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Stubborn Albania goes its own way // Success rests on `purified' communism

2012-03-15T06:21:00.000-07:00

Peter Lucas, a political columnist for the Boston Herald,recently became the first American journalist granted a visa toAlbania since New York Times reporter Harrison Salisbury was allowedto visit in 1957. Following is Lucas's account of his two-week visitto the secretive communist country.

TIRANA, Albania No one was more astonished than I when I wasgranted a visa to visit the People's Socialist Republic of Albania.

And visit I did, traveling 1,575 miles over 14 days in a journeythrough a land no American reporter has seen in three decades.

I had been invited to attend the August wedding of the last sonof an uncle I'd never met and, although all past …

Iran Closes Border With Northern Iraq

2012-03-15T03:55:00.000-07:00

BAGHDAD - Iran closed major border crossings with northern Iraq on Monday to protest the U.S. detention of an Iranian official the military accused of weapons smuggling, a Kurdish official said.

At least four border gates had been closed, with just one remaining open in a move that will severely curtail trade between the two countries, the governor of the Kurdish province of Sulaimaniyah, Dana Ahmed Majeed, told The Associated Press.

The move came four days after U.S. troops arrested an Iranian official during a raid on a hotel in Sulaimaniyah, 160 miles northeast of Baghdad.

U.S. officials said he was a member of the elite Quds force of the Iranian Revolutionary …

Blast near US troops kills 1 Afghan, wounds 54

2012-03-15T01:34:00.000-07:00

An explosion in a crowded bazaar near a convoy of U.S. Army troops in northeastern Afghanistan killed one Afghan teenager Tuesday and wounded about 50 people, many of them children, officials said. Three U.S. troops were wounded in the blast.

A U.S. military spokesman said someone in a nearby building threw a grenade into the crowd in Asadabad, the capital of Kunar province, but witnesses and the spokesman for Afghanistan's Education Ministry alleged that U.S. troops threw a grenade. Police did not confirm those claims and the provincial governor said U.S. troops showed him fragments of a Russian-made grenade.

However, witnesses and the spokesman for …

Bessie Coleman Flew in the Face of Racial Stereotypes

2012-03-14T23:11:00.000-07:00

Just about every black kid in Chicago knows about Bessie Coleman.There's even a street named after her. But just about every whitekid has never heard of the world's first black woman pilot. Andthat's a pity in an age in which we all need every hero and heroinewe can find. Coleman's life was a brief but shining tale ofEmersonian self-reliance.

She was born in 1892, one of 13 children of Texassharecroppers. Bright and determined, she walked four miles toschool each day when not picking cotton, and devoured books aboutHarriet Tubman and Booker T. Washington. From the beginning Bessiewanted a better life, and in 1915, at age 23, she joined the greatblack migration from …

Ableton Live 8

2012-03-14T20:51:00.000-07:00

Released April 2, 2009, Live 8 is the most recent version o� Ableton's recording and performance platform. Coming less than two years after the release of Live 7, this installment boasts a host of new features, including new groove and warping engines, a Looper, several effects, and some helpful workflow improvements.

For the purposes of this review, I installed Live onto an HP Pavilion laptop running Windows Vista (gasp). I did all testing using a Mackie Onyx 40Of audio interface with an Akai MPD 24 and an M-Audio Axiom 61 for MIDI controllers. Installation was smooth and it couldn't have been easier to set up the I/O and controllers.

Along with all of the standard effects …

E-Trade's CFO and general counsel resign in latest executive exodus from troubled firm

2012-03-14T18:30:00.000-07:00

An executive exodus from troubled online brokerage E-Trade Financial Corp. is continuing, with the chief financial officer's and general counsel's departures announced Friday as the company grapples with massive losses stemming from its hemorrhaging mortgage business.

The New York-based company said after the market closed that Chief Financial Officer Robert Simmons will resign on or before May 9, while General Counsel Arlen Gelbard's resignation was effective Tuesday.

The CFO slot will be filled by Matthew Audette, E-Trade's controller, while the company searches for a permanent replacement. The general counsel position will be filled on an "extended …

Youngsters frustrating for Piniella

2012-03-14T16:10:00.000-07:00

Tampa Bay manager Lou Piniella wants his young pitchers to stopthrowing and start pitching.

"I've seen five games here, and it's probably a blessing,"Piniella said Saturday. "I realize it's just a big teaching job here,teaching these kids how to play."

Piniella remained in his office at Tropicana Field well past 1a.m. after Friday night's 12-2 loss to the Yankees, discussing waysto help a pitching staff that has struggled since a season-openingvictory over the Boston Red Sox.

New York hit five homers in the rout, including three in the ninthinning off reliever Jesus Colome.

"Good-hitting teams will hit the fastball if you don't locate thething. I told a …

Showdown at the Wall

2012-03-14T13:49:00.000-07:00

"Disasters recurred again and again to the Jewish people" on Tisha B'Av, the Talmud states. To that list of tragic events occurring on the same date in history on which the two holy Temples in Jerusalem were destroyed can be added a contemporary one.

Tisha B'Av is now also the day on which a Conservative organized group of some 200 women and men tried to pray at the Western Wall, and were prevented from doing so.

The tragedy in this latest Tisha B'Av occurrence, some will argue, is that these Conservative Jews were denied the opportunity to peacefully act as Jews in the Jewish state.

If Israel is the homeland for all Jews, if "We Are One" is more than a slogan, and if …

Oil soars above $111 as bailout weighs on dollar

2012-03-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

Oil prices spiked more than $7 a barrel Monday, soaring above $111 as the government's proposed bailout plan weighed on the dollar and touched off frenzied buying of safe-haven investments.

Light, sweet crude for October delivery jumped $7.11 to $111.66 in early afternoon trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Crude has gained about $20 in a dramatic four-day rally that has at least temporarily halted oil's steep two-month slide below $100.

At the pump, retail gas prices fell as more Gulf Coast refineries ramped up operations following shutdowns forced by Hurricane Ike. A gallon of regular gas shed 1.8 cents overnight to a new national average of …

McDonald's hopes to open doors 24 hours

2012-03-14T09:09:00.000-07:00

A Bath fast-food restaurant is applying for a 24-hour licence.

McDonald's in SouthGate is currently open from 5am to 11pm,Sunday to Thursday, and 5am to 2am, Friday and Saturday.

But the firm says demand for fast food outside of these hours hasgrown to such an extent it can justify opening around the clock.

A spokesman said, although the branch may not necessarily alwaysstay open for the full 24 hours, getting the permission would allowit the flexibility to do so.

He said: "We want to serve customers at the times that suit themin a world which, more and more, is lived outside of the nine-to-five routine.

"By extending our opening hours in the …

Peru Soldiers Kill 3 Leftist Rebels

2012-03-14T06:48:00.000-07:00

AYACUCHO, Peru - Three suspected leftist rebels were shot to death in a clash with troops in Peru's highland jungle Tuesday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

An army platoon was met with gunfire from the suspected rebels while conducting an early morning patrol near the town of Huachocolpa, 165 miles southeast of the capital Lima, the military officials said in a statement.

An army official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with journalists, said the men were remnants of the Shining Path rebel group.

A soldier and an army officer were wounded in the clash, he said. …

Hand Gels Alone May Not Curb Infections

2012-03-14T04:28:00.000-07:00

Doctors and nurses on the go often skip soap and water in favor of an alcohol-based hand gel, thinking the quick-acting goo will kill bacteria on their hands and curb the spread of infection. It turns out that's not enough.

In a Nebraska hospital, medical workers nearly doubled their use of the alcohol-based gel, but their generally cleaner hands had no bearing on the rate of infections among patients.

The doctor who studied the problem pointed to many villains: Rings and fingernails that are too long and hard to clean, poor handling of catheters and treatment areas that aren't sanitized.

"Hand hygiene is still important, but it's not a …

Al roundup Loss keeps Twins from Central lead

2012-03-14T01:41:00.000-07:00

Paul Byrd pitched seven sharp innings to win his third consecutive start, and Kelly Shoppach and David Dellucci hit two-run home runs to lead the visiting Cleveland Indians to a 5-1 victory Saturday against the Minnesota Twins.

The Twins had a chance to move into first place in the Central for the first time since May 13, but the loss kept them a half-game behind the White Sox, who lost to the Kansas City Royals earlier in the day.

The Twins were without manager Ron Gardenhire, who served a one-game suspension for his outburst that led fans to throw hats and baseballs onto the field during a victory Thursday against the White Sox.

Byrd (6-10) allowed one run and six hits and has yielded only five runs in his last four starts.

Losing pitcher Kevin Slowey (7-8) struggled, allowing five runs and six hits -- including the homers to Shoppach in the fourth and Dellucci in the fifth -- in six innings. Slowey has served up 28 homers in 28 career starts.

Newly acquired Bay fuels Bosox

Jason Bay hit his first homer with his new team, and Kevin Youkilis added a pair of two-run shots as the host Boston Red Sox cruised to a

12-2 rout of the Oakland Athletics. The A's have lost five games in a row and are 2-12 since the All-Star break.

Bay, whom the Red Sox acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates in the three-way deal Thursday that sent slugger Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers, drilled a 3-1 pitch from losing pitcher Dana Eveland (7-6) over the Green Monster for a three-run homer that gave the Red Sox a 5-2 lead in the first. Bay finished 1-for-4 and has reached base in six of his first 11 at-bats with the Red Sox.

Winning pitcher Jon Lester

(10-3) allowed two first-inning runs and seven hits in seven innings. He lasted at least seven innings for the eighth time in his last nine starts.

Longoria, Rays win again

Evan Longoria homered and drove in three runs, and Andy Sonnanstine (11-6) yielded two runs and seven hits in six innings to carry the Tampa Bay Rays past the visiting Detroit Tigers 9-3. The result kept the Rays three games ahead of the Red Sox in the East.

Carl Crawford contributed a two-run single for the Rays, who won their fourth consecutive game and set a franchise record for home victories in a season with 42. At 65-44 overall, they are one victory away from matching their total for last season, when they were a major-league-worst 66-96.

Longoria smacked a run-scoring double during a four-run second and an RBI single in the fourth before belting his 21st homer to lead off the sixth.

Mussina, Yankees in control

Mike Mussina (14-7) allowed one earned run and two hits in seven innings and retired the last 17 batters he faced, and the host New York Yankees hit four homers in an 8-2 victory against the Los Angeles Angels, who had their five-game winning streak broken.

Jose Molina, Alex Rodriguez, Wilson Betemit and Bobby Abreu homered for the Yankees, who played without second baseman Robinson Cano (sore hand). The Angels played without center fielder Torii Hunter (family funeral) and shortstop Maicer Izturis (jammed thumb).

Big sixth inning sparks Jays

Rod Barajas and Scott Rolen had two-run doubles in a four-run sixth inning that boosted the visiting Toronto Blue Jays past the Texas Rangers 6-4.

Guthrie the man for Orioles

Jeremy Guthrie (8-8) pitched a four-hit complete game, and Adam Jones had three hits and scored two runs to pace the Baltimore Orioles past the host Seattle Mariners 3-1.

AP1

Photo: Hannah Foslien, AP / The Indians' David Dellucci follows the flight of his two-run home run in the fifth inning Saturday against the Twins. ;

Saudi chic that shocks heats runway Designer flouts her country's traditional conservatism

2012-03-13T22:49:00.000-07:00

Bare midriffs and exposed belly buttons. Snakeskin bridalminiskirts. Long hair cascading over shoulders, tassels and tops heldtogether with laces.

These are not fashions often seen in highly conservative SaudiArabia, yet that is what Zaki ben Abboud recently presented on arunway in Beirut. Even in Lebanon, one of the most liberal Islamiccountries, the risque collection by the female Saudi designer turnedheads. Some guests at Sursock Palace, where the haute couture showwas held, were shocked.

"The models waltzed out on to the central stairs -- on no lessthan five-inch platform sandals that caused many of the girls to tripand the guests to sit in tense anticipation for a model to fall onthem," Lebanon's Daily Star reported.

Abboud's spring and summer collection flouts the conservatism ofher home country. Saudi Arabia practices a strict interpretation ofIslam; women's movements and dress are strictly curtailed.

Women are permitted to leave their home only when accompanied bytheir husband or another close male relative. When they do, they mustwear a head scarf and their entire body must be swathed in an abaya,a bulky black robe that conceals their figure.

But what women in Islamic countries wear behind closed doors isanother story. Many women are free to wear what they want in private,as long as men are not present.

"Women can and do wear very bright, very attractive clothes, allkinds of different fashions and styles, when they are at home or inthe company of other women, but then they cover up when they gooutside," said Alia Hogben, executive director of the CanadianCouncil of Muslim Women. "This is true of almost every Muslimcountry."

Abboud's collection also included wedding attire, including oneoutfit with a snakeskin miniskirt and flowing veil and anotherfeaturing loose laces over the bride's exposed stomach.

Many Saudi women jet off to Paris for the latest fashions and thenwear them underneath their abayas, said Mary Ali, who works with theInstitute of Islamic Information and Education in Chicago.

"Once they get out of Saudi airspace, off goes the abaya," saidAli. "Once they're coming back and entering Saudi airspace, it goesback on." National Post

Young Parishioners Pay Tribute to Murdered Kids

2012-03-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

Being children, they couldn't help laughing and eagerly shakingthe little mixing balls in their ink pens, despite the solemnsymbolism of what they were doing.

A week after Easter, on a bright Sunday morning, about 20children from the St. James Episcopal Cathedral, 65 E. Huron, crowdedaround a large wooden cross at Huron and Rush streets to sign theirnames on a little plaque. Written on one side of the cross were thenames of children.

"These kids died," explained Meredith Carden, age "7 and ahalf," the first to sign her name at the base of the cross. "It'svery important to think of the memories they had."

The kids she was talking about were all youngsters murdered inChicago, a subject that parishioners of St. James - adults andchildren - have focused on for the last year.

"Phoebe Griswold, the bishop's wife, drew a group of us togetherto discern what, if anything, we could do to stop the killing ofchildren in our city," said Anne Sawyer, a parishioner active in thechurch's efforts to address the issue.

They've placed a memorial book and shrine to the murderedchildren in the foyer of the church. There was a memorial servicelast Dec. 29, the day of the Feast of the Holy Innocents.

The cross, which will remain as a memorial at the corner, iscovered on one side with broken mirrors.

"The point of the mirrors is when you look at them you seeshattered lives of children," said Elizabeth Browne, 8.

Cherryl Holt, one of St. James' Sunday school teachers, said 20or so children, ranging from 6 to 12 years old, are involved in thecross project. They've come to grips with the issue in a wayrelative to their age and maturity, she said.

"I think some of the older ones really understand what it is allabout," Holt said. "The extent of the violence, the acts ofviolence, may not be clear to the younger ones. But they know thatsomething bad is going on."

Wholesale prices fall 0.3 percent in May

2012-03-13T17:05:00.000-07:00

Wholesale prices fell for a second straight month in May, the first time that has happened in a year, reflecting big declines in the cost of energy and food.

The Labor Department said Wednesday that wholesale prices dropped 0.3 percent in May following a 0.1 percent decline in April. Core inflation, which excludes energy and food, posted a 0.2 percent increase. Core prices are up just 1.3 percent over the past 12 months.

The continued absence of inflationary pressures means that the Federal Reserve, which meets next week, can keep interest rates low to provide support for the economic recovery.

In May, energy prices fell 1.5 percent, the biggest drop since a 2.2 percent decline in February. Gasoline prices were down 7 percent while home heating oil fell 7.4 percent and residential natural gas was down 1.1 percent.

The lower prices reflect a continued decline in global oil prices which have been falling because of concerns that the European debt crisis will dampen growth prospects in a key region of the world.

Economists expect energy costs will keep inflation low in June as well, given that gasoline costs are down significantly from a month ago. The nationwide average for regular gasoline is $2.70 currently, down from $2.87 a month ago, according to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report.

Food costs dropped 0.6 percent, the biggest decline since a 1.3 percent fall in July of last year. The decreases were led by an 18 percent drop in the cost of fresh vegetables, a category where prices had been driven higher because of damaging freezes earlier in the year in Florida.

The 0.3 percent drop in the overall inflation rate for Labor's Producer Price Index was slightly less than the 0.5 percent decline economists had expected while the 0.2 percent rise in core inflation compared to a forecast 0.1 percent increase.

Household International: It's no predatory lender

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

Gary Gilmer, the second-highest ranking officer of the Household International, Inc., led a team of executives to the Chicago Defender's Editorial Board Monday to counter charges of unfair loan practices.

The Prospect Heights company's Vice Chairman for Consumer Lending described as unfounded the recent rash of lawsuits, advocacy organization complaints and accusations by politicians from Boston to California that accuse the company of predatory lending.

Lisa Sodeika, Household International, Inc. Consumer Lending Vice President said of lenders who talk unwary borrowers into excessively expensive loans, "We're here to differentiate ourselves from those guys."

Household is the nation's largest high-risk consumer lending company with assets last year of $89.4 billion, up from $76.7 billion in 2000.

Gilmer said allegations against his company by the Association for Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) are false.

They include charges of "unconscionable" loan rates and fees, loan "lock-ins", deals with people who cannot afford loans, loan amounts that exceed the value of mortgaged real estate, "grossly overpriced insurance", and sales tactics targeting minorities and the elderly.

Another alleged abuse, expensive single-premium credit life insurance attached to real estate loans, has been stopped, Sodeika said.

ACORN Organizer Adam Lang said his organization filed a lawsuit seeking class-action status in Cook County Chancery Court in behalf of millions of Household borrowers throughout the U.S.

It alleges, he said, "Household mails live checks for $5,000 to homeowners for cashing at their bank. They want you to refinance with Household at a value higher than what your house is worth."

Lang said the deals, which become effective upon the checks' cashing, carry prepayment penalties and excessive loan-origination costs and excessive fees.

"In the lawsuit we charge the company tries to get as many people stuck in these loans as possible," he said.

Of subsequent borrower problems, Gilmer said:

"There has been a great deal of soul-searching. Some of it's embarrassing to learn it really did happen."

Household's literature says of predatory lending that "unethical lending practices of any type are abhorrent to our company. These practices undermine the integrity of the marketplace in which we compete."

Lang said ACORN considers Household "one of the biggest predatory lenders in the country," although the company says its "Reverse Foreclosure Policy" does everything in its power to help customers to avoid foreclosure.

"Household simply does not make loans to customers who cannot afford the payments," Household literature says and, it adds, its debt collectors are offered financial incentives to avoid foreclosure.

As of last December, only .36 percent of Illinois Household accounts were in foreclosure, the company said.

Gilmer said company policy is one of forbearance and generosity.

"You don't foreclose on someone's house. These people are going to repay us," is how he described its hopeful approach to helping borrowers.

"Our customers are the first to be hit by recession and the last to get out of it," he said.

"It costs us $10,000 every time we foreclose on a house," he said, adding that "It's a reputational thing. If you can keep a customer in the house, you lose less than you would otherwise.

"That is the good business thing to do, the right thing to do, the right business strategy."

Gilmer said of the company's 125,000 new consumer loans per month, "Several hundred are on hardship, customers who hit the rocks, who are out of work, who can't pay."

He said Household, whose net operating income last year was $1.9 billion, up from $820 million in 1996, has "specialists" who ask customers in trouble what and when they can pay.

"You would not believe the number of innovative ideas these kids come up with," he said of the loan specialists.

"The only way to get foreclosed on is for a customer to say to us, `I'm not paying, I'm never going to pay.' It's a doing-business reputational thing to do," he said of Household's foreclosure policy.

Gilmer said customers of Household's 1,400 branches, seven of which are in Chicago, want to know what actually happened in the loan making process.

So, he said, the company created an eight-minute video and a survey form that helps borrowers understand their mortgage deal, including examples such as the optional loan-insurance feature and the terms of prepayment penalties.

"Why do I want a customer to have a loan with me that makes him unhappy forever?" Gilmer said.

Launched last May 1, the communication innovation found that of 25,000 responding customers, only 10 were not happy with their loans, he said.

Gilmer said one reason last year's state regulations fail to crack down on predatory lending is because "one of the problems is to define what predatory lending is."

"I admit I would engage in some vigorous debate on some things," he said of definitions, including prepayment penalties that can add up to six months' worth of loan interest.

"Almost no consumer activist thinks its good. I believe it is. It costs us $3,500 to make a real estate loan, and a customer comes in six months later and says I want out because interest rates have fallen.

"We say here's your payoff, and I'm stuck for $3,000," he said.

ACORN's Lang estimated that 10 percent of Household's subprime loans, or deals with risky borrowers, are made in the minority community, many in Englewood, Woodlawn, Chatham, Austin and North Lawndale.

His organization has been on "a campaign" against Household for two years, and now ACORN hopes its lawsuit and new regulations will see results, he said.

Gilmer agreed that outrageously expensive loan deals are onerous and offensive.

"Some of this stuff stinks to high heaven," he said.

"You know what predatory lending is. Let's give the regulators authority to weigh in. Right now they're trying to enforce stuff they can't find."

Judge to decide if ex-CIA agent's trial continues

2012-03-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A federal judge is deciding whether a politically-charged perjury case against a former CIA agent will continue after the defense claimed prosecutors put a covert Cuban agent on the witness stand and delayed providing documents on his background.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone was expected to rule Tuesday on the request for a mistrial from attorneys for Luis Posada Carriles, an 83-year-old native of Cuba who was a CIA operative from 1964 until 1976. It's the fifth such defense request since the trial began Jan. 10.

Prosecutors allege that Posada lied while seeking U.S. citizenship in El Paso, making false statements about how he sneaked into the U.S. in March 2005, and failing to acknowledge his role in planning a series of 1997 bombings in Cuba that killed an Italian tourist.

Posada, who spent decades as a Washington-backed agent, traversing Latin America to foment violence, is Public Enemy No. 1 in Cuba. He admitted responsibility for the bombings of hotels and the Cuban beach resort of Varadero during a 1998 interview with The New York Times, but has since recanted.

Cuba and Venezuela would like to try Posada for the 1997 bombings or the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner that killed 73 people, but a U.S. immigration judge has previously ruled he can't be sent to either country for fear he could be tortured.

In the U.S., Posada is not on trial for the bombings. Instead, he faces perjury, obstruction and immigration fraud charges.

Defense attorneys have taken issue with the testimony of Lt. Col. Roberto Hernandez Caballero, who described the 1997 bombings of hotels in Havana and the Cuban beach resort of Varadero for jurors last week.

Hernandez Caballero has testified twice before in separate U.S. court proceedings, including a federal hijacking case in Tampa, Florida. He said then that he was a member of the Cuba's counterintelligence agency. During Posada's trial, Hernandez Caballero said only that he was an investigator.

Posada's defense team says it found out late about Hernandez Caballero's real job because prosecutors delayed in providing them the transcript of his testimony in the Florida case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Reardon called the request for a mistrial "an extraordinary and ridiculous motion."

The defense motion also referred to two previously classified FBI reports it says prosecutors also were slow to turn over. The first asserted that the 1997 bombings were the work of the Cuban government, or that they were carried out by dissenting officers within the island's armed forces or Interior Ministry.

The second report warned that Posada could be the target of a 2004 assassination attempt by the Cuban government. Posada was shot in the face by would-be assassins in Guatemala in 1990.

Posada participated indirectly in the United States' failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961 and later served as head of intelligence for Venezuela's government. A Venezuelan military court dismissed charges against him in the airliner bombing, but he escaped from prison before a civilian trial against him was completed.

He was arrested in Panama in 2000 in a plot to kill Castro during a summit there. He was pardoned in 2004 before turning up in the U.S.

Posada has been living in Miami since his 2007 release from an immigration detention center in El Paso.

Officials say Israel will stop flotilla for Gaza

2012-03-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

Israel's navy will stop a flotilla heading for Gaza with 10,000 tons of supplies and pro-Palestinian activists intent on breaking a three-year blockade of Gaza, officials said Wednesday, in the first definitive Israeli pledge to stop the boats.

The officials said if the flotilla of eight ships does not turn back, the boats will be hauled to an Israeli port, the activists sent back to their countries and the supplies transferred to Gaza by land.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity according to military rules.

The flotilla is expected to approach Gaza over the weekend. Organizers say they are hauling supplies including building materials that are not allowed into the territory because of the blockade. Greta Berlin, one of the organizers, said the cargo ships are carrying cement, prefab homes, lumber, window frames, paper for printing school books, children's toys, a full dentist's office, electric wheelchairs and high-end medical equipment.

Among the passengers are lawmakers from a dozen European countries, a Holocaust survivor in her 80s, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and a retired U.S. army colonel, Berlin said.

Israel and Egypt cordoned off the territory three years ago after the Islamic militant Hamas overran the territory. Despite the blockade, Israel allows in what it classifies as "humanitarian supplies" and claims there is no crisis of shortages in Gaza. Israel charges the flotilla is a propaganda exercise.

After letting a few boats reach Gaza, the Israelis have intercepted several since December 2008, following the same procedure the officials outlined in their plans for the current attempt.

The officials indicated they were aware of the potential public relations fiasco that would follow a violent confrontation on the high seas between heavily armed Israeli sailors and civilian activists, saying the navy commander instructed his forces to "operate with the utmost sensitivity and not be drawn into needless provocations."

They said the boat crews would be warned several times as they approach Gaza, but Israeli forces would board them and take control if necessary.

EPA proposes SOCMI consolidated air rule

2012-03-13T04:02:00.000-07:00

The Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed a federal consolidated air rule (CAR) for the synthetic organic chemical manufacturing industry (SOCMI).The rule pulls together major portions of numerous new source performance standards (NSPSs) and national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAPs) applicable to SOCMI storage vessels, process vents, transfer operations, and equipment leaks into one integrated set of regulations. It is intended to simply, clarify, and improve implementation of the existing rules, since source owners or operators will be able to find all the requirements that they must meet in one document rather than in numerous separate regulations. Sources may continue to comply with existing rules, or may choose to comply with the proposed consolidated rule (if finalized).

The consolidated air rule is proposed as an optional compliance alternative for SOCMI sources that are subject to one of the "referencing subparts," which are SOCMI regulations that refer the reader to the CAR as an optional means of compliance. Compliance with the CAR is allowed on a SOCMI CAR unit (SCU) basis. An SCU is analogous to the types of process units defined in the referencing subparts, and was developed to describe the collection of equipment and emission points that are eligible to choose the CAR as their compliance method. Under certain conditions, emissions points that are not part of an SCU but are subject to a referencing subpart may also choose to comply with the CAR. The CAR does not alter applicability for any source. Sources may choose to comply with the CAR only when they are subject to a referencing subpart and specifically referred to the CAR by that subpart. Conversely, emission points or equipment that are not subject to any referencing subparts cannot become subject through any CAR provision.

New sources should consult the applicability provisions of the referencing subpart(s) to determine eligibility to comply with the CAR. If a new source is part of an SCU that is implementing the CAR, the new source must also implement the CAR, or the entire SCU (existing and new components) must opt not to implement the CAR and must comply with the applicable referencing subpart(s) instead. In other words, compliance with the CAR is all or nothing.

As proposed, sources that are not part of an SCU may also choose to comply with the CAR if they are (1) subject to one of the referencing subparts, and (2) located at the same plant site with an SCU that is complying with the CAR. Therefore, an owner or operator of a SOCMI facility may choose to comply with the CAR for all or some of the regulated sources subject to the referencing subparts at the facility. SOCMI source owners or operators who may be interested in complying with the CAR can draw a decision diagram asking the following questions (see Federal Register, Oct. 28, 1998, pp. 57754-57755). First, does a SOCMI process unit exist at the plant site? If no, then the CAR is not an option for the site. If yes, the boundaries of each SCU must be identified.

Second (once the SCU boundaries are determined), does the site wish to comply with the CAR for any regulated source inside the SCU boundaries? If no, the site has, in effect, chosen not to comply with the CAR. If yes, all regulated sources inside the SCU boundaries must comply with the CAR.

Third (if the answer to the second question is yes), does the site wish to comply with the CAR for any regulated source outside the SCU boundary? (If no, further action is not needed.) If yes, are regulated sources outside the SCU complying with the CAR? If no, then non-SCU sources are ineligible to comply with the CAR. If yes, then non-SCU regulated sources are eligible to comply with the CAR.

EPA is proposing the CAR as a new part of the Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR Part 65, because the rules being consolidated are located across three different parts of 40 CFR (40 CFR Part 60, Subparts A, Ka, VV, DDD, III, NNN; and RRR; 40 CFR Part 61, Subparts A, V, Y, and BB; and 40 CFR Part 63, Subparts A, F, G, and H). Comments on the proposal must reach the EPA on or before Jan.11, 1999. [Federal Register, Oct. 28, 1998, pp. 57747-57876]

[Author Affiliation]

"Regulatory Update" is prepared by William A. Shirley, P.E., J.D., a chemical engineer and attorney tn private practice in St. Louis, MO (888/OSHA-LAW or 888/6742529; e-mail: envtllaw@mvp.net). This column is not intended as legal or engineering advice, but rather as general information. For legal or technical advice, readers should consult an attorney or a professional engineer

Panamanian Boat Detained in Galapagos

2012-03-13T00:57:00.000-07:00

Ecuadorean authorities have detained a Panamanian boat and its 21 crew members on suspicion of fishing illegally in the Galapagos Islands, officials said Friday.

The boat was detained on Wednesday in the Galapagos National Park marine reserve and allegedly carried false permits, the park said in a statement.

The 21-member crew had about 1,300 tons of fish on board and was being investigated for "possible environmental violations."

In a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press, the Guayaquil-based fishing company Nirsa said the fishermen were contracted by the company and were not engaging in any illicit activity.

The Galapagos Islands, 625 miles off of Ecuador's Pacific coast, are know for unique plant and animal life, including giant tortoises, marine iguanas and blue-footed boobies. Charles Darwin's observations of the islands' finches inspired his theory of evolution.

The United Nations is monitoring Ecuador's efforts to protect the area from environmental threats or overuse.

WHAT'S WRONG

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

In the Sox' four victories-all against the Cleveland Indians-leadoff hitter Ray Durham has hit .538 (7-for-13). In their sevenlosses, he has hit .152 (5-for-33). The most glaring sign of hismissing spark came during the Twins' three-game sweep over theweekend, when Durham hit .077 (1-for-13).

New shortstop Royce Clayton is in danger of losing his startingjob. Clayton is hitting .129 (4-for-31).

Through the first 11 games last season, the Sox were 7-4 and hadscored 80 runs. This season, they are 4-7 and have scored 61 runs.

Through 11 games, Sox starting pitchers are a combined 2-6 with a7.29 ERA. The starters have allowed 83 hits in 58 innings.

Capital planners approve design for MLK memorial

2012-03-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

Construction on the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is closer to commencing after a panel overseeing architecture in the nation's capital approved final building plans Thursday.

The 8-2 vote by the National Capital Planning Commission is one of the last steps in a lengthy approval process for the $120 million project. However, the panel rejected a National Park Service recommendation for security bollards that would help block a truck bomb from reaching the site.

The agency had identified a security threat by extremist groups "spouting racist ideologies," which would work against King's legacy, said Park Service Associate Regional Director Peter May. Details were discussed behind closed doors, with the panel later deciding against the barricades.

"When we begin to hide behind walls and barriers and gates," that goes against King's ideals, said commission Chairman John V. Cogbill III. "I think it would be an embarrassment to the family and to the memory of Dr. King."

Memorial designers also said barriers would have taken away from their concept that follows King's ideals for nonviolence, openness and inclusion.

Ed Jackson Jr., executive architect of the project, said approval was still needed from the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts, which criticized an earlier design. He plans to present final changes to the panel on Sept. 18.

The commission had said the depiction of King was too "confrontational" and asked to see a new model.

Jackson said they have made artistic changes to the King sculpture but not as a response to critics.

"Confrontational and sincere may be two sides of the same coin," Jackson said. "I don't believe it is confrontational. What I do believe is it has garnered the endorsement of (King's) children."

Once the arts panel signs off, the memorial foundation can apply to the Park Service for a permit to build on the National Mall. The foundation hopes to do that by November before congressional permission for the project expires. Otherwise, the group would have to ask for an extension.

The memorial will be located on the Tidal Basin between the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials, surrounded by cherry trees. It will be the first memorial honoring a black leader on the National Mall and the first major tribute to King outside Atlanta, where he was born in 1929.

About $100 million has been raised for the effort, and the group must raise an additional $20 million to complete the project.

___

On the Net:

Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial: http://www.buildthedream.org

AG accuses Mo. funeral home of mishandling bodies

2012-03-12T14:53:00.000-07:00

The attorney general's office on Friday accused a mid-Missouri funeral home of improperly handling bodies, including storing one body in an electrical room for 10 months without being embalmed or refrigerated.

The woman, identified in the lawsuit only as "J.H.," died Sept. 9, 2007, from hepatitis B, hepatitis C and alcoholic hepatitis. State inspectors found her body in advanced decay on July 11, 2008 at a Columbia funeral home. When inspectors returned four days later, the body was still there and was then turned over to the medical examiner's office to be cremated.

The attorney general's office filed a lawsuit in Boone County against Warren Funeral Chapel Inc., and its operators Harold Warren Jr. and Harold Warren Sr. A call to the funeral home seeking comment about the allegations in the lawsuit was not immediately returned.

The suit seeks civil fines and a court order barring the company or its owners from operating.

Attorney General Jay Nixon said in a written statement that the problems identified by state inspectors are severe enough that Warren Funeral Chapel shouldn't be allowed to stay in business.

"There are very serious concerns for human health and safety about how this establishment has handled human remains," he said.

The lawsuit identifies several examples of bodies left outside refrigerators and not embalmed for more than 24 hours. In each case, the individuals are identified only by their initials to protect their privacy.

State inspectors during a July 16, 2008, visit, found in the basement of the funeral home a coffin containing "L.F." and a black garbage bag filled with organs from more than one body. According to the lawsuit, Harold Warren Sr. said that he had forgotten to bury the organs with "D.T." and instead planned to cremate them with "L.F."

But, according to the lawsuit, state regulators don't think that the organs in the garbage bag belong to "D.T." either. State regulations bar cremating the remains from more than one body at a time.

The lawsuit also accuses the funeral home of embalming bodies when the contract called for cremation, and not properly cleaning the business.

Inspectors had reported a strong odor throughout the funeral home, a casket with a body and body fluids at the foot, an embalming table covered in blood, and utensils that had not been disinfected.

Swiss police say disruptions following first Euro 2008 matches were minor

2012-03-12T11:22:00.000-07:00

Police said that the opening matches of the European Championship passed largely peacefully, with the most noteworthy development when horn-honking Portugal fans blocked a major road.

Police, who were prepared for hooliganism and worse, had little to contend with beyond scuffles and drunks, according to police statements Sunday.

Zurich police said they arrested a total of five allegedly violent fans in the early evening Saturday in an open-air zone with a large screen showing Switzerland's 1-0 loss to the Czech Republic. Later, they said they detained 10 people in the center of town, some of them for drug infractions.

In Basel, 12 people were detained for confronting police.

Portuguese, one of the largest foreign communities in Switzerland, celebrated their team's 2-0 victory over Turkey in cities and towns across the country. Only in Zurich, the largest city, did police report breaking up a noisy cavalcade of cars when a major street became completely gridlocked.

But celebrations by pedestrians and motorists in Geneva and elsewhere continued into the night.

Swiss, who usually demand adherence to local regulations for quiet typically starting about 11 p.m., were warned in advance by authorities that they would have to live with exceptions during the three-week event.

Some 140 Czech fans had to spend the night in Basel because their Saturday night flight home was canceled because of airplane problems, but they were offered free accommodation by local authorities prepared for such eventualities.