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Ozzie wants Hurt's leadership New Sox manager expects Thomas to produce on the field and set example for young players

2012-03-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

NEW ORLEANS -- On another slow day for the White Sox at the wintermeetings, manager Ozzie Guillen helped speed things up.

While general manager Ken Williams was monotone Saturday eveningexplaining he is not close to any deals, Guillen was his usual upbeatself talking about the anticipation of his first season as manager.

And just like at his introductory news conference at U.S. CellularField in early November, Guillen was bombarded with questions aboutFrank Thomas and what the relationship between former teammates willbe like now.

Guillen said he still hasn't had an opportunity to speak withThomas directly, but that his new third-base coach Joey Cora spokewith …

Actress sees human side of `Delta' role

2012-03-15T05:18:00.000-07:00

Actress sees human side of `Delta' role

Kay Bourne

Loretta is a fall down drunk who sneaks nickels and dimes from her small children to buy a bottle in the Maya Angelou directed movie "Down In The Delta" (Miramax Pictures).

Even so, actress Alfre Woodard, who plays the distraught Loretta, right away recognized in this despondent woman, a person of courage.

The enthralling saga relates the story of a proud African American family whose acknowledged patriarch is the father of a soldier in the Civil War.

The movie opens Christmas Day at the Kendall Theater in Cambridge. The film also features Al Freeman, Jr., Mary Alice, Loretta Devine, and Wesley …

New Kids on the Block soak up love on reunion tour

2012-03-15T02:52:00.000-07:00

Donnie Wahlberg might look and act tough, but he's a softie underneath.

The resident bad boy of New Kids on the Block said he has cried tears of joy while performing for thousands of screaming fans on the reunited band's arena tour, which began in Canada last week.

"We've had old banners being held up, new banners being held up, people singing the old songs, partying with the new songs, bras thrown onstage with women flashing us," Wahlberg said by phone from Toronto. "Husbands holding their wives and singing along to the songs with their wives in their arms ... I don't like to overblow the significance of anything, we're a pop group after …

Slimmers meet comedian at awards

2012-03-15T00:29:00.000-07:00

Two Slimming World teachers from Keynsham met TV presenter JustinLee Collins at an event to celebrate slimmers' achievements.

Anna-Marie Manning and Ann Rose, who run Slimming World groupsevery Wednesday and Thursday, met the comedian at the organisation'sannual awards ceremony in Birmingham.

Mr Collins, best known for presenting The Sunday Night Projectand Justin Lee Collins: Good Times, joined Slimming World's founderMargaret Miles-Bramwell to …

Stoudemire, Suns Win 15 in a Row - Again

2012-03-14T22:08:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK - The Phoenix Suns took nearly 40 years to win 15 straight games. They needed only a month to do it again.

Amare Stoudemire scored 26 of his 30 points in Phoenix's big second half, and the Suns beat the New York Knicks 112-107 Wednesday night for their second 15-game winning streak of the season.

Barely a month after establishing the longest winning streak in franchise history, the Suns equaled it by turning things around after a sluggish first half in the second night of a back-to-back.

"I think you've got to be a good team," Steve Nash said. "I think we have a lot of talent and have great chemistry and some mental toughness. Whatever mental toughness …

Olivo powers Mariners past Rays

2012-03-14T19:47:00.000-07:00

SEATTLE (AP) — Miguel Olivo really enjoyed Tampa Bay's trip to Seattle.

Olivo hit a tiebreaking three-run homer off Joel Peralta in the eighth inning and the Mariners rallied for a 9-6 win over the Rays on Sunday.

Olivo also connected against Peralta on Saturday and has homered in three straight games overall. He is batting .378 (17 for 45) with four homers and 13 RBIs in his last 13 games.

The catcher has raised his batting average to .251 and hit five of his seven homers this season since he struggled through a rough April.

"He's putting up better at-bats. I think he's recognizing pitches better," manager Eric Wedge said. "He's a big-game player. He's had a lot …

South Africa wants to join so-called BRIC nations

2012-03-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

South Africa wants to be considered among the leaders of the developing world along with Brazil, Russia, India and China, its president said Wednesday, pushing for membership of a grouping that has growing global influence.

President Jacob Zuma told reporters during a state visit to China that South Africa has discussed its interest in joining the informal grouping of the four major developing nations, known as BRIC, with each member government.

The four nations work to boost trade with each other and have called for developing countries to have bigger role in major global financial decisions, primarily within institutions such as the International Monetary …

Contractor blamed for ongoing problems at incinerator

2012-03-14T15:07:00.000-07:00

The authority that owns Harrisburg's incinerator says the company that retrofit the trash-burning plant is responsible for a series of setbacks that has cost the city millions of dollars in revenue.

The incinerator reopened in April. Harrisburg Authority officials said Colorado-based Barlow Projects Inc. will have to spend about $10 million to get the South 19th Street incinerator running properly.

"They (Barlow) were supposed to deliver a plant that worked efficiently," said Dan Lispi, a consultant to the Harrisburg Authority who helped develop the retrofit. "It dogs up, and someone has to go out manually and unclog it. It happens all too frequently."

Lispi is …

With Pakistan as backdrop, McCain emphasizes foreign policy experience

2012-03-14T12:46:00.000-07:00

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain focused on Pakistan during campaign stops Saturday, arguing the United States needs a president with his experience to deal with international crises.

McCain opened several town hall meetings with comments on Pakistan, where the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has triggered riots. He told crowds that the situation in Pakistan should matter to voters because it has implications for national security at home.

"I've been to Waziristan," he said, referring to a tribal region where al-Qaida fighters have been active. "I know (President Pervez) Musharraf. I know these people, …

Mr. Garlingtonâs Famous Bacon Candy

2012-03-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite party tricks and comes to me from one of my antique Amish cookbooks. This is old-school finger food, so fire up a defibrillator and put your apron on.

First, get a whole lot of bacon. Cheap skinny bacon you can read through. This recipe does not require the hand-crafted, independently farmed, organic, free-range massaged and cuddled pork you might buy at Whole Foods. Get the generic stuff.

Put the bacon on a rack over a pan in the oven and baked it until it's just almost crispy — 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Take it out to cool and leave the oven on. Drain the fat off the pan.

While it's baking, mix up the following:

1 …

Damian Ortega

2012-03-14T08:05:00.000-07:00

FIRST TAKE

ONE OF A COTERIE GROUPED AROUND MEXICO CITY'S Galeria Kurimanzutto, Damian Ortega conceives his artworks not as discrete, rarefied objects but rather as forms of action combining material with thought. The young Mexican artist leaped onto the international stage this fall with "Cosmic Thing," a solo exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, which followed contributions in 2001 to a number of notable group shows, like "Squatters #1" at Witte de With, Rotterdam, and the Museu de Arte Contemporanea de Serralves, Porto, and "Animations" at P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center in New York. If you're traveling south this winter, check him out (through March i) …

Suicide attack kills 20 west of Baghdad, car bomb in Mosul leaves 18 people dead

2012-03-14T05:45:00.000-07:00

A suicide bomber struck Thursday inside a municipal building west of Baghdad, killing at least 20 people at a meeting of tribal sheiks opposed to al-Qaida, police said. The U.S. confirmed American casualties but gave no further details.

Another 18 people were killed and about 60 wounded in a car bombing Thursday near a government headquarters in the northern city of Mosul, officials said. The attacks were part of a spike in violence in Iraq after weeks of relative calm.

Col. Fawzi Fraih, civil defense director of Anbar province, said the sheiks were meeting with Americans when the attack occurred in the town of Karmah, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) west of …

Buhlig, Richard

2012-03-14T03:16:00.000-07:00

Buhlig, Richard

Buhlig, Richard, American pianist and teacher; b. Chicago, Dec. 21, 1880; d. Los Angeles, Jan. 30, 1952. He studied in Chicago, and in Vienna with Leschetizky (1897–1900); made his recital debut in Berlin (1901); then toured Europe and the U.S. (American debut with the Philadelphia Orch. in N.Y., Nov. 5, 1907). In 1918 he was appointed teacher of piano at the Inst. of Musical Arts in N.Y. He eventually settled in Los Angeles as a performer and teacher.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

Tony Smith

2012-03-14T00:24:00.000-07:00

MITCHELL-INNES & NASH, NEW YORK

One pleasant surprise of Tony Smith's retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art (five years ago already!) was the group of paintings known as the "Louisenberg" series, dating from 1953-55, together with a related set begun at the same time but completed earlier and left untitled. (For brevity's sake I'll christen this group "Robotnik," after a popular Tetris-like computer game called Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine.) Reviewing the MOMA exhibition in these pages, I voiced my regret that Smith had not pursued this vein further, and I privately hoped that there might be more work of the kind. The recent Mitchell-Innes & Nash show of Smith's paintings unfortunately did not alter the size of the corpus, but it did provide an opportunity to zoom in on these works, whose importance in Smith's development-and extraordinary inventiveness in the context of the early '505-was somewhat lost in the retrospective, dwarfed, in my mind without justification, by the gigantism of the sculptures.

What is immediately striking is the date of the paintings-they look a decade ahead of their time, at least in the situation of postwar American art. They share this characteristic with the work executed by Ellsworth Kelly during the period he lived in Paris (1948-54)-and perhaps for the same reasons: Not only were the "Robotnik" and "Louisenberg" series painted during Smith's two-year stay in Europe, but like Kelly's early works they also revolved around the dialectic of order and randomness, chance and systematicity. It is not fortuitous that Kelly's and Smith's work from the early '505 should have been selected by Eugene Goossen for his "Art of the Real" show of 1968, for they look contemporary to the Minimalist sculpture that exhibition was devoted to glorifying. Nor was it fortuitous that their radical novelty should have gone mostly unnoticed at the time: Praising someone for being a "precursor" might be well intentioned, but it ends up providing nothing more than a first-class burial.

This is not to say that artists work in a vacuum, unaware of their predecessors. There is definitely something European about the two Smith series, for example-and Robert Storr, the author of the catalogue essay, is right in alluding to Hans Arp's biomorphs and to the paintings of Arp's wife, Sophie Taeuber-Arp. But finding out whether Smith was aware of the Dadaistic overtone of his work during his sojourn in Germany is less relevant than understanding why he would have been drawn to a way of thinking close to Arp's and Taeuber-Arp's from twenty years prior.

Unlike Kelly, Smith was probably not engaged in a search for ways "not to compose" when he set out to paint during his prolonged European vacation. It is more likely that he wanted to find a way to begin, or rather to begin anew. He had not painted much since his student years at Chicago's New Bauhaus, and since the end of the war he had earned his living as an art teacher and architect while befriending many Abstract Expressionists, foremost among them Pollock and Newman. With his intimidating AbEx friends no longer lurking over his shoulder, and in need of some footing, he felt free to reconnect with his youth-where indeed we can find the origin of his extraordinary painting campaign of 1953-55.

Smith's interest in D'Arcy Thompson's Ow Growth and Form (1917) figures prominently in all major studies of his work, and rightly so. The artist's rather awkward use of a hexagonal grid as a planning device for his first major architectural project, the Brotherton House (1944), bespeaks his early fascination for the honeycomb pattern celebrated by the Scottish zoologist (more at least than it betrays his debt to Frank Lloyd Wright, for example). But I don't think Smith knew how to channel his lust for modularity until the "Robotnik" and "Louisenberg" series.

Another trope of the Smith literature is the artist's interest in mazes. Late in life (1975) he described labyrinths as "formal and symbolic analogues of a breakdown in intellect and will," adding, "They are of the underworld and they fascinate children." The remark is rather counterintuitive, coming from an admirer of Thompson and his zealous attempt to find a geometric rationale behind all natural shapes. Labyrinths are dangerous-one gets lost in them, even their makers. The sculptor Daedalus, who built the most famous maze for King Minos (to host the Minotaur), could not remember its plan: When Ariadne secretly asked for his help he gave her a ball of thread, and once condemned for such a treasonous act to being trapped in his own construction with his son Icarus, his only escape was by inventing artificial wings to fly out. Yet labyrinths are orderly. Like Thompson's honeycomb, they are decentered but reticular. The main difference between the two structures is that in the bee's alveolate architecture repetition is the rule; in the human-made maze it is a lure.

"Any search for the center, or for the 'recipe' for getting out of the maze failed to interest me," Smith wrote in the same 1975 statement. he could have penned the sentence two decades earlier-with the "Robotnik" and the "Louisenberg" series he discovered the connection between his appetite for "systems of order" (his words) and the pleasure one can find, momentarily at least, in being lost. An anecdotal, serendipitous element might have informed Smith's eureka: The "Louisenberg" series, we are told, was named after a geological site near Bayreuth recently identified (so recently that this fact could not be included in the catalogue) as the Luisenburg Labyrinth, a park celebrated by Goethe for its multiple assemblages of peanut-shaped boulders. This is no more to say, of course, that the peanut forms populating Smith's "Louisenberg" series are based on the configuration of Luisenburg's rocks than to claim that the overall structure of these paintings would be based on the labyrinthine promenade loop found at the park. But something there might have triggered Smith's revisiting of Thompson, and my guess is that it may be the way in which rounded boulders aggregate to form a mass and the nature of interstices between the stones (a 1954 drawing included in the MOMA retrospective and reproduced on page 81 of the catalogue to that show provides us with the best evidence).

The passage that most impressed Smith in On Growth and form is Thompson's discussion of "close-packing," with its brilliant exposition of the bee's hexagon as a space-saving device, a product of natural forces striving to square the circle, so to speak (having to grow within a limited surface, circular cells will of necessity become hexagonal because this represents the maximal possibility of expansion). In the "Robotnik" and "Louisenberg" series, Smith asks: And what about mergers? What happens when the destiny of a cell is not expansion (through occupying as much space as possible) but through fusion with its neighbors?

The two series provide a somewhat different answer. The works in "Robotnik," like its namesake computer game, stress dynamism, temporality: We are witnessing the process in which a cohabitation of circles arranged in a regular grid pattern arbitrarily transforms itself, by sheer capillarity, into a differentiated grouping of amoebas of various sizes and colors. The more unit cells merge, the greater are the possibilities of morphological change. A two-unit group will invariably be a peanut, either vertical or horizontal, but a three-unit group can be formed of three cells in a row, in a right-angle configuration, or in what would be the equivalent of the knight's march in chess. Four cells could assemble to form a squarish shape or a rhomboid one, but they may lead to irregular formations as well. As a rule, the potential for irregularity grows with the numbers of cells that fuse, and the degree of anthropomorphism (or at least zoomorphism) increases as well.

In the "Louisenberg" group, it is the seriality of the system that is emphasized, and as if to make the point ever clearer, Smith charted the whole set in a single drawing (the many diagrammatic sketches in the exhibition, transforming us into attentive sleuths, was a major component of its success). The beauty of his concept lies in the fact that the largest canvas, Louisenberg #4, contains all the twenty-four other compositions. That is: Except for Louisenberg #8, which reproduces it in toto, albeit in other colors, the composition of every single canvas of this series is the duplication of a fragment, at a different scale or not, of the mother composition #4 (and when he re-created the mother composition in a mural scale for the "Art of the Real" show-at 8' 3/4'' x II' 7 3/4''-Smith also made sure to exhibit close to it about half its offspring). The growth is not by accretion, as was the case in the protozoan "Robotnik" series, but scission (another strong biological model). The result is perhaps less comic, but more rewarding, for it raises an essential question-one that, sadly, Smith chose to ignore when he turned to sculpture a decade or so later.

One of the complaints I have expressed about Smith's mode of working is that it ignores scale (he proceeded from small models up, as if the size of a shape had no bearing on its effect). But looking at several paintings of the "Louisenberg" series side by side, one realizes that in these works scale, particularly internal scale, was a pre-dominant factor, a variable that Smith set out to test with remarkable wit and flair. Louisenberg #2 comprises two peanut shapes, one stacked above the other, filling a square canvas; in Louisenberg #7, also square but about two-fifths the size of #2, the lower peanut has been replaced by two circles, the peanut form's antecedent before merger. The configuration of Louisenberg #2 is to be found in the upper-left corner of Louisenberg #4, and that of Louisenberg #7 close to the lower-right corner, but it takes a special effort to identify the precise nature of the kinship. The main source of difficulty is the dramatic alteration of internal scale (two or three shapes are of a much larger scale, no matter what their size, than the same shapes within the context of a multitude). And we can see how Smith inquired about external scale as well: The size of his peanuts and circles are the same in Louisenberg #7 and #4 (the original 1953-54 version), but not so in #2, where the units are much larger, in proportion with the increased size of the square support. Perhaps so we can't miss his point-that variation in scale necessarily alters our perception of a shape and how we relate to it-Smith multiplied the colors and textural modalities in the series: In some the paint is brushed with bravado, allowing the white ground to breathe through, and the color contrasts are gentle; in others the paint is applied as flatly as possible, the edges are sharp, and the optical, simultaneous contrast of color dizzying. More likely, he wanted to prevent his work from looking too much like a pedagogic demonstration. By all accounts Smith was a brilliant teacher, and he knew that a lesson is always better learned if received unknowingly.

[Sidebar]

WITH HIS INTIMIDATING ABEX FRIENDS NO LONGER LURKING OVER HIS SHOULDER, SMITH FELT FREE TO RECONNECT WITH HIS YOUTH.

[Author Affiliation]

Yve-Alain Bois is a contributing editor of Artforum. (See Contributors.)

YVE-ALAIN BOIS is Joseph Pulitzer Jr. Professor of Modern Art at Harvard University, a contributing editor of Artforum, and a coeditor of the journal October. The author of Painting as Model (MIT Press, 1990) and coauthor with Rosalind E. Krauss of Formless: A User's Guide (Zone Books, 1997), Bois curated "Matisse and Picasso: A Gentle Rivalry" at the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, in 1999; his study Matisse and Picasso (Flammarion, 1998) served as the show's catalogue. Bois is currently at work on a major study of the oeuvre of Barnett Newman. For this issue, he reviews the recent exhibition of Tony Smith's "Louisenberg" series at Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York.

[ BULLS&BEARS ]

2012-03-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

Notable stock upgrades issued in the last week. (Trading symbolsin parentheses.)

On the mend

Aetna Inc. (AET) was raised to "outperform" from "market perform"by analyst Edmund E. Kroll Jr. at SG Cowen. It closed Friday at$48.42.

Banking on it

* Southwest Bancorp (OKSB) was raised to "outperform" from"neutral" by analyst Brett Rabatin at FTN Financial Securities. Theprice target range is $27-$28. It closed Friday at $23.50.

* Republic Bancshares (REPB) was raised to "outperform" from"neutral" by analyst Jeff Davis at FTN Financial Securities. The 12-month price target is $24. It closed Friday at $20.75.

Snoozin' to wealth

La-Z-Boy Inc. (LZB) was rated new "buy" in new coverage by analystTodd A. Schwartzman at Sidoti & Co. The 12-month price target is $25.Friday close: $18.07.

The Bright One

Hollinger International (HLR), parent company of the Chicago Sun-Times, was rated "buy" in new coverage by analyst Jan H. Loeb atJefferies & Co. The 12- to 18-month price target is $13.50. The stockclosed Friday at $9.25.

Notable stock downgrades issued in the last week. (Trading symbolsin parentheses.)

Static on the line

SBC Communications (SBC) was downgraded to "underperform" from"sector perform" by analyst Richard E. Talbot at RBC Capital Markets.The price target is $22. It closed Friday at $22.12.

Bitter brew

Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) was downgraded to "in-line" from"outperform" by analyst Mark Kalinowski at Smith Barney. The pricetarget was cut to $26. Friday close: $23.47.

Local downgrades

Sara Lee Corp. (SLE), which closed Friday at $16.96, wasdowngraded to:

* "Hold" from "buy" by analyst John M. McMillin at PrudentialSecurities. The price target was cut to $20.

* "In-line" from "outperform" by analyst Romitha Mally at Goldman,Sachs & Co.

* "Neutral" from "buy" by analyst William Leach at Banc ofAmerica. The 12-month price target is $18.

Cabot Microelectronics (CMP) was downgraded to "neutral" from"buy" by Fahnestock & Co. It closed Friday at $42.68.

* BorgWarner (BWA) was downgraded to "neutral 2" from "buy 2" byanalyst Robert Hinchliffe at UBS Warburg. It closed Friday at $57.07.

Report: Columbus to Hire Howson as GM

2012-03-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Columbus Blue Jackets have agreed to terms with Edmonton Oilers assistant general manager Scott Howson to make him their new general manager, The Columbus Dispatch reported on its Web site Wednesday night.

The newspaper, citing an unidentified NHL source, said the team and Howson had reached a deal Wednesday, and an announcement would be made Friday.

Blue Jackets spokesman Todd Sharrock would not comment on the report, and Oilers spokesman J.J. Hebert said he was unaware of any deal.

A message seeking comment was left by the AP at Howson's home in Edmonton, Alberta, on Wednesday.

Howson, 47, played for the New York Islanders in 1984-85, scoring five goals with three assists in 18 games as a forward.

He graduated from law school at York University in Toronto in 1990 and ran Edmonton's top farm club from 1994-2000. He was hired by the Oilers in 2000 and was promoted to assistant general manager in 2001.

Spain: housing slump drags on

2012-03-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

House prices in Spain have fallen for a second straight quarter, the government said Wednesday, offering more bad news for the real estate sector which fueled a decade of economic growth but has now gone flat.

The Housing Ministry said prices fell 1.3 percent in the third quarter of this year compared to the second quarter. That means home prices are now only 0.4 percent higher than they were in September of 2007.

A London-based economic research organization said the situation is actually much worse, with price declines of 30 percent likely.

The ministry said that, in quarterly terms, prices fell in all but two of Spain's 17 regions.

On a yearly basis, prices did rise in some areas, such as Catalonia and the Balearic islands, where many Germans and other Europeans own vacation property.

But they fell 3.7 percent in the metropolitan Madrid region, for instance, the ministry's director of housing policy, Anunciacion Romero, told reporters.

The Spanish construction and property industries have been hit hard by a sharp rise in interest rates on adjustable-rate mortgages, which the vast majority of Spanish homeowners have. They are also suffering due to tighter lending policies at banks spooked by the sub-prime crisis in the United States and the broader international credit crunch.

The housing collapse has been devastating for the economy because construction and related industries account for up to 20 percent of Spanish GDP.

After growing 3.8 percent last year, the Spanish economy is now expected to expand just over 1 percent in 2008. The IMF predicts Spain will go into recession next year.

Capital Economics, an economic research consultancy in London, said Wednesday that Spanish housing prices will fall by around one-third over the next few years and push the economy into a prolonged recession.

It said that, with unemployment at an EU-high of 11.3 percent and consumer confidence low, only sharp declines in housing prices will lure people back onto the market.

Furthermore, Bank of Spain data suggests banks here are continuing to tighten the supply of mortgages, and a glut of unsold houses _ some estimates say there could be as many as 1 million by the end of the year _ "could ultimately force struggling property developers into a fire sale of unsold properties to balance their books."

His Thoughts Will Be With Oklahoma City

2012-03-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

Garth Brooks wants to commemorate another day that shall live ininfamy - April 19, 1995.

While touring the heartland, he sent a letter to country radioand video outlets, asking them to play appropriate music at 9:02 a.m.(CDT) Friday to mark the first anniversary of the Oklahoma Citybombing. A native of Yukon, Okla., Brooks also is a graduate ofOklahoma State University.

"What country radio chooses is up to them," said Brooks, who onFriday will be in the middle of a three-night stand in Miami. "Somehave said they will play `The Change' (his ballad of faith inspiredby the bombing). Others have said they will play Vince Gill's `GoRest High on That Mountain.' "In Chicago, after a moment of silence, WUSN-FM (99.5) andWKXK-FM (94.7) simultaneously will play "The Change" at 9:02 a.m.Friday."So long as we, as a country music family, celebrate orrecognize Oklahoma and the year that they went through, it will beenough for me," Brooks told a Reuters interviewer last week.Brooks rejected the idea of traveling to Oklahoma City on theanniversary."I feel that to be in Oklahoma on the 19th is an extreme honor,and I don't feel I'm worthy of that," he said. "I wasn't there whenit happened. . . . That day should be for the victims, for thesurvivors and for the volunteers. . . . If Garth Brooks goes down,to me it looks like Garth Brooks is trying to cash in on something,so I'm going to stay far away and just let them know that, likemillions of others, I'm there in spirit."

Military Announces 8 U.S. Deaths in Iraq

2012-03-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

Al-ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq - Iraq's prime minister and two top American officials flew to the blistering western desert Saturday in a rare joint outing to highlight gains there in the fight against insurgents, hours before the military reported the deaths of eight U.S. troops.

One of those killed, a Marine, died in combat in Anbar province, once the site of some of the fiercest fighting in the country - and where the U.S. ambassador, the American commander in Iraq, and the Iraqi leader traveled Saturday.

The Sunni-dominated province has grown calmer in recent months with the flowering of a new alliance among Sunni tribal leaders, the Iraqi government and U.S. led forces, but peace continues to be elusive - as the death Saturday of the Marine demonstrated.

"We are not saying Anbar province is all sweetness and light, there are still a lot of challenges," said Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander.

Elsewhere on Saturday, three U.S. soldiers were killed in Salahuddin Province, north of Baghdad, when an explosion hit their patrol; another died in a roadside bombing in south Baghdad.

Late Friday, a soldier was killed in an ambush near Taji, north of the capital, and two other soldiers were hit by a roadside bomb on Wednesday in eastern Baghdad, the military said.

Al-Qaida in Iraq is still active in Anbar - which includes the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi - and continues to launch devastating attacks, U.S. military officials said. On Thursday, insurgents exploded a car bomb on a passing funeral procession in Fallujah for a tribal leader opposed to al-Qaida. At least 26 mourners were killed.

Despite the security accomplishments, an al-Qaida front group affiliated with insurgent Sunnis warned President Bush on Saturday that the newly approved $95 billion in funds for fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan would not improve Washington's chances for success.

"With God's help, the money will heal no wound and change nothing at all," said a statement issued by the Islamic State of Iraq and posted on a Web site commonly used by Islamic extremists. The statement's authenticity could not be verified.

As part of the U.S.-led security crackdown in Baghdad, American forces raided the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City early Saturday and captured a "suspected terrorist cell leader," who helped smuggle powerful, armor-piercing bombs from Iran, the U.S. military said in statement.

After the raid, around 2 a.m., U.S. and Iraqi forces called in air strikes on nine cars positioning themselves to attack American forces, killing five suspected militants, the military said.

An Iraqi police official said the strikes hit 10 cars in line to buy gasoline, killing three civilians and wounding eight others. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to release the information.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Petraeus had planned to travel Saturday to al-Qaim, an Anbar town on the Syrian border, to meet with tribal leaders and survey a $20 million border terminal under construction.

But low visibility prevented their aircraft from completing the trip, and they could only reach the al-Asad air base in Anbar.

So, with temperatures soaring above 100 degrees, al-Maliki and several of his Cabinet ministers met with the Anbar governor and police and army chiefs. Crocker and Petraeus, meanwhile, were briefed by local U.S. commanders.

Just a few months ago, Anbar was thought to be so strongly in the grip of al-Qaida foreign fighters and Sunni insurgents that it was believed a lost cause, the military officials said.

But al-Qaida went too far, killing several tribal leaders, and terrorizing the local population, said Maj. Gen. Walter Gaskin, commander of U.S.-led forces in Anbar.

"All Iraqis live in violence," he said. "They are sick of it, and al-Qaida overplayed its hand in the murder and intimidation campaign."

The fed-up tribal leaders banded together against al-Qaida several months ago and began working with U.S. and Iraqi forces, he said.

"They didn't just fall in love with coalition forces. We had a mutual interest: security," Gaskin said.

Since then, the changes in some parts of the province have been dramatic, he said.

During a recruitment campaign for the Iraqi military and police last summer, only 34 people signed up. Since then, more than 14,000 have joined, Gaskin said.

The increase in Iraqi forces, with their knowledge of the local terrain, helped U.S. and Iraqi troops push most of the insurgents out of the city of Ramadi, or at least drove them underground, he said. A similar operation in Hit reduced violence so much that Petraeus said he was able to walk down the street there recently, eating an ice cream, without fear of attack.

With the help of the local population, the military has uncovered more weapons caches in Anbar in the first five months of this year, than in all of last year, Petraeus said.

"When we came in here, we didn't get it right with the tribes," Crocker said. "It was just too complicated to figure out at the time, and we ran into a lot of problems. Al-Qaida got it even more wrong."

Crocker said he hoped planned provincial elections - which cannot be held until parliament agrees on a new election law - will cement the tribes' participation in government and their loyalty to the new Iraqi regime.

Petraeus warned that the situation in Anbar may not be a realistic blueprint for restoring order in the rest of the country, because the province is heavily Sunni and has been spared much of the sectarian violence roiling other areas.

"The biggest lesson learned in Iraq is that every place is unique," he said.

Penguins-Red Wings Sums

2012-03-13T06:19:00.000-07:00

Pittsburgh	3 1 1—5
Detroit	1 0 1—2

First Period_1, Pittsburgh, Comrie 3 (Michalek, Malkin), 4:19. 2, Pittsburgh, Kunitz 2 (Malkin, Letestu), 7:40. 3, Detroit, Datsyuk 1 (Zetterberg, Lidstrom), 10:24. 4, Pittsburgh, Comrie 4 (Goligoski, Kunitz), 19:46 (pp). Penalties_Michalek, Pit (holding), 1:21; Fleury, Pit, served by Kennedy (holding stick), 12:18; Detroit bench, served by Hudler (too many men), 18:53.

Second Period_5, Pittsburgh, Goligoski 2 (Michalek, Malkin), 4:35. Penalties_Kunitz, Pit, double minor (roughing, tripping), 13:44; Franzen, Det (roughing, cross-checking), 13:44; Letang, Pit (slashing), 14:19; Holmstrom, Det (slashing, unsportsmanlike conduct), 14:19.

Third Period_6, Pittsburgh, Malkin 3, 2:43. 7, Detroit, Modano 1 (Datsyuk), 3:22. Penalties_Letang, Pit (delay of game), :32; Letang, Pit (tripping), 4:40; Dupuis, Pit (tripping), 8:21; Holmstrom, Det (interference), 12:14.

Shots on Goal_Pittsburgh 7-10-8_25. Detroit 10-6-8_24.

Power-play opportunities_Pittsburgh 1 of 3; Detroit 0 of 6.

Goalies_Pittsburgh, Fleury 3-0-0 (24 shots-22 saves). Detroit, Osgood 0-3-0 (25-20).

A_17,501 (20,066). T_2:23.

Referees_Kevin Pollock, Ian Walsh. Linesmen_Thor Nelson, Darren Gibbs.

Jazz end 3-game skid with win over Suns

2012-03-13T02:37:00.000-07:00

Carlos Boozer had 21 points and 15 rebounds, Andrei Kirilenko added 19 points and two big blocks in the fourth quarter, and the Utah Jazz snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Phoenix Suns 109-97 Monday night.

C.J. Miles scored a season-high 21 points and Brevin Knight had six assists and 12 points, going 6-for-7 from the floor as the Jazz got the Suns in foul trouble and pulled away in the second half.

Steve Nash and Shaquille O'Neal both drew their fourth fouls early in the third quarter, then the Suns couldn't shoot early in the fourth as Utah scored 13 straight during one stretch.

Amare Stoudemire led Phoenix with 30 points and eight rebounds. Nash had 14 points and eight assists, but O'Neal finished with just nine points and one rebound. O'Neal had back-to-back shots blocked by Kirilenko during Phoenix's slump in the fourth quarter.

The Jazz outrebounded Phoenix 47-26, getting seven boards from Kirilenko.

Kirilenko had missed the last two games with a dislocated finger, but returned to his new role as Utah's sixth man and flourished again. He went 5-for-10 from the floor and made all eight of his foul shots, then topped off Utah's homecoming by swatting away two shots by O'Neal in the lane with about 5 minutes left.

The Jazz were playing without starters Deron Williams and Mehmet Okur, but stayed unbeaten at home after going 1-4 on a five-game road trip.

The Suns had won four of five but made it hard on themselves by sending the Jazz to the line 36 times. Utah made 26 free throws and took advantage after Nash went to the bench with his fifth foul with 5:06 still left in the third.

Nash was called for his fifth when Ronnie Brewer was trying to put back a rebound. Nash contended he wasn't the one who hit Brewer and pleaded from the bench for the officials to change the call.

It didn't happen and Brewer made both free throws to put Utah up 73-69 and start an 8-3 run for the Jazz, who blew it open in the fourth when the Suns' shooting stalled.

Phoenix opened the fourth 5-for-17 and the Jazz scored 13 straight during a 17-2 run that put away the game. The home fans knew the win was just about wrapped up, then got even louder when Kirilenko blocked O'Neal's shot out of bounds. The Suns got the ball back to O'Neal after the inbounds pass and Kirilenko swatted it away again to the Utah fans' delight.

Notes@: Jazz C Mehmet Okur was back with the team but did not play after spending most of last week in Turkey to be with his ailing father. ... The Jazz were scheduled to honor Jerry Sloan before the game with the game ball from his 1,000th win with the team, but postponed it because owner Larry Miller wasn't feeling well and missed the game. ... O'Neal was fined $25,000 earlier Monday for verbally abusing officials and not leaving the court in a timely manner when he was ejected Sunday.

Analysis: Al-Qaida ties obstacle to Afghan peace

2012-03-12T23:36:00.000-07:00

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is using old friends and new allies to try to bring some of the fiercest Taliban to the negotiating table, although their links to al-Qaida might scuttle any deal.

Pakistan is trying to broker a deal between the Afghan government and the Haqqani group, one of the most violent Taliban factions led by veteran rebel leader Jalaluddin Haqqani, according to Afghan parliamentarians and Pakistani analysts.

Haqqani was a legendary commander in the war against the Soviets who had close ties to the Reagan administration. Now, he and his son Sirajuddin command hundreds _ perhaps thousands _ of fighters blamed for some of the most audacious attacks in Kabul and eastern Afghanistan. Their network is based in the North Waziristan tribal area along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.

"The president is trying to use old friendships with Jalaluddin Haqqani and his sons to make them participate in the reconciliation process," said Khaled Pashtun, an Afghan lawmaker from the Taliban heartland of southern Kandahar. "Pakistan is also pressurizing the government to bring this person (Haqqani) in the government."

Yet Haqqani's ties to al-Qaida run deep. His friendship with Osama bin Laden dates back to the war against the Soviets in the 1980s. Haqqani allowed bin Laden to set up a base on his territory in Khost province of eastern Afghanistan. The United States fired cruise missiles at the base in 1998 in a bid to kill bin Laden.

Haqqani also ensured safe passage for foreign fighters, including senior al-Qaida figures, when they fled into Pakistan after the collapse of Taliban rule in the 2001 U.S. invasion, according to Taliban officials in Kabul at the time.

Since President Barack Obama announced the start of a U.S. withdrawal in July 2011, Karzai has sought to improve relations with Pakistan and reach out to the insurgents. Last month he told a national peace conference in Kabul he would talk with any militant leader.

As a sign of good faith, he pledged to seek the release of detainees and lobby the United Nations to remove some of the insurgent leaders from a blacklist that froze their bank accounts and prevents them from traveling abroad.

He also signed a reintegration decree this week offering amnesty and economic incentives to Taliban fighters who want to leave the battlefield, if they accept the Afghan constitution and break ties with al-Qaida and other terrorist groups.

Obama has said the July 2011 date does not herald a rapid American withdrawal from Afghanistan and Washington is committed to a long-term relationship with the Afghans.

Nonetheless, Obama's deadline has prompted Pakistan to review its own strategy in neighboring Afghanistan. The Pakistani military and the country's spy service _ the Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI _ believes the Haqqani group is an important force to protect Pakistani interests in Afghanistan.

Retired Pakistani Gen. Talat Masood said Pakistan's military believes that bringing insurgents _ including the Haqqani group _ into the Afghan government is the only way of stabilizing the country once America and its allies leave.

But the Institute for the Study of War, a U.S.-based think tank, describes Haqqani as "irreconcilable," saying negotiations with his network would strengthen al-Qaida, undermine regional stability and threaten U.S. security.

In a study released this week, the Institute cited a statement released in April by Sirajuddin Haqqani, describing cooperation with al-Qaida as "at its highest level."

"Any negotiated settlement with the Haqqanis threatens to undermine the raison d'etre for U.S. involvement in Afghanistan over the past decade," the study said.

The Haqqani group trains, lives and works with a list of deadly international terrorist groups, including Pakistan's Lashkar-e-Taiba, and the Islamic Jihad Union, whose ranks include Kurdish, Uzbek, Azerbaijani, Turkish and German fighters, it said.

The Haqqani group's headquarters is believed to be in the mountains of Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal area. The U.S. has repeatedly urged Pakistan to launch ground operations there. Pakistan has so far refused, saying its forces are spread too thin.

With 120,000 soldiers deployed to the tribal region, the Pakistan military is fighting a series of deadly wars along the length of the border area with Afghanistan.

Brian Cloughley, South Asia defense analyst for Jane's Sentinel, Country Risk, said it's clear that Pakistan has leverage with Haqqani and other extremist groups.

But he added Haqqani's tight links to al-Qaida "may be just a shade too deep for the Americans to accept."

___

EDITOR'S NOTE _ Kathy Gannon has written about Afghanistan and Pakistan for The Associated Press for more than two decades.

Business centre under review leaving county jobs at risk

2012-03-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

The future of up to 21 local authority jobs at a Rooksbridgebusiness centre is under review.

The jobs of people employed by Somerset County Council could bemoved and the offices at The Stables Business centre closed as partof plans to reduce council spending.

The council employs the 21 people in Rooksbridge as part of theSouth West One contract negotiated with IBM.

A list of more than 30 offices in Somerset being reviewed wasdiscussed by the council's scrutiny committee at a meeting held lastThursday at Taunton County Hall.

In the review, which is entitled the property rationalisationprogramme report, it said that the plan is to reduce 32 offices downto between five and ten.

It states: "The provision of office accommodation will be reducedsignificantly - the target is a 40 per cent reduction in officespace.

"We are at an early stage in this project with no decisions madeyet on the number and locations of offices.

"We are still assessing the most suitable sites to retain and useas office bases."

The council is considering whether to reduce office centres sothere is one large office for all county functions in each countyarea, with one satellite office as support.

The project, called Somerset Office of the Future, aims toincrease the number of council staff who work from home or remotely,and offices would be shared with authorities such as Mendip DistrictCouncil and the police. The county council has decided that reducingthe number of buildings it uses below the current target would costtoo much, as staff would have to be paid relocation expenses.

Staff would have their workload analysed to find out whether theyneed a fixed desk in an office, or could work elsewhere.

The council is also considering selling county hall in Tauntonand moving to a new, cheaper site.

The scrutiny committee endorsed the review at the meeting.

Better home sales numbers fail to budge Treasurys

2012-03-12T16:52:00.000-07:00

Interest rates were little changed in the bond market Tuesday even as new signs of strength emerged in the housing market.

The National Association of Realtors said its pending homes sales index rose 1 percent in December, providing the latest evidence the economy is improving. Positive economic reports over the past two days have helped push stocks higher.

Normally Treasurys would fall on signs of a strengthening economy because investors would be opting for riskier investments that have the potential for bigger returns, like stocks. An improving economy also creates inflation, which must be kept in check by higher interest rates.

However demand for bonds has been holding up in recent weeks, partly on reassurances from the Federal Reserve Board that inflation is still at bay. The Fed has also pledged to keep short-term rates at their historic lows for now, another factor that supports the bond market.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note that matures in November 2019 fell to 3.65 percent from 3.66 percent late Monday. Its price edged up 1/32 to 97 23/32. That yield is a widely used benchmark for consumer loans including mortgages.

Tom di Galoma, head of U.S. rates trading at Guggenheim Capital Markets LLC, said the bond market is still benefiting from the traditional rush of buying at the beginning of the year to build up their portfolios. Di Galoma said demand will likely remain strong through early March.

Fresh signs that demand for U.S. government bonds remains strong among overseas investors was also keeping the market stable, Di Galoma said. Japan Post Bank is reportedly being urged by government officials there to diversify its holdings beyond Japanese government bonds by adding Treasurys.

In other trading, the yield on the two-year note maturing in January 2012 was unchanged at 0.86 percent. Its price was flat at 100 1/32.

The yield of the 30-year bond that matures in November 2039 was flat at 4.57 percent, while its price rose fell 4/32 to 96 24/32.

The yield on the three-month T-bill that matures May 6 rose to 0.10 percent from 0.08 percent.

The cost of borrowing between banks rose fractionally. The British Bankers' Association said the rate on the three-month loans in dollars _ the London Interbank Offered Rate, or Libor _ rose to 0.25031 percent from 0.24906 percent.

Police probing airport CCTV cameras after terror attacks Police have launched a probe into whether airport security cameras were tampered with ahead of the recent terror attacks.

2012-03-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

Police have launched a probe into whether airport security cameraswere tampered with ahead of the recent terror attacks.

A number of cameras at the Dyce airport are believed to have beenmoved just three days before the failed car bomb attacks in London.

And the incident came four days ahead of the failed car bombattack at Glasgow Airport.

Taxi drivers and airport staff have been quizzed over thepossibility security cameras on the city's Argyll Road were moved.

Grampian Police control room inspector Ian Swan today said: "Weare investigating the possibility that security cameras on ArgyllRoad at Aberdeen Airport were tampered with between 8am and 12.30pmon June 26.

"The position of the cameras is such that a ladder or vehiclewould be required to access them.

"There is nothing to suggest the incident is related to the recentevents in London and Glasgow but we need to keep an open mind."

He confirmed the possibility of a link between the three incidentscould not be ruled out and said this would be part of the ongoinginvestigation.

Police understand there are four of this type of camera whichmonitor traffic going into the airport.

However, they are not thought to be monitored at all times and itwas thought the incident was not detected until after the failedattacks further south.

An airport spokesman said: "The airport is aware of a policeinvestigation into a traffic monitoring system. We cannot say anymore as the police are investigating it."

Today it was not known if any specific footage was beinginvestigated.

Some cameras on Argyll Road were covered with plastic bags in thedays following the failed attacks.

Grampian Police said that there was no armed police presence atAberdeen Airport when Glasgow Airport was attacked, but that afirearms unit was deployed to the terminal as soon as they heardabout the incident in Glasgow.

A civilian hero who helped tackle the Glasgow Airport terrorsuspects yesterday said he hoped his actions would show that Britonswon't stand for such acts. John Smeaton became a cult hero in theaftermath of the drama last Saturday after a string of TV interviewssaw him describe the incident in forthright terms.

He was among several members of the public who intervened to helppolice during the incident.

And 31-year-old John, from Erskine, Renfrewshire, said yesterdaythat the public were ready to stand up to such attacks.

He said: "I hope my actions and the actions of everyone else thatday show that Britain will not stand for it.

"And if any more extremists are still wanting to rise up and starttrouble, know this: We'll rise right back up against you.

"New York, Madrid, London, Paisley . . . we're all in thistogether and make no mistake, none of us will hold back from puttingthe boot in."

"Britain defends border check procedures", Page 8

fmcwhirter@ajl.co.uk

panel

Ozzie wants Hurt's leadership New Sox manager expects Thomas to produce on the field and set example for young players

Actress sees human side of `Delta' role

New Kids on the Block soak up love on reunion tour

Slimmers meet comedian at awards

Stoudemire, Suns Win 15 in a Row - Again

Olivo powers Mariners past Rays

South Africa wants to join so-called BRIC nations

Contractor blamed for ongoing problems at incinerator

With Pakistan as backdrop, McCain emphasizes foreign policy experience

Mr. Garlingtonâs Famous Bacon Candy

This is one of my favorite party tricks and comes to me from one of my antique Amish cookbooks. This is old-school finger food, so fire up a defibrillator and put your apron on.

Damian Ortega

Suicide attack kills 20 west of Baghdad, car bomb in Mosul leaves 18 people dead

Buhlig, Richard

Buhlig, Richard

Tony Smith

[ BULLS&BEARS ]

Report: Columbus to Hire Howson as GM

Spain: housing slump drags on

His Thoughts Will Be With Oklahoma City

Military Announces 8 U.S. Deaths in Iraq

Penguins-Red Wings Sums

Jazz end 3-game skid with win over Suns

Analysis: Al-Qaida ties obstacle to Afghan peace

Business centre under review leaving county jobs at risk

Better home sales numbers fail to budge Treasurys

Police probing airport CCTV cameras after terror attacks Police have launched a probe into whether airport security cameras were tampered with ahead of the recent terror attacks.

Mr. Garlingtonâs Famous Bacon Candy