четверг, 15 марта 2012 г.

Butler Shuts Down No. 22 Vols 56-44

NEW YORK - Butler coach Todd Lickliter was hoping his team could withstand Tennessee's pressure defense and not turn over the basketball. The Bulldogs did just that and also held the No. 22 Vols to 25 percent shooting from the field in a 56-44 victory Wednesday night in the NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals.

"I thought we had to have under 15 turnovers and we'd be in great shape," Lickliter said.

Butler committed just 16 turnovers against Tennessee's fullcourt pressure.

The Bulldogs (5-0) advanced to the championship game Friday night against Gonzaga, an 82-74 winner over No. 2 North Carolina in the second semifinal at Madison Square Garden. The Volunteers (4-1) will …

Obama to Denver for stimulus signing

President Barack Obama travels to the American West on Tuesday to sign into law his hard-fought stimulus plan, hoping the measure will put a floor under the collapsing U.S. economy.

A relentless storm of economic bad news and public pessimism has raged through the first month of Obama's presidency. After his legislative victory with the $787 billion stimulus measure, he now must take equally vigorous steps to prop up the country's deeply troubled financial system, ease the pain of Americans facing home mortgage foreclosures and save the teetering auto industry.

Automakers General Motors Corp. and Chrysler, now kept afloat on a combined $13.4 billion in …

Middle-class families gain, lose tax breaks

WASHINGTON What Congress giveth, Congress taketh away.

That's the inescapable conclusion to draw from two separateactions taken recently by Congress. One provides more help formiddle-class families facing college bills while another reduces thetax break for middle-class families sending their preschoolers to daycare.

The measures have received generally scant attention becauseeach was a small part of much bigger legislation. The tuition breakis part of a law correcting errors left over from 1986, while the daycare change was part of a sweeping overhaul of the welfare system.

The tuition benefit goes to families that buy U.S. Savings BondEE Series - …

среда, 14 марта 2012 г.

Mexican church draws fire for voting guidelines

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's Roman Catholic Church drew fire Tuesday for releasing a set of voting "guidelines" for the faithful ahead of the July 1 presidential elections.

All religious groups in Mexico are banned from engaging in electoral politics, or supporting or opposing any candidate or party. The guidelines published by the Archdiocese of Mexico on its web site appear to closely skirt the restriction.

But the issue is a sensitive one in Mexico, where harsh anti-clerical laws sparked the 1926-1929 Cristero war, an uprising by Roman Catholic rebels against Mexico's secular government in which tens of thousands of people died. While loosened in the 1990s, many restrictions …

Denis Watson birdies final hole to win FedEx Kinko's Classic

Zimbabwe's Denis Watson birdied the final hole Sunday to win the FedEx Kinko's Classic, taking advantage of countryman Nick Price's late collapse.

Watson closed with a 3-under 69 to finish at 10 under. He earned $240,000 for his second victory of the year and fourth overall on the Champions Tour.

"Never give up," Watson said. "I hate this for Nick because we need him on the tour. This is my first time as the recipient of a back-in win."

Watson's drive on the 18th hole landed in the middle of the fairway, and he put his second shot 50 feet from the pin. His eagle putt slid 5 feet past the hole, but he holed the putt for what …

Longtime adviser to Dianne Feinstein

LOS ANGELES — Veteran Democratic consultant Kam Kuwata, a longtime adviser to California Sen. Dianne Feinstein known for his political savvy and sly wit, was found dead Monday at his home in Los Angeles' Venice neighborhood. He was 57.

The death appeared to be from natural causes, and the Los Angeles County coroner is not investigating, agency spokesman Craig Harvey said.

Mr. Kuwata was a consummate political insider, and his influence was felt in many state Democratic campaigns for a quarter-century. He maintained an amiable demeanor and ready smile in an age when political campaigning is often viewed as little more than name-calling and smear jobs.

President …

Jonathan Miller, CEO Miller Samuel LLC

(This is not a legal transcript. Bloomberg LP cannot guarantee its accuracy.)

JONATHAN MILLER, CEO MILLER SAMUEL LLC, TALKS ABOUT HOUSING AT BLOOMBERG SURVEILLANCE

APRIL 25, 2011 TOM KEENE, BLOOMBERG SURVEILLANCE HOST

KEN PREWITT, BLOOMBERG SURVEILLANCE CO-HOST

JONATHAN MILLER, CEO MILLER SAMUEL LLC

7:21

TOM KEENE, BLOOMBERG SURVEILLANCE HOST : From Miller Samuel, Jonathan Miller here as he does a number of times a year, the state of real estate. All of you around the world, a focus on what New York and such, and maybe Miami?

JONATHAN MILLER, CEO MILLER SAMUEL LLC: Yes, well, Miami is coming. But, yes, we just …

Nepal students block traffic, attack chief justice's car to protest fuel price rise

Nepalese students blocked traffic and attacked the chief justice's car in the capital Thursday to protest sharp rises in the prices of gasoline, diesel and cooking fuel.

Chief Justice Kedar Prasad Giri was on his way to the Supreme Court when students, who had blocked several streets in Katmandu, hurled stones at his vehicle.

Police pushed back the protesters, and his guards safely removed him from the car.

Giri was unhurt, but his vehicle was damaged, said Katmandu Police Chief Sarvendra Nath Khanal.

The students demanded that the government immediately withdraw the fuel price hikes and reverse a recent decision that let public …

Too early for Young, fans to be discouraged

NEW YORK -- They introduced Donald Young for the first time, andalready 2,000 people were packed into the stands. Fans were outside,trying to cram their way in, fighting around the documentary cameracrew. It was Day 1 of the future of American tennis Monday at theU.S. Open, and already Young, the 16-year-old Chicagoan with a Nikecontract, was creating a buzz.

The tennis world has been waiting for him since he was a 10-year-old ballboy at a tournament in Grant Park, when John McEnroe hit withhim and helped to discover him. And now, finally, Young was in hisfirst major championship, against a journeyman Italian named GiorgioGalimberti.

This should have been about …

60 second interview: Ken Kreider

NAME: Ken Kreider

TITLE, President, B. R. Kreider & Son Inc.

COMPANY DESCRIPTION: Familyowned business established in 1936, specializing in site management, excavation and paving.

PERSONAL: wife: Violet; children: Brent, 31; Bradley, 29; Scott, 24.

DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL DAY: "Every day is different in our company. Some time during each day, I meet with those that report to me for sharing information and staying current on activities, as well as mentoring and supporting them as needed. I also wander through our office and outside property, staying in touch with employees. Time is spent maintaining and building relationships with customers and vendors and …

Vengeful poachers Cyprus said to poison partridges

Cyprus' Game Service says poachers have poisoned hundreds of captivity-bred partridges in retaliation for a recent poaching crackdown.

The service says in a statement released Friday that more than 300 partridges died after drinking from poison-laced water troughs outside release pens in a mountainous area 25 miles (40 kilometers) …

Williams falters in sloppy quarterfinal upset

Tape took care of Venus Williams' sprained right foot. There wasno remedy for the shaky serve and late fade.

Williams was injured during the second set Wednesday, but sloppyshotmaking hurt her more, and she lost to Elena Dementieva 6-3, 5-7,7-6 (3) in the quarterfinals of the Nasdaq-100 Open in Key Biscayne,Fla.

A three-time champion at Key Biscayne, Williams came up short inher bid to reach a semifinal for the first time since Wimbledon inJuly. Dementieva survived a match point and erratic play of her ownto win the tense but unsightly 21/2-hour duel.

The upset had all the characteristics of a Venus loss: She double-faulted 11 times, committed 51 unforced …

Sweden's sick leave policy drawing criticism

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Sweden exudes good health and well-being insummer. The air smells of pine trees and people of all ages bicycleand stroll well after dinner under the late-setting sun.

But as Swedes return from country cottages and Mediterraneanbeaches and prepare for an election Sept. 15, they are grappling witha vexing problem: one of every six working-age Swedes is off workbecause of illness or injury.

The number of people on government-paid sick leave has doubled infive years, and welfare benefits for the sick and disabled now exceedthe government's military and education budgets combined.

In all, about 340,000 Swedes - one in every 26 of a population of8.9 million - are getting sick pay from the National Social InsuranceBoard, a third for longer than a year. An additional 470,000 are ondisability pensions - early-retirement benefits paid by thegovernment to those who stop working before the retirement age of 65.These often are bigger than regular pensions.

Sick Swedes - and what makes them sick - are one of the mainelection issues.

The governing center-left Social Democratic Party, seeking toextend an eight-year spell in office, has commissioned studies andwritten reports saying job conditions are getting harder and morestressful.

Opponents, led by the center-right Moderate and ChristianDemocratic parties, say the government is looking for a cure in allthe wrong places. The problem, they say, is not workers' health butcushy welfare policies that are eroding the work ethic.

Whatever the explanation, the cost - about $12 billion a year, or16 percent of this year's national budget - worries officials.

"I don't think we can accept any higher costs. Then we risk havingto change compensation levels and the sickness insurance loses itsfunction and legitimacy," said Rolf Lundgren, chief economic analystat the National Social Insurance Board, which picks up the tab fromthe employer after a worker's second week of absence due to sickness.

Sweden has long been viewed by many as a model welfare state,characterized by high taxes, extensive government benefits and arelatively small gap between rich and poor.

Although social benefits were scaled back somewhat during arecession in the mid-1990s, subsidized health care and compensationpay for unemployment or parental leave. The system is financed bysome of the highest taxes in the world on income, wealth, propertyand purchases.

Sick leave amounts to 80 percent of a worker's pay. The maximumbenefit is 623 kronor a day, or about $65. After taxes that adds upto about $1,500 a month - about what many workers get for four 40-hour weeks. Sick leave pay is subject to income tax, which rangesfrom 30 to 60 percent.

Opponents of the generous policies say that paid sick leave hascome to be seen as an entitlement rather than a benefit and thatfrivolous claims are partly to blame for the abrupt rise in sickleave since 1997.

вторник, 13 марта 2012 г.

Ammann, Benno

Ammann, Benno, Swiss composer; b. Gersau, June 14, 1904; d. Rome, March 14, 1986. He studied with Karg-Elert, Grabner, and Reuter at the Leipzig Cons. (1925) and with Honegger, Milhaud, and Rousseau in Paris (1934–35); later he attended courses in electronic music conducted by Eimert and Meyer-Eppler in Darmstadt (from 1952). He was active at the Studio R7 in Rome (1969–71), the Inst. of Sonology at the Univ. of Ghent (1971–73), and the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center in N.Y. (1977–78). In his works, Ammann embraced a variety of contemporary means of expression.

Works

DRAMATIC: Ballet: Zweimal Besuch (1960); Waterplants (1974). ORCH.: Vision pastorale (1954); Tre Modi for 2 String Orchs. or Strings and Tape (1962); Triodon, 3 pieces for Strings (1963); Gradations for Chamber Orch. (1973). CHAMBER: Successions for Flute (1963); Syntexte for Flute, Harp, and Percussion (1966); IV Phonemata for Cello (1967); 12 Phases for Guitar and Tape (1970); Spatial Forms for 2 String Quartets (1972); Mouvements for Harp and Tape (1976); The Gnome's Memory for Tuba and Tape (1979); Riflessi per quattro for 4 Clarinets (1981); Lieto per Liuto for Lute (1983); Incontri for 24 Trumpets in 4 Groups (1984). VOCAL: Flucht aus der Tiefe, cantata for Baritone, 3 Choruses, and Percussion Orch. (1960); Sumerian Song for Soprano, 6 Percussion, and Orch. (1971); Ti Porteranno for Soprano, Flute, Cello, Trombone, and Percussion (1974); Tre Canti for Baritone, 2 Clarinets, and Harp (1983); choral pieces; other songs. ELECTRONIC: Breath of the Desert (1974); Splendeurs Nocturnes (1974–79); Poemetto (1977); Mutazione (1978); Wandering strophe (1979).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

US gives up sting case over foreign bribes

WASHINGTON (AP) — In an embarrassing setback, the Justice Department gave up Tuesday on its high-profile prosecution of nearly two-dozen businessmen charged in the first undercover operation the government used to enforce a 35-year-old law against foreign bribery.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon granted the department's motion to dismiss all charges against 16 defendants still facing trial after the case fell apart in its first two courtroom tests. Ten defendants went through two lengthy trials, but jurors did not convict a single one.

The defendants were military suppliers arrested at a 2010 trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada, where they anticipated picking up checks for sales to outfit Gabon's presidential guard. No officials from the central African nation were really involved in the purported deal invented by the FBI.

Leon called the dismissal "the end of a long and sad chapter in the annals of white collar" prosecution. He said he had concerns from the start over the way the men were investigated, charged and prosecuted and the government's handling of its star witness.

"I for one hope that this very long and I'm sure very expensive ordeal will be a learning experience" leading to better prosecutions under the 1977 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Leon said. He said he hoped everyone involved in the trials, including the defendants who could have faced a decade or more in prison if convicted, could now move on with their lives.

Afterward, outside the courtroom, defendant Marc Morales said he was "just happy to move on with my life and spend time with my family" after enduring a four-month trial that ended last month. But he said the case cost him his job as a vice president of ammunitions supplier Allied Defense Group and that he spent "more than I had" on his defense.

Morales was one of seven defendants whose trials ended with a jury that could not reach a verdict and facing a second trial. Three others were acquitted, with nine additional defendants awaiting an initial trial late this year. Three other defendants had pleaded guilty in the case, and Leon said he would schedule hearings soon to consider the status of their cases.

Prosecutors did not say much during the brief hearing in which Leon dismissed the case. In a two-page motion filed earlier in the day, they wrote that the case should end considering the outcome of the first two trials and that substantial resources would be needed to continue.

"The government respectfully submits that continued prosecution of this case is not warranted under the circumstances," they concluded.

Their case was based on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act that was enacted during the Watergate era in response to Securities and Exchange Commission investigations but had fallen into infrequent use since that scandal. Enforcement picked up in the last years of President George W. Bush's administration, as more companies did business abroad and senior corporate officials had to certify financial statements under laws passed in response to corporate accounting scandals. FCPA prosecutions grew even more under the Obama administration: from seven individuals charged and more than $27 million in criminal fines collected in 2004-2005 to more than 50 charged and nearly $2 billion collected in 2009-2010.

But the sting operation was the largest prosecution yet of individuals under the law and the roundup in Las Vegas got front-page coverage in the nation's leading newspapers. The FBI captured the businessmen with the help of an inside informant, Richard Bistrong, who would become part of the case's downfall.

Defense attorneys were critical of the FBI's reliance on the informant, an executive of a Florida body armor company who they called a sociopathic liar with a devious mind. They said he was able to persuade federal agents to let him plead guilty to a single bribery count for more than $4.4 million in bribes to officials at the United Nations and overseas even though he had a history of bribery, embezzlement, tax evasion, drug use and solicitation of prostitutes.

Prosecutors acknowledged Bistrong was a criminal and a scoundrel. But working with the FBI, he lured the defendants to be part of a $15 million deal to outfit Gabon's presidential guard from head to toe in new gear. The catch was that they would have to prepare two invoices — one written out to the broker for the real value of the deal and the other written out to the Gabonese government with a 20 percent commission added for the broker and the defense minister.

But defense attorneys say he never used words like "bribe" or "kickback" to make clear the payment was illegal. Prosecutors said the defendants clearly knew that sending $1.5 million in public money to line a defense minister's pocket was wrong, but jurors had their doubts.

Report: No spying in US school laptops case

There's no evidence a Pennsylvania school district used school-issued laptops to spy on students despite its questionable policies and its lack of regard for students' privacy, according to a report issued Monday by attorneys hired by the district.

Concerns about an online chat captured in a screen shot of a school-issued computer led to public disclosure of the Lower Merion School District's laptop tracking program, according to the report by the Philadelphia law firm Ballard Spahr, which was presented at a meeting of the school board Monday night. The firm recommended a ban on remote activations of webcams and remote capturing of screen shots from computers issued to students.

Harriton High School student Blake Robbins and his family alleged privacy violations over webcam images taken at home without their knowledge and sued the district, which said it secretly activated the webcams only to find missing laptops but admitted lax policies led it to capture 58,000 images.

The report says Robbins turned in his laptop with a broken screen and was issued a loaner on Oct. 20, but school officials quickly moved to retrieve it due to outstanding insurance fees. So the tracking program was activated from Oct. 20 to Nov. 4 and captured 210 webcam photographs and 218 screen shots, the report said.

Although a technician confirmed on the first day of tracking that the laptop was "now currently online at home," another official in the same department instructed him to keep the tracking on and later told investigators he thought he needed authorization to terminate it, the report said.

On Oct. 30, the report said, a technician saw a computer screen shot that "included an online chat that concerned him." After consulting with a superior, he allowed school officials to look at the images.

Although the school principal said none of the images should be discussed with Robbins or his parents because they involved off-campus activities, Vice Principal Lindy Matsko decided about a week later it was "appropriate to discuss certain seemingly troubling images" with them, the report said.

In the civil lawsuit, Robbins said Matsko approached him and warned that school officials, based on webcam photos, suspected him of selling drugs. Robbins, 15, denies the drug allegation and said Matsko mistook Mike & Ike candies for illicit pills.

Robbins family attorney Mark Haltzman told reporters at the meeting that he and his clients were "thankful that we've been vindicated ... about all the misuse going on," but he added he was concerned that the full story had not yet been revealed.

School district lawyer Henry Hockeimer declined to comment on what was in the online chat or images that concerned school officials, citing the pending litigation. The report notes Robbins "was not disciplined as a result of any images captured from his laptop."

The report says the LANrev TheftTrack system was activated 177 times during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 school years but 101 activations involved only the IP address tracking feature and resulted in no captured images.

As of Feb. 23, when the system was shut down, there were 30,564 webcam photographs and 27,428 screen shots in the systems of the district's Information Services department. About 87 percent of the images recovered, however, resulted from failure to deactivate the features on a dozen laptops after they were found or recovered, the report said.

The collection of images stemmed not from an effort to spy on students but from "the district's failure to implement policies, procedures and recordkeeping requirements and the overzealous and questionable use of technology by IS personnel without any apparent regard for privacy considerations or sufficient consultation with administrators," the report said.

The report also criticized leaders and several members of the IS department as "not forthcoming with the Board, administrators and students about what TheftTrack could do and how they used it," citing incidents demonstrating "an unwillingness ... to let anyone outside of the IS Department know about TheftTrack's capabilities."

Many of the photos show students in school, and others show walls or empty or dark rooms. Others, however, show students and family members or other people in their homes and elsewhere, but none contained nudity.

The report said the tracking system was intended to help recover stolen computers and the district used it successfully for that purpose. But it said the district also used the system for missing computers and for unknown purposes and left it activated for long periods in cases "in which there was no longer any possible legitimate reason" for capturing images.

The report faults administrators who had information about the program with not having appreciated the privacy concerns raised.

Coin reference books are too rare at public libraries

This week marks the annual observance of National Library Week.It is a time when each of these indispensable public institutionsopens its doors and says, "Welcome, look what we have."

Unfortunately, what most public libraries don't have is abalanced selection of coin books, the ones that are most useful asreferences for those who have coins or paper currency they wantattributed and appraised.

Ninety-eight percent of the average inquiries received can beanswered by referring to one of the following books: A Guide Book of United States Coins, by R. S. Yeoman. 43rd edition,1990. Western Publishing Co., Racine, WI 53404. While publishedvalues may not reflect the current market, historical data suppliedmakes this a true encyclopedia of American and Colonial issues.Library of Congress No. 47-22284. The Standard Catalog of Modern World Coins, by Chester L. Krause andClifford Mishler. 1990 edition. Krause Publications, Iola, WI 54990.Over 43,000 photographs and an easy-to-use coin finder allows one toreadily identify most coins issued from 1801 through 1989. Libraryof Congress No. 79-640940. The Standard Catalog of United States Paper Money, by Chester L.Krause and Robert F. Lemke. 8th edition, 1990. Krause Publications,Iola, WI 54990. Includes the fractional and postage stamp currencyof the Civil War and the increasingly popular printing errors onpaper money. Library of Congress No. 81-81876. The Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, by Albert Pick. KrausePublications, Iola, WI 54990. This two-volume set, the mostcomprehensive work of its kind, covers specialized and general issuelegal tender. Library of Congress No. 83-083100 and 80-81510. Official A.N.A. Grading Standards for United States Coins, by KenBressett and Abe Kosoff. Third edition. American NumismaticAssociation. Colorado Springs, CO 80903. Wear on the face of a coinis like mileage to a used car. Values can vary by hundreds ofdollars over a single grade point difference. ISBN 0-307-19873-1. Coin World Almanac, by the editors of Coin World. Fifth edition.Amos Press, Sidney, Ohio 45365. The title is self-explanatory. Init are the answers to just about any conceivable question concerningU.S. coins, government mints, coinage and currency laws. Library ofCongress No. 75 649406. Coin Prices Magazine, Krause Publications, Iola, WI 54990. Thisbimonthly magazine should be on the periodical shelves and used as acomplement to the Guide Book of United States Coins. The Marchannual and May international editions are valuable references bythemselves.

Clip and present this column to your librarian now. Takeadvantage of the hospitality of National Library Week, and you willbe able to see most every coin reference book needed by just flashingyour library card.

Q. Enclosed is a list of silver dollars. Please let me know ifany is worth more than face value.

A. Here is an instance where the proper books in your publiclibrary would serve you better than I. Condition is as important asmint mark and date. You fail to note either mint mark or condition,thus leaving me to say that a particular coin, like your 1889 dollar,could be worth from $9 to $5,000 and anywhere in between.

You would be lucky to get $9 for a worn Philadelphia Mint, butwould have no problem receiving up to $5,000 for the same dollar, inuncirculated condition, if it had been made at the Carson City Mint.

Evanston Seeks Clues In Abduction of Boys

Evanston police asked for help Friday in locating a man whoabducted two young brothers at knifepoint, drove them to Chicago andsodomized them.

"We've got a real serious problem up here," said Cmdr. DanielMoses of the Evanston Police Department's Youth and Victim ServicesDivision. "We got a lot of angry parents and police officers."

He said the youngsters - ages 5 and 11 - remained in an Evanstonhospital Friday. "They're in good physical condition," said Moses,"but you can imagine what it did to their emotions."

Moses said the boys first noticed their assailant bending overthe trunk of his car shortly before 1 p.m. Thursday near Austin andElmwood in the north suburb.

The man's eyes and those of the older boy met for an instant,frightening the youngster, he told police. The 11-year-old said hewas relieved when the man got into the auto and left.

But a few minutes later and about a block north, the manapproached the boys on foot, held a butcher knife to the11-year-old's back and ordered both children into the car.

They did as they were told, the older brother told the police.Here is his account of the kidnapping and rapes:

The man headed south into Chicago, and stopped at what seemed tobe an abandoned building. He forced the boys inside and sexuallyassaulted the 5-year-old.

Both boys were then driven back to Evanston and the man put theyounger brother out of the car at Elmwood and Reba Place, a couple ofblocks north of the abduction site. The older boy was held in theauto.

Meanwhile, the parents had notified authorities of their sons'disappearance. When the 5-year-old came home, the family calledpolice but the kidnapper already had left with the older boy.

He drove back to the same empty building, where he raped thesecond boy, said Moses. The youngster was returned to Evanston atabout 8 p.m. and released at the same spot as the brother.

Moses said the older boy described the kidnapper as a black manin his 20s with a dark skin discoloration on the inside of his rightforearm, possibly from a burn. The man is about 6 feet tall andweighs 175 to 200 pounds.

The boy described the car as a blue two-door 1985 Honda with ayellow or possibly beige top.

Moses asked anyone with information about the crime to callEvanston police at (708) 866-5000.

Breakdowns an bubbles give kids unexpected fun

We are (or were) a four-car family, which makes things sound alittle grander than they actually are.

One of our four cars is a 1976 Dodge Aspen I bought last summerat a church fair. The car had 150,000 miles on the odometer at thetime, but as my husband said, "At least when a car has that manymiles on it, you know you aren't getting a lemon."

Then we have our 1966 Plymouth Valiant, a car whose odometerstopped running altogether a number of years back. A wonderful,practically magical car, but one that starts only for my husband,Steve.

The apparent prize of our fleet is a minivan that we bought newthree years ago for more money than our total net income during thefirst year of our marriage. A car whose purchase we justified bytelling each other, "Finally, we'll have a totally dependablevehicle."

And from the day the warranty expired, scarcely a month hasgone by that our minivan doesn't have to go into the shop with oneproblem or another.

Our fourth vehicle is a 1960 Jeep whose chief purpose is to giveSteve something to tinker with on those rare occasions when the othervehicles are running smoothly. One of the nice things about the Jeepis that you can usually find a flower or two growing up through theseat. The Jeep hasn't made it into town for about three years now.

Well, last week it was the Aspen's turn to be inspected, andthough its motor proved sound, the body was too rusted for the car tobe approved. So we retired the car. One down, two to go.

I had taken the week off work, with the goal of doing somespecial thing with my children every single day. And on thisparticular day the plan was to clean up the house and then drive to anearby city, where each of my sons was planning to purchase a newHe-Man figure with the money he'd earned doing jobs for me. Thenwe'd go out to dinner at McDonald's and, to cap off the day, watchthe new Masters of the Universe movie.

I'd never seen my sons work so hard or well as they did that dayin anticipation of our big trip. And so at half past 2, with thehouse shining, we dressed up and headed for the van. Whose door oneof my children had left open some hours before, causing all thelights to stay on and the seat-belt buzzer to buzz until the batteryhad gone dead.

My boys were disappointed when I broke the news that we weren'tgoing anywhere. "But maybe," I said, "Dad will come home from workearly enough that he can give us a jump-start with the Valiant. Andwe can still have dinner and see the movie."

Well, Steve made it home by 5 and jump-started the van. We leftit running a while to charge the battery. Only when we set off onour trip there was green liquid dripping from under the front end andsmoke surrounding the hood. We'd overheated.

So we went back in the house. Had a few more tears and (becausethere would no longer be time for McDonald's) some tuna sandwiches.Then tried again.

This time we made it five miles before the overheating lightflashed on again and the van died. We sat in silence for a moment,while I counted to 10 in French, Spanish, Chinese and pig Latin.Then I piled everyone out of the car, made our way to a phone booth,and called Steve to come get us. We transferred all our toys, books,beach gear and tapes from the van into the Valiant and set out forhome.

The next day, we headed into our local car-repair shop, where wedetermined that there had been major damage to the van's radiator.The owner, taking pity on me, gave us a new loaner car: a spiffywhite Malibu. We transferred all of our toys, books, beach gear andtapes from the Valiant into the loaner and headed home.

I called my friend Laurie to suggest that we get together for apicnic at the beach. She said, "Great!" and all morning long as Icleaned the house and packed our picnic I was looking forward tostretching out on my towel beside my friend and telling her mytroubles. And then jumping in the water to swim them all away.

We set out for the beach at a quarter to 12. Five miles downthe road, with the tension of the last 24 hours already draining outof me, I reached to turn on the car radio. The instant I turned thedial, horrible black smoke began pouring into the front seat so thickit was all I could do to pull off the road. We hiked home carryingour picnic and our beach toys. Called the repair shop. They'd beout with a tow truck in an hour.

The tow truck arrived to carry us and the dead Malibu into town.Because tow trucks like this one go 8 miles an hour on roads likeours, the trip took the better part of an hour. When we got to therepair shop we waited while a new loaner car was made ready for us,and I opened our picnic and handed my sons their sandwiches, whichthey both dropped in the dirt.

Too hot and weary to scold, I announced we'd get an ice-creamcone, but when we got to the stand, it was closed. So I bought themeach a Popsicle at the grocery store instead, took their hands andheaded back toward the repair shop, thinking of the special week ofactivities I had been planning with my children and filled withself-pity.

About two days earlier, our little town had installed afountain, and evidently a bunch of kids had filled the thing withsoap suds, which had filled an area the size of our kitchen withlarge, fluffy bubbles spilling out in all directions.

I guess this is the sort of thing chambers of commerce regard asundesirable, but all I can tell you is that my sons caught sight ofthose bubbles and forgot about the closed ice-cream stand, the beachit was now too late to get to, the missed shopping trip and movie,the uneaten dinner at McDonald's.

They played in those bubbles for the better part of an hour -piling them on their heads, blowing them into the wind, makingbeards, mustaches, funny noses, funny ears.

When we finally moved on to pick up our car, my son Charlietook my hand and looked at me with a totally euphoric expression."Boy I sure am lucky," he said. "I got to ride in a tow truck and seea tire changed and eat a Popsicle and play with bubbles. This surewas a good day."

Which leaves a person with a lot of conclusions about how it'sthe little things in life that matter, how every cloud has a silverlining, and it's all a matter of perspective. If I were really atogether person, I might be saying those things myself.

But I will say I wanted my children to have a happy,action-packed and exciting week.

And you know what? They did.

Lindsay Lohan checks in and out of LA County jail

LYNWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Lindsay Lohan was released from a Los Angeles County jail early Monday, less than five hours after she arrived at the crowded women's lockup to serve a 30-day sentence for violating probation.

The "Mean Girls" actress was booked into the Century Regional Detention facility in Lynwood at 8:48 p.m. Sunday, in what was expected to be a short stay because of jail overcrowding.

She was released at 1:35 a.m., county sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said.

News crews staking out the jail said she left in a black Cadillac Escalade sport utility vehicle, and that she was in her Venice home by 2 a.m.

Lohan did not get any favors, Whitmore said.

"She's treated like every other inmate who has gone through similar circumstances," he said.

Lohan had until Nov. 9 to report to the jail.

It's Lohan's fifth jail sentence since being arrested twice for drunken driving in 2007.

Her brief return to jail came after Lohan completed an interview and photo shoot for Playboy magazine that will appear in the January/February issue, her spokesman Steve Honig wrote in an email Monday.

On Wednesday, a judge ordered jail time because Lohan recently violated court orders by getting booted from a community service assignment at a women's shelter.

The judge imposed a complicated sentence, telling Lohan that she will now have to perform all of her community service at the county morgue or risk serving an additional 270 days in jail.

Lohan will have to serve 423 hours at the county morgue, where for nearly two weeks she has been mopping floors, cleaning bathrooms and washing dirty sheets.

The sentence also requires Lohan to undergo psychotherapy sessions and appear monthly at court hearings between December and March.

The judge also said Lohan can no longer leave the country and needs the permission of her new "no-nonsense" probation officer to travel outside California.

Jail overcrowding has led to significantly shortened jail terms.

In 2007, Lohan spent 84 minutes at the jail before being released, and in the past she has served about 20 percent of her sentence, which is roughly six days.

"The longer the sentence, the longer you stay in jail," Whitmore said.

"As pathetic as it sounds, this is not necessarily special treatment," said Adam H. Braun, a defense attorney who was not involved in the case. "It just depends how full the jail is when someone surrenders. If it is filled to capacity or nearly full, offenders like her are the first ones let go so more serious offenders can be held."

"Even so, she was not likely to do more than 20 percent of the 30 days under the jail crowding formulas being used because her offense was not a crime of violence," he added in an email.

Nationals general manager Jim Bowden resigning

Jim Bowden resigned Sunday after four seasons as the Washington Nationals general manager, leaving under the cloud of a federal investigation into the skimming of signing bonuses given to Latin American prospects.

He has maintained his innocence in the matter, but said Sunday, "I've become a distraction."

"It's an emotional decision. It saddens me. But I feel it's in the best interest of two of the things I love the most, and that's the Washington Nationals and baseball," Bowden added.

Seated at a table with Nationals president Stan Kasten before a small contingent of reporters and team officials, Bowden read from a prepared statement, sometimes deviating from the script as he struggled to contain his emotions.

No replacement was immediately announced.

"We're not planning on missing a beat," Kasten said. "Our staff has a meeting tomorrow morning, first thing. I'm not going to have anything to say to you about next steps for a while _ later in the week."

Bowden is the only GM the Nationals have had since the franchise moved from Montreal to Washington before the 2005 season, overseeing a team that went 81-81 in that debut season but has been below .500 ever since.

Last season, the Nationals were a majors-worst 59-102.

His tenure with the club was marked by such moves as the trade for Alfonso Soriano, the failure to re-sign Soriano, free-agent busts such as Paul Lo Duca and reclamation projects such as Dmitri Young.

"When I came here ... the single thing that stood out for me about why we needed someone with Jim's skill is that he's resourceful," Kasten said. "We needed someone that would look around every corner, look under every rock to find the pieces that we could put into place. Because of that, we have a foundation that looks very exciting for '09."

Bowden also drew unwanted off-field attention, including in 2006, when he was charged with driving under the influence after failing a field sobriety test while in Miami.

"Like anyone else, I have made mistakes in all areas of my personal and professional life, but I leave here with the true belief that I have done nothing intentionally to harm the Washington Nationals or Major League Baseball," Bowden said in a statement released by the team Sunday.

He met last year with FBI investigators looking into allegations of skimming of signing bonuses and it was reported last weekend by SI.com that Bowden's actions are being looked at as far back as 1994, when he was GM of the Cincinnati Reds.

"I am disappointed by the media reports regarding investigations into any of my professional activities," Bowden said in his statement. "There have been no charges made, and there has been no indication that parties have found any wrongdoing on my part."

Bowden's resignation came three days after Jose Rijo, a special assistant to Bowden, was fired by the Nationals.

That was fallout from a Major League Baseball investigation that determined a top baseball prospect from the Dominican Republic who received a $1.4 million signing bonus from the Nationals lied about his age and name.

"We all believe it is imperative that we honor the integrity of the game and that fans be able to concentrate their attention and affections on the game and players on the field," Kasten said in a team-issued statement. "Jim has maintained his innocence, but recognized that he had become a distraction, and with great grace determined to do what was best for the team and his players."

The 47-year-old Bowden joined the Nationals, who were then owned by Major League Baseball, as interim vice president and general manager in November 2004 after a stint as an ESPN commentator. The interim tag was removed by Kasten in June 2006 and Bowden was promoted to senior vice president and general manager on Feb. 28, 2008.

During Bowden's tenure, the Nationals drafted third baseman Ryan Zimmerman with the fourth overall pick in the 2005 first-year player draft and helped reinvigorate the team's moribund minor league system. Bowden engineered several notable trades, bringing outfielders Austin Kearns from Cincinnati, Wily Mo Pena from Boston, Lastings Milledge from the New York Mets, Elijah Dukes from Tampa Bay, and Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham from Florida.

At 31, Bowden became the youngest general manager of a major league franchise when he took the reins in Cincinnati in 1992. Three years later, the Reds reached the NL championship series.

He began his major league career in 1984 in the Pirates' media relations department and later moved to the New York Yankees' front office before joining the Reds in 1989.

понедельник, 12 марта 2012 г.

AzaÃ¯s, Hyacinthe

Azaïs, Hyacinthe

Azaïs, Hyacinthe, French composer; b. Ladern-sur- Lauquet, near Carcassonne, April 4, 1741; d. Toulouse, c. 1795. He was a choirboy at Carcassonne Cathedral, where he received his training in music. In 1756 he was made sous-maître de musique at the Auch church. In 1765 he became maître de musique at the Sorèze college. After holding a similar post with the Concert de Marseilles (1771–72), he resumed his duties in Sorèze at the renamed École Royale Militaire. About 1782 he settled in Toulouse. He composed 6 syms., chamber music, and vocal pieces. He also wrote a Méthode de musique sur un nouveau plan (1776).

—Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

Walgreen tweaks health care unit

Drugstore chain Walgreen said Monday that it was restructuring its health care division and placing it under a new executive.

Walgreen has been on a shopping spree in recent months, snapping up the 250-plus stores of Duane Reade in New York in February just one month after buying 25 Snyder's Drug stores in the Minneapolis area.

Walgreen executives said they're splitting the company's health service division into two existing units _ health and wellness, and pharmacy services.

Under the new structure, the company's health and wellness division, which currently operates Walgreen's in-store clinics and health centers as well as sales for those services, will expand to add the rest of the company's sales teams along with its pharmacy benefit management service.

Meanwhile, Walgreen's pharmacy services unit, which oversees retail pharmacy operations, will take responsibility for long-term care pharmacies, specialty pharmacy, infusion pharmacy, mail-service pharmacy as well as home-care services.

Walgreen Co. is based in the Chicago suburb of Deerfield, Ill.

Company shares rose 2 cents to $35.26.

Dbacks move level with Giants in NL West

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks moved level with San Francisco for first place in the National League West division standings by beating the Giants 6-1 on Tuesday.

Paul Goldschmidt and Justin Upton both hit two-run homers as the Diamondbacks won their fourth straight to grab a piece of the division lead for the first time in five weeks. Ryan Roberts had two hits and drove in a run.

Arizona starter Daniel Hudson (11-7) allowed just one run and one walk over eight innings while striking out five.

Giants starter Tim Lincecum (9-9) lasted seven innings, giving up two runs in the fifth.

Phillies 5, Rockies 0

In Denver, Kyle Kendrick tossed eight sparkling innings to steer Philadelphia over Colorado Rockies in the National League on Sunday, extending their winning streak to five games.

Kendrick (6-5) struck out a career-high seven in his longest outing in 11 starts this season.

Ryan Howard homered twice, Hunter Pence doubled twice and Shane Victorino and Raul Ibanez each singled and scored a run for the Phillies.

Rockies starter Aaron Cook (2-6) pitched four innings before leaving with muscle spasms in his neck.

Cardinals 8, Brewers 7, 11 innings

In Milwaukee, Lance Berkman singled in Matt Holliday for the winning run with two outs in the 11th inning, giving St. Louis victory over Milwaukee in a clash of NL Central contenders that turned testy as the night wore on.

Sluggers Albert Pujols of the Cardinals and Ryan Braun each were hit by a pitch in the seventh, and St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina became so incensed after he was ejected in the 10th that the plate umpire had to wipe his face during the argument.

Holliday sparked the Cardinals' winning rally by hitting a groundball to shortstop with two outs. Holliday then swiped second for his first stolen base of the season and scored when Berkman hit a shallow shot to left against Marco Estrada (2-7).

Cardinals reliever Kyle McClellan (8-6) allowed a one-out single in the 11th, but earned the victory after Octavio Dotel got the final two outs for his first save in the NL this year.

Nationals 9, Braves 3

In Washington, Rick Ankiel kept up his sudden power surge, hitting a grand slam that sent Washington over Atlanta for its fourth straight win.

The Nationals have their longest winning streak since Davey Johnson became manager on June 27. Atlanta has lost three straight.

Ankiel, who homered twice Monday against the Braves, went long in the fourth inning against Derek Lowe (6-10) to turn a one-run deficit into a 6-3 lead.

Washington starter John Lannan (8-7) struck out a season-high eight and improved to 3-0 against Atlanta this year. He gave up three runs in 6 2-3 innings.

Highest test cricket runscorers

List of leading runscorers in test cricket (x-active):

11,953_Brian Lara, West Indies (131 tests)

11,207_x-Sachin Tendulkar, India (141)

11,174_Allan Border, Australia (156)

10,927_Steve Waugh, Australia (168)

10,122_Sunil Gavaskar, India (125)

9,564_x-Rahul Dravid, India (113)

9,508_x-Ricky Ponting, Australia (112)

9,197_x-Jacques Kallis, South Africa (111)

8,900_Graham Gooch, England (118)

8,832_Javed Miandad, Pakistan (124)

8,830_Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan (120)

8,540_Sir Vivian Richards, West Indies (121)

8,463_Alec Stewart, England (133)

8,231_David Gower, England (117)

8,114_Geoff Boycott, England (108)

8,032_Sir Garfield Sobers, West Indies (93)

8,029_Mark Waugh, Australia (128)

READY, SET, SHOP! FOOD

Want a gourmet meal in a flash? Try Lucini GOURMET PASTA SAUCES in new eco-friendty pouches. Just pop the pouch in the microwave and pour over pasta for a delicious, all-natural, healthful meal. Choose from Tuscan Marinara with Roasted Garlic, Rustic Tomato Basil, and Spicy Tuscan Tomato. Buon appetito!

You'll be light as a feather when you munch on Pirate Brands POTATO FLYERS. These all-natural, gluten- and trans fat-free baked potato chips are the ultimate in guilt-free, good-for-you snacking. Enjoy them in four yummy flavors: Sour Cream & Onion, Homestyle Barbeque, Sea Salt & Vinegar, and The Original.

When you need an insanely delicious and satisfying meal quick, grab a frozen Evol BURRITO. These all-natural, organic burritos are made from scratch with sustainably raised ingrethents, including antibiotic-and hormone-free meats. They come in 11 scrumptious varieties, including Basic Bean & Cheese, Cilantro Lime Chicken, and Tofu & Spinach Saut�.

READER FAVORITE

Roz Jarsky from Los Angeles enjoys Sea's Gift KOREAN KIM Seaweed Snack for delicious, low-calorie, healthful munching. "It's great if you like salty snacks," she says. It's also rich in iodine and great for your thyroid.

Terkel is still gadflying after all these years

A stubby gent bounces across North Michigan Avenue. Hisred-checked shirt is open at the neck; his Joe College cloth hattilts over his brow. His scarf flies in the wind.

He seems to be flying, too. But not very far. Every few feet,somebody stops him and shakes his hand. Often, they've never met himbefore - but they've always wanted to say hello to him.

The man in commotion is Studs Terkel. He ranks as Chicago sage,American prophet, the common man's most uncommon man. When he isn'tflying, he's gadflying.

A character with character, he is at once America's best-sellingauthor of oral histories, a long-run talk show host, Uptown'sside-of-the-mouth philosopher, actor, historian, TV personality,inveterate writer of letters to the editor, man of public opinion andcommitted activist.

It would be fair to call him one of humankind's best friends.And now the friends are hurrying to stay even with him as he rushesto his 79th birthday May 16.

They've cooked up a celebration called "A Toast to Studs Terkel"to be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Bismarck Hotel. FormerAld. Leon M. Despres (5th) and comedian Aaron Freeman will be theemcees.

Some of the toasters and regalers will be the Rev. John J. Egan,state Sen. Richard Newhouse (D-Chicago), columnist Mike Royko,broadcaster Ray Nordstrand and artist Margaret Burroughs. Folksingers Pete Seeger and Bonnie Koloc will be among the entertainers.

The sponsor is the Center for Neighborhood Technology, a pillarof Chicago's community movement - and that pleases Terkel. As arule, he would much rather be a toastmaster at someone else's partythan the toasted master at his own.

"Neighborhoods - that's what the city is about," says Terkel."Neighborhood autonomy was just beginning under Mayor HaroldWashington."

But Terkel's real neighborhood is anywhere he happens to be -any old street in Chicago, many a street in many a city, here andabroad. The froggy Voice of the Terkel is the voice of grass-rootsChicago, as far as tens of thousands of people are concerned. Theyknow about him in places where they've never heard of Michael Jordan,Richard M. Daley or Ryne Sandberg.

"He's God's trombone," says Lew Kreinberg, a veteran communityorganizer on the staff of the Center for Neighborhood Technology."He's about `small-d' democracy."

Studs has critics who talk about him with a big D and grumblethat he ought to turn down that trombone. But there are few who denythat his life is a triumphant saga of pride and principle, craft,work and an embracing passion for the underdogs of the world.

Working, first-person accounts by working people, is one of hismost famous books. No one works harder than Studs himself. Arenowned interviewer, he prides himself on his nightly talk show onradio station WFMT-FM (98.7), where he has been a fixture since 1952.

He has won many prizes for the station, among them the PrixItalia for "Born to Live," a moving documentary of the nuclear age.His loving sense for people comes through on the air, along with hisart.

"It's as though I make the hour," he says. "I do it to satisfymyself. I pride myself on crafting my shows with a respect for thetaste and intelligence of our audience. Would it not be great if allwho work hard had such decision-making power in the work they do?"

The decision-making scene at WFMT figures in Tuesday's toast toTerkel. The much-honored fine arts station has suffered severe staffshakeups and programming wrangles in budget faceoffs with itscontrolling board, which also operates WTTW-Channel 11.

Studs, never one to back away from a cause, has slashed back,turning his fire on board members and top brass at WTTW. Pressure onhim has built as his time slot was moved around (it's now 10:30-11:30p.m., Sunday through Friday). He lost his office and his assistant.

But people power - or listener power - surfaced with theformation of the Friends of WFMT. They mounted a court challenge toprevent changes in the station's format and eventually acceptedplaces on the board.

Despres, who for many years was an independent voice in the CityCouncil, guided the legal wars for the Friends.

"Things have been made harder for Studs, but they'd have to firehim to get him out," he says.

"The most wonderful thing about Studs is that he has made money,earned fame, won a Pulitzer Prize (for his World War II book, The`Good' War), has constant coverage, but he never hesitates to give ofhimself."

He's still giving, working on a book about the American dilemmaof race.

"There is nobody I would rather share a picket line with," saysEgan.

Tickets for Tuesday's "A Toast to Studs Terkel" are $35 apiece.Call (312) 278-4800.

среда, 7 марта 2012 г.

Zoo Atlanta panda gives birth for third time

ATLANTA (AP) — A giant panda gave birth to her third cub Wednesday at Zoo Atlanta, one of only four U.S. zoos that house the endangered animals.

The cub weighed about 4 ounces (113 grams) and was about the size of a cell phone, zoo officials said. Mother panda Lun Lun had been on round-the-clock birth watch since Oct. 22, when an ultrasound confirmed the pregnancy.

The cub, the only giant panda born at a U.S. zoo so far this year, was born at 5:39 a.m. (0939 GMT) in a specially prepared birthing den, zoo officials said.

"We have a very healthy giant panda cub," said zoo veterinarian Sam Rivera. He said zoo officials probably will get a chance to examine the cub and determine its gender next week after Lun Lun feels comfortable with setting it down.

It will take several weeks for the cub to develop its signature black and white fur.

"Lun Lun is an experienced mom. She knows exactly what to do, and she's doing the right thing," Rivera said. He said while Lun Lun's mammary gland development indicates she's producing milk, he can't be certain yet whether the cub is nursing. "The first week is critical," he said.

Zoo officials said the cub will go on display next spring. Panda fans can keep up with the cub's growth at the zoo's online panda cam, which showed Lun Lun licking and cuddling the cub Wednesday morning.

Pandas sometimes act pregnant even when they are not, which can keep zoos guessing until the animal actually gives birth. Zoo officials said this was the first time the zoo has been able to use an ultrasound to confirm a pregnancy with Lun Lun.

"It's been unique that we were able to monitor the cub since it was pea-sized," Rivera said.

Giant panda gestation averages 135 days but can range from 83-197 days.

The panda is trained to cooperate with medical procedures and tests, but refused those interventions during her last two pregnancies.

Lun Lun was inseminated with sperm from her partner, Yang Yang, in June after the two failed to mate. The couple's previous cubs were Mei Lan, born in 2006, and Xi Lan, born in 2008.

The other U.S. zoos with giant pandas are in San Diego, Memphis and Washington. Researchers estimate only 1,600 to 3,000 of the endangered species remain in the wild and another 200 in captivity.

Xi Lan still lives in Atlanta, but his older sister Mei Lan was returned to China in February to help breed more of the endangered animals. China owns all the pandas in the U.S., even the cubs that are born here.

The new cub won't be named until it is 100 days old, as is tradition in China.

___

Online:

Zoo Atlanta: http://www.zooatlanta.org

___

Associated Press writer Dorie Turner in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Islamist war goes back to Johnson.(OPINION)

"... a stream of serial murders by various Islamic groups ... under the watch of the past eight American presidents:"

President Clinton jabbed his finger defensively at Chris Wallace in his Fox News interview in a naked and embarrassing but--perhaps--understandable fit of anger. After all, his administration failed to protect us from the terrorist attack of 9/11. Yet we would do well to stop assigning political blame: There has been enough to go around in the past 40 years.

That interview, however, boldly underlined one of the most important questions facing Americans today.

Is al-Qaeda an isolated threat or part of a global network?

An Islamic scholar in the Sept. 10 Boston Globe stated that al-Qaeda is only a part of "a unified global network of Islamic terrorism."

That unified global network has been terrorizing Americans and Jews since the Johnson presidency. Together their attacks constitute a clear declaration of war.

This war, like no other, is not against a nation, not religious and not ideological. Simply put, it is the last gasp of an Islamist assault on the ideal of Western democracy. And that is what makes President Bush's visionary foreign policy to finally take the battle to the enemy not only valid but just. To think otherwise is to ignore the facts. Let us review those facts, a stream of serial murders by various Islamic groups operating around the world under the watch of the past eight American presidents:

Johnson Presidency:

* 1968: Two Palestinian gunmen travel from Beirut to Athens and attack an El Al airliner there, killing one.

Nixon Presidency:

* In 1972: members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hijacks four airliners, Jewish passengers segregated but later released as empty airplanes are blown up by the terrorists.

* Four PLO terrorists hijack Sabena airliner with 109 on route from Brussels to Tel Aviv; IDF commando team kills terrorists in a dramatic rescue operation.

* Black September, of Arafat's Fatah, kidnaps and kills 11 Israeli Olympic athletes and a German policeman in Munich.

* In 1973: Black September takes 10 hostages and kills three diplomats at Saudi Arabia's embassy in Khartoum.

* Pan Am flight 110: Abu Nidal's PLO throw phosphorus bombs into airliner, killing 30.

Ford Presidency:

* In 1974: A bomb kills 88 on flight TWA 842.

* In 1976: Palestinian PFLP hijacks Air France 139, resulting in Operation Entebbe in Uganda; four hostages, one Israeli soldier die.

Carter Presidency:

* In 1980: Said Nasr, member of Abu Nidal group, carries out a grenade attack on Jews waiting for a bus in Antwerp, killing a child.

* Paris: Palestinian terrorists kill four congregants in a bomb attack on the rue Copernic.

* In 1981: Two Arab men carrying a machine gun and grenades attack Jews leaving a bar mitzvah, killing two at Stadttempel synagogue, Vienna.

* Peace-waging Egyptian President Anwar Sadat assassinated by jihadists.

Reagan Presidency:

* In 1983: Hezbollah kills 63 in a U.S. Embassy, Beirut, bombing.

* In 1985: Hezbollah kills one and wounds 18 in Paris Marks & Spencer shop.

* Hezbollah hijacks flight TWA 847, killing American Robert Stethem.

* PLO hijacks Achille Lauro, killing elderly passenger Leon Klinghoffer.

* Hezbollah bombs Galeries Lafayette and Printemps shops, Paris, injuring 51.

* In 1986 in Paris: Pro-Iranian Fouad Ali Saleh group bombs Champs Elysees injuring seven; a second bomb fails to blow up Eiffel tower.

* In Paris seven are injured at the Gibert book shop by Fouad Ali Saleh.

* In Paris, Committee of Solidarity with the Arab and Middle East Political Prisoners is responsible for killing two, injuring 36, in Les Halles attack.

* A TWA flight is bombed on approach to Athens airport; killing four Americans, including an infant.

* In Berlin: Libyans kill three American soldiers in a bombing at La Belle discotheque; in retaliation, the U.S. bombs Libya, hoping to kill Qaddafi.

* In 1988: Pan Am 103 is bombed by Libyan intelligence agents, killing 270 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

* In 1989: Libyan intelligence kills all 171 passengers with a suitcase bomb on flight UTA 772 en route to Paris.

And on, and on, and on ... This is only part of the legacy President Clinton misjudged as a law enforcement problem--one that was downplayed for 40 years until President Bush was forced to finally take decisive military action against the antagonists.

Michael J. Stedman is a writer and Chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition, New England Chapter.