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Australian Detainee Back From Guantanamo

2012-03-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

SYDNEY, Australia - Confessed Australian al-Qaida supporter David Hicks was transferred to a maximum security prison in his hometown on Sunday after spending more than five years at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Hicks, the first of hundreds of Guantanamo Bay detainees to face a U.S. military tribunal, made the flight from Cuba in a Gulfstream G550 jet chartered by the Australian government with an entourage of Australian police, prison officers and a lawyer.

The former Outback cowboy and kangaroo skinner pleaded guilty in March to providing material support to al-Qaida, including attending terrorist training camps in Afghanistan. Under a plea deal, he …

China's Zheng no longer thinking about ranking

2012-03-15T04:24:00.000-07:00

China's top women's tennis player Zheng Jie says a preoccupation with her WTA ranking led to a season-worst performance at last month's BNP Paribas Open.

Zheng, currently ranked 17th in the world, won five straight games against top-ranked Serena Williams at the Sony Ericsson Open in Florida on Sunday, before eventually losing in three sets. In her previous tournament at Indian Wells, California, however, she crashed out to 57th-ranked Vera Dushevina of Russia, 6-2, 6-2 in the second round after receiving a first round bye.

"Frankly speaking, I was thinking too much ... about rankings," Zheng, 26, was quoted as saying in a telephone interview by …

Pistons win 10th in a row

2012-03-15T02:03:00.000-07:00

Joe Dumars scored 16 of his 24 points in the second half Fridaynight as the Detroit Pistons survived a 13-point first quarter to wintheir 10th consecutive game, 96-94 over the visiting Philadelphia76ers.

Charles Barkley led Philadelphia with 22 points before beingejected for elbowing Dennis Rodman in the face with 7:32 left in thegame.

Bucks 103, Knicks 97: Jay Humphries scored 20 points and FredRoberts had a key basket and steal down the stretch as Milwaukee beatNew York to stay unbeaten at home. Milwaukee, 8-0 at the Bradley Center, sent the Knicks to theirfifth consecutive loss by holding New York center Patrick Ewing to 12points, matching his season …

Italian Football Results

2012-03-14T23:40:00.000-07:00

MILAN (AP) — Results in the Serie A (home teams listed first):

Wednesday's Game

Bologna 2, Chievo Verona 1

Saturday's Games

Palermo 3, Parma 1

Udinese 2, Fiorentina 1

Genoa 0, Napoli 1

Sunday's Games

Bologna 0, AC Milan 3

Brescia 1, Sampdoria 0

Cagliari 3, Catania …

Argentine president demands end to prolonged farmers strike

2012-03-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

President Cristina Fernandez told thousands of supporters Wednesday that a three-month strike against grain export-tax hikes was undemocratic and demanded that farmers lift road blockades that have caused food shortages across Argentina.

The massive rally in a Buenos Aires' Plaza de Mayo was seen as a show of force by Fernandez in response to anti-government protests fueled by the bitter standoff with Argentina's farmers.

"In the name of democracy, free up the highways, let Argentines get back to work," Fernandez told supporters. The government press office said 100,000 people attended the rally, but such figures are often exagerated and it could …

Model people wanted to join in ship's cast

2012-03-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

The ss Great Britain Trust is appealing for volunteers to beimmortalised in plaster cast for a new display on the ship.

Museum staff want people to be models for mannequins that will bedisplayed on the Promenade Deck of Brunel's historic ship.

Volunteers will be asked to give three hours of their time and puton protective clothing before being covered in plaster of Paris.

And the ship's team is especially keen to hear from Bristolianswho would like to pose for the model of the ship's barber.

Experts at the ss Great Britain Trust do not have the barber'sfull name. They know he was a black man whose surname was Jones.

He travelled between Liverpool …

Land cover effects on Australian climate

2012-03-14T16:38:00.000-07:00

New modeling experiments have shown that land cover change (LCC) over the last 200 years in Australia has affected local climate significantly by increasing January temperatures (Fig. 1) and affecting July rainfall patterns. These modeled changes are caused by the replacement of native trees with grass and are consistent with observed values. More importantly, our results show that LCC may partially account for the observed increase in January maximum temperatures (Fig. 2). These results help establish the significance of climatic impacts of LCC and also demonstrate the necessity of combining LCC with changes in CO2 concentrations when attributing observed warming over Australia to …

Iowans to congressmen: Stop immigration raids

2012-03-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

An immigration raid that arrested nearly 400 people in northeastern Iowa scarred a small town and tore families apart, residents said Saturday.

Dozens begged a visiting congressional delegation to do everything in its power to stop federal immigration raids. The May raid in Postville at Agriprocessors, the nation's largest kosher meatpacking plant, by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials was the largest of its kind in U.S. history.

Reps. Luis Gutierrez, Albio Sires, and Joe Baca, members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, heard three hours of often emotional testimony. Women whose husbands are being detained talked about their longing to be …

Artist imitates activist

2012-03-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

Alice Walker is a wonderful writer. I applaud her stance onissues like female genital mutilation, which no civilized personcould condone.

And - all thanks due to professor Bill Plumley, whose workUniversity of Charleston officials would be incredibly foolish tospurn - we're lucky to have had her come last Wednesday toCharleston, W.Va.

But, as hair-metal philosophers Poison once pointed out, everyrose has its thorn.And some of Walker's comments about Yugoslavia clearly showed thefrequent folly of artist-as-activist.Her idea to train volunteers in the arts instead of soldiers, thensend them into areas of conflict, should have had even unrepentantliberals slapping …

The influence of socio-economic and locational disadvantage on patterns of surgical care for lung cancer in Western Australia 1982-2001

2012-03-14T09:37:00.000-07:00

Abstract

Objective: Patterns of in-hospital surgical care for lung cancer in Western Australia were examined, including the effects of demographic, locational and socio-economic disadvantage and the possession of private health insurance, on the likelihood of receiving surgery.

Patients and methods: The WA Record Linkage Project was used to extract hospital morbidity, cancer and death records of all people with lung cancer in Western Australia from 1982 to 2001. The likelihood of receiving lung cancer surgery was estimated, after adjustment for co-variates, using logistic regression.

Results: Overall, 16% of patients received surgery for their lung cancer, although …

The top ten music in the United States

2012-03-14T07:17:00.000-07:00

Weekly charts for the best-selling recorded music in the United States as they appear in next week's issue of Billboard magazine. Reprinted with permission. (Platinum signifies more than 1 million copies sold; gold signifies more than 500,000 copies sold.):

Billboard Hot 100: Top 10

(Compiled from a national sample of sales reports collected, compiled and provided by SoundScan; radio playlists; and monitored radio by Broadcast Data Systems)

1. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)," Beyonce. Music World/Columbia.

2. "Live Your Life," T.I. feat. Rihanna. Def Jam/Grand Hustle/IDJMG/Atlantic.

3. "If I Were …

Tiger vs. Phil? It's a one-sided 'rivalry'

2012-03-14T04:56:00.000-07:00

How sweet that they converge again, on a course originallydesigned for the ladies, in a pairing that suggests part fantasy,part prizefight and part Celebrity Deathmatch claymation chaos. Theonly problem with our fine fortune is that Tiger Woods and PhilMickelson still aren't dueling as equals in the PGA Championship. Ina sport defined by majors, recent developments have left thescoreboard in a White Sox vs. Cubs mode.

Tiger 11, Phil 3.

So really now, isn't a Thursday morning drama in the westernsuburbs more about an inevitable pecking order being reaffirmed atopthe golfing hierarchy? In a matter of weeks, Woods renewed himself asthe Jack-stalker and king of his …

ABC, CBS both have early corporate ties to NBC

2012-03-14T02:16:00.000-07:00

The three original broadcast networks still around today can all be traced back to the National Broadcasting Co.

NBC began as a radio network in 1926, formed by General Electric Co., Westinghouse Electric Co. and Radio Corporation of America after buying broadcast assets from AT&T.

RCA became sole owner in 1932, until GE bought it back in 1986.

NBC initially ran two radio networks but had to shed one of them in 1943 under pressure from the government. The spinoff became ABC.

Decades later, in 1995, Westinghouse bought CBS and is now known as CBS Corp., after shedding energy and other businesses under the Westinghouse brand.

Davis Cup: Belgium 1, Ukraine 0

2012-03-13T23:24:00.000-07:00

Results Friday from the Davis Cup World Group playoff between Belgium and Ukraine on clay at the Spiroudrome :

Belgium 1, Ukraine 0

Singles

Christophe Rochus, Belgium, def. Illya Marchenko, Ukraine, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

Sunken steamer may yield fortune

2012-03-13T20:32:00.000-07:00

TAMPA, Fla.--Explorers believe they have found the sunken remainsof an 1860s steamer that could yield the richest cargo ever recoveredfrom a shipwreck: thousands of gold coins worth as much as $180million.

The S.S. Republic was carrying 59 passengers and 20,000 $20 goldcoins from New York to New Orleans when it sank in a hurricane offSavannah, Ga., on Oct. 25, 1865, according to newspaper accounts andother historical records.

All of the passengers boarded lifeboats and got off alive, but thecoins--intended to help pay for reconstruction of the South after theCivil War--went to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean with theRepublic. An expert has estimated they would be worth $120 million to$180 million today.

After searching for 12 years, Greg Stemm and John Morris ofOdyssey Marine Explorations Inc. said Saturday they found the wrecklast month in 1,700 feet of water about 100 miles southeast ofSavannah.

Documentation and excavation of the site using remotely operatedrobotic equipment is set to begin next month. Stemm said the Tampa-based company recently bought a 250-foot ship and a special robotic"remotely operated vehicle" to carry out the project.

"It's almost like having a hand down there," Stemm said of theapparatus. "You can literally feel the pressure when you're pickingthings up and moving them around."

Because the wreck is so far out in international waters, thecompany doesn't need a permit to begin work at the site.

It has, though, been granted federal "admiralty arrest" of thesite to make it illegal for others to lay claim to it.

Odyssey Marine Explorations crew members submerge a remotelyoperated vehicle off the Georgia coast, where they believe they havelocated the Civil War-era steamer S.S. Republic.

MEDIATION IS THE MESSAGE

2012-03-13T17:40:00.000-07:00

When your clients find themselves in conflict with others, are they looking for a win-win or a win-lose solution? If they insist on the latter, they should know they will most likely end up in arbitration or litigation - both of which are expensive, time-consuming, emotionally draining and often uncertain. Considering that 97% of all civil cases settle before trial, it makes more sense to negotiate.

By following these tips, you can give your clients good advice.

* Be proactive when clients seem distracted. They may be in the early stages of conflict, unaware of the damage escalation can cause. Suggest that the only way to resolve conflict is to examine where their real interests lie. And these may be more than financial.

* Encourage them to realize that the best solutions stem from their own frankness and creativity.

* Remind them that negotiated and mediated settlements help preserve valued relationships. Who knows what mutual gains might come from satisfactory settlements?

* Encourage clients to deal with conflict honestly, factually and face-to-face as much as possible.

* Make sure they understand that conflict resolution depends on generating workable options that meet all their needs. Effective negotiation and mediation require clients to pass their settlement proposals through a reality check by doing a cost-benefit analysis.

* If negotiation is too difficult because emotions are blocking progress, recommend that clients seek advice from a trained negotiator, or that they name an impartial mediator with business experience.

Above all, remember that the more proactive you are in dealing with clients in conflict, the better you will serve their long-term interests.

This is a summary. For the full version, which includes two case studies, log on to www.CAmagazine.com/mediation.

[Author Affiliation]

Jack Zwicker, BA, LLB, LLM (ADR), is a business lawyer, negotiator and mediator practising in Markham, Ontario

Military says a second bus bomb has exploded in Sri Lanka

2012-03-13T14:47:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka's military says that a bus has been bombed in central Sri Lanka, the second such attack in hours.

Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara says the blast took place in the hills of Kandy district. He says that there is no immediate information on casualties.

The first attack took place in the morning and killed 21 people after targeting a bus outside Colombo. Authorities are blaming that attack on the Tamil Tiger rebels.

La Russa Expects to Return to Cardinals

2012-03-13T11:48:00.000-07:00

ST. LOUIS - Cardinals manager Tony La Russa expects to return for a 13th season with St. Louis, and may commit to the team before it selects a new general manager.

La Russa told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he'd be back barring complications in discussions with team chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. His three-year deal expired at the end of the season.

"The fact that we're talking pretty much daily and everything is progressing tells you where it's heading and where we'd like it to end up," La Russa said in a story that appeared in Saturday's editions. "Obviously, that's assuming nothing falls through the cracks."

La Russa left a message for The Associated Press on Saturday saying he was only talking to the Post-Dispatch about his situation.

La Russa told the newspaper he has not delayed his decision to gauge possible interest from the New York Yankees, who parted ways with manager Joe Torre on Thursday.

"I'm talking to Bill because that's where I want to be," the 63-year-old La Russa said. "Frankly, I'm offended the question is even being asked."

La Russa said he may sign before a replacement is found for former GM Walt Jocketty because of concerns entering free agency.

"If you wait until someone is hired, a player or two we have interest in could have headed down another road," La Russa said. "You take some of this on faith. But I'm glad Bill has confided in me."

La Russa last year became the franchise's winningest manager, and in 2006 led the Cardinals to their first World Series title since 1982.

DeWitt said earlier in the week that the Cardinals might wait until after the World Series to name a new GM. The Post-Dispatch said Cleveland Indians assistant GM Chris Antonetti is among the team's candidates.

John Mozeliak, interim GM under Jocketty the last five seasons, is the lone in-house candidate. Mozeliak previously interviewed for GM openings with the Reds and Astros.

Cavendish wins Tour's 2nd stage

2012-03-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

BRIGNOLES, France - Britain's Mark Cavendish won the second stageof the Tour de France in searing heat Sunday, with seven-timechampion Lance Armstrong finishing safely in the trailing pack.

Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland kept the overall lead aftercapturing the opening time trial a day earlier. He leads AlbertoContador by 18 seconds. Bradley Wiggins is third, 19 seconds back,and Armstrong is 10th overall, 40 seconds behind.

"The heat was like you were baking bread. ... It was terrible,"Cancellara said on French TV. He said that with about an hour leftof riding his team manager said the temperature hit 104 degrees. "Ihaven't seen heat like that in years."

Armstrong finished 80th. When asked how the stage went, he said"hot" before a long pause.

"It's hard to hydrate," he said outside his team bus. "But, youknow, it's hot for everybody."

The 37-year-old Texan, on his comeback Tour four years afterretiring, said his strategy was "just avoid trouble and get in therhythm of the race."

Cavendish clenched his fists and smiled as he crossed the line asplit second in front of runner-up Tyler Farrar of the United Statesand third-place finisher Romain Feillu of France.

With a solid escort from his Team Columbia, Cavendish almost madethe 116-mile ride it look easy.

"I'm glad I could win to just pay them back," he said afterfinishing in 4 hours, 30 minutes, 2 seconds, the same time as allbut two of the riders. "It's emotional for me."

Cavendish won three stages in the Giro d'Italia in May and isproving to be among the world's leading sprint specialists. This wasCavendish's fifth Tour stage win.

Cavendish took the green jersey awarded to the Tour's bestsprinter. This is his third Tour but he has never finished. He saidhis goal was to win a stage and complete the three-week race, whichends July 26 in Paris.

Before the stage, Armstrong wrote on his Twitter account that heexpected "the bunch will be antsy and aggressive" and predictedCavendish would win.

There were three minor mid-race crashes. One involved Saxo Bankrider Frank Schleck of Luxembourg, a possible title contender. Thelast one occurred at a fork in the route in the last mile.

"With the heat like that, sometimes there's a lack ofconcentration among the riders," Cancellara said.

Cancellara also had a slight mishap. Teams often protect theyellow jersey like a queen bee, but he briefly dropped back on hisown for a seat adjustment from a Saxo Bank mechanic before catchingup.

On a muggy day with temperatures exceeding 86 degrees, the riderscompleted a tricky course that began in the principality of Monacoand ended in Brignoles.

During the ride, water bottles sailed out of the pack like cornkernels popping, as riders refreshed themselves along the routethrough the sun-baked Provence hills that featured medieval siteslike a Cistercian abbey.

The stage was marked by four minor climbs in a layout favoringsprinters and breakaway specialists. Monday's third stage will besimilar - a 122-mile course from the Mediterranean port city ofMarseille to La Grande Motte. The forecast is for hot weather.

Morales prepares 'ultimatum' for gas companies: Invest or lose Bolivian claims

2012-03-13T04:47:00.000-07:00

President Evo Morales warned foreign companies Sunday to step up investment in Bolivia's natural gas industry or risk losing access to its lucrative deposits.

Morales said his government is readying an "ultimatum" to Brazil's Petrobras, Spain's Repsol YPF, Britain's BP and others working in Bolivia.

"I've asked my ministers to prepare a decree giving the companies an ultimatum to invest," the president said in the central Bolivian town of Punata. "If they don't invest in the areas where exploration has shown there to be plenty of petroleum and natural gas ... in a determined period of time, we're going to take those areas back for (state energy company) YPFB."

Morales said YPFB would make any needed investment even if it has to do so on credit, but he did not give further details on the decree.

Morales' push for more state control has spooked foreign energy investment in Bolivia, home to the second largest natural gas deposits in South America.

An estimated US$876 million (euro565 million) in investment that the government anticipates for 2008 is largely targeted to pumping existing fields, rather than developing new ones that Bolivia needs to feed growing demand in its energy-hungry neighbors Brazil and Argentina.

Earlier this month YPFB took majority control of Bolivian subsidiaries of BP and Repsol, as well as the pipeline company Transredes, a subsidiary of the Houston-based Ashmore Energy International. Morales also announced plans for YPFB to purchase the German- and Peruvian-owned distribution company CLBH.

TASTY MORSELS

2012-03-13T01:33:00.000-07:00

There are women who walk past jewelry stores with drool on their chins and longing in their eyes. I could care less about diamonds, but put me in front of a chocolate shop and I'm done for (you know--pawing the glass, eyes bulging, stomach rewing like a riding mower--it's not pretty). From homemade brownies to flourless tortes to bags of semi-sweet chocolate chips (that's right, bags), chocolate sends me. I have no trouble answering the deserted island question and I'm always on the lookout for a new fix.

Four days after the grand opening of Carr� Chocolates, I walked into the cool, clean space on 8th and Bannock that houses Pierre and Margaret Carr�'s collection of handmade Belgian chocolates. Behind the soft glow of a long glass case sat row upon row of gorgeous sweets and I tried to maintain eye contact as I introduced myself. The word "sample" was uttered and I described my perfect treat: dark chocolate, more bitter than sweet with a touch of something tart. Margaret suggested a mandarin cream and the first bite had me blaspheming.

"Oh my God," I sputtered. They laughed.

"That's such an American expression," Pierre said, and Margaret added that they love to watch people's faces and listen to their uncontrollable outbursts. "Oh my God," I said.

A native of Belgium, Pierre and his Brit-born wife lived there for 14 years and witnessed the socioeconomic phenomenon of chocolate. After holding "real jobs" for most of their lives, the Carr�s hoped to take courses on the art of making chocolate and feeding the hearts and souls of the masses.

"We wanted to join our son in learning the craft, but we were too old," Margaret said. She explained that the chocolate business is highly revered and competitive in Belgium and that one must be between the ages of 17 and 25 to be considered for an apprenticeship. So they waited until their American daughter turned 21 and moved to Boise with plans to open a shop.

Three years of preparing, five months of construction and 94 kinds of chocolate later, the shop is already busy. During a lull I chatted with the Carr�s and graciously accepted their offers to try a few more of the house specialties. Fifty-five are on display--all crafted from pure, natural ingredients.

"Everything is made fresh and nothing is artificial," Pierre said, suggesting I try his personal favorite, the "Manon Fondant Moka," It may sound like an obscure Eurotrash band, but this particular chocolate was what my mother might call "finger lickin' good." The dark chocolate shell was firm but gave easily to reveal a mousse of fresh cream infused with coffee. The texture was a cross between airy and velvety that melted just so in the corners of my mouth. Words were not an option, and the Carr�'s were not surprised when I purchased another on the way out.

Although they would prefer to be making their products from scratch, the Carr�s have no doubts about the quality of their imported stock. Each day, they have to test the fresh creams, a task Margaret never seems to tire of.

"Chocolates are an antidepressant--they're healthy!" she exclaimed. "I've been eating them by the pound most of my life and I am not at excess," she chuckled, looking fondly over the shelves of passion fruit butter creams, white chocolate praline swans and strawberry marzipan. After buying two boxes of two for $3.99, I turned to leave. Just then, a chocolate-dusted dome of creamy white caught my eye. "Diamond grand-marnier ganache," read the label. Apparently, diamonds do make me drool.

Article copyright Bar Bar Inc.

Asian stocks down on fresh Europe concern

2012-03-12T22:34:00.000-07:00

Asian stock markets fell Tuesday on renewed concern over Europe's economic crisis after Fitch Ratings cut its debt rating on French bank BNP Paribas SA.

Enthusiasm over China's decision to loosen the yuan's two-year-old peg to the dollar, which could other exporting nations a competitive edge over China, appeared to be fading.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index lost 86.46 points, or 0.9 percent, to 10,151.35 and South Korea's Kospi fell 0.5 percent to 1,731.16. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.6 percent to 4,583.10.

Elsewhere, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 0.1 percent to 20,927.19 and the Shanghai Composite Index was up 0.3 percent at 2,593.98. Markets in Singapore, Malaysia and New Zealand all fell.

Sentiment was downbeat on fresh worries over Europe's debt crisis after Fitch downgraded its debt rating on the French bank _ the largest banking group in the eurozone by deposits _ by one notch Monday.

Fitch slashed BNP's long-term rating to AA-minus, the fourth-highest investment grade, from AA on deteriorating asset quality.

A fall on Wall Street overnight also dampened sentiment in Asia. The Dow Jones industrial average declined 8.23 points, or 0.1 percent, to 10,442.41 on Monday, giving up earlier gains triggered by China's currency move.

In currencies, the dollar fell to 90.92 yen from 91.04 yen in New York late Monday. The euro fell to $1.2302 from $1.2319.

Benchmark crude for July delivery was down 30 cents at $77.52 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Abkhazia shows off what it says is wreckage of downed Georgia spy planes

2012-03-12T19:43:00.000-07:00

Officials in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia on Monday showed off what they said was the wreckage of two unmanned Georgian spy planes that were downed over the weekend.

Georgia has denied that any of its planes were shot down, but Russia _ a longtime backer of Abkhazia _ quickly accused Georgia of inflaming tensions by sending the unmanned planes to spy on Abkhazian forces.

Georgia retorted that it was Moscow that was being provocative by unilaterally bolstering its peacekeeping forces.

The back-and-forth has fueled fears that full-scale fighting could break out involving Georgia, Abkhazia and the strengthened Russian peacekeeping force deployed along the administrative border separating Georgia and Abkhazia.

In Abkhazia's main city, Sukhumi, Deputy Defense Minister Garry Gupalba showed reporters what he said was debris from one of the planes, which he said were shot down Sunday by Abkhazian surface-to-air missiles. He said the wreckage showed that the plane was of the same Israeli make as another plane that was downed two weeks ago.

"According to our data, this is an unmanned flying object of the same class (as those that were downed earlier)," he said in televised comments.

Footage broadcast on Russian state-run TV showed blackened metal wreckage, some of which appeared to have Russian lettering on it.

Georgia, meanwhile, announced it was withdrawing from a 1995 agreement that coordinated air defenses among defense ministries in 10 former Soviet republics. The move is expected to have little practical effect, since the two countries have not coordinated air defenses in years.

Still, Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, again accused Georgia of purposely exacerbating tensions and planning to use military force in Abkhazia.

Abkhazia and another region, South Ossetia, have had de-facto independence since the 1990s, and Moscow's long-standing support for the two regions has long angered Georgia. Russia last week augmented its peacekeeping force in Abkhazia.

Russia opposes Georgia's efforts to draw closer to the United States and NATO, saying membership in the alliance would pose a direct threat to Russia.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Georgia's prime minister urged the international community to pressure Russia to reverse its recent moves in Abkhazia, which he called "provocative deliberate actions."

"It is clearly not in Georgian interest to have any armed conflict in its territory. We are in the middle of what some call Georgian economic miracle. ... We would be crazy to wish any military action," Vladimir Gurgenidze said.

The European Union said Monday that it was "seriously concerned" by Russia's decision to send more troops to Abkhazia and establish additional boundary checkpoints.

"The EU calls on all sides to refrain from any steps that could increase tensions and urges the sides to take action to rebuild confidence," the 27-nation bloc said in a statement.

Amer Diab

2012-03-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

Who: Amer Diab

Where: Toronto, ON

What: Unguarded, guitar-driven adult alternative

Contact: (416) 588-2561, amerdiab@sympatico.ca, www.amerdiab.ca

[Graph Not Transcribed]

The admittedly contradictory album, The Year Of The Apology, was Toronto-based Amer Diab's first opportunity to have full creative-control, but ironically it became a lesson in delegation. Having held his place in a fair share of bands through high school and college, Diab became frustrated with making compromises and having to pull together rehearsals. Taking a three-year furlough from the creative process, he refocused on what he loved about music, and armed with the ammo that only failed relationships can give, he returned with his first solo album. A collection of songs that sway from country twang to straight-ahead rock, Diab explains, "[It] is a coming of age album in the sense that it's the most honest document of my life I could have written. There's no artifice here - just little songs about big feelings. Simple truths, expressed simply." The disc was produced by Michael Johnson and engineered by Lurch at Broadcast Lane and includes the sonic treat of Broken Social Scene's Brendan Canning (bass, organ) and Andrew Whiteman (lead guitar, tres. organ) as well as Emm Gryner's "favourite drummer," Dean Stone all lending Diab their abilities. Honest lyrics set to a moody, yet melodic backdrop, make The Year Of The Apology a pleasure to repeatedly spin - certainly not something to apologize for.

[Graph Not Transcribed]

Former Canadian Musician Assistant Editor Ryan McLaughlin, now a self-appointed homeless freelance writer, is currently exploring Europe and beyond, with a laptop, digital camera, no deadlines and a sense of adventure.

Nohoanu

2012-03-12T12:04:00.000-07:00

Nohoanu

Geranium multiflorum

Status	Endangered
Listed	May 15, 1992
Family	Geraniaceae (Geranium)
Description	Tall, many-branched shrub with veined leaves having grayish silky hairs on the lower surface, and clusters of flowers with white petals.
Habitat	Diverse vegetation types, from montane grasslands to wet forests and swamps, extending into the subalpine zone.
Threats	Habitat destruction by feral pigs; competing plant species.
Range	Hawaii

Description

The geranium family is represented by herbs, subshrubs, and occasionally tree-like plants. The leaves are alternate or opposite, palmately or pinnately lobed, and dissected or compound. Venation of the leaves is frequently palmate. The flowers are bisexual, actinomorphic or slightly zygomorphic, cymose or in umbels. The fruit is described as a schizocarp and the one to several seeded mericarps split away from the fruit and roll or spiral up on to a central beak.

Nohoanu (Geranium multiflorum ) is a many-branched shrub that reaches a height of 3.3-9.8 ft (9.9-29.4 m). The veined leaves are oval, 1.8-2.8 in (4.5-7 cm) long, and have grayish silky hairs observed generally on the lower surface. The clustered flowers of 25-50 have white petals 0.4-0.6 in (1-15 mm) long, with purple veins or bases. The single seed, contained in each carpel body (the seed-containing section of the fruit), is reddish brown. The carpel body is 0.1 in (2.5 mm) long and topped with an elongated style 0.6-0.8 in (15-20 mm) long that twists to aid dispersal. This species is distinguished from others of the genus by its whitish, regularly symmetrical flowers and by the shape and pattern of teeth on its leaf margins.

Habitat

Geranium multiflorum grows in vegetation communities that range from montane grasslands to wet forests and swamps; it also grows in elevations extending into the subalpine zone (1,600 to 8,800 ft [1,080 to 2,640 m]) and in climates with an annual range of precipitation from as low as 15 in (37.5 cm) to over 100 in (2.5 m). This species occurs on the windward side of East Maui; is found mostly within wet forests; and typically grows in montane grasslands, open sedge swamps, fog-swept lava flows, and occasionally in subalpine shrublands dominated by mamane. Associated species in wet montane forests include 'ohelo, 'ohi'a, pilo, pukiawe, and 'ama'u. Substrates range from lava flows to rich soils.

Distribution

Geranium multiflorum was known from historical occurrences on East Maui at Ukulele, Waieleele, and Waianapanapa. As of 2000, this species is known from Haleakala National Park, Hanawi Natural Area Reserve, Koolau Forest Reserve, and Waikamoi Preserve. There are 11 known populations of this species with a total of no more than 3,000 individuals scattered over a range that covers 6.5 by 3.5 mi (10.4 by 5.6 km).

Threats

The major threats to this species are habitat destruction by feral pigs and goats, and competition with the encroaching alien plant, prickly Florida blackberry.

The recovery of this and most other Hawaiian species depends on how well management practices can be implemented. The habitat of this and other Hawaiian species has undergone extreme alteration because of past and present land management practices, including deliberately introducing alien animals and plants, and agricultural and recreational development. To understand the recovery problems facing this species, it is necessary to understand the long-term causes of habitat destruction.

Conservation and Recovery

The Fish and Wildlife Service published a Recovery Plan for the nohoanu and co-occurring endangered species in 1997. It occurs on conserved natural land in Haleakala National Park, Hanawi Natural Area Reserve, and the Waikamoi Preserve on federal, state, and privately owned land. However, the nohoanu remains threatened by feeding by non-native mammals (especially feral goats and pigs), and by competition and habitat change caused by invasive alien plants (especially the prickly blackberry, Rubus argutus ). Its habitats must be managed to reduce or eliminate these non-native pests. The population of the nohoanu should be monitored, and research undertaken into its biology and habitat needs.

Contact

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Pacific Remote Islands Ecological Services Field Office
P.O. Box 50088
300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 3-122
Honolulu, Hawaii 96850-500
Telephone: (808) 541-3441
Fax: (808) 541-3470
E-mail: fwlpie_webmaster@fws.gov
http://www.rl.fws.gov/pacific

Reference

Culliney, J. 1988. Islands in a Far Sea: Nature and Man in Hawaii. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco.