music

Oz Park fair will capture the magic of medieval times

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

Tomorrow and Sunday, Oz Park will shed its modern urban hustleand bustle in favor of the 16th century for its annual MedievalFaire.

On call will be jugglers, jesters and jousters. You can minglewith knights, maidens fair, madrigal singers, wenches, rogues,dancers, mimes and Shakespearean actors. There will even be awizard, stilt-walker and fire-eater. All in brilliant costumes. Thescene of this colorful pageantry will be the park bounded by Lincoln,Larrabee and Dickens.

Every first weekend in August for the past four years, theMedieval Faire in Oz Park has been presented by the Lincoln ParkChamber of Commerce.

"We wanted to showcase what an active …

Group Urges Vote on Animal Fighting Bill

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

WASHINGTON - Lawmakers and an animal rights group are pushing GOP leadership to hold a vote this week on legislation aimed at stemming cockfighting and dogfighting.

The push on Rep. Mark Green's bill comes as his fellow Wisconsin Republican, Jim Sensenbrenner, opposes a vote.

Green's bill would increase penalties for transporting animals across state lines and from other countries for fighting. It has 324 co-sponsors in the House - nearly 75 percent of the body. But Sensenbrenner, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has refused to bring the bill up for a vote before his panel.

Proponents are now hoping to bypass Sensenbrenner and bring the vote to the …

Ensign defends silence over affair

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

Republican Sen. John Ensign is apologizing for the pain his extramarital affair has caused but is withholding detailed comment on the issue.

In a statement issued late Friday, Ensign said potential investigations into his actions concerning the affair with former campaign aide Cindy Hampton make public comment inadvisable.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a government watchdog group, has called for investigations into Ensign.

"I know there are questions regarding my affair with Cindy Hampton that people want to know the answers to," Ensign said. "It was reported, however, that CREW was planning to file complaints with the Senate Ethics Committee and …

Free Agency No Lure for Sosa

2012-03-14T23:13:00.000-07:00

Sammy Sosa might be free to leave the Cubs next season.

It all depends on whether a new Basic Agreement would count thefirst 23 days of the season as major-league service time, even thoughthe players were on strike. Sosa would need to be credited with onlyfour of those days to be eligible for free agency.

Sosa, though, said he isn't interested in leaving.

"I want to play my career here," he said. "Good things arehappening with this team - maybe even this year - and I want to bepart of it."

Sosa's $4.3 million salary is tops on the team this season.

"I don't worry about money," he said. "I just want to win."

RYNE TIME: Ryne …

ANTHONY DOERR

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

Author talks prizes, Oxford and Martha Stewart

Anthony Doerr wants you to call him Tony. Officials at international customs call him Anthony or Mr. Doerr when he travels (which is often). As Boise Weekly was going to press, Doerr, 37, was having his passport stamped once more; this time for a trip across the pond to attend a ceremony boasting the world's biggest short fiction cash prize: The Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award. Doerr is one of six writers shortlisted for the award, which is accompanied by a prize of 30,000 pounds- approximately $48,000. Doerr is nominated for "The Deep," which takes readers on a journey through Detroit, salt mines, aquariums and a …

Erbitux adds month of life for advanced lung cancer patients; doctors hoped for bigger benefit

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

Adding the novel cancer drug Erbitux to standard chemotherapy helped advanced lung cancer patients live just a month longer than chemo alone, a study found.

Although this is the first study to find a survival benefit from a newer, more targeted cancer drug as initial treatment for lung cancer patients, the results left doctors mostly disappointed.

"It's a very small benefit. No one should try to make any more of it than that," said Dr. Roy Herbst, lung cancer chief at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

He consults for Erbitux's makers but had no role in the study, which is to be presented Sunday at a meeting …

Opponents outnumber supporters of landfill bill

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

Officials representing solid waste authorities from across thestate joined other foes to decry a Senate-passed attempt to reducetipping fees at West Virginia landfills.

Opponents outnumbered supporters 6-to-1 at a House Chamberhearing Monday where they argued that the pending bill would robcounties of funding for recycling, open dump cleanups and similarefforts.

"Make no doubt. This bill is flawed," Clint Hogbin of BerkeleyCounty's agency told delegates. "This …

Clinton awards Jesse, other with Medal of Freedom

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

Clinton awards Jesse, others with Medal of Freedom

The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. will be among the nation's 15 most admired Americans to be given the Presidential Medal of Freedom Wednesday by President Bill Clinton as a way of honoring his civilian service.

The medal, which was begun by President Truman as a wartime honor, was reintroduced by Clinton's political mentor, President Kennedy as a way of honoring civilian service.

Jackson, 58, received worldwide acclaim when he led a successful negotiation team to Belgrade where he was able to get the release of three U.S. soldiers, Sgt. Andrew Ramirez of L.A., Staff Sgt. Christopher Stone of Smiths Creek, MI, and …

Reports: Panasonic mulling purchase of Sanyo

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

Panasonic Corp. may buy Sanyo Electric Co. and will soon enter negotiations with major shareholders, news reports said Saturday.

The Nikkei, Japan's largest business newspaper, and Kyodo News agency both reported a deal may be struck by the end of this year.

Sanyo said in a statement it was considering various options concerning its preferred shares but had yet to make a formal decision.

The deal, if realized, would be a major realignment for the Japanese electronics industry. It also would see major banks sell share holdings for cash, despite recent falls in stock prices.

Struggling Sanyo was rescued in 2006 with a 300 billion yen …

Renewed compensation battle over school injury

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

A Keinton Mandeville teenager's dreams of an army career servingin the elite King's Troop were shattered when she slipped on a wetpatch in her school hall.

Maddison "Maddi" Hufton, now seeking compensation, was a 15-year-old pupil at Ansford Community School when her feet suddenly wentfrom underneath her during a break period in October, 2006.

She slipped on a damp patch in the hall, left by fellow pupilscoming in after break on a wet morning, and the consequences forMaddi were devastating.

She suffered a ligament injury to her left knee so severe that ittook her three years to recover.

As well as intensive physiotherapy, she needed an …

Paintball to the Groin Sidelines Landry

2012-03-14T06:50:00.000-07:00

ASHBURN, Va. - A paintball shot in the groin left rookie LaRon Landry unable to practice when the Washington Redskins opened their minicamp Friday.

The No. 6 overall pick in this year's draft was injured during a team-building outing Wednesday, when coach Joe Gibbs allowed the players to leave early at the end of the voluntary spring workouts. Some players went bowling or had lunch together, while many of the defensive players went to play paintball.

"I didn't know …

Maxim Afinogenov scores winner in shootout as Sabres beat Maple Leafs 4-3 to avoid elimination

2012-03-14T04:30:00.000-07:00

Russian winger Maxim Afinogenov overcame his seasonlong struggles for one night, and preserved the Buffalo Sabres' NHL playoff hopes.

Afinogenov's shootout goal kept the Sabres in the hunt for a postseason spot with a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

The Sabres moved to three points behind the Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins, tied for seventh in the Eastern Conference. However, Buffalo doesn't play until Thursday at Montreal. In the interim, Boston visits New Jersey and Philadelphia is at Pittsburgh, so Buffalo's playoff chances will be at …

Armstrong back for final 'American Idiot' shows

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

NEW YORK (AP) — The producers of Broadway's "American Idiot" say Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong will return to the hit musical for its final three weeks.

Armstrong, who is also the show's composer and co-author, will return to the role he created as St. Jimmy on April 5 through closing night on April 24, the producers announced Thursday.

The show will have logged 421 performances and 27 previews during its yearlong run at the St. James Theatre. It won two Tony awards and this year's Grammy award for best musical show album.

___

Online:

www.americanidiotonbroadway.com

Judge recommends drug rehab for Blago

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

The same federal judge who sentenced Rod Blagojevich to one of the longest corruption sentences in Illinois history has recommended a prison rehab program for the ex-governor that could help shave time off his staggering 14-year sentence.

U.S. District Judge James Zagel, referencing a report from the U.S. Probation Department, on Tuesday recommended that Blagojevich be placed in the U.S. Bureau of Prisons Residential Drug Abuse Program, said the former governor's lawyer, Shelly Sorosky.

But Sorosky said he didn't know what type of drug or alcohol use Blagojevich would be treated for if the 55-year-old is found qualified for the program.

Known as "RDAP," the program aims to help inmates with substance abuse issues — including drugs or alcohol. Zagel's recommendation is only that — it would be up to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to determine if Blagojevich qualifies.

"Probation said he may be a ripe candidate for it and Judge Zagel said [to the bureau of prisons] 'consider him for it,' " Sorosky said.

A prisons spokesman told the Sun-Times last week there typically has to be a documented history of abuse for an inmate to qualify.

Sorosky said there is documentation.

The judge's recommendation Tuesday, he said, stemmed from a confidential report from the probation department to the judge.

The report came after a summer interview between Blagojevich and a probation officer, Sorosky said. Sorosky said he did not know the nature of what Blagojevich told the probation officer about substance abuse at the time — a few weeks after his June conviction — but it caused a recommendation to the judge.

If Blagojevich qualifies for the program, it could help him take one year off his sentence, plus be freed to a halfway house six months earlier. That would be on top of time off for good behavior. Right now, Blagojevich would have to serve about 12 of the 14 years when factoring in only good behavior.

Zagel also agreed Tuesday to recommend Blagojevich for the low-security Englewood prison in Littleton, Colo., near Denver. That prison offers the substance abuse program. Not all of federal prisons do.

Last week, Scott Fawell, who served as chief of staff to former Gov. George Ryan, told the Sun-Times he went through a nine-month substance abuse program in prison after his own corruption conviction, then got six months off in a halfway house plus one year of credit for doing the program.

"I didn't want to do it at first. I said: 'I'm going to save a little shred of dignity,' " he said. "But it's the only game in town. It's the only way you can get time off," in the federal system, Fawell said last week. Contributing: Kim Janssen

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich | apCharles Rex Arbogast

Italy gives stranded migrants water

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

The Italian coast guard delivered 1,000 liters (1,006 quarts) of drinking water to 140 migrants stranded on a Turkish cargo ship that rescued them in the Mediterranean, as a standoff between Italy and Malta over who should take them entered its fourth day on Sunday.

Italian Coast guard Cmdr. Cosimo Nicastro said the Turkish vessel Pinar also was trying to arrange a helicopter delivery of hot meals but that bad weather was complicating that effort. "The water is very choppy and the wind strong," Nicastro said in a telephone interview.

Earlier in the day, a coast guard cutter ferried a doctor, nurse and a coast guard official to the Pinar to check on the health of the migrants and 13-member crew as well as the seaworthiness of the 70-meter-long (230-foot) vessel anchored 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of the tiny Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Nicastro said.

"There are no worrisome conditions of health or safety," he said.

Two migrants had been evacuated by helicopter to Lampedusa on Friday because of poor health. The helicopter that authorities hope can bring hot food to the Pinar also will transport three doctors, Nicastro said.

The Pinar plucked the migrants to safety on Thursday when the two boats carrying had trouble at sea, according to Italian authorities.

The Turkish crew also recovered the body of a woman, who appeared to be about 20 years old, in one of the boats, Nicastro said. The body had been wrapped and put in a dinghy attached to the Pinar, he said.

Maltese newspapers on Sunday reported that the dead woman had been pregnant, but Nicastro said he could not confirm that.

Malta is insisting that the Pinar bring the migrants to Lampedusa because it is the nearest port. Italy contends Malta should take them because the ship is in Malta's search and rescue area.

Lampedusa has a holding center for some of the thousands of clandestine migrants who are rescued near its shores or who slip ashore during the night.

Each year, tens of thousands of migrants pay smugglers to try to reach Italian shores. Often their boats capsize or get stranded, and nearby fishing boats or military ships rescue them.

Fishing boats and military ships in the area originally alerted Italy and Malta to the migrants' distress at sea.

Maltese army authorities said Malta contends that under international maritime conventions, the nearest port of call is obliged to accept rescued seafarers.

Milan daily Corriere della Sera's web site reported Sunday that Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has called on the European Union to take Malta's side in the dispute. Malta is one of the EU's newest members.

Italy's interior minister, Roberto Maroni, was alleging in an interview with Italian Catholic daily Avvenire that Malta's conduct was 'incorrect" and deserving censure. In any case, "we won't let the humanitarian situation, that now is absolutely under control, degenerate," Maroni said.

Maroni is a leader of the anti-immigrant Northern League party, a key member of Premier Silvio Berlusconio's conservative government. Italy contends that many of the migrants set out from Libyan shores and has been trying to get Tripoli to crack down on smugglers.

The Pinar, loaded with grain, had been sailing to Tunisia when it rescued the migrants, Nicastro said.

Sunday's Sports Scoreboard

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

All Times Eastern

National Football League
Atlanta vs N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m.
Buffalo vs Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
Cleveland vs Detroit, 1 p.m.
Indianapolis vs Baltimore, 1 p.m.
New Orleans vs Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Pittsburgh vs Kansas City, 1 p.m.
San Francisco vs Green Bay, 1 p.m.
Seattle vs Minnesota, 1 p.m.
Washington vs Dallas, 1 p.m.
Arizona vs St. Louis, 4:05 p.m.
Cincinnati vs Oakland, 4:15 p.m.
N.Y. Jets vs New England, 4:15 p.m.
San Diego vs Denver, 4:15 p.m.
Philadelphia vs Chicago, 8:20 p.m.

National Basketball Association
Orlando vs Toronto, 12:30 p.m.
Boston vs New York, 1 p.m.
Indiana vs Charlotte, 5 p.m.
New Orleans vs Miami, 6 p.m.
Detroit vs Phoenix, 8 p.m.
Oklahoma City vs L.A. Lakers, 9:30 p.m.

National Hockey League
Tampa Bay vs Atlanta, 5 p.m.
Chicago vs Vancouver, 10 p.m.

Top 25 College Football
No games today.

Top 25 College Basketball
Valparaiso vs Michigan St. (2), noon
Mississippi vs Villanova (5) at Coliseo de Puerto Rico, 8 p.m.
Purdue (7) vs Saint Joseph's at Virgin Islands Sport & Fitness Center, 8:30 p.m.
Tennessee (10) vs DePaul at Virgin Islands Sport & Fitness Center, 6 p.m.
Kansas St. vs Dayton (18) at Coliseo de Puerto Rico, 5:30 p.m.
Morgan St. vs Louisville (20), 1 p.m.
Boston U. vs Georgia Tech (21) at Coliseo de Puerto Rico, 12:30 p.m.

Top 25 Women's College Basketball
Stanford (2) vs UC Davis, 5 p.m.
Oklahoma St. vs Ohio St. (3), 2 p.m.
North Carolina (4) vs UNLV, 5 p.m.
Iona vs Notre Dame (5), 2 p.m.
Tennessee (6) vs Virginia (12), 4 p.m.
Nicholls St. vs LSU (7), 8:30 p.m.
Baylor (8) vs California (17), 5 p.m.
Florida St. (13) vs Georgia St., 2 p.m.
Texas A&M (15) vs Auburn, 3 p.m.
Rutgers vs Georgia (16), 2:30 p.m.
Michigan vs Kansas (19), 3 p.m.
W. Michigan vs Michigan St. (21), 4 p.m.
Tennessee Tech vs Louisville (23), 4:30 p.m.
Maryland vs Mississippi St. (25), 3 p.m.

Major League Soccer Playoffs
No games today.

Tim Hortons 1st-quarter net income rises

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

NEW YORK (AP) — Canadian coffee-and-doughnuts chain Tim Hortons Inc. said Friday that first-quarter net income rose 2 percent on improving results in its U.S. and Canadian stores.

Net income rose to $80.7 million Canadian dollars ($83.7 million), or 48 Canadian cents (50 cents) per share, from $78.9 million Canadian dollars, or 45 Canadian cents per share last year. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected earnings of 50 cents per share U.S.

Revenue rose 10 percent to $643.5 million Canadian ($667.7 million). Analysts expected revenue of $672.7 million.

Revenue in stores open at least one year rose 4.9 percent in the U.S. and 2 percent in Canada. The measure is considered a key metric of a retailer's financial health because it excludes stores that open or close during the year.

CEO Don Schroeder said results were strong considering the company gave away food and drink prizes as part of a 25th anniversary celebration in Canada. Snowstorms also hurt results in key U.S. markets.

Wedge, Melvin Named Top Managers

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

Cleveland's Eric Wedge has been voted the AL Manager of the Year and Arizona's Bob Melvin has been voted the NL Manager of the Year.

Boston's Terry Francona and the Angels' Mike Scioscia were considered other AL candidates, while Colorado's Clint Hurdle and Philadelphia's Charlie Manuel were other NL possibilities.

La. congressman's relatives plead not guilty

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

A sister, brother and niece of indicted U.S. Rep. William Jefferson pleaded not guilty in federal court Friday to fraud charges accusing them of pocketing grant money earmarked for charitable and educational programs.

New Orleans tax assessor Betty Jefferson, her brother Mose Jefferson and her daughter Angela Coleman were arraigned on charges they stole more than $600,000. The charges are separate from a bribery case against the congressman.

Another relative, Brenda Jefferson, pleaded guilty Wednesday to helping conceal the alleged fraud scheme in the charity case and agreed to cooperate with investigators.

U.S. Magistrate Louis Moore Jr. set bond at $100,000 for Betty Jefferson and Coleman and at $200,000 for Mose Jefferson. Moore also restricted travel for all three.

"This is a generous bond, I believe, and one I believe you all can meet," Moore told the defendants.

William Jefferson, a New Orleans Democrat, is facing separate corruption charges over an alleged international bribery scheme. A tentative trial date has been set for December in U.S. District Court in Virginia.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dorothy Taylor told Moore that prosecutors believe Mose Jefferson and another family member tried to contact Brenda Jefferson to arrange a meeting after she pleaded guilty. Moore ordered the Jeffersons and Coleman not to attempt to contact Brenda Jefferson.

Ike Spears, lawyer for Mose and Betty Jefferson, said his clients have not attempted to influence or intimidate Brenda Jefferson and he believes some relatives called her "out of concern" after hearing about her guilty plea.

"We certainly have no desire to speak to her other than through her attorney," Spears said.

After the arraignment, Spears called the government's allegations of contact between the siblings a "non-issue."

Wednesday's guilty plea by Brenda Jefferson rocked the politically powerful family, and came just a day after the congressman formally announced he will seek re-election.

Brenda Jefferson worked as a secretary for nonprofit groups that Betty and Mose Jefferson used to get grants to help pregnant teens, at-risk youths and others, prosecutors said.

Betty and Mose Jefferson are accused of depositing some of the grant money into personal checking accounts and using it for personal expenses. Brenda Jefferson was paid roughly $90,000 for her work, according to prosecutors.

"The government's evidence thus would show that while (Brenda Jefferson) knew of the fraudulent scheme and even received proceeds from it, she participated primarily at the direction and behest (of her relatives)," according to a court document prosecutors and Brenda Jefferson signed as part of her plea.

(This version CORRECTS spelling of prosecutor's first name in 8th graf; EDITS headline, ADDS photos.)

Boot camp proposed for youthful offenders

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

SPRINGFIELD A prison work camp in southern Illinois will beturned into a military-style boot camp designed to shock youthfuloffenders out of a life of crime, Gov. Thompson announced Friday.

The planned "impact incarceration" program could open this fallat the Dixon Springs work camp, a 200-bed facility in the ShawneeNational Forest in Pope County, some 300 miles south of Chicago.

Legislation to create the program and allow judges to recommendoffenders for boot camp was introduced Friday in the Illinois Housewith the support of the John Howard Association, the state's leadingprison reform group.

"It's no quick fix, but it beats what we're doing now," saidMichael J. Mahoney, the association's executive director. "As acost-effective alternative to regular prison, it makes sense."

The 120-day, voluntary program would combine stern discipline,strenuous labor and intense schooling for inmates who qualify, prisonofficials said.

Inmates accepted into the program would face a daily regimenincluding close-order drill, teamwork and physical training similarto that undergone by military recruits in basic training, officialssaid. Participants also would perform arduous labor and publicservice work.

Evenings would be spent in education programs designed toprepare inmates for tests leading to a high school equivalency degreeand to enable them to apply for jobs after completing boot camp.Drug abuse and drug awareness programs would be emphasized.

Talking would be permitted only when necessary to complete anassignment, telephone calls and visits would be restricted, andtelevision would be limited to nightly news programs.

"The remote location will eliminate outside distractions andwill afford ample opportunity for rigorous physical labor,"Corrections Director Kenneth McGinnis said.

McGinnis said the camp could keep as many as 750 offenders ayear out of prison - enough to fill a new prison.

Thompson said his visit last fall to a Michigan boot camppersuaded him to go ahead with the program here as a way to deteryoung offenders.

"Most of the young men who will be sent to the Dixon Springsboot camp are headed for a life of crime," Thompson said. "They havetaken the easy way out by quitting school and relying on drugs to getthem through a directionless day.

"I firmly believe that we can make winners out of these men,instill them with a sense of selfesteem and responsibility bythrusting them into a rigorous program of military discipline andhard labor, coupled with substance abuse counseling and basiceducation."

Under the measure offered by House Minority Leader Lee A.Daniels (R-Elmhurst), a judge could recommend boot camp for certainfirst-time offenders between 17 and 30 who volunteer for the program.

Offenders convicted of murder, Class X felonies, rape,kidnapping, arson or most other serious crimes would not be eligiblefor the boot camp. Also ineligible would be anyone facing a sentencelonger than six years, not physically able to withstand the strenuousactivities and labor, or having a mental disorder or disability.

Inmates who successfully complete the program would have theirsentences commuted to time served and would serve a period ofmandatory, supervised release with a focus on job placement, livingarrangements and the inmate's individual needs.

Those failing to complete the program for any reason would besent to a regular prison to serve their sentences.

Angst away; Back-to-school anxiety comes in all ages, but preparing can help ease stress Series: Back to Cool

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

Catrina Bolin predicts 6-year-old daughter Arianna's first day offirst grade won't be marked with tear-filled, needy farewells.

"She's going to get out of the car, run and tell me goodbye,"said Bolin, who lives on the border of the Chatham and Avalon Parkneighborhoods. "She did not have any separation anxiety, not even inpreschool."

Her daughter might not have had separation anxiety, but Bolindid. The first day she sent Arianna off to school, Bolin said shewas the one crying.

"I cried a little bit because she is the first one," she said."She pulled away so fast. Then kindergarten was a big, big stepbecause it was a full day. But she's a pro."

New backpacks, clothes and shoes aren't the only markings of thestart of a new school year. Joining the excitement and fun aretears, anxiety and stress for even the most confident students andtheir parents.

"It is a stressful day, there's no doubt about it," said EllisCopeland, department chair of the school psychology program at theChicago School of Professional Psychology. "You're making atransition from one stage to another stage. You're going into asituation that requires that one adapts."

Copeland said the first week is "critical" in starting the schoolyear off on the right note. Participating in back-to-school ritualslike shopping and attending open houses or registration days aregood ways to show your kid you are invested in their success.

Talk to them about what to expect at school. Try to meet teachersand scope out the school with your student before the first day.

"Mom and Dad are sharing the experience by just getting the childready for school," Copeland said. "If kids feel their parents areconnected with the teacher, they will feel they are connected to theschool."

Copeland said though the first day of school can be stressful forparents, try to hold back the tears.

"If you know your mom is out in the car crying, that's not goingto reduce the stress," he said, admitting he once shed a few tearsdropping his daughter off at camp. "Be aware that this is a changeand you do need to make this adaptation."

For Catrina Bolin, a stay-at-home mom, and her husband, Andre, anironworker, prepping Arianna for first grade at Amelia EarhartElementary School and 3-year-old sister Cheyenne for her first yearof preschool has been a summerlong process.

They created pretend homework sheets for Cheyenne so she would beused to seeing her name printed out. They helped Arianna complete anoptional summer homework packet.

"We make it fun," Andre Bolin said. "We started early in thesummer, talking about what both of them needed."

Arianna, Cheyenne and little brother Andre Jr., 2, all receivedbrand new bookbags to help mark Tuesday, the first day of school, asthe start of something special.

"I'm going to have a new teacher," Arianna said, showing off herblue floral bag with matching lunchbox. "We're going to have fun."

Not all students are so optimistic.

Chris Lewandowski, school psychologist at St. Charles North HighSchool and past president of the Illinois School PsychologistAssociation, said students in all grades come to school anxious,though for different reasons. He's been watching the annual dose ofangst play out at his school, where classes started Aug. 22.

"Kids are worried if they are wearing the right clothes," hesaid. "Where do I sit for lunch is a big concern, how do I makefriends. Seniors are not worrying about friends but about the nextstep."

These concerns are typically resolved in the first two weeks, hesaid, as the rhythm of the new school year establishes itself.Students and parents who need extra help can turn to schoolcounselors or psychologists, he said.

Simple things like getting to bed a little earlier the nightbefore the first day of school or eating breakfast can alleviatemany of the perceived stressors, he said.

"A lot of kids are in the same boat," he said. "Some times theparents need a little more calming that everything is going to beOK."

More online: From healthy lunches to oh-so-grownup classes foradults, we cover your back-to-school needs in our special section atwww.suntimes.com.

kspak@suntimes.com

U.S. Charges `Rogues' With Swindling Elderly

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

WASHINGTON The Justice Department has filed criminal charges in10 states against 11 "rogue brokers" accused of investment swindlesthat targeted old and sick people.

"No one was spared from this greedy and heartless conduct,"Attorney General Janet Reno said Thursday in announcing indictmentsthat grew out of a joint Justice Department and Securities andExchange Commission investigation.

The brokers, accused of defrauding dozens of investors ofamounts ranging from $10,000 to $1 million, have all been banned forlife from dealing in securities and now face federal criminalcharges, according to the government.

SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt Jr. compared the white-collarcriminals to thieves "who go into a store with a handgun" and commitrobbery.

But he called them "a few bad apples" among brokers, and said hedidn't believe there was a wider problem.

"Really they were preying on clients who were least able toprotect themselves," Levitt said, noting that most of the victimswere elderly, disabled or retired and unfamiliar with how thefinancial markets work. "Investors have got to protect themselves."

The Justice Department didn't name any specific brokerage housesinvolved, but a review of most of the indictments turned up big andsmall firms. Well-known names included PaineWebber, Inc., PrudentialSecurities, Inc., Metlife Insurance/Securities and Merrill Lynch.Others were Edward D. Jones & Co., Anchor National FinancialServices, SunAmerica Securities, Mariner Financial Services Inc.,Quality Financial Services Inc., Thomas F. White Co. Inc. and BerthelFisher.

All of the investment companies caught and fired theunscrupulous brokers and most returned the money stolen or lost byclients. The scams often involved false papers and forging of clientsignatures, the government said.

In one case, a Largo, Fla., financial consultant, Alan Handy,sold nearly $1 million in phony securities to 42 investors, most ofthem elderly, according to an indictment filed by the U.S. attorneyin Florida.

In Chicago, Jeffrey Dunn was charged with targeting olderinvestors, including a 61-year-old man receiving chemotherapy totreat cancer, in a scheme that lost his clients $123,000, theindictment said.

The other states where indictments were filed are Indiana, Iowa,Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.

R&A loses income, happy with Turnberry

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

Low attendance figures at Turnberry, the most remote venue on the British Open rotation, cost organizers about 3 million pounds in revenue, an R&A official said Monday.

It did not cost the Ayrshire links its spot on the rotation.

"Does it worry the R&A financially? I don't think so, if you take a 10-year view," said David Hill, the R&A's director of championships. "We do very well at all the other championship venues financially, and when you take account of our media income and our total income, it really isn't a huge drop at all.

"Any thoughts of Turnberry not being part of the future Open circuit is just really not in the thoughts of anyone at the R&A."

It had been 15 years since the Open returned to Turnberry, mainly because there were not enough roads leading to the course. Even now, the crowd was not nearly as large as other venues, such as Royal Birkdale last year or St. Andrews, where it returns next year.

The grandstands surrounding the 18th green, where 59-year-old Tom Watson was a par away from becoming golf's oldest major champion until losing to Stewart Cink in a playoff, were not full until Sunday.

Hill said attendance was 123,000 for the week, up from 114,000 at Turnberry in 1994.

"I can guarantee next year at St. Andrews, you'll have at least approaching 200,000 people," Hill said, adding that Hoylake and Lytham in the northwest of England will attract similar crowds. "At Muirfield, you'll have about 160,000 people. It just reflects the location."

As for the drop in revenue?

"It's not anything that's worrying us," he said.

R&A chief executive Peter Dawson said he was disappointed that the second Lord's Ashes Test _ the showcase of the series between bitter rivals England and Australia _ was scheduled the same week as the British Open.

"Open Championship week has long been a fixture in the calendar," Dawson said.

Dawson said Monday after the Open is his least favorite day of the year, as workers begin dismantling the stage of golf's oldest championship. Even so, there were few complaints about the week, or the winner.

Watson was atop the leaderboard most of the week. Cink was never part of the lead until Watson missed an 8-foot par putt on the final hole to fall into a playoff, where he ran out of energy and was beaten by six shots.

Cink won his first major, giving Americans seven claret jugs this decade.

"It very nearly produced one of the great sporting moments of my lifetime," said Michael Brown, chairman of the R&A's championship committee. "And I don't limit that to golf."

Voters must shape the future of Wales [Edition 6]

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

TOMORROW the people of Wales are being given the chance to voteon the future of the Welsh Assembly.

We will be asked whether the Assembly should have full law-making powers in the 20 areas it is responsible for.

It is a simple yes or no answer.

Do you want the Assembly to have further powers so decisions onWales can be made in Wales? Should AMs have the tools for the job sothat they can do their work more effectively? Is it right thatScotland and Northern Ireland have full law-making powers and Walesdoes not? Or are you uncomfortable with giving the Assembly furtherlaw-making powers? Do you feel they are not ready to take on theextra responsibility yet? Are you concerned it is a step closer toindependence? Whatever you think, it is important to get out thereand vote.

It's your Wales, your future, if you truly care about how ourcountry will be run then it is incredibly important you make theeffort to go to your polling station and put your cross in the box.

Whatever happens, we must not let apathy win the day.

This referendum may not be as exciting as the 1997 one andperhaps has not caught the public imagination, but it will play animportant role in the development of Wales.

Yes and No campaigners have been campaigning hard for your vote.

First Minister Carwyn Jones has been in Carmarthen and Tumblemeeting people and urging them to vote yes.

He knows what is at stake and how the votes of West Wales peopleplayed a pivotal role in securing the Assembly vote in 1997.

The latest polling suggests the yes vote will win, but Mr Jonessaid: "We don't take anything for granted. We need to maximise theyes vote."

He encouraged people to vote yes, but offered reassurance tothose worried about the implications of a yes vote.

Mr Jones said: "It is about having government that is moreefficient and effective and cheaper. A form of Government where theAssembly can do more things rather than talking about doing morethings."

The First Minister said a yes vote would smooth relations withWestminster and noted the current system was more likely toencourage independence because it contained a source of conflict. MrJones said he would not seek even more powers if there was a yesvote, adding: "We won't be looking for another referendum any timesoon." .Comment -- Page 12 .Yes or no? -- pages 16 & 17

Chicago-based company sending instant message

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

Imici, the Chicago-based online instant messaging company, hasplayed a cat-and-mouse game with programmers from America Onlinesince it launched its free "interoperable" IM service July 27.

Two to three times a week, AOL blocks Imici from logging into itspopular AIM (AOL Instant Messaging) service.

Dante Federighi, Imici's co-founder and chief executive officer,said that his programmers overcome the block in about 10 minutes.They send their counterparts at AOL messages such as "Give Peace aChance."

Imici is attempting to help its more than 7,000 customers link toAIM, which has more than half the market, as well as the other majorservices from Microsoft Network, Yahoo! and AOL-owned ICQ.

What Imici et al consider interoperability, AOL considers hacking."This is unauthorized access of our system," said Kathy Mckiernan, aspokeswoman for AOL, which pioneered IM in 1985.

Imici simultaneously logs users into the various other IMservices. Federighi, 29, said his members' screen names and passwordsare kept in a file in the user's own computer. Users of ImiciMessenger can come from different services into conference rooms fordiscussions.

IM primarily has been used for fun at home to reach friends andfamily. But Navi Radjou, a Forrester Research analyst, said, "Ascorporations become increasingly entwined in eBusiness networks,inter-enterprise collaboration will emerge as instant messaging'snext sweet spot."

With IM, colleagues can keep computer windows open all day toconnect team members.

Radjou said the inability of the various IM systems tointeroperate is an obstacle. But he expects standards will beestablished in the next year so all IM users can communicate.

Federighi said he hopes to gain a competitive edge by offeringinteroperable services sooner. Imici offers its software free atwww.imici.com. Users must be registered with the various other IMservices so Imici can log them in and connect them.

"I would question the sustainability of the business model,"Radjou said. "If they don't get formal authorization to interoperate,Fortune 1000 companies will not feel comfortable with their service."

Imici plans to develop a business-class service with such featuresas encrypted messages, file transfers and alerts. Imici offersprivate label IM service for businesses.