River Flows

REAL SOUL / Artists revive the intense spirit of Stax Records

2012-03-15T06:23:00.000-07:00

ATLANTA A genuine irony of the first Stax Records reunion was EddieFloyd introducing the Easter Sunday show with a gentle cover of"(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay." A gleaming black-and-whiteportrait of a smiling Otis Redding eased down from above the stagejust before Floyd sang:

"Looks like nothing's gonna' change

"Everything remains the same.

"I can't do what 10 people tell me to do. . ."

The real soul of Stax will always be sung in the shadows.

That remains so, despite the possibility of a Stax reunion tourhitting the the road this summer, the release of new albums fromEddie Floyd, William Bell and Isaac Hayes, and the Fantasy …

Suspect in JonBenet Case Leaves Colorado

2012-03-15T03:57:00.000-07:00

DENVER - John Mark Karr, who was briefly a suspect in the JonBenet Ramsey slaying, left the Boulder County jail Tuesday in the custody of California officials, authorities said.

Karr faces child pornography charges in Sonoma County, Calif. He was released to Sonoma sheriff's deputies, said Boulder County Sheriff's Lt. Phil West.

Travel arrangements for Karr were not immediately clear. Sonoma County authorities refused to comment or confirm whether Karr was bound for California.

Karr, a schoolteacher, was arrested Aug. 16 in Thailand after he made phone calls and wrote e-mails in which he claimed to have killed the 6-year-old beauty queen in her Boulder home in …

Iraq colonel: US troops now in 'prison-like bases'

2012-03-15T01:36:00.000-07:00

An Iraqi military commander on Monday compared new restrictions on the U.S. military to "house arrest," saying American combat troops cannot patrol as freely as they did before pulling out of cities on June 30.

Col. Ali Fadhil, a brigade commander in Baghdad, cited several occasions in which Iraqi troops turned down U.S. requests to move around the capital, and in one instance to conduct a raid _ the Iraqis carried out that operation themselves. The new balance of authority stems from a security agreement that requires all U.S. troops to be out of Iraq by the end of 2011.

Fadhil spoke to The Associated Press about conditions in Baghdad, where violence has dropped dramatically …

CHECKUP

2012-03-14T23:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a weekly roundup of health news you should know. Clearer vision: When your new glasses cause you headaches or blurryvision, it can make you so mad you can't see straight. "Don'tpanic," advised John Amos, of the University of Alabama at BirminghamSchool of Optometry. Allow yourself seven to 10 days to adapt to newglasses, even if your prescription change was minor or you simply gotnew frames. And make notes of symptoms, such as blurred or doublevision or eyes pulling, and when they occur. This will help youroptometrist pinpoint the problem. Golfers' pains: You've heard of tennis elbow. Here's a new one -golfer's back. That's when poor technique causes severe backproblems. …

A solid spiritual and educational foundation

2012-03-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

New Early Learning Christian Centre opens in Winnipeg

After many years of planning, Winnipeg Mennonite Elementary and Middle Schools opened its Early Learning Christian Centre in January. On March 3, an official event, with political and childcare dignitaries in attendance, celebrated this new Christian daycare program.

In 2010, the schools' 30-year-old St. James campus, which offers Kindergarten through Grade 8 instruction, was able to purchase the building it has been renting from the school. The Early Learning Christian Centre is located in this facility.

"The daycare students are able to use the school facilities, such as the computer lab and the gym, as well …

Dow Chemical blames Washington for price hikes

2012-03-14T18:32:00.000-07:00

Dow Chemical Co. will raise product prices by up to 20 percent almost immediately to offset the soaring cost of energy and raw materials, and the CEO of the chemical giant lashed out Washington on Wednesday for failing to develop a sound energy policy.

The price increases take effect Sunday and will be based on a product's exposure to exorbitant costs. Dow said it spent $8 billion on energy and hydrocarbon-based feedstock, or raw materials, in 2002 and that could climb fourfold to $32 billion this year.

"For years, Washington has failed to address the issue of rising energy costs and, as a result, the country now faces a true energy crisis, one that is …

Call Sosa's day busy and dizzy

2012-03-14T16:11:00.000-07:00

Sammy Sosa finally got the better of a left-handed pitcher onSunday, homering for the first time this season against a lefty whenhe rocketed Randy Wolf's 2-2 pitch out in the second inning.

But he couldn't get the better of the temperature.

Sosa didn't take the field with his teammates in the eighth inningafter feeling dizzy in the humid, 83-degree conditions.

Sosa already had had a full day on offense and defense.

He was 2-for-3 with his 23rd homer, a double leading off the Cubs'four-run seventh and two runs scored. In the field, he made twodiving catches to rob first Placido Polanco in the third and thenDavid Bell in the sixth -- but also committed an …

Daley hails diversity in 167th birthday

2012-03-14T13:51:00.000-07:00

Both Mayor Richard M. Daley and Friends of DuSable Founder/president Haroon Rashid Thursday urged parents to pass on their history to preserve their legacy including who the real founder of Chicago is -- Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable, a Black man they say is a shining example of the importance of diversity.

They issued their challenge during the 167th birthday of Chicago held at the Chicago Historical Society, 1601 N. Clark St., headed by Dr. Lonnie Bunch the president.

It was a day of rejoicing for the 167th birthday of Chicago for the mayor but also one of remembrance of his late mother, Eleanor "Sis" Daley, who died last year at the age of 95. She would have celebrated her …

Biden compares Obama attacks to past presidents

2012-03-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden on Monday cast White House hopeful Barack Obama with presidential giants, likening attacks against his running mate to criticisms lobbed against Thomas Jefferson's Christianity, Abraham Lincoln's commitment to individual rights and John F. Kennedy, for being a "dangerous choice in difficult times."

"Sound familiar?" Biden asked the crowd. "The defenders of the status quo have always tried to tear down those who would change our nation for the better."

Obama, a Christian born in Hawaii to a white mother and a black father, has been shadowed by rumors that he is a Muslim born outside …

No job too bizarre ...

2012-03-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

Walking down a country lane near Bath the other day, I cameacross a stunning Georgian mansion. There was something familiarabout it, with its ha-ha and rolling lawns.

And then I remembered. About 30 years ago members of Bath ArtsWorkshop made ends meet by running an odd jobs agency. It was calledKing Kong Workforce.

Our motto was never refuse a job.

We even pretended to have a van, a fib which led to us having topush a huge slate slab intended for a billiard table all the way upto Bear Flat on a trolley. When we eventually got a van, we paintedit ice cream pink and lime green, with a silhouette of a gorilla onthe bonnet. One lady asked us to park it …

Violence Continues in Lebanon Camp

2012-03-14T06:49:00.000-07:00

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Lebanese troops exchanged sporadic gunfire with Islamic militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon on Monday as the war against al-Qaida-inspired fighters entered its fourth week.

The intermittent fighting came a day after heavy clashes erupted when the Lebanese army stepped up its bombardment of Fatah Islam militants barricaded in the Nahr el-Bared camp on the outskirts of the northern city of Tripoli.

The leading An-Nahar newspaper reported Monday that "the Nahr el-Bared battle is headed toward a big escalation," saying the Lebanese military had brought in new reinforcements, including more effective artillery and additional …

Gunfire on highway has drivers, police remembering deadly sniper spree; 2 hurt, 2 sought

2012-03-14T04:29:00.000-07:00

Gunfire that struck several vehicles and injured two people along a stretch of mountain highway had motorists and police on edge Thursday in a region where memories of the deadly Beltway snipers still haven't faded.

Authorities were seeking at least two people suspected of firing shots the night before that hit two cars, a van, a tractor-trailer, another vehicle and an unoccupied dump truck on Interstate 64 just west of Charlottesville. Two people were injured, but not seriously.

Col. Steven Flaherty, the state police superintendent, would not characterize the shootings as the work of snipers, calling it "random firing."

And there were …

off to the RACES

2012-03-14T01:43:00.000-07:00

It was February 7, 1999. Mary Louise Miller and her daughter, Stephany Mullen, were nervous. The ML Motorsports team was starting its first race at Daytona International Speedway, the grandfather of all NASCAR tracks. The two women sat in anticipation, wondering if the team would hold its own in this racing adventure.

An 11th place finish later, the two women's fate was seated. They were on their way.

That winter day seven years ago - when ML Motorsports raced its first ARCA. RE/MAX Series event - was a far cry from what started out as a "fun idea to own a show car," as Mullen describes it.

Dubbed "Your Hometown NASCAR Team," ML Motorsports has been about family from the beginning. Mullen's husband, Ed, who was already working in public relations for a NASCAR Busch Series team, spearheaded research in 1998 and got Miller and Mullen to discuss the idea of owning a race car for show.

"I remember him saying 'We can do this,' " Mullen says. "Of course, at that time we were only talking about having a car to show off at fairs and special events."

According to Miller, it didn't take long to make up her mind.

"It was really a quick decision," she says. "I asked my parents and husband about it and they said 'go for it!' That was all I needed to hear!"

Miller's husband, Biomet founder Dane Miller, has been supportive, and the company has been a part of the team from the start. The #70 car also enjoys the sponsorship support of Foretravel Motorcoach.

"Other sponsors are being sought and we would particularly like to partner with an Indiana company in this area to promote both our team and their company," commented Christie Smith, public relations manager for the team since 2004.

Smith joined a team that is unique in many ways, including being recognized as the only female-owned NASCAR Busch Series racing team. They have the added distinction of being Indiana's only NASCAR team as they start their rookie season in the Busch Series.

"It was within a year of getting the show car that we all talked again and thought it was time to go racing," Mullen says. "Our natural place was the ARCA RE/MAX Series and so the decision was made to get ready to qualify and race at the ARCA 200 that February of 1999.

"We were so new at everything but it was a really exciting time. Mom and I even put the decals on the car ourselves!"

It's been pedal to the metal ever since.

Located within a 40,000 square foot office/garage facility just west of Warsaw, ML Motorsports buzzes with activity. Around a dozen cars are being worked on and prepared for racing according to Crew Chief Tom Sokoloski - who joined ML in 2003 with 45 career wins as well as ARCA Series championships in 1993, '96 and '97 while serving as crew chief for Tim Steele. The results of his experience showed quickly, and in 2004 Sokoloski helped lead the ML racing team to a top ten finish in championship points in ARCA RE/MAX Series events. Two years later, the team is ready to take the next step - the Busch Series.

That started on May 5th when the team headed to Richmond International Speedway in Richmond, Virginia for the Circuit City 250. They qualified 28th in the field of 43, but an accident ended their day after 48 laps. Even so, driver Justin Diercks was able to get some valuable seat time. The 26-year old is the new kid on the track for ML, but a seasoned veteran of racing. From 1999 to 2002, he had ample NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division success, with two back-to-back Championships, four wins, two Bud Pole awards and the title of Most Improved Driver.

Diercks joined ML Motorsports earlier this year through an affiliation with well-known and highly respected Robert Yates Racing. He's brimming with confidence and plans on big things on the track this year.

"I think a realistic goal is consistently finishing top 10 or 15," he says. "The ML team is running strong. Our motors are good. Our setups are good. The pit crew is doing its job. We are capable of running the full season and doing well."

Born and raised in Iowa, the former go-kart speedster also appreciates the Midwestern feel of his new racing home. "Dane and Mary Louise are phenomenal. They know what it takes to do this and I can tell they really enjoy racing. That makes a huge difference when you come in as the new guy on the team."

He's enthused that ML Motorsports is a true family operation and Miller and Mullen totally agree.

"Being able to spend time with my family on the weekends at the tracks is wonderful," Miller says.

"Racing is a very family oriented sport," Mullen adds. "I'm with my best friend - my mom - and my own kids are now involved. My dad loves to be a spotter, so he's in this too!"

The ML family has now grown to 20 employees involved in the daily operations, from reception to mechanics. On race day, the breakdown in the pit area includes crew chief, rear tire carrier, jackman, rear tire changer, front tire carrier, front tire changer, catch can man, gas man a support crew and a sign holder. Frequently, Dane Miller is up in the tower, spotting the team's #70 while communicating back and forth with his driver and the pit.

Out on the track, Diercks has a lot of car and horsepower to work with. According to Sokoloski, #70 features a 358 cubic inch motor that pushes out 800 HP. Top speed can reach 200 miles per hour, which translates to getting around a 2.5 mile track in about 60 seconds.

Critical to any racecar is how well it is set up during qualifying and on race day. Sokoloski describes it this way:

"It's center lining the car and lining up all the contact paths on the tires, after that you set the caster, camber, tread width, wheel base which is the width of the car, and length of the car. Then you set the spring and shocks depending upon what track and what you're trying to accomplish. It really is an involved process that takes a lot of time."

It will be worth it all if ML Motorsports can get into the winner's circle at some of the 13 NASCAR Busch events and six ARCA races they are aiming for in 2006.

With a new driver and the start of the Busch Series in their sights, the ML team looks at this season with great anticipation. For Miller, one thing remains constant.

"The start of the race is always the part that gives me goose bumps," she says. "When they say 'start your engines,' I have this mix of excitement and nervousness, but after the first couple of laps the nervousness goes away. Then, it just gets really exciting to see the team work so hard and do well on the track," she says.

This family affair at the racetrack is complemented by Miller's interest in helping other women succeed in the sport. As a board member of the Lyn St. James Foundation, she points out that the organization's motto is "A driven force for diversity."

Both she and Mullen believe that even greater opportunities for women are in the future.

For now, they are setting the precedent by being the only women at this level to form, compete and - with a little luck and a lot of faith - bring accolades and their share of wins to the city of Warsaw and the state of Indiana.

With these goals it's easy to see why ML Motorsports gets a green light as "Your Hometown NASCAR Team."

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

ML Motorsports

Address:

2208 North 500 West

Warsaw, IN 46580

Telephone:

(574) 858-2596

President:

Ed Mullen

Co-owners: Mary Louise Miller & Stephany Mullen

Number of employees:

Driver:

Justin Diercks

Website:

www.mlracing.com

Nadal beats Ferrer for fourth straight Barcelona Open title

2012-03-13T22:51:00.000-07:00

Rafael Nadal beat second-seeded David Ferrer 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 Sunday to win his fourth straight Barcelona Open title.

Nadal's 21st straight win at the tournament improved his record to 20-1 in clay court finals, including 4-0 at Barcelona. The second-ranked Spaniard, who has won 103 of his last 104 matches on clay, improved to 25-8 in finals over all surfaces.

Nadal moved to 6-3 overall against the fifth-ranked Ferrer, whom he beat on his way to a fourth straight trophy at Monte Carlo last week. The three-time French Open champion will also go for a fourth straight Masters Series title in Rome, starting Monday.

Nadal took the lead from the first game with a break of Ferrer's serve thanks to a backhand passing shot.

Ferrer fired a crosscourt forehand out to give Nadal a second break point and a 3-0 advantage. Ferrer finally held in the fifth to trail 4-1.

Ferrer gestured in disbelief after Nadal kept his serve in play before winning a third break point with a forehand down the near side for the set.

Ferrer found his forehand and placed the ball out of Nadal's reach to break at the start of the second set.

Ferrer steadied himself to put Nadal on the defensive. A screeching forehand set up a double break point chance in the sixth but Nadal saved to trail 4-3.

After trading breaks, Ferrer went back to the steady forehand for the winner that snapped Nadal's 25 set-winning streak here.

Nadal regained control in the decider with a break in the second game for a 2-0 lead, and another break in the fourth at the seventh all-Spanish final at Barcelona.

IF YOU GO

2012-03-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

GETTING THERE: The closest airport is Norfolk International. Mynonstop flight on United cost about $250 roundtrip. US Airways andNorthwest also fly there from Chicago. From the airport, drive easton I-64 to Battlefield Boulevard (Route 168) south. Then take Route158 to the Outer Banks.STAYING THERE: Call the Dare County Tourist Board at (800) 446-6262for a Guide to the Outer Banks. I asked several realty companieslisted within the guide to send their brochures. I used Sun Realtyat (800) 334-4745, but there are many others. The guide also detailsmotels/hotels and B&Bs as well as campgrounds.PLAYING THERE: For organized outdoor fun, it's hard to beat KittyHawk Kites. They'll teach you to hang glide, paraglide, wall climbor kayak. My five-flight beginner glider lesson at Jockey's RidgeState Park is $69, and there are a variety of packages. The companyalso rents windriders, bikes, in-line skates and kayaks. Forreservations and details, call (800) 334-4777.With the wrecks of more than 1,500 ships along its sea floor, thecoast along the Outer Banks is known as the Graveyard of theAtlantic. Many dive shops offer charters offshore. Fishing also isa popular activity.The Dare County Tourist Bureau also produces a golf and tennisguide. It has details on eight courses and numbers to call for golfpackages. If you know you're going to golf, it's good to call aheadfor a tee time during the high season. The courses were quitecrowded.WHAT TO SEE: For information on the Lost Colony drama, call (919)473-3414. For the Wright Brothers National Memorial, call (919)441-7430. The Elizabeth II State Historic Site can be reached at(919) 473-1144. The North Carolina Aquarium is at (919) 473-3494;the Elizabethan Gardens, at (919) 473-3234. Fort Raleigh NationalHistoric Site is (919) 473-5772.EATING THERE: The Sanderling Inn serves a mix of fresh seafood andAmerican fare. We enjoyed everything at this upscale spot. Alsorecommended are the Collington Cafe near Kill Devil Hills and OceanBoulevard, which is on the Beach Road in Kitty Hawk. Kelly's, aboutthe only Outer Banks night-life available, also has a nicerestaurant.We had a nice, inexpensive lunch at the Keepers Galley (yummysoft-shell crabs and a great shrimp salad) and a disappointing one atChili Peppers. The food arrived cold, the appetizer came after theentrees and the tacos were tasteless. Awful Arthur's Oyster Bar isperhaps the most popular on the Outer Banks. We got there at 5 p.m.and waited 90 minutes for a table and an hour for food. The food wasfine, but not worth the wait.Slammin' Sammy's only so-so food was accompanied by a disturbingtrend in our vacation: surly service. From the classy Currituck Clubto convenience stores, we almost universally encountered rude servicepeople. I hope it was just high-season fatigue.

House GOP stalling on arms-curb vote

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

WASHINGTON House Republicans last night were stalling action ontwo arms control measures that would require the United States toabide by the limits on nuclear weapons set forth in the unratifiedSALT II treaty and bar nearly all nuclear tests.

The arms control provisions are attached to an $11.3 billionstopgap spending bill that also includes a ban on random drug testingof federal workers. The bill is expected to pass overwhelmingly ifit comes up for a vote.

The delay maneuver, accomplished through a series of votes onmotions to delete various sections of the bill, was crafted by Rep.Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.).

Gingrich said his effort was not related to arms control butrather a protest of House spending procedure. He said the processallows Congress to finance a host of programs that the president canonly veto en masse.

Rep. Patricia Schroeder (D-Colo.), a leading arms controlproponent, acknowledged that if the tactic was aimed at convincingHouse members to go home without a vote, it might succeed, though shesaid the battle would be quickly rejoined.

"We have very strong support" for the arms control provisions,Schroeder said. If the vote does not occur now, she said, the issuewould be raised again in two weeks when the defense spending billhits the floor.

Arms control proponents were following through with a threatthey made last fall at the time of an agreement they say PresidentReagan reneged on.

At that time, the House already had passed five arms controlprovisions including the two in the spending bill, but theRepublican-controlled Senate balked because Reagan was on his way toIceland to meet with Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev.

Reagan promised that if Congress would allow him a free hand inthose negotiations he would abide by the SALT II limits and activelysupport ratification of two decade-old test ban treaties, HouseDemocrats said, but has failed on both counts.

The Republican stall was not a party-sanctioned arms controlprotest. Rather, the House GOP leadership decided not to fight thearms control provisions, according to Joanna Schneider, a spokeswomanfor Robert H. Michel (R-Ill.), the minority leader, because so manyother parts of the measure are also unacceptable.

"It's obviously to our advantage to have the whole thing appearas a big piece of junk," she said.

Robert J. Dole (R-Kan.), the Senate minority leader, hasannounced his intention to filibuster the measure if it comes to theSenate with the arms control amendments attached.

If the bill were to pass the Senate anyway, Reagan would almostcertainly veto it. In fact, House Democrats already have preparedanother "clean" money bill that would provide enough money to financethose programs that are running short in the middle of the budgetyear.

Philippine officials save 18 dogs from butcher

2012-03-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

Investigators and animal welfare activists have rescued 18 dogs from the butcher's knife in the northern Philippines, using a new law against the illegal meat trade, an official said Thursday.

Two suspected dog meat traders were arrested in Monday's raid in Nueva Ecija province and charged under a new Anti-Rabies Law which provides tougher penalties for killing dogs for human consumption, said Serafin Gil, a National Bureau of Investigation agent who led the operation.

If convicted the traders face up to four years in jail plus a fine of $113 per dog traded. Under a previous law, traders faced milder sentencing.

Killing dogs for the meat trade is illegal. However, the law is vague about eating dog meat, considered a delicacy in some parts of the Philippines, particularly in Baguio in the mountainous Cordillera region, where back-street restaurants serve the meat despite the ban on killing dogs and protests from animal rights advocates.

Animal rights groups have welcomed the new law that also requires registration of dogs and anti-rabies vaccination.

In Monday's sting, Gil said activists from the Animal Kingdom Foundation Inc., a local affiliate of the British-based International Wildlife Coalition Trust, posed as dog meat buyers when government agents swooped down on the two suspects.

Jacinto Jalova, 60, and son-in-law Renato Quijano, 40, were nabbed as they were receiving money from the activists. Also present was a team from a local television investigative program posing as buyers, Gil said.

The dogs' rescue followed another raid in northern Baguio city's public market on Sunday, when authorities seized 570 pounds of butchered dog meat and arrested six suspected traders.

"Hopefully this (new law) will end the practice in Cordillera," said Brando Gegway, senior researcher of the Animal Kingdom Foundation.

___

On the Net:

Animal Kingdom Foundation: http://www.animalkingdomfoundation.org/

Kenya elephant deaths soar as ivory sales debated

2012-03-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

Tracking the wounded elephant to its death bed was easy for the ranger. Hit by a poison arrow, the huge mammal could only drag its hind leg, creating a wide gash across the bush.

Poachers' footprints were all around the kill, but the hunters did not have time to remove the valuable ivory tusks before Mohamed Kamanya's team of armed rangers arrived. Instead, the emotional task fell to the rangers, who cut off the tusks so they could not be sold.

Beginning this weekend, the international community will debate proposals from Tanzania and Zambia to allow a one-time sale of ivory to clear out stockpiles. Kenyan officials are warning that if sales are approved in neighboring countries, elephant poaching will soar.

"We totally believe that any experiments to allow partial lifting of (the) international ban in ivory trade stimulates elephant poaching and leads to ivory laundering," the Kenyan Wildlife Service's Patrick Omandi said. "Indeed there has been an increase in poaching across the entire continent, with some countries losing their entire population."

Poaching of elephants has risen seven-fold in Kenya since a one-time ivory sale was approved in 2007 by CITES _ the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species _ for four African countries, the wildlife officials say. Last year 271 Kenyan elephants were killed by poachers, compared with 37 in 2007, Omandi said.

Tribesmen have lived among wildlife for centuries in Tsavo East, a huge expanse of wilderness where some 6,000 elephants live. But park officials say those locals are increasingly turning to poaching. An average set of tusks can net $2,000 or more locally _ a huge sum to an impoverished rural family in an area where seasonal rains have failed the last five years, ruining crops and spreading hunger.

Kenyan officials are particularly angered that Tanzania wants to sell its ivory stocks. Kenya and Tanzania share a long border where parks like Kenya's Masai Mara and Tanzania's Serengeti National Park intertwine. As Omandi likes to point out, elephants carry no passports, and cross the border freely.

At the CITES meeting in Qatar from March 13-25, Tanzania is asking the 175 members to allow it to sell almost 200,000 pounds (90,000 kilograms) of ivory. It noted in its proposal that its elephant population has risen from about 55,000 in 1989 to almost 137,000, according to a 2007 study.

Zambia wants to sell 48,000 pounds (21,700 kilograms) of ivory. Zambia says its elephant population of 27,000 is steadily increasing.

While populations might be healthy in those two countries, Omandi warned that populations elsewhere in Africa are being driven to extinction. Sierra Leone, in northwest Africa, lost its last elephants in December, and Senegal has fewer than 10 left, he said.

In its proposal, Tanzania argues that trade in elephant products is essential to conservation.

"Human-elephant conflicts are growing and the view by the communities is that elephants are a pest. Elephant products such as ivory picked up from the wildlife management areas could increase the value of elephants to those communities and this can only result in the community appreciating elephants more," the proposal says.

Critics of the proposal point to poaching practices that drove down Africa's elephant population from 1.3 million in 1979 to about 600,000 in 1989, when CITES banned the ivory trade, and say that poaching has surged since the 2007 ivory sale approval.

"I believe the risk of the sale is enormous," Samuel Wasser, the director of the Center for Conservation Biology at the University of Washington said. "If the current situation continues unabated, poaching is going to continue to rise. This will negatively affect many countries, not just Kenya and Tanzania. Effort needs to be put into stopping poaching, not arguing over whether we should have more sales."

Omandi said African ivory is used to make rubber stamps and necklaces in Asian countries like China and Japan. Some consumers buy the tusks whole.

Though the majority of the ivory trade ends up in Asia, the United States also has an internal ivory market, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. From 1989 to 2007, the number of seizures of illegal ivory made by the service accounted for about 30 percent of all reported seizures in the world.

The U.S. has not yet said whether it will vote to allow the sales. The Fish and Wildlife Service said it is waiting for a ruling from a CITES panel of experts.

In Tsavo East National Park, three-quarters of the 500 park staff are security personnel trained in paramilitary techniques, said Senior Warden Yussuf Adan. Last month, a team of rangers got into a shootout with six poachers, one of whom died of wounds from the exchange, he said.

"We think if the Tanzanians are allowed to sell their ivory stock, even the poachers in Kenya would be motivated," Adan said. "They would know it's easy to kill in Kenya and cross to the other side and sell."

Obama vows to pursue fight for women's equality

2012-03-13T08:01:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama pledged on Saturday to continue the fight to help women get fair wages, escape poverty and compete in academic areas with higher earning potential such as math and engineering.

"At a time when folks across this country are struggling to make ends meet — and many families are just trying to get by on one paycheck after a job loss — it's a reminder that achieving equal pay for equal work isn't just a women's issue," the president said in his weekly radio and online address. "It's a family issue."

Efforts are still continuing to address problems highlighted by a commission led by former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt almost 50 years ago that looked at the status of women and the unfairness they face.

Obama noted that one of his first acts as president was to sign a law allowing women who've been discriminated against in their salaries to have their day in court. Obama said he was disappointed when a bill to give women more power to stop pay disparities — the Paycheck Fairness Act — was blocked in the Senate.

"And that's why I'm going to keep up the fight to pass the reforms in that bill," he said.

Senate Republicans succeeded in blocking the measure designed to reduce wage disparities between men and women. The effort to take up the Paycheck Fairness Act fell just short of the 60 votes needed to overcome Republican opposition. Republicans and business groups said the bill would expose employers to more litigation by removing limits on punitive and compensatory damage awards.

The bill was one of the first measures passed by the House last year after Obama was elected.

"Achieving equality and opportunity for women isn't just important to me as president," Obama said. "It's something I care about deeply as the father of two daughters who wants to see his girls grow up in a world where there are no limits to what they can achieve."

American League Standings

2012-03-13T04:04:00.000-07:00

All Times EDT
East Division
	W	L	Pct	GB
New York	33	24	.579	—
Boston	33	26	.559	1
Tampa Bay	30	29	.508	4
Toronto	30	29	.508	4
Baltimore	26	31	.456	7
Central Division
	W	L	Pct	GB
Cleveland	33	24	.579	—
Detroit	31	27	.534	2½
Chicago	28	33	.459	7
Kansas City	25	34	.424	9
Minnesota	21	37	.362	12½
West Division
	W	L	Pct	GB
Texas	34	26	.567	—
Seattle	31	28	.525	2½
Los Angeles	30	31	.492	4½
Oakland	27	33	.450	7

___

Sunday's Games

Texas 2, Cleveland 0

Boston 6, Oakland 3

Toronto 7, Baltimore 4

Detroit 7, Chicago White Sox 3

Minnesota 6, Kansas City 0

N.Y. Yankees 5, L.A. Angels 3

Seattle 9, Tampa Bay 6

Monday's Games

Minnesota at Cleveland, 7:05 p.m.

Oakland at Baltimore, 7:05 p.m.

Detroit at Texas, 8:05 p.m.

Seattle at Chicago White Sox, 8:10 p.m.

Toronto at Kansas City, 8:10 p.m.

Tampa Bay at L.A. Angels, 10:05 p.m.

Tuesday's Games

Boston at N.Y. Yankees, 7:05 p.m.

Minnesota at Cleveland, 7:05 p.m.

Oakland at Baltimore, 7:05 p.m.

Detroit at Texas, 8:05 p.m.

Seattle at Chicago White Sox, 8:10 p.m.

Toronto at Kansas City, 8:10 p.m.

Tampa Bay at L.A. Angels, 10:05 p.m.

Wednesday's Games

Minnesota at Cleveland, 12:05 p.m.

Boston at N.Y. Yankees, 7:05 p.m.

Oakland at Baltimore, 7:05 p.m.

Detroit at Texas, 8:05 p.m.

Seattle at Chicago White Sox, 8:10 p.m.

Toronto at Kansas City, 8:10 p.m.

Tampa Bay at L.A. Angels, 10:05 p.m.<

`Designated driver' idea catching on at parties

2012-03-13T00:59:00.000-07:00

PRINCETON, N.J. Two-thirds of the nation's partygoers say theyselect a "designated driver" all or most of the time at parties andsocial occasions where alcohol is served.

Under this plan, a volunteer refrains from drinking in order todrive his or her companions home safely.

The concept has been heavily promoted on television as part ofthe nationwide effort to curb drunken driving.

Women are more likely than men to have adopted the designateddriver concept. Regular observance also is more common among18-34-year-olds - the age group with the highest incidence ofalcohol-related highway fatalities - than older groups.

Exposure to the designated driver campaign on TV is associatedwith greater observance of the practice.

Two adults in three say they have seen TV spots promoting theconcept in the last three months, with 31 percent citing exposure onsix or more occasions and 36 percent from one to five times.

Among people who have never seen these messages, 59 percentclaim to select a safe driver at all or most of the parties theyattend. This figure rises to 64 percent among those who have seenone to five spots and to 71 percent among those exposed to six ormore.

Key findings: SELECTION OF DESIGNATED DRIVER

Jan.-Feb Sept.-Oct.

1989 1988 All of the time 40% 34% Most of the time 26 28 Not very often 15 15 Never 18 21 Not sure 1 2

NOTE: Excludes people who say they don't attend parties wherealcohol is served. SELECTION OF DESIGNATED DRIVER

% All % Most %

the of the Seldom,

time time never NATIONAL 40 26 33 Men 31 27 40 Women 49 24 25 18-34 yrs. 40 30 30 35-54 yrs. 37 27 36 55 plus 43 16 35 Coll. grads 30 35 33 Some coll. 49 28 23 No coll. 40 21 37 Exposed to messages: 6 or more 45 26 28 1-5 37 27 34 None 36 23 39

"Not sure," 1 percent nationwide, omitted.

'Electric' goes local ; Tiny, stand-alone power plants are powering village after village in India with rural folk willing to pay what it takes for assured electricity.

2012-03-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

The year: 2004. The movie: Swades (Hindi for homeland). Shah RukhKhan is playing the character of Mohan Bhargava, a non-residentIndian space scientist in the US. On a trip to meet his grandmotherin India, Bhargava is appalled by the living conditions in hervillage, Charanpur, set in the plains near a river. The crowningmoment, three hours into the film, for Bhargava is when he builds areservoir across a stream to run a small turbine that generatesenough electricity to light bulbs in the forgotten village.

The Khan-starrer was not a blockbuster, but had quitesuccessfully highlighted how effective such micro initiatives canturn out to be. Today, there are several Charanpurs cropping upacross India, as startups, NGOs, villager groups and, even, largecompanies turn to standalone power plants to light up villages thatare either not connected to an electricity grid or have not-functioning power lines running through them.

Less than a year after Swades hit the screens, NTPC, India'slargest power generating utility, commissioned a 10 kilowatt (KW)biomass plant at Jemara, a small village in central Chhattisgarh,lighting up 100 households there. In the five years since then,lighting up remote villages without access to grid power has becomea big part of NTPC's corporate social responsibility programme. Theutility has set up 11 projects with a cumulative capacity of 231 KWand covering about 1,780 village homes. Five more projects with acombined capacity of 110 KW are poised to go on stream in the next12 months. (Roughly, 1 KW can run five homes, each with three 40Watt bulbs and one fan or TV running.)

OFF-GRID GENERATION THE LEADERS

Husk Power Systems

NTPC

NO. OF PLANTS

VILLAGES COVERED

50 plus

CUMULATIVE CAPACITY

759 KW

230.5 KW

NO. OF HOUSEHOLDS BENEFITED

9,000

1,778

STATE(S)

Bihar

UP, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan

PROJECTS IN OFFING

The NTPC off-grid systems help run flour mills, hullers, oilpressing or extraction machines and irrigation pump sets during theday and lighting in the evening hours. NTPC's "small units havebrought about transformational socio-economic change in villages,"says the utility's Chairman and Managing Director R.S. Sharma. Twocritical reasons for their success, he adds, are local participationand easy availability of raw material or feedstock.

Off-grid projects are not a new concept. The earliest reportedexample was in 2002: Bilgaon in northern Maharashtra, home to amicro-hydel project. They have been promoted by the Ministry of New& Renewable Energy (MNRE) for about two decades now. MNRE's capitalincentives are yet to make a big bang impact where it really hurtsIndia and its people- about 50,000 villages have no electricity. Atthe same time, for many years, off-grid or distributed generationprojects were not popular largely due to lack of awareness, sayexperts, predicting this could change in the coming years.

As NTPC's projects gained velocity, other projects are sprouting:an initiative in Bihar by four entrepreneurs is leading to a raft ofoff-grid power plants there. Husk Power Systems, the brainchild oftwo childhood buddies- Gyanesh Pandey and Ratnesh Kumar, both 32-created a kind of a sensation at Tamkuha village in West Champarandistrict in August 2007 when it commissioned a 33 KW plant fired byrice husk. In the months that followed, the firm repeated theinitiative by adding one project after another and, today, hasnearly 25 times that capacity covering at least 50 villages. Itsover 9,000 customers include households and businesses.

The company, funded by the MNRE, Shell Foundation, among others,charges a household a minimum of Rs 80 a month for six to sevenhours of daily supply for two CFL lamps. Businesses in market placespay as high as Rs 1,500 a month for 12 hours of supply and run theirTV and freezers in addition to lighting. "We provide discounts infee for consumers who use more," says Pandey, an electrical engineerwith a background in the semiconductor industry and now Chairman &CEO of Husk Power.SOME PROJECTS THAT ARE WORKINGSUCCESSFULLY

DEVELOPER

PLACE

CAPACITY

HOUSEHOLDS

COMMISSIONED ON

Husk Power

Bhuidharwa, Bihar

33 KW

480

Nov. 2009

Husk Power

Dhanaha, Bihar

33 KW

400

April 2008

Husk Power

Madhubani, Bihar

33 KW

500

Jan. 2009

Husk Power

Turkaulia, Bihar

33 KW

270

Dec. 2009

NTPC

Dhumadand, MP

10 KW

Dec. 2009

NTPC

Jemara, Chhattisgarh

10 KW

100

Feb. 2005

NTPC

Bhaogarh, Rajasthan

10 KW

March 2005

NTPC

Birhuni, UP

35 KW

405

March 2008

Customers root for the company supplied electricity. Take V.P.Singh Yadav, a medical compounder who runs a clinic offeringtreatments for ailments such as fever, cough, stomach disorder andeven eye infections in Tamkuha. After electricity came to hisvillage over a year ago, Yadav says, life has changed. "People cometo my clinic as late as midnight, you can walk around with lessfear, you don't see teenagers loafing around, children are studyingin the evening... this place will change by the time the nextgeneration comes up, he says, with a tinge of regret that hischildren (the youngest is appearing for Class X exams this year)missed the days of electricity in his village. Yadav pays Husk PowerRs 160 a month to run two bulbs, a fan and a TV for about 6.5 hoursa day.

Husk Power, operationally profitable, is reinvesting returns onnew projects: 28 more are taking shape. Pandey says the firm'ssecret sauce lies in using rice husk-bought at less than Rs 100 aquintal-as a feedstock in custom-tweaked gasifiers (machinery inwhich material ranging from bio-waste to wood chips is burnt withcontrolled infusion of oxygen to produce gas that can then be firedto run turbines). He and his team had worked for a couple of yearswith organic solar cells as also generators powered by jatropa andbagasse before deciding on rice husk as the feedstock.

"Our plants are quite unique; they use 100 per cent rice husk insmall gasifiers. We provide the lowest amount of power (30 Wminimum)to consumers, and our installation costs are one of the lowest,"says Pandey. Bihar makes business sense for Husk Power-the state hasa peak electricity shortage of 34 per cent, the highest among Indianstates.

In neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, a similar initiative has met withsuccess. Rampura village in the Bundelkhand region symbolisedbackwardness in its most stark shape: a bundle of illiteracy andpoverty, wrought by unfailing drought. In January 2009, ScatecSolar, a Norwegian company, commissioned a 8.7 KW solar powerstation that charges batteries powering some 400 homes for aboutfive hours daily through a micro grid of one kilometre in length.

"This is a demonstration project from our end, and it's fullymanaged by the local community members starting from operation tobilling and collections. The households not only have CFL lamps butalso television sets," says Amitabh Verma, Vice President(Technology), Scatec Solar. CFL or compact fluorescent lamps thatconsume as less as onesixth electricity compared to conventionalbulbs.

The success of off-grid ventures highlights the willingness ofvillagers to pay top dollar for electricity. While an urban consumerpays about Rs 4.50 a unit in Karnataka, users of off-grid power payanywhere between Rs 6 and Rs 12 a unit depending on usage. Off-gridpower costs more because they lack advantages of scale.

Buoyed by recent trends, MNRE is targeting 2,000 MW capacity frommicro projects over the next 12 years under its National SolarMission, which was kicked off on January 11. In the short term,until 2013, the target is 200 MW, and the government thinks solarenergy applications are cost-effective where grid penetration is notfeasible.

"We are in the process of making a paradigm shift from supplydriven delivery model to entrepreneurial based business model todraw investors to niche areas of energy," says Gauri Singh, JointSecretary in the Ministry. The Ministry meets between 30 and 90 percent of a project's cost depending on the technology suggested andthe location. "We have a huge gap between demand and supply ofelectricity, and entrepreneurs can tap this market of unmet demandby investing in offgrid units," adds Singh.

That opportunity becomes huge, especially if seen as a means tosupplement grid power, clarifies K.P. Sukumaran, National ProjectManager of United Nations Development Programme Project on Access toClean Energy. "Offgrid power is promoted not as a replacement forgrid power but to supplement it in places where grid power cannotmeet the demand," he says.

An example is wind turbine maker Suzlon's corporate complex inPune, where a 155 KW wind-solar hybrid system supplies electricityfor about eight hours daily with the ability to automatically switchover to grid power. "This is perhaps the biggest hybrid system inthe country consisting of 20 wind generators of 5.1 KW rating withroof-top photovoltaic panels of 55 KW. This will meet 8-10 per centenergy requirement of the Suzlon campus," says P. Ravindranath,Director (Product Engineering), Unitron Energy Systems, which set upthe wind-solar hybrid unit.

Instances of such uptake may be what will make off-grid power awidespread reality in India and end up lighting up thousands ofIndian villages. Like Bhargava's Charanpur in Swades.

THE OFF-GRID SPREAD

Tamkuha

Uchlenga

Suzlon's Corporate Complex

Rampura

DEVELOPER

Husk Power Systems

NTPC

INSTALLED BY: Unitron Energy Systems

Scatec Solar

PLACE

West Champaran, Bihar

Korba, Chhattisgarh

Pune, Maharashtra

Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh

CAPACITY

33 KW

20 KW

155 KW (100 KW wind + 55 KW solar)

8.7 KW

COMMISSIONED ON

August, 2007

October, 2006

August 2009

January, 2009

SOURCE

Paddy husk

Biomass (woody)

Wind-solar hybrid system

Solar

SUPPLY

6-7 hours daily

6-8 hours daily

8-10 hrs a day to corporate office with auto switch to grid

5 hours daily

PROJECT COST

Under Rs 50 per Watt

Rs 25 lakh

Rs 3.2 crore

Rs 50 lakh

HOUSEHOLDS BENEFITED

400 plus

134 houses

MONTHLY GENERATION: 16,000-18,000 KwH

400 plus

WHAT CONSUMERS PAY

Rs 40-45 for 15 Watt a month

Rs 30 per month or 30 kg of woody bio-mass

Rs 30 per month

ABC Renews Belushi's 'According to Jim'

2012-03-12T18:59:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES - After mulling the fate of "According to Jim," ABC decided to bring the James Belushi sitcom back next year. The network said Wednesday it has ordered 18 episodes to air in midseason.

ABC presented its 2007-08 schedule in May to advertisers but didn't say whether "According to Jim" would be renewed. The comedy, which also stars Courtney Thorne-Smith, averaged about 6.6 million viewers last season airing in different time slots.

The series, which debuted in 2001, drew about 10 million weekly viewers in its first season.

While "According to Jim" fits the mold of a traditional family comedy, Walt Disney Co.-owned ABC will be trying out a few offbeat sitcom approaches next season - most notably one derived from the Geico "Cavemen" commercials.

---

On the Net:

http://www.abc.com

Major League Baseball likely to defer worldwide draft to 2012 at earliest

2012-03-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

Major League Baseball club owners likely will postpone any effort to institute a worldwide draft until their next collective bargaining agreement with the players' union begins in 2012.

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said interest in a worldwide draft has increased among management, but Rob Manfred, his executive vice president for labor relations, indicated owners probably wouldn't push for the players' association to reopen the collective bargaining agreement over the issue. The current deal runs through the 2011 season.

"We're not near making any decision on that," Manfred said Tuesday. "I think the most likely course of events is that it would be handled in the next round of bargaining. The most likely course of events is we would handle it in 2011."

Selig spoke for 45 minutes to the Baseball Writers' Association of America prior to the annual MLB All-Star game, touching on the investigation into possible skimming of signing bonuses in the Dominican Republic, a probe into gambling among scouts, the lack of offers to Barry Bonds, instant replay, maple bats, the slowing economy, MLB's efforts to rejoin the Olympics, poor television ratings for the Washington Nationals and the prospect of new ballparks for the Florida Marlins, Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays.

He offered no details on the FBI and probe into Dominican signing bonuses other than to say "we understand exactly what's going on and we'll do what we have to do to clean it up." As for the probe into betting by scouts, he said "there certainly is no evidence that it's widespread."

'Battle America Must Win'

2012-03-12T11:25:00.000-07:00

AS WORLD CHANGES, ISRAELI DEPUTY PREMIER SEES AMERICA'S IMAGE TESTED IN EFFORT TO STOP A NUCLEAR IRAN

U.S. CAN SHOW POWER IN IRAN CAMPAIGN

DAN MERIDOR SEES CHINA, INDIA, RUSSIA AS IMPORTANT

FINDING ALLIES FOR THE MODERATE CAMP

ANALYSIS

While America remains Israel's strongest and most importantally, the Jewish state needs to explore widening its strategic partnerships to other countries in the Middle East and with the world's emerging powers, Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor said in an interview this week.

"The world is changing and moving. China is growing; we need to have good relations with them," Meridor said.

"China is beginning to play a more important role in foreign policy. India is an important country. We are no longer enemies with Russia, of course, and Russia is important."

In a wide-ranging interview with The Media Line, Meridor said America remained the uncontested dominant power in the Middle East, but that perception could change if the U.S. failed to live up to its image.

A former justice and finance minister, Meridor, 63, plays a key role in Israel's strategic affairs today, serving both as minister for intelligence and for atomic energy. He is also a member of the inner security cabinet

"When we see signs of people thinking America is weakening, it is not good and we certainly hope and wish that America finds ways to reinvent itself," said Meridor.

The American-led campaign against Iran to stop its nuclear weapons program is an opportunity for the U.S. to demonstrate its power and commitment to allies in the region, he said.

A successful campaign could also present opportunities for Israel to enhance its relations with moderate Arab states, he added.

According to Meridor, Iran has produced three tons of enriched uranium and while Tehran has had setbacks in its nuclear program, it is still advancing toward getting the bomb. If America fails to stop it, the results could be disastrous, he said.

"This sends waves of shivers and shocks to the Arab world because Iran tries to export its revolution and it threatens their regimes. If America isn't able to contain this danger and protect the Arab moderate regimes, they may look in different directions," he said.

"This is a battle that America must win. If there is leadership in America and resolve displayed outside and persistence and mounting pressure on Iran then it can do the job," Meridor said.

"This is the test not only of the standing of Iran in the world, but of the standing of America in the 21st century. Can it deliver to its allies, the Arab countries mainly, or can't it? Can it control the threat from expanding proliferation or can't it?"

He added, "I think the Americans are not that weak and the Iranians are not that strong. It can be done and it is the most important game in town."

He warned that a nuclear-armed Iran could cause the Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty to break down by creating a domino effect across the Middle East, as countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia rush to get the bomb to serve as a counterweight to an Iranian weapon.

As Minister for Atomic Energy, Meridor, who has played a major role in drafting the country's revised strategic doctrine, said Israel had reviewed its long-time policy of "nuclear opacity" and had decided not to change it.

"Nuclear opacity always worked for Israel. We never said we did nor did not possess nuclear weapons. We left it ambiguous," Meridor said. "I don't think that anything we can add to this - admitting we don't or confessing we had - will add anything."

Paradigms shifting

Meridor said current events had presented Israel with "new possibilities" to strengthen strategic partnerships with moderate Arab countries.

"New interests may bring about new connections, new relationships, some of them - many of them - still under the table because they are still somewhat afraid of talking to us publicly, and some of it on the table," he said.

"We need to be very attentive to the changes, not to be locked in to the old paradigms of who are the bad guys and who are the good guys. Things are changing. Interests are shifting. We need to be very proactive here," Meridor said.

Specifically, he questioned whether negotiations with the Syrians could make them "ready to jump from the bad guys' camp to the good guys' camp," and whether direct peace talks with the Palestinians could resume.

"We need to go to every stone and try to turn it and see if we can add more stability and more allies to the moderate camp," Meridor advised.

[Sidebar]

Leaving no stone unturned

[Sidebar]

Egypt: In the Eye of the Storm

Israeli leaders have been under strict instructions from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to comment on the anti-regime demonstrations in Cairo, and Dan Meridor begged off questions on Egypt.

Egypt is one of only two Arab countries that maintains formal diplomatic relations with Israel.

As Minister of Intelligence, Meridor did acknowledge that Israel had been caught off guard by the outbreak of the anti-regime protests in Egypt and their intensity. Regarding the future prospects of the 31 -year-old peace treaty with Egypt, Meridor cautioned that it was premature to predict its fate.

"This peace treaty is a mutual interest. We benefit from it and they benefit from it," he said. "I do hope and believe that when this crisis is over the Egyptian government will go on keeping the peace agreement with Israel.

"Is it sure? Am I not concerned that something eise may develop? We don't yet know. We are now in the eye of the storm and I don't think it is very wise to make definite assessments and clear predictions when the storm is not yet over."

-AOS

[Author Affiliation]

By ARIEH O'SULLIVAN

THE MEDIA LINE