Spectators Will Escape to Alcatraz for the Cup

Abstract: Alcatraz, the fog-shrouded rock transformed from an island prison into one of San Francisco’s most famous landmarks, is about to get a new identity — best seat in the house for the America’s Cup . The sailing regatta will loop around San Francisco Bay in the summer of 2013 (preliminary races begin next year) between the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge, with the grimly alluring Alcatraz smack in the middle. But there is an interesting twist. The federal government, which owns Alcatraz, rebuffed an effort by organizers to effectively turn the island into a luxury box for corporate sponsors and other deep-pocketed fans. In fact, Alcatraz will have no official seating. The only way to view the America’s Cup from there will be to buy tickets through Alcatraz Cruises, which is permitted to ferry up to 5,000 visitors to the island each day. For an event expected to draw hundreds of thousands of spectators, it is the equivalent of getting front-row seats to the Super Bowl by signing up for a $30 tour of the stadium. Tickets to Alcatraz sell out weeks in advance during the summer. Tegan Firth, spokeswoman for Hornblower Cruises & Events, which operates Alcatraz Cruises, said visitors will have a “great view” on race days and will leave with “great photos.” But Ms. Firth said serious race fans should consider watching the races from other viewing locations, where bleachers, entertainment and concessions are planned. “It’s not really going to be a convenient place to be a spectator,” Ms. Firth said. Alcatraz Cruises generally sells tickets 90 days in advance. The federal government’s decision to keep the island open on race days could lead to a scramble for tickets — and create a market for resold tickets at marked-up prices. Indications that organizers hoped to monetize Alcatraz surfaced in a draft environmental report published Monday by San Francisco officials. The report identified Alcatraz as a “private” viewing site. After the report was published, the National Park Service quickly announced that no such plans were in the works. “The island will continue to be open to the public,” said Howard Levitt, a park service spokesman. Visitors are dropped off by ferries that leave from San Francisco as early as 9:10 a.m. Some island shorelines are off limits because of safety and environmental concerns, but visitors are free to explore other areas, including gardens and the infamous prison. There are no limits on how long visitors stay, as long as they catch the last boat off the island at 6:10 p.m. The A.C. World Series events, which will be raced by teams in 45-foot catamarans leading up to the America’s Cup, are scheduled in August and September 2012. Racing in 72-foot catamarans could begin in July 2013 and culminate in a best-of-nine series between two teams in September 2013.

Alcatraz (San Francisco)
Prisons and Prisoners
America's Cup


Florida Man Strangled Wife, Then Impersonated Her on Facebook, Police Say

Abstract: A Florida man has been charged with murder after strangling his wife during an argument and then posting messages on her Facebook page under her name to try to fool her friends and family about her absence, the police said. The man, George J. McShane Jr., was trying to “convince her friends and family she was still alive,” according to the Orlando Police Department. Mr. McShane, 42, who a police report said worked at a resort, was arrested on Jan. 11 and charged with second-degree murder and battery by strangulation in the death of Kristen McShane, 30, the police said. For several days this month, Ms. McShane’s Facebook page was updated with cheerful photographs documenting her life in Florida: a portrait of her smiling in front of an easel, paint brush in hand; and another of her enjoying an outing with friends. On Jan. 7, a Facebook message informed friends and relatives why she had not been in touch: “I can’t believe I dropped my phone in the toilet. I am such an idiot. Message me here, til I can get it fixed.” Friends replied with advice (“Put it in rice”) or with offers to lend her a phone. This week, the police in Orlando, where the McShanes lived, revealed that the author of some of those messages was not Ms. McShane, who was 30, but her husband. Mr. McShane posted the Facebook message about her phone so that others would not become alarmed because she “was not returning their phone calls or text messages,” the police said. Officers were called to the house on Jan. 10 by a relative of the couple who had been concerned about them, according to a police affidavit. They found Mr. McShane sitting in his car in the garage with the engine running. Then they found Ms. McShane’s body in a bedroom. The authorities said Mr. McShane told them that he had “lost his temper and jumped on Kristen, using his two hands to choke her until he realized she was dead.” The reason for the argument was not available on Friday. Mr. McShane had not yet been arraigned on Friday, a court official said in an email, but appeared in court on Jan. 11 to hear the charges, court records showed. Robert Larr, a public defender assigned to Mr. McShane, declined to comment on the case on Friday. The Florida murder case is the latest example of someone assuming the social media identity of another person to deflect suspicion from family and friends after a crime. In December, Shanna Golyar of Iowa was arrested and charged with murder in the 2012 killing of Cari Farver of Nebraska, the Omaha police said. Ms. Golyar had posted messages on Ms. Farver’s Facebook account posing as the victim, a Douglas County prosecutor said on Friday. In October, the Facebook pages of a missing South Carolina couple suddenly became active with updates that family and friends did not believe were written by them. Todd C. Kohlhepp, 45, was later charged with murder in the death of the man and with kidnapping the woman, who had been held chained in a container, the police said. In the Orlando case, Ms. McShane’s Facebook page was updated on Jan. 7 with a photograph showing her next to a man at a social event. “Who’s your friend?” someone wrote. “That’s my new guy,” came the reply in the comments section under Ms. McShane’s name. Another post the same day described her dropping her phone in the toilet. Both posts appeared after 3:30 a.m. that day — the time that Mr. McShane told the police the couple had started to argue, according to the police. Her Facebook profile was updated twice again on Jan. 8 with posts showing a photo of her painting and another image including the sleeping face of a little girl, apparently the couple’s daughter. By Jan. 11, after Mr. McShane’s arrest, there were only condolence messages.

Murders and Homicides
Computers and the Internet
Tech Industry
Facebook


Iran’s Turmoil Has Its Day in New York

Abstract: Say what you will for the United Nations and its General Assembly. The sidewalk diplomacy almost never disappoints, and the stakes are always high. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran is back in New York for the United Nations General Assembly. Thousands of members of the Iranian diaspora plan to demonstrate on Wednesday to protest the crushing of dissent in Tehran since June, when Mr. Ahmadinejad claimed to have been re-elected president in a landslide. One prominent member of that diaspora will certainly not be present: Kian Tajbakhsh, a New Yorker and an Iranian-American scholar who was seized by the Iranian security forces in early July and has been confined since then without access to counsel. He has been accused of stirring up revolutionary sentiment and of being an instigator paid by sinister Western forces. Mr. Tajbakhsh, 47, and his wife and their young daughter were planning to move to New York this fall for a visiting professorship in urban planning at Columbia University . Instead, he remains in secret detention, surfacing only occasionally in a mass trial where the official narrative holds that all protests in Iran since June are the creations of the United States and its wealthy allies. Perhaps most remarkable to his friends is that Mr. Tajbakhsh, a secular scholar, is being tried alongside Islamist reformers. The official indictment against him is a haze of inference and inanity: He was raised outside Iran, in London and New York; his father was a member of the shah’s government; in prison, he had to be taught how to pray, apparently having a deficit of piety in his upbringing. More: He worked as a consultant for the Open Society Institute, which is financed by the Soros Foundation, and which the Iranians purport is a C.I.A. satellite. He subscribes to a listserv run by Gary Sick, a Middle East scholar at Columbia who is described in the indictment as a C.I.A. agent. He discussed a book with another troublemaker. PICTURES released from the mass trial last month show Mr. Tajbakhsh reading statements that are supposed to implicate him and others in the uprisings. Another Iranian-American scholar, Haleh Esfandiari, who was held two years ago in solitary confinement for 105 days, said that she learned from the interrogations that the Iranian security forces were gripped with paranoia about popular movements that have overthrown autocratic regimes elsewhere. In this worldview, Mr. Tajbakhsh’s Western education, dual citizenship in the United States and Iran and breadth of interests would make him an obvious conduit for subversion. “What they are doing to him and the others is really shameful,” said Ms. Esfandiari, author of “My Prison, My Home.” “The good thing about Iran is that nobody — I mean nobody in the country — believes these confessions, and no one pays attention to these trials. Any intelligent person can conclude that he’s saying these things because he is forced to.” During her confinement in 2007, Ms. Esfandiari got to know Mr. Tajbakhsh because he was being detained under the same circumstances, on the same vague charges of stirring up trouble. She was released in August that year. A few weeks later, Mr. Tajbakhsh was freed just before President Ahmadinejad arrived in New York for the General Assembly. Part of his schedule included a talk at Columbia. In introducing Mr. Ahmadinejad, Columbia’s president, Lee C. Bollinger, noted that Mr. Tajbakhsh, a Columbia graduate, was still being held in house arrest. “Let me say this for the record: I call on the president today to ensure that Kian will be free to travel out of Iran as he wishes,” Mr. Bollinger said. “Let me also report today that we are extending an offer to Kian to join our faculty.” It would be nearly a year before Mr. Tajbakhsh was able to travel freely, so he was still in Tehran in June. “No one expected there to be this historic popular uprising,” said Pamela Kipaldi, a colleague. Now Mr. Tajbakhsh is back in prison, and President Ahmadinejad is back in New York. “Academics and religious scholars,” he said during his 2007 visit, “are shining torches.”

Ahmadinejad Mahmoud
Columbia University
Tajbakhsh Kian
United Nations


Capitals Upend Predators

Abstract: Evgeny Kuznetsov put on a dazzling passing display and Daniel Winnik scored two goals as the Capitals cooled off the hottest team in the N.H.L. by beating the Nashville Predators, 4-1, in Washington. The Predators lost in regulation for just the second time in their past 18 games. ■ Scott Darling made 28 saves for his first shutout of the season, Andrew Ladd scored against his former team, and the Chicago Blackhawks ended a four-game losing streak with a 4-0 road win over the Winnipeg Jets. ■ The rookie Sam Reinhart had a goal and an assist, and the Sabres defeated the Ottawa Senators, 3-1, in Buffalo. Chad Johnson made 32 saves. ■ The All-Star forward Tyler Seguin is likely to miss at least the rest of the regular season for the Western Conference-leading Dallas Stars because of a small cut on his left Achilles’ tendon. Seguin had surgery Friday, a day after being hurt late in the Stars’ 4-3 victory over Tampa Bay. ■ The longtime Minnesota Wild forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard has retired. Bouchard’s agent, Allan Walsh, wrote on Twitter that Bouchard had decided to stop playing because of the “risks associated from multiple concussions.”

Ice hockey
Nashville Predators
Washington Capitals


Unlikely Scorer O’Shea Gives United an Edge

Abstract: MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United , the soccer machine built with expensive international stars, forces opponents to contend with dynamic attackers. Not among them is John O’Shea, an Irishman who plays defense and, perhaps other than the team’s goalkeeper, is one of the least likely players on the field to score. But O’Shea was in the right place at the right time Wednesday and displayed the finishing touch of the world-class striker he is not, giving Manchester United a 1-0 victory against visiting Arsenal in the first leg of their home-and-home UEFA Champions League semifinal . O’Shea was lurking, almost unseen, in the 18th minute as Arsenal’s defense failed to clear a corner kick. Nemanja Vidic, another stalwart defender, crossed the ball, and it deflected toward O’Shea. Perfectly balanced, O’Shea took a firm strike and volleyed it into the roof of the net. The victory would seem to put United in strong position to advance to the final, but it may have a significant setback for the second leg. Rio Ferdinand, the team’s central defender, went to a hospital for tests after the game with an apparent rib injury; he may miss Tuesday’s game at Arsenal. United, the defending champion, seemed capable of overrunning Arsenal, with nearly the entire crowd of 76,000 at Old Trafford singing for more goals as the team created wave after attacking wave of scoring chances. That only one ball went in was a credit to Arsenal’s goalkeeper, the Spaniard Manuel Almunia. His first save, in the first minute, was a demonstration of athleticism and reaction. A looping header by Wayne Rooney appeared to beat Almunia, but he somehow flexed his body and clawed the ball to safety with his left hand. The same gloved hand saved a low shot from only 6 yards by Carlos Tévez, and then Almunia scrambled away a header from Cristiano Ronaldo. Almost all of the momentum was with United. Arsenal is a team that depends on ball possession and rhythmic passing, but United’s tempo was too high. At halftime, United Manager Alex Ferguson was content and asked his players for just one more goal. It never came, although at 69 minutes a thrilling example of Ronaldo’s firepower lifted the crowd to its feet. In the quarterfinals against Porto, he scored from 40 yards . This time he was a mere 33 yards from the net and unleashed a right-footed shot that lifted, then dipped over Almunia. It traveled an estimated 67 miles an hour but rattled the crossbar and rebounded over the top of the goal. Arsenal then showed more composure. Its manager, Arsène Wenger, is a master at persuading young players to believe in themselves, and his lieutenant on the field is his 21-year-old captain, Cesc Fàbregas. “Almunia kept us in the tie,” Wenger said after the game, “and we want to take advantage of that when we play the second game in our stadium next Tuesday. Tonight we didn’t get into our stride because Man. United started very strong — but we will see a different Arsenal next week.” One of his better players Wednesday was the 19-year-old left back Kieran Gibbs, promoted from the reserves. Gibbs stood firm against Ronaldo’s pace in the first half and remained strong against the bull-like strength of Rooney when United switched its wings. This, in a way, reflected the philosophies of the teams. United hires only the best and started players from nine countries. Arsenal trawls the world for players with potential and fielded players from eight. The difference in the end product appeared paper thin.

Manchester United
Arsenal
Soccer
O’Shea John


Avella and Thompson Face Off in New York City Mayoral Debate

Abstract: Neither of them has ever been arrested, or gotten into a fistfight as an adult. Neither has had the time to set foot in either of the city’s new baseball stadiums. City Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr. has smoked marijuana , while City Councilman Tony Avella says that he has never had so much as a cigarette. Those were among the revelations on Wednesday night in the first televised debate between Mr. Thompson and Mr. Avella, who are competing in the Democratic primary on Sept. 15 for the right to take on the two-term incumbent, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, in November. It was hardly a surprise that the two did their partisan best to beat up on Mr. Bloomberg, slamming him over what they said was his arrogance in overturning term limits, and his failures on development, homelessness and education. But what was most valuable, arguably, was that the two were simply on live television at all. After all, neither candidate is well known, according to recent surveys, including a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday. And neither has been able to afford any commercials or attract much media attention to date, in contrast to the $37 million that Mr. Bloomberg, an independent, has already spent on television commercials and other campaign expenses. “I’m Bill Thompson,” Mr. Thompson said in his closing remarks. “For the last eight years we’ve had a Republican mayor who’s been focused on Wall Street, the developers and the wealthy.” Mr. Avella said: “Even though my name is on the ballot, it’s not about me. It’s about changing politics forever.” Mr. Thompson is heavily favored in the primary, so he had more to lose on Wednesday night. But he did not commit any major gaffes during the debate, which was broadcast on NY1. Nor did he offer up any new or controversial policy. The same was true for Mr. Avella. Indeed, the two spent most of the evening looking at the four-person panel of journalists, and rarely at each other. And they spent most of their time criticizing Mr. Bloomberg in concordant notes. Both, for instance, criticized Mr. Bloomberg’s response to the swine flu outbreak in the spring, with Mr. Thompson flatly calling it a “disaster.” Both also ripped into Mr. Bloomberg’s policies on housing for working-class New Yorkers, and his homelessness policy. One of the more colorful exchanges came when the two were asked whether they had the right temperament to be mayor. Mr. Avella, for one, was asked whether his reputation as a go-it-alone iconoclast with his colleagues on the City Council would actually hamper his ability to get things done. “You’re damn right I don’t get along with some of them,” he retorted, in comments that helped to explain why Mr. Avella generally got more applause than Mr. Thompson. “These are the same people who voted themselves a 25 percent pay raise, who overturned the term limits law. As mayor I want to set the example, set the tone.” Mr. Thompson was next asked whether he was too nice to get things done. “I’m not too worried about being too decent,” he said. “I’m not worried about taking on Mike Bloomberg. I’ve got the energy, the principle and the drive to stand up and beat him.” There were occasional differences of opinion on issues. Mr. Thomson, for instance, said that he thought that the Police Department’s “stop and frisk” policy was an effective tool, albeit one that needed more oversight, despite complaints of racial profiling. Mr. Avella, however, said that he would halt it altogether, and that he would appoint a deputy mayor for human rights. When asked by Brian Lehrer of WNYC Radio as a follow-up question whether Mr. Avella’s position was “irresponsible,” Mr. Thompson was equivocal, but said, “You can make that determination.” The two also differed on whether the practice of discretionary funds for council members — now under investigation for reported abuses — should be stopped. Mr. Avella said yes, but Mr. Thompson worried that stopping the practice would give too much power to the mayor. Are you saying, asked Errol Louis, a columnist with The Daily News, you do not trust yourself? “I think we’re looking at history right now, so I would say there are communities in New York that have not received fair dollars from City Hall, from this mayor,” he said, generating applause. Some questions were harder to answer. Mr. Thompson hesitated when asked whether the city should name a subway station or street after Michael Jackson. Yes, he finally said. (Mr. Avella said yes, too.) Mr. Avella, meanwhile, agonized over whether he would support Gov. David A. Paterson next year in an election. In a primary, he finally said, no. Mr. Thompson wasted no time in saying yes. At a few points, Mr. Avella tried to direct the conversation to Mr. Thompson, criticizing his handling of the pension funds. But Mr. Thompson defended his record. Mr. Thompson was so focused on Mr. Bloomberg, meanwhile, that when he was given the opportunity to ask Mr. Avella a question, he asked him what was the worst thing that Mr. Bloomberg had done. “Thanks for the softball,” Mr. Avella said with a laugh, before stating that his answer was term limits.

New York City
Elections
Thompson William C Jr
Avella Tony
Debating


Brazilian Rancher Convicted in Murder of Catholic Nun

Abstract: A jury in the Brazilian city of Belém has sentenced a rancher to 30 years in prison in a retrial for the murder of an American-born nun, news agencies reported. The rancher, Vitalmiro Bastos de Moura, was convicted of ordering the murder in 2005 of Sister Dorothy Stang, from Dayton, Ohio, a longtime organizer of rural settlers and the poor in their efforts to protect their land from seizures by cattle ranchers and timber merchants. Globo News, in Sao Paulo, reported Tuesday that the jury reached its verdict late Monday night after 15 hours of deliberations. Mr. Moura was convicted in 2007 of ordering the killing and received a 30-year sentence, but that verdict was overturned in a retrial a year later. The decision on Monday upheld the original conviction. Sister Dorothy, 73, a naturalized Brazilian, was a Roman Catholic missionary who lived in Brazil for more than 20 years. A biography, “Martyr of the Amazon,” described her killing: “Her hired assassins found her eventually on a lonely path in the forest, walking toward a meeting to support the local farmers. When they asked her if she carried a weapon she reached into her bag and produced a Bible. Then she began to read to them from the Beatitudes. “And then they shot her.” The gunman, Rayfran das Neves Sales, who has confessed, reportedly shot her six times. He was convicted of murder in 2008 and was sentenced to 28 years in prison. A 2008 documentary film, “They Killed Sister Dorothy,” narrated by the American actor Martin Sheen, gave an account of Sister Dorothy’s organizing efforts and her murder.


Obama, in Addressing Syria, May Revisit Arms Policy

Abstract: WASHINGTON — When President Obama rebuffed four of his top national security officials who wanted to arm the rebels in Syria last fall, he put an end to a months of debate over how aggressively Washington should respond to the strife there that has now left nearly 70,000 dead. But the decision also left the White House with no clear strategy to resolve a crisis that has bedeviled it since a popular uprising erupted against President Bashar al-Assad almost two years ago. Despite an American program of nonlethal assistance to the opponents of the Syrian government and $365 million in humanitarian aid, Mr. Obama appears to be running out of ways to speed Mr. Assad’s exit. With conditions continuing to deteriorate, officials could reopen the debate over providing weapons to select members of the resistance in an effort to break the impasse in Syria. The question is whether a wary Mr. Obama, surrounded by a new national security team, would come to a different conclusion. “This is not a closed decision,” a senior administration official said. “As the situation evolves, as our confidence increases, we might revisit it.” Mr. Obama’s decision not to provide arms when the proposal was broached before the November election, officials said, was driven by his reluctance to get drawn into a proxy war and by his fear that the weapons would end up in unreliable hands, where they could be used against civilians or Israeli and American interests. As the United States struggles to formulate a policy, however, Mr. Assad has given no sign that he is ready to yield power, and the Syrian resistance has been adamant that it will not negotiate a transition in which he has a role. Even if Mr. Assad was overthrown, the convulsion could fragment Syria along sectarian and ethnic lines, each faction supported by competing outside powers, said Paul Salem , who runs the Middle East office of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace . “Syria,” he said, “is in the process not of transitioning but disintegrating.” The debate over Syria is not limited to the United States. On Monday, European Union foreign ministers decided against easing an arms moratorium despite objections by Britain. In what appeared to be a compromise, the ministers agreed to “provide greater nonlethal support and technical assistance for the protection of civilians,” according to the European Union’s Web site. As the Syria conflict has unfolded, the State Department has funneled $50 million of nonlethal assistance to the Syrian opposition, including satellite telephones, radios, broadcasting equipment, computers, survival equipment and related training. An FM radio network is to connect broadcasting operations in several Syrian cities in the next several days. The State Department has also helped train local councils in areas freed from the Syrian government’s control. But the State Department does not provide nonlethal assistance to armed rebel factions. This has greatly limited the influence the United States has with armed groups that are likely to control much of Syria if Mr. Assad is ousted. “The odds are very high that, for better or worse, armed men will determine Syria’s course for the foreseeable future,” said Frederic C. Hof , a former senior State Department official and a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council . “For the U.S. not to have close, supportive relationships with armed elements, carefully vetted, is very risky.” Because units of the anti-Assad Free Syrian Army have captured prisoners and detained criminals in the areas they control, Mr. Hof said, it is essential that either the United States or an ally train rebel staff officers in judicial procedures and make them sensitive to human rights concerns. Though the White House has focused on the risks of providing weapons, other nations have had no such reservations. Russia has continued to provide arms and financial support to the Assad government. Iran has supplied the government with weapons and paramilitary Quds Force advisers. Hezbollah has sent militants to Syria to help Mr. Assad’s forces. On the other side, antigovernment Qaeda-affiliated fighters have been receiving financial aid and other support from their backers in the Middle East. The arming plan that was considered last year originated with David H. Petraeus, then the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and was supported by former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. The goal was to create allies in Syria that the United States could work with during the conflict and if Mr. Assad was removed from power. Each had a reason for supporting it. Mr. Petraeus had experience as a general in Iraq training Iraqi fighters and had long worried that militants traveling through Syria to join Al Qaeda in Iraq might one day reverse course and challenge the Assad government. Mrs. Clinton signed on to the initiative after frustration that the Russians had walked away from a transition plan she thought was agreed on in June. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta supported the plan, which offered a way to influence the military situation inside Syria without involving American forces. So did Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, calculating that it was important to bring the conflict to a close before the Syrian state collapsed and there was nothing to hand over to Mr. Assad’s successor. “I thought if there were a way to resolve the military situation more quickly, it would work to the benefit not only of the Syrian people but also us,” General Dempsey told reporters en route to Afghanistan this month, though he acknowledged that his support was “conceptual” and that “enormous complexities remained.” But the president, who had campaigned on the theme that “the tide of war” was receding, was more skeptical, fearing that such a move would, in effect, draw the United States into a proxy war against the Syrian government and its Iranian and Russian backers, with uncertain results. His wariness was reinforced, officials said, by his closest advisers, including Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and the national security adviser, Thomas E. Donilon, both of whom advised against it. Also skeptical, officials said, was Susan E. Rice, the ambassador to the United Nations. Her opposition was noteworthy, given that she had pushed for military intervention in Libya. “In a situation as chaotic as Syria’s,” said an official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, “you don’t know where weapons might end up, and what the consequences are if those weapons are used against civilians, against Israel, against American interests.” To avoid any risk of Israeli aircraft being targeted if weapons fell into the wrong hands, the plan would not have provided rebels with shoulder-fired missiles. But that meant that the operation would be less effective against Mr. Assad’s forces. After Mr. Petraeus resigned because of an extramarital affair and Mrs. Clinton was sidelined with a concussion , the issue was shelved. Mr. Donilon convened few meetings of top officials after the election, which also limited the chance of revisiting the question. A big question is whether the makeup of Mr. Obama’s new team would discourage the likelihood of a major policy shift. Secretary of State John Kerry has said that he plans to advance ideas on how to change the situation on his first trip later this month, ideas that appear to include eliciting more cooperation from the Kremlin. But it remains to be seen if the Russians will soften their position. In a phone conversation on Sunday, Mr. Kerry and Sergey V. Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, discussed how the United States and Russia might encourage a political transition in Syria and said they would try to meet in the coming weeks, said Victoria Nuland, the State Department spokeswoman. Other ideas under consideration include how State Department funds might be used to expand support to the Syrian opposition. Chuck Hagel, the president’s nominee for defense secretary, who has yet to be confirmed by the Senate, has expressed reluctance, dating back to the Iraq war, to become entangled in foreign conflicts. Mr. Petraeus’s likely replacement at the C.I.A., John O. Brennan, is a 25-year veteran of the agency. One official said Mr. Brennan’s background suggested he might be more focused on bolstering its clandestine intelligence-gathering capabilities instead of its paramilitary-style operations. Against all that, however, is the grim reality that Mr. Assad seems no closer to leaving than he did months ago. For all of Mr. Obama’s deep reservations, the White House says it is taking no options off the table, with officials pointing out that over time, it is learning more about the rebel factions. “We have consistently looked at all elements of our Syria policy, including what we can and should supply to the opposition,” said Benjamin J. Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser.

US Foreign Policy
Barack Obama
Bashar al-Assad
State Department
Arab Spring
US Military
Pentagon
Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia
Syria


Henrik Lundqvist Hits Milestone as Rangers Edge the Flyers

Abstract: PHILADELPHIA — Just as he has over much of his record-setting career, Henrik Lundqvist came up big for the Rangers. Mats Zuccarello scored in a shootout, and Lundqvist made 34 saves and reached 20 wins for the 11th straight season, leading the Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. Chris Kreider and J. T. Miller scored in regulation for the Rangers. Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds scored for Philadelphia, which had won four straight over all and six in a row on home ice. Lundqvist improved to 20-12-4. He is the only goaltender in N.H.L. history to have won 20 games in each of his first 11 seasons and is the third, after Martin Brodeur and Tony Esposito, to have won 20 games in 11 straight seasons over the course of a career. “I take a lot of pride in my numbers,” Lundqvist said. “I want to make the most of my career. I try to work hard and try to help this team win games.” Lundqvist added that he was lucky to have been “part of so many good teams and great players who have been supportive, and also I’ve been given an opportunity to play so many games.” Lundqvist stopped shots from Shayne Gostisbehere and Claude Giroux in the shootout, and Jakub Voracek shot wide of the net. Philadelphia had the best chances to win in overtime, but Lundqvist saved a Gostisbehere slap shot with a minute left and then stopped a Matt Read chance from point-blank range 14 seconds later. “I was just standing there waiting for the puck, and that’s a good sign for me,” Lundqvist said. The Flyers were pleased with their overall effort. “We thought we deserved to win this game, but we can’t get frustrated about this,” Giroux said. “If we keep playing the way we’re playing right now, we’re going to win a lot of games.” Philadelphia dropped to 1-4 in shootouts this season and 31-66 in history. Lundqvist had a stellar second period, stopping all 11 of Philadelphia’s shots, including several that came on excellent scoring chances. Lundqvist denied Voracek from close range midway through the period and then used his blocker to stop a Voracek blast from the right circle 30 seconds later. And Lundqvist made a great save on a Giroux shot from right in front of the crease with 6 minutes 46 seconds left in the period before denying Gostisbehere on a breakaway with 1:03 to play in the period. “Technically, I feel like I’m playing my game,” Lundqvist said. “Mentally, you gain confidence as you do more and more good things.” The Rangers expressed gratitude for Lundqvist. “We’re lucky to have him back there,” defenseman Dan Girardi said. “He comes up with something every night that’s special.”

Ice hockey
Henrik Lundqvist
Rangers
Flyers


House in Last Push for ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Repeal

Abstract: House Democratic leaders have decided to make one last push to repeal the military’s ban on gay men and lesbians serving openly before the end of the lame-duck Congress. Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the House majority leader, said he and Representative Patrick J. Murphy, Democrat of Pennsylvania, would bring a stand-alone repeal of the ban to the floor as early as Wednesday. The House move comes in response to the Senate’s failure last week to break a Republican filibuster against a broader Pentagon measure that would have lifted the ban . Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, and Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut, urged Senate leaders to try to pass a separate measure ending the “ don’t ask, don’t tell ” rule, untangling the issue from the broader measure. “This discriminatory and harmful policy has weakened America’s security by depriving us of the work of tens of thousands of gay and lesbian troops who have served their country honorably. And it has severely compromised our armed forces’ core value of integrity,” Mr. Hoyer said Tuesday. The House has previously approved repealing the ban by a 40-vote margin. Under the procedure the House intends to follow, the passage of the stand-alone measure would mean that the Senate would face just one procedural vote, requiring the support of 60 senators to pass. Since more than 60 senators have already indicated that they would support the repeal if sufficient debate were allowed, the biggest hurdle may be time; the Senate process could consume at least parts of three days. In addition, opponents of the ban would have to keep the measure free of any changes so it could be sent directly to President Obama. Advocates of a repeal drew hope from the House action. “Introduction of a House repeal bill is a strong indicator that momentum is on the side of an end to ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ ” said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign. But the commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James F. Amos, suggested a repeal might cost Marine lives because it would be “a distraction” on the battlefield. Asked in a briefing with Pentagon reporters on Tuesday how repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell” would affect unit cohesion, General Amos said: “Have you been out with Marines in an intense firefight? That is a unique experience.” In that situation, he said, the Marines are “like an amoeba” and “when your life hangs on a line on the intuitive behavior of the young man that sits to your right and your left, you don’t want anything distracting that.”

United States Defense and Military Forces


Nascar Changes Points System to Reward Winners

Abstract: Nascar eliminated one of its most charming and quirky traditions — the 36-year-old points system that was introduced on a stack of napkins at a bar in Daytona Beach, Fla. — as the sanctioning body announced changes Wednesday in how it would determine a stock-car champion. Foremost is a streamlined points formula effective for the 2011 season, in which drivers will be awarded 43 points for finishing first in a race, 42 for second place and one less point for each place through last, or 43rd, place. The winner of each race will receive three bonus points. One bonus point will be awarded for leading at least one lap, and another bonus point will be awarded for leading the most laps. Nascar also announced that, if qualifying is rained out, a starting field would be established by practice speeds, rather than the standings entering the race. Brian France, the Nascar chairman and chief executive, said in a presentation at the Nascar Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C., that fans wanted more emphasis placed on winning. France said of the old system, “We had a points system that was hard to describe for ourselves." There will be one critical change made to the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup: Twelve drivers will still qualify after 26 races, but only the top 10 drivers will qualify on points. The final two spots — wild cards — will go to other drivers who have the most victories after 26 races. Under the system used last year, a winner of a race received 190 points and 195 if he led the most laps. Last-place finishers received 34 points. “We’ve stuck with the tradition of having points all the way through when we made this decision, and we’ll stick with it,” the Nascar president Mike Helton said at the news conference. Jimmie Johnson would have even won his fifth straight championship last season had the new formula been used, edging Kevin Harvick by 1 point. Under the old system, Johnson won the championship by 39 points over Denny Hamlin. A stock-car-racing publicist, Bob Latford, devised the points system after the 1974 season at the request of the Nascar founder, Bill France Sr., whose top series had used five formulas in the previous nine years, two of which included prize-money figures. To entice drivers to participate in more than only the races with the biggest purses — and to extend the championship drama for a new title sponsor, the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company — France sought a formula that was better at rewarding consistency. Latford devised a system for the Winston Cup Series that awarded 175 points to winners of all races, not just the big ones. The story of how Latford devised the system became a colorful part of Nascar legend, even though the version told most often was not exactly true. It was said that Latford, who died at 67 in July 2003 , devised the system on a bar napkin at the Boot Hill Saloon in Daytona Beach, Fla. In fact, Latford had devised the system before going to the bar, which was co-owned by the Nascar publicist Phil Holmer, then used a stack of bar napkins to outline the system to Holmer and Joe Whitlock, another publicist, because Latford was particularly sharp at mathematics. “We discussed people like Fireball Roberts and Junior Johnson and Curtis Turner, who were the three biggest names we had ever had in the sport,” Latford told The Daytona Beach News-Journal five months before his death. “None of those three was ever a champion because they always ran up front. They put on the show. “They were the drivers the people came to see,” Latford said. “But because they ran hard every lap, their chances of being around at the finish were not good. They were more likely to crash or blow up compared to somebody that didn’t push that hard.”

National Assn of Stock Car Auto Racing
Automobile Racing


Bin Laden Adds Climate Change to List of Grievances Against U.S.

Abstract: Osama bin Laden , the leader of Al Qaeda , blamed the United States and developed countries for not halting climate change and said that the global economy should immediately abandon its reliance on the American dollar, according to an audiotape released Friday by the broadcaster Al Jazeera. “Talk about climate change is not an ideological luxury but a reality,” Mr. bin Laden was quoted as saying in a report on Al Jazeera’s English-language Web site. “All of the industrialized countries, especially the big ones, bear responsibility for the global warming crisis.” The authenticity of the tape could not be immediately confirmed, and Al Jazeera, which is based in Qatar, did not say how it had obtained the message. But if substantiated, it would be Mr. bin Laden’s second public message within a week. On Sunday, Al Jazeera broadcast a one-minute tape in which Mr. bin Laden hailed the Dec. 25 attempt to bring down a plane bound for Detroit and warned of more attacks against the United States. Mr. bin Laden, who is believed to be hiding in Pakistan near the Afghanistan border and has issued several other taped anti-West invectives, had not put one out in four months before the one about the attempted airline bombing. In the message broadcast on Friday, Mr. bin Laden veered away from his traditional vows to inflict death and destruction on the United States, and instead discussed climate change, globalization and monetary policy in a message that he said was directed to “the whole world.” He called for a worldwide boycott of American goods and the dollar. He faulted the United States for failing to sign the Kyoto Protocol, which sought to curb global warming by restricting greenhouse gas emissions. And he offered a word of praise for Noam Chomsky, the American linguist and liberal political activist. “Noam Chomsky was correct when he compared the U.S. policies to those of the Mafia,” Al Jazeera quoted Mr. bin Laden as saying. “They are the true terrorists, and therefore we should refrain from dealing in the U.S. dollar and should try to get rid of this currency as early as possible.” Bank and government officials in China, Russia and elsewhere have previously floated the idea of abandoning the dollar as the world’s reserve currency, replacing it with a basket of other currencies and commodities like gold. But Mr. bin Laden’s aim in turning away from the dollar appears to be to inflict harm on the American economy. “I am certain that such actions will have grave repercussions and huge impact,” he was quoted as saying.

Al Qaeda
bin Laden Osama
Global Warming
US Dollar (Currency)


An Uproar in Australia Over Proposal to Deregulate Tuition

Abstract: When the Australian government proposed radical changes in the financing of higher education in its budget last month, it said the new rules — to take effect in January 2016, if passed — would make universities more competitive. Critics said they would make undergraduate education more expensive. The changes would cut government funding per student by an average of 20 percent across the board, while freeing the universities to raise tuition without regulatory restraints. They would also raise interest rates on student loans. The proposal calls for loan rates to be indexed to the 10-year bond rate, with a cap at 6 percent. Rates are now capped at the rate of inflation. The income threshold for employed graduates to start to pay back their loans would also be lowered. The government says the changes are needed in an increasingly competitive international education market. “More competition between higher education providers would be good for students,” Christopher Pyne, the minister for Education, said in a speech at Monash University in Melbourne last month. “If universities and colleges were able to compete on price, it would mean they must have a greater focus on meeting the needs of students. They would need to continuously improve the teaching and learning they offer to attract students.” Mr. Pyne said that fee deregulation was also needed to ensure that Australia remained competitive on the global higher education marketplace. “The current approach also limits what universities offer,” he said. “Our best universities have limited prospects of competing with the best in the world and will be overtaken by the fast-developing universities of Asia.” Belinda Robinson, chief executive of Universities Australia, the umbrella organization for the sector, said that the changes would allow universities to make up for the drop in their public funding. “There has been very little ability for universities to address the shortfall because the fees that universities have been able to charge have been capped,” she said. “With full fee deregulation, this will no longer be the case.” Critics of the changes, however, say that the government’s real aim is to cut its own spending. “The government is trying to reduce its outlay by switching the funding incidence onto students,” Prof. Bruce Chapman, from the Crawford School of Public Policy at Australian National University, said in an email. Meanwhile, students enrolling in courses this year are facing an unknown tuition increase come January 2016. It is unclear how much tuition might rise. Prime Minister Tony Abbott has conceded that fees might double. Professor Chapman said that elite universities might triple their fees, while tuition at lesser institutions might rise by 20 percent to 30 percent. “The challenge right now is that universities are being asked to set fees in an unprecedented market environment,” said Prof. Sandra Harding, the chairwoman of Universities Australia. Image Students at Sydney University protested federal budget cuts on May 21. Credit Peter Parks/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Professor Harding warned that universities could decide to match their domestic student fees with international student fees. “That’s the only undergraduate market at scale that we have experience of,” she said of international students. As an example of what that could mean, annual tuition for undergraduate degrees in arts and law at the University of Sydney is now 7,452 to 10,085 Australian dollars, or $6,900 to $9,300, for local students. For international students, annual tuition is 33,360 to 40,000 dollars. Some courses would be affected more than others, Prof. Glenn Withers from the Crawford school, said in an email. “Subsidies are down by as much as 50 percent for media and 15 percent for law and business, but up 11 percent for the humanities and by 25 percent for mathematics, for example. Resultant fee differences will also reflect differing market conditions for the various disciplines,” he said. Higher tuition may push more Australian students to shop abroad for their undergraduate education, according to Professor Withers. “Australian domestic students have been much encouraged recently to gain study experience abroad. The increase in domestic fees will accelerate this movement,” he said. “Greater global mobility and integration may be one, perhaps unintended, beneficial consequence of this greater domestic fee deregulation.” Glyn Davis, vice chancellor of Melbourne University, noted that the higher education marketplace was already globalized. “High-achieving Australian students are courted by Ivy League and Russell Group universities and some choose to do part or all of their university education abroad,” he said, referring to elite universities in the United States and Britain. “The global mobility of students appears likely to continue to grow.” Still, some may be turned off higher education altogether, Professor Withers warned. “The absence of loans for living expenses and the chance of noncompletion, the requirement for larger loans given subsidy cuts, and the dangers of compounding interest if not earning enough for payback all will deter many, especially the least advantaged,” he said. There may also be a drop in midyear entry numbers this year. “Not being able to inform students of the fee implications of their programs is almost certain to give pause to students who might otherwise enter university mid-2014, particularly mature-age students,” said Professor Harding. The proposals have met a mixed reception from university representatives. The Group of Eight coalition of top colleges has called the government plan an important measure to position the Australian higher education sector for the future. “These historic reforms reconcile access and quality, and make growth affordable,” Prof. Ian Young, the chairman of the group, said in a statement last month. In contrast, a letter to faculty and students from the University of Adelaide’s vice chancellor, Warren Bebbington, described the proposed changes as unfair. “My interest in these reforms was to see Australian students in the coming years have a much wider choice of the types of degrees, as found in the U.S. but without the U.S. burden of crippling student debts,” he said. “In fact, it is starting to look as if the student debt burden for many under the proposed reforms might well be worse than in the U.S.” Students held widespread protests against the proposals on campuses and in cities last month, and Universities Australia has called for implementation to be delayed, saying the planned timetable allowed insufficient time for proper preparation. The legislation has not been introduced in the Australian Parliament, but some senators have already said that they intend to block the measures. “A reasoned and sensible approach to a developing marketplace just cannot be achieved immediately,” Professor Harding said: “As events in the recent past have shown, undue haste and poor execution pose grave risks to even the soundest policy intent.”


Quaker Oats’ 100% Natural Claim Questioned in Lawsuit

Abstract: A lawsuit seeking to be certified as a class action has been filed on behalf of consumers in New York and California against the owner of Quaker Oats after testing found traces of the pesticide glyphosate in some oatmeal. While the level of glyphosate, the active ingredient in the popular weed killer Roundup, detected in the oatmeal falls well below the limit set by federal regulators for human consumption, the lawsuit accuses Quaker of false advertising because it markets the oatmeal as “100% natural.” Quaker, which is owned by PepsiCo, says on its website that the oats used in its products are grown in an environmentally responsible way. “Since oats require less herbicide spray than many other grains, there is less risk of pollutants and groundwater contamination,” it says. The lawsuit, filed in Federal District Courts in New York and California, contends that such statements are false and misleading. “There is nothing unlawful about Quaker Oats’ growing and processing methods,” the suit says. “What is unlawful is Quaker’s claim that Quaker Oats is something that it is not in order to capitalize on growing consumer demand for healthful, natural products.” In a statement, the Quaker Oats Company said that it did not add glyphosate during any part of the milling process but that it might be applied by farmers to certain grains before harvest. The company said it puts the oats it receives through a cleansing process. “Any levels of glyphosate that may remain are trace amounts and significantly below any limits which have been set by the E.P.A. as safe for human consumption,” the company said. A test paid for by lawyers for the plaintiffs, the Richman Law Group, found glyphosate at a level of 1.18 parts per million in a sample of Quaker Oats Quick 1-Minute. This is roughly 4 percent of the 30 parts per million that the Environmental Protection Agency allows in cereal grains. An independent lab in California did the testing, using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, a technique widely used by medical and chemical labs and pharmaceutical research. Although testing was done only on Quick 1-Minute, the lawsuit also makes claims against Quaker Oats Old-Fashioned and Quaker Steel Cut Oats. Glyphosate is one of the most widely used pesticides around the world. The Monsanto Company began selling the pesticide in the 1970s. But it was the introduction of genetically engineered crops two decades later that fueled the sharp increase in the use of the pesticide. Those crops now account for most of the corn, soy, sugar beets and canola grown in the United States. Glyphosate also is widely used in home gardens, on golf courses and other places. Last year, the World Health Organization classified glyphosate as a “probable” carcinogen . Since then, environmental and consumer groups have begun to focus their efforts on the pesticide, and a growing number of reports on glyphosate in food have surfaced. Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration said it planned to begin testing some foods for glyphosate. The biotech industry and food companies contend that the levels of glyphosate found in products fall well below limits set by government officials. The European Union sets the average daily level of intake for glyphosate at 0.3 milligrams per kilogram, while the Environmental Protection Agency sets it at 1.75 milligrams per kilogram daily. Kim Richman, the lead lawyer of the firm representing the plaintiffs, said the amount of glyphosate was not the issue. “The issue is that Quaker advertises these products as 100 percent natural, and glyphosate in any amount is not natural,” he said. Oats are not a genetically engineered crop. But glyphosate is increasingly being used as a “dessicant” to dry out crops to speed harvesting. The lawsuit was filed over the weekend in New York and California, and, Mr. Richman said, would be filed in other states this week. The plaintiffs are seeking refunds for purchasers. They also are asking that PepsiCo either be required to reformulate the products or disclose the presence of glyphosate in them.

Pesticide
Pepsi
Oatmeal
Food Safety
Quaker Oats
advertising,marketing
Lawsuits
Monsanto
Genetic engineering
Defoliants and Herbicides


Few Vehicles Equipped for Easy Car Seat Installation

Abstract: A study released on Thursday found that only a handful of vehicles deserved the highest rating for ease of child safety seat installation. The study, conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, rated 102 vehicles on how easily a child safety seat could be installed. It focused on the vehicles’ so-called Latch system, which consists of three anchors that the seat is secured to. Only three models received the highest rating of Good: the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz GL-Class and the Volkswagen Passat. Children are safer when in an age-appropriate child restraint, but these are not always easy to install, especially when using a vehicle’s seatbelts. And if the restraint is not properly anchored to the vehicle, a child could be severely injured in a crash. The federally mandated Latch system, which stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children, was meant to be easier than using seatbelts to attach safety seats.

Automobile safety
Child Car Seats
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety


Yahoo Limits Retention of Personal Data

Abstract: SAN FRANCISCO — Yahoo said Wednesday that it would limit to 90 days the time it holds some personally identifiable information related to searches to address growing concerns from privacy advocates, policy makers and government regulators. Yahoo’s new data retention policy is the most restrictive among major search engines in the United States and will most likely put pressure on rivals like Google and Microsoft to shorten the time they keep information about their users. It comes at a time when some privacy advocates are planning a renewed push for legislation that would regulate the data retention and online advertising practices of Internet companies, which they say has a stronger chance of passing with a new Congress and president in Washington. Already Representative Edward J. Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat who is chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, praised Yahoo for setting a new privacy standard. “I urge other leading online companies to match or beat the commitments announced by Yahoo,” Mr. Markey said in a press release. Previously, Yahoo kept search logs for 13 months. In September, Google began to strip out some personally identifiable information related to searches after 9 months. Microsoft keeps the information for 18 months. The strongest pressure on Internet companies so far came from European regulators who have been urging major search engines to reduce to six months the time they hold personally identifiable information. Microsoft said last week that it would agree to such a standard if its rivals also went along. Anne Toth, vice president of policy at Yahoo, said that the company chose an even shorter time period to “take the issue off the table.” Ms. Toth said she hoped that the new policy would make Yahoo’s search service more attractive with users concerned about privacy. But it is not clear that stronger privacy protections will persuade consumers to switch to a different search engine. Last year, Ask.com introduced a new feature called AskEraser, which allows users to search anonymously. It has had little noticeable effect on the popularity of Ask.com. Google is the dominant search engine, handling about 63 percent of search queries in the United States, according to comScore. Under the new policy, Yahoo will delete the last eight bits of the Internet Protocol, or I.P., address associated with a search query after 90 days. I.P. addresses are digital tags that can identify a specific computer. Yahoo will also hide cookie data related to each search log and strip out any personally identifiable information, like a name, phone number, address or Social Security number, from the query itself. Yahoo also said that its new policy would extend to other types of data it collected, like page views, page clicks, ad views and ad clicks. Major search engines have said they need to retain personal data, in part, to provide better services, like more targeted ads and more relevant searches. Ms. Toth said Yahoo determined it could begin scrambling the personal data after 90 days without affecting the quality of services it provided to users, advertisers and publishers. Privacy advocates said that the new policy was a step in the right direction and credited the change to pressure from European regulators. But they said that Yahoo’s method of scrambling I.P. addresses by deleting their last eight bits was inadequate to guarantee privacy. “That is not provably anonymous,” said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. Mr. Rotenberg and other advocates said that companies should delete the entire I.P. address, an approach recommended by European officials. Currently, Microsoft deletes the entire I.P. address, while Google deletes only the last eight bits. “Microsoft believes that the method of anonymization is more important than the anonymization timeframe and believes all major search engines need to adopt a high standard,” Brendon Lynch, director of privacy strategy at Microsoft. Google declined to comment directly on Yahoo’s new policy but said it was “continually evaluating” how to balance the services it offered with the privacy of its users. Google had said previously that discarding personally identifiable data sooner than nine months would undermine the quality of its search engine and other services.

Computers and the Internet
Search Engines
Privacy
Computer Security
Yahoo Inc


Looking for Green in Blue Skies

Abstract: PARIS — A month before the Farnborough air show, an assortment of visionaries, inventors and oddballs, together with a sprinkling of aviation heavyweights, gathered at Le Bourget airfield, north of Paris, for the second edition of the Salon de l’Aviation Verte, or Green Air Show. “There is no such thing as ‘green’ aviation,” said Olivier Jouis, head of environmental affairs at Eurocopter, one of the heavyweights there. “It’s a misnomer. It’s a polluting industry. We can only hope to make it less so.” Progress is being made, he said, to reduce pollution in mainstream commercial flight operations and manufacturing but it is slow and incremental. Still, alongside the makers of solar-powered planes, flying robots and airships — and the Paris Art Boomerang Club — the 52 participants in the salon included the engine maker Snecma and European Aeronautic Defense & Space proof that the mainstream is getting involved. Technological innovation is pushing the boundaries of conventional aviation in several different directions, not least toward renewable energy use. “Renewable energy can do impossible things,” Bertrand Piccard, the founder, president and sometimes pilot of Solar Impulse, said after that aircraft completed the world’s first solar-powered, overnight flight this month. Despite that exciting technical feat, commercial applications are limited, warned Paul Steele, Executive Director of the Air Transport Action Group , a Geneva-based industry lobby. “The Solar Impulse has the wing span of an A-330 but it’s only carrying one person. We would need a similar wing-span to carry 200 people. It’s a weight to wing-span problem,” Mr. Steele said. Solar power, generated at altitude and stored while an airliner flies its route, can, however, supply auxiliary power for in-cabin systems like lighting and air-conditioning when the plane is on the ground. According to the action group, 85 percent of auxiliary power is used at the airport gate when the main engines are stopped. Using an alternative power source could cut airline power bills by $100,000 a year per gate, it says. Even more fuel could be saved simply by rethinking inefficient airplane routing, both on the ground and in the air. Mr. Steel said his group is lobbying for quick implementation of the European “Single Sky” coordinated control program and the U.S. Next Generation air traffic management project, both designed, in different ways, to guide airliners more directly to their destinations. Beside greenhouse gas emissions, noise pollution is another big concern. Airships, silent and self-supporting, are “an interesting concept” that could find a niche market in transporting non-perishable goods, Mr. Steele said, though for commercial air passengers “spending three days flying across the Atlantic is probably not what they want.” For the mainstream passenger market a new generation of large airliner engines, reducing noise by 75 percent, will be in production by 2016, he said. Helicopters, meanwhile, present particular noise problems, Mr. Jouis, of Eurocopter, noted. Their engines are loud and their rotors make a racket all on their own as each blade strikes the sound wake left by the preceding one. Eurocopter is working on two noise reduction projects. “One is a passive redesign of the blade, which would cut the sound by 50 percent, while the second is an active control system that controls the pulse of the blades,” he said. But the hot topic in green aviation at Le Bourget this year was biofuel — “probably the most exciting area that is developing quickly,” Mr. Steele said. “Three years ago it was still a pipe dream that you could use biofuels for aviation,” he said, but in the past three years, technologies have been developed that can produce carbon-neutral, low-sulfur fuels from two plant sources, jatropha and camelina, and from micro algae, that can be burned by jets without modifying the engine or distribution system. “We’re expecting final certification by the end of this year or by the beginning of 2011 for biofuels,” Mr. Steele said. “If you get the right fuel, you can reduce what’s called the carbon life-cycle footprint by 80 percent.” One company planning to offer aviation biofuel is Solena, based in Washington, which in February announced a partnership with British Airways to develop Europe's first sustainable jet fuel plant, using waste biomass. The company says that its technology can turn any type of agricultural, urban or industrial waste into high-quality jet fuel at a competitive price with no effect on the environment. The process relies on molecular dissociation, using advanced plasma gasification technology and the Fischer-Tropsch catalytic reactions developed in Germany in the 1920s to produce synthetic oil, Solena’s founder and chief executive, Robert Do, said in an interview. Inorganic slag residues left as a byproduct can be vitrified and used as construction material, he added. Mr. Do skipped the green aviation salon but said he planned to present a joint project at Farnborough, with BA and the city of London. The project calls for Solena to transform urban waste from London, which would normally go to a landfill, into jet fuel, which he said B.A. had agreed to buy at a price pegged to the market price for jet fuel. Jet fuel prices of $2.70 to $3.25 per gallon, or 71 cents to 86 cents per liter, would allows Solena’s fuel to be competitive and viable, he said. The average refinery price for jet fuel is now just above $2 a gallon, according to data cited by the International Air Transport Association’s Web site. Describing the proposed London plant as the “first commercial-sized biotech fuel project in the world,” Mr. Do said that local government officials were assessing several locations in east London that might be suitable sites for the £205 million, or $315 million plant, which he said should process 500,000 tons of waste a year into 16 million gallons of jet fuel, while generating 20 megawatts of electricity as a byproduct. “The planning and permit phase” for the plant should be completed in about a year, with construction scheduled to start in the second half of 2011, he said. In addition to the environmental benefits, the plant would add more than a thousand jobs to the economy during construction and create a further 200 long-term operating positions, he said. Once in operation, he said, it would earn carbon credits that could be sold or traded on the European emissions market. These would be shared between Solena and B.A., with the airline earning credits for using a “carbon neutral” fuel and Solena earning them both for producing the fuel and for preventing greenhouse emissions by eliminating landfill. Mr. Jouis, of Eurocopter, however, questioned the project’s feasibility. Fischer-Tropsch technology had never been applied on a significant scale to urban waste, he said. In general, biofuels are not yet up to the standards needed for safety — at least not for helicopters — he added. “It’s one thing to put a 50/50 fuel in one engine of a quadri-motor airplane,” he said, referring to a mix of 50 percent standard fuel and 50 percent biofuel: “it’s another to put it in a single- or bi-motor aircraft.” Mr. Jouis was also skeptical about any industrial process that was purported to be totally environmentally friendly. “There’s always some impact,” he said.

Solar Energy
Airlines and Airplanes
Biofuels


Europe and China Trade Talks End Bitterly

Abstract: HONG KONG — Trade negotiations between the European Union and China ended on Monday with mutual recriminations. China called on the European Union to refrain from imposing tariffs on solar panels, and the European trade commissioner complained that China was pressuring individual countries to prevent Europe from reaching a consensus. The European Union accuses Chinese firms of selling solar panels below cost in Europe, a practice known as dumping, and has already proposed antidumping tariffs of nearly 50 percent on Chinese solar panel shipments. That is one of the largest categories of Chinese exports to Europe and worth about $27 billion a year. But Germany’s economy minister said that his country had informed the European Commission, which is the executive branch of the European Union, that it opposed proceeding with the solar panel tariffs. If a majority of the European Union’s 27-member states oppose tariffs during the current consultation period, then the commission could be forced to abandon the tariffs. But that could risk undermining the commission’s long-term ability to negotiate trade deals on behalf of the bloc. Zhong Shao, China’s vice minister of commerce and chief international trade representative, denounced the European Commission for not reaching a deal at the talks, which were held in Brussels. The commission’s plan to impose tariffs on Chinese solar panels starting on June 6, together with the commission’s preparations to begin a similar trade case against Chinese exports of wireless communications gear , “would seriously hurt the Chinese industries and workers concerned and seriously sour the climate on bilateral trade and economic engagement,” he said in a statement. Image Chinese solar panels. Europe plans a tariff on China’s panels, which Europeans say are being sold at unfairly low prices. Credit How Hwee Young/European Pressphoto Agency He added, “Such practices of trade protectionism are not acceptable to China,” and asked that the European Union delay the tariffs. European officials have said repeatedly that they face statutory deadlines for actions in trade cases and have little or no discretion to delay action. The commission has been discussing the tariffs with member governments; Germany, with large exports to China that could be vulnerable to retaliation by Beijing in any broader trade conflict, has been particularly vocal in calling for a negotiated deal. Karel De Gucht, the European Union’s trade commissioner, issued an unusually blunt complaint late Monday that China was bypassing the European Union’s leaders by going to member governments. Mr. De Gucht “also made it very clear to the vice minister that he was aware of the pressure being exerted by China on a number of E.U. member states,” said John Clancy, Mr. De Gucht’s spokesman. Mr. Clancy added, “It is the role of the European Commission to remain independent, to resist any external pressure and to see the ‘big picture’ for the benefit of Europe, its companies and workers based upon the evidence alone.” The United States has already imposed antidumping and antisubsidy tariffs totaling about 30 percent on Chinese solar panels. The Obama administration has recently decided to seek its own negotiated settlement with China to replace the tariffs. Such a settlement could take the form of setting high minimum prices for Chinese exports to the United States, a ceiling on the volume of exports, or both. While Washington, Brussels and Beijing are all saying now they want a negotiated settlement, Chinese solar companies and their many local government patrons are divided on what a settlement should look like.

International trade
Solar energy
Europe
China
Protectionism
EU


Angle Video Reopens Topic of Race

Abstract: Louie Gong, a 36-year-old Seattle resident who is a mix of American Indian, white and Chinese, is often mistaken for Latino. “Most people don’t look at me and say ‘Chinese,’ ” he said. “Then I tell them what my heritage is, and they argue with me, saying, ‘No, you look Hispanic.’ That’s offensive on a whole other level — it’s like their sensibility of racial aesthetics trumps my 36 years of life experience, and the fact that my last name is Gong.” Mr. Gong, like many other racial and ethnic minorities, was taken back to some of his own uncomfortable encounters with being assigned a heritage that was not his own when a video circulated widely on the Internet this week showing Sharron Angle , the Republican candidate for the Senate in Nevada, telling a group of Latino students that she did not know if they were all Latino because “some of you look a little more Asian to me.” Ms. Angle, who is running with Tea Party support against the Democratic majority leader, Harry Reid, made the comments at Rancho High School in Las Vegas, to the Hispanic Students Union. Her sentiments, not the first unorthodox statements she has made, have thrust activists, experts and bloggers into a conversation about race in a campaign season that has been far more about mortgages than minorities. “Race has not played much of a role,” and is beginning to only now, said Andrew J. Cherlin, a professor of sociology and public policy at Johns Hopkins University. “In past economic downturns, it was common for economically troubled whites to blame minority groups for their problems. In this great recession , everyone is blaming the government and Wall Street.” This election season is also different from the past in another way: the racial themes that have run through the campaigns have focused on Latino issues rather than the black-white dichotomy that has been the defining racial axis of American politics. “We’re hearing more about Hispanics than African-Americans, which may reflect the growing status of Hispanics in the United States,” Professor Cherlin said. Further complicating the role of race is that a growing number of Americans are identifying themselves as racial mixtures that can be difficult to categorize based on looks alone. Beyond that, some members of minorities are pushing back against anyone who wants to tell them what race they are, then stereotype them, whether Asian or Latino or black or some combination. “We are more complex than our phenotype,” said Mr. Gong, the past president of Mavin , an advocacy group for mixed-race families, and the co-founder of the Mixed Race Heritage Center , an information clearinghouse. “People have the right to self-identify in this country, on the census or in personal actions.” He said Ms. Angle’s comments to the students were “a strong reflection of her sense of entitlement to identify them as she wants, not as they want.” The comments, captured on video apparently taken by a student and posted by a Nevada journalist, Jon Ralston, were in response to students’ questions about one of her television advertisements, in which several dark-complexioned people are shown to be crossing a fence. The ad’s message was clearly a statement on illegal immigration . But did it involve Latinos? It did not explicitly say. Ms. Angle sought to distance herself from making that association, hence the comment that the Latino students could as well be Asian. “I’m not sure that those are Latinos in that commercial,” she told the students. But experts said otherwise. “It is difficult for anyone who studies political advertisements to say that those images weren’t chosen specifically to activate thoughts about Latinos,” said Nicholas A. Valentino, associate professor of political science and communication studies at the University of Michigan. “The visual reference is clearly sending information that is very potent.” He also said that his research showed that people tended to react negatively on immigration issues when images of Latinos were involved. There is hardly any negative connotation for Asians, his research showed. A spokesman for the Angle campaign did not return a call for comment. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, a professor of sociology at Duke, said the ad and Ms. Angle’s comments about it reflected the country’s new “racial terrain.” “I think the new boogeyman is Latino,” Professor Bonilla-Silva said. Still, Ms. Angle “managed to offend two communities at once: Asians and Latinos,” he said. “Her statements come across as patronizing, and hark back to an old racist tradition where we all look the same.” Mr. Valentino said the statements could motivate Latinos to turn out and vote against Ms. Angle, who is in a tight, hard-fought race with Mr. Reid. Mary Beltrán, associate professor of communication arts and Latina and Chicana studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, said: “It seems like she’s trying to say, ‘I don’t see race, so how could I be racist?’ It’s an interesting thing that’s happening in politics today.”

Angle Sharron E
Race and Ethnicity
United States Politics and Government
Elections
Senate
Nevada
Hispanic-Americans
Asian-Americans


To Keep Pace With Growing Demand, Con Ed Struggles to Build Substations

Abstract: Not long after a brightly colored building in the South Bronx opened last year, a visitor rang the doorbell at the security gate to ask when the condominiums inside were going on sale. They were not, for one simple reason: the building housed a $300 million Con Edison substation. Years ago, few would have mistaken a substation for an impressive apartment building, especially in a neighborhood like Mott Haven, filled with warehouses and factories. But the substation there, with its red and tan brick exterior, faux windows and canopied entrance, certainly does not look like a hub for 345-kilovolt cables, multimillion-dollar transformers and circuit breakers. The building’s urban camouflage is typical of the lengths that Con Edison must go to these days to appease neighbors when constructing substations, where high-voltage electricity is reduced to lower voltages and distributed locally. At the Parkview substation in Harlem, which opened this year, the utility helped fix a park and hired local workers during construction. In the Bronx, the company used local merchants to provide materials. Con Edison plans to spend billions of dollars to complete eight more substations by 2017 as it tries to keep up with electricity demand, which it expects to increase 10 percent in New York City during the next decade. Yet the shortage of industrial land, rising real estate prices and opposition from neighbors are making it more difficult for the utility to find suitable locations. “It’s a race to keep up with the load,” said Sanjay Bose, Con Edison’s vice president of substation operations, sitting in the control room of the Mott Haven station, which in addition to supplying low-voltage power to nearby residents also feeds high-voltage electricity to other parts of the city. “And the moment people know we are looking for land, the price goes up. They think we are a money pit. Zoning makes it very, very difficult, too.” Substations are critical because they boost supply in neighborhoods where new apartment buildings and office towers strain existing networks. The utility, which runs 98 substations in New York and Westchester County, sometimes moves customers to less-burdened networks to avoid having to build a new facility. But those measures may only delay the construction of a substation in fast-growing neighborhoods. Con Edison’s construction schedule, it turns out, provides a window into the city’s shifting demographics. Next year, Con Edison will open the $146 million Astor substation on the West Side of Manhattan, partly to serve the apartment towers that have opened on 42nd Street and along 10th and 11th Avenues. In 2011, it plans to open three new substations: the York substation on the Upper East Side ($302 million); the Academy substation in Upper Manhattan ($375 million); and the Newtown substation on the Brooklyn-Queens border (about $200 million). Four more substations in Brooklyn and Manhattan are planned for 2016 and 2017. As a security measure after Sept. 11, Con Edison started using names instead of addresses to identify its substations. But residents know exactly where they are because the utility usually holds public hearings to address fears that real estate values will decline, air and noise pollution may increase and electromagnetic fields around substations could be dangerous. Strong opposition can slow an approval process by years. “It’s understandable that people would rather have a park than a substation,” said Frank A. Felder, director of the Center for Energy, Economic and Environmental Policy at Rutgers University. “They are perfectly safe, but people have no incentive to say yes.” Community Board 12 in Upper Manhattan, for example, pushed Con Edison to prove that it had adequately removed toxins that were suspected of being under the site of the planned Academy substation. The community board also took the issue to the State Public Service Commission, which ultimately approved the construction. According to Manny Velazquez, chairman of the community board, a commission report detailing conditions at the construction site showed high levels of arsenic, lead and mercury. Con Edison, he said, told the board it would comply with the appropriate regulations, but did not say what they were. “We felt Con Edison needed an oversight because they basically can do whatever they want around the city,” Mr. Velazquez said, adding that the utility did build some green space around the substation. “We don’t feel Con Ed dealt with the situation to the best of their abilities. I give them a passing grade, but not a great grade.” A spokeswoman for Con Edison, D. Joy Faber, said the Public Service Commission approved all the cleanup steps, adding, “We also have been diligently communicating with the public and the board about all phases of the project.” Opposition from neighborhood groups is one reason Con Edison spends years — more than half a decade in the case of the Mott Haven substation, which replaced a Farberware factory — deciding where to build. At the end of every summer, and in quarterly meetings, planners look at how electricity demand has shifted and which parts of the network lacked capacity. The company also compiles 5- and 10-year forecasts for usage in its territory. Planners also look at alternatives, like shifting customers to less-used networks. Plans for substations that are penciled in can be altered depending on how forecasts change. About five years before Con Edison hopes to begin building, planners start looking for property that is zoned for industrial use, a difficult task in Manhattan and other densely populated parts of the city. Complicating matters, substations need to face a street on three sides and require plenty of space for equipment and no deed restrictions. John Banks, vice president for government relations at Con Edison, said that at one site in Midtown Manhattan about five years ago, the deed from the 19th century prohibited “noxious” activities on the property. Con Edison had to prove that its substations did not emit odors or pollute before it could buy the land. “It’s a tremendous amount of money to commit, so you want to make sure you are not wasting the money,” Mr. Banks said. Con Edison’s real estate agents then approach potential sellers without mentioning the company’s name, so as not to drive up the price. Mr. Bose said that at one recently scouted location, a sign on the fence listed a sale price of $32 million. After Con Edison identified itself as the potential buyer, the price jumped to $49 million. Often, owners will refuse to sell, forcing Con Edison to build around a property. The Mott Haven substation wraps around a dry cleaning facility just feet from the front door. If Con Edison thinks a seller is asking too much, it can invoke the right of condemnation, which allows it to ask a judge to set a fair value, Mr. Banks said. Construction can take years. Large transformers are made overseas, and due to strong demand from China and India, Con Edison sometimes has to wait up to four years for a delivery, Mr. Bose said. Installing them has become more complicated because of recently toughened weight restrictions on city bridges and tunnels that require using special trailers to haul the transformers from the port. Circuit breakers that cost about $1 million each take five weeks to install. In the basement of the Mott Haven facility, Mr. Bose pointed to several feeder cables that have enough electricity “to power a small Caribbean country.” The cables sit in 10-inch stainless steel pipes surrounded by insulating liquids. To avoid leaks, the company buys specially made pipes without welds. “They don’t do next-day delivery,” Mr. Bose said of the pipe manufacturers. The impact on the neighbors is considered, too. Vaults with 50-foot-high walls are topped with metal gratings to allow for natural ventilation and eliminate the need for noisy fans. Pumping rooms with 20,000-gallon tanks for insulating liquid sit in special moats in case there are any leaks. Con Edison hired the Switzer Group to design the exterior of the Mott Haven facility, and Kevin Burke, the utility’s chief executive, approves each design. Ultimately, the placing of substations comes down to winning over wary neighbors. “By their very nature, substations are not very attractive facilities,” said James Van Nostrand, executive director of the Pace Energy and Climate Center, a research group. “But it’s a necessary part of the growth process and a necessary component of the electrical system.”

Consolidated Edison Inc
Electric Light and Power
Mott Haven (NYC)
New York City


Islanders Unsure of Lubomir Visnovsky’s Return

Abstract: SYOSSET, N.Y. — Only one N.H.L. player who played overseas during the lockout has refused to return to his team. The reluctant Islanders defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky was asked to report to training camp by Monday morning or face suspension. Instead, he was still in his native Slovakia with his team, Slovan Bratislava of the Kontinental Hockey League. A photograph on Slovan’s Facebook page showed Visnovsky on the team bus , headed to the Czech Republic for Tuesday’s game against Lev Prague. Whether Visnovsky will play in that game was unclear. An agreement between the N.H.L. and the K.H.L. bars players under contract with a team in one league from playing in the other. Bill Daly, the N.H.L. deputy commissioner, said in an e-mail message Monday, “We had further contact with the K.H.L. today, and they continue to assert that Visnovsky will be ineligible to play in K.H.L. games without the Islanders’ consent.” Ilya Kochevrin, the K.H.L.’s head spokesman, said in an e-mail message Monday that the matter “will be decided tomorrow.” The Islanders confirmed Monday that they had neither suspended Visnovsky nor given consent for him to remain with Slovan. Visnovsky told a Slovakian newspaper Monday that he wanted to stay with Slovan because of “family issues,” but he conceded that the Islanders had a right to be upset with him. “I hope they’ll give me some time, and then I’ll see,” Visnovsky said. “Maybe I’ll go there this season.” Visnovsky’s agent, Neil Sheehy, said, “Lubo has personal reasons for not reporting to the Islanders right now, all of which have absolutely nothing to do with the New York Islanders.” He continued, referring to the Islanders’ general manager, “Lubo admires Garth Snow, and we will have to see how this situation plays out.” Image From left, Matt Martin, Eric Boulton and John Tavares on Monday. Lubomir Visnovsky was in Slovakia. Credit John Dunn for The New York Times The Islanders were hoping Visnovsky would play the point on the power play and produce the way he did for Anaheim two seasons ago, when he had 68 points in 81 games. The Islanders are hoping to reach the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. “We had our meetings throughout the summer, and we had him as the first-unit power-play guy,” Coach Jack Capuano said of Visnovsky. “Like I tell my players, there’s controllable circumstances and there’s uncontrollable circumstances, and I can’t control it. He’s not here, and we just have to move on and worry about the guys that we have now.” This is the second time Visnovsky has spurned the Islanders. When he was acquired from Anaheim in June, he refused to report, citing a no-trade clause in his contract. An arbitrator ruled in the Islanders’ favor. Two years ago, another player refused to report the Islanders. In 2010-11, Detroit signed goalie Evgeni Nabokov from SKA St. Petersburg in the K.H.L., but the Islanders claimed him off waivers. Nabokov did not report, and the Islanders suspended him for the rest of the season. He joined the Islanders for the 2011-12 season. “Every situation is different,” Nabokov said. “We don’t know the details, so I can’t really make a judgment. From what I heard, we don’t know everything that’s going on. The young kids will have to make the most of this opportunity.” Nabokov was referring to defenseman Griffin Reinhart, the son of the longtime Calgary defenseman Paul Reinhart and an Islanders first-round draft pick in June. Reinhart and forward Ryan Strome, another first-rounder, make an impressive pair of prospects. But Capuano is not rushing them into the lineup. “We’re talking about elite junior players who have a tremendous jump to make to the National Hockey League level with five days of training camp,” Capuano said. “We’ll see how the week progresses.” In the meantime the Islanders will depend on their few stars when the 48-game season opens Saturday. “It’s going to be an exciting sprint right to the end of April, and we’re looking to be right in it,” said John Tavares, the Islanders’ top center. Tavares scored 42 points in 28 games for SC Bern in Switzerland during the lockout. “We’re not going to worry about anyone who’s not here,” Tavares said. “It’s about the group that’s in this room representing the Islanders and what we want to accomplish.”

Islanders
Lubomir Visnovsky
Kontinental Hockey League
Ice hockey


Corzine Vows New Jersey Turnpike Tolls Will Not Rise

Abstract: Gov. Jon S. Corzine said Friday that he had no intention of raising tolls or leasing the New Jersey Turnpike to raise money if he is elected to a second term. Mr. Corzine was attacked by Christopher J. Christie , his Republican challenger, after saying in a New York Times interview that he would consider revisiting his failed 2008 effort to raise cash by leasing the state’s toll roads. On Friday, the day his comments were published, Mr. Corzine insisted that he had been misunderstood. “No toll increases, no leasing,” he told reporters after an event in Bayonne. “Off the table. Not gonna happen.” The 2008 plan entailed leasing the toll roads to an entity that would have sold $38 billion in bonds and raised tolls as much as 800 percent to pay them off. It won little public support and none in the Legislature. In the Times interview, conducted last week, Mr. Corzine first brought up that proposal when asked about his efforts to restructure state debt. He said that his plan had been “too big, too fast, at the wrong time,” and that he believed it was rejected because people “don’t want to pay the tolls” and were sensing that “we were in the midst of a recession. We just didn’t know it.” Later in the interview, Mr. Corzine referred again to the plan, noting that a similar proposal to securitize toll revenues had been enacted successfully in Indiana. “This idea worked,” he said, adding, “So maybe we just need to scale it back.” On Friday, he said he had merely been alluding to the possibility of raising money “out of our rest stops on properties that surround the turnpike.”

Corzine Jon S
Tolls
New York Times
Prices (Fares Fees and Rates)
Christie Christopher J


The American Dream Foreclosed

Abstract: A SURGE in subprime lending across the region in recent years is now helping to fuel a boom in foreclosures, with the number of filings rising 55 percent in suburban counties in the first nine months of this year, compared with the same period last year, an analysis of real estate data shows. On Long Island , the number of foreclosure actions increased sharply during the summer. Nearly 1,000 foreclosure notices were filed in July, and 728 foreclosures were scheduled in the third quarter. Both numbers represent an increase of more than 60 percent over the same period in 2006, according to Long Island Profiles, a real estate information service. The growth is similar to that across the 19 counties of suburban New York, Connecticut and New Jersey , where more than 41,000 foreclosure notices or repossessions were filed through the third quarter of 2007, according to RealtyTrac, a national real estate information service. The recent foreclosures represent a fraction of the total number of mortgages in the region, but experts say that loans are going bad far more quickly than they did just three years ago. For example, on Long Island, the average age of a loan in foreclosure last month was a little more than two years, according to Long Island Profiles. In January 2004, the average length of time it took borrowers struggling with loans was five years before losing their property through foreclosure. Jacqueline Cila, divorced with a 7-year-old son, who lives in a three-bedroom house in East Moriches, sent her usual payment of $2,000 off to her mortgage company in July. But in August, her mortgage company told her she was delinquent: Her payment had risen to $2,798. “I started crying, I didn’t know what I was going to do,” she said. “I’m just barely making the $2,000 payments.” Ms. Cila bought the house with her husband in 1997, and he had continued to help with payments after their divorce in 1998, she said. But in 2005, her ex-husband, a soldier, was wounded in a roadside attack in Iraq and unable to help for months as he recovered from the loss of an arm. She took an extra job to make the payments, but then decided to refinance to get a lower interest rate and reduce her mortgage payment. “I went through a friend of a friend, and I didn’t bring a lawyer with me,” she said. “I said, ‘Is this a fixed loan?’ And they said, ‘Yes.’ What I didn’t understand was it was fixed for two years.” Counselors at housing agencies have begun to see a stampede of new clients with payments they can’t afford and who are desperate to keep their homes. “We’re running at three times the calls we got last year,” said Lynn Law, director of education and counseling at the Long Island Housing Partnership. “It started in May and June, and continued through the summer.” In 2005 and 2006, more than 250,000 people across the region refinanced or bought property with subprime mortgages — loans that bear higher costs than mainstream, or prime, loans — according to a New York Times analysis of federal mortgage data. Even as prime lending declined with a softening real estate market in 2006, subprime lending increased in the region, and one in four mortgages in the suburbs in 2006 bore an interest rate at least three points above the prime rate. High-cost loans were especially popular on Long Island, where about one in three mortgages were subprime. The high-interest-rate loans are especially prevalent in low-income neighborhoods in the suburban region, the Times analysis shows, and economists say development plans in places like Hempstead, Mount Vernon, N.Y., Bridgeport, Conn., and Newark will be threatened if foreclosures continue to mount. In some neighborhoods in those communities, three-quarters of the loans made in 2006 were subprime. “This is a real mess, not only from the point of view of its impact on the housing market, but on communities,” said Elizabeth Rodriguez, vice president and community affairs officer for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in Manhattan. “You’ve got a lot of good money that has gone into rebuilding these communities that now is compromised seriously by what could be this wave of foreclosures.” The rising toll of subprime-lending excess is not confined to low-income areas: Thousands of high-interest-rate loans were made in middle-class and affluent areas as well. One in 10 mortgages made to people making more than $300,000 was a high-cost loan. The subprime loans in affluent areas were more likely to be for refinancing than for buying homes. The numbers are based on reports banks must file with the federal government under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, and include all loans made for purchase or refinancing of one- to four-family homes. “We’re starting to see suburban New Jersey people who are white collar,” said Phyllis Salowe-Kaye, the executive director of New Jersey Citizen Action, which operates counseling and mortgage service offices in 10 New Jersey municipalities. “They bought homes with huge jumbo mortgages and thought they were going to be able to sell them because of their increasing value, and now they’re in trouble.” Subprime mortgages include a number of different products, often intended for borrowers with flawed credit. Loan costs, including fees and interest over the life of the loan, are higher, and many are of the exploding type, with low initial rates that adjust after two or three years, adding hundreds of dollars to the monthly payment. In Westchester , Jacqueline Borrero said the mortgage payment on the two-family home her brother bought for $299,000 in 1998 rose to $4,800 from $4,000 last May. The loan will cost $5,100 a month starting in November, when the interest rate increases to 11 percent. She said that she and her brother refinanced, using an adjustable rate mortgage two years ago, because they were advised that it would give them time to repair their credit and buy a mortgage on better terms. But they have been unable to get a new loan with better terms. “We’re really scared,” said Ms. Borrero, 42, an administrative assistant at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. She and her mother and brother are working extra part-time jobs to meet the mortgage bill, but their combined income won’t be enough to cover the payment, she said. “We got some bad advice on this loan,” she said, “Now we don’t know where to turn. We don’t want to become one of the statistics.” Governments have been slow to step in, but legislatures in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have all held hearings or convened task forces on subprime and predatory lending. Laws to regulate subprime lending more closely have been introduced. Housing counselors say there are some potential sources of help for people facing foreclosure. But they are limited, and it is inevitable that foreclosures will increase, they say. “A lot of it was predatory lending,” said Susan Lagville, executive director of Housing Help in Greenlawn. “It was people who were not the most financially savvy, who were told, ‘I can let you buy a $350,000 home on $35,000 income,’ and they believed them.”

Foreclosures
Suburbs
Long Island (NY)
New York State
Connecticut
New Jersey
Westchester County (NY)