Vol 18 No 110 Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011

MORE MUSLIM AMERICANS BELIEVE THEY ARE THRIVING - PG. 2 NATIONAL NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION

THE NATION’S ONLY BLACK DAILY 35 Cents

Final

DEBT DEAL DONE President Barack Obama signed a what could have been an unprecelast-minute compromise plan to dented default with calamitous ecoraise the nation’s $14.3 trillion nomic consequences. debt ceiling, narrowly averting SEE PAGE 3.

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011

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NEWS BRIEFS More Muslim Americans believe they are thriving CUOMO SIGNS NEW LAW LIMITING PURCHASE OF FIREARMS Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a new law Monday that prevents those convicted of domestic violence from purchasing firearms.

The law closes a gap between federal and state statutes by sending the information of those convicted on domestic violence misdemeanor charges to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

Previously, those convicted in New York State weren’t added to the database that’s checked before someone buys a gun.

In a statement Cuomo said, “New York State must stand strong against domestic violence by protecting victims and making sure those convicted of such crimes cannot inflict further damage.”

The legislation was sponsored by State Senator Steve Saland and Assemblywoman Amy Paulin.

NEW FULTON STREET SUBWAY ENTRANCE OPENS AS PART OF $1.4B PLAN There’s a new way in and out of the busy Fulton Street subway station.

The entrance on William Street is now open to the public. It’s designed to make it easier for riders to get to the subway and ease congestion.

The opening is part of a $1.4 billion overhaul of the Fulton Street Transit Center.

“When we complete this work, what we expect to do is to interconnect 11 subway stations or lines out of the 22, including the Path, and one would be able to walk from here underground all the way to the winter garden,” said Michael Horodniceanu, president of MTA Capital Construction.

Two more entrances are expected to open at the station next year.

MTA officials say construction should wrap up in 2014.

DOE: SUMMER SCHOOL ATTENDANCE INCREASES FROM 2010 The number of city students showing up for summer school is on the rise.

According to the Department of Education’s midsummer attendance snapshot, 74 percent of students registered for classes attended them on July 19.

To contrast, 69 percent attended classes on a similar date in 2010.

The July 19 number is a 10 percent increase from 2009, when 64 percent of students were in attendance.

More than 34,000 students in the third through eighth grades were recommended for summer school this year, up by more than 10,000 from last year.

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By WENDELL MARSH WASHINGTON — Muslim Americans are now more optimistic about their lives than any other major American faith group as their economic well-being improves and they feel more politically enfranchised.

A Gallup study released yesterday found 60 percent of Muslim Americans surveyed reported they were “thriving”, slightly higher than for Americans of any other religion except for Jews, who edged them out of the top spot by one percentage point.

Pollsters noted in particular the rapid surge in positive sentiment among Muslim Americans. The percentage of Muslims who were “thriving” grew by 19 points since 2008, double that of any other major faith group.

“Muslim Americans are happier and more optimistic today than at the end of 2008,” Dalia Mogahed, director of the Abu Dhabi Gallup Center, told Reuters by telephone.

“Muslim Americans today feel a greater sense of belonging in their country,” she added. Only three percent of Muslim Americans said they were suffering, while 37 percent said they were struggling.

Authors of the study said they attributed the change in outlook to improved economic conditions and a sense of more political enfranchisement since the election of President Barack Obama, a Christian with Muslim family roots who has reached out to Muslim communities worldwide.

The report said Obama’s approval rating among Muslim Americans was 80 percent, and that 46 percent, or a plurality, of Muslim Americans identified as Democrats, compared to only 9 percent who identified as Republicans.

“They may see Obama as promoting

An American flag hangs on a car outside the American Muslim Society mosque in Detroit, Michigan. policies that are more in keeping with their own political views than those of former President George W. Bush,” the report said.

Muslim Americans also felt, to the tune of 64 percent, that their standard of living was getting better, up from 55 percent in 2009 and 46 percent in 2008.

The report, which focused on civic and spiritual engagement as well as overall well-being, said the improvements in Muslim sentiment came despite continuing controversies.

Those included a controversy surrounding a plan to build a Muslim cultural center and mosque near the site of New York’s September 11 Al Qaeda attack, and hearings on Islamic extremism called by U.S. Representative Peter King, which critics viewed as a witch-hunt.

A Christian preacher also caused an uproar last year by threatening to burn the Koran, and put himself back in the spotlight in March after incinerating Islam’s holy book.

“Despite some of these perceived attacks on the community, they are feeling better overall about their lives, about their country’s leadership,” Mogahed said.

Some 89 percent of Muslim Americans said that violent attacks on civilians were never justified, compared to between 71 and 79 percent of other religious groups who felt the same way.

“The finding is surprising because much of the rhetoric has been that the community hasn’t been vocal enough in its rejection of terrorism,” Mogahed said.

Jewish Americans had some views in common with Muslim Americans.

A majority of Americans from both faiths agreed on a two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Jewish Americans were also the most likely religious groups, besides Muslims themselves, to believe that Muslim Americans were loyal to the United States. Some 80 percent of Jews said this, compared to 59 percent of Catholics and 56 percent of Protestants.

“There is an untapped resource, and relationship and a possible coalition between Muslim and Jewish Americans,” Mogahed said.

Muslim Americans continued to have a deep skepticism toward law enforcement and foreign policy. Some 60 percent of Muslim Americans had confidence in the FBI, while 70 percent had confidence in the military, the lowest of any group.

Gallup said the study was one of the most expansive of Muslim American public opinion to date. Instead of finding respondents by selecting people with Islamic-sounding names or going to parts of the country with large Muslim populations, the study is drawn from a random selection of U.S. households.

Gallup said it interviewed 3,883 self-identified Muslim American adults from January 2008 to April 9, 2011. The margin of error or confidence level in the data is 95 percent, Gallup said.

North Carolina may compensate sterilization victims

By JIM BRUMM WILMINGTON, North Carolina — North Carolina should compensate the surviving victims of the state’s forced sterilization program, the Governor’s Eugenics Compensation Task Force recommended on Monday.

The task force also said the state should pay for mental health services for the fewer than 2,000 of the nearly 7,600 residents forcibly sterilized from 1929 to 1974 who are believed to be still alive.

The preliminary report did not settle on an amount for financial damages. The task force said it had discussed providing between $20,000 and $50,000 to each verified living victim and recognized an “urgent need” to move forward.

The task force acknowledged that “no amount of money can replace or give value to what has been done to nearly 7,600 people — men, women, boys, girls, African Americans, whites, American Indians, the poor, undereducated, and disabled — who our state and its citizens judged, targeted, and labeled ‘morons,’ ‘unfit,’ and ‘feebleminded.’”

If payments are ultimately approved, North Carolina would

become the first state to do more than apologize for forced sterilizations, which were popular in the United States during the 1930s, the task force said.

At one time, more than 30 states had eugenics programs, but most were abolished after World War II, the report said.

A final report is due in six months.

Democratic Governor Beverly Perdue, who created the five-member task force in March, had no comment on Monday on the recommendations.

Spokeswoman Chrissy Pearson said Perdue looked forward to reviewing the newly issued report.

“North Carolina’s Eugenics Board program produced the majority of its sterilizations after World War II, resulting in North Carolina having more surviving victims than other states,” the report said.

During the peak years between July 1946 and June 1968, women and girls accounted for 85 percent of the state’s sterilization victims, who also included boys and girls as young as 10, the report said.

In a presentation in April, statistician Don Akin said the majority of those sterilized under the North Carolina’s program prior to the 1950s

Elaine Riddick was raped by a neighbor and became pregnant at age 12 in 1968. A year later, the North Carolina Eugenics Board ordered her to be sterilized. were white females.

Akin said sterilizations peaked in the 1950s, with nearly 3,000 performed in that decade. Another 1,600 sterilizations were performed during the 1960s, he added.

There was a dramatic shift in the demographics of people sterilized after the 1950s, when the “vast majority ... were ‘non-white’ females,” said Akin, who works for the State Center for Health Statistics.

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011

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Obama signs debt ceiling bill, ends crisis

By ALAN SILVERLEIB and TOM COHEN — President WASHINGTON Barack Obama signed a last-minute compromise plan to raise the nation’s $14.3 trillion debt ceiling yesterday afternoon, narrowly averting what could have been an unprecedented default with calamitous economic consequences.

The U.S. Senate passed the plan, which imposes sweeping new spending cuts over the next decade, shortly after noon ET. The bill was approved in a 74-26 vote; 60 votes were required for passage.

The measure was approved by the House of Representatives on Monday by a 269-161 vote, overcoming opposition from unhappy liberal Democrats and tea party Republicans.

Obama praised the deal moments after the Senate passed it, calling the measure “an important first step for ensuring that as a nation we live within our means.”

But the American economy “didn’t need Washington to come along with a manufactured crisis,” the president noted. “It’s pretty likely that the uncertainty surrounding the raising of the debt ceiling — for both businesses and consumers — has been unsettling, and just one more impediment to the full recovery that we need.

And it was something that we could have avoided entirely.”

“Voters may have chosen divided government, but they sure didn’t vote for dysfunctional government,” the president said.

If the debt ceiling had not been increased before the end of yesterday, Americans could have seen rapidly rising interest rates, a falling dollar and shakier financial markets, among

other problems.

Regardless, the federal government could still face a credit rating downgrade.

The agreement — reached Sunday

by Obama and congressional leaders from both parties — calls for up to $2.4 trillion in savings over the next decade, raises the debt ceiling through the end of 2012 and establishes a special congressional committee to recommend long-term fiscal reforms.

Emotions ran high during the final debates on Capitol Hill. Numerous Republicans remain worried about cuts in defense spending and the lack of a required balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. Progressive Democrats are livid over the extent of the deal’s domestic spending cuts, as well as the absence of any immediate tax hikes on high-income Americans.

“On this matter, my conscience is conflicted,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, said. “If we should default on our debt, terrible things will ensue.” But if “we continue to move toward more and more spending cuts, we will literally disadvantage the poor and working families of America to the advantage of those who are well off.”

But Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Illinois, praised the agreement, calling it “a down payment on further ways to bring common sense ... to the spending of our government,” “If we fail, we deliver a free people into the hands of financial bondage,” he warned.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Connecticut, called the deal a first step in “a long, hard march back to fiscal responsibility in our country.”

“Nobody seems perfectly satisfied with it, but that’s inevitable,” Lieberman said. “For me, the positive outweighs the negative.”

GOP leaders sold the deal to skeptical rank-and-file Republicans in

recent days by arguing that it will finally begin the process of reforming spending and taming the growing debt, a key goal of conservatives who fueled the GOP takeover of the House in last year’s midterm elections.

Top Democrats have focused on the fact that the bill preserves benefits from popular entitlement programs such as Medicare and takes the politically problematic debt ceiling issue off the table until 2013.

In the end, the majority of both Democrats and Republicans supported the legislation in the Senate.

In the House, Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, was able to round up the support of most of his GOP caucus, while the chamber’s two top Democrats — Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland — voted for the plan along with more than 90 of their caucus members.

One of those supporting the plan was Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona, who cast her first House vote since being shot in the head in an assassination attempt in January. She received an emotional ovation when she entered the chamber.

The final agreement revolves around a two-stage process.

The first stage includes $917 billion in savings, including a roughly $420 billion reduction in the national security budget. The cuts would be accompanied by a $900 billion increase in the debt ceiling.

Because of the pending deadline, Obama would have immediate authority to raise the debt ceiling by $400 billion, which will last through September, according to the White House.

The other $500 billion increase in the debt limit would be subject to a congressional vote of disapproval that can be vetoed by Obama.

In the second stage, a special joint

committee of Congress would recommend further deficit reduction steps totaling $1.5 trillion or more, with Congress obligated to vote on the panel’s proposals by the end of the year.

The committee would comprise 12 members, six from each chamber, equally divided between Democrats and Republicans. The panel’s recommendations would be due by November 23 and guaranteed an up-or-down vote without amendments by December 23.

The committee is expected to consider politically sensitive reforms to the tax code and entitlement programs, though Democrats and Republicans disagree on the likelihood of any eventual revenue increases.

If the committee’s recommendations are enacted, Obama would be authorized to increase the debt ceiling by up to $1.5 trillion. If the recommendations are not enacted, Obama can still raise the debt ceiling by $1.2 trillion. At that point, however, a budget “trigger” would kick in, imposing mandatory across-the-board spending cuts matching the size of the debt ceiling increase.

The cuts would be split between defense spending and non-defense programs, an unpopular formula intended to motivate legislators to approve the committee’s recommendations.

Catholic school principal fired for white supremacist views

By RAY SANCHEZ The Archdiocese of New York fired a Bronx Catholic school principal whose white supremacist beliefs were “found to be incompatible with the philosophy and practices” of the church, the archdiocese said yesterday.

The church launched an investigation of Frank Borzellieri, who had been principal of Our Lady of Mount

Carmel School in the Tremont section since 2009, after the New York Daily News revealed his link to white supremacist groups.

“Mr. Frank Borzellieri has been relieved of his position as principal of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School,” Joseph Zwilling, a church spokesman, said in a statement.

“This decision was reached following a thorough internal review of his opinions and beliefs as expressed in his books and columns, and a discus-

sion with Mr. Borzellieri himself.”

Borzellieri’s ability to run a school where a majority of students are Black and Latino came into question after reports that he has written books declaring America’s growing minority populations would usher in a “New Dark Age.” He also reportedly once tried to get a biography of Martin Luther King Jr. banned from public school libraries.

According to his Facebook page, Borzellieri has written for a white

Ex-Detroit mayor Kilpatrick released from state prison Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick walked out of prison a free man yesterday after serving just over 14 months of a 5-year sentence at a state facility in Jackson, Michigan.

Kilpatrick had been serving time for violating probation related to a 2008 case against him.

The former mayor walked out of the prison and got into a waiting SUV yesterday. He was given “a small amount of cash from the cashier’s office” upon his release, said John Cordell, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Correc-

tions.

Kilpatrick was expected to board a flight to Dallas, where he was to be reunited with his family. He is to check in with a Texas parole officer on his arrival, and he must serve two years of parole, Cordell said.

The former mayor pleaded guilty in September 2008 to two felony counts of obstruction of justice stemming from his efforts to cover up an extramarital affair. He also pleaded no contest to charges of assaulting a police officer who was attempting to serve a subpoena on a Kilpatrick friend in that case.

He then spent more than three months in jail before being released in February 2009 on five years of probation. He was also ordered to pay restitution as part of his original plea deal.

But on May 25, 2010, Wayne County Judge David Groner sentenced Kilpatrick to five years in prison for failing to report assets that could be used to pay the restitution, a violation of his probation.

Kilpatrick will be subject to usual restrictions for parolees, plus an order to pay back what his lawyer called $860,000 in restitution.

supremacist publication, noting his “long-standing ties to American Renaissance, a ‘publication that has expressed support for eugenics and the racialism’ of the early 20th Century.”

Borzellieri’s books include “The Unspoken Truth: Race, Culture and Other Taboos” and “Don’t Take it Personally: Race, Immigration and Other Heresies.”

He notes on his Facebook page that he is “best known for his conservative views on immigration, affirmative action, gun control, education, libertarianism, and his opposition to what he terms the lack of morality and the lack of focus on the basics of learning in the New York City public school.”

Zwilling, the Archdiocese spokesman, said, “Many of the opinions expressed by Mr. Borzellieri in his writings were found to be incompatible with the philosophy and practices of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, and with Catholic schools throughout the Archdiocese.”

“The Catholic schools of the Archdiocese pride themselves on serving a diverse student population, without regard to a student’s religion, race, or background.”

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011

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

Harry Potter: The return of Tarzan

By REV. DR. HERBERT DAUGHTRY

THOMAS H. WATKINS

Is Social Security a ‘Ponzi scheme’?

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Part 1 Last week, my family and I spent a day in Washington, D.C. A part of our time was spent at the White House where we enjoyed bowling for a couple of hours among other things. After lunch, it was decided that the latest and last Harry Potter movie would be the next entertainment for the kids. When we called the theater, we were informed that no seats were available.

Later that evening, Larry King was on CNN for a whole hour with the stars of the movie, discussing the 10 years of phenomenal success. As I watched the interview, I kept thinking about Tarzan. Then, there was the coming attraction of the Shirley Temple movies. Memories flooded my mind. I pondered the demeaning portrayal of African people

by Hollywood across the years, especially during my youth. As I thought of Gunga Din, Mantan Moreland, Stepin Fletchit,

and others, I became infuriated.

In these movies, I saw the myriad of subtle and blatant ways that white supremacy, imperialism, and idealization were being projected around the world. The masses, especially the impressionable minds of children, would unknowingly internalize the Hollywood productions and strive to duplicate them.

Obviously, they would fail at the attempt of imitation. Black children, by and large, were not going to have Shirley Temple curls. The hair of Black men and women was not going to be straight and blowing in the wind, but they tried to rectify it with conks, wigs, and straightening combs; and, skin whitener wasn’t going to remove or hide their Blackness.

A recent study revealed that babies learn at an earlier stage than first believed. At 10-14 months, babies try to imitate the bigger humans. I wrote many years ago that whites were fed superiority, and Blacks were fed inferiority with their milk. From the cradle to grave, Black children were bombarded with images,

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words, and actions to inculcate inferiority while whites were internalizing superiority. What I didn’t know at the time was that white supremacy and superiority were not only being taught, but it was also being internalized and imitations were occurring. Malcolm X’s statement comes to mind: “The greatest crime white people have committed was to teach Black people to hate themselves.”

One of the painful ways selfhatred manifested itself was/is through self-violence. Pervasively and creatively, Black people have/are hurt, mutilated, hindered, attacked, and killed themselves. Most people don’t even know why. For those of us who do know, we agree with James Baldwin’s assertion, “To be Black in America and relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all of the time.”

When I was a kid and saw a Black image or a Black person on a movie screen, I would hide my eyes with my hands, and occasionally peep through my fingers to see if the Black image was gone. Even as a kid,

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011

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President Obama’s transcendent leadership

By DR. BENJAMIN F. CHAVIS, JR. Now that the U.S. debt ceiling has finally been raised by the U.S. Congress, there are many who are quick to cast judgment on the leadership performance of President Barack H. Obama. Somehow there is a partisan loss of memory to the fact that the last seven presidents all supported the raising of the nation’s debt ceiling to avoid a national default. In fact, President Ronald Reagan, the popular Republican leader, raised the U.S. debt ceiling 18 times during his eight years as president without polarizing the nation. So the question must be asked: Why did the Republicans in the U.S. Congress so viciously attack President Obama’s leadership on this issue to the point of nearly creating another fiscal and economic crisis that would have paralyzed the nation’s standing in the global economy?

What’s really behind these attacks?

Is this really just another example of the madness of the current body politic in the United States? Or is there something more fundamental going on today across America that exposes the need for President Obama to keep pushing forward to improve the quality for life in particular for the millions of people who voted for him and danced in the streets of America on the night of his election just three years ago in November 2008? I learned a long time ago, that if you want the right

answers, you first have to ask the right questions.

President Obama has to be the leader of all the people, including even those who throw political stones at him no matter how much he tries to represent what is best for all as President of the United States. Black Americans already know and really understand that President Obama has to be concerned for the best interests of all Americans. Later this month, we will all pause to celebrate the unveiling of the national monument in tribute to the life, leadership, dream and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Yes, that will be another great historic day in the history of America.

Yet, as one who worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in my home state of North Carolina back in the 1960’s as a youth organizer, I wonder how Dr. King today would view or respond to these systematic attacks on the leadership of President Obama? I believe Dr. King would speak out and take a stand to warn all people not to allow the obvious racial and political prejudices and undermining stereotypical attacks on President Obama to trigger a backward bigoted polarization of our nation and society. At a time when the nation should be focusing on rendering the best high quality education for all children in America and to be creating and providing millions of needed jobs so that the economy will rebound, it is sad to witness

The return of Tarzan Continued from page 4 I knew that whatever came across the screen would make me feel ashamed, hurt, and angry. As an adult, I shut off the television and refuse to go to the movies.

To repeat, the self-hatred is often directed in our homes and/or communities. During the fight for integration of the so-called white public schools, nine Black children sought entrance into one of these so-called white schools in Little Rock Arkansas in 1957. The white community responded with unbelievable barbarism. During that time, one of the Black children’s father shot another Black man. Even an ignoramus could make the connection. The bullets were really aimed at white folks, but for whatever reason, this father couldn’t vent his anger on the whites. So, in what is called “misplaced aggression,” he took it out on another Black man.

Another form of self-hatred is in the artistic world. Of course, some Blacks in the movies and television business have learned from whites, and, in some instances, outdid whites in degrading people of

African ancestry.

Movies and television shows like Madea; the depiction of the Black Church as the creator of buffoons (as it is done by Steve Harvey), and even when it is unnecessary as in the case of Aunt Esther in Sanford and Son; the lewd language, crazy apparel, and stupid antics of some of the rappers; and, the parade of violence, explicit sex, and stupid buffoonery as seen on BET, in my opinion, are all manifestations of self-hatred. It is as if slaves put more chains on themselves than the slave master, and unbelievably, rejoice as the chains cut deeper into their personhood, and love the humiliation. And, we wonder why disrespect, violence, killings, sexual promiscuity, and destruction pervade the Black community.

But, they are making money and contributing to the Black community, which raises another criticism. If, in fact, there were substantial contributions, then the argument may be acceptable, but I fail to see where this self-hatred has made a major difference in advancing our people. …to be continued.

the ruthless behavior of those whose only mission is to defeat President Obama next year in the 2012 national elections.

Dr. King was a freedom fighter and leader who knew the importance of not allowing the status quo to determine the parameters, goals or objectives of the movement for freedom, justice and equality. Dr King’s leadership style was multifaceted including the spiritual, intellectual, moral and visionary articulation of the issues combined with social action at both the grass roots and national levels. It was a transcendent and transformative leadership that rose above the ignorance and petty prejudices of that time. Now, from a different vantage point, President Barack Obama is defining his own leadership style. In a sense, the election of President Obama was another indication that Dr. King was right about the future changes in American society with respect to the oneness of humanity and the inclusiveness of Black Americans into the American political mainstream. But the current challenges that President Obama faces are real and the forces that are aligning against him are gaining some national momentum.

At the end of the day, I believe President Obama will prevail as a direct result of his transcendent leadership style and significant progress attained during his presidency. Do you remember the passage of the reform of health care when no one thought it was politically possible?

Effective presidential leadership

** Join Reverend Daughtry in Jersey City for the weekly Thursday Evening Educational, Cultural, and Empowerment Forum from 6pm8pm for an evening of information, inspiration, and challenge at 315 Forrest Street (Ground Floor), corner of MLK, Jr. Drive. For more info, contact The National Community Action Alliance at (201) 716-1585. ** Listen to Reverend Daughtry on the weekly radio program which airs Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. on New York City’s WWRL-AM, dial 1600.

made it happen. I am not surprised at all that the prestigious Wall Street Journal got it completely wrong when it recently characterized the President in an opinion editorial as “Barack Obama the Pessimist.” The Wall Street Journal went on to stipulate, “His lack of faith in American exceptionalism has dashed any hope a transformational presidency.”

Nothing could be further from the truth. The progressive transformation of America will not be contingent on the arrogance or ignorance of the past, but will be accomplished by “optimistic” leaders like President Barack Obama who know how to rise above and to transcend the backward tides of reactionary and negative pessimism of visionless politicians that want to take the nation backward rather than forward.

So let’s not be dismayed or confused. Progress is being made. We now should be preparing to mobilize and rally the largest voter turnout in American history for the 2012 elections. Let’s focus on the economic development of our communities and most importantly we have to give the highest priority to getting the best education for all our children. It’s no time for hopelessness. Let’s revive the Civil Rights Movement. Let’s work harder to help President Barack Obama.

— Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis is Senior Advisor to the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) and President of Educational Online Services Corporation. ** NEED QUALITY CHILD CARE? Call the Alonzo A. Daughtry Memorial Daycare Center located at: 460 Atlantic Avenue (corner of Atlantic and Nevins) 718 596 1993 333 Second Street (between 4th & 5th Avenues) in Park Slope (718) 499-2066 Immediate openings are available in a state-of-the-art center. ** Visit The House of the Lord Church’s website at holc.org. Or, contact us at 415@holc.org.

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011

Obama administration sues to block Alabama immigration law

By JAMES VICINI and JEREMY PELOFSKY WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Monday sued to block enforcement of Alabama’s new immigration law, widely considered to be the toughest measure in the United States to try to crack down on illegal immigrants.

The law, known as H.B. 56, was signed by Republican Governor Robert Bentley in June and is due to take effect on September 1. Civil rights groups brought a separate lawsuit challenging the law about a month ago.

“If allowed to go into effect, H.B. 56’s enforcement scheme will conflict with and

undermine the federal government’s careful balance of immigration enforcement priorities and objectives,” administration lawyers said in the lawsuit filed in federal court.

“The scheme will cause the detention and harassment of authorized visitors, immigrants, and citizens who do not have or carry identification documents specified by the statute, or who otherwise will be swept into the ambit of H.B. 56’s enforcement-atall-costs approach,” the lawsuit said.

The administration, which sought an injunction to block the law from taking effect, argued that the U.S. Constitution bars the state from adopting its own immigration regime that inter-

feres with the federal immigration system. There are an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States.

Conservatives have complained that the Obama administration has failed to sufficiently stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the country. Attempts to overhaul federal immigration policy have gone nowhere in the U.S. Congress.

Besides Alabama, Georgia, Arizona, Utah and Indiana are defending new immigration laws in federal court.

The Obama administration successfully sued to block Arizona’s tough law last year and courts have also put the laws in Georgia, Indiana and Utah temporarily on hold.

“Today’s action makes

clear that setting immigration policy and enforcing immigration laws is a national responsibility that cannot be addressed through a patchwork of state immigration laws,” Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement.

Alabama Governor Robert Bentley said states that have passed strong immigration measures have done so because the federal government has failed to enforce U.S. immigration law.

Like the Arizona law blocked by the courts last year, the Alabama measure requires police to detain someone they suspect of being in the United States illegally if the person cannot produce proper documentation when stopped for any

reason.

The Alabama legislation goes further by making it a crime to knowingly transport or harbor an illegal immigrant. It also requires public schools to determine, by reviewing birth certificates or sworn affidavits, the legal residency status of students upon enrollment.

The law imposes penalties on businesses that knowingly employ someone without legal resident status, and a company’s business license could be suspended or revoked. A similar Arizona law was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in May. The Alabama law also requires businesses to use a database called E-Verify to confirm the immigration status of new employees.

CIA not in contempt TV product placements over interrogation termed junk food ad loophole tapes, judge says

By BASIL KATZ A judge on Monday refused to find the CIA acted in contempt when it destroyed videotapes that showed harsh interrogations of two suspects.

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein told a Manhattan federal court hearing that efforts by the CIA to improve how it preserves documents was enough restitution, and that it should pay legal fees to the plaintiffs, the American Civil Liberties Union.

“I don’t think a citation of contempt will add to anything,” Hellerstein said.

In December 2007, the CIA acknowledged destroying dozens of videotapes made under a detention program begun after the September 11 attacks. The interrogations, in 2002, were of alleged al Qaeda members Abu Zubaydah and Abd alRahim al-Nashiri.

Until 2007, the CIA had publicly denied the tapes ever existed. They were destroyed in 2005.

A probe by a special federal prosecutor last year found that no CIA personnel should face criminal charges for destroying the videotapes.

Monday’s decision came after years of legal battles between the CIA and the

ACLU, which first sued the agency in 2004 to obtain documents on its treatment of prisoners.

When news of the tapes surfaced, the ACLU said the CIA and its chief spy at the time had acted in contempt of court by trashing tapes that should have been preserved under a court order following the ACLU’s Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

By destroying the tapes, the CIA showed disrespect for the court, said Lawrence Lustberg, an attorney for the ACLU. Although the CIA failed in not disclosing and preserving the tapes, Judge Hellerstein said: “The bottom line is we are in a dangerous world. We need our spies, we need surveillance, but we also need accountability.”

As part of that accountability, the judge on Monday asked the CIA to detail the new policies it says it has implemented since the tapes were destroyed.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara La Morte, arguing for the CIA, said the CIA’s new policies were “above and beyond” what the court required and that the ACLU was “out to exact retribution on the CIA.” “I don’t think that’s correct,” the judge interrupted.

By LAUREN KEIPER BOSTON — Companies that have pledged not to market unhealthy food and beverages directly to children may be turning to product placement on television shows instead of traditional ads to target youngsters, a new study showed.

This type of disguised advertising, including high exposure to sugary soft drinks on prime-time TV, is a major contributing factor to childhood obesity, according to the Yale University study.

“It is a very subtle message that kids aren’t likely to get,” said Jennifer Harris, a coauthor of the study and director of marketing initiatives at Yale’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

The Yale study aimed to quantify how many product

placements appear on primetime TV and also determine how many of those that kids actually see.

Researchers analyzed Nielsen media data from 2008 and found some 35,000 brand placements had appeared on prime-time television that year.

Kids tend to see about 14 traditional advertisements for food and beverages each day on television compared to one of these product placements, it said.

But children don’t yet have the cognitive ability to understand that the popular soda, candy and snack brands they see on prime-time shows are a means of advertising.

“It is even more difficult for younger children to understand this is advertising and that it is persuading them to do something that isn’t the best thing for them,” Harris said.

Despite most major food companies pledging not to pay for unhealthy food ads in children’s programing, brand appearances in prime-time shows and sportscasts viewed by a wide audience, including kids, is exposing them to these products anyway, Harris said.

Harris said Coca-Cola product placements on popular talent show American Idol was the most viewed brand. Children saw five times as many product placements as they did traditional, paid television commercials for Coca-Cola products.

Roughly one-third of children in the United States are overweight or obese, said Harris. Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages puts kids at greater risk for obesity, but also long-term health problems like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, she said.

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011

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AFRICAN SCENE

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011

AFRICAN SCENE

Ivory Coast reconciliation ‘must start now’

f of Ben Ali relatives, allies Trial resumes The trial resumed yesterday of 23 relatives and allies of ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on charges including trying to flee Tunisia in illegal possession of foreign currency and jewellery.

The accused include sisters and nephews of Ben Ali’s wife, Leila Trabelsi, arrested at Tunis airport on January 14, the day the ex-president fled to Saudi Arabia following popular uprisings that spread across the region.

The trial opened last Tuesday when the next hearing was postponed for a week.

Among those in the dock is Ben Ali’s former head of presidential security, General Ali Seriati, who is being tried for complicity and passport falsification.

He was also arrested on January 14, at a military airport, just after Ben Ali left. There are suspicions he pushed the president to leave in the hope of taking control of the country.

Seriati faces a separate trial for more serious allegations of plotting against internal state security and provoking disorder.

Lawyers of the 23 accused — 14 men and nine women — were expected to entre pleas yesterday.

They deny the charges and face six months to five years in prison and heavy fines, according to judicial sources.

Since his escape to Saudi Arabia, Ben Ali has been twice convicted and sentenced in trials held in his absence including for possession of arms, drugs and archaeological artefacts, and for misappropriating public funds.

UN, aid groups push for more Somalia famine money NAIROBI, Kenya - The U.N. and aid agencies are warning that the famine in Somalia will grow in size and severity unless the world community responds with more aid.

Oxfam said yesterday that Somalia famine crisis is “spiraling out of control” and that donations are failing to keep pace with the level of need.

The U.N.’s humanitarian aid office warned that unless it sees a massive increase in donations, the famine will spread to five or six more regions inside Somalia. Currently two regions of Somalia are classified as famine zones.

The U.N. says another $1.4 billion is needed.

More than 12 million people in Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti need food aid.

Uganda ‘may be next’ to face severe drought: FAO Uganda may become the next country to fall victim to severe food shortages due to drought already seen in other Horn of Africa states, the UN food agency warned yesterday.

“We have started to monitor the situation in Uganda where we are also seeing pockets of food insecurity affected by the same drought conditions,” said a spokeswoman for the Food and Agriculture Organisation.

The International Crisis Group said yesterday reconciliation must begin immediately in Ivory Coast, still fragile and unstable after a post-election battle that ended nearly four months ago The justice system meanwhile The International Crisis to accept defeat in November elections caused the conflict, and needs to investigate crimes by Group said yesterday recrelying on UN troops until a new both sides, and bring in the onciliation must begin army was formed, it said.

International Criminal Court to immediately in Ivory Coast, The fighting largely ended look into the most serious still fragile and unstable with Gbagbo’s arrest on April 11, offences committed since 2002, after a post-election battle after about 3,000 people were when a rebellion in the north that ended nearly four killed and tens of thousands fled split the country. their homes. The ex-president The new government should months ago.

Establishing security remains and several of his allies are also engage former members of Gbagbo?s party in dialogue, it a priority for the new govern- under house arrest.

“It is essential that the recon- said. ment of President Alassane Ouattara “faces multiple Ouattara after the five-month ciliation process begin immedithe Brussels-based urgent challenges to keep the leadership fight ended in April, ately,” the conflict-resolution group International Crisis Group country from fragmenting,” the added. statement said. said in a statement.

The new Dialogue, Truth and “His coming to power must This included by disbanding Commission not overshadow the fact that the New Forces militia that Reconciliation helped Ouattara take power from “must quickly show itself truly Cote d?Ivoire remains fragile and Laurent Gbagbo, whose refusal independent and credible,” it unstable,” said the group’s said.

Africa director, Comfort Ero.

Nigeria backs off on plan for talks with Islamists A Nigerian government panel will not negotiate with an Islamist sect blamed for scores of attacks as previously stated and will instead recommend whether talks should be opened, an official said yesterday.

The secretary to the federal government, Anyim Pius Anyim, made the comments at the swearing in of the sevenmember panel, but did not provide details on the change in the approach to the sect known as Boko Haram.

His office issued a statement at the weekend saying the panel’s duties would include acting “as a liaison between the federal government ... and Boko Haram and to initiate negotia-

tions with the sect.”

“This is not a negotiation team,” he said. “It’s a fact-finding team. It’s a forum to identify a solution.”

However, the panel appointed

by President Goodluck Jonathan could recommend at the completion of its work to open negotiations with the sect, he said. It is required to submit its report to the government on or before August 16.

The panel includes the ministers of labour, defence and the Federal Capital Territory, which encompasses Abuja.

The suggestion that the government should negotiate with the sect has long been controversial and officials have been care-

ful in their approach to the question.

Many have argued against such a move, objecting in particular to any suggestion the Islamists be given an amnesty similar to that provided to militants in the oil-producing Niger Delta.

Nigeria’s northeast, particularly the city of Maiduguri, has seen almost daily bomb blasts and shootings in recent weeks blamed on the sect.

The sect has claimed to be fighting for the establishment of an Islamic state in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation of 150 million people split roughly in half between Christians and Muslims.

D CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011 DAILY

AFRICAN SCENE

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W. Africa piracy surge ‘points to organised gang’

By M.J. SMITH A surge in pirate attacks off West Africa has led to mounting concern in the shipping industry, and analysts say a gang involved in the lucrative black market for stolen fuel appears to be the main culprit.

The increase in attacks in recent months has been concentrated along the Gulf of Guinea off the coast of the small nation of Benin, which Nigeria, neighbours Africa’s largest oil producer and where piracy has long been a problem.

Unlike the explosion of piracy off the coast of Somalia on the opposite end of the continent in recent years, those involved in the recent West African attacks have so far not appeared to be after ransom payments.

Two independent analysts said a relatively organised gang from Nigeria seems to be the prime suspect in the attacks, which have included pirates hijacking tankers and ordering them elsewhere to offload fuel to be sold on the black market.

Other types of attacks have occurred as well off Benin, such as armed robberies where criminals board ships and make off with whatever they can.

Fifteen piracy incidents off Benin have been reported so far this year to the International Maritime Bureau. None were reported last year.

A surge in pirate attacks off West Africa has led to mounting concern in the shipping industry, and analysts say a gang involved in the lucrative black market for stolen fuel appears to be the main culprit “It’s almost certainly Nigerian pirates that are responsible for the attacks,” said Peter Sharwood-Smith, Nigeria country manager for risk management consultancy Drum Cussac and who has closely followed the situation off Benin.

“This is piracy on a fairly organised scale, where they’re targeting oil tankers and the like and they’re stealing the fuel.”

While it cannot be known for sure whether one gang has been responsible for the increase in attacks, that seems to be the case based on the pattern involved, he said.

Bergen Risk Solutions, a Norwaybased consultancy, came to a similar conclusion in a recent report.

“Our investigations indicate that the organised group responsible

is based in Nigeria and has high-level patronage in that country,” it said, with prominent Nigerians having often been accused of involvement in the lucrative black market for oil and fuel.

The report said the group had until May specifically targeted vessels to steal petroleum products, but appears to have expanded more recently with robberies, with the possible involvement of local criminals from Benin.

Tankers targeted in recent weeks include Italian, Greek and Swedish vessels.

Crew members have been beaten and the pirates tend to be heavily armed, analysts say.

According to information gathered by Bergen, a crew member was reported missing after a May attack off Benin and his body was

found several days later.

The pirates often zero in on vessels anchored outside the Benin port, said Michael Howlett, deputy director of the International Maritime Bureau.

In the case of fuel cargo being stolen, “it is organised because you have to have the system in place to receive this tanker,” he said.

For those unfamiliar with the region’s black market for oil and fuel, the scale of such theft may seem eye-popping.

The pirates are said to order the ships they hijack to other locations, where a portion of the fuel being transported as cargo is transferred to a separate vessel.

“There’s a big black market for fuel, so it could be sold anywhere,” SharwoodSmith said.

West Africa's pirates often zero in on vessels anchored outside the Benin port, says Michael Howlett, deputy director of the International Maritime Bureau.

Bergen says the spokesman Kabir Aliyu stolen cargo has been speculated that the sold in “several West pirates may have moved African ports, possibly on to neighbouring including Abidjan in Benin due to increased Cote d’Ivoire and Port security by his country, but he could provide no Gentil in Gabon.”

Its report says the figures. He said he had gang appears Nigerian no information on the gang in part because of the whether direction the criminals responsible for the tend to travel in when Benin attacks was Nigerian. leaving the vessels.

The commander of But determining why the surge has Benin’s navy could not occurred off Benin and be reached for comwhy now is difficult. ment.

Explanations include There does not appear to have been a corre- Benin’s proximity to sponding decline in Nigeria, lower levels of security off the smaller incidents in Nigeria.

According to the country’s port and the IMB, six incidents were gang simply finding a reported for the first location where quick half of this year in and easy money can be Nigeria, the same as in made.

“It could be that 2010, though analysts warn that attacks off Benin is viewed as a Nigeria tend to be softer touch,” said the severely underreported. IMB’s Howlett.

Nigerian navy

S.Africa pressures Wal-Mart on local suppliers South Africa’s government yesterday said it wants more assurances from Wal-Mart that its $2.4-billion takeover of the Massmart group will not affect local manufacturing and cost jobs.

The South African “Government believes that given Wal-Mart’s global purchasing power, the merged entity will significantly

increase imports and reduce purchases from local suppliers in South Africa,” the ministers of trade, economic development and agriculture said in a joint statement.

“This will affect entire value chains from the suppliers of raw materials and components to the producers of the finished product,” they said.

The three ministries have appealed against the merger, which competition authorities approved on May 31.

The deal was finalised on June 20.

The ministers say they don’t want to overturn the deal, but to seek more restrictions to ensure that the merger will not cause job losses in South Africa.

E c o n o m i c

Development Minister Ebrahim Patel defended their appeal, saying the government had to take action “when there is a clear and compelling evidence of probable job losses or deterioration in the working conditions of South African workers due to increased imports as a result of the proposed transaction.”

Trade Minister Rob

Davies said the appeal did not signal a shift in South Africa’s broader attitude toward foreign investment.

“What we are concerned to see is that the business model that comes in does not only see a number of shortterm decisions that are going to benefit foreign suppliers over local suppliers,” he said.

Agriculture Minister

Tina Joemat-Pettersson warned that the deal could hurt food processing in South Africa if Wal-Mart imports large amounts of packaged foods.

Although Wal-Mart has agreed to a 100 million rands ($15 million) fund to develop South African local manufacturers, the ministers said this was not enough.

1 10

CARIBBEAN NEWS

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011

Cuban team in Jamaica to repair hospital equipment

By ATHALIAH REYNOLDS KINGSTON, Jamaica — The first members of a Cuban biomedical engineering team to restore muchneeded medical equipment in the public health system, have arrived in Jamaica.

Minister of Health, Rudyard Spencer, told a briefing at the ministry on Friday that the biomedical agreement between Jamaica and the Cuban government will last for a period of two years and cost

US$350,000.

He said the first two team members, who are already in the island, will focus on the repair of operating theatre, paediatric and dental equipment.

“The repair of paediatric equipment is important in helping us to reduce the country’s infant mortality rate,” he noted.

The Cuban technicians will repair, install and calibrate medical equipment, as well as plan and monitor the repair of major hospital equipment and systems and conduct training of local technicians.

The Cuban Medical Services will provide 86

‘man-months’ to complete the programme of work in the four regional health authorities and the National Public Health Laboratory. The team will also develop a list of parts to be procured, he said.

Spencer also recalled that, last February, a two-member team of Cuban biomedical engineers visited Jamaica and carried out an exploratory survey of malfunctioning equipment at 12 hospitals and the public health laboratory.

At the time, 815 pieces of biomedical equipment were assessed, of which 65

percent was found to be functioning, but not at optimal levels, while 75 percent of the malfunctioning equipment was repairable.

They include; incubators, anatomy and pathology equipment, ventilators, neonate incubators, large autoclaves, and surgical and dental equipment.

“Fortunately, Cuba operates similar brands of equipment to those in our public health system. The biomedical engineers and technicians are therefore well trained by the manufacturers of these brands, so Jamaica stands to benefit significantly in the area of capacity

building,” Spencer said.

He noted that the ministry has strengthits Health ened Facilities Maintenance Unit, with the recruitment of two engineers and three biomedical technicians.

“This is the first step in building an elite team at the Ministry of Health, to respond expeditiously to the needs of the regions to reduce down time as a result of equipment failure,” he said.

He also stated that there has been a six month extension of the technical cooperation agreement with Cuba, which had ended on July 25. He added that,

last week, a team from the Ministry of Health went to Cuba to recruit health workers.

“They interviewed 276 nurses in different specialties, and we intend to recruit 114 in year one of the two years agreement. The nurses are to be both in primary and secondary care,” he said.

He added that another team from the ministry will be travelling to Cuba before the end of August, to interview physicians. This, he said, would essentially complete the process of getting replacements and new persons for the first year of the contract.

Raul Castro announces changes in Cuban migration policy HAVANA, Cuba — Cuba is currently working towards the update of its current migration policy, President Raul Castro announced on Monday during the Seventh Session of the Cuban Parliament´s S e v e n t h Legislature.

In his closing speech of the session, the Cuban head of state said advancement is being made in the drawing up and updating of a series of regulations related to

the country´s migration policy, in tune with the conditions of the present time and the foreseeable future.

“We take this step as a contribution to the increasing relations of the nation to its communities of emigrants, whose composition has radically varied with respect to the early decades of the revolution,” Castro said. “This country is on the way to modifying decisions that played their role at a time and that have prevailed unnecessarily.”

Castro claimed that in such times, the US

New look Chavez reappears in public CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez reappeared in public on Monday with his hair cropped, during a ceremony in which he appointed new cabinet members.

Chavez said that he is not suffering from colon, bladder, nose or rectal cancer.

“That is not true; I repeat it with absolute transparency. They removed a tumour, we continue to watch and there is no presence thus far of cancerous cells in my body,” said Chavez and added the chemo sessions are a “preventive measure.”

The Venezuelan president had said in the morning that on Sunday evening he felt some of his hair fall out and then he decided to have it all cropped.

“I had to call the barber and tell him: look, my hair is falling out,” he said.

administration harboured criminals from the Fulgencio Batista dictatorship, terrorists and all kinds of traitors, and they encouraged a brain drain from Cuba.

At present, the overwhelming majority of Cuban emigrants leave the country for economic reasons, while most of them profess love for their families and for their homeland, while expressing solidarity with their compatriots.

“In our case, we cannot forget that Cuba is the only country on the planet whose citizens are allowed to settle and

work in US territory without a visa, as stipulated by the criminal 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act,” Castro said.

He criticized the manipulation of this sensitive issue as political and media manipulation over several years, with the aim of denigrating the revolution and making it enemy of the Cubans living abroad. The Cuban emigrants are, as a result of the lies repeated many times, considered political exiles who escape communism, he pointed out.

“What would happen if a Latin American Adjustment Act were put in force in the United States or the European Union?” he asked and added that the process of making the country´s migration policy more flexible will take into account the right of the revolutionary state to its own defence against interventionist and subversive plans by the US government and its allies.

Castro said that the process will also include measures to preserve the human capital created by the

Cuban President Raul Castro revolution in the face of the theft of talents being practiced by powerful countries.

Law providing for mandatory non-jury trials comes into force in Belize BELMOPAN, Belize — The prime minister of Belize, Dean Barrow, has signed Orders to bring into force the recentlyenacted Indictable Procedure (Amendment) Act and the Juries (Amendment) Act, which provide for non-jury trials in certain criminal cases.

These laws came into force on Monday, 1 August, 2011, and will apply only to those cases where an accused person is committed for trial on or after the commencement date.

Under these laws, every person who is committed for trial for the offence of murder, attempt to murder, abetment of murder or conspiracy to commit murder, shall be tried before a judge of the Supreme Court sitting alone without a jury. A non-jury trial in such cases is mandatory.

In other cases, the prosecution will be able to apply to the judge to order a trial without a jury on certain specified grounds. These include cases where there is a danger of jury tampering or the intimidation of jurors or witnesses, or the complexity or length of the trial is likely to make the trial so burdensome to the jury that the interests of justice require that the trial should be conducted without a jury.

An accused person will also be able to apply to the judge for the trial to be conducted without a jury on the ground that in view of the pre-trial publicity attracted by the case, he is unlikely to have a fair trial with a jury.

It is expected that the new law will cut down the length of trials and will result in speedy justice for all concerned. It will also save

the valuable time of judges and jurors. The jury system is now diminishing in importance worldwide and there is a growing list of countries which have either abolished jury trials in criminal cases or have given discretion to the trial judge to order a non-jury trial on the application of the prosecution or the defence.

Among the Commonwealth countries, as many as 22 have altogether abolished jury trials in criminal cases. In a few other countries, including the United Kingdom, an application can be made to the trial judge to order a trial without a jury on certain grounds. In fact, the first juryless trial was held in the United Kingdom in March 2010, on the ground that there was a danger of jury tampering.

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011

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Inside Jay-Z and Kanye West’s ‘Watch The Throne’

Whitney Houston looked radiant and healthy at a recent birthday bash for Prince Azim in the UK last week. The ‘I Look To You’ singer, who is currently an outpatient at a drug and alcohol rehab facility, joined celebs like Mariah Carey, Usher and Eva Longoria at the Stapleton Park event. Whitney voluntarily entered the program to support her long-standing recovery process. We’re glad to see Whitney sticking to her rehab efforts.

Bruno Mars is asking fans for their cures after doctors diagnosed him with a sinus infection. The “Grenade” hitmaker began feeling sick and feared he was coming down with a severe cold - but his symptoms got worse and he was forced to visit the doctor. In a series of posts on his Twitter.com blog, the desperate star has been asking fans for their help and advice: “How am I supposed to sing today with all this Mucus!?!?! HELP! “Its (sic) an official Sinus infection guys. what am I gonna do??” Mars is not currently on the road, so there’s no risk of him canceling announced concerts.

He’s scheduled to start a European tour in London next month.

It’s one thing to be admired by millions of fans, but it’s certainly another to be complimented by one of the most legendary divas on the planet. Patti LaBelle called Ledisi “one of the best” singers. “I love you so much,” Patti told Ledisi on an Urban Daily video interview. “You are one of those people that will have a long, long, long career.

You’re one of the best singers I’ve ever heard.” She further commented about the singer’s humility and

sense of appreciation.

“You’re on your way to accomplishing [longevity] because you’re nice to people.

I’ve watched you so many times and you’re kind.” Ledisi reveled in the praise and also shared why Patti is her idol. “I watched you,” Ledisi shared about following in Patti’s footsteps. “You’re beautiful and you’re honest. You can feel your heart when you sing.”

Chris Brown has announced the release of his upcoming rap mixtape Boy in Detention. Taking to his Twitter account to break the news, Breezy explained that his latest offering will be Hip Hop-oriented and that “I’m a singer so if this mixtape doesn’t reach your quote for HipHop! Simply don’t listen.” The announcement comes in the wake of several new tracks released to the Internet, including “Real Hip Hop Shit #3” and “Real Hip Hop Shit #4” featuring Kevin McCall. Both of the songs were produced by 9th Wonder. Brown and Justin Bieber were also spotted heading into a recording studio together. The singers worked together on Chris’ “Next 2 You” single from the F.A.M.E. album and it looks like they are working on something new now.

With her Louboutins now firmly under the US X Factor judges’ desk, Nicole Scherzinger, 33, has certainly charmed her colleagues, including the notoriously feisty Paula Abdul.

But Nicole is still pinching herself after landing one of TV’s biggest jobs, sitting next to Simon Cowell, Antonio LA Reid and new BFF Paula. ‘I’m truly honoured to be part of it,’ Nicole tells us.’I really am.

Robin Thicke is about ready to do a follow-up to his 2009 “Sex Therapy” CD and he’s teaming with Billionaire Boy for the project.

The new CD is due out in late 2011 or early 2012. Other possible just collaborations might include Pharrell Williams. “It’s coming great. I think you get to that point where you hate it and then you love it. It’s like any important relationship in your life,” he said.

“Just myself, written and produced, like the first few albums.” He confirmed the two talked about linking for the project at Williams’ launch for Qream, a new liqueur.

“Yeah, we were just actually talking about it maybe while he’s here in the next week or two, we might get together and do something. Because he’s heard the album so he wants to get something on there.”

Erica Campbell (of gospel group Mary Mary) has announced that she and her husband songwriter/ producer Warryn Campbell are expecting their third child. With Mary Mary riding high on the charts off the released of their sixth studio album Something Big, Erica and Warryn released a statement saying, “We’re grateful for all of our blessings, but this is the biggest of all. We have two incredible children and can’t wait to see what our newest bundle of joy will be like!”

Jason Derulo switches it up on the second single off of his forthcoming album ‘Future History,’ describing the video for “It Girl” to be far more “personal” than his first single “Don’t Wanna Go Home” was. “For the video, I wanted it to be an open book,” Derülo said.

By CHUCK CREEKMUR The release date for what is likely one of the most highly-anticipated albums of the year: Watch the Throne, the joint effort of rap supernovas Jay-Zand Kanye West. The album went on presale July 4 and will arrive this month. The digital version hits Aug. 1, while the physical CD won’t hit stores until Aug. 5.

On July 8, 2011, Jay-Z hosted an intimate listening session for the looming, game changing, genre bending Hip-Hop opus Watch The Throne. Roughly 20 people were invited to the exclusive event, which interestingly enough included the two teenage New Yorkers that purchased the first two copies of the album on Amazon.com’s preorder.

They were there along with their parents, who were gracious enough to tolerate a long evening for the sake of their kids. Where to begin?

There was so much to absorb of the evening so I’ll write this similar to the way Watch The Throne was crafted...free-flowing and without rules.

There were some ground rules for the session though. 1) No live tweeting. We could say we were there and that’s about it. One journo from The Fader was kicked out with the swift-

ness for tweeting specifics. 2) No quoting exact lyrics in write ups.

Why? Because, although we heard a lot, Watch The Throne is not finished. Lyrics may change. 3) No specific song titles. They aren’t set either.

So, here is the song-by-song rundown of Watch The Throne.

Song # 1 In the first song, Beyonce completely blasts off to a beat laced with heavy synths. Kanye bursts onto the track, weaving in and out of autotune and various vocal distortions.

Very off beat, but in a good way.

Jay-Z follows up flowing to very short or truncated verses. Clearly, Beyonce is the ancho to a song that ebbs and flows until it blasts off in a spaceship counting down. (This was actually the second song, but the first seemed to be a partial record that got hacked off.)

Song # 2 Bouncy is the first word that comes to mind with Song # 3. The track almost sounds like a traditional southern Hip-Hop record. Jay’s flowing much faster, sort of in the vein of “Big Pimpin’.” Jay’s rapping double time and then yields to ‘Ye, who raps at a slower pace. The song concludes with the crash of a slowed down menacing beat, reminscent of 80s instrumentalists Art of Noise.

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011

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United States approves free birth control for women

By ALINA SELYUKH WASHINGTON — U.S. health insurance companies must offer women free birth control and other preventive health care services under Obama administration rules released on Monday, a historic decision supported by family planning groups and opposed by conservative groups.

The rules from the Health and Human Services Department are part of the nation’s healthcare overhaul and largely follow recommendations from an advisory group released last month.

The U.S. Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, commissioned by the Obama administration, recommended that all U.S.-approved birth control methods — including the “morning-after pill,” taken shortly after intercourse to stop a pregnancy — be added to the list of preventive health services.

The recommendation faced opposition from conservative and religious groups that balked at using taxpayer

A box of Tri-Cyclen Lo birth control medication for women is seen in a pharmacy. money to cover birth control, “These historic guidelines ment allowing religious instiespecially the “morning-after are based on science and tutions to choose whether to pill.” existing literature and will cover contraception services The guidelines go into help ensure women get the in their insurance. The U.S. effect on Monday, requiring preventive health benefits Conference of Catholic Bishinsurers to provide free cover- they need,” HHS Secretary ops had urged the HHS to age of preventive care services Kathleen Sebelius said in a exclude birth control as a serfor women in all new plans statement. vice. beginning in August 2012.

The HHS added an amendThe adoption of the recom-

mendations is a win for organizations such as the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Planned Parenthood.

“Eliminating cost sharing for these crucial preventive services will make needed care more accessible and will improve the health of millions of women,” said Iowa Democratic Senator Tom Harkin, who had urged HHS to accept the report’s guidelines.

The health department’s guidelines followed the IOM’s recommendations to require free screening for gestational diabetes, testing for human papillomavirus in women over 30, counseling for HIV and sexually transmitted infections, lactation counseling, screening for domestic violence and yearly wellness visits.

Research suggests that the public supports adding birth control to the list of services.

A Thomson Reuters/NPR survey in May found 76.6 percent of respondents believe private insurance plans, without government assistance, should cover some or all costs associated with birth control pills.

Gene discovered that raises asthma risk in Blacks

By JULIE STEENHUYSEN CHICAGO — U.S. researchers have discovered a genetic mutation unique to African Americans that could help explain why Blacks are so susceptible to asthma.

Prior studies looking for asthma genes have turned up several, but most of the studies have been too small to confirm these genes or to detect genetic changes unique to different races.

The new study, published on Sunday in the journal Nature Genetics, pools research from nine different research groups looking for genes associated with asthma among ethnically diverse North American populations.

It confirmed four genes that had been seen in previous studies and a fifth that shows up only in people of African descent.

“This is the first discovery of a gene where we see a signal in African Americans only,” Dan Nicolae of the University of Chicago, a study author and co-chair of a national research consortium called EVE that identified the

gene, said in a telephone interview.

“The rates of asthma in different ethnic groups are different. African Americans have shown increasing asthma rates. We don’t know why. It can be due to changing environmental risk factors,” Nicolae said.

But, he said, the new findings suggest genetics also play a significant role.

“Understanding these genetic links is an important first step toward our goal of relieving the increased burden of asthma in this population,” said Dr. Susan Shurin, acting director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, one of the National

Institutes of Health, which cofunded the study.

The group also received a major grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Asthma affects more than 300 million people globally, but effects vary widely.

According to the researchers, U.S. asthma rates in 2001 to 2003 ranged from 7.7 percent among European Americans to 12.5 percent among African Americans.

Carole Ober of the University of Chicago, who co-leads the EVE consortium, said the findings confirm the significance of four genes identified in a large European asthma genetics study published last

year called GABRIEL, offering strong evidence that these genes are important across ethnic groups.

But because the study was so large and ethnically diverse — including data on European Americans, African Americans, African Caribbeans and Latinos — it enabled the researchers to find this new gene variant that exists only in African Americans and African Caribbeans.

This new variant, located in a gene called PYHIN1, is part of a family of genes linked with the body’s response to viral infections, Ober said.

“We were very excited

when we realized it doesn’t exist in Europe,” she said.

The team stressed that each gene variant on its own plays only a small role in increasing asthma risk, but that risk could be multiplied when combined with other risk genes and with environmental factors, such as smoking, that also increase asthma risk.

“It’s been extraordinarily challenging to try to find variation in genes that are associated with risk for developing asthma that can be replicated among populations. It’s a very complex disease with a lot of genes and a lot of environmental factors influencing risk,” Ober said.

Acute-care hospitals to see higher Medicare payments

By ANAND BASU The U.S. government announced an increase in reimbursement rates to acute-care hospitals for 2012, a sharp contrast to the cut it announced for skilled nursing facilities.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

increased payment rates to acute-care hospitals by 1 percent, compared with a 0.5 percent cut it had proposed earlier.

The CMS expects the rate increase will result in Medicare’s operating payments to acute-care hospitals rising by $1.13 billion, or 1.1 percent.

The CMS cut 2012 pay-

ments for skilled nursing facilities by 11.1 percent, or $3.87 billion, leading to a sharp decline in shares of Skilled Healthcare, Kindred Healthcare and Sun Health Care.

There was a broad sell-off in healthcare stocks on Monday on fears that the debtceiling deal to be voted on by the U.S. Congress would cut

healthcare spending for federal programs such as Medicare.

Acute-care hospital operators such as HealthSouth Corp., Kindred Healthcare Inc., Tenet Healthcare Corp. and Community Health Systems Inc. are expected to benefit from the hike in payment rate.

DAILY D CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011

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Trenton woman survives Guyana plane crash

By CRISTINA ROJAS A Trenton woman headed for a family reunion in her native country of Guyana was among those who survived the crash of Caribbean Airlines Flight 523 Saturday.

The plane overshot the runway in darkness and rain and broke apart before coming to a rest just short of a deep ravine at Cheddi Jagan International Airport, authorities said. All 162 passengers and crew members survived, though some had injuries.

Betsy Myndyllo, 78, of Trenton, had been looking forward to the trip to the South American country for a year, said Jo Carolyn Dent-Clark, executive director of ECHO, a senior citizens aid group of which Myndyllo is an active member.

She ended up having to be helped from the plane in total darkness,

as rescuers hunted around with flashlights. It is unclear whether she suffered any injuries.

Myndyllo’s niece, Anne Semple, told DentClark of the crash Saturday afternoon after receiving a phone call from Myndyllo.

“The call came before I even heard about the crash,” Dent-Clark said.

“I would have been crazy worried if I had heard about it first.”

Just before the plane touched down, Myndyllo was joking with the girl next to her that it always rains in Guyana, according to an article by Guyanesebased Kaieteur News.

When Myndyllo realized the plane was about to crash, she thought of the US Airways jet that made a miraculous landing on the Hudson River in 2009, according to the article.

“Everything starting caving in, and the girl next to me just sat there motionless in shock,” Myndyllo was quoted as saying.

With the help of her

nephews, she left the crash site on foot, arriving at the terminal 20 minutes later.

“It was pitch-black,” she said. who Myndyllo, moved from Guyana in the 1960s, was a nurse at the Trenton Psychiatric Hospital for 29 years, Dent-Clark said.

“She’s just an angel,” Dent-Clark said. “I would be lost without her.”

Myndyllo had boarded the plane Friday evening in New York.

She is expected to return later this month.

The airport where the Caribbean Airlines jet skidded off the rainslicked runway is upgrading systems that help pilots to land, but all of the new systems weren’t yet operating at the time of the crash, Guyana’s top aviation official said Sunday.

Officials and aviation experts cautioned it was far too early to say if the lack of the systems was a factor in the crash that injured about 30 people. The Boeing 737-800

crashed through a chain-link fence before stopping.

Canadian company Intelcan is installing an instrument landing system at Cheddi Jagan International Airport as part of a $3.5 million upgrade in pilot aids.

Civil Aviation Director Zulfikar Mohamed said the changes should be operational soon.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board announced it had dispatched a team to Guyana to assist with the investigation.

Aviation experts say mishaps such as these are typically a result of a combination of factors and conditions.

Possibilities during Saturday’s rainy predawn darkness include a sudden microburst, a malfunction or a misjudgment of the approach and landing by the pilots.

Patrick Smith, a commercial pilot who has flown into Guyana, said the runway can be challenging because it is relatively short. But he said the runway is in good shape, the air traf-

Betsy Myndyllo fic controllers are expe- unsafe place to fly. rienced and it’s not an

Education leaders not on board with new superintendent qualification rule

Acting Trenton school superintendent Raymond Broach board member Ron

By CARMEN Tola, who is leading CUSIDO that district’s superintendent search, said Mercer County edu- candidates to lead the cational leaders say 13,000-student district they disagree with a must have an academic new Christie adminis- background. tration effort to allow “An understanding superintendents with of the core goals of edunon-educational back- cation is a must when it grounds to head strug- comes to providing gling school districts. vision and direction in Hamilton school

such a subjective field as education,” Tola said.

A superintendent must also have significant classroom experience, he said The state Board of Education last month relaxed the requirements for hiring superintendents in more than 50 districts with failing schools, opening the positions for the first time to non-educators.

The new regulations take effect immediately as part of a pilot program for districts with schools that fail to meet federal testing standards. Last year that included the Ewing, Hamilton and Trenton districts.

But Hamilton school board member Elric

Cicchetti said he was also among those not convinced the new regulation made sense.

Cicchetti, who has a doctorate in education, served as superintendent of the Mercer County Technical Schools and has taught at The College of New Jersey.

“At first blush, I would think that the leader would have to have a sense of the educational issues in order to communicate with staff and schools and with academic personnel,” Cicchetti said.

Cicchetti did say some good ideas have come from emulating business techniques.

For example, he recently wrote an article for the New Jersey School

Boards Association about the use of Total Quality Management in schools, he said.

Using that business and management concept, teachers and other school officials gather to discuss individual student achievement rather than specific teaching styles, he said.

Trenton’s interim superintendent Raymond Broach similarly described a move away from educational backgrounds as wrongheaded.

“To say we can relax those (educational) experiences is a huge, huge mistake,” Broach said. “There’s no shortcut to excellence.”

Broach has been in education for 40 years and served as assistant

superintendent and superintendent in Ewing. He has taught at The College of New Jersey and Rider University.

“School leaders need to be able to address a variety of educational, budgetary, community issues, even policy issues that they don’t make, that are often made for them by state and federal policy makers,” he said. “You need to know about education and learning and what kind of infrastructure should be built to respond to diverse student needs academically, socially, careerwise.”

Ewing does not plan to participate in the pilot program, school board President Karen A. McKeon said.

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NBC retools ‘Up All Night’ to showcase more Maya Rudolph

By JOHN SELLERS LOS ANGELES — NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt told reporters at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour on Monday that “Up All Night,” a new sitcom that he’s hoping can establish a comedy hour on Wednesday nights, will be reworked to give co-star Maya Rudolph a meatier role.

Usually it’s not a great sign when a network tinkers with a new show after its pilot episode has already been screened by the press.

But given the recent success of Rudolph’s “Bridesmaids,” altering the big-stakes sitcom, in which Christina Applegate and Will Arnett play a hard-partying married couple who have an unplanned child, doesn’t

sound like the dumbest plan in the history of television.

In the original pilot, Rudolph played the owner of a public relations agency that Applegate’s character helped run and was mostly used as cosmetic comic relief.

Rudolph will now play a talkshow host, with Applegate’s character acting as the show’s producer.

“We felt the PR idea and that this would be a better showcase for her,” said Greenblatt.

At the panel discussion later Monday, show creator Emily Spivey clarified that Rudolph’s character will be an Oprah Winfrey-like daytime talk-show host whose chaotic personal life doesn’t match her serene on-screen persona. The changes, she said, were made primarily because Rudolph had done a popular impersonation of

Winfrey during her stint on “Saturday Night Live,” in sketches written with Spivey.

Rudolph was asked by a reporter whether Oprah had ever weighed in on the impression she did on “Saturday Night Live.” Rudolph said, “She actually had me come to the show. She was very happy because I was the first woman to play her and I was thin.”

Added Spivey: “She thanked us for not using a fat suit.”

Executive producer Lorne Michaels added that the changes to Rudolph and Applegate’s characters “won’t change the dynamic much.”

Parts of the pilot episode will have to go through a three-day re-shoot to incorporate the changes, and we’re eager to see what comes of that.

Jennifer Lopez, ‘American Idol’ judging deal is done

By TIM KENNEALLY LOS ANGELES — Fear not, Jennifer Lopez fans: the singer is returning to “American Idol” to judge for at least another year, TheWrap has learned through two individuals familiar with the deal.

The pop star will be returning to the television singing competition with a contract with the Fox Broadcasting Network that’s “a smidge over” $20 million, according to one of the individual.

Both insiders said the deal is complete but has not yet been signed.

The $20 million was apparently the base minimum for Lopez, and after tough negotiations with Fox, ended up just above that number.

It’s a considerable raise from the $12 million she reportedly raked in for handling judge duties last season.

The only hurdle left to be cleared in the deal, according to one of the individuals, is scheduling. Lopez will be working on two major productions — the romantic dramedy “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” which is slated for a May 2012 release, and the thriller

“Parker,” currently in preproduction — which will most likely necessitate a shift in audition dates for the upcoming season.

Lopez, whose gig with the revamped reality series began last January, told the BBC earlier this year that she was “on the fence” about returning for another season.

Unlike her fellow new “Idol” judge, Aerosmith warbler Steven Tyler, Lopez only signed up for a year.

“I had an amazing time doing it and I loved it, but I have a lot of other things happening, and it’s going to come down to making a choice of really what I want

to do for the next year,” Lopez said. “We’re not really at the breaking point of ‘You have to make a decision right now!’ So I’m not. I’m really enjoying the time of just waiting — and seeing.”

TheWrap has also confirmed that Lopez plans to continue with the talentsearch series “Q’Viva!” The series will feature Lopez and her now-estranged husband Marc Anthony scouring Latin America for the hottest vocal talent in the region. The series is co-created and coexecutive-produced by Lopez, Anthony, “American Idol” producer Simon Fuller and Jamie King.

said the world would never know.

“I would never disrespect that man. I have so much respect for him. Put my

hands on him?” Jay questioned rhetorically. “And if I did, it would be like the backyard, like brothers, and you would never hear about it.”

Jay-Z shuts down Kanye West feud rumors

By ROB MARKMAN Watch the Throne is still a week away from being released on iTunes, and there are already reports of infighting between Jay-Z and Kanye West.

On Monday morning, the New York Post’s Page Six reported that Hov and Yeezy are “barely speaking to each other,” feuding over the particulars of their upcoming tour. Unnamed sources told the Post that Kanye wanted to spend upward of $400,000 per show on a flashy set during the duo’s upcoming

Watch the Throne jaunt and the more frugal Jay-Z was against it.

Well, Hov swung through New York City’s Hot 97 later Monday and told radio host Angie Martinez that things weren’t as they seemed.

“I kinda want to spend a gazillion dollars. They got it backwards, but it’s all good,” Hov said with his trademark laugh during the interview.

“I know that we’re doing something right now. When I woke up to all that, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, we must be really hot right now.’ “ Jay made it clear that Kanye is his “brother,” and that relationship does come

with some brotherly tension.

“Yes, we get on each other’s nerves, but that’s part of pushing each other. We push each other. The people who have a problem with Kanye or myself are the people that are complacent in life,” he said.

“People don’t like to be pushed. It’s, like, annoying.

It’s a thing when people are pushing you to be greater, and we push each other to be greater. So of course there are times when we’re in the studio, we’re yelling, but that’s about it.”

Aside from the occasional argument, Jay dispelled any notion of things getting physical — and if they did, he

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011

Alicia Keys praised in directorial debut for Lifetime

By CHERIE SAUNDERS As previously reported, Alicia Keys moves from behind the piano to behind the camera for Lifetime’s forthcoming original movie “Five,” which is comprised of five short films about breast cancer directed by five different directors.

“But it’s a comedy!” stresses executive producer and “Friends” creator Marta Kauffman.

“The idea was to do something that uses breast cancer as a backdrop,” Kauffman told journalists last week at the Television Critics Association press tour in Beverly Hills. “It’s not literally about breast cancer. We’ve seen those. Breast cancer is a backdrop for stories about people and relationships.

And we call it a film in short films.”

The concept was brought to Kauffman by her former “Friends” colleague Jennifer Aniston, who also directs a short in the film, as does actress Demi Moore, “Monster” director Patty Jenkins and Penelope Spheeris, direc-

tor of “Wayne’s World” and the 1979 punk-rock documentary “The Decline of Western Civilization.” The ladies got to choose which one of the five scripts they wanted to helm.

“Each of these women brought something very unique to their films, and they chose their films partly out of who they were, who they are, and what drew them in,” said Kauffman.

“And every one of the women

who directed brought something very, very special and different from each other.”

Alicia Keys’ short, titled “Lili,” stars Rosario Dawson as a woman diagnosed with breast cancer, and how it affects the relationships with her sister (Tracee Ellis Ross) and mother (Jenifer Lewis).

In April, Keys tweeted of the actresses, “OHHH WEEE!!! first day of shooting tomorrow on project 5. The piece is called “Lili” @rosariodawson

@traceeellisross & jenifer lewis are on FIREEEEE!!!!! everyday explore new horizons!”

Clarkson and director Penelope Spheeris at the ‘Five’ panel during Lifetime’s portion of the 2011 Summer TCA Tour at the Beverly Hilton on July 27, 2011 in Beverly Hills “Five” premieres Oct. 10 on Lifetime. Other actors involved in the full film include Patricia Clarkson, Ginnifer Goodwin, Tony Shalhoub, Jeffrey Tambor and “Big Love” star Jeanne Tripplehorn as Pearl, the only character appearing in all five of the shorts.

“The first film starts out with my character’s mother who is dying of breast cancer. My character is a little girl. And she, from that moment on, decides to become an oncologist,” explained Tripplehorn, also attending the press tour.

“The next few characters, she’s the oncologist to women who are dealing with breast cancer. And the final film, the fifth film, she finds out that she has breast cancer.”

“But it’s a comedy,” Marta stressed again.

NBC calls ‘Playboy Club’ a ‘fun soap opera’

By BOB TOURTELLOTTE LOS ANGELES — NBC executives on Monday defended the network’s controversial new drama “The Playboy Club”, describing it as a “fun soap opera” and saying that its sexual content would be mild.

Stars of the drama — set in the 1960s in the first Playboy Club — also rejected criticism that the show will glamorize the porn industry and depict the club’s Bunnie employees as exploited women.

“In terms of content, it

will be mild,” executive producer Ian Biederman told television reporters. “These are characters who are in a certain time and certain place. The show will be a lot of fun, it will have a ton of music and lots of energy.”

Even before it begins airing in September, “The Playboy Club” has been targeted by the Parents Television Council, which last week said it “glorifies and glamorizes this insidious (porn) industry” and urged NBC affiliates not to broadcast it.

NBC’s Salt Lake City affiliate has already announced it will not air the show when it starts on September 19.

NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt said he wasn’t surprised by that decision but said he thought every other affiliate will be airing the show.

“What it has going for it is a recognizable brand that’s automatically going to draw attention to it, good or bad,” Greenblatt said.

African American actress Naturi Naughton, whose character is referred to as “the chocolate Bunny,” rejected the notion that the women working at the club in the early 1960s were merely sex objects.

“They went to school, they had houses, we show them

Fantasia reveals she is pregnant

By R.T. WATSON LOS ANGELES — Pop star and past “American Idol” winner Fantasia Barrino told fans at a charity concert in Jacksonville, Florida that she is pregnant again.

“You are the first that I

share this news with,” Barrino told the crowd on Sunday.

“And I share this with you because I can relate to you.

And for a while, I walked around figuring out what they will say and what will they think about me. But now I tell you, I don’t live my life for folk.”

Barrino, 27, did not say who the father is. She has one daughter, Zion, age 9.

After winning the No. 1rated TV singing contest “American Idol” in 2004, Barrino became an instant star, but with celebrity came increased media attention.

Last year, Barrino attempt-

using their resources,” Naughton said.

Actor and comedian Joel McHale joked earlier on Monday that “The Playboy Club” was “‘Mad Men’ with boobs”, referring to the Emmy-award winning drama on cable network AMC that is set in the advertising world in the early 1960s.

But Greenblatt said the era was all that the two dramas have in common.

“I don’t think it will be like ‘Mad Men’,” he said. “I think it is a really fun soap. It has a mob element and a crime element and I think it is the right thing for us to try.” ed to take her own life by overdosing on sleeping pills and aspirin. Leading up to the suicide attempt, Barrino was named in divorce papers filed by the wife of her longtime boyfriend, Antwaun Cook.

Along with her appearances on “Idol” and other TV shows, the Grammy Awardwinning Barrino has released three albums including “Back to Me” in 2010.

17

Judge extends order against Halle Berry intruder

By R.T. WATSON LOS ANGELES — A judge on Monday ordered an alleged stalker who was arrested outside Halle Berry’s home to stay at least 100 yards away from

the Oscar-winning actress and her daughter for the next three years.

Richard Franco, 27, was arrested last month outside the actress’ Hollywood Hills’ home after he climbed over a security gate.

On July 12, Berry was granted a temporary restraining order against Franco, and the new order issued by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carol Boas Goodson extends the original order to August 1, 2014, Neither Berry or Franco were present during Monday’s hearing but in a sworn declaration Berry outlined how Franco had entered her yard on several occasions, and one time, Franco tried following the actress into her kitchen.

Last month Franco was charged with a criminal count of stalking and one count of first-degree burglary related to his alleged break-in of a guest house on the actress’ property.

Berry, 44, became the only Black actress to win the Oscar for best actress in 2001 for her role in the movie “Monster’s Ball”.

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011

18

Study: U.S. broadband closer to advertised speeds

By JASMIN MELVIN WASHINGTON — Broadband speeds are now significantly closer to what Internet service providers advertise than they were in 2009, a study released by U.S. communications regulators found.

Cable, DSL and fiber-tothe-home services were examined at 13 top U.S. broadband providers, representing about 86 percent of all U.S. fixed broadband connections.

Actual download speeds provided by the majority of U.S. broadband providers were within 80 percent or better of companies’ advertised speeds even during peak usage hours, according to a draft copy of the report.

The findings are considerably improved from data collected in 2009 for a study on U.S. broadband performance that showed actual download speeds were more often around 50 percent of the Internet service provider’s (ISP) advertised speed, the Federal Communications Commission said.

During peak consumer usage hours when networks are most busy and experience the greatest degradation in speeds, actual download speeds varied from 114 percent of advertised speed to a low of 54 percent of advertised speed among the different ISPs, the draft report said.

The 13 participating ISPs in the new study included Verizon Communications, which had its fiber and DSL services tested separately,

AT&T, Comcast, Time Warner, Cox Communications, Cablevision, Frontier, CenturyLink, Charter, Insight Communications Co, Mediacom Communications, Qwest Communications and Windstream.

Average download speeds as a percentage of those advertised were highest for Verizon’s fiber service and lowest for Cablevision.

Fiber-to-home services achieved the best speeds compared with advertised speeds during the peak hours between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. on weeknights when residential networks tend to be most congested. They met download speeds, on average, of 114 percent of advertised speeds. Cable services met 93 percent of advertised speeds during peak hours, while DSL met 82 percent,

the draft copy of the report said.

The study — a recommendation of the FCC’s National Broadband Plan — is the first to provide measurements of residential wireline broadband performance on a national level.

The complete findings of the report, its raw data and an FCC-prepared guide for consumers will be made available online, furthering the agency’s consumer empowerment agenda by helping consumers decide which Internet speed, service and provider best meets their needs, the FCC said.

“We’ve been working to arm consumers with information to help them make smart choices about the broadband service that’s right for them. Informed consumers should lead to a

healthier and more competitive broadband market,” said Zachary Katz, chief counsel and senior legal adviser to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.

Academic researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Georgia Tech as well as technology vendors and consumer groups also worked on the study. Some 6,800 households were selected for testing with 13 different tests conducted multiple times a day over several months in each home to assess broadband performance.

Speed and performance were measured as broadband was delivered to the home, the FCC said, to eliminate the effects of equipment, home networks and other factors on test results.

Faltering consumer spending to weigh on growth

By LUCIA MUTIKANI WASHINGTON — Consumer spending dropped in June for the first time in nearly two years and incomes barely rose, signs the economy lacked momentum as the second quarter drew to a close.

The Commerce Department reported yesterday consumer spending slipped 0.2 percent, the first decline since September 2009, after edging up 0.1 percent in May. Adjusted for inflation, spending was flat after a 0.1 percent decline.

Incomes rose just 0.1 percent.

“It certainly gets us off on a very soft footing for the third quarter and does call into question a bit the notion of a second half pick-up,” said Julia Coronado, North America chief economist at BNP Paribas in New York. “We are not seeing it yet going into the third quarter.”

The data, which was incorporated in a report on U.S. economic growth on Friday that showed the economy expanded at less than a 1 percent annual rate over the first half of the year, was the latest to underscore the recovery’s frail state.

A report on Monday showed manufacturing activity hit a two-year low in July, leading some economists to dial back expectations for growth over the second half of the year.

For the third-quarter,

many economists have scaled back growth estimates to around 2.5 percent from 3 percent.

“If the recovery is ever going to gain speed, it will have to come from households deciding they want to spend money again,” said Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisors in Holland, Pennsylvania.

U.S. stocks fell on the weak spending report, while prices for Treasury debt rallied. The dollar was up modestly against a basket of currencies.

Consumer spending is being held back by a 9.2 percent unemployment rate and the labor market’s health could determine how fast the economy recovers its footing.

Employment grew by just 18,000 positions in June and a report on Friday is expected to show only a further 85,000 were added in July.

Budget cuts in Washington could prove a headwind for the economy, although forecasting firm Macroeconomic Advisers said the impact from the plan the Senate approved on Tuesday would likely trim an average of 0.1 percentage point off GDP growth over the next ten years.

However, if agreement is not reached on a planned second round of reductions, automatic cuts would be imposed that would curb GDP growth in 2013 by 0.8 percentage points, it said.

The dour data in the last few days have spurred talk

the economy could tumble into a fresh downturn.

Federal Reserve officials gather next week to appraise the state of the economy, but officials have signaled a reluctance to build on their aggressive monetary policy stimulus.

In an interview with ABC, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said he did not think the economy was facing a very significant recession risk.

“Construction is very

weak, housing is very weak, and confidence ... has been damaged,” he said. “But if you look at what’s happened to exports, if you look at what’s happened to investment spending, there’s lots of encouraging signs of resilience, too.”

Auto sales, which were held back by supply disruptions after the earthquake in Japan in March, also look set to improve from June’s lows.

General Motors Co. reported yesterday sales rose 7.6 per-

cent in July from a year ago.

In addition, borrowing by small U.S. businesses jumped in June to the highest level in more than three years.

There was also a silver lining in the weak spending report, with inflation subsiding as gasoline prices declined.

An inflation gauge that the Fed closely monitors fell 0.2 percent, the first drop since June. A core index, which excludes food and energy costs, rose a tame 0.1 percent.

U.S. trade panel to probe Apple claim against Samsung SAN FRANCISCO — A U.S. trade panel that hears patent disputes has agreed to investigate Apple Inc.’s complaint that mobile phones and tablets made by South Korean rival Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. violate its technology intellectual property.

The world’s most valuable technology company and Samsung are waging an escalating legal battle in multiple countries, accusing each other of infringing on technology and design patents as competition in the red-hot mobile gadgets arena intensifies.

Apple filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission, an independent

federal agency, on July 5, seeking to block its South Korean foe from importing a plethora of “Galaxy” electronic devices. That came less than a week after Samsung also sought to stop imports of Apple’s popular iPads and iPhones.

Yesterday, the ITC said in a statement it voted to institute an investigation into Apple’s claim and its request for a “cease and desist” order, spanning mobile handsets, tablets, software, touchpads and hardware interfaces.

Galaxy products use Google Inc.’s Android operating system, the closest competitor to Apple’s iOS mobile software.

The intensifying patent

dispute threatens to strain a lucrative supply relationship: Apple in 2010 was Samsung’s second-largest customer, accounting for $5.7 billion of sales tied mainly to semiconductors, according to the Asian consumer electronics company’s annual report.

Apple’s complaint is In re: Certain Electronic Digital Media Devices and Components Thereof, U.S. International Trade Commission, No. 2827. Samsung’s complaint is In re: Mobile Electronic Devices, Including Wireless Communication Devices, Portable Music and Data Processing Devices, and Tablet Computers at the same agency, No. 2824.

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011

Pfizer global drug sales fall, spark concern

lion, matching Wall Street expectations, but would have fallen 5 percent if not for the weaker dollar, which boosts overseas sales.

Pfizer shares were down 1.9 percent at $18.65 in midmorning trade after dipping as low as $18.42 earlier in the session.

Wall Street has been sour on Pfizer for the past five years due to its steadily falling earnings, plunging share price and its inability to create big-selling new medicines. But some investors had begun to look for new growth opportunities in an improving experimental drug pipeline and cost savings derived from its 2009 purchase of rival Wyeth.

“If you look at the pipeline there’s a lot of exciting things going on,” said CLSA analyst David Maris, referring to Pfizer’s experimental drugs for rheumatoid arthritis, lung cancer and blood clots that are now in late-stage trials.

Upcoming data on Pfizer’s experimental rheumatoid arthritis drug tofacitinib is critical for the company, said Edward Jones analyst Linda Bannister.

The pill works by blocking a protein called Jak-3 and could

19

be deemed more convenient than Johnson & Johnson’s Remicade and other standard treatments that must be injected or infused.

“The big thing this year is the Jak-3,” Bannister said. “People are paying close attention to that.”

For the first time, Pfizer’s animal health products crossed the $1 billion mark, with sales jumping 18 percent to $1.06 billion — bolstered by the company’s recent acquisition of King Pharmaceuticals and its Alpharma brands.

Sales of consumer healthcare products, including its Advil decongestant and Robitussen cough medicine acquired through its purchase of Wyeth, rose 6 percent to $721 million. Revenue from nutritional products rose 4 percent to $493 million.

The company last month said it planned to sell or spin off the animal health and nutritionals units,

whose combined value could exceed $16 billion. Pfizer expects to complete any transactions in 12 to 24 months.

Pfizer shares have risen about 8.5 percent so far this year, slightly outpacing a 7.5 percent gain for the ARCA Pharmaceutical Index of large U.S. and European drugmakers. Over the past 52 weeks, Pfizer shares have risen 27 percent, twice the advance seen for the drug sector.

Pfizer earlier this year said it would cut as much as 25 percent of its $8 billion to $8.5 billion research budget to deliver on a 2012 profit forecast.

The drugmaker yesterday reaffirmed its 2011 profit forecast of $2.16 to $2.26 per share, excluding special items. It predicted earnings in 2012 of $2.25 to $2.35 per share — reflecting stable or improved earnings the first full year Lipitor faces U.S. generics.

GM’s July U.S. sales rise about 8 percent

working its way back to normal, the Japanese are making a strong play for their lost market share and American automakers may need to kick in more incentives as they fight for more consumers,” Edmunds senior analyst Jessica Caldwell said.

Overall, automakers’ incentives averaged $2,371 per vehicle in July, up 7.6 percent over June, but they were down 14 percent from last year, Edmunds said.

Johnson said the No. 1 U.S. automaker will stay competitive if rivals boost incentive deals for shoppers, suggesting deals could become more generous in the coming months.

GM said July sales of cars and crossovers rose 8 percent and 20 percent, respectively, showing a continuing tilt toward vehicles with smaller profit margins than full-size pickup trucks, which fell 3 percent.

By RANSDELL PIERSON Pfizer Inc. showed further weakness in its main business of prescription medicines, sending shares down as much as 3.2 percent on concern over future growth as the company prepares to divest better-performing nonpharmaceuticals businesses.

The world’s largest drugmaker saw sales declines in primary care, specialty care, branded generic and oncology medicines during the second quarter, although drug sales grew in fastgrowing emerging markets.

That could mean it is in vulnerable shape ahead of the U.S. patent expiration in November on its top-selling Lipitor cholesterol fighter.

Generic competition has already begun to chip away at overseas sales of the $10 billiona-year drug.

Pfizer said global

By BEN KLAYMAN and KEVIN KROLICKI DETROIT — General Motors Co. posted a 7.6 percent sales gain in July on stronger demand for compact vehicles including the Chevrolet Cruze car and Equinox crossover.

The increase pointed to a slight rebound in July sales from the disappointing results of the previous two months.

Still, it raised questions about the strength of the recovery and the mood of American consumers, reeling from high unemployment and the uncertainty swirling around the U.S. debt talks in Washington.

“We’re seeing that the consumer confidence is pretty fragile right now because of everything

prescription drug sales fell 3 percent in the quarter to $14.64 billion, and were down 7 percent after stripping out the benefit of the weaker dollar. Lipitor worldwide sales fell 8 percent to $2.59 billion.

Those declines were partly offset by a stronger performance in its animal health and nutritional products business. But Pfizer plans to divest those units in the coming months, through a sale or spin-off, and will rely more on the strength of its new drug pipeline as a result.

that’s happened in the past few months,” GM U.S. sales chief Don Johnson said on a conference call.

Monthly car sales figures are among the first snapshots of consumer demand each month.

Consumer spending habits are of particular interest after last week’s tepid increase in U.S. second-quarter output and sharp downward revision for the first quarter.

The auto industry also is coming off May and June sales that fell short of economists’ predictions, raising concerns about the recovery. Analysts said higher pricing by many automakers backfired at a time of penny-pinching by consumers.

GM said U.S. sales rose to 214,915 new cars and light trucks, within the range of analysts’

Pfizer earned $2.61 billion, or 33 cents per share in the quarter.

That compared with $2.48 billion or 31 cents per share a year ago.

Excluding special items, Pfizer earned 60 cents per share. Analysts on average expected 59 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Results were helped by a lower effective tax rate of 29 percent, from 32 percent a year ago, due to extension of a federal research and development credit.

Total revenue fell 1 percent to $16.98 bil-

expectations and up from 199,692 vehicles last year.

The rest of the automakers were scheduled to release their U.S. sales results for July later yesterday. Thirtynine economists polled

by Reuters were expecting an annual sales rate in July of 11.8 million vehicles.

That pace would still trail the 13 million-plus rate from earlier this year, but many industry executives said it would mark the beginning of a recovery from a bottom in June, when the rate was 11.45 million.

Whatever the number, it is a far cry from the almost 17 million averaged from 2000 to 2007, before the deepest U.S. economic downturn since the Great Depression and the bankruptcies of GM and Chrysler in 2009.

At the start of the year, analysts had forecast a bounce back in 2011 sales to between 13 million and 15 million vehicles, but the March earthquake in Japan that led to production cuts and the weak economy changed that picture.

Yesterday, GM reiterated its outlook for the low end of the 13 million to 13.5 million range, including about 300,000 in medium and heavy truck sales, but GM’s Johnson said “a real cloudy economic outlook” had hurt consumer sentiment.

“We believe that it will continue to recover although more gradually than we had anticipated in the second half,” he said.

Consumer nervousness was reflected in the Commerce Department’s announcement on Tues-

day that U.S. consumer spending unexpectedly fell in June to post the first decline in two years.

Industry research firm Edmunds.com said to appeal to those consumers, automakers may boost incentive spending.

Japanese brands already increased incentive spending about 25 percent to $1,990 per vehicle from June to July, compared with a 4.5 percent rise to $2,919 per vehicle by the U.S. automakers, according to Edmunds.

While the U.S. level is 47 percent higher than the Japanese rate, the difference is far below a year ago when it was a 69 percent gap, suggesting Johnson and his U.S. peers may resort to priming the incentive pump, Edmunds said.

“With production

20

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011

DAILY CHALLENGE

SPORTS

21

NBA sues players’ union over labor dispute

By ANDREW LONGSTRETH NEW YORK The National B a s k e t b a l l Association filed a lawsuit yesterday against the players’ union seeking a ruling that the lockout of players does not violate antitrust laws.

The NBA said the lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, arises from the union’s threatened use of antitrust litigation to extract a more favor-

able contract in ongoing negotiations.

“The union’s improper threats of antitrust litigation are having a direct, immediate and harmful effect upon the ability of the parties to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement,” the lawsuit said.

The NBA also said yesterday that it had filed an unfair labor practice charge against the union before the National Labor Relations Board, saying the players have failed to bargain in good faith.

William Hunter, executive director of

the players’ association, said in a statement that the NBA’s actions “are just another example of their badfaith bargaining, and we will seek the complete dismissal of the actions as they are totally without merit.” the Throughout negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, the NBA said, the players’ union has repeatedly threatened to renounce its role as the bargaining representative of the NBA players.

In its lawsuit, the NBA called the threat “an impermissible

negotiating tactic” designed only to commence an antitrust challenge to the lockout and gain leverage in contract negotiations.

The NBA contended that the same tactic was pursued by the National Football League players’ union in its most recent collective bargaining negotiations.

In his statement, Hunter said the union has not made any decision about renouncing its role as the collective bargaining representative of the players.

“We urge the NBA to

engage with us at the bargaining table and to use more productively the short time we have left before the 20112012 season is seriously jeopardized,” he said.

In its lawsuit, the NBA also said it is seeking a ruling that federal courts lack jurisdiction to block the lockout.

The lawsuit comes a day after NBA officials and players’ representatives met for the first time since the league declared a lockout on July 1.

The dispute involves how to split some $4.3 billion in total rev-

enues. The NBA says an overhaul of the pay structure is needed after 22 of the 30 NBA teams lost money last year.

If the dispute is not resolved before the beginning of the season this fall, it could result in the league’s first work stoppage since 1998, when a lockout shortened the season to 50 games from 82.

The case is National Basketball Association v. National Basketball Players Association, et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 115369.

A nton io Cr omar tie not upset with Jets F L O R H A M PARK, N.J. — Hard feelings? What hard feelings?

Even though he was the fallback option at cornerback, behind Nnamdi Asomugha, Antonio Cromartie insisted Monday he doesn’t harbor any bitterness toward the New York Jets for letting him twist in the free agent wind before coming to him with a four-year, $32 million contract.

He sounded sincere, but there was something about the process that stoked his emotions.

“Just know I have a big chip on my shoulder, and expect something really good this year,” Cromartie said Monday after arriving at training camp on a red-eye from California and

signing his new deal.

For four days last week, the Jets courted Asomugha, envisioning him with Darrelle Revis in what would’ve been an all-time cornerback tandem. Revis himself openly endorsed the team’s decision to pursue Asomugha, who eventually signed with the Philadelphia Eagles for $60 million over five years.

Upon learning of the decision, the Jets turned to Cromartie, who played well for them last season — but apparently not well enough to stop them from flirting with Asomugha.

Cromartie said he didn’t pay attention to the Asomugha sweepstakes.

Believe him? Asked why he has a chip on his shoulder, he said, “I still feel like I’m a No. 1 cor-

ner. ... Do I feel like Nnamdi is better than me? No. Do I think any other corner is better than me? No.” The Jets said they never eliminated Cromartie from their plans, and that they were simply checking out their options.

Asomugha would’ve been an expensive option; it’s believed they offered him $11.5 million per year, the same yearly average as Revis.

Coach Rex Ryan said he considers Cromartie a top-five cornerback, mentioning Revis and Asomugha as his No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.

Ryan said they made one offer to Asomugha and never sweetened it.

“We said, ‘This is it,’” he said.

Spurned, the Jets hit Cromartie with a full-

court press, as Ryan, general manager Mike Tannenbaum and owner Woody Johnson called him over the weekend to deliver the sales pitch.

An $8 million-a-year contract can smooth a lot of raw feelings.

Johnson said he wasn’t disappointed by Asomugha’s decision. As for Cromartie, he said, “I don’t detect any feelings of being distraught.”

Others felt differently.

“You have to feel like you’re Plan B,” Revis said, adding, “He felt comfortable here with us. That’s the upsetting part about it. He felt this organization didn’t see him as a priority to sign him back.”

Revis said he was “very nervous” about losing Cromartie to another team. That would’ve

been a blow to the defense, which is predicated on sound man-toman coverage by the corners. Now, he believes, they can have the best tandem in the league.

Cromartie said he had no problem with Revis’ public comments about wanting Asomugha.

Just business, Cromartie said.

“We can be the best in the league,” he said. “Me and Darrelle feel like we can go out and dominate and be even better than we were last year.”

The Jets have $19.5 million per year tied up in their starting cornerbacks, and they also have last year’s No. 1 pick, Kyle Wilson, on the bench. In theory, they should have their top three corners for the next three years.

“I want to prove them

right,” Cromartie said of the Jets, alluding to his four-year contract. “And I want to prove everybody else wrong.”

Meanwhile, Jets wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery and right guard Brandon Moore have been placed on the physically unable to perform list with injuries.

Cotchery had back surgery in February to correct a herniated disk, which he played with throughout last season.

He still managed to catch 41 passes for 433 yards and two touchdowns. Moore had surgery on his hip in February, but recently said he would be “ready to go when it’s time to go.”

Both players can come off the PUP list as soon as they are healthy.

Giants: Osi Umenyiora can seek trade EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants have given permission to the agent of Osi Umenyiora to work out a trade for the two-time Pro Bowl defensive end, a league source told ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio.

The Giants want a

first-round pick in exchange for Umenyiora, who continues to be unhappy with his contract status even after a meeting with team officials over the weekend, the source said.

Umenyiora’s agent, Tony Agnone, began

contacting teams on Monday. He and a spokesman for the Giants declined comment on Monday.

Umenyiora is expected to remain in training camp pending the trade.

“I hope there is a chance,” Umenyiora told The Associated Press in

an email when asked if there’s any chance he can work things out with the Giants. “But who knows. What really annoys me is the hypocrisy of people clamoring for my head for asking for a new deal or to be traded.”

In a sworn affidavit

as part of the recent Brady vs. NFL lawsuit during the lockout, Umenyiora said Reese told him in 2008 that if the defensive end were still playing at a high level in two years, he’d reward him with a new contract or trade him to a team that would pay

him like a top-five defensive end.

Umenyiora mentioned how long-time fixtures on the Giants like Shaun O’Hara and Rich Seubert were recently released as a reason why players need to get the best deal possible.

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DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011

Sports Briefs Noah set to join up with France team

PARIS - The French Basketball Federation says Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah is recovering well from a troublesome ankle problem and should be ready to join his France teammates later this week.

Noah has been receiving treatment on his right ankle in Los Angeles. The team doctor for the Bulls and the French team’s physician are pleased by the way the ankle has responded to the treatment.

The FFBB said on its website that “after seeing the conclusions from the two specialists, the franchise (Chicago Bulls) doctor should give his accord for Joakim Noah to return to the France team, without having to go to Chicago.”

France is training in Pau this week ahead of the European Championships. France will play Latvia on Aug. 31.

Eagles WR Maclin reports to camp after illness BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin has reported to training camp at Lehigh University after missing the first five days of practice with an undisclosed illness.

The Eagles did not practice yesterday. The team did not announce if Maclin would practice on Wednesday.

Maclin caught 70 passes for 964 yards last season. His 10 touchdown receptions tied for seventh in the NFL. Maclin reportedly contracted mononucleosis in the spring, but the Eagles have not said whether his absence from training camp was related to that.

Coach Andy Reid has said his absence was excused.

Two-time 1,000-yard receiver DeSean Jackson has been absent since camp started last Wednesday, presumably to protest lack of progress in talks toward a new contract.

Phillip Buchanon suspended four games ASHBURN, Va. — Washington Redskins cornerback Phillip Buchanon will be suspended for the first four games of the regular season, coach Mike Shanahan said yesterday.

Shanahan said the suspension was issued “a while back” from the NFL office. The coach did not say why Buchanon was suspended or give any other details.

Shanahan revealed the news the day after Buchanon announced on Twitter that he was resigning with the Redskins.

“I’m excited to return to the Washington Redskins and continue to be part of this great organization,” Buchanon said in a statement released yesterday by his publicist. “I look forward to putting the suspension behind me, returning to the field and helping my team.”

The NFL had no comment on the suspension.

The league’s drug-testing programs were not in operation during the recent lockout, and no disciplinary action was issued during that time, so it appears the Redskins would have been notified of Buchanon’s sanction before the work stoppage began in March.

Buchanon, 30, was mostly a nickelback last year. He started five games, mostly while Carlos Rogers was injured, and had two interceptions.

DAILY CHALLENGE

SPORTS

Muhammad Ali writes letter to people of Norway Muhammad Ali expressed his sadness about the bombing and massacre in Norway, saying he is heartbroken by the senseless deaths and the reasoning of the man behind them.

In a letter to the people of Norway written under his name, the boxing great says his “heart goes out to each of you as you deal with the unimaginable grief of your loss.”

Ali wrote that the richness of diversity is something that makes the world a better place and that no one should fear multiculturalism.

People, he said, have the same ideals no matter what religion or race they are.

“I see the same wishes for our children to have happy, healthy lives; I see the same concerns for others less fortunate than ourselves; I see the same

desire for peace and dignity,” Ali said.

The man who confessed to carrying out the massacre, Anders Behring Breivik, has said the attacks were part of a plan to start a cultural revolution and purge Europe of Muslims while also punishing politicians who have embraced multiculturalism.

Ali, a Muslim, said those who commit unspeakable acts in the name of race and religion “fail to understand that we share far more with our fellow beings than those aspects that set us apart.”

He went on to say that the best way to honor the victims in Norway is to reach out and embrace others in a celebration of common human values and aspirations.

“The collective power of such individual proactive acts can have

a tremendous aggregate impact and provide a lasting honor to those who are no longer able to take such action themselves,” Ali wrote.

Ali’s spokesman,

Craig Bankey, said the former heavyweight champion, who suffers from Parkinson’s, communicated his thoughts in the letter to his wife.

Woods offers no timetable for naming full-time caddie

By GENE CHERRY NEW YORK - Tiger Woods gave no timetable on when he will name a full-time replacement for former caddie Steve Williams but said yesterday there have been no shortage of applicants.

Woods will use childhood friend Bryon Bell as his interim caddie when he returns to PGA Tour action at this week’s WGCB r i d g e s t o n e Invitational and most likely at next week’s PGA Championship before naming a replacement.

“Right now, I’m trying to play this week with Bri, and hopefully next week as well, and

maybe get myself in the playoffs,” Woods said during a news conference at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, where he is a seven-times winner.

Bell caddied some for Woods during his early days but will step aside when a replacement for Williams is announced.

Woods, who has not played tournament golf since he pulled out of the Players Championship in May after completing just nine holes, said their have been numerous inquiries about the position since he fired longtime caddie Williams last month.

“People who are not caddies out here (on the PGA Tour), a ton (of interest),” said Woods, who injured his left

knee ligaments and Achilles tendon during the Masters in April.

“So yeah, we’ve gotten a lot of interesting ones.”

He would not reveal any names.

Asked what type of person he wanted to carry his bag, Woods pointed to experience and ability to handle pressure.

“An experienced caddie who’s been there before and understands it, knows how to handle the situation, that’s something that I will definitely be looking for,” said Woods.

The 35-year-old American also said he remained comfortable with his decision to fire Williams, who helped the former world number one win 13 majors, saying it was time for a

change.

“Steve and I had just an amazing run,” said Woods. “He’s a helluva caddie. He’s helped my career and I’ve helped his as well. I felt very comfortable with the move.”

DAILY CHALLENGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011

DAILY CHALLENGE

23

SPORTS

Giant leap forward: Good riddance to NFL 2-a-days

By PAUL NEWBERRY F L O W E R Y BRANCH, Ga. - Roddy White stripped off his pads after practicing for nearly 21/2 hours on a balmy Georgia morning, knowing he wouldn’t have to go through that again.

Not on this day, at least.

Two-a-days have been tossed aside, joining leather helmets and the Wing-T as NFL relics.

Good riddance.

No wonder White was wearing such a big smile as lunchtime approached.

“I am done for the day, baby,” gloated the Atlanta Falcons’ star receiver.

Well, that was a bit of an overstatement.

There were still meetings to attend, film to watch, weights to lift.

Heck, White and his teammates weren’t even done on the field Monday, returning in the afternoon for an hour-long practice known in football terms as a walkthrough.

But considering what training camp was like in past years, this feels like a walk in the park.

The league’s new collective bargaining agreement finally puts

the focus where it should have been all along. On the players.

No longer can wannabe generals (some refer to them as coaches) hold two full practices on a single day. No longer can they push players dangerously close to the brink of exhaustion. No longer can they send out players day after day after day in blazing summer heat.

There are coaches and ex-players - and even some current players - who look at the changes with a disdainful eye, believing it’s brought a little too much humanity to this violent sport.

Hogwash.

These guys are still going to be throwing themselves into each other for our enjoyment on any given Sunday, maybe even more violently than they did before because they’re not so beat up after training camp. At least now, they’ll improve the odds of living a better life after they put away the helmet and pads.

“I’m trying to live to see 65,” White said, “and not have headaches.”

“I wanna be able to play with my kids when I’m done,” added a teammate, Falcons safety Thomas DeCoud.

What’s so unreasonable about that?

While studies continue on the devastating effects football can have on the human body, there’s already plenty of anecdotal evidence to break your heart many times over. We’ve had enough players such as the late John Mackey, the eloquent, thoughtful Hall of Famer whose mind slipped away in his golden years, undoubtedly because he took far too many blows to the noggin.

Too bad this didn’t come along sooner for players such as Mackey, or even Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Casey Hampton, who’s 33 years old and going into an 11th season that probably feels like his 111th.

“Coming in under this system and playing this long,” he said wistfully, “I could only imagine how much better my body would feel.”

Still, there are those largely in the coaching ranks - who would have you believe these new rules are going to produce a league full of wimps. Many of them speak through gritted teeth, saying these are the rules and they’ll just have to adapt.

Occasionally, one

will slip up and say what the majority of them are thinking.

“I think the players got their way a little bit,” said Paul Alexander, offensive line coach for the Bengals.

Cincinnati “It’s like your kid wants a pony, and the kid gets a pony. I didn’t get my kids a pony.”

Some have raised the notion that limiting the amount of contact and mandating once-a-week off days during camp another player benefit in the new CBA - will result in them being less prepared for the rigors of the game, actually resulting in more injuries.

Again, hogwash.

Seriously, does anyone really believe that a player’s odds of getting hurt will actually increase because he didn’t spend enough time running into other gargantuan men at full speed when it didn’t count in the standings?

“The statistics say it’s like being in a car crash every time you make a tackle,” DeCoud said. “Well, we’re saving ourselves from a lot of car crashes.”

Cleveland linebacker Scott Fujita, who’s on the executive committee of the players’ union, said a study done a few years ago found that

Andre Johnson dislocates finger HOUSTON — Houston Texans AllPro receiver Andre Johnson dislocated his left index finger during a practice yesterday morning .

Johnson was running a slant route in an individual drill and leaped to catch a pass, with rookie cornerback Rashad Carmichael defending.

Johnson couldn’t make the catch and came down shaking his left hand. He took off his glove, his finger was bleeding and he walked to the sideline, where a

trainer examined him.

General manager Rick Smith walked over to Johnson before the five-time Pro Bowl selection left the field on a cart.

Coach Gary Kubiak did not know the severity of Johnson’s injury after the morning practice. He did not see the play and was hoping that Johnson would be ready for the afternoon workout.

“We’re getting it looked at,” Kubiak said.

“I’ve got a big lump in my throat like everybody else, but hopefully,

he’ll be fine.”

The 6-foot-3, 223pound Johnson had 86 catches for 1,216 yards last season, ranking sixth in both categories.

Johnson was the third overall pick in the 2003 draft; he’s the only player in league history to reach 60 receptions in each of his first eight years in the league.

Second-year receiver Dorin Dickerson took Johnson’s first-team reps for the remainder of practice. Kubiak also said cornerback Jason Allen and guard Wade Smith missed some

snaps yesterday, due to illness.

Linebacker Brian Cushing has sat out team drills for the first two days, as he continues to recover from offseason knee surgery.

Cushing had an ice wrap on his knee after yesterday’s workout, and Kubiak says Cushing is “a few days away” from returning to full action.

Smith acknowledged yesterday that the team is talking to two free agents — defensive end Ty Warren and fullback Lawrence Vickers.

more than half the reported injuries in a given season occurred during the first two weeks of training camp.

Fortunately, there are some coaches who don’t live in the dark ages. New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams says he petitioned the league nearly a decade ago to do away with two-adays.

“For people not to understand that fatigue and accumulated contact are directly related to injuries, well, they’re not very smart,” he said.

Maybe in a different era, there was some justification for two-adays. Some longtime executives remember the 80-20 rule: A team figured 80 percent of the players would report to camp in shape, while the rest would need a lot of extra running. These days, there probably aren’t more than 1 percent who require anything more than the usual conditioning.

Many players believe the quality of the game will actually improve because they’re going be fresher, stronger, faster for the season.

“You can take care of your body the right way,” Fujita said. “You can see guys condition-

ing after practice. Most years, you really can’t do that because you’re trying to preserve everything you’ve got for the next practice.

We can actually train our bodies in the weight room. We can get with the trainers and do some things we normally wouldn’t have time to do. I think it’s going to be so good.”

As if health and safety weren’t enough reason to embrace these new guidelines, the fans will also come off as winners. Anyone out there against having their favorite player be able to stay on the field longer than he does now? Well, check back in a decade. The average career will undoubtedly be extended in this kinder, gentler NFL. “Without these twoa-days,” said Dallas linebacker DeMarcus Ware, who led the league in sacks two of the last three years, “the sky’s the limit.”

Looking forward, the players need to hold firm on another victory at the bargaining table: Keeping the 16-game regular season, instead of going to 18 games like the owners wanted.

All that would’ve done is put even more money in those already bulging suit pockets.

Be li c h i ck li k es ea r ly wor k f r om Hay n e sw or t h FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s early assessment of new acquisition Albert Haynesworth is positive.

Then again, it’s only been one practice.

“Albert has worked hard. I think that it’s coming,” Belichick said yesterday. “We’ve got a long way to go, so just take it day-by-day, but I think he’s doing fine.”

Haynesworth practiced with the Patriots for the first time on Sunday. The team had Monday off, but was back on the practice field yesterday.

New England picked up Haynesworth in a trade with the Redskins last week. He had a tumultuous season in Washington last year, starting with a prolonged delay at the beginning of training camp when he needed 10 days to pass his conditioning test. He also feuded with coach Mike Shanahan throughout the season and has had a number of legal troubles.

DAILY CHALLENGE

S SP PO OR RT TS S WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011

NBA SUES P L AY E R S ’ U N I O N O V E R L A BSEEOPAGRE 21 D I S P U T E RANDY MOSS RETIRES FROM NFL

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI MANKATO, Minn. - Randy Moss dominated when he wanted to dominate.

He scored when he wanted to score, cooperated when he wanted to cooperate and acted out when he wanted to act out.

Moss spent 13 seasons doing things on his own terms, which is why perhaps the loudest career the NFL has ever seen - both in terms of the roars he induced on the field and the aggravation he caused off it - ended so quietly on Monday.

No farewell speech from maybe the most physically gifted receiver to don a helmet. No tearful goodbye from a record-setting performer who changed the way defense is played in the NFL. Just a one-sentence statement from his agent saying one of the most colorful careers in league history was over.

“Randy has weighed his options and considered the offers and has decided to retire,” Joel Segal said on Monday.

It was vintage Moss, a revolutionary talent who was never very much interested in doing things the conventional way.

Fans were awed by his once-in-a-generation blend of size, speed and intelligence. Teammates were charmed by the charisma he showed behind closed doors and coaches were often infuriated by his boorish antics and lack of respect for authority.

“I don’t know if anybody can totally pin down who Randy Moss is,” said Tim DiPiero, one of Moss’ first agents said last year.

If this indeed is the end for Moss, he leaves the game with some of the gaudiest statistics posted by a receiver. His 153 touchdowns are tied with Terrell Owens for second on the career list, and he’s also fifth in yards (14,858) and tied with

Hines Ward for eighth in receptions (954).

“In a lot of ways, he was the Michael Jordan of offenses in our league,” Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said. “He was a special player for a long, long time.”

Those numbers, and his status as perhaps the best deep threat in NFL history, will make him a strong candidate for the Hall of Fame. But voters will also be weighing those achievements and his six Pro Bowl seasons against a history of mailing in performances and a reputation as a coach killer.

As Moss himself famously said: “I play when I want to play.”

And when he wanted to, there was no one better. And when he didn’t, there was no one more destructive.

Trouble off the field in high school prevented Moss from attending Notre Dame or Florida State, so he landed at Marshall and scored 54 touchdowns in two electrifying seasons with the Thundering Herd.

The character questions hurt Moss in the 1998 draft. He fell to the Vikings at pick No. 21 and he spent the next seven years making every GM in the league who passed on him regret it. He scored 17 touchdowns to help the Vikings reach the NFC title game, a season so overpowering that the rival Packers used their first three picks in the following April’s draft on cornerbacks to try to slow him down.

Didn’t do much good. Moss scored at least 10 touchdowns in all but one season in his first tour with the Vikings.

“The things I’ve seen him do, I don’t think I’ll ever see another player do the things he did,” Vikings tight end Jim Kleinsasser said. “Great career. Tough to see him not playing because I think he had a lot left out there that he could have done for somebody.”