Things to Do in the Hudson Valley, Oct. 2 to 11, 2015

Abstract: A guide to cultural and recreational events in the Hudson Valley. Items for the calendar should be sent at least three weeks in advance to westweek@nytimes.com. Comedy PELHAM Rockwells Tim Krompier and Nore Davis. Oct. 10 at 9 p.m. $10. Rockwells, 105 Wolfs Lane. 914-738-5881; rockwellsusa.net. WEST NYACK Levity Live Pauly Shore. Oct. 2 and 3. $22 and $25. Colin Kane. Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. $18. Jimmy Failla. Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. $15. Tom Cotter. Oct. 9 through 11. $20. Levity Live, 4210 Palisades Center Drive. 845-353-5400; levitylive.com. Film KINGSTON Ulster Performing Arts Center “Bride of Frankenstein” (1935), directed by James Whale, and “Creature From the Black Lagoon” in 3-D (1954), directed by Jack Arnold. Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m. $6. Ulster Performing Arts Center, 601 Broadway. 845-339-6088; upac.org. NYACK The Rivertown Film Society “The Amazing Nina Simone,” screening and discussion with Jeff L. Lieberman and Sam Waymon. Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m. $17 and $20. The Rivertown Film Society, 58 Depew Avenue. 845-353-2568; rivertownfilm.org. PLEASANTVILLE Jacob Burns Film Center “Classic French Cinema: Breakout Roles,” series. Through Oct. 8. $7 to $15. “Peace Officer,” documentary by Brad Barber and Scott Christopherson. Through Oct. 8. $7.50 to $13. “In My Father’s House,” documentary by Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern. Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. $10 and $15. “Tiger Tiger,” documentary by George Butler. Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. $10 and $15. “He Named Me Malala,” documentary by Davis Guggenheim. Oct. 9 through 11. $7.50 to $13. Jacob Burns Film Center, 364 Manville Road. burnsfilmcenter.org; 914-747-5555. POUGHKEEPSIE Bardavon Opera House “The Met in HD: ‘Il Trovatore,’ ” starring Anna Netrebko and Dmitri Hvorostovsky. Oct. 3 at 1 p.m. $20 to $27. “The Grapes of Wrath” (1940), directed by John Ford. Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m. $6. Bardavon Opera House, 35 Market Street. 845-473-2072; bardavon.org. ROSENDALE Rosendale Theater “The Young and Prodigious T. S. Spivet,” directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Oct. 5 through 8. “Rosenwald,” documentary by Aviva Kempner. Oct. 9 and 10 at 5 p.m. “The Diary of a Teenage Girl,” directed by Marielle Heller. Oct. 9 through 15. $5 and $7. Rosendale Theater, 408 Main Street. rosendaletheatre.org; 845-658-8989. WOODSTOCK Woodstock Film Festival Film screenings, panels and events in towns including Rhinebeck, Rosendale, Saugerties and Kingston. Through Oct. 4. $5 to $100. Woodstock Film Festival, various locations. woodstockfilmfestival.com; 845-810-0131. For Children BRONX Bronx Museum of the Arts “Family Affair: Palante,” art activities. Oct. 10, 1 to 4 p.m. Free. Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse. 718-681-6000; bronxmuseum.org. BRONX Wave Hill Family Art Project: Magical Wands and Fairy Houses. Oct. 3 and 4, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Family Art Project: Sailing the Sky. Oct. 10 and 11, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free with admission to the grounds. $2 to $8; members and children under 6, free. Admission is free until noon on Saturdays. Wave Hill, 675 West 252nd Street. 718-549-3200; wavehill.org. CHAPPAQUA Robert Bell School Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival, signings, activities and food. Oct. 3, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free. Robert Bell School, Robert Bell School. ccbfestival.org. CROTON-ON-HUDSON Van Cortlandt Manor The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze, more than 7,000 jack o’lanterns in various shapes and patterns. Through Nov. 15. $16 to $25; members and children under 3, free. Van Cortlandt Manor, 525 South Riverside Avenue. 914-631-8200; hudsonvalley.org. PEEKSKILL 12 Grapes Music and Wine Bar Open mike for musicians ages 6 to 17. Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. Admission is free. 12 Grapes Music and Wine Bar, 12 North Division Street. 914-737-6624; 12grapes.com. SLEEPY HOLLOW Philipsburg Manor “Horseman’s Hollow,” haunted house and trail set in the late 1700s with costumed characters. Through Nov. 1. $15 to $40. Philipsburg Manor, 381 North Broadway. 914-366-6900; hudsonvalley.org. SOMERS Lasdon Park, Arboretum and Veterans Memorial Dino Train Show, wagon rides, dinosaurs, hay maze, scavenger hunt and more. Weekends, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. through Oct. 31. $5 and $7. Lasdon Park, Arboretum and Veterans Memorial, 2610 Amawalk Road. 914-864-7268; lasdonpark.org. Music and Dance ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, at Bard College American Ballet Theater. Oct. 9 through 11. $25 to $65. The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, at Bard College. fishercenter.bard.edu; 845-758-7900. BEACON Towne Crier Cafe Mike Stern, jazz. Oct. 2 at 8:30 p.m. $35 and $40. John McCutcheon, folk. Oct. 3 at 8:30 p.m. $25 and $30. Jacob Bernz, singer/songwriter. Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m. $15 and $20. Garnet Rogers and Archie Fisher, folk. Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. $25 and $30. Dave Mason’s Traffic Jam, rock. Oct. 9 at 8:30 p.m. $65 to $125. Jubilee Riots, rock. Oct. 10 at 8:30 p.m. $25 and $30. Maria Muldaur, blues and jazz. Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m. $30 and $35. Towne Crier Cafe, 379 Main Street. 845-855-1300; townecrier.com. BETHEL Bethel Woods Center for the Arts The Princeton Nassoons, vocal ensemble. Oct. 4 at 3 p.m. $10 and $25. Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Road. 866-781-2922; bethelwoodscenter.org. BRONX Bronx Museum of the Arts “ ‘All the Ladies Say’ Underground Hip Hop Anniversary.” Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. Donations accepted. Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse. bronxmuseum.org; 718-681-6000. GARRISON The Philipstown Depot Theater Andy Revkin, blues and folk. Oct. 2 at 8 p.m. $15. The Philipstown Depot Theater, 10 Garrison Landing. philipstowndepottheatre.org; 845-424-3900. IRVINGTON Irvington Town Hall Theater The Neel Murgai Ensemble and the Mandingo Ambassadors, world music. Oct. 2 at 8 p.m. $25 and $30. Irvington Town Hall Theater, 85 Main Street. irvingtontheater.com; 914-591-6602. MAMARONECK Emelin Theater Kellylee Evans, jazz. Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. $27. Emelin Theater, 153 Library Lane. emelin.org; 914-698-0098. MARLBORO The Falcon The Big Takeover, reggae. Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. Aztec Two-Step, folk. Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. Willa McCarthy Band, R&B. Oct. 4, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Howard Fishman and His Band, blues and soul. Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. Corey Dandridge’s World of Gospel. Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. Jon Cowherd Mercy Project, jazz. Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. Dwight and Nicole, R&B. Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. Dupont Brothers, indie folk. Oct. 8 at 8:30 p.m. Rodney Holms Trio, jazz. Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. Project/Object, Frank Zappa tribute band. Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. Jane Monheit, jazz. Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. Donations accepted. The Falcon, 1348 Route 9W. liveatthefalcon.com; 845-236-7970. MOUNT VERNON St. Paul’s Church Pamela Sklar, flute. Oct. 9 at 3 p.m. Free. St. Paul’s Church, 897 South Columbus Avenue. 914-667-4116; nps.gov/sapa. NEW ROCHELLE Ossie Davis Theater, New Rochelle Public Library Vincent and Emily Ricciardi, opera and musical theater. Oct. 4 at 3 p.m. $2. Ossie Davis Theater, New Rochelle Public Library, 16 Lawton Street. nrpl.org; 914-632-8254. OSSINING Ossining Public Library Esther and Sun-A Park, piano. Oct. 4 at 2 p.m. Free. Ossining Public Library, 53 Croton Avenue. 914-941-2416; ossininglibrary.org. PAWLING Daryl’s House Matt Nathanson, folk and rock. Oct. 2 at 8 p.m. $32.75. Live at the Fillmore, Allman Brothers Band tribute band. Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. $20 and $25. Shemekia Copeland, blues. Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. $25 and $35. Brett Dennen, folk and pop. Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. $25 and $40. Eliot Lewis, rock and soul. Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. $15 and $20. Chuck Prophet, rock. Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. $20 and $30. Jonathan Edwards, folk. Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. $25 and $35. Saintseneca, pop. Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. $10 and $15. Daryl’s House, 130 Route 22. darylshouseclub.com; 845-289-0185. PEEKSKILL 12 Grapes Music and Wine Bar The Track, rock. Oct. 2 at 9:30 p.m. $5. Patrick Murphy McDowell, blues and rock. Oct. 3 at 9:30 p.m. $10. Ryan O’Connor, pop and rock. Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. No cover. Jeremy James, R&B. Oct. 8 at 8:30 p.m. No cover. The Dave Fields New York All Stars, blues and soul. Oct. 9 at 9:30 p.m. $5 and $10. 12 Grapes Music and Wine Bar, 12 North Division Street. 914-737-6624; 12grapes.com. PEEKSKILL Bean Runner Cafe Cuboricua, salsa. Oct. 2 at 8 p.m. $10. Valerie Capers Quartet, jazz. Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. $15. Ray Blue Quartet, jazz. Oct. 9 at 8 p.m. $10. Clifton Anderson Quartet, jazz. Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. $15. Bean Runner Cafe, 201 South Division Street. 914-737-1701; beanrunnercafe.com. PEEKSKILL Paramount Hudson Valley The Best of the Eagles, tribute concert. Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. $25 and $35. Paramount Hudson Valley, 1008 Brown Street. 914-739-0039; paramounthudsonvalley.com. PIERMONT The Turning Point Rhett Tyler and Early Warning, blues. Oct. 2 at 9 p.m. $20. Lucy Kaplansky, singer/songwriter. Oct. 3 at 5 p.m. $35. The UpSouth Twisters, zydeco. Oct. 3 at 9 p.m. $20. Tracy Grammer, singer/songwriter. Oct. 4 at 4 p.m. $15. Doc Richmond’s Jazz Jam. Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. $5. Roy Book Binder, blues. Oct. 9 at 8 p.m. $25. Reflections, Grateful Dead tribute band. Oct. 10 at 9 p.m. $15. Jen Chapin Duo, folk. Oct. 11 at 4 p.m. $17.50. The Turning Point, 468 Piermont Avenue. turningpointcafe.com; 845-359-1089. PORT CHESTER The Capitol Theater Joe Walsh, rock. Oct. 7 and 8 at 8:30 p.m. $60 to $125. Mac DeMarco, indie rock. Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. $35 to $50. The Capitol Theater, 149 Westchester Avenue. 914-937-4126; thecapitoltheatre.com. POUGHKEEPSIE Bardavon Opera House “Spirit of Johnny Cash,” Harold Ford. Oct. 8 at 2 p.m. Suggested donation, $6. Lucinda Williams, country. Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. $49 to $69. Bardavon Opera House, 35 Market Street. bardavon.org; 845-473-2072. PURCHASE The Performing Arts Center, Purchase College The 5 Browns, classical. Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. $35 to $55. Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. Oct. 4 at 3 p.m. $45. The Performing Arts Center, Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road. artscenter.org; 914-251-6200. RHINEBECK The Church of the Messiah Helena Baillie, violin/viola, and Babette Hierholzer, piano. Oct. 4 at 3 p.m. $5 and $25; children under 13, free. The Church of the Messiah, 6436 Montgomery Street. 845-876-2870; rhinebeckmusic.org. Image LARCHMONT “Phantom Limb/Cheshire Grin” (2015), colored pencil and collage on archival inkjet print by Patricia Bellan-Gillen, is on view in the group exhibition “Marking Wonderland” through Oct. 31 at Kenise Barnes Fine Art, 1947 Palmer Avenue. For further information: 914-834-8077 or kbfa.com . Credit Patricia Bellan-Gillen TARRYTOWN Tarrytown Music Hall HippieFest 2015, the Family Stone, Rick Derringer, Badfinger and Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. Oct. 2 at 8 p.m. $43 to $125. John Sebastian and David Grisman, bluegrass and rock. Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. $38 to $58. Kansas, rock. Oct. 9 at 8 p.m. $59 to $79. Classic Albums Live performs the Beatles’ “Abbey Road.” Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. $30 to $40. Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt, folk and country. Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. $58 to $128. Tarrytown Music Hall, 13 Main Street. 877-840-0457; tarrytownmusichall.org. WHITE PLAINS Downtown Music, Grace Church Rebel Ensemble, baroque. Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. $5 to $25. Downtown Music, Grace Church, 33 Church Street. dtmusic.org; 914-949-0384. WOODSTOCK Bearsville Theater Wood Brothers, country. Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. $25. Dave Mason’s Traffic Jam, rock. Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. $25 to $55. Peter Wolf, rock. Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. $25 to $55. Mac DeMarco, indie rock. Oct. 11 at 8 p.m. $20. Bearsville Theater, 291 Tinker Street. 845-679-4406; bearsvilletheater.com. Outdoors BETHEL Bethel Woods Center for the Arts Bethel Woods Craft Beer Festival and Chili Cook-Off. Oct. 10 at noon. $40 and $75. Designated drivers, $15. Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Road. 866-781-2922; bethelwoodscenter.org. BRONX Wave Hill Garden Highlights Walk, tour of seasonal highlights. Oct. 4 at 2 p.m. Early Morning Bird Walk. Oct. 10 at 8 a.m. Fall Birding, guided bird walk. Oct. 11 at 9:30 a.m. Free with admission to the grounds. $2 to $8; members and children under 6, free. Admission is free until noon on Saturdays and Tuesdays. Wave Hill, 675 West 252nd Street. 718-549-3200; wavehill.org. SCARSDALE Greenburgh Nature Center “Fall Festival,” scarecrow building, pumpkin carving, cider making, animals, scavenger hunts and tractor rides. Oct. 11, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. $5 to $15; children under 2, free. Greenburgh Nature Center, 99 Dromore Road. 914-723-3470; greenburghnaturecenter.org. WHITE PLAINS Saxon Woods Park Hunt for hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, guided walk by Steve Brill. Oct. 11 at 1 p.m. Suggested donation, $10 and $20. Saxon Woods Park, Mamaroneck Avenue/Hutchinson River Parkway. 914-835-2153; wildmanstevebrill.com. Spoken Word BETHEL Bethel Woods Center for the Arts “Dialogue Arts Project in Action,” lecture by Jon Sands. Oct. 6 at 5 p.m. Free. Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Road. 866-781-2922; bethelwoodscenter.org. BRONX Bronx Museum of the Arts Monica S. Martinez will read excerpts from her book “Seasonal Husband.” Oct. 7, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Donations accepted. Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse. 718-681-6000; bronxmuseum.org. DOBBS FERRY Rotunda, at Mercy College Readings by Tom Foreman, Michael Ruhlman, Jeff Gordinier and Taffy Brodesser-Akner. Oct. 9 at 6 p.m. $30 for meal and show. Rotunda, at Mercy College, 555 Broadway. spokeninterludes.com. HYDE PARK The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum David Pietrusza discusses his book “1932: The Rise of Hitler and FDR.” Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. Free. The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, 4079 Albany Post Road. fdrlibrary.marist.edu; 845-486-7745. IRVINGTON Irvington Town Hall Theater Staged reading of Robert Firpo-Cappiello’s “Beggars Rain.” Oct. 4 at 3 p.m. $11 to $13. Irvington Town Hall Theater, 85 Main Street. 914-591-6602; irvingtontheater.com. MAMARONECK Emelin Theater “The Liar Show,” with the storytellers Andy Christie, Tara Clancy, Jim O’Grady, Mark Katz and Leslie Goshko. Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. $25. Emelin Theater, 153 Library Lane. 914-698-0098; emelin.org. MAMARONECK Mamaroneck Village Courtroom Forum with the concentration camp liberators Alan Moskin and Bernhard Storch. Sponsored by the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center. Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. Mamaroneck Village Courtroom, 160 Mount Pleasant Avenue. 914-696-0738; hhrecny.org. PALISADES I.B.M. Palisades Executive Conference Center “Palisades People: Sean Scully in Conversation With Ken Carbone.” Oct. 11 at 4:30 p.m. $5 to $10. I.B.M. Palisades Executive Conference Center, 334 Route 9W. 845-359-0136; palisadesfreelibrary.org. PEEKSKILL Bean Runner Cafe “Honestly, It’s OK to LOL (Humor in Art, Then and Now),” lecture by Marcy B. Freedman. Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. Free. Bean Runner Cafe, 201 South Division Street. 914-737-1701; beanrunnercafe.com. PURCHASE The Performing Arts Center, Purchase College “An Evening with Zadie Smith: A Lecture, Reading and Conversation.” Oct. 7, 4:30 to 6 p.m. Free. The Performing Arts Center, Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road. 914-251-6550; artscenter.org. SLEEPY HOLLOW Hudson Valley Writers’ Center Readings by Susan Hodara. Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m. $10. “Words &... an Evening With Hope,” reading and choreography by Hope Boykin. Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. $10. Hudson Valley Writers’ Center, 300 Riverside Drive. writerscenter.org; 914-332-5953. VALHALLA Westchester Photographic Society, Westchester Community College “Travel: A Daily Journal of the World,” lecture. Oct. 9 at 8 p.m. Free. Westchester Photographic Society, Westchester Community College, Technology Building, Room 108. 914-827-5353; wpsphoto.org. WHITE PLAINS White Plains Public Library The Families of Veterans Writing Workshop. Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. through Nov. 18. Free. White Plains Public Library, 100 Martine Avenue. 914-629-4016;fvww.weebly.com. Theater ELMSFORD Westchester Broadway Theater “Show Boat,” musical by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II. Through Nov. 29 and Dec. 30 through Jan. 31. $54 to $84 for dinner and show. Westchester Broadway Theater, 1 Broadway Plaza. 914-592-2222; broadwaytheatre.com. GARRISON The Philipstown Depot Theater “Popular Mechanics,” one-man show by Terrence O’Brien. Oct. 4 at 3:30 p.m. $20. The Philipstown Depot Theater, 10 Garrison Landing. philipstowndepottheatre.org; 845-424-3900. PLEASANTVILLE Arc Stages “Love/Sick,” comedy by John Cariani. Through Oct. 11. $28 and $36. Arc Stages, 147 Wheeler Avenue. 914-747-6206; arcstages.org. PURCHASE The Performing Arts Center, Purchase College “In the Red and Brown Water,” drama by Tarell Alvin McCraney. Oct. 9 through 17. $12.50 and $17.50. The Performing Arts Center, Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road. artscenter.org; 914-251-6200. STONY POINT Penguin Rep Theater “Priceless,” comedy by David Robson. Through Oct. 25. $40. Penguin Rep Theater, 7 Crickettown Road. 845-786-2873; penguinrep.org. VALHALLA Academic Arts Theater “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,” Aquila Theater Company. Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. $16 to $22. Academic Arts Theater, 75 Grasslands Road. sunywcc.edu/smartarts. 914-606-6262. WHITE PLAINS White Plains Performing Arts Center “My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish, I’m in Therapy,” one-man show by Steve Solomon. Through Nov. 1. $45 to $65. White Plains Performing Arts Center, 11 City Place. 914-328-1600; wppac.com. YORKTOWN HEIGHTS Yorktown Stage “13,” musical by Jason Robert Brown. Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 10 at noon. $12 to $20. Yorktown Stage, 1974 Commerce Street. yorktownstage.org; 914-962-0606. Museums and Galleries BEACON Beacon “Beacon 3D,” outdoor public art exhibition. Through Oct. 15. Dawn to dusk. Various locations on Main Street. beacon3d.org; 917-318-2239. BEACON Howland Public Library Paintings by Allison Wiand. Through Oct. 3. “Document,” group photography show. Oct. 10 through Nov. 7. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. Howland Public Library, 313 Main Street. 845-831-1134; beaconlibrary.org. BEACON Matteawan Gallery Paintings and collage by Thomas Huber. Through Oct. 4. Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Matteawan Gallery, 436 Main Street. 845-440-7901; matteawan.com. BEACON Mount Gulian Historic Site Tours of the home, Dutch barn and restored garden. Sundays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 1 to 5 p.m. through Oct. 25. $4 to $8; members, free. Mount Gulian Historic Site, 145 Sterling Street. mountgulian.org; 845-831-8172. BEACON Theo Ganz Studio “Drawings and Prints,” Elana Goren, Kirsten Kucer and Jackie Skrzynski. Through Oct. 4. “Bits and Pieces,” Laura Gurton. “Remastered Portraits,” Sydney Cash. Oct. 10 through Nov. 8. Fridays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. Theo Ganz Studio, 149 Main Street. theoganzstudio.com; 917-318-2239. BETHEL Bethel Woods Center for the Arts “Written in Stone,” sculptures by Harry Gordon. Through Oct. 12. “Threads: Connecting ’60s and Modern Rockwear,” from the collection of Andy Hilfiger. Through Dec. 31. $6 to $15; children under 3, free. Daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sept. 8 to Oct. 12. Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Road. 866-781-2922; bethelwoodscenter.org. BRONX Bronx Museum of the Arts “Trees Are Alphabets,” installation by E. J. McAdams. Through Feb. 7. Wednesdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Fridays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse. 718-681-6000; bronxmuseum.org. BRONX Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos The Bronx Culture Trolley. Tour of cultural institutions along the Bronx Cultural Corridor. The trolley departs at 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 7. Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos, 450 Grand Concourse. 718-518-6728; bronxarts.org. BRONX The New York Botanical Garden “Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life,” paintings, works on paper and a garden. Through Nov. 1. $10 to $25; children under 2, free. Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The New York Botanical Garden, Southern Boulevard. 718-817-8700; nybg.org. Image PAWLING The blues musician Shemekia Copeland will perform on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. at Daryl’s House, 130 Route 22. Tickets are $25 and $35. For further information: 845-289-0185 or darylshouseclub.com . Credit Chris Kleponis/Reuters COLD SPRING Buster Levi Gallery “Something More,” works by Martee Levi. Through Nov. 1. Fridays through Sundays, noon to 6 p.m.; and by appointment. Buster Levi Gallery, 121 Main Street. 845-809-5810; busterlevigallery.com. COLD SPRING Gallery 66NY “Observations Beyond and About,” Donald Alter. “Anatomically Correct,” Heidi Ettinger. “Boundaries,” Nancy Drosd. “The Venus Cycle,” Susan Grabel. Through Nov. 1. Thursdays through Sundays, noon to 6 p.m.; and by appointment. Gallery 66NY, 66 Main Street. 845-809-5838; gallery66ny.com. GARRISON Manitoga/The Russel Wright Design Center House, studio and landscape tours. Through Nov. 9. $10 to $20. Manitoga/The Russel Wright Design Center, 584 Route 9D. 845-424-3812; visitmanitoga.org. GARRISON Saunders Farm “Collaborative Concepts: Farm Project 2015,” group sculpture show on a working farm. Through Oct. 31. Daily, 10 a.m. to dusk. Saunders Farm, 853 Old Albany Post Road. collaborativeconcepts.org; 845-528-1797. HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON Upstream Gallery Allen M. Hart Retrospective. Through Oct. 4. “Kamal,” works by Luis Perelman. Oct. 8 through Nov. 1. Thursdays through Sundays, 12:30 to 5:30 p.m.; and by appointment. Upstream Gallery, 8 Main Street. 914-674-8548. upstreamgallery.com. HUDSON 510 Warren Street Gallery “Under Water,” paintings by Kate Knapp. Through Nov. 1. Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 6 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. 510 Warren Street Gallery, 510 Warren Street. 510warrenstgallery.com; 518-822-0510. HUDSON Carrie Haddad Gallery “Paper,” group show. Through Oct. 4. “Color Theory,” group show. Oct. 7 through Nov. 15. Mondays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Carrie Haddad Gallery, 622 Warren Street. carriehaddadgallery.com; 518-828-1915. HUDSON Davis Orton Gallery “The Constructed Image: Photocollage, Photomontage and Assemblage.” Through Oct. 4. Fridays through Sundays, noon to 6 p.m.; and by appointment. Davis Orton Gallery, 114 Warren Street. 518-697-0266; davisortongallery.com. HUDSON John Davis Gallery “Five Decades,” Daisy Craddock. Through Oct. 11. Thursdays through Mondays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. John Davis Gallery, 362 ½ Warren Street. 518-828-5907; johndavisgallery.com. HYDE PARK The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum “The Spirit of the Gift: Gifts of State and Affection.” Through Dec. 31. $6 and $9; children under 15, free. Daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Oct. 31. The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, 4079 Albany Post Road. 845-486-7745; fdrlibrary.marist.edu. KATONAH Katonah Museum of Art “Inside the Outside: Five Self-Taught Artists From the William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation.” “Barnes Private Residence, 1952, Relocated, 2015.” Through Oct. 11. $5 and $10; members and children under 12, free. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Katonah Museum of Art, 134 Jay Street. katonahmuseum.org; 914-232-9555. KINGSTON Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center “Sites and Sights,” altered photographs by Arlene Becker. Through Nov. 29. Weekdays, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center, 300 Wall Street. 845-331-5300; lgbtqcenter.org. LARCHMONT Kenise Barnes Fine Art “Marking Wonderland,” group show. Paintings by Yolanda Sánchez and Don Swanson. Through Oct. 31. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and by appointment. Kenise Barnes Fine Art, 1947 Palmer Avenue. 914-834-8077; kbfa.com. LARCHMONT Mamaroneck Artists Guild “Best of the Season,” group show. Oct. 6 through 24. Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. Mamaroneck Artists Guild, 126 Larchmont Avenue. mamaroneckartistsguild.org; 914-834-1117. MAMARONECK Bullseye New York Gallery “Dark Ecologies,” group show. Through Nov. 14. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bullseye New York Gallery, 115 Hoyt Avenue. bullseyeglass.com; 914-835-3794. MOUNTAINVILLE Storm King Art Center “Lynda Benglis: Water Sources,” large-scale sculptures. Through Nov. 8. “Outlooks: Luke Stettner,” site-specific outdoor installation. Through Nov. 29. $8 to $12; members and children under 5, free. Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Storm King Art Center, Old Pleasant Hill Road. 845-534-3115; stormkingartcenter.org. NEW PALTZ Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, at the State University of New York at New Paltz “The Stories We Tell: Hudson Valley Artists 2015,” group show. Through Nov. 8. “Jervis McEntee: Painter-Poet of the Hudson River School.” “Reading Objects 2015,” selections from the permanent collection. “Thomas Benjamin Pope: Landscapes of Newburgh and Beyond.” Through Dec. 13. Suggested donation, $5. Wednesdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, at the State University of New York at New Paltz, 1 Hawk Drive. newpaltz.edu/museum; 845-257-3844. NEW ROCHELLE College of New Rochelle “Then and Now: 10 Years of Residencies at the Center for Book Arts,” group show. Through Nov. 8. Tuesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; weekends, noon to 4 p.m. College of New Rochelle, 29 Castle Place. 914-654-5291; cnr.edu. NORTH SALEM Hammond Museum and Japanese Stroll Garden “Time and Place,” group show. Through Oct. 17. $4 and $5; members and children under 12, free. Wednesdays through Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m.; and by appointment. Hammond Museum and Japanese Stroll Garden, 28 Deveau Road. 914-669-5033; hammondmuseum.org. NYACK Edward Hopper House Art Center “Behind Doors and Through Windows: Reflections on Contemporary Domestic Life,” group show. Through Oct. 18. $2 to $7; members and children under 16, free. Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. Edward Hopper House Art Center, 82 North Broadway. edwardhopperhouse.org; 845-358-0774. OLANA Olana State Historic Site “River Crossings: Contemporary Art Comes Home,” group show. Through Nov. 1. $10 and $12; children under 12, free. Olana State Historic Site, 5720 State Route 9G. Also on display at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in Catskill, where children under 16 are admitted free. rivercrossings.org. PAWLING Akin Library and Museums “Meeting Past,” group show. Through Oct. 18. Fridays, 1 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.; weekends, 1 to 4 p.m. Akin Library and Museums, 378 Old Quaker Hill Road. 845-855-5099; akinfreelibrary.blogspot.com PEEKSKILL Field Library “Sabrina Occhipinti: Doorways,” photographs. Through Dec. 31. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 1 to 4 p.m. Field Library, 4 Nelson Avenue. 914-737-1212; peekskill.org. PEEKSKILL Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art “Love: The First of the 7 Virtues,” group show. “Leviticus,” installation by Hermann Nitsch. “Writing the Walls,” group show. Through Dec. 6. “Peekskill Project 6,” site-specific art exhibitions, performances and workshops throughout the city. Through Dec. 31. $2 to $5; members and children under 8, free. Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 6 p.m.; and by appointment. Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, 1701 Main Street. 914-788-0100; hvcca.org. PELHAM Pelham Art Center “The Only Home We Have,” group show. Through Oct. 24. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pelham Art Center, 155 Fifth Avenue. 914-738-2525; pelhamartcenter.org. POMONA Down to Earth Living “Nature’s Eyes: Sculpture in the Garden,” outdoor exhibition. Through Nov. 1. Daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Down to Earth Living, 1040 Route 45. 845-354-8500; dteliving.com. PORT CHESTER Clay Art Center “Melting Pot(s),” group show. Through Nov. 7. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Clay Art Center, 40 Beech Street. 914-937-2047; clayartcenter.org. POUGHKEEPSIE The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Mid-Hudson Bridge “Bridge Music,” sound installation by Joseph Bertolozzi. Through Oct. 31. Dawn to dusk. The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Mid-Hudson Bridge. josephbertolozzi.com. POUGHKEEPSIE Vassar College, Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center “Gordon Parks: The Making of an Argument.” Through Dec. 13. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Vassar College, Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, 124 Raymond Avenue. 845-437-5632; fllac.vassar.edu. POUND RIDGE Pound Ridge Public Library “SheilArt,” works by Sheila Mancini. Through Oct. 10. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Pound Ridge Public Library, 271 Westchester Avenue. 914-764-5085; poundridgelibrary.org PURCHASE Neuberger Museum of Art of Purchase College “Gold,” group show. “Teresa Margolles: We Have a Common Thread.” Through Oct. 11. $3 and $5; members and children 12 and under, free. “After 1965,” group show. Oct. 4 through March 13. $3 and $5; members and children 12 and under, free. Tuesdays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Neuberger Museum of Art of Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road. www.neuberger.org; 914-251-6100. TARRYTOWN Canfin Gallery “The Nature of What Arises,” paintings by Rick Stevens. Oct. 3 through 25. Tuesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. Canfin Gallery, 39 Main Street. canfingallery.com; 914-332-4554. TIVOLI Tivoli Artists Gallery “The New York Landscape Show,” group show. Through Oct. 18. Fridays, 5 to 9 p.m.; Saturdays, 1 to 9 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. Tivoli Artists Gallery, 60 Broadway. tivoliartistsgallery.com; 845-757-2667. WEST NYACK Rockland Center for the Arts Annual faculty exhibition. “A Particular Point of View,” Ruth Geneslaw. “Gouache,” Patricia Fabricant. Through Oct. 4. Weekdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; weekends, 1 to 4 p.m. Rockland Center for the Arts, 27 South Greenbush Road. 845-358-0877; rocklandartcenter.org. WHITE PLAINS ArtsWestchester “Through the Decades: Photographing 50 Years in Westchester.” Oct. 5 through Nov. 21. Tuesdays through Fridays, noon to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, noon to 6 p.m. ArtsWestchester, 31 Mamaroneck Avenue. artswestchester.org; 914-428-4220. WOODSTOCK Byrdcliffe Kleinert/James Center for the Arts “Hand/Made: The Digital Age and the Industrial Revolution,” group show. Through Oct. 18. Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 6 p.m.; and by appointment. Byrdcliffe Kleinert/James Center for the Arts, 36 Tinker Street. 845-679-2079; woodstockguild.org. WOODSTOCK Woodstock School of Art “Overlooked: Woodstock Women Artists,” group show. Through Oct. 31. Mondays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Woodstock School of Art, 2470 Route 212. 845-679-2388; woodstockschoolofart.org. YONKERS Blue Door Gallery “Hidden Yonkers,” group show. Through Oct. 10. Thursdays and Fridays, 3 to 8 p.m.; Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Blue Door Gallery, 13 Riverdale Avenue. Also on display at Philipse Manor Hall and Yonkers Riverfront Library. 914-375-5100; bluedoorartcenter.org.

Hudson Valley
The arts
Music
Theater
Museum


Dozens Die in Plane Crash in Taiwan Storm

Abstract: TAIPEI, Taiwan — Dozens of people aboard a plane flying to a Taiwanese island were killed on Wednesday when the aircraft crashed in bad weather during an emergency landing, Taiwan’s Transportation Ministry said. The TransAsia Airways twin turboprop was flying from the southern Taiwan city of Kaohsiung, on the main island, to Magong on the Penghu Islands in rain and heavy winds as Typhoon Matmo passed through the region. Gusts approaching 40 miles per hour were reported. The Transportation Ministry said late Wednesday that 47 people had been killed and 11 injured when Flight 222, an ATR 72, crashed into residential buildings in a village near Magong and caught fire. The 14-year-old plane was carrying 54 passengers and four crew members, Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported. Image A relative of a passenger on board the crashed TransAsia Airways plane was comforted at Kaohsiung’s airport. Credit Reuters Flight 222, normally scheduled to leave at 4 p.m., had been delayed because of bad weather. It finally left at 5:42 p.m. for the 35-minute trip to Magong, the agency reported. A spokesman for Taiwan’s Aviation Safety Council told reporters that it was too early to say whether the crash was caused by the typhoon. A group of investigators from the council and Transportation Minister Yeh Kuang-shih flew to Magong late Wednesday to begin investigating. Jean Shen, director general of the Civil Aeronautics Administration, said the pilot had asked to make a second attempt to land, but air traffic control in Magong lost contact with the plane, the Central News Agency reported. Two planes had landed safely at the Magong Airport shortly before the TransAsia crash, she said. The pilot, Li Yi-liang, 60, had nearly 23,000 hours of flying experience, and the co-pilot, Chiang Kuan-hsing, 39, had 2,391 hours, the Civil Aeronautics Administration said, according to local news media reports. News footage from Magong showed the badly damaged fuselage resting on a wall amid houses. Injured passengers were seen climbing out of the plane. Image Sheng Ching, the director of Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration, addressed reporters at the Sungshan airport in Taipei on Wednesday. Credit Sam Yeh/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images “The fire was extremely big,” one witness, Hsueh De-chong, wrote on Facebook, Taiwan’s Apple Daily reported. “It burned even in the heavy rain.” TransAsia’s general manager, Chooi Yee-choong, appeared before reporters in Taipei and bowed in apology for the crash. Local television showed one woman, Hsu Yu-jie, a 34-year-old employee of the Penghu County accounting and statistics department, collapsing in tears as airline personnel tried to console her. “My daughter,” she said, sobbing. TransAsia is a 63-year-old private airline that flies mainly in Taiwan but also has routes to China, Japan and Southeast Asia. It flies a dozen Airbus jets and 10 turboprops from the French-Italian manufacturer ATR. TransAsia has had at least one previous fatal crash with an ATR. In 2002, an ATR 72-200 freight aircraft with two pilots crashed into the sea near the Penghu Islands while traveling between Taipei and Macau. Severe icing was believed to be the cause of that crash.

Plane Crashes and Missing Planes
TransAsia Airways
Taiwan


A Platform That Attracts Many Mayoral Candidates: The Subway Stop

Abstract: Stay away from the MetroCard machine. Do not block the staircase. And please: pick up your pamphlets before they flutter onto the track and cause a fire. The subway stop meet-and-greet is a time-tested tradition in New York City mayoral races, an efficient, photo-friendly way for candidates to pitch to a self-replenishing crowd of voters. But the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, bracing for an influx of handshaking politicians (and their sign-toting aides), has a few rules. Campaigning on a subway car is verboten. Politicians generally must remain at least 25 feet from station booths or ticket kiosks. Amplified sound is not allowed. And the movement of passengers cannot be impeded — transit officials occasionally urge campaigns to reconsider a location to avoid pileups. The transportation agency also has a blunt message for leafleteers. “Pick up your fliers,” Adam Lisberg, the M.T.A.’s chief spokesman, said. “People are going to slip and fall, and they’re not going to sue John Liu’s campaign — they’re going to sue us.” With 468 stations to choose from, candidates have their own strategies for finding an ideal place to press the straphanger flesh. Blocking the egress is a no-no — commuters may blame a bottleneck on the candidate. Stu Loeser, a former press secretary for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, said that finding a spot with two entrances was usually best. “People who don’t want to be bothered by the handshake can just skip it,” he said. “The candidates who give regular people an easy out generally prove more popular.” Afternoon commutes can be more fruitful than the morning ones, since passengers are less groggy and less distracted. It turns out that few New Yorkers want to stop and chat with someone who could be the most powerful mayor in the country when they are late to a morning meeting. The other key is finding commuters who actually vote. Grand Central is not ideal because many people there are commuters headed out of the city. There is no official count of subway appearances in the current campaign, but a review of public schedules from the last few months turned up a few trends. Manhattan and Brooklyn stations predominate. The only candidate who has regularly appeared at stations in the Bronx is Adolfo Carrión Jr., the Independence Party candidate and a former Bronx borough president. Traditionally, candidates are drawn to neighborhoods with high voting rates and opinionated residents. The Upper East Side station at 77th Street and Lexington Avenue (which happens to be Mr. Bloomberg’s home station, although he does not use it much) is a popular choice. The 72nd Street station on the Upper West Side is considered ideal, being situated inside a small park and close to popular destinations like Fairway and Trader Joe’s. “We want a busy, busy station,” said Bill de Blasio, a Democratic candidate, as he greeted voters outside the station at West 96th Street on Wednesday afternoon. He gestured toward the wide ramp that leads to the station’s plaza in the middle of Broadway: “This has a perfect funnel dynamic.” Mr. de Blasio, who has visited a half-dozen stations in the past week in Brooklyn, Queens and Upper Manhattan, gave high marks to the sizable awning at 96th Street — useful since commuters were taking cover there as a rainstorm soaked the streets. He posed for iPhone photos with some passing admirers, and jumped at a chance for some impromptu chivalry, untangling a woman’s umbrella from another commuter’s necklace. Mr. de Blasio was also mindful of the need to catch a train, manhandling a bespectacled staff member out of the commuters’ way. Aurora Nonas-Barnes, a teacher and performer from Harlem, waited in a line for five minutes to speak with Mr. de Blasio, and told him she was impressed with his ideas for the city. “He’s not handing out umbrellas, but we won’t hold that against him,” she said. The subway being a kind of civic arena, candidates can field some unusual questions. Charles Gross, an Upper West Sider who works in real estate, said he asked Mr. de Blasio about the city’s bedbug problem and suggested bringing back DDT, the banned insecticide spray, as a solution. How did Mr. de Blasio respond? “He was noncommittal on that,” Mr. Gross said. Mr. Lisberg, the transit authority spokesman, was asked if the subway system might consider adding a new onboard announcement to warn customers about the impending flood of would-be mayors. Mr. Lisberg said there were no such plans, but gamely suggested a potential script: “Ladies and gentlemen, political candidates are allowed on station platforms. Please be cautious.”


Til Death Do They Part: Giambi and Bonds

Abstract: TAMPA, Fla., March 8 - It may never end. Jason Giambi understands that now. Even after a vague apology, an award for comeback player of the year and the attempted restoration of his public image, Giambi remains tethered to Barry Bonds and the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative steroids scandal, though he is not the primary subject of the discussion. Giambi was not mentioned in the excerpt released Tuesday from "Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, Balco and the Steroids Scandal That Rocked Professional Sports," the soon-to-be-published book that says Bonds began using steroids after the 1998 season. But the book's cover, in what is probably not a coincidence, features a photograph of Giambi standing next to Bonds during a game. The book's authors, Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, are the reporters who wrote in The San Francisco Chronicle in December 2004 that Giambi had admitted using steroids to the federal grand jury investigating Balco in 2003. Williams said Giambi's Balco involvement is part of the book, which addresses the entire case, not just baseball and Bonds. "Jason is an important character in the book," Williams said Wednesday. "He'll be treated fairly and accurately in the book." So, a year after Giambi thought he had put the issue behind him, he sat at his locker answering more questions about Bonds. "I understand it," said Giambi, who sat out Wednesday night's exhibition game against Pittsburgh because of a sore left calf. "It gets old. It was two seasons ago. But I know you guys have a job to do." The cover picture with Bonds didn't surprise him, either. "It's an easy link," Giambi said. "I'm not shocked." The Chronicle reported that, according to grand jury transcripts, Giambi had testified that he met Greg Anderson, Bonds's personal trainer, on a barnstorming trip to Japan after the 2002 season, and that Anderson later supplied him with steroids and advised him how to use human growth hormone. That allegation led to the curious news conference before spring training last year, when Giambi offered a public apology without specifying the reason. "I didn't want to be a distraction to my teammates," Giambi said. After Giambi took a .195 average into early May, the Yankees approached him about a minor league assignment. Giambi declined and eventually regained his stroke. His 14 homers in July were the most by a Yankee in any month since his idol Mickey Mantle hit 14 in July 1961. Giambi finished with 32 homers and 87 runs batted in, and later landed a multiyear endorsement deal with Reebok, the surest sign his image had recovered. Previously, Nike, Pepsi and Arm & Hammer had dropped him. "He cares," Yankees Manager Joe Torre said. "I'm not saying Barry doesn't care. But he tried to keep an upbeat attitude, and it's not easy to do. He's been as open as he could be." The way Giambi handled it worked for him. "I've got an award sitting on my mantle because of it," he said. But he stopped short of recommending that Bonds apologize. "Different situations," he said. "Barry is a friend of mine, and I don't really know what's going on. That's in the past, and I'm going forward." Even as Balco keeps pulling him back. INSIDE PITCH George Steinbrenner, the Yankees' principal owner, chatting in the Legends Field lunchroom, said he had not watched much of the World Baseball Classic, which he opposed. A team employee shooed reporters away before anyone could ask Steinbrenner about the since-removed sign apologizing for the absence of five players competing in the Classic. Steinbrenner was in a good mood after learning that a local Boys and Girls Club would be named for him and his family. Gary Sheffield (strained right hamstring) returned as the designated hitter after missing three games. Carl Pavano (sore back) threw off the mound for the third time, and Joe Torre said Pavano could be ready to throw batting practice in a week.

NEW YORK YANKEES
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
BONDS BARRY
GIAMBI JASON
BASEBALL
STEROIDS
DRUG ABUSE AND TRAFFIC


Pressure Grows in Hunt for Kidnapped Israelis

Abstract: JERUSALEM — President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority on Wednesday denounced the abduction of three Israeli teenagers and vowed to help catch the kidnappers, as pressure mounted on him and threatened to collapse his fraying reconciliation pact with the militant Islamic movement Hamas. With Israel intensifying its crackdown on Hamas and insisting that it is behind the abductions, Mr. Abbas said at a conference of Islamic leaders in Saudi Arabia that “whoever carried out this act wants to destroy us.” He did not mention Hamas, but he made clear that the Palestinian Authority was assisting Israel in its search for the teenagers. “It’s in our interest that there is security coordination between us and Israel in order to protect ourselves, to protect our people,” he said. “We do not want to go back to the anarchy or destruction that happened in the second intifada.” Analysts said that while Mr. Abbas benefited from Israel’s arrest of scores of Hamas leaders who have long been his rivals, he faced public outrage over the coordination and might have trouble containing unrest if Israel’s aggressive campaign of night raids, home searches and checkpoints continued. Zakaria Al-Qaq, a security expert at Al-Quds University in East Jerusalem, said Mr. Abbas was “trying to show he is cooperative, willing, helpful” and “behaving as a statesman” to earn credibility with the United States and other countries, but in doing so, he risked “being discredited in the eyes of his own public.” Hamas officials lashed out at Mr. Abbas, highlighting the friction between the supposed Palestinian partners. One, Salah Al-Bardaweel, said Mr. Abbas sounded like a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces. Another, Yahia Moussa, said he had “broken the red lines” and was “no longer interested in his people or his Palestinian cause.” A third, Sami Abu Zuhri, issued a statement saying Mr. Abbas’s defense of security coordination was “unjustifiable” and harmed reconciliation, adding, “We emphasize our people’s right to defend themselves and counter the occupation’s crimes with possible means.” The three teenagers — Naftali Fraenkel, 16, a dual Israeli-American citizen; his friend Gilad Shaar, also 16; and Eyal Yifrach, 19 — disappeared June 12 while hitchhiking home from their yeshivas in West Bank settlements. Palestinian leaders have condemned Israeli actions since as “collective punishment.” Israel has tightened checkpoints around Hebron , the West Bank’s largest city, all but closed crossings into the Gaza Strip and canceled visits to Palestinians in Israeli prisons. By Wednesday morning, Israeli troops had arrested 240 Palestinians, including top Hamas politicians and 51 former prisoners who were released in 2011 as part of an exchange for Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier Hamas militants held captive for five years in Gaza. Military officials said soldiers had searched 800 homes, caves and Hamas-affiliated charities, and news media outlets across the West Bank, confiscating tens of thousands of dollars, computers, grenades and machine guns. “We have two efforts going on in parallel: The first is to bring back the boys, and second is to take a toll on Hamas,” said Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a military spokesman. “It’s going to strike a substantial blow on Hamas — its infrastructure, its institutions and everything that keeps it going.” Image President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority in April. Credit Nasser Shiyoukhi/Associated Press On Wednesday, the Israeli authorities approved 162 new apartments in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Homa, which Palestinians and much of the world consider an illegal settlement. Early Thursday morning, Israel bombed five sites in the Gaza Strip, according to a statement from the military, hours after militants based in Gaza fired rockets into southern Israel for the fifth day in a row, damaging a house. The Israeli campaign was not limited to Hamas or the Hebron area. Mustafa Barghouti, who helped negotiate the April reconciliation pact between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Hamas, said the Jenin headquarters of his Palestinian National Initiative, a secular party that advocates nonviolent protest, was ransacked early Monday, with soldiers destroying furniture and seizing hard drives. He said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “using this issue to undermine what was achieved in reconciliation.” “What they are doing now is nothing but acts of political punishment,” Mr. Barghouti said of the Israelis. Jonathan Spyer, a senior research fellow at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel, said it was clear that “Netanyahu wants to use this kidnapping as a way to accomplish something which he wanted to accomplish anyway, which is the serious degradation of Hamas activity in the West Bank.” “Very quietly, and he won’t say this out loud, Abbas is probably very pleased with this as well,” Mr. Spyer added. “Israel and P.A. security officials share the concerns with regards to Hamas ambitions and what Hamas could pull off in the West Bank in the months ahead. There is a desire to push them back a little.” Mr. Abbas’s office on Monday issued a statement condemning the kidnapping and the Israeli crackdown. But he went further on Wednesday in a speech broadcast from Saudi Arabia on Palestinian television and other Arabic channels, saying, “We can’t endure such operations.” An official in Mr. Netanyahu’s office, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said that Mr. Abbas’s “words will be judged” by the Palestinian Authority’s on-the-ground assistance in finding the teenagers, and that “the real test is the cancellation of the agreement with Hamas.” Amid the crisis, reconciliation is suspended — or falling apart. Mr. Bardaweel, the Hamas official in Gaza, said in a telephone interview that the new ministers “do not want to communicate with Hamas,” adding, “It’s clear they are terrified and hesitant because of the Israeli threats.” Khalil Shikaki, director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, said that “reconciliation is certainly the first casualty on the Palestinian side of this.” Israel’s crackdown will most likely increase Hamas’s popularity in the short term, he said, and the longer it lasts, the more Mr. Abbas “has to worry about losing control.” “There is no doubt that Abbas feels the pressure,” Mr. Shikaki said. “Abbas feels that he made a deal with Hamas, and now Hamas is putting the deal and the P.A. and himself in a bad light and providing Israel with a golden opportunity to paint him negatively at a time when he really needs international support.”

Kidnapping
Palestinians
Palestinian Authority
Israel
Mahmoud Abbas
Hamas


Pakistan: Musharraf Barred From Traveling Abroad

Abstract: The country’s Interior Ministry has rejected a request from former President Pervez Musharraf to go abroad for what he contends is a chance to seek medical treatment and to see his ailing mother. Irfan Sadiqui, the prime minister’s adviser on national affairs, said that the government rejected Mr. Musharraf’s request because it could make it difficult for the government to bring him to court once he leaves the country. The move came days after a court indicted Mr. Musharraf on five counts of high treason, charges that potentially carry the death penalty. Mr. Musharraf, 70, took power in a 1999 coup but was forced to step down in 2008. The treason case stems from his decision to suspend the constitution on Nov. 3, 2007, and detain a number of judges.


A Funnier-Than-Usual Journal Gets Snapped Up Early

Abstract: It seems someone at The Wall Street Journal really likes a biting new parody of the paper — likes it enough, in fact, to leave at least one newsstand with no copies remaining for anyone else to buy. The tabloid-format satire, “My Wall Street Journal,” mostly sets out to skewer The Journal’s new owner, the News Corporation, and its chairman, Rupert Murdoch , with swipes at News properties like Fox News, The New York Post and The Journal itself. It takes aim at other targets, too, including Wall Street firms and traders, and assorted politicians and pundits. It was not supposed to go on sale until this week, but some newsstands began selling it early. Last Thursday, Alexander Laurence was working at one such stand in Los Angeles, chatting with a customer, David Metz, when, both of them say, a man in a shirt with a Journal logo asked if anyone had seen a paper that looked sort of like The Journal. “This guy comes by all the time to bring promotional stuff for The Wall Street Journal — bags, coin trays, stickers,” Mr. Laurence said. Sure enough, they found what he was looking for. “He grabbed them all, said, ‘I need to buy all of these,’ ” Mr. Laurence said. “He had been going around to different stands, buying them.” The man paid with a corporate American Express card. “At first he’s saying they have to make a correction or it’s not supposed to be out yet,” Mr. Metz said. “But then he said these are not published by The Wall Street Journal.” A spokesman for The Journal, Robert H. Christie, declined to comment. Tony Hendra, editor in chief of the satire, has experience as a creator of Journal parodies in 1982 and 1983. This time, he had contributions from a team of comedy writers, including Andy Borowitz, Richard Belzer and Terry Jones. The result will be on sale this week at newsstands and bookstores, at Amazon.com, and at wsjparody.com . Mr. Hendra, a former editor of National Lampoon, said he had not heard of anyone trying to hoard copies. “But it certainly would be good for sales,” he said. “I’d find it amusing if they bought all 250,000. We could print more.” RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA

Wall Street Journal
Comedy and Humor
News Corporation Limited
Murdoch Rupert


Reprieve for Most of Vick’s Dogs

Abstract: All but one of 49 pit bulls taken from the Virginia property of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick should be allowed to live, federal prosecutors said in a court motion. The prosecutors filed the motion before United States District Judge Henry Hudson in Richmond, Va., yesterday with the recommendation, about a month after animal-behavior specialists led by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals examined the dogs. Only one of the dogs was deemed unfit for rehabilitation and recommended for euthanasia, which was ordered by Hudson. That dog had a history of biting people and “exhibited intense aggression to humans to the point where the evaluation could not safely be completed,” according to the motion filed by Chuck Rosenberg, the United States attorney. Vick, 27, pleaded guilty in August to a federal charge that he plotted to run an interstate dogfighting ring. He faces up to five years in prison.

Vick Michael
Cruelty to Animals
Dogfighting
Decisions and Verdicts
Atlanta Falcons


Yankees Tap a Surprising Starter for Their Ticket Campaign

Abstract: Say hello to C. C. Sabathia, the Yankees’ newest ticket salesman. He’s a nice, philanthropic fellow with a dandy résumé if you don’t dwell on his numbers from 2013, when he won the fewest games in his five seasons as a Yankee and had the highest earned run average of his career. So would you buy tickets from him? The Yankees had a big-time clunker of their own in 2013, daring to do the most unthinkable thing any Yankees team can do, which is to fail to make it to the postseason. Yes, the Yankees played admirably amid an onslaught of injuries, but they won only 85 games and finished in third place. The Red Sox won the World Series. Oh, the humanity. Yankees fans responded as if their team had turned overnight into the Houston Astros. Attendance fell 7 percent, and YES Network viewership tumbled an unnerving 31 percent. So here, in hot stove weather, is Sabathia, in a starring role in newspaper ads that were published last week in The New York Times and The Daily News, and in a similar pitch at Yankees.com. He is a starting pitcher by trade but is now being asked to be a sales closer. In the ads, he is pictured midway through a motion that, in 2013, did not deliver fastballs with their familiar Sabathia vim and vigor. His image accompanies a headline in the ad (“Yankees Holiday Ticket On-Sale”) that reads as awkwardly as “starting in left field for the Yankees: Zoilo Almonte” sounded last season, when the public-address announcer Paul Olden had to keep fans at Yankee Stadium up to date on all the anonymous players putting on pinstripes. But before we digress further, perhaps into our Ben Francisco riff, let’s return to Sabathia. He is still a consequential Yankee, the team’s ace. Maybe he has a great sales patter, like Ron Popeil’s or Frank Perdue’s. He is relatively young, at 33. He is not rehabilitating a twice-fractured ankle, as is Derek Jeter, the Colossus of the franchise. He is not recovering from wrist surgery, as Mark Teixeira is. He is not newly retired, as are Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte. He is not fighting a 211-game suspension imposed by Commissioner Bud Selig or, for that matter, suing Selig, both of which Alex Rodriguez is doing. And Sabathia is not trying to convince teams, including the Yankees, that he deserves $300 million in a new contract, as Robinson Cano is. Nope, C. C. is durable, jumbo-size (but down to a sveltish 285 pounds!) and hard-working. As far as we know, he has nothing against ol’ Milwaukee Bud. He will get $23 million in 2014 from a contract that runs through 2016, with an option year in 2017. His left arm has a lot of mileage on it, 2,7751/3 innings’ worth, but who’s to say he can’t keep going? Sabathia will not be the only Yankees personality featured in these ticket-selling promotions. But how many of his teammates, given the uncertainty of the Yankees’ roster, will actually come after him? Jason Zillo, the Yankees’ media relations director, said Jeter would ultimately show up in plenty of ticket promotions, even if Sabathia is the new leadoff man. And Zillo defended using the pitcher first despite his subpar 2013 credentials. “C. C. has been the first to admit that he didn’t have the type of year he expects of himself,” Zillo said, “but he’s still one of the big names in baseball.” In any case, the Yankees knew they could not assign the ticket-marketing job to the virtually unmarketable Rodriguez. But you can imagine him as the television pitchman for his vast legal team. You can hear Rodriguez say, facing the camera as he recently did with WFAN’s Mike Francesa: “Do you know me? I’m A-Rod. If you feel you’ve been unfairly suspended from work, vilified by your boss, or if you’ve got a structured settlement and you want cash now, I’ve got a law firm for you!” Sabathia, in contrast, has single-game tickets for you (but only if you have your MasterCard ready). He probably knows, or he should, that 2014 tickets will cost the same as or less than they did in 2013, with the exception of 2,000 seats. And, who knows? If his presence in the ads does not sell tickets, the Yankees can always do what they did in the past: Summon Rivera. Who, after all, can say no to Mariano?

C C Sabathia
Yankees
Baseball
advertising,marketing


Trump, on the Trail, Basks in Spotlight

Abstract: PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Donald J. Trump descended from a black helicopter emblazoned with his name, strode across the tarmac and stood for 30 seconds until he made sure the cameras were in place. “You ready?” he said, a confident smile spreading across his face. “Is everybody ready?” Mr. Trump’s visit to New Hampshire on Wednesday had all the makings of a made-for-television moment well before the White House produced President Obama ’s “long-form” birth certificate. But Mr. Obama’s decision to weigh into the debate over the authenticity of his American citizenship added another curious layer of complexity to Mr. Trump’s arrival here. “I’m very proud of myself because I’ve accomplished something that nobody else has been able to accomplish,” Mr. Trump said. “I am really honored, frankly, to have played such a big role in hopefully, hopefully, getting rid of this issue.” Yet throughout the day on his inaugural trip to New Hampshire — in this election cycle, at least — Mr. Trump proceeded to keep bringing up the subject, which he has pushed repeatedly in recent weeks in attacking Mr. Obama. He mentioned it in a stop at the Roundabout Diner. He raised it during a private Republican fund-raising luncheon. And he asked factory workers whether they had heard the news. “Oh, by the way, I don’t know if you heard? Did you hear?” he asked employees of Wilcox Industries, a military manufacturing firm in nearby Newington. “I am so proud of myself. I got this guy to release his birth certificate. I’m really, really happy.” But Mr. Trump, who was introduced to crowds here as a business mogul, entrepreneur and entertainment icon, had much more to say during his visit to the state that holds the first primary of the Republican presidential nominating contest. He said that he was “very serious” about joining the presidential race and would disclose his decision after May 22, when his television show “Celebrity Apprentice” ends. “I know in my mind, yes. I know what I am going to do,” Mr. Trump said in an interview with WMUR-TV, a destination for all visiting political figures. “If I run, I give up a lot.” Mr. Trump has flashed his presidential aspirations before: in 1988 (as a Democrat) and in 1999 (as a Reform Party candidate). But his visit, which lasted a little more than seven hours, was filled with all of the requisite stops that presidential candidates make, far more than simply a drive-by photo opportunity. It is difficult to divine how seriously Mr. Trump should be treated this time. And it is unclear whether he could claim victory on the birth certificate issue (even though his suggestions that no birth certificate existed turned out to be false) and move along to his next pursuit. There are, of course, other questions that Mr. Trump has not answered. He has not said whether he still supports the idea he introduced a decade ago to impose a one-time 14.25 percent tax on the net worth of individuals and trusts worth $10 million or more. He has not explained his evolution from supporting abortion rights to being opposed to abortion. And he has swatted away inquiries about his own finances, even though he said Wednesday that he would release his records “almost simultaneously of when I announce, if I announce.” But his presence here alone underscored that he has the capacity to leave his stamp on the race, whether he runs or not. He reserved most of his criticism for the administration, particularly about how Mr. Obama has handled the economy, the Libya conflict and the trade relationship with China. He grew animated discussing global competition. “China is raping this country,” Mr. Trump said, adding that the United States has fallen short on technology and innovation. “OPEC is laughing at us.” Mr. Trump created not only a media circus on Wednesday, but a rolling media circus. At one point, he inched along in his rented black stretch limousine (with a New Hampshire license plate, Regal 50) and stopped every few feet to roll down his tinted windows to make another point. He shook hands along Hanover Street in downtown Portsmouth, a departure from his normal protocol, given his known worries about germs, and he basked in the reception from scores of people who turned out to see him. “Does anybody else get this crowd? I don’t think so,” Mr. Trump said, raising his hands in the air. In conversations with voters and reporters, he closed with, “Have a good time!” Several residents who saw Mr. Trump said they were amused, but not necessarily won over. “I think he puts on a good show,” said Joe Lovell, 69, a retired shipyard worker from Somersworth. “He’s a showman.” Haven Hayes, 76, a retired university researcher, said: “I can’t see myself voting for him. He’s too much of a playboy.” Mike Roe, an insurance agent in Portsmouth, said he wished Mr. Trump would drop the birth certificate issue, but added that he was drawn to Mr. Trump’s swagger and his call to increase the global muscle of the United States. “We’ve got to become deal makers again,” Mr. Roe said. Before entering a cigar shop, Mr. Trump called out: “Did you hear that, press? They are thanking me for getting the birth certificate.” He lingered on the cobblestone streets as though he was leading a parade, telling dozens of admirers, “Come on, we’re going this way.” “Don’t worry,” he added, “I’ll be back in two weeks.”

Trump Donald J
Presidential Election of 2012
New Hampshire
Obama Barack
Citizenship and Naturalization


Gay Pastor Apologizes After Accusing Whole Foods of Writing Slur on Chocolate Cake

Abstract: The case of the chocolate cake slur, it seems, was simply a hoax. An openly gay Texas pastor who had accused Whole Foods of defacing his cake with an anti-gay slur dropped his lawsuit against the grocery chain on Monday, issuing an apology that said he was wrong to “perpetuate this story.” “The company did nothing wrong,” the pastor, Jordan Brown, said in a statement. “I was wrong to pursue this matter and use the media to perpetuate this story.” He also apologized to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community “for diverting attention from real issues.” Whole Foods had forcefully rejected the accusations by Mr. Brown, 31, who claimed that he had bought a frosted cake from a store in Austin, Tex., and asked that the words “Love Wins” be written in icing on top — only to discover while driving away that a slur had been added. Mr. Brown’s apology represented a remarkable about-face from his remarks last month, delivered at a news conference alongside his lawyer, during which he choked back tears as he told the story. “For me, it was humiliating,” he said then , “because being a pastor who is also openly gay, I’ve had to deal with this in the past and literally the feeling that I had just resurfaced a bunch of painful memories of things that have happened to me.” But a day after Mr. Brown’s legal salvo, Whole Foods denounced the pastor as a fraud, vowing to press a countersuit that sought $100,000. At the same time, the grocery chain released surveillance footage of Mr. Brown’s purchase that it said proved that the cake had not been tampered with. Video After a customer accused Whole Foods of writing a gay slur on a cake, the company released surveillance footage of the man buying the cake, contending that he later tampered with it. Credit Credit Whole Foods Whole Foods said in a statement on Monday that it would drop its lawsuit. “We’re very pleased that the truth has come to light,” it said. “Given Mr. Brown’s apology and public admission that his story was a complete fabrication, we see no reason to move forward with our countersuit to defend the integrity of our brand and team members.” The case of the anti-gay cake slur had captivated the Texas capital, where Whole Foods is based, as thousands of people debated the evidence on social media and in comment threads on The Austin-American Statesman. The credibility of Mr. Brown’s story took a beating as armchair detectives, including at least one icing expert, raised doubts about his timeline and the plausibility of his claim that he had failed to notice the offending word through the cake’s clear-topped box while in the store. Messages seeking further comment from Mr. Brown and his lawyer, Austin Kaplan, were not immediately answered on Monday. In his statement, Mr. Brown also apologized to the bakery associate who came under scrutiny, his partner, his lawyer and the Church of Open Doors , where he is the pastor.

Jordan Brown
Gay and Lesbian LGBT
Discrimination
Whole Foods
Hoaxes and Pranks
Lawsuits


Czech President Objects to Treaty’s Property Rights

Abstract: PRAGUE — President Vaclav Klaus revealed his objection to the European Union ’s Lisbon Treaty on Friday: a provision on property rights. Mr. Klaus said he feared that the provision, part of the treaty’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, could be used as a legal basis for a flood of property claims related to the expulsion of three million Germans from Czechoslovakia after World War II. He demanded a special exemption from the Charter for the Czech Republic, a gambit that could plunge the bloc into turmoil by unhinging the treaty’s delicate ratification process at the last minute. But some Czech observers said Mr. Klaus’s move was a face-saving maneuver aimed at clearing the way for him to sign a treaty he has long ridiculed. Following a recent “yes” vote in Ireland in favor of the treaty, and the signing by the Polish president in a ceremony on Saturday, Mr. Klaus is the last hold-out on the treaty, which would give the union a more powerful foreign policy chief and its first full-time president, among other changes. The treaty must be ratified by all 27 Union member states in order to come into force. The Czech Parliament has ratified the document but Mr. Klaus has so far refused to sign it. In addition, 17 senators have challenged the document at the country’s constitutional court, which has yet to rule. Mr. Klaus said he wanted the Czech Republic to have an opt-out of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which lays down the basic human rights of all European Union citizens, including property rights. “I have always considered this treaty a step in the wrong direction,” he said Friday. “It will deepen the problems the E.U. is facing today, it will increase its democratic deficit, worsen the standing of our country and expose it to new risks, among other things also because it endangers the legal status of the citizens and the stability of property rights in our country.” Prime Minister Jan Fischer said Friday that the government, in its review of the treaty, had not found any risk that it would open the door to property claims. And he insisted that the country could still complete ratification of the treaty by the end of the year, despite Mr. Klaus’s latest demand. But Union officials said the changes requested by Mr. Klaus would require, at the bare minimum, that a revised treaty noting the exception be ratified again by the Czech Parliament, and probably by all other 26 member nations, too. That would mean a delay unacceptable to most nations. Jerzy Buzek, the president of the European Parliament who met Mr. Klaus on Friday in Prague, said he was optimistic that Mr. Klaus’s demand could be satisfied by other means. Mr. Buzek, a former Polish prime minister, noted, for example, that Poland and Britain had already secured opt-outs from the charter. Poland wanted assurances that the Union could not impose laws on social issues such as abortion, while Britain did not want provisions such as the right to strike. Legal experts noted that one solution to avert a unionwide crisis could be for the bloc’s 26 other member states to issue a declaration at a summit meeting later this month in Brussels agreeing to Czech demands. Such a declaration was used to address Irish concerns about the treaty after Ireland rejected it in a referendum in June 2008. Unlike the Czech Republic, Poland and Britain negotiated their charter opt-outs before the ratification process of the Lisbon Treaty started. Some Czechs said Mr. Klaus’s attempt to link the Lisbon Treaty to post-war property claims, long an emotional issue here, was a populist maneuver. Others said the famously contrarian Mr. Klaus was seeking to assert his power and grab the spotlight. Formally, the Czech President has a largely ceremonial role; in practice, in the 20 years since Communist rule ended the office has been held only by two dominating figures, Vaclav Havel and his fierce rival, Mr. Klaus. Mr. Klaus may be using Lisbon “to change a parliamentary system into a semi-presidential system,” Mirek Topolanek , the former Czech prime minister, this week told the Prague Post, an English-language newspaper.

Treaty of Lisbon (2007)
European Union
Treaties
Klaus Vaclav
Buzek Jerzy
Topolanek Mirek
European Parliament
Prague (Czech Republic)


California: Hearing Begins for Doctor in Octuplet Births

Abstract: Nadya Suleman ’s fertility doctor implanted her with a dozen embryos in the pregnancy that gave her octuplets , a state attorney said Monday, conflicting with Ms. Suleman’s assertions that only six embryos were implanted and two of them split. The action by the doctor, Michael Kamrava, endangered Ms. Suleman, now a mother of 14, and violated national standards of care, Deputy Attorney General Judith Alvarado said at the Medical Board of California’s hearing to consider revoking or suspending his physician’s license. Fertility specialists have said Dr. Kamrava endangered Ms. Suleman’s health and the long-term health of the babies, born nine weeks premature in 2009.


Boxing Returns to Yankee Stadium

Abstract: Fistiana, in all its raffish glory, is back in Yankee Stadium . It took almost 34 years from the chaos of the last boxing card to bring the tradition back to the Bronx night air, but late on Saturday the junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman will defend his title against Miguel Cotto , a former welterweight champion. The match will have to start late. As part of the ubiquitous ethnic and religious subplots in this dangerous business, Foreman, who is studying to be a rabbi, cannot leave for work until 9:13 p.m., after the Jewish Sabbath ends. The promoters say Foreman will require a police escort to get from the East Side of Manhattan into the South Bronx. This being boxing, gee, do you think there will be a photo-op of the flashing lights of the motorcade? Let us hope Foreman’s trip is better than the one taken by Muhammad Ali for the last outdoor boxing match in those parts, on Sept. 28, 1976. A police strike in the city led to unruly mobs outside the remodeled Yankee Stadium, and Ali’s car was delayed in the scrum. Once inside, Ali had a rough time against Ken Norton, but was ultimately given a controversial but unanimous decision that left Norton crying in frustration. The hazards outside the ballpark were bad. So were the hazards to the field. The ring and seats left so much damage to the grass that Yankee management shied away from another match, said Bob Arum, who promoted Ali-Norton and then persevered for 32 years and is now promoting boxing’s return to the Bronx. Of course, this is a new and luxurious Yankee Stadium, opened last season on the other side of 161st Street, but in essence Foreman and Cotto will be following in the path of Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson and Ali. People forget that when boxing was one of the top American sports, many big matches were held outdoors. The boxing match at the Stadium and the horse race at Belmont on Saturday are yesterday’s sports; the nation is more pumped up over the imperfect baseball game and the basketball and hockey finals and the coming World Cup. Soccer! What would John L. Sullivan and Joe Louis think? As part of HBO’s live show Saturday, Larry Merchant will discuss the 46 separate boxing events at Yankee Stadium, dating to May 12, 1923, a month after the original stadium opened, when Jess Willard scored a technical knockout over Floyd Johnson. Epic events followed. Max Schmeling of Germany knocked out Louis, an American, in June 1936, and Louis knocked out Schmeling in the rematch 24 months later, in two fights remembered as harbingers of World War II . The temperature was over 100 degrees on June 25, 1952. Ruby Goldstein, the referee, passed out in the 10th round and Sugar Ray Robinson could not come out for the 14th round against Joey Maxim. “It won’t be that bad this time,” said the great trainer Emanuel Steward , going on 66, who is working with Cotto. Steward hopefully suggested that the hubbub of a post-sundown police escort might disrupt Foreman’s preparation. Steward referred to the fight as “a bar mitzvah” for Foreman, which his fighter would try to disrupt. There are religious and ethnic overtones; a pre-arranged bar mitzvah was graciously re-arranged to accommodate this event. Scotty Ballan, 12, was introduced on Wednesday and shyly said a few words into the microphone, then gravitated to Foreman. “No disrespect to Miguel, but you know,” said Arum, suggesting that people will always gravitate to their own. Cotto, dressed immaculately in a suit and white shirt, gave a tight little smile behind his bodyguard sunglasses. As a sort-of abolitionist — I love boxers, just don’t love the damage they do to each other — I was struck anew by the blatant ethnic identifications as the fighters were introduced in the Great Hall on Wednesday. Cotto was not just the former champion but was praised as a Puerto Rican icon, with lots of fans — potential ticket-buyers — in New York. And Foreman was not just the current champion but also a rabbinical student, born in Belarus, raised in Israel, now residing in Brooklyn. “The little rumble with the rabbi,” raved Lonn Trost, the Yankees’ chief operating officer, who seemed to be channeling his inner Don King. Arum, who is rumored to have matched the lion and the gladiator back in the Roman Colosseum, said, “This all goes back to feudal days when two champions would fight to settle things.” He added that boxing in America began with “the Irish, the Italians, the Jews and later the blacks.” Nobody in baseball tries to sell tickets on the premise of a Dominican pitcher against a Japanese batter, but Arum insisted the labels of boxing are purely box office, nothing more. Shalom. Buena suerte. Here come the flashing lights of boxing’s motorcade, back to the Bronx.

Yankee Stadium (NYC)
Boxing
Cotto Miguel
Foreman Yuri
Stadiums and Arenas
Jews and Judaism
Ali Muhammad
Norton Ken


Montreal Expos, Forgotten by Many, Are Reuniting in Cooperstown

Abstract: There is an episode of “Newhart,” the 1980s sitcom set at a lodge in Vermont, in which George the handyman considers which baseball team to root for. The Montreal Expos were somewhat local, but they would not do. “I can’t figure out their hats,” he said. “I mean, is it an ‘M’ or are they trying to spell out Expos?” Such was the plight of the Expos, baseball’s mystery team from 1969 through 2004. They had erratic fan support, a bubbly M on their caps and a furry orange mascot with an exclamation point on his jersey (Youppi!). They also had an ever-flowing pipeline of talent that continues to make an impact. This week’s election of Andre Dawson to the Hall of Fame is further evidence of the continuing influence of Canada’s first major league team. Gary Carter wears an Expos cap on his Cooperstown plaque and Tim Raines appears on the Hall of Fame ballot, on which Larry Walker will make his debut in December. “Their legacy was how well they went through the draft and were able to bring players up through their minor league system,” Dawson said Thursday after slipping on a Hall of Fame jersey in a news conference at the Waldorf-Astoria in Manhattan. “They had a lot of talented players.” The Cy Young winners Randy Johnson, who was developed by Montreal, and Pedro Martinez, who thrived there after a trade, seem destined for induction into the Hall. Modern All-Stars like Jason Bay, Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore and Javier Vazquez were drafted by the Expos. Carter, now the baseball coach at Palm Beach Atlantic University, is something of an orphan at the Hall of Fame, a member without a sponsor. The Expos are now the Washington Nationals, but the Expos’ history is not acknowledged at Nationals Park. “That’s really the sad part,” Carter said. “At least recognize and embrace the fact that they were in Montreal for 36 years.” His former teammates can relate. Steve Rogers spent his 13-year career with Montreal, won an All-Star Game there and threw a shutout to clinch the team’s only playoff series victory, in the 1981 divisional round. But there is nowhere to go for Old-Timers’ Day. “I felt so bad for the players that were there at the end, when they’d announce a crowd of 2,500 and you might have been lucky to have 250,” said Rogers, who now works for the players union. “So when they did move, with all the promise in Washington, I was thrilled for them. Yet at the same time, for anyone who played in the halcyon days of the Expos’ franchise, all of a sudden it was, ‘Hey, where’s my team?’ ” The Expos were on pace for 105 victories in 1994 before a strike ended the season in August. That left the 1981 team as the only one to reach the postseason. The Expos lost to the Dodgers in the decisive fifth game of the National League Championship Series. Jerry Manuel, the Mets’ manager, was on second base as the tying run when the series ended. He later spent six years as an Expos coach. “When I came over there and saw all those players, I thought, ‘Wow, this is a different level here,’ ” Manuel said. “I was an extra player, and I would sit there and watch those guys on a daily basis, and it was unbelievable.” The talent extended to the front office at Olympic Stadium, which bred several top-level executives, including Alex Anthopoulos of Toronto, Larry Beinfest of Florida, Dave Dombrowski of Detroit, Neal Huntington of Pittsburgh, Omar Minaya of the Mets and Frank Wren of Atlanta. Dan Duquette constructed the bulk of the 1994 Expos. He said Charles Bronfman, the team’s original owner, emphasized scouting as the best way for his team to compete. “The guiding principle was to champion the player-development operation,” Said Duquette, who now runs a sports academy in Hinsdale, Massachusetts. “People that were in scouting and player development knew that their work was going to count in the major leagues, because that was the source of players for the team.” There were misses, of course. Bronfman’s command to swap prospects for veterans in 1989, his final year as owner, led the Expos to trade Johnson for four months of Mark Langston. In 1992, the Expos passed on Derek Jeter, taking the college pitcher B. J. Wallace, who never made the majors. But more often, there were well-rounded stars like Dawson and Raines, Ellis Valentine and Tim Wallach, Walker and Vladimir Guerrero, standout athletes promoted from within. “Every year, it seemed like we would bring someone up who stuck around for six or eight years,” Rogers said. “The philosophy they implemented through the minor league system was speed. They absolutely believed in having base-stealing speed and extra-base speed and the pressure that put on the opponent.” The Expos sought players who ran, but put them on the most unforgiving turf in baseball. (Dawson and Carter have each had 12 knee operations.) The retractable roof at Olympic Stadium ultimately did not work. There were distracting shadows in the outfield, a track encircling parts of foul territory and space heaters in the dugouts. Dawson said the fans were polite and appreciative, and the Expos ranked no lower than fourth in the league in attendance from 1979 through 1983. “A lot of the fans weren’t quite knowledgeable about the game; they would make comments like, ‘What time is the match today?’ ” Dawson said. “But for the most part, they were learning the game and they enjoyed it. I really had a wonderful time there.” The missing piece, Dawson said, was the inability to lure a top free agent. Reggie Jackson considered a five-year, $5 million offer in 1976, but decided he could not play in Canada. Players like Rusty Staub and Carter learned to speak French, but others disliked the hassle. The Hall of Fame has not yet consulted with Dawson, who played 11 seasons for the Expos and 6 for the Cubs, about which cap he will wear for posterity. The museum makes the final decision, and Carter said he hoped Dawson would go in as a Cub so an existing organization could celebrate his career. If that happens, Carter is prepared to carry the banner alone. “I enjoyed my time up in Montreal,” he said. “I’m very proud that emblem is on my Hall of Fame plaque.”

Baseball
Montreal Expos
Baseball Hall of Fame
Dawson Andre
Carter Gary
Raines Tim


U.S. Expels Two Venezuelan Diplomats

Abstract: CARACAS, Venezuela — The United States said Monday that it had expelled two Venezuelan diplomats in response to the ouster last week of two American military attachés by Venezuela. “Around the world, when our people are thrown out unjustly, we’re going to take reciprocal action,” Victoria Nuland, the State Department spokeswoman, said at a news conference. “And we need to do that to protect our own people.” She said that the two Venezuelan diplomats had already left the country. The State Department identified them as Orlando José Montañez Olivares, a second secretary at the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, and Víctor Camacaro Mata, a consular officer in New York. The diplomatic tit for tat started last Tuesday when Venezuela said it had expelled two Air Force attachés because of what it described as an effort by the United States to destabilize the country. In a television broadcast, Nicolás Maduro, who was President Hugo Chávez’s vice president, accused one of the attachés of trying to recruit Venezuelan military personnel to conduct destabilizing acts. Later that day, Mr. Maduro announced that Mr. Chávez had died. Mr. Maduro will serve as the interim president until a special election to replace Mr. Chávez is held on April 14. Venezuela and the United States began informal talks late last year to improve relations, but American officials have said that the effort has since stalled. “We do hope for better relations with Venezuela,” Ms. Nuland said. “There is work that we would like to do together, particularly in the areas of counterterrorism, counternarcotics, economics and energy relations, but it’s going to take a change of tone from Caracas.” Meanwhile, Globovision, a television channel here that actively supports the country’s political opposition and is highly critical of the government, announced Monday that it was being sold to a financier who is seen as being sympathetic to the government. The election will pit Mr. Maduro against Henrique Capriles Radonski, a state governor. Globovision serves as a counterpoint to the main state-run channel’s pro-government coverage.

US Foreign Policy
US Air Force
Nicolas Maduro
Hugo Chavez
Venezuela
Diplomats Embassies and Consulates


New Medal to Honor Drone Pilots and Computer Experts

Abstract: WASHINGTON — If drone pilots and computer experts had any doubts that they truly are central to the new way of combat, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta used his valedictory Pentagon news conference on Wednesday to make it clear: he established a new medal just for them. The Distinguished Warfare Medal will provide “recognition for the extraordinary achievements that directly impact on combat operations, but that do not involve acts of valor or physical risk that combat entails,” Mr. Panetta said. “I’ve seen firsthand how modern tools like remotely piloted platforms and cybersystems have changed the way wars are fought,” Mr. Panetta said, citing his tenure as director of the C.I.A. and his tour at the Pentagon. “And they’ve given our men and women the ability to engage the enemy and change the course of battle even from afar.” Mr. Panetta said the new medal would be reserved for those who greatly assisted the war effort by piloting Predator or Reaper drones from a remote trailer, often back in the United States, or by an assignment to devise computer defenses or create poisonous digital code to attack an adversary’s network. In the past, those tasks have been viewed as technological achievements, and not combat, and have not been recognized with a medal. It is certain that some will object to a prestigious warfare medal being awarded to those who did not place themselves at risk. “Our military reserves its highest decorations, obviously, for those who display gallantry and valor in actions where their lives are on the line, and we will continue to do so,” Mr. Panetta said. “But we should also have the ability to honor the extraordinary actions that make a true difference in combat operations,” he added. “They remove the enemy from the field of battle even if those actions are physically removed from the fight.” Pentagon officials said the medal would rank higher than the Bronze Star but below the Silver Star.

Awards
US Military
Drones
Leon E Panetta
Cyberwarfare


Hawaii: Oldest Bird Survives Tsunami

Abstract: The oldest known wild bird in the United States has returned to a remote atoll northwest of the main Hawaiian islands after surviving the March 11 tsunami. Officials at the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which includes Midway Atoll, said they are thrilled that the Laysan albatross survived. The albatross, named Wisdom, is more than 60 years old and is still producing chicks. The tsunami killed at least 2,000 adult albatrosses and 110,000 chicks.


Curry Sues Former Agent, Saying He Mishandled Money

Abstract: Eddy Curry shed new light on his financial problems Wednesday when he sued his former agent, accusing him of mishandling his money. In the lawsuit, Curry, the beleaguered Knicks center, accused the agent Lamont Carter of withholding years of bookkeeping records and demanded that Carter produce the documents. The dispute could explain why Curry, who has earned $34 million since 2005, has been sued multiple times for failing to pay his bills. Carter served as Curry’s agent and business manager for three and a half years, until Curry terminated the relationship last December. According to the suit, which was filed in Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago, Carter “has failed, neglected and refused” to account for “all money received by him and paid out by him” from May 2005 through December 2008. Carter, reached by phone Wednesday, said he was unaware of the lawsuit. “I have no comment; this is new to me,” he said. “Me and Eddy haven’t worked together, it’s been over a year. We’re still friends, close friends. But this is new to me.” Neither Curry’s agent, Leon Rose, nor his Chicago-based lawyer, Kelly Saindon, would comment on the lawsuit. The lawsuit identified Carter as Curry’s former agent and business manager and stated that he handled all of Curry’s “financial and business affairs” and “owed a fiduciary duty” to Curry. Carter “maintained all of the books and records” for Curry during the time of his employment, the suit states. Curry and his lawyers have made “multiple demands for an accounting from defendant,” according to the suit. Although Carter has produced some of the requested documents, he “has failed and refused and continues to fail and refuse to provide a thorough accounting and all of the records demanded.” Curry has been dogged by financial problems and has been sued at least five times in the last 18 months for failing to pay for goods and services. Most of the cases have been settled or dismissed. But Curry was dealt another blow this week, when a bank began foreclosure proceedings on his suburban Chicago home . According to court papers, Curry is behind on $217,502 in payments on a $3.7 million mortgage. In another sign of financial distress, Curry asked the Knicks last fall for a substantial advance on his $9.7 million salary. According to The Daily News, which first reported the story in January , Curry was granted $2 million after asking for an $8 million advance. A person briefed on the matter confirmed the basic parameters of the story but said that the figures were significantly lower. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of privacy rules regarding player salaries. Curry employed Carter and Darren White as his agents while he played for the Chicago Bulls. He hired Rose, one of the N.B.A.’s most powerful agents, in October 2005, when he joined the Knicks. Carter, who ran his own small agency, continued to work as a co-agent and business manager, but he worked independently of Rose, who works for Creative Artists Agency. Rose, who is based in Philadelphia, has a client stable that includes LeBron James, Allen Iverson and Richard Hamilton. Neither Carter nor White represents any current N.B.A. players. White, who is not a defendant in the lawsuit, declined to comment when reached by telephone. “I don’t know anything about that,” he said.


Delta’s Black Fishermen Seeking Cleanup Work and Clinging to Hope

Abstract: POINTE A LA HACHE, La. — Way down in the delta, just south of the Belle Chasse Ferry at Beshel’s Marina here, black men with work-worn hands and several generations of fishing in their blood sat around on old milk crates, hoping for a piece of the oil cleanup action that seems to have bypassed their little stretch of the bayou. Nearly all of them have taken BP’s courses on oil cleanup, but few said they had been called to work; their little skiffs remain moored and forlorn, tied side-by-side like wretched sardines. “The little guy loses again,” one of them lamented. There was Hurricane Katrina five years ago. And now the great spill. But even before those two blows, the fishermen in Pointe a la Hache and other small, historically African-American fishing towns and villages that dot the east bank of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish, south of New Orleans, have long had to fight hard for every dollar, every oyster and every opportunity they could drag out of the bayou. In decades past they have dealt with the red-lining of leases on the richest oyster beds and waterways. In the 1970s and ’80s they said they fought the laws against hand-dredging that disproportionately limited the work of the black oystermen. Many have been nudged out by the major fishing operations owned mostly by native whites and Europeans. And they have even had to compete with migrant Hispanic workers who are willing to work for little, and who filled the void when Hurricane Katrina ran off so many of the locals. The very way of life in these fishing villages has been in danger as younger generations opted for work in other industries, like the local coal processing plant, or moved in search of education and fresh opportunities. “You might see a time when there ain’t no more black fishermen around here,” said Warren Duplessis, 49, a deckhand for a two-man oystering operation. “Because now you can’t raise no children off the side of a boat. Nowadays you’ve got to take him out of here, let him learn something with the books. No future in what we’ve been bleeding and sweating for all our lives.” With so many deckhands making so little money, maybe $100 a day, much of what they did make, in cash, was never reported. But now, to get loans to recoup on damages or lost income, or to be compensated by BP, they said they needed to show documents to prove how much they made. “Their issues are institutional and historical in a sense that they’ve been struggling for a long time,” said Jeremy Stone, with Coastal Communities Consulting, a nonprofit that provides economic development services to disadvantaged entrepreneurs along the Louisiana coast. “These guys are on the margins of solvency all the time anyway, and they don’t have a lot of resources to collateralize debts.” And they lack simple information about how to apply for aid, get small-business loans or meet filing deadlines, so many continue to struggle. “We’re looking at a long road,” said Byron Encalade, president of the Louisiana Oystermen’s Association, which represents African-American and other nonwhite oystermen. “It’s not going to get any better. It’s getting worse.” Mr. Encalade said BP had not been hiring local black fishermen in large numbers to help with the cleanup, pointing to dozens of moored boats at the marina, which is owned by a white Plaquemines Parish city councilman but is almost completely occupied by black fishermen and oystermen, as some degree of proof of the untapped work force here. “A lot of them will leave,” Mr. Encalade said of the black bayou-men and women. “Some never came back after Katrina; all of this is just eroding our traditions.” Steve Rinehart, a BP spokesman, said the company was unaware of any groups being left out of the cleanup efforts and had tried to be as inclusive as possible. “The selection is by vessel, not by person,” he said. Criteria include a safety check of charter vessels and crew training. Mr. Rinehart said recent changes to BP’s vessels-of-opportunity program would allow rotation of the 3,000 vessels he said were registered. While officials have reopened oyster season, which will surely mean a boost to the morale and pocket book of these oystermen, Mr. Encalade warned against high hopes of a hefty harvest. He said the fresh water that had been diverted from the Mississippi River into the bays and bayous to keep out the oil had killed off much of the oysters, which need the right balance of salt and fresh water to survive. And officials had reclaimed many of their leases, he said. Before the spill, Mr. Encalade said, he had 1,500 acres of oyster bed. Now he is down to about 300, with most of his oysters dead, picked clean from their shells by crabs and scavenger fish. Others sang a similar tune. Roger Moliere Sr., 71, sat perched behind the wheel of his truck, watching his son and a deckhand unload the skiff he built with his own hands when Junior was just a boy. “When you’re poor and black and this is all you know, what else are you going to do?” Mr. Moliere said, grimacing. “Was a time if a man lost his job he could always come down to the bayou and feed his family. But this here, what you got happening now, this here might finish us off.” Mr. Moliere, now retired after 52 years as an oysterman, handed down his boat to his son, Roger Jr. He said he had raised his family on what he could gather from the bayou, after dropping out of school in the fifth grade to help after his father left. Inside the marina’s office, Elton Encalade, of the second Encalade clan in town, stood by a window and looked out on the semicircle of men on milk crates. “Take a look out there,” he said, motioning outside. “See what they’re doing? Sitting, talking, nobody working. We’ve been out on that water all of our lives, but look what we’re doing now.” He shook his head and took a long, deep gulp of the beer in his hand. “We just have to tough it out,” he said. “I know I’m going to make it. I know it like I know them waters out there. I’m going to make it.”

Blacks
Oil (Petroleum) and Gasoline
BP Plc
Louisiana
Offshore Drilling and Exploration
Accidents and Safety
Gulf of Mexico
Fishing Commercial