of mass demonstrations by public-sector workers earlier this year.

Without the IMF’s blessing, international lenders like the World Bank and African Development Bank are unlikely to extend loans to Swaziland.

Although IMF recommendations — called “letters of comfort” — are not binding, international lenders are reluctant to make loans without them.

The African Development Bank was poised to loan Swaziland $150 million (104 million euros) in June, but decided not to go ahead after a negative review from the IMF. Swaziland has been borrowing from its own central bank to pay for the day-to-day running of the country since a sudden drop in earnings from the regional Southern African Customs Union (SACU),

previously the government’s main source of income.

The global recession saw Swaziland lose more than half its earnings from SACU, sparking a severe financial crisis.

Foreign reserves currently stand at 2.2 months of import cover — below the three months recommended by the IMF. The IMF warns the hole in Swaziland’s reserves could threaten the kingdom’s currency, lilangeni, currently pegged to neighbouring South Africa’s rand.

“Preserving the parity with the South African rand is of utmost priority,” said Mongardini, urging government to “stop borrowing from the central bank and repay the outstanding emergency credit line from the central bank at the earliest possible convenience.”

Kenyan ex-minister faces war crime hearings A former Kenyan minister faces a war crimes court hearing Thursday to determine whether he and other officials should stand trial for masterminding his country’s deadly post-election violence in 2007-08.

A potential presidential candidate in 2012,

William Ruto is due to appear at the International Criminal Court with two other officials, two days after the court denied Kenya’s appeal to have the cases declared inadmissable.

Ruto, who served as agriculture and then as higher education minister, faces charges of crimes against humanity along with former industrialisation min-

ister Henry Kosgey and radio executive Joshua arap Sang in the dock.

All three men supported then opposition candidate Raila Odinga, now Kenya’s prime minister, in the disputed December 2007 polls. While free, they are currently subjected to subpoenas.

The hearings, during which prosecutors will try to convince the

court they have enough evidence to go to trial, are scheduled to run until September 12.

Defence lawyers have presented a list of 48 witnesses.

A second set of hearings will begin on September 21 for three other former officials, including Uhuru Kenyatta, son of Kenya’s founding president and the country’s

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2011

9

1 10

CARIBBEAN NEWS

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2011

Bahamas government to help residents rebuild

By JUAN MCCARTNEY N A S S A U , Bahamas — After viewing the wreckage left by Hurricane Irene last week, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham pledged An aerial view of the damage sustained by to help Bahamians Colonel Hill High School on Crooked Island in need to rebuild during the passage of Hurrincane Irene last their homes and week.

Photo: Tony Grant Jr. provide for their board and that’s what dren. Today we are carfamilies.

“There will be full assessments by the Department of Social Services and the Ministry of Works and others to determine the extent of the damage,” Ingraham told reporters at the airport in Arthur’s Town, Cat Island on Saturday, when asked what help those impacted by the storm could expect.

“Decisions will be based on need and income. So if my house got destroyed, the government would not provide me with any assistance.

But if somebody who doesn’t have the means to repair their house or to rebuild it [had their house been damaged], the government will provide assistance. It’s a fairly objective standard and yardstick and it applies across the

will happen.”

During the weekend, Ingraham went on aerial tours of several Family Islands most impacted by the Category 2 cyclone, which left a trail of destruction in its wake.

Referring to the community of Lovely Bay, Acklins where the damage was initially reported to be the most severe, Ingraham said the situation was not as dire as reported, but the people of Acklins “clearly require help.”

“Acklins is a place that has a population of 600 people,” the prime minister explained.

“More than 10 percent of the people on Acklins are on the government’s regular food stamp [program] - 68 out of 600. We provide lunches for 174 chil-

rying food and water to Acklins. It’s a part of The Bahamas that we are very sensitive to its needs.

“We understand that there will be anxiety on the part of some for the government to provide even more assistance, and we will do what we can.”

The prime minister also said that officials from Jamaica took food and water into Mayaguana on Saturday.

Regarding the exaggerated reports of damage in Lovely Bay, the prime minister said it is difficult to control the flow of information during disasters.

“There’s no place in The Bahamas that’s devastated - anywhere,” he said emphatically.

“One of the things

Intelligence will guide reduction or extension of curfew, says Trinidad PM PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says intelligence will guide any consideration to reduce the curfew hours as has been requested by the business community as well as for the extension of the curfew to other parts of Trinidad and Tobago.

She was speaking to the media on Sunday evening during a break from a meeting with the National Security Council and ministers when she

was being updated on the last week of activities during the state of emergency.

On the request by members of the business community she said: “We will certainly give consideration to that, the adjustment of the curfew hours, in the fullness of time with the National Security Council and should the intelligence that we have permit, we can so do.

“Today I cannot say that is a decision that we have taken. It is a matter, as all matters, that will be taken into consideration as we move forward in the days to come.”

Asked about extending the curfew to other parts of the country, the prime minister said, “There is no intelligence at this time that warrants such an extension (of the curfew) into the southern areas. I do not have any intelligence and unless there is such intelligence that the area is under serious threat as other areas and that we should extend the curfew into those areas. Should intelligence be forthcoming otherwise, certainly we will discuss it at the National Security Council level and take appropriate action.”

about disasters is that rumours spread and people pile on, etc. And then others accept that because you don’t expect people to be making up stories during the course of the disaster. There’s no foolproof guarantee [inaccurate against information]. The great United States of America, they have a disaster and then you have all sorts of words being spread with all sorts of communication.”

Ingraham said he never accepted as fact the report from the island administrator that Lovely Bay was 90 percent destroyed.

“All of the evidence I got from talking to people up there did not support it,” he said.

“There’s no way to change that now. That is a view that is held by many.”

Ingraham said only two houses were destroyed in Lovely Bay, where about 150 people live. He admitted that other houses were also damaged.

The prime minister said he started off his aerial tour in Cat Island because of the extent of the damage to the island’s utility infrastructure.

Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) general manager Kevin Basden estimated that more than 50 utility poles had been rendered useless on Cat Island as

a result of Hurricane Irene.

Minister Prime Ingraham said it might be a while before BEC can restore the electricity supply on Cat Island.

“I’m not sure the extent to which BEC is able to be responsive to the restoration efforts here in Cat Island because of the mammoth task it’s got all over The Bahamas,” he said. “But we are part of CARILEC (the Electric Caribbean Utility Service Corporation). We have had some of their men come in before to help with restoration on Family Islands - after Floyd for instance - and we’re probably going to ask them to do so today (Saturday).”

National Emergency Management Agency director Captain Stephen Russell, who headed teams conducting initial situation overviews over the weekend, said seven islands have been “truly impacted.”

He did not list the islands he was referring to but Abaco, Acklins, Crooked Island, Cat Island, Eleuthera, Exuma, Long Island, Mayaguana and New Providence were all impacted by Hurricane Irene.

However, Russell said that restoring utilities to Cat Island and Acklins are top priorities.

“Officials from BEC and (the Bahamas Telecommunications Company) have started their ground work in terms of trying to restore some of these downed utility lines,” said Russell on the ground in Cat Island on Saturday.

“Wherever help is needed, BEC will tap into our regional partners and similarly BTC has partners who can come in and assist them in terms of linesmen to help them restore the downed lines in all of the communities throughout The Bahamas; that is our aim over the course of the next two weeks.”

Basden, who was also part of the initial situation overview team, said that the southern end of Cat Island was hit much worse than the northern end.

“We have a number of poles that are down and lines that need to be repaired. Obviously we would need to ship additional inventory in terms of poles, overhead conductors and other materials, along with some heavy duty equipment to be able to expedite repairs,” said Basden.

“Our approach would be to gradually restore supply, simply by isolating where we can and putting it in one section at a time in terms of the restoration process.”

No CCRIF payouts for Hurricane Irene GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands — The Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) has announced that, while Hurricane Irene resulted in registered losses in six of its member countries (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Haiti, St Kitts and Nevis and the Turks and Caicos Islands), none of the policies of these countries were triggered.

Of these territories, the highest losses were determined for

The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. None of the other four countries was impacted by more than lower tropical storm-force winds (under 50mph).

“The CCRIF board and team share the relief of the governments of the Turks and Caicos Islands and The Bahamas that the impacts of Hurricane Irene were not as bad as had been feared,” the CCRIF said in a press release.

Early damage reports indicate low

to moderate impacts except for some southern and eastern islands in The Bahamas, which lay directly on Irene’s path. Critical tourism infrastructure, on which these countries largely depend for economic activity, was not badly affected.

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism indicated that the major tourism areas of Nassau/Paradise Island and Grand Bahama have seen a quick return to normal operations.

D CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2011 DAILY

INTERNATIONAL

11

Eid protests across Syria defy tanks and troops

By KHALED YACOUB OWEIS AMMAN Protesters across demanded Syria President Bashar al-Assad’s removal after prayers marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, defying tanks and troops besieging many cities and towns, activists and residents said.

Security forces shot dead at least four demonstrators, including a 13-year-old boy, as they streamed out of mosques in the towns of al-Hara and Inkhil in southern Deraa province.

Demonstrations broke out elsewhere across the country, especially in Damascus suburbs, the city of Homs, 165 km (100 miles to the north) and the northwestern province of Idlib, activists and residents said.

“The people want the downfall of the president,” shouted protest-

ers in the Damascus suburb of Harasta, where activists said dozens of soldiers defected at the weekend after refusing to shoot at protesters.

In the adjacent suburb of Saqba a crowd held their shoes up in the air — an insulting gesture in the Arab world — and chanted “This is your level Bashar.”

According to one activists’ group, troops have killed at least 551 civilians during Ramadan, the holiest period in the Islamic calendar.

Five months into the street uprising against his autocratic rule, Assad, from Syria’s minority Alawite sect, is facing more frequent demonstrations, encouraged by the demise of Muammar Gaddafi’s rule in Libya, with whom Assad had close ties, and rising international pressure on the ruling hierarchy.

Residents and activists have also reported increasing defections among Syrian troops, drawn mostly from the Sunni majority population but

dominated by Alawite officers effectively under the command of Assad’s younger brother Maher. the capital, In YouTube footage showed soldiers from core units roaming the center in big green public transport buses, their AK-47s hanging out from bus doors, to prevent protests, which broke out nonetheless in Qaboun, Kfar Souseh, Rukn al-Din and Maydan districts, activists said.

In a report published on Tuesday, the Syrian R e v o l u t i o n Coordinating Union grassroots activists’ group said Assad’s forces killed 551 people during Ramadan and that 130 others were killed on July 31, the eve of Ramadan, in a tank assault on the city of Hama, scene of a 1982 massacre by the military.

“The report does not include the number of martyrs who were not identified by name nor... bodies that were abducted (by security forces) and not returned to their families,” it said.

The official state

news agency said state television had aired an audio recording of two “terrorists” who described themselves as activists. It said the tape revealed “a full agenda of provocation and targeting police and army camps and terrorizing peaceful citizens in the name of freedom and non-violence.”

The Syrian National Human Rights Organization, headed by exiled dissident Ammar al-Qurabi, said pro-Assad forces, including a loyalist militia known as shabbiha, had killed at least 3,100 civilians since the uprising erupted in March, including 18 people on Monday alone.

Syrian authorities blame “armed terrorist groups” for the bloodshed and say they have killed 500 soldiers and police.

In the town of Rastan near the city of Homs on Monday, and armored force of Assad loyalists surrounded a town and fired heavy machineguns after the defection of tens of soldiers in the area, activists and residents said.

Israel “could not stop” nuclear Iran with one strike

By ARI RABINOVITCH JERUSALEM - Israel would not be able to halt Iran’s reported quest for atomic weapons with a single strike, a senior Israeli defense official said on Sunday.

Israel and the West suspect Iran is trying to use its nuclear program to develop atomic weapons, a charge denied by Tehran which says it wants to

generate electricity.

Both Israel and the United States have hinted they might consider taking military action as a last resort to stop Iran getting the bomb.

The defense official, who in line with Israeli army guidelines declined to be identified, mentioned Iran during a review of the security situation in the Middle East in a briefing to foreign reporters.

“We’re not talking about Iraq or Syria where one strike would derail a program,” the official

said, referring to Israel’s 1981 air strike that destroyed Iraq’s atomic reactor and the bombing in 2007 of a Syrian site which the U.N. atomic agency said was very likely a nuclear reactor.

“With Iran it’s a different project. There is no one silver bullet you can hit and that’s over,” the official said.

Israeli leaders have urged the United States and other Western countries to present Tehran with a credible military threat to back up economic sanctions already in place.

Body found of suspect in British police death TRIPOLI, Libya Authorities in Tripoli have discovered the body of a top Libyan regime official suspected of a role in the 1984 shooting of a British policewoman outside the Libyan

embassy in London, said Usama el-Abed, cumstances of the death a senior official said deputy chief of Tripoli’s are still not entirely new city council. clear. “We think this Tuesday.

The body of Abdel Kader Baghdadi, former head of Moammar Gadhafi’s Revolutionary Guards, was found along with several other corpses in a government building Tripoli’s Tajoura neighborhood,

Baghdadi’s identity was confirmed Tuesday, including by relatives who viewed the body, elAbed said.

Baghdadi was shot in the head, possibly in an internal feud, El-Abed said, adding that the cir-

was done a week or 10 days ago,” el-Abed said.

“Only today could we confirm this.”

He said Baghdadi was accused of a role in the shooting, but did not explain further.

One woman, 45-yearold Amal Qoraman, was killed and five other people were injured, they said, adding that tens of people were arrested in house-tohouse raids in the town of 40,000.

Syrian authorities have repeatedly denied that army defections have been taking place.

They have expelled

independent media since the uprising began in March.

European Union governments may impose sanctions on Syrian banks as well as energy telecommunicaand tions companies within a week, along with a planned embargo on oil imports from the country, EU diplomats said on Monday.

Japan elects new PM, may be ruling party’s last chance

By LINDA SIEG & RIE ISHIGURO TOKYO - Japan’s parliament voted in a new prime minister on Tuesday, perhaps the last, best chance for the ruling Democratic Party to begin pulling the country out of decades of stagnation.

Yoshihiko Noda, a 54-year-old former finance minister who wants to curb Japan’s huge public debt, becomes the country’s sixth prime minister in five years.

While tackling myriad ills dogging the world’s third-biggest economy, he must unify warring factions in his own party and win over the opposition, which can block bills in parliament.

The hurdles to governing are high and the policy problems legion, but some optimists suggest that the low-key Noda might succeed where his combative predecessor Naoto Kan failed.

“In Japanese tradition, the less lustrous politicians have tended to be more effective,” said Andrew Horvat, director of the Stanford Japan Center in Kyoto, comparing Noda to the late Keizo Obuchi, who was dubbed “cold pizza” when he took office in 1998 but used his “Everyman” image to win voter support.

“This is not a time for big talk and inappropriate action.”

Noda’s unassuming image contrasts with that of the famously irascible Kan, while his humble origins — his parents were both from poor farming families — set him off from the Democrats’ first prime minister, the aristocratic Yukio Hatoyama.

But other analysts warn that the compromises Noda needs to win over opponents in the party — he was one of five candidates for PM — could dilute his fiscal reform agenda. He placed second in the first round of party voting and only won in the runoff.

The novice Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) swept to power just two years ago promising to change how Japan is governed but quickly faltered due to diplomatic missteps, policy flip flops, internal bickering — and the sheer scale of Japan’s problems.

Now, as its third prime minister takes power, the DPJ’s support rates lag behind those of its main rival, the long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). If Noda fails, his party would probably lose the next general election, which must be held by late 2013.

Noda faces a mountain of challenges: coping with a strong yen that threatens to hit exports, forging a new energy policy while ending a radiation crisis at a crippled nuclear plant, rebuilding Japan’s tsunami-devastated northeast and finding funds to pay for that and vast social security costs of the aging society.

New American

The

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 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!

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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 31, 2011

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2011

Some older Americans overwhelmed by Medicare options Although older Americans have many Medicare options to choose from, they may not be making good decisions about their coverage, according to a new study.

Some seniors — particularly those with impaired brain function — can become overwhelmed by the variety of complex Medicare Advantage plans available to them, preventing them from finding the best plan to fit their needs, according to researchers from Harvard Medical School’s department of health care policy.

“We are providing the most complex insurance choices to the very population that is least equipped to make these high-stakes decisions,” said Dr. J. Michael McWilliams, assistant professor of health care policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School and a general internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in a university news release.

“Most other Americans choose from just a few health plans, but elderly Medicare beneficiaries often

have to sift through dozens of options,” McWilliams said.

The Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 increased the number of private plans participating in the Medicare Advantage program, which purports to usher in more competition, lower premiums and result in better benefits, including prescription drug coverage.

In assessing how these changes affected enrollment in Medicare Advantage compared to traditional Medicare, researchers examined nearly 22,000 enrollment decisions made by more than 6,600 participants over the course of four years, taking into account their mental status and the plans available to them.

The study, published online and in the September print issue of Health Affairs, found that enrollment in Medicare Advantage increased when the number of Medicare Advantage plans available to seniors was fewer than 15.

When there were more than 30

plans available, however, enrollment dropped. The researchers pointed out that 25 percent of U.S. counties offer more than 30 Medicare Advantage options.

Elderly people with impaired brain function were much less likely to understand and take advantage of the wide array of benefits offered by Medicare Advantage plans and instead were more likely to choose the traditional Medicare program by default, according to the report.

Given the increasing numbers of older Americans with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, the findings should prompt policymakers to establish better ways to assist seniors in making the right choice for them, researchers said. That could include offering fewer choices or helping them make better decisions based on those options.

“Efforts to limit choice and guide seniors to the most valuable options could especially benefit those with cognitive impairments, who without

more help appear to be leaving money on the table,” said McWilliams. “Better enrollment decisions could in turn strengthen competition by rewarding high-value plans with more enrollees.”

Not all experts would agree that the seniors who chose Medicare over Medicare Advantage were making the wrong choice, however.

Medicare Advantage plans have serious drawbacks compared to the original Medicare, according to the Medicare Rights Center (MRC), a non-profit consumer advocacy group.

Among the problems with Medicare Advantage the MRC cites are higher costs for skilled nursing care, home health care and inpatient hospital costs; unstable private plans that may suddenly stop coverage; restrictions in the choice of doctors, hospitals and other providers members can choose; and problems getting urgent or emergency care.

Expense may be causing Dialysis patients unprepared fewer young Blacks to smoke for disasters, study contends

Rising cigarette prices and other economic and social factors led to the sharp drop in smoking that occurred among Black youth between the 1970s and 1990s, U.S. researchers say.

In the early 1970s, smoking rates among Black and white youth were similar and began to decline in both groups around 1976. However, the drop was much sharper among Black youth. By the early 1990s, white students were more than four times more likely than Black students to report having smoked cigarettes within the previous 30 days.

This study concluded that racial differences in parental attitudes, religious ties, negative health concerns and experiences, worsening poverty, increased food stamp use, and rising cigarette prices are the major reasons for the more rapid decrease and continuing lower rate of smoking among Black youth compared to those in other racial/ethnic groups.

“Some have suggested that African American youth substituted other forms of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs for cigarettes,” study corresponding author Tyree Oredein, a doctoral student at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-School of Public Health, said in a university news release.

“However, there was an overall decline in the use of both licit and illicit drugs among Black high school seniors from the mid 1970s through the early 1990s alongside the fall of cigarette use,” said Oredein, who is also an adjunct professor of health and nutrition sciences at Montclair State University.

The findings suggest that increases “in cigarette price due to increased federal and state excise taxes have become and continue to be an effective tool in reducing cigarette use, especially [among] African American youth,” the researchers noted.

In the event of a natural or manmade disaster, such as a tornado, earthquake or fire, most dialysis patients don’t have a plan to get the medical assistance they need, according to a new study.

Although these kidney-disease patients rely on technology and dialysis clinics to survive, researchers from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine found that many don’t know the address of a backup center. This lack of preparation could seriously endanger the patients’ health, the researchers said.

“A dialysis patient relies on frequent visits to a dialysis facility to maintain his or her health, and when patients cannot receive dialysis due to lack of clean water, lack of electricity, impassable roadways, etc., severe medical complications can occur quite quickly,” Mark Foster, a student at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, said in a university news release. “This lack of preparation should stimulate measures to ensure better preparation for future disasters.”

In surveying 311 dialysis patients, the researchers found that only 43 percent knew where to find an alternative dialysis center. They also found that just 42 percent had their medical records at home so they could travel with them on short notice.

The study, to be published in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology, also showed that only 40 percent of the patients discussed the option of staying with friends or relatives during a disaster, and just 15 percent had a medical bracelet or necklace they could wear if disaster strikes.

However, 57 percent of those polled knew what type of diet they should follow during a disaster, and 63 percent had a two-week supply of extra medications they could rely on in an emergency.

The study authors said dialysis centers and medical organizations should do a better job of educating dialysis patients on ways to prepare for potential disasters.

DAILY D CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2011

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Jersey Shore rebuilds after Hurricane Irene blasts through

By MARYANN SPOTO A day after Irene Hurricane pummeled parts of New Jersey, the line to get in for lunch at Scojo’s restaurant in Surf City Monday was just as long as any weekday afternoon in August.

To the restaurant’s manager, Dawn Russo, that’s a sign people aren’t giving up on summer at the Jersey Shore.

And with summer’s last hurrah less than a week away, the Jersey Shore isn’t giving up on tourists despite the great cleanup effort going on in beach communities.

“If anything, the towns have their reputations at stake,” said Jeanne DeYoung, director of Monmouth County’s division of tourism. “It doesn’t matter what time of the season it is. They just want the tourists to have a good time so they’ll come back.”

From Sandy Hook to

Cape May, all of New Jersey’s 127 miles of coastline felt Irene’s impact to some degree.

Some communities experienced only minor beach erosion, requiring some grooming.

Others, like Spring Lake, where half of the 2-mile boardwalk was destroyed, have major repairs to face.

Some beaches charged entrance fees Monday, but many did not as they continued with cleanup - while also tending to residents displaced from their homes because of flooding or lack of electricity.

Raw video of flooding from Riverdale and Pompton Lakes Raw video of flooding from Riverdale and Pompton Lakes In this aerial footage flooding from the affects of Hurricane Irene can be seen around Riverdale and Pompton Lakes. (Video

by John O’Boyle/The Star-Ledger) Watch video In Belmar, where 20 percent of the community was still without power Monday afternoon and a few neighborhoods were still

flooded, Mayor Matthew Doherty said more than 100 volunteers helped get sand off the boardwalk and deliver necessities to stranded residents. He said he wants to make sure the borough is ready for the 60,000 tourists expected for Labor Day weekend.

“I’m committed to having us up and running for Labor Day weekend for a great end to the season,” he said.

“We’re going as if this happened in the beginning of summer. This is a very important weekend for our businesses.

It’s the last real weekend for them to make money.”

Gov. Chris Christie and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno put in their plugs for the Jersey Shore Monday.

Guadagno made appearances in Belmar, Asbury Park and Atlantic City and Christie stumped from behind a podium in flood-ravaged Manville.

“If you were planning to go to the Jersey Shore for the last week and into the Labor Day weekend - we’re restoring power down there

at a very quick rate get in your cars and go to the Jersey Shore,” Christie said Monday.

“Let’s enjoy this last week of summer.

There’s no reason not to do it.”

Pat Sepanak, owner of Sand Dollar Real Estate in Surf City, said many homeowners she represents are offering partial rental refunds, gift certificates to local businesses or a couple free days as a way of making up for renters’ two lost days of vacation because of Irene.

Wally Wall, beach manager in Manasquan, estimated the town lost $100,000 in the three days, including Monday. But to soften the blow to renters who lost three days on the beach, he’s extending the validity of the current $35 weekly beach badge to Labor Day. That saves renters who stick around through Labor Day from having to buy daily badges or another weekly pass that they’d only use for three days.

Preparing for Irene, many beach towns hauled in lifeguard boats and stands, rolled

N.J. has the lowest number of public workers in 8 years, analysis shows

By JARRETT RENSHAW TRENTON - With a flood of retirements, the sluggish economy and a governor intent on shrinking the size of government, the number of public workers in New Jersey has dropped to its lowest level in eight years, a StarLedger analysis shows.

New Jersey shed about 29,100 state and local government jobs during Gov. Chris Christie’s first 19 months in office, trailing only New York and California in the total number of public sector jobs lost, according to federal labor statistics.

The latest figures, released earlier this month, show the state has fewer public employees - from police

and teachers to college administrators and state workers - on the payrolls than at any other point since September 2003.

In fact, New Jersey’s sizable decline accounts for more than 8 percent of the 357,100 public sector jobs lost in states across the country since January 2010, the month Christie took office.

The loss of public sector jobs comes as New Jersey’s post-recession economy continues to struggle, translating into a 9.5 unemployment rate that is 13th highest in the nation.

In recent months, Christie has recast the unemployment rate - a critical yardstick for governors - saying it’s more a measure of his success than his failures. He said the stubbornly high jobless figure is an unavoidable consequence of his mission to shrink the size of

government in New Jersey.

“The fact is we added nearly 50,000 new private sector jobs and at the same time doing exactly what I promised to do which was to lower the number of public sector jobs,” Christie said in interview earlier this month.

“That’s the way you get the economy back. It’s not through government spending, it’s through the private sector.”

But economists and critics argue that Christie’s outlook ignores how the loss of so many jobs, regardless of their origin, threatens the state’s broader economy.

“These are people who no longer have a pay check, who are not buying things, it creates a ripple effect,” said Jon Shure, director of state fiscal strategies at Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liber-

al think tank in Washington. “You’re not just laying off a worker, you’re laying off the clerk at the grocery store where they shop.”

In January 2010, there were 590,200 employees on public payrolls in New Jersey.

But that has dropped by more than 5 percent, the fifth highest percentage decline in the nation, the analysis shows.

In the same time period, the total number of jobs in New Jersey accounting for gains in the private sector and losses in public jobs rose by 20,300. That ranks New Jersey behind 38 other states in percentage of job growth.

Christie’s critics say he may have been successful at shrinking government, but he has failed to expand the economy and provide new employment opportunities.

up beach mats and took down decorations that could have been swept away by the winds.

Most of those amenities will be back, partly because they’re needed for safety, but also because the towns want to leave tourists with a good last impression.

But in one Monmouth County town, there is plenty of work to be done.

Spring Lake Mayor Jennifer Naughton said borough public works

crews are working feverishly to repair portions of the boardwalk that sustained minor damage from Irene. The boardwalk to the extreme north and south ends of town were destroyed and will not be ready by Labor Day, she said.

“To pretend everything is normal is silly,” she said. “We’ll get it done and we’ll bet that boardwalk rebuilt, it just won’t be before Labor Day.

Hudson County stays busy mopping up after Hurricane Irene

By MICHAELANGELO CONTE Officials and residents across Hudson County continued to mop up Monday after a rude weekend guest left neighborhoods and homes in turmoil.

Firefighters and public works employees in several towns, including North Bergen, Kearny and Secaucus, busied themselves pumping out flooded basements in the wake of Hurricane Irene’s pounding.

“We hope the worst is behind us,” said Secaucus Town Administrator David Drumeler.

“A lot of this is related to when high tide was during the rain storm.”

Parts of Kearny were still without power Monday because of blown transformers and collapsed trees that brought down power lines, Kearny Fire Chief Steve Dyl said.

In Jersey City and Hoboken, a total of 1,800 PSE&G customers were still without power Monday and a representative of the utility company declined to predict when power would be restored.

Greg Kierce, director of the Jersey City City Office of Emergency Management, urged city residents to take photos of property damage and keep the receipts for repairs. Both, he said, will come in handy for insurance claims and in the event assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency becomes available.

Jersey City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said all street flooding in the city has receded and regular garbage pick up resumed last night. Normal parking rules resume today. The city provided trash containers for residents on Country Village Road and Sycamore Road, she said.

“Things are returning back to normal, but for many people who were greatly impacted by the storm, it will take several days,” Morrill said.

As a precaution, the city issued mandatory evacuations for ground-floor residents before the storm struck on Saturday. Kierce estimated that 10 percent of the potential evacuees complied.

“Some people said ‘OK, it’s (the mandatory evacuation is) for my own welfare,’ “ Fire Department Director Armando Roman said.

“Then you had some people who were more defiant and said they had to stay. They had to protect their belongings. We assured them we would do that.”

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Cartoonists plan Sept. 11 anniversary tribute

By MATT MOORE PHILADELPHIA — Sept. 11 is etched in the memories of millions, and as the 10th anniversary nears, cartoonists are etching their thoughts and emotions about 9/11 into comic strips.

With the anniversary falling on a Sunday, more than 90 cartoonists with five different syndicates have banded together to dedicate their strips on Sept. 11 to those whose lives were lost in the attacks. Sept.

11-themed strips will appear from the writers and artists of “Family Circus,” ‘’Mallard Fillmore,” “Candorville,” “Doonesbury” and “Pluggers,” among others.

Jeff Keane, who co-authors “The Family Circus,” was immediately sold on the idea when approached

by King Features, his syndicate.

“I knew that it was something that I think would work for ‘Family Circus’ if I could find the approach for it,” he told The Associated Press.

“Because ‘Family Circus’ is more of a realistic look at family, and I don’t necessarily have a cartoon that is a ‘joke a day,’ but more sentimental and more emotional, it was easier for me to look at it that way.”

Jim Borgman, the co-creator of

“Zits” with Jerry Scott, about a permanent teenager and his parents, called the upcoming anniversary something that cannot be ignored.

“As a cartoonist we would have all been wondering ‘Is it OK to deal with this topic in our work?’ Of course you can, but there is something comforting about the thought that a bunch of us are going to be struggling to say something on that day,” he said. “My colleagues — cartoonists — are an astonishingly varied and talented group of people. I fully expect we’ll see a broad range of approaches that day.”

It’s not the first time that cartoonists have banded together. Previous efforts have included topics like Earth Day or breast cancer awareness. But the scope of this endeavor is unprecedented, with five syndicates and the newspapers they serve participating: King Features, Creators Syndicate, Tribune Media Services, Universal Press Syndicate and Washington Post Writers Group — and the strips they provide to newspapers participating. The artists produce the strips independently.

The comics, each produced independently by the artists, will be featured in a separate, full-color pullout section and online the same day at

www.cartoonistsremember911.com.

Afterward, exhibits on the strips are planned for the Newseum in Washington, San Francisco’s Cartoon Art Museum, the Toonseum in Pittsburgh and the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art in New York.

The tone of the strips are varied, said Brendan Burford, comics editor at King Features Syndicate, with some taking a sentimental tack, while others may try to make a reader laugh.

“After 9/11, the cartoonists organized and did a series of message strips around Thanksgiving Weekend ... but it was also reflective and sympathetic to everyone who suffered,” he said.

“So 10 years later, a good number of those cartoonists already understood what the message needed to be,” Burford said. “Some are taking the ‘it’s OK to laugh,’ and others are taking the “it’s OK to heal” path.

And it being Sunday, that gives the 93 cartoonists ample space to write, draw and be read.

Borgman and Scott said their strip will look at the anniversary through teenager Jeremy’s eyes.

“Jerry Scott and I tried to think about what Sept. 11, 2001, would mean to a person who is now 16 years old — put aside the fact that

Jeremy has been 15 or 16 for 13 years now,” he said.

Tony Rubino, who writes “Daddy’s Home,” was living in Washington on Sept. 11 and has been involved with Jeremy’s Heroes, a charity founded on behalf of Jeremy Glick, one of the passengers killed aboard Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pa. His strip for Sept. 11, which is drawn by Gary Markstein, drew inspiration from the passengers of Flight 93, whose actions helped bring the United Airlines flight down in a Pennsylvania field instead of its likely target, the White House or the U.S. Capitol.

“I went by their example and rather than reflect on something that was negative in the past, I thought ‘What is the future? What I’ve done, my particular strip for 9/11 this year, is a look forward rather than a look back,” he said.

Rubino said that the cartoonists’ efforts are bound to be noticed, even among the din of anniversary coverage and programming.

“The comics are different. I think it’s a chance for people to see a perspective on this anniversary that they wouldn’t see otherwise,” he said. “They’re going to get a million television programs, but this is a unique way of looking at it.”

Mariah Carey confirmed Christina Milian in talks to play a maid on new ABC Family series for ‘The X Factor’

Mariah Carey will be joining The X Factor this season, according to husband Nick Cannon. The singer has been interested in being a part of the show since it was announced to be coming to U.S. shores.

“Now it’s official,” Nick told Extra.

“I still don’t know what she’s doing, but she’s doing something! She’s ready... she’s excited!”

As Nick says, Mariah’s role on the show has yet to be determined. It’s unlikely the show would add another judge this late, so Mariah will either be a guest on the show or help mentor the contestants. The term being thrown around is “guest mentor” and “judge of the judges” for her role.

The X Factor will debut on September 21.

ABC Family is developing a halfhour comedy vehicle for Christina Milian.

From “Rita Rocks” creators Stan Zimmerman and James Berg and “Glee‘s” executive music producer Adam Anders comes “Maid In Miami,” where Milian would play a young maid who aspires to be a singer, reports Deadline.com.

Milian is still in negotiations to star, while Zimmerman and Berg are writing the script and will executive produce with Anders.

Milian has an existing relationship with ABC Family — she has starred in two holiday original movies for the channel, “Snowglobe” and last year’s “Christmas Cupid.”

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Season 2 of ‘Luther’ gets start date for BBC America BBC America says it will start airing a second season of its celebrated British police drama “Luther” next month.

In the show, Idris Elba (left) stars as Detective Chief Inspector John Luther, a “super-intuitive detective struggling to cope with his own demons,” the cable network said in a news release Monday.

Season 2 is four parts, the first of which is to premiere Sept. 28. The new run of episodes will air over four weeks and will feature two distinctive new crime stories from creator and suspense novelist Neil Cross.

“In the ‘Luther’ sequel, [we’ve got] bigger stories on a wider canvas.

We’ve got some familiar faces and some new faces. We’ve got twists and

turns. We’ve got bloodcurdling events on the streets of London,” Cross said in a statement. “We’ve got fear and mayhem on a city-wide scale. We’ve got killers who’ll make you want to check the doors and windows are locked before you go to bed at night. And at the heart of it all, we’ve got DCI John Luther — a man in ruins, but with a heart the size of the moon. Bloodied and battered, but somehow still standing. And still doing what he can.”

Elba has garnered both Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his role as John Luther. He was also honored at the 42nd NAACP Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special.

much R&B as hip-hop, and he performed “John,” remixed over Black Sabbath’s rock tune “Iron Man.” The crowd went crazy, and the show likely was a key factor in helping lift the album’s 19-track deluxe edition, featuring an exclusive bonus track, to a fast start at No. 1 on iTunes.

Wayne’s label mate and protege Nicki Minaj tweeted her support with a simple, “Buy the Carter IV.” Veteran rapper Busta Rhymes, who is featured on the album, was in a more celebratory mood tweeting that Wayne had “smashed the Vma’s KRAZZZZYYYYYY!!!” Adding, “By the way CARTER 4 AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE RIGHT NOW!!!”

Critics, however, were not so enthusiastic.

“Tha Carter IV” is the ninth studio album from the New Orleans rapper born Dwayne Carter, but the fourth in his career-defining Carter series.

Wayne, aka Weezy, released two albums last year, “I Am Not a Human Being” and his rock experiment, “Rebirth.” Neither album came close to the first-week sales of 1 million copies for 2008’s “Tha Carter III” whether due to a break from formula or to Wayne’s being unavailable to promote the records while serving an

8-month stint for a weapons charge.

Billboard.com wrote that Wayne’s most recent effort may have had unrealistically high expectations, saying in its review that “Tha Carter IV” “is not a bad album,” but adding that it may be “may be more easily digested and supported by those largely unfamiliar with Weezy’s antics and unaware of his previous highs (pun intended).”

Rollingstone.com gave the album a respectable 3-1/2 out of 5 stars but admitted, “Weezy doesn’t have the same speed-demon intensity he had five years ago.”

In its review, HiphopDX.com noted that more attention was being paid to a new lyrical jab Lil Wayne took at rap impresario and music mogul Jay-Z, who was a featured guest on “Tha Carter III,” than on the album’s music.

“The fact that most of us have spent a week debating what the fallout will be from Wayne’s Jay-Z diss on “It’s Good,” instead of the album’s wins, was probably a bad omen,” HiphopDX.com wrote.

And a comical trending topic emerged on Twitter Monday with the hash tag, #ThingsBetterThanTheCarterIV. The answers offered ranged from a colonoscopy to “Watch the Throne.”

IDRIS ELBA MOVING ON TO SEASON 3 OF ‘LUTHER’ ON BBC ONE As of yet, there is little known about the 3rd season, but there is talk that it may air next year.

The actor is bent on possibly getting “Luther” to the big screen, saying the story is worthy of a bigger audience.

“The ultimate ‘Luther’ story will unfold on the big screen,” he said in an interview a couple of months ago.

Also, Idris’ next project with “Pacific Rim” is scheduled to begin in October.

Snoop named Lil Wayne’s ‘Tha Carter IV’ falls short with critics ‘Icon’ at BMI music awards

By SABRINA FORD

Rapper Lil Wayne released his newest album, “Tha Carter IV,” just after midnight on Monday to huge media hype following MTV’s Video Music Awards, but early reactions show the record falling short of high expectations from fans and critics.

After several delays, “Tha Carter IV,” hit digital music retailers at midnight, almost immediately following Lil Wayne’s rowdy, rocked-out performance at VMAs. The MTV honors show, where trophies are handed out in categories for best video among others, annually draws top stars in music and is a key promotional stop for singers trying to boost sales. Sunday’s show drew a record 12.4 million viewers to the network, up from 11.4 million last year.

Fans watched Beyonce reveal she was pregnant with her first child, Lady Gaga dressed in male drag, JayZ and Kanye West perform a song from their new record “Watch the Throne,” and the late singer Amy Winehouse remembered in a moving tribute.

Wayne closed out the show with his top 10 hit “How to Love,” which with Weezy’s crooning vocal, sounds as

Janet Jackson says ‘too difficult’ to attend tribute

By JILL SERJEANT LOS ANGELES — Singer Janet Jackson said on Monday she would not attend her brother Michael Jackson’s tribute concert because it coincides with the trial of the singer’s doctor.

“Because of the trial, the timing of this tribute to our brother would be too difficult for me,” Janet Jackson said in a statement.

Jackson’s mother Katherine and his sister LaToya have backed plans for the “Michael Forever Tribute” con-

cert in Wales on October8. But the event is opposed by brothers Randy and Jermaine and some fans are unhappy with the organization of the event.

Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Smokey Robinson are due to headline the concert. Janet Jackson was not scheduled to perform and her representatives said she had issued the statement in response to media queries about her presence.

The concert will take place in the middle of the high-profile trial in Los Angeles of the “Thriller” singer’s physician, Dr. Conrad Murray. Mur-

ray is accused of giving Jackson a lethal dose of the anesthetic propofol and failing to monitor him properly, leading to his death in June 2009.

HOLLYWOOD — Snoop Dog was named an “Icon,” but youth was also well served at the BMI Urban Music Awards in Hollywood.

BMI said 20-year-old Lex Luger became the youngest “Urban Producer of the Year” and B.o.B, 22, was the youngest “Song of the Year” winner for “Nothin’ on You.” BMI said in a written statement the honorees also included Kanye West, Drake and R. Kelly.

One of the highlights of Friday’s gala at the Pantages Theater was the salute to Snoop Dog with the annual “BMI Icon” award. He joins the likes of James Brown, George Clinton and The Jacksons on the roster.

The award included a speech by Dr. Dre and a musical tribute from Warren G, Nas, Game and other top-tier artists. Snoop himself took part in a rendition of “What’s My Name?”

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2011

18

HP executive: PC business to remain world No.1 a segment of the market that’s relevant, absolutely,” Bradley said.

A standalone incarnation of HP’s PC business would be a full-line computer maker including ultrathin and all-inone PCs. He said he is stressing that “regardless of what happens, we’re the largest PC company in the world. We need everybody energized, and while this isn’t business as usual, we need people to go out and sell products every day.”

Suppliers to HP PCs will remain largely intact, although the company may renegotiate and redefine the relationships.

“Unwinding the integration that’s taken place within HP will be enormous amounts of work and effort, justified by the return we think we’ll be able to provide to our shareholders.”

Nevertheless, he said, “we will be one of, if not the largest customers of all of our major suppliers, be it Samsung to LG

to Microsoft to Intel.”

The Palo Alto, California-based company is now exploring options for its WebOS software, it acquired which through the acquisition of Palm, of which Bradley is a former chief executive.

Bradley has said in the past that a number of companies had expressed interest in possibly using WebOS as an operating system, but he gave no further details on Tuesday, saying that he is not in China to announce or even negotiate anything regarding WebOS. HP’s board will meet in December to decide on the course to take with the PC business, although insiders assume the decision will be a spinoff.

Bradley said he expects to be chief executive of any such new company.

“My intention would be to lead it through this transaction...and if it’s a standalone public company, to lead that,” he said.

August consumer confidence lowest in more than two years

fidence was well underway before the S&P downgrade,” Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center, said in a statement.

Consumers’ labor market assessment also worsened. The number of respondents saying they found “jobs hard to get” rose to 49.1 percent from 44.8 percent the month before, while the “jobs plentiful” category fell to 4.7 percent from 5.1 percent.

The view on prices increases was unchanged with expectations for inflation in the coming 12 months holding steady at 5.8 percent.

By TERRIL YUE JONES BEIJING — HewlettPackard Co’s personal computer business will retain its position as the world’s largest PC manufacturer even after any spinoff, the head of HP’s PC business said on Tuesday.

A spinoff of the Personal Systems Group (PSG) will bring the “best value” to HP shareholders for taxation and other reasons, PSG head Todd Bradley told Reuters in an interview.

“A standalone company could and will do what’s most required to drive value for shareholders and partners,” Bradley said.

HP stunned markets when it announced two weeks ago that it is considering shedding its PC business, part of a wrenching series of moves away from the consumer market that included killing its new tablet.

Selling the PC division to a rival such as Taiwan’s Acer Inc, which acquired computer maker Gateway in 2007 or to China’s Lenovo Group Ltd, which $ # #%!" %"$ # % $' ' $ $"%#$ (4+ 8/, (41 5- ,; '561 (7 522(8,6(2 .,48 (4+ 9785+0(4 -56 8/, ' $ $6978 !2(0480-- 7 :7 " " "' 0- 20:04. 56 0- ,08/,6 56 (22 ), +,(+ ,8 (2 ,-,4+(48 7 88564,< 7 -56 !2(0480-- 7 " # " # ## $ # ! #93308 5968 #908, 07/1022 ,; '561 :78:&39 94 /:),2*39 4+ +47*(148:7* &3) 8&1* ,7&39*) -*7*.3 43 47 &'4:9 4;*2'*7 <.11 8*11 &9 :'1.( :(9.43 94 9-* -.,-*89 '.) )*7 &9 .3,8 4:39> ":57*2* 4:79 )&28 "97**9 !2 74401>3 % 3 "*59*2'*7 &9 7*2.8*8 034<3 &8 %$ & " ' ' 25*1 58 9-&9 (*79&.3 5149 5.*(* 47 5&7(*1 4+ 1&3) <.9- 9-* ':.1).3, &3) .2574;*2*398 9-*7*43 *7*(9*) 8.9:&9*) 1>.3, &3) '*.3, .3 9-* 474:,- 4+ 74401>3 4:39> 4+ .3,8 .9> &3) "9&9* 4+ *< %470 &3) )*8.,3&9*) &8 14(0 49 43 9-* .3,8 4:39> &3) &3) #&= &5 8 247* 5&79.(:1&71> )*8(7.'*) .3 9-* /:),2*39 4+ +47*(148:7* &3) 8&1* "41) 8:'/*(9 94 &11 4+ 9-* 9*728 &3) (43).9.438 (439&.3*) .3 8&.) /:),2*39 &3) 9*728 4+ 8&1* 5574=.2&9* &24:39 4+ /:), 2*39 51:8 .39*7*89 &3) (4898 $ 43 *:3, &. 86 ! !

purchased IBM’s PC division in 2004, is not a desirable alternative, Bradley said.

“I would just say that the numbers don’t support that that strategy works,” said Bradley, citing Acer reporting its first-ever quarterly loss last week.

HP has been struggling in the PC market — a high-revenue but low-margin business — as popular devices such as Apple Inc’s iPad have lured consumers away.

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vince them that HP’s PC business will remain robust and committed to Asian markets.

“China’s obviously a critically important market for HP as well as PSG,” Bradley said.

Bradley said HP will increase investments in Shanghai, and over the next three years expand its Shanghai manufacturing base, consolidate

Consumer confidence crumbled in August to its lowest level in more than two years as the fallout from political wrangling over a budget deal took its toll, according to a private sector report.

The Conference Board, an industry group, said its index of consumer attitudes sank to 44.5 from a downwardly revised 59.2 the month before.

The index was well off a

six employee sites into one campus, and make Shanghai a regional headquarters in China for the PSG. Bradley said the company could resurrect HP’s short-lived TouchPad tablet computer, which was introduced on July 1 before being terminated only about six weeks later.

“Tablet computing is

poll of economists by Reuters for a reading of 52.0.

The index was at the lowest level since April 2009, the report said.

July was originally reported as 59.5.

Consumers’ outlook also deteriorated sharply as the expectations index plunged to 51.9 from 74.9. The assessment of consumers’ present situation fared better with the index slipping to

33.3 from 35.7.

Consumers have faced many hurdles recently, including the debate surrounding the debt ceiling, the downgrade of the U.S. credit rating by Standard & Poor’s, volatility in financial markets and increased fears the economy is heading for another recession.

“A contributing factor may have been the debt ceiling discussions since the decline in con-

Samsung unveils 3 smartphones to run on own platform SEOUL — Samsung Electronics unveiled three smartphone models that run on its own operating system, as it seeks to expand market share in the low-end segment and diversify its lineups heavily focused on Google’s Android software.

The Wave series mod-

els backed by Samsung’s proprietary system “bada” reflects the South Korean firm’s shift in strategy from being a pure hardware manufacturer to become more software-focused.

It is also aimed at pulling together Samsung’s different products of smartphones,

televisions, printers and computers under its own software platform and online application store Samsung Apps.

Samsung on Tuesday unveiled Wave 3 with a 4-inch AMOLED screen and a 5 megapixel camera, as well as cheaper Wave M and Wave Y. The Wave M will have

Samsung’s first instant messaging tool chatON installed and entry-level Wave Y with 3.2-inch display will go on sale in October.

The three models add to 7 Wave series lineups Samsung introduced since first bada-based product went on sale in May 2010.

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2011

19

Report: U.S. lenders making more subprime car loans

By DAVID HENRY Lenders are making more subprime auto loans again, reversing the cautious approach they adopted after the credit crisis, an industry research firm said on Tuesday.

The portion of car loans made to subprime borrowers rose to 40.8 percent in the second quarter from 37.2 percent a year earlier, according to Experian Automotive, a unit of credit bureau and research firm Experian Plc. The data shows how keen lenders are to boost their loan books amid a sluggish U.S. economy. Car loans are seen by lenders as rela-

tively safe, because they are collateralized and repossessing cars is easier than foreclosing

on homes.

Average credit scores for borrowers declined and the average term

for their loans extended by one month to 63 months on new cars and 59 months on used

cars.

“We are continuing to see growth in subprime, both new and used, and loans are becoming looser,” Melinda Zabritski, director of automotive credit for Experian said in an interview.

In mid 2007, loans to subprime borrowers made up 46.2 percent of the total. That easy lending led to a surge in delinquency rates before lenders turned conservative.

Tighter underwriting has resulted in fewer loans going bad.

Loans delinquent by 30 days fell to 2.59 percent of those outstanding in the second quarter of this year, down from 2.89 percent a year earlier, according to Experian.

“Even though we

have growth in subprime of late, our delinquency rates right now are extremely low,” said Zabritski. “We have an overall stable market because we did have a lot of conservative lending in 2009 and 2010.”

Repossessions have declined, too, with the percentage of car loans ending in repossession falling to 0.59 percent from 0.62 percent.

In a measure of market share tracked by Experian, the five most frequent lenders and their portions of the number of loans of all kinds made during the quarter were: Ally Financial, 6.93 percent; Wells Fargo & Co, 5.79 percent; Toyota, 4.84 percent; JPMorgan Chase & Co, 4.75 percent; and Honda, 3.92 percent.

Graphene finding could lead to super-fast Internet LONDON — British scientists have devised a way of using graphene, the thinnest material in the world, to capture and convert more light than previously, paving the way for advances in highspeed Internet and other optical communications.

In a study in the journal Nature Communication, the team — which included last year’s Nobel Prize-winning scientists Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov — found that by combining graphene with metallic nanostructures, there was a 20-fold enhancement in the amount of light the graphene could harvest and convert into electrical power.

Graphene is a form of carbon just one atom thick and yet 100 times stronger than steel.

“Many leading electronics companies consider graphene for the next generation of devices. This work certainly boosts graphene’s chances even further,” said

Novoselov, a Russianborn scientist who with Geim won the 2010 Nobel Prize for physics for research work on graphene.

Previous research has shown that electrical power can be generated by putting two closely-spaced metallic wires on top of graphene and shining light on the whole structure, effectively making a simple solar cell.

The researchers explained that due to the particularly high mobility and velocity of the electrons in graphene, such graphene cell devices can be incredibly fast — tens or potentially hundreds of times faster than communication rates in the fastest Internet cables currently in use.

The main stumbling block to practical applications has so far been the cell devices’ low efficiency, the researchers said. The problem is that graphene absorbs little light — only around 3 percent — with the rest

going through without contributing to the electrical power.

In a collaboration between the Universities of Manchester and C a m b r i d g e , Novoselov’s team found they could solve this problem by combining graphene with tiny metallic structures known as plasmonic nanostructures, which are specially arranged on top of graphene.

By using the plasmonic enhancement, the light-harvesting performance of graphene was boosted by 20 times without sacrificing any of its speed, they wrote in their study. Future efficiency could be improved even more, they said.

“We expected that plasmonic nanostructures could improve the efficiency of graphene-based devices but it has come as a pleasant surprise that the improvements can be so dramatic,” said Alexander Grigorenko, an expert in plasmonics and a leading member of the team.

“Graphene seems a natural companion for plasmonics.”

Andrea Ferrari of Cambridge University’s engineering department, who also worked

on the team, said the findings show graphene’s great potential in photonics and in developing electronic devices that channel and control

light. He said the combination of its special optical and electronic properties with plasmonic nanostructures could be fully exploited.

BE ECOME INVOLVED HELP US DRAW THE LINES! LEGISLATIVE REDISTRICTING HEARINGS STATE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY WHERE: Queens

Brooklyn

Wednesday, September 7, 2011, 10:00 a.m .

Queens Borough Hall, Meeting Room 213, 1 & 2 120-55 Queens Boulevard Kew Gardens, NY

Tuesday, September 20, 2011, 10:00 a.m.

Brooklyn Borough Hall 209 Joralemon Street Brooklyn, NY

Bronx

Manhattan

Thursday, September 8, 2011, 10:00 a.m.

Bronx Community College Gould Memorial Library Auditorium 2155 University Avenue Bronx, NY

Wednesday, September 21, 2011, 10:00 a.m. th Assembly Hearing Room, 19 Floor 250 Broadway, NY

LEGISLATIVE REDISTRICTING will have a major impact on how every citizen and community will be represented at the state level of government for the next 10 years. The redistricting process involves redrawing the political boundaries for all districts to reflect population shifts.

YOUR RIGHT to fair and effective representation is crucial. This is why the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment is holding hearings to involve New Yorkers in the process. The Task Force is seeking initial public comments in order to assist us in creating new Congressional, State Senate and Assembly district boundaries.

MEANINGFUL PUBLIC PARTICIPATION BEGINS WITH YOU! If you wish to speak at a hearing or have any questions, please contact the Task Force at 212-618-1100. For further information, please go to our website at www.latfor.state.ny.us

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2011 ! !

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2011

DAILY CHALLENGE

21

SPORTS

Venus a winner at US Open; sister Serena up next

By EDDIE PELLS NEW YORK Venus Williams takes these tournaments one match at a time. Not a bad plan for a player who’s played only one match since Wimbledon.

Williams returned to tennis on the big stage Monday, winning her first match at the U.S. Open after a two-month break she needed to fight off a viral illness.

“A lot of the battle is just trying to be fit and stay healthy,” Williams said after her 6-4, 6-3 victory over Vesna Dolonts. “Sometimes I’ve been losing that battle a lot. But I do feel like I can play six matches. I need to win them. No one is more in one-match-at-a-time mode than me now at this tournament.”

Williams, a two-time champion at Flushing Meadows, came into the tournament unseeded for the first time since 1997, when she was 17 and made a run all the way to the final. Of course, people overlook her at their peril. When

healthy and motivated, she and her sister, Serena, are the biggest X-factors in any tournament they enter.

Serena opens play Tuesday against Bojana Jovaovski in much the same situation as her sister - seeded a lowly 28th after missing a big chunk of the year with an injury. But unlike Venus, who had not played a competitive match since Wimbledon, Serena has had a good lead up to the U.S. Open, winning two tournaments earlier this month.

“I think how she’s played has been amazing,” Venus Williams said. “It was definitely motivating to see her do so well this summer.

But I know she can play. She knows she can play tennis. I know I can play tennis, so of course it’s great to see those results. But I know I have it in me, also.”

In her straight-sets victory over Dolonts, Williams finished with six aces and maxed out her serve at 126 mph.

She won on 15 of her 20 trips to the net and added up a 28-7 edge in winners against the travel-weary Russian,

who had arrived in New York only four hours before her match - a victim to travel delays caused by Hurricane Irene.

Venus, who likes to design her own dresses, came out in her version of the traditional “little black dress, tennisstyle,” replete with lace and zippers on the back.

“Kind of fun,” she said.

Joining Serena in first-round action Tuesday will be defending champion and second-seeded Rafael Nadal against Andrey Golubev and both the top seeds - Novak Djokovic vs. Conor Niland and Caroline Wozniacki vs. Nuria Llagostera Vives.

The only major upset on opening day was Alexandra Dulgheru’s 7-6 (3), 6-3 victory over No. 5 Petra Kvitova.

Kvitova became the first reigning Wimbledon champion to lose in the first round at the U.S. Open.

She has only won two matches since hoisting the trophy at the All England Club.

Asked why she was struggling, she said, “That’s a good question,

actually.”

The player she beat at Wimbledon, Maria Sharapova, had to go three sets Monday for her win. She needed 2 hours, 34 minutes to beat Heather Watson, the remarkably nimble, 102nd-ranked 19-yearold from Britain.

The bad weather stole some practice time over the weekend from Sharapova, a three-time major champion, and she conceded she was far from her best.

“It’s just a matter of belief within myself, that no matter how well or bad or good I’m playing, or my opponent is playing, I know I can tough it out,” she said.

“No matter what the situation is, I have the belief.”

In the last match of the first day, 16-time major winner Roger Federer beat 54thranked Santiago Giraldo of Colombia 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 to collect his 224th victory in Grand Slam play, tying Andre Agassi for second-most in the Open era. Jimmy Connors holds the record at 233.

“It’s just another way of saying, ‘Roger, you’ve been doing many things right through-

out your career,” Federer said. “It gives me good satisfaction and points me in the right direction, I think.”

The only men’s seed to lose on Day 1 was No. 15 Viktor Troicki of Serbia, a 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 75, 7-5 loser against Alejandro Falla of Colombia.

Other winners included No. 2 Vera Zvonareva, a finalist last year at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open; 16year-old Madison Keys of Boca Raton, Fla. - the youngest and, at 455th, lowest-ranked woman in the draw - who beat 37-year-old Jill Craybas 6-2, 6-4; and No. 12 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, who beat her younger sister Urszula 6-2, 6-3.

But surprise 2009 U.S. Open quarterfinalist Melanie Oudin of Marietta, Ga., lost 6-0, 7-6 (7) to Romina Oprandi of Italy, falling to 9-29 in 2011.

Oudin said she’ll spend most of the rest of this season playing in lesser events, hoping to get some matches, and wins, under her belt to get some seasoning for a long career in front of her.

The Williams sisters, meanwhile, are thinking about now - despite what the injury report or the seedings might say.

“We’ve decided to just enjoy tennis,” Venus Williams said. “It’s such an honor. We’ll do it as long as we can. Right now, the end is not really in sight.”

Ohio State plans for widespread compliance program

By ANDREW WELSHHUGGINS COLUMBUS, Ohio Ohio State’s top financial official on Tuesday recommended the university hire two firms to undertake a comprehensive review of campus compliance programs in the wake of the football team’s memorabilia scandal.

The review will look at compliance across the university, with an emphasis on athletics, research, the medical center including Ohio State hospitals, and student financial aid.

The review will also compare Ohio State’s compliance programs meaning how departments follow rules and regulations that apply to them - with other universities and companies. Finally, the companies will recommend a new structure for Ohio State to follow.

“It’s about integrity and about having the best system in the country looking at compliance in all those areas,” said Geoff Chatas, the university’s chief financial officer.

Two firms, both outside Ohio, are being recommended by Chatas.

The first, Protiviti

Inc. of Menlo Park, Calif., is a global business and risk consulting firm that fit the university’s needs for a compliance review, Chatas said.

The second, New York-based law firm Dewey and LeBoeuf, will assist with legal issues arising from the review, Chatas said.

“We wanted the best firms,” he said, while noting that Protiviti has a major Cincinnati office.

Chatas said Ohio State already has strong compliance programs in individual departments. But he said he was surprised

there wasn’t a national model of a centralized compliance program the university could look to. Trustees are likely to approve the hiring next week.

The review comes as Ohio State tries to recover from a rules scandal that cost former coach Jim Tressel his job and led to the departure of quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

The review is about much more than the athletics department, said trustee Robert Schottenstein, chairman of the trustees’ audit committee.

“We’ve also underscored we believe this

Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith was an opportunity for M/I Homes Inc., said Ohio State to take a step Tuesday. forward in an area Trustees announced where historically in June the university maybe that wasn’t would review all compliimportant, or wasn’t an ance practices, not just issue,” Schottenstein, those in the athletic CEO and president of department.

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2011

SPORTS BRIEFS WR Crabtree back in uniform, practicing for 49ers

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Wideout Michael Crabtree is in uniform and practicing with the San Francisco 49ers for the first time this preseason.

Crabtree, the 10th overall draft pick in 2009 out of Texas Tech, was activated from the physically unable to perform list Tuesday. He did a short drill with quarterback Alex Smith before moving to an individual work. A day earlier, Crabtree caught a couple dozen balls during warmups before general manager Trent Baalke stopped him. The team immediately reported the situation to the NFL. League spokesman Greg Ailleo said the NFL was “looking into it.”

The 49ers said there was nothing new to report Tuesday.

The 23-year-old Crabtree had 55 catches for 741 yards and six touchdowns last year.

Pacman Jones co-defendent sentenced LAS VEGAS — A former bodyguard for NFL football player Adam “Pacman” Jones has been sentenced in Las Vegas to probation, community service and anger management counseling for his role in a Las Vegas strip club fracas and shooting that left three people wounded in February 2007.

Robert “Big Rob” Reid, 31, of Compton, Calif., was sentenced Thursday by Clark County District Court Judge Douglas Herndon after pleading an equivalent of no contest in December 2007 to misdemeanor conspiracy to commit disorderly conduct, said his lawyer, Robert Langford.

“It closes the case for Mr. Reid,” Langford said Tuesday. He said Reid still works as a bodyguard and has been involved in the filming of a reality TV show featuring strippers touring on a bus.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal first reported Reid’s sentencing on Tuesday.

Authorities allege that Jones instigated the shooting by throwing wads of dollar bills from a large plastic trash bag onto a stage at the club, called Minxx, during NBA All-Star Game weekend in Las Vegas.

Jones, 27, now plays defensive cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals. He has denied a role in the shooting.

Police alleged that Jones met outside the club with Arvin Kenti Edwards of Renton, Wash., before Edwards opened fire.

Edwards, 32, was sentenced earlier this month to four to 10 years in prison after entering a socalled Alford plea to attempted murder with use of a deadly weapon. The plea avoided trial and spared Edwards an admission of guilt but acknowledged that prosecutors could prove the case against him.

Jones is serving one year of probation for his Alford plea in December 2007 to conspiracy to commit disorderly conduct — the same against Reid.

Jones could face a hearing in Las Vegas about whether an arrest in July at an Ohio bar violated terms of that sentence.

The district attorney in Las Vegas, David Roger, has said he was reviewing police accounts of Jones’ arrest on charges of resisting arrest and misdemeanor disorderly conduct before deciding whether to ask a Nevada judge if Jones violated a stay-out-of-trouble order.

Roger didn’t immediately respond Tuesday to messages seeking comment.

Langford, who also represents Jones, said he didn’t think Jones’ case in Ohio would lead to a hearing in Las Vegas.

DAILY CHALLENGE

SPORTS

Eagles give QB Vick $100 million deal

By ROB MAADDI PHILADELPHIA Michael Vick is really back on top now.

Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles agreed on a six-year contract on Monday that again makes the Pro Bowl quarterback one of the highest-paid players in the NFL. A source familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press the deal is worth $100 million, including about $40 million guaranteed. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because terms weren’t released.

Vick has come a long way since spending 18 months in federal prison on dogfighting charges. He led the Eagles to the NFC East title last year, was the starting quarterback in the Pro Bowl and was the AP Comeback Player of the Year.

“I’m very happy we were able to reach an agreement with Michael on this long-term contract,” Eagles coach Andy Reid said in a statement. “It’s a product of all the hard work Michael has done to better himself over the last couple of years, both on and off the field. I’m very proud that he has been able to achieve success again in this league, but he’ll be the first one to tell you that there is a lot of work yet to be done by him and this team as a whole.

“And there’s no doubt in my mind that he will continue on that path.”

Vick was due to earn slightly more than $16 million this season after the Eagles designated him the franchise player in February. He’ll make a little less, possibly giving the Eagles salary cap flexibility to give Pro Bowl wide receiver DeSean Jackson an extension.

The 31-year-old Vick joined the Eagles in 2009, and played sparingly as the third-string QB behind Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb. He started last year as the backup, but forced his way into the starting role with his exceptional performances after Kolb got hurt in the season opener.

Vick guided the Eagles to an 8-3 record in 11 games as a starter in his first season play-

ing full-time since 2006. He set career highs in yards passing (3,018), touchdowns passing (21), touchdowns rushing (9), completion percentage (62.6) and passer rating (100.2). Vick also rushed for 676 yards.

Vick, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 draft, once was a megastar with the Atlanta Falcons. He signed a $130 million, 10-year deal in 2005 that made him the top-paid player in the league then. But Vick lost it all when he went to jail and he eventually filed for bankruptcy.

He was reviled by fans when he came back, but has won them over with good behavior off the field, a humble attitude and spectacular play.

Robles: Being Cuban cost me hurdles gold medal HAVANA, Cuba Cuban athlete Dayron Robles says he wouldn’t have been disqualified from the 110m hurdles in the World Championship if he came from a more powerful country.

Robles was stripped of his first-place finish in the hurdles in South Korea on Monday after judges upheld an appeal claiming he held back Chinese runner Liu Xiang.

The ruling meant the gold medal was handed to American Jason Richardson, with Liu second and British athlete Andrew Turner given bronze.

In an email sent to

Cuba's Dayron Robles, right, makes contact with China's Liu Xiang, left, during the Men's 110m Hurdles final at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea.

The Associated Press were from a country stronger mentally and on Tuesday, Robles with “more power”. insists he’s focused on says “that wouldn’t Robles says the set- winning have happened,” if he back will make him

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2011

DAILY CHALLENGE

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SPORTS

Ex-NBA player Crittenton arrested in murder case

By DAISY NGUYEN LOS ANGELES Former NBA player Javaris Crittenton was in police custody after being arrested at a Southern California airport while waiting to board a flight to Atlanta, where his lawyer said he would go to surrender in a murder case.

Crittenton, who was suspended from the league for having guns in a locker room with teammate Gilbert Arenas, was arrested Monday evening at John Wayne Airport in Orange County after checking in for a redeye Delta Air Lines flight, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.

She said he was with a male companion who was not arrested.

Crittenton was taken to a Los Angeles police station where he was booked on suspicion of being a fugitive from justice.

Jane Robison of the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said Tuesday that prosecutors expect to charge him Wednesday with being a fugitive from justice and he may be arraigned later in the day at the downtown criminal courts building.

Atlanta Police spokeswoman Kim Jones said Tuesday the timetable for Crittenton’s return depends on whether he waives extradition.

Crittenton, 23, was wanted on a federal arrest warrant after the FBI learned that he traveled on a one-way

ticket to Los Angeles, where he was known to have family and friends, several days after a deadly Aug. 19 shooting.

Crittenton’s attorney told The Associated Press earlier Monday that his client planned to surrender. He said he was in contact with Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard and the FBI Fugitive Task Force to make arrangements for Crittenton’s arrest.

“He offered to turn himself in,” lawyer Brian Steel said. “He’s not guilty. We look forward to getting it to the courts.”

Eimiller said she wasn’t aware of any negotiation for Crittenton to surrender.

Police in Atlanta had obtained a murder warrant for Crittenton in the Aug. 19 shooting of 22-year-old Jullian

Jones, a mother of four young children, as she was walking with two men. Police believe one of the men with her was the target.

Police spokesman Carlos Campos had said the motive appears to be retaliation for a robbery in April, in which Crittenton was a victim.

When he was with the Washington Wizards in December 2009, Crittenton and Arenas had a dispute over a card game on a team flight. Two days later, Arenas brought four guns to the locker room and set them in front of Crittenton’s locker with a sign telling him to “PICK 1.”

Crittenton then took out his own gun.

Crittenton pleaded guilty in January 2010 to a misdemeanor gun charge and received a year of unsupervised probation.

Arenas

Javaris Crittenton entered his guilty plea Crittenton is on the on Jan. 15, 2010. He roster of the NBA develserved a short time in a opmental league’s halfway house.

Dakota Wizards.

NFL, NFLPA to donate $1 million to 9/11 charities Youngster from Grenada upsets Merritt at worlds

NEW YORK - The NFL and the players’ union are donating $1 million to memorials and charities to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

The first Sunday of the regu-

lar season is Sept. 11, and includes games matching the Dallas Cowboys at the New York Jets and the New York Giants at the Washington Redskins.

The NFL and NFL Players Association will contribute $500,000 to the 9/11 Museum & Memorial in Lower Manhattan,

and $250,000 to be divided between the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pa., and the Pentagon Memorial Fund in Washington.

In addition, the NFL and NFLPA will donate all proceeds from the sale of auction items from games played on Sept. 11.

B r owns pick up Bengals RB Benson gets of fensive li neman jail sentence in Texas

By TOM WITHERS BEREA, Ohio - The Cleveland Browns have been awarded offensive lineman Oniel Cousins off waivers from Baltimore, a move made for protection if they have to put left guard Eric Steinbach on injured reserve.

Steinbach, who has not missed a snap in two seasons, may need back surgery for a bulging disk. On Monday, Browns coach Pat Shurmur said the club was close to making a decision on Steinbach, an indispensable eight-year veteran who left practice two weeks ago when his back tightened.

Cousins was drafted by the Ravens in 2008. He made four starts and appeared in 25 games.

With Steinbach out, rookie guard Jason Pinkston, a fifth-round pick from Pittsburgh, has been working with the first-team offense.

AUSTIN, Texas - Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson was sentenced to 20 days in jail Monday after reaching a deal to settle two misdemeanor assault cases in Texas.

Benson said he will surrender to authorities on Oct. 17, which is the Monday of Cincinnati’s bye week.

“This was a difficult decision for Mr. Benson,” said Sam Bassett, the running back’s attorney.

“His priority right now is to get back to work and put these legal matters behind him.”

Benson’s jail time could be significantly shorter than the sentence. He could be given credit for any time served when he was arrested and state law requires inmates be given two days credit for every day they are rewarded for good behavior.

Jail overcrowding also could shorten his stay.

But for now, the Bengals must make plans to be without their leading rusher. They declined comment Monday.

By PAT GRAHAM DAEGU, South Korea - A memorable meeting - marked by a late surge and a stumble - could be the start of a robust rivalry between Grenada’s Kirani James and American LaShawn Merritt.

James leaned across the line Tuesday to win the gold medal in the 400 meters at the world championships, upstaging the reigning titleholder, who had grab the back of the teenager’s jersey to prevent himself from falling.

The surprise finish put Merritt on notice: There’s a new kid in the blocks, and he’s pretty good. He’s even drawing comparisons to Jamaican sensation Usain Bolt.

“I don’t want to be the next Usain Bolt,” said James, who turns 19 on Thursday. “I’m happy in my own skin. I’m on the right track to great things.”

Merritt was a little rusty. This was his first major meet since serving a 21-month suspension for using a banned substance that his lawyer said was the result of a male-enhancement product. He lost steam with about 10 meters to go, opening the door for James.

“He is a great competitor,” Merritt said as the Americans failed to win gold in the 400 for the first time since 2001. “I didn’t quite have a good day.”

Their next major meeting could come at the London Olympics. Provided, of course, Merritt is allowed to compete.

DAILY CHALLENGE

S SP PO OR RT TS S WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2011

THE 100 MILLION DOLLAR MAN S EE PA GE 22

VENUS A W I N N E R AT US OPEN S EE PA GE 21