A Prosecution Goes Bad, and a Judge Lets Loose

Abstract: On Thursday morning, Roy Lindley DeVecchio, a retired F.B.I. agent who faced the astounding charges that he helped a mob informant kill four people, walked out of court after the prosecutors suddenly dropped the case. It turned out that their star witness had told an entirely different story a decade ago, to two of the city’s premier investigative reporters. After hearing her testify against Mr. DeVecchio, they dug out a tape of that old interview. The case died instantly of natural causes: doubt. At that moment, one option for the judge presiding at the trial was to say, “Mr. DeVecchio, you are now free to go,” and to leave it at that. Instead, the judge, Gustin L. Reichbach of State Supreme Court in Brooklyn, sent Mr. DeVecchio — and the prosecutors — packing with a four-page legal roundhouse that invoked Nietzsche, dwelt on the unholy dilemmas of using informants, and found, in the alliance between criminals and government, an analogy to the advocacy of torture. For bonus points, he threw in a few words of such rare usage that they would be stumpers on the SAT. So this is a legal opinion worth a few lines of context. Mr. DeVecchio spent 14 of his 30 years in the F.B.I. handling a high-level mob informant named Gregory Scarpa; over the years, others in law enforcement publicly said that Mr. DeVecchio had an overly familiar relationship with Mr. Scarpa and had given him sensitive information. The Brooklyn district attorney, Charles J. Hynes, went much further: He charged that Mr. DeVecchio had fed tips to Mr. Scarpa about four other people who were snitching on him or his family. All four were killed. Thus, the district attorney said, Mr. DeVecchio’s hands were bloody. The case was built on the word of Mr. Scarpa’s mistress, Linda Schiro. (Mr. Scarpa himself died in prison in 1994.) Mr. DeVecchio waived his right to a jury trial and said his guilt or innocence could be left up to Justice Reichbach, who disclosed that he had been under F.B.I. surveillance as a student at Columbia University during the 1960s. Mr. DeVecchio and his lawyers said they were not worried that Justice Reichbach would be unfair; ultimately, the judge did not have to give a verdict because of the midtrial revelations that brought the case to an end. The Village Voice published an article this week by Tom Robbins that reported that he and another investigative reporter, Jerry Capeci, had interviewed Ms. Schiro in 1997 about the same events, and that she had cleared Mr. DeVecchio of involvement in three of the four killings. With her credibility shot, the judge’s opinion centered on the revelations about the relationship between informants and the F.B.I. For a while, he noted, rival mobsters considered the possibility that Mr. Scarpa was an informant. Impossible, they decided. Their reasoning, the judge wrote, was that “it would be antinomic for the F.B.I., charged with fighting crime, to employ as an informer a murderer as vicious and prolific as Greg Scarpa. Apparently, and sadly, organized crime attributed to the F.B.I. a greater sense of probity than the F.B.I. in fact possessed.” With an informant of such high rank as Mr. Scarpa, the judge said, government agents are forced into a delicate balancing act. “It is the inescapable aporia of law enforcement that they must sometimes turn a blind eye to criminality in order to prevent or combat greater criminality,” he said (“aporia” being a term derived from the Greek for a perplexing philosophical problem). The F.B.I. had “failed miserably” in finding a balance with Mr. Scarpa, he wrote. In an interview yesterday, the judge made the matter more concrete. “Did the information Scarpa gave save more lives than he took?” he asked. “I am confident the answer is no. We’re talking about 20 or 30 murders. Did he save 20 or 30 lives? No.” The failure was Mr. DeVecchio’s, the judge concluded, but also his supervisors’: “Any sentient being reading Scarpa’s informant file could divine that Scarpa was involved in illegal and violent acts.” He noted that Mr. Scarpa had once been sent by the F.B.I. in an effort to use thug tactics to get information on the killers of civil rights workers. That reminded the judge of the belief held by some in government that torture against terrorists is O.K. — “that it is permissible to make men scream in the name of national security,” he wrote. Justice Reichbach also quoted Friedrich Nietzsche’s observation that “he who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.”

Murders and Attempted Murders
DeVecchio R Lindley
Scarpa Gregory Jr
Organized Crime


Hey, Senior Discount, You Look Pretty Youthful!

Abstract: LIKE millions of Americans, Greg Petty got sucked into the time warp on his 50th birthday. Fit and forward-looking, he was confused by an unexpected present: an invitation to join AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons. Thinking it couldn’t be for him, Mr. Petty, a magazine publisher who lives in Cary, N.C., crumpled it up and threw it in the trash. Time stops for no man and neither does AARP. When he was greeted with another membership card on his 51st birthday, he read the material and found that aging had its privileges. “I’ve used it to save on car rentals, hotel stays and lots of other things,” Mr. Petty said. “After paying full fare for my entire life, it seems fair to get a discount.” Welcome to the flexible and often generous world of senior discounts, where prime of life can be considered old and even the wealthy are entitled to special deals. It is a land of shifting perspectives reflecting the realities, economic and otherwise, of a graying America. Look at it one way and you see that many people are living longer, healthier, more active lives than ever before. From this angle, 70 is the new 60. Another view suggests that 50 is the new 65, as businesses continue to lower the bar on deals for older Americans. Plenty of restaurants still offer the early-bird specials favored by blue-haired women and men in oversize windbreakers, but they are being joined by ski resorts and sky diving outfits, high-tech companies, rock concert promoters, dating services and wedding planners. Many Americans may recoil at the senior label, but most are happy to enjoy the discounts. AARP reports that 80 percent of its 37 million members say they take advantage of its discounts or deals each year. The Web site seniordiscounts.com lists more than 270,000 offers pegged to people 50 and older, double the number from years ago. Yet as more enjoy such benefits while holding the drawbacks of aging at bay, critics are questioning not only the business sense but the morality of age-dependent discounts. “When the population of older Americans is growing and those people claim a greater share of the country’s wealth, offering someone a discount just because they have reached a certain birthday is on the edge of shameful,” said Ken Dychtwald, president and chief executive of Age Wave, a research and consulting firm that focuses on aging. Doug Brown, 75, dean of the Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, brushes aside such qualms. If a company is willing to offer him a discount, he’s eager to take it. A “born cheapskate,” he got hooked on senior discounts 15 years ago when he paid about half price for a movie ticket. “I thought, this is the best deal I’ve had since Mom took me to the theater.” He soon founded seniordiscounts.com — whose motto is, “It’s what you deserve.” Though he is financially comfortable, he uses at least a dozen discounts a week, for groceries, pet supplies, carwashes and movie tickets. “I don’t buy anything without asking if they have a discount,” he said. A debate about senior discounts has taken off since the Pew Research Center reported that older Americans had achieved greater economic gains than other groups. Combing census data, it found that the median income for households headed by Americans 65 and older had increased more than twice as much between 1967 and 2010 as the gains enjoyed by households headed by adults 44 and younger. Pew also said the net worth of older households grew by 42 percent between 1984 and 2009, while that of households headed by adults 35 and under plummeted 68 percent. “As a result,” Pew reported, “in 2009 the typical household headed by someone in the older age group had 47 times as much net wealth as the typical household headed by someone in the younger age group.” Don Campbell, a member of USA Today’s board of contributors, used these and similar statistics in a widely discussed 2012 column, “Why we should kill senior discounts.” He recalled snickering to his wife, who had just turned 55, that she could now save $3 on a $9.50 movie ticket. “But then I felt guilty — well, almost — when I noticed the family behind us with teenagers who were getting no break at all as they laid out upwards of $50 before they even got to the popcorn stand.” Some economists contend that the Pew report is misleading. Dean Baker, co-director at the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, said it was not surprising that, after a lifetime of work, older Americans had more assets. But, he said, their median net worth in 2011 — $170,494 — is close to the median price of a new home and hardly counts as “wealth.” Critics may see people jumping out of Jaguars to buy discount movie tickets as the latest iteration of “welfare queens,” but by and large many Americans at or near retirement age have more in common with struggling pensioners than with Warren E. Buffett. The median income for people 65 and older in 2011 was $27,707 for men and $15,362 for women, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Even if those numbers are combined — and they shouldn’t be because many older Americans, especially women, live alone — they are well below the current median household income of about $51,000. Image Credit Wesley Bedrosian Millions of older people are relatively wealthy. But, Mr. Baker said, the real story is not the false equation between age and wealth but the stark financial challenges faced by many Americans, especially the young, who are saddled with record levels of student debt and a stagnant job market. “Instead of creating generational warfare by attacking older Americans for what little they have,” he said, “we should be addressing the broad challenges” faced by almost every age group. If the economic realities of older Americans are blurred by appearances, equally hazy is the rationale for gray discounts. Are they acts of altruistic respect or business savvy? Probably a bit of both. And for clarity, it helps to trace the roots of the fundamental idea — that people should receive benefits at a certain age — which in modern times stretches back at least to 19th-century Germany. It was then that Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, confronted with rising complaints about poor older people, proposed government pensions for them. With the average life span then about 45, he did the state coffers a favor by setting the golden age of entitlement at 70 (it was lowered to 65 in 1916). President Franklin D. Roosevelt was more generous when Social Security was created in the Great Depression, sticking with Germany’s magic number at a time when more Americans could expect to see that age, since life expectancy had shot up to around 62. Discounts for older people became popular in the 1960s and ’70s, according to William R. Smith Jr., a professor of marketing at the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Most were aimed at people 65 and over, who were, on average, poorer than other Americans. In 1959, 35 percent of these older Americans lived in poverty, more than double the rate of those in the 18-to-64 range. The discounts had a solid business purpose. Companies were looking for new ways to nudge a relatively small and frugal population that had weathered two world wars and a depression to spend some money. Other strategies, like early-bird dinner specials and off-peak travel discounts, sought to entice customers with flexible schedules. Today, the old rationale is being turned on its head as the thrifty elderly of old give way to spendthrift boomers. “Boomers have the most and they spend the most,” said a 2012 Nielsen report, “Introducing Boomers: Marketing’s Most Valuable Generation.” It said their buying power would only increase. In four years, “close to 50 percent of the adult population will be 50 and older and they will control 70 percent of the country’s disposable income.” So some business leaders are skeptical of the discounts. Most banks and major airlines have dropped age-related deals. Many companies that continue the practice do it quietly. Mr. Petty, the North Carolina magazine publisher, who publishes Boom! Magazine, said none of his advertisers were interested in trumpeting their senior discounts when he pitched the idea. They continue to thrive in large part because of the power and influence of AARP. Mr. Dychtwald of Age Wave said the powerful organization should be seen as a “buying club” that gained leverage by expanding its membership. “For every five years they’ve dropped the eligibility age, they’ve gotten around 10 million potential new customers,” he said. “That’s why the membership age has dropped to 50.” AARP said it lowered the age because “younger members valued our preretirement planning information and other financial security tools.” Some aging experts say discounts reflect tired marketing strategies, and a bit of irony. The great “Mad Men” era of advertising began during the 1960s as companies reached out to the first waves of baby boomers. These youngsters were the new generation that brands like Pepsi put at the center of the consumer universe, defined by the 18- to 35-year-old demographic. Older Americans were largely an afterthought to companies that didn’t sell dentures or devices to aid people when they had fallen and couldn’t get up. “The thought was that ‘older people’ had already made their decisions about what products and services they liked, weren’t interested in new things and were intensely loyal to their favorite brands,” said David Weigelt, president of Immersion Active, which develops online marketing strategies aimed at baby boomers. “That may have been true once but recent research shows that boomers are maintaining their youthful ways, with a taste for new products and little brand loyalty except for products like toothpaste.” In other words, the ageism that put young boomers at the center of the marketing world no longer works. Mr. Weigelt says smart companies are now starting to market to boomers with the same energy they apply to the young. Nevertheless, the discounts aren’t likely to disappear any time soon. When making presentations to older adults, Mr. Dychtwald said he asked people to raise their hand if they thought old age began at 65. “No one does,” he said. When he raises the age to 70, “a hand or two goes up.” By the time he gets to 80, most agree that is old. “Then I ask them if they are willing to give up the senior discounts they could receive before then, and nobody raises a hand.”

Old age,elderly,senior citizens
Price
Sales and Discounts
Baby Boomers
Personal finance
Retirement


Arnold Weiss Dies at 86; Helped to Find Hitler’s Will

Abstract: Arnold Hans Weiss, who fled to the United States from Nazi Germany as a 13-year-old and returned as an American soldier during World War II, becoming a principal in the investigation that led to the discovery of Hitler ’s last will and political testament, died Dec. 7 in Rockville, Md. He was 86 and lived in Chevy Chase, Md. The cause was pneumonia, said his son Daniel. Mr. Weiss, who became a successful lawyer and banker, was just 21 at the close of the war in 1945. That fall, he was stationed in Munich as an officer in the United States Army ’s Counter-Intelligence Corps. Hitler had killed himself in his Berlin bunker in April, but rumors of his survival were rampant, and Mr. Weiss’s unit was charged with finding definitive proof of his death. His job was tracking down high-ranking Nazi officials who might have been with Hitler in his last days. He found Wilhelm Zander, chief aide to Martin Bormann, the Nazi Party official who had controlled access to Hitler. The story of his pursuit of Mr. Zander, which Mr. Weiss described in an article in The Washington Post Magazine in 2005 and which has been written piecemeal with some varying details in several books, was the stuff of a suspense film. Working with Hugh Trevor-Roper , the British intelligence officer and historian who wrote “The Last Days of Hitler,” and another American agent named Rosener, Mr. Weiss pressured Mr. Zander’s family members, whom he found in the telephone book, and a girlfriend to gain the information that led to a Bavarian farmhouse where Mr. Zander was posing as a gardener. Mr. Weiss took part, largely as a translator, in the interrogation of Mr. Zander, who initially claimed to be a victim of misidentification but who finally declared: “You are correct. I am SS Standartenführer Wilhelm Zander.” He proceeded to talk for hours about what went on in the bunker during Hitler’s last days and what became of other Nazi leaders. Finally, Mr. Weiss asked Mr. Zander why he had left the bunker, and Mr. Zander said he had been sent on a courier’s mission. He added, “I suppose you want the documents.” The documents, finally recovered in the hidden compartment of a suitcase thrown in a dry well, were Hitler’s will and political testament, along with the certificate of his deathbed marriage to Eva Braun. Later authenticated and used as evidence in the Nuremberg trials, Hitler’s will bequeathed most of his belongings to the Nazi Party and named Mr. Bormann as his executor. The political testament was a defiantly unrepentant declaration that it was not he but Jews and their supporters who were responsible for the war. He predicted a glorious future for the Third Reich and concluded, chillingly, “Above all I charge the leaders of the nation and those under them to scrupulous observance of the laws of race and to merciless opposition to the universal poisoner of all peoples, international Jewry.” Whether Mr. Weiss was the first to read the documents, as he claimed, is uncertain. Mr. Trevor-Roper’s book makes no mention of him, and other histories tell slightly altered versions of the event. In addition, “Hitler’s Will,” a 2009 memoir by a former British soldier, Herman Rothman, said that a copy of the documents was discovered under entirely different circumstances two months earlier, and that he was their initial translator. Nonetheless Mr. Weiss’s role in the capture of Mr. Zander and the recovery of the documents seems incontrovertible. In a letter awarding him an Army Commendation Ribbon for service performed Dec. 24 to 28 in 1945, Brig. Gen. Edwin L. Silbert wrote, “When called upon in an emergency you assumed the responsibility of apprehending a personality high in the annals of the Nazi system.” Hans Arnold Wangersheim was born in Nuremberg on July 25, 1924. His parents divorced when he was 6, and he was placed in a Jewish orphanage, where he lived until he was 13. His grandmother died at Auschwitz. His mother and sisters escaped from Germany on their own and eventually made it to the United States. His father later spent time in Dachau and eventually lived out his life in Brazil, though father and son never met again. Young Hans was sent to the United States by a Jewish social services organization, and he was ultimately placed with a family that owned a jewelry store in Janesville, Wis. He began studying at the University of Wisconsin before joining the Army. He borrowed the name Weiss from a Wisconsin football star. In the Army, Mr. Weiss trained as a tail gunner until a crash landing broke both his legs. During his recuperation, because of his German language skills, he was recruited by the Office of Strategic Services, the World War II intelligence service, before joining the Counter-Intelligence Corps. Mr. Weiss married Artemis Lychos in 1956; she died in 2005. In addition to his son Daniel, who lives in North Bethesda, Md., he is survived by another son, Andrew, also of North Bethesda, and three grandchildren. Mr. Weiss studied economics and politics at Wisconsin, then earned a law degree there. He later worked as a lawyer for the Treasury Department, helped start the Inter-American Development Bank and became senior vice president and general counsel for Emerging Markets Partnership, an international private equity firm based in Washington that specializes in infrastructure projects in developing countries. It was a career, he said in an interview last year with the Wisconsin Alumni Association, that his war experience pointed him toward. “I decided I wanted to build rather than destroy,” he said. “In Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany, there was so much destruction. I knew there was a better way of doing things.”

Weiss Arnold
Hitler Adolf
Bormann Martin
Deaths (Obituaries)
Holocaust and the Nazi Era
United States Army
Inter-American Development Bank


Rand Paul Calls for a Formal Declaration of War Against ISIS

Abstract: WASHINGTON — Senator Rand Paul is calling for a declaration of war against the Islamic State, a move that promises to shake up the debate over the military campaign in Iraq and Syria as President Obama prepares to ask Congress to grant him formal authority to use force. Mr. Paul, a likely presidential candidate who has emerged as one of the Republican Party’s most cautious voices on military intervention, offered a very circumscribed definition of war in his proposal, which he outlined in an interview on Saturday. He would, for instance, limit the duration of military action to one year and significantly restrict the use of ground forces. Unlike other resolutions circulating on Capitol Hill that would give the president various degrees of authority to use force against Islamic militants, Mr. Paul would take the extra step of declaring war — something Congress has not done since World War II. The president has said he will ask Congress for the explicit authority to fight the Islamic State, though administration officials have insisted that he has the legal power to continue the current campaign. That position has rankled many in Congress who are concerned that the White House has been waging war without the proper oversight or accountability. Mr. Paul said Congress had ceded too much authority to the president because it had not been able to agree on a war policy of its own. “War cannot be initiated without Congress,” he said, acknowledging that efforts to set legal limits on the scope of the military campaign would face resistance from within his own party. He argued that conservatives should be more consistent in their criticisms of Mr. Obama’s use of executive authority. “Conservatives are mad at him about immigration. And they’re mad about him using executive authority on Obamacare,” Mr. Paul said. “But this is another example where he doesn’t have much respect for Congress, and some conservatives don’t quite get that.” A spokesman for the National Security Council declined to comment on the Paul proposal but said Mr. Obama believes “we are strongest as a nation when the executive branch and Congress work together on matters involving the use of U.S. military force.” Senator Paul’s War Resolution Mr. Paul of Kentucky has asked Congress to declare war — something it has not done since World War II — on the Islamic State. Mr. Paul faces doubts within the Republican Party, particularly among those who take a more traditional interventionist approach, that he is trustworthy on matters of national security and defense. He has sought to shake the “isolationist” label that he believes is unfairly attached to him because of the noninterventionist views of his father, Ron Paul. “All I want people to do is report the truth,” he said, “and for opponents to know the truth.” He added that much of the criticism is based on misperceptions of his worldview. “The truth is it’s a ridiculous sort of parlor game,” he added. The debate in Congress over the American effort in Iraq and Syria is likely to revolve around how much lawmakers limit the president’s authority and how they attempt to settle a disagreement over the White House’s justification for its airstrikes so far. The administration has said that it is covered under two existing laws: a 2001 authorization passed after the 9/11 attacks, which Mr. Obama has invoked to carry out strikes against suspected terrorists in Yemen and Somalia, and a 2002 authorization sought by President George W. Bush for the Iraq war. There are differences of opinion in Congress about what to do with those two laws. Mr. Paul’s resolution would repeal the 2002 authorization and terminate the 2001 law after one year. But some lawmakers say those moves would tie the president’s hands as commander in chief. A proposal by Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, would set similar limitations, though Mr. Kaine does not seek to repeal the 2001 law, nor does he seek a formal declaration of war. His resolution would also expire after one year, forcing Congress to revisit the issue. And, like Mr. Paul’s proposal, it would preclude the military from sending in ground forces except in very specific circumstances, like the pursuit of a high-value target. “Rand and I, we see very closely on this issue,” Mr. Kaine said in an interview on Friday. “We both feel like you can’t have a war without congressional authorization of some kind. Congress cannot just let this power rest down at one end of Pennsylvania Avenue.” Some conservatives may balk at setting up a narrow set of parameters for the president. Senator James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma, the senior Republican on the Armed Services Committee, has introduced a resolution that would give the president “all necessary and appropriate force” to defend the country against the Islamic State but would require him to report back to Congress on the effort every 90 days. The debate will probably continue into the next Congress. Republicans will then control both chambers, which is likely to make it more difficult to pass a resolution that sets major limits.

Rand Paul
ISIS,ISIL,Islamic State
Iraq
Syria
2016 Presidential Election
US Politics
Barack Obama
Senate
Congress
US Military


Peru: Ex-President Is Denied a Pardon

Abstract: President Ollanta Humala said Friday that he had decided not to grant a pardon to former President Alberto Fujimori, who is serving a prison sentence for human rights violations and corruption. Mr. Fujimori, left, has tongue cancer and other health problems; his family had requested the pardon in October, saying it was justified for medical reasons. Mr. Humala, who ran against Mr. Fujimori’s eldest daughter, Keiko Fujimori, when he was elected in 2011, said that he reviewed material from doctors who examined Mr. Fujimori and took into account the nature of the former president’s crimes. A presidential commission had previously recommended against giving Mr. Fujimori a pardon. Mr. Fujimori was president from 1990 to 2000, when he led a successful fight against the Shining Path guerrilla group. In 2009 he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for overseeing death squads involved in two massacres that killed a total of 25 people. Image Alberto Fujimori Credit Pilar Olivares/Reuters

Peru
Amnesties Commutations and Pardons
Criminal Sentence
Alberto K Fujimori
Ollanta Humala


Romney Campaign Fights for Electoral Votes

Abstract: COLUMBUS, Ohio — Mitt Romney is savoring the energy surrounding his candidacy, talking with rising confidence about his ability to overtake President Obama in the closing days of the race. He dwells far less on the biggest obstacle facing his campaign: the Electoral College. A decade after taking the first steps in his quest to win the White House, Mr. Romney can finally see the presidency within his grasp, his advisers say. To many Republicans, he sounds more presidential than at any other moment of his campaign, a point that was not lost on his audience Wednesday in Nevada, when he declared: “If I’m elected — no, when I’m elected.” But the swelling crowds and the fresh optimism among his supporters do not minimize the challenge confronting him across a wide landscape of battleground states, where Mr. Romney must win a series of individual statewide races, rather than a national contest. His room for error is so slight, one adviser said, the mathematics could be more daunting than the politics. The enthusiasm gathering around Mr. Romney came into view on Wednesday as he traveled through Colorado, Nevada and Iowa, appearing before thousands of supporters as he fought to keep alive the sense that he had gained stature and credibility as an alternative to Mr. Obama at the debates and was on an upward trajectory. Cultivating the image that he is a winner, his aides say, could be Mr. Romney’s best strategy for actually winning. “I’m optimistic, I’m optimistic,” Mr. Romney told supporters Wednesday night in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, repeating the word throughout his rally. “Not just about winning — we are going to win, by the way, we’re going to do that. I’m more optimistic about the future for America.” If that confidence is welcomed by Mr. Romney’s supporters, who far outnumber the crowds at most Republican rallies four years ago at this point, the mood is more guarded back at hisheadquarters in Boston, where the campaign is trying “not to get caught up in the moment,” in the words of one aide. The Romney team is mindful that the new enthusiasm has not opened any new paths to winning 270 electoral votes. The campaign continues to keep an eye on trying to make a late run at Pennsylvania, advisers said, but it remains more of a last-ditch option. The most efficient way for Mr. Romney to win still rests on the 18 electoral votes of Ohio, where he arrived Wednesday evening for a two-day visit that will take him to nearly every corner of the state. His fight to win Ohio — the highest priority of both campaigns this week — resembles a governor’s race more than a presidential campaign. “It’s a game of inches in Ohio,” said Scott Jennings, the Ohio campaign manager for Mr. Romney. “We’re fighting for every inch of ground.” The Republican and Democratic tickets have spent more time in Ohio than in any other state this month, with Mr. Obama scheduled to arrive in Cleveland on Thursday after having visited Dayton only two days earlier. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. finished a three-day swing on Wednesday and Representative Paul D. Ryan is opening a two-day tour on Saturday. A Time Magazine poll released Wednesday showed Mr. Obama with a five-point edge over Mr. Romney in Ohio, 49 percent to 44 percent, which is within the margin of sampling error. Party strategists on both sides say the race appears to be remarkably close, but two senior Republican officials here said that they believed Mr. Obama had a slight advantage and that they worried that Mr. Romney’s gains had leveled off. Advisers to Mr. Romney argue that they can win the election without winning Ohio, but it means that the campaign must perform nearly flawlessly in every other battleground. One aide referred to Ohio as “still the big nut to crack,” but a victory would probably mean that Mr. Obama’s Midwestern firewall of Iowa and Wisconsin also was highly vulnerable. While Mr. Obama can win re-election by carrying Iowa, Ohio and Wisconsin, in addition to holding the other Democratic-leaning states across the country, Mr. Romney must capture more states. Even if he wins Ohio, Mr. Romney still must win Florida, North Carolina, Virginia — and one more state. The outcome, advisers to both candidates said, could hinge to a large degree on the performance of both candidates over the next 12 days. At the debates, Mr. Romney’s strong showing exceeded expectations of even many of his supporters. His campaigning has been far more uneven throughout the year, and aides said they were bracing for the possibility of a gaffe. But projecting confidence — and reminding voters of the debates — is now a central piece of Mr. Romney’s strategy. He told supporters on Wednesday that the Obama campaign was “slipping and shrinking,” a phrase that his aides say he intends to carry into Ohio. “I’m not sure whether you’ve been watching TV, but we’ve had a number of debates lately. Have you noticed that?” Mr. Romney said, speaking to a crowd in Reno. “They have really propelled our campaign. We’re seeing that across the country.” While both campaigns are still advertising in nine battleground states, advisers to both sides say that the most competitive fight is now taking place in seven: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, New Hampshire, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin. A huge get-out-the-vote effort is under way in all states, with only a sliver of undecided voters remaining. Stuart Stevens, a senior strategist for Mr. Romney, said the most effective way to harness the momentum gained over the last month was to keep talking about the future — beyond Election Day. “It’s a status quo vs. a change argument,” Mr. Stevens said. “We feel very good about the predicate that’s been laid. People have heard their choices.”

Presidential Election of 2012
Electoral College
Romney Mitt


Telenor and TeliaSonera Call Off Merger of Danish Operations

Abstract: LONDON — The Nordic telecommunications companies Telenor and TeliaSonera said on Friday that they had called off plans to merge their Danish businesses after they were unable to win approval from Europe’s antitrust authorities. The collapse of the deal came during a recent wave of rapid consolidation in the cable and telecommunications sectors in Europe and reflected a new reluctance among regulators to allow similar deals to go forward if they were seen as significantly reducing consumer choice. Margrethe Vestager, the commissioner in charge of European competition policy, said on Friday in a news release that the proposal had prompted “significant competition concerns” and that what the companies had offered “was not sufficient to avoid harm to competition in Danish mobile markets.” Ms. Vestager, in less than a year into her job as Europe’s chief antitrust regulator, may be taking a tougher stance toward the telecommunications industry than did her predecessor, Joaquín Almunia. She has so far showed a willingness to take a hard line against concentration of economic power in other industries. Earlier in the week, Ms. Vestager’s office said it had approved General Electric’s bid to take over the power business of the French company Alstom — but only after G.E. agreed to sell some of Alstom’s European assets to Ansaldo Energia, an Italian engineering company. The Telenor-TeliaSonera proposal, first announced in December, would have combined the companies’ Danish operations into a joint venture, with each company owning a 50 percent stake. But it also would have reduced the number of mobile telephone providers in Denmark to three from four. In April, Ms. Vestager’s office opened an inquiry into the proposed joint venture, saying it could lead to higher prices for consumers and could reduce innovation because it would leave the Danish market with only two other competitors for cellphone service. By combining their operations in Denmark, Telenor and TeliaSonera had hoped to create what they said would be a more robust competitor to TDC, the largest mobile service provider in the country, giving the new entity about 40 percent of the Danish market for mobile services. When Telenor and TeliaSonera first announced their plan, they cited pressure on revenue growth and profitability in Denmark because of “intense” competition, and that consolidation was “inevitable.” The combined company would have had a mobile subscriber base of about 3.5 million customers and revenue of more than 9 billion Danish kroner, or about $1.35 billion. It would also have dwarfed Denmark’s smallest mobile provider Hi3G, a unit of Hutchison Whampoa, which is owned by the Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing. Ms. Vestager’s predecessor, Mr. Almunia, had allowed consolidation of that degree within the mobile sector. Previous consolidations included the acquisition by the Spanish giant Telefónica of Germany’s smallest mobile operator, E-Plus, from its Dutch rival KPN. Telefónica combined E-Plus with its existing German mobile business after it received the go-ahead from regulators last year. In a joint statement on Friday, Telenor and TeliaSonera said that the negotiations had reached a point “where it is no longer possible to gain approval for the proposed transaction.” “In the interests of both companies, we felt it necessary to act decisively,” Kjell-Morten Johnsen, a Telenor executive vice president, said in a news release . “Telenor and TeliaSonera will continue to compete and deliver products and services in the Danish market through our respective original, and still fully up-and-running, Danish operations.” The companies had offered concessions, including selling 40 percent of a telecom network that they already share in Denmark to a third party. That would have made it easier, they said, for a potential new competitor to emerge. The companies said at the time that they hoped the deal would help them to save about 800 million Danish kroner by 2019. On Friday, the companies said they would continue to review “strategic options” for their respective businesses in Denmark. “Since the beginning, we have been strong advocates for the need to increase investment levels in Denmark,” Robert Andersson, a TeliaSonera executive vice president, said in a news release . “In our view, creating a market player with the scale and ability to compete and invest would ensure that customers and businesses would benefit from better quality, speed and coverage.” TeliaSonera, which is based in Stockholm, provides telecom services in Europe and parts of Asia. It has 72.8 million subscribers and posted revenue of 101 billion Swedish kronor, or about $12 billion. The company employs more than 26,000 people worldwide. Telenor, based in Fornebu, Norway, offers telecom services in 13 markets in Europe and Asia and another 14 markets through its ownership stake in VimpelCom. Telenor has 189 million mobile subscribers and posted revenue of 107 billion Norwegian kroner, or about $13 billion, in 2014. The company employs about 33,000 people worldwide.

Mergers and Acquisitions
Telenor Communications
TeliaSonera AB
European Commission
Competition law
Telecommunication


Florida: Another DNA Test in Anna Nicole Smith Case

Abstract: A judge ordered that another DNA sample be taken from Anna Nicole Smith ’s body on the second day of an emergency hearing in the fight over her remains and custody of her infant daughter. The order came despite the objections of lawyers for her longtime companion, Howard K. Stern, and her estranged mother, Vergie Arthur, and testimony from the medical examiner and DNA experts that it was probably not necessary. The judge, Larry Seidlin of Circuit Court, said he wanted to make sure Ms. Smith’s body would not have to be exhumed. Ms. Smith, 39, died Feb. 8 after collapsing at a Florida hotel.

Smith Anna Nicole
DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid)


Klaus Tschira, Business Software Trailblazer, Dies at 74

Abstract: Klaus E. Tschira, whose pioneering role in the business software revolution made him one of Germany’s richest men, died on Tuesday in Heidelberg. He was 74. His death was confirmed by Renate Ries, a spokeswoman for Klaus Tschira Stiftung, a foundation established by Mr. Tschira to support his philanthropic ventures. She did not specify the cause. In 1966, as a freshly minted physics graduate of the University of Karlsruhe, Mr. Tschira joined IBM, which at the time dominated the computer world with its big mainframes. For the next six years he was a systems analyst, taking part in a project in the new field of enterprise software — creating programs for computerizing businesses’ day-to-day operations to raise efficiency and cut costs. But IBM lost interest in the project in 1972. “We wanted to develop the software within IBM,” Hasso Plattner, one of Mr. Tschira’s colleagues at the time, said in an interview. “But the conditions weren’t right. Management probably didn’t see the potential.” So Mr. Tschira, Mr. Plattner and three other colleagues — Dietmar Hopp, Hans-Werner Hector and Claus Wellenreuther — left IBM to develop the software on their own. They formed a company called SAP, short for Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing. Corporate computing systems in those days employed so-called batch processing, requiring custom-made software and punch-card storage. Data was entered by a keyboard and processed later, often overnight, and it could take days to obtain useful output. The SAP team, betting on the novel idea of “real time” business computing, went to work on developing software that would give companies immediate access to their output. “We had no computer of our own, so we had to work on customers’ computers, usually at night,” Mr. Plattner said. “That was stressful.” SAP’s first product, accounting software known as RF, ultimately gained it more than 100 big corporate customers, but the programs were still largely customized for each company. In 1979 SAP introduced R2, an off-the-shelf software package to integrate all of a company’s business operations, and sales took off. R2 also got the company noticed in the United States. The breakthrough came in the early 1990s with R3, which put management tools on the desktops of even small companies. SAP is now a world leader in business software, with companies like Oracle and Microsoft. In 2014 it posted revenue of 17.6 billion euros, or about $18.9 billion. Though it was “a team effort,” Mr. Plattner said, Mr. Tschira played a major role in developing all three of those products and led the development of software used by human resources departments to manage hiring, payroll processing and employee records. When SAP went public in 1988, Mr. Tschira became exceedingly wealthy. Forbes last year estimated his family’s net worth at $8.9 billion . Klaus Erwin Tschira was born on Dec. 7, 1940, in Freiburg, Germany. His father was a businessman, his mother a nurse. He is survived by his wife, Gerda, and two sons. Mr. Tschira stepped down from his operational role at SAP in 1998, but he remained on the board until 2007. In recent years he focused on his charitable activities, including financing research and education.

Obituary
Klaus Tschira
IBM
Software
Enterprise Computing
SAP
Germany


Cavaliers Lose Anderson Varejao With Torn Tendon

Abstract: Anderson Varejao’s season has most likely come to an end, dealing a blow to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ N.B.A. title hopes. Varejao, Cleveland’s starting center, tore his left Achilles’ tendon in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night, an injury that will probably force the Cavaliers to look for help. The team said a magnetic resonance imaging examination confirmed the tear and added that Varejao would have surgery “in the near future.” A timetable for his return and rehabilitation will not be established until after the operation. Varejao was positioning himself under the basket for a rebound in the third quarter when he crumpled to the floor. Cleveland’s players and coaches went over to check on him, and he was assisted off the court without putting weight on his leg. Varejao left Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena on crutches after the game, with his leg in an air cast. With Varejao out, Tristan Thompson is expected to move into a starting role. The reserves Brendan Haywood and Lou Amundson could also get more playing time as Coach David Blatt looks for ways to compensate for the loss of Varejao. MCHALE GETS EXTENSION Coach Kevin McHale, in his fourth season with the Rockets, with whom he has a 153-104 record, has agreed to a three-year contract extension with Houston. Image Anderson Varejao, Cleveland’s starting center, tore his left Achilles’ tendon in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. A timetable for his return and rehabilitation will not be established until after the operation. Credit Thomas Ondrey/The Plain Dealer, via Associated Press The owner Leslie Alexander of the Rockets said of McHale, “He embodies the leadership, passion, knowledge and team-first qualities we need as we continue our pursuit of bringing another N.B.A. championship to the city of Houston.” McHale, 57, led the Rockets to the playoffs in the past two seasons, but they were eliminated in the first round each time. McHale won three N.B.A. championships in a 13-year Hall of Fame playing career with the Boston Celtics. He worked with the Timberwolves for 16 seasons, including two stints as the team’s coach, before joining the Rockets in 2011. SUNS DEAL AWAY FORWARD The Phoenix Suns traded forward Anthony Tolliver to the Detroit Pistons for forward Tony Mitchell. Phoenix was expected to release Mitchell to create an additional $2.2 million in salary-cap space, which would give the team an available total of $6.2 million and an open roster spot. The Suns signed Tolliver to a two-year, $6 million contract during the off-season to make up for the loss of Channing Frye, who opted out of the final year of his deal. But Tolliver played sparingly and was not part of the regular rotation as the season progressed. Mitchell, a second-round draft pick by Detroit last season, was playing for Grand Rapids of the N.B.A. Development League.


An Upscale Seafood ‘Shack’

Abstract: It is just around this time that tensions on the East End of Long Island begin to rise along with the temperature. Droves of vacationers have paid extravagant amounts to be there and are anxious to relax, but often discover an infrastructure ill-equipped to accommodate them. Parking, they find, is in short supply. Roads are insufficient. Foodstuffs run out quickly. If you sleep until 10 a.m. on Sunday, finding a copy of The New York Times becomes an Easter egg hunt. By August, you may witness the occasional parking-lot shouting match; while driving, you might find yourself the recipient of an unfriendly hand gesture. And then there’s the dining scene. There are many fine restaurants in the Hamptons, but few of them are ready to serve the madding summer crowds, when business can double or even triple. Visiting an overburdened restaurant doesn’t really add up to a relaxing experience. My advice for those who truly want to unwind is to head out to the roadside seafood shacks along Route 27. The best of these, in my opinion, is Bostwick’s Chowder House in East Hampton. Not exactly a shack, Bostwick’s, a cedar-shingled house with shiny hardwood floors and freshly painted trim, looks like something between a restaurant and a takeout place, which is exactly what it is. Those who choose to dine on the premises eat on plastic plates with plastic utensils and drink beer and wine out of plastic cups. The food at Bostwick’s is classic New England fare: steamers, fish and chips, lobster rolls, raw shellfish, broiled seafood and all manner of chowders. Though the menu is hardly ambitious, it executes simple dishes flawlessly at decent prices. The restaurant is the creation of the partners Chris Eggert and Kevin Boles, friends “since the seventh grade,” Mr. Eggert said. He has worked in seafood kitchens since 1981, and much of the food and feel at Bostwick’s is derived from those years. Mr. Boles, who takes care of the bar — and still bartends occasionally — comes from an Irish family of pub owners. In 1990, Mr. Boles was living in New York when Mr. Eggert convinced him to come out to East Hampton and tend bar at a restaurant where he was cooking. The idea was for Mr. Boles to stay for one summer. He never left. Image From left: the fluke Milanese; a blood orange margarita; and the fish and chips. Credit Gordon M. Grant for The New York Times He and Mr. Eggert opened Bostwick’s at Harbor Marina in East Hampton in 1997. Facing a rent increase, they moved to their current Pantigo Road location in 2007. Their friendship and long history together seem to set an example of loyalty. Hamptons restaurants are notorious for “hired gun” help — servers and kitchen staff who come to work for a summer season and are never to be seen again. The staff at Bostwick’s, however, never seems to change. “I can’t remember the last time we hired a new bartender or waiter,” Mr. Eggert said. Take Kevin Flaherty, for example. “I’ve been here 11 years, and they still call me the new guy,” he said. Samantha Mathews, a hostess with just five years under her belt, told me that “the owners don’t treat us like employees, they treat us like a family.” It’s no different in the kitchen. The staff, Mr. Eggert said, are “guys that have been working with me — here and at previous restaurants — for 15 years or more.” This stability in the kitchen is reflected in the food: I’ve been coming to Bostwick’s since 2000, and I can say that the fish and chips I had then is exactly like the one I had two weeks ago. Undoubtedly because it was made by the same hands. It is also a favorite of local chefs and servers. Work in a restaurant in or around East Hampton, as I have, and you know that on a Monday or a Tuesday night at Bostwick’s you are likely to run into any number of people you know who work in other local restaurants. Simplicity, again, is the key: After a long week of slinging haute cuisine, the last thing you want on your night off is a fussy environment and complicated menu. The solid, unpretentious cooking and loose atmosphere at Bostwick’s are the perfect foil. Even celebrity chefs are not immune to the appeal. Mr. Flaherty told me that he sees Bobby Flay and Michael Symon here “almost every week.” Speaking by phone, Mr. Symon praised the freshness of the fish at Bostwick’s and mentioned how the simplicity of the cooking “lets the food be the food.” The staff is well versed in Mr. Symon’s habits: To drink, he prefers an Arnold Palmer with a shot of bourbon — which is now officially called “The Symon” — and to eat, the fluke Milanese. His relationship with the Bostwick’s team is so familiar, in fact, that last fall, Mr. Symon invited 20 members of the staff to be part of the studio audience for a taping of “The Chew,” the morning show he co-hosts. Is everything perfect at Bostwick’s? Of course not. There is no reservation policy, for one, so there can be a healthy wait during peak hours. And plastic dinnerware has its limits; maybe it’s psychological, but for me, eating cioppino out of a plastic bowl just doesn’t taste as good. But for those looking for a break from overpriced and overburdened fine dining in the Hamptons, Bostwick’s is for many a viable — and relaxing — alternative.

Restaurant
East Hampton NY
Seafood
Bostwick's Chowder House


On Upper East Side, Racial Disparity Remains

Abstract: Bernard Walker had just been promoted when word began circulating at his church that there was an apartment available on 86th Street and First Avenue. The tall, beige building with neat rows of balconies did not excite his wife at first, but when she saw the apartment and its walk-in closet, he said, she was sold. That was about 45 years ago, and they have been there ever since. They have loved the area for its orderly grid of safe, quiet streets and for the strong neighborhood schools where they sent their daughter. But when they first arrived in the area, Mr. Walker said, he was one of the few black residents around — and in all this time, that hasn’t really changed. “It looks about the same to me,” Mr. Walker said. It has been more than 35 years since the television family the Jeffersons moved on up to the East Side. The main character, George Jefferson — played by Sherman Hemsley, who died last month — was a successful black businessman, and he became a significant cultural touchstone. But he apparently didn’t start a trend. The proportion of non-Hispanic black residents on the Upper East Side has remained exceedingly low for decades, rising from 2.1 percent of the area’s population in 1990 to just 2.7 percent about 20 years later, according to an analysis of census data by Susan Weber-Stoger of the Queens College department of sociology, which defined the Upper East Side as the area between Fifth Avenue and the East River, from 59th to 96th Streets. The proportion of white residents, meanwhile, has also held fairly stable, dipping to 81 percent from 88.6 percent. “I wish there was a little more diversity,” Mr. Walker said. One might not expect it, given the diversity of New York City’s population and the cultural mishmash of its subways, but this metropolitan area is actually one of the most segregated in the country in terms of where people live. A study of the country’s 100 largest metro areas, released last year by the Brookings Institution, found that the New York area was the second most segregated for black people (Milwaukee was No. 1) and the third most segregated for Hispanic and Asian residents. William H. Frey, the author of the study and a senior fellow at the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, said this unenviable distinction was due in part to the city’s age. Older metropolises, he explained, tend to be more residentially segregated than cities that have seen whole new communities spring up since the Fair Housing laws of the 1960s outlawed discrimination. But on the Upper East Side, an area known for its palatial homes and manicured affluence, other issues are also at play. The median wealth for white households is 20 times that of black households, according to a survey released last year by the Pew Research Center. That difference becomes crucial on the Upper East Side, where, according to the appraisal firm Miller Samuel, the average price for condominiums and co-ops last quarter was $1.94 million. Certain co-op boards, which can reject buyers without giving a reason, can pose a more nefarious obstacle at the threshold: While they are prohibited from making discriminatory decisions, real estate professionals say some Upper East Side co-ops have a reputation for rejecting black buyers — and in some cases, Jewish buyers — even if they seem perfectly qualified. Nonetheless, there are plenty of black New Yorkers who can afford to live in whichever part of the city they please, including the brownstone streets of Brooklyn Heights and sparkling Fifth Avenue penthouses. And many of them do decide to live on the Upper East Side, where they stay happily put for decades. That choice, however, does not appear to be the default. According to recent census data, there were about 450 black households on the Upper East Side with an income of $100,000 or more, and more than 4,600 in Harlem. Academics say that there can be pressure on well-to-do African-Americans to live in historically black neighborhoods, to “lift as we climb,” as the mantra goes. For others, the decision hinges more on a reluctance to live where they are such an extreme minority. “You can have a co-op on Park Avenue and 88th Street, but everywhere you go people are going to look at you like, ‘What are you doing here?’ ” said Mark Naison, a professor of African-American studies and history at Fordham University. “That’s part of being a pioneer. I’m not saying people can’t deal with it, or even laugh at it, but it wears on you.” Carla Shedd, an assistant professor of sociology and African-American studies at Columbia University, agreed that some black people were wary of living with that day-to-day experience. “If I can really exercise a choice,” Dr. Shedd said, “maybe I want to live in Harlem rather than, perhaps, people thinking I’m a domestic worker when I live in the building.” Sakinah Ali, a 35-year-old black woman who has lived on East 84th Street for about eight years, said people often thought she was in the neighborhood for work when she was just a block or two from home. “There are a lot of African-American nannies and West Indian nannies, and I get lumped into that category,” Ms. Ali said. “It’s just kind of something you feel.” When Ms. Ali, who manages the Good Housekeeping seal of approval, first moved into her small two-bedroom, she did not know the neighborhood well, and she does not spend much time there now. (Phrases like “frat guys” and “conservative vibe” dot her description of the area.) But she was offered a great deal by a former colleague who was moving out of town and wanted to sublet her apartment. Sometimes, she said, her peers express surprise when she tells them where she lives. “They’re like, you’re the second black person I’ve ever known who lives there,” she recounted. If not for the special deal on her apartment, Ms. Ali said she would prefer to live elsewhere, perhaps on the West Side, or in Brooklyn or Harlem. Plenty of her neighbors, however, of all races and creeds, are perfectly happy where they are, like Winston Brewington, a 27-year-old black man, who grew up on the Upper East Side and recently moved back to the area with his girlfriend. “We were looking at neighborhoods in Brooklyn, but because it’s cool, there were all these rundown places for almost the same amount of money” as places on the Upper East Side that were in better shape, he explained. So for their first apartment together, they settled on a one-bedroom on 84th Street and Second Avenue, with relatively recent renovations and a rent they can afford, and they feel lucky to have found it. The racial disparity, he said, certainly did not come as a surprise, but it was not going to deter him either. “I notice it,” Mr. Brewington said, “just from walking down the street. But it doesn’t necessarily bother me. As long as people are cool with me and we can get along, that’s the most important thing.”

Real Estate and Housing (Residential)
Blacks
Upper East Side (NYC)


Bomber Attacks G.I.’s Meeting With Baquba Officials

Abstract: BAGHDAD — A suicide bomber attacked members of an American military unit visiting city officials on Monday in Baquba, a volatile city northeast of Baghdad. At least three Iraqis were killed, and eight American soldiers were wounded, witnesses, security officials and the American military said. The bomber, wearing an Iraqi special forces uniform and a hidden explosive vest, blew himself up around 10 a.m. outside the city’s administrative office on Tabu Street, north of Baquba’s center, shortly after the American troops arrived in armored vehicles, the witnesses and officials said. “It seems he was waiting for them to arrive,” said the chairman of Baquba’s city council, Raad al-Dehleky. The Americans were attending what Iraqi officials described as a regular weekly meeting with city officials, a far more typical mission for American troops these days than direct combat with insurgents. At least 11 other Iraqis were also wounded, including police officers and civilians, according to the American military. An Iraqi police major said that casualties would have almost certainly been higher had the armored vehicles not shielded many more people. The Americans opened fire immediately after the blast. “There was random shooting everywhere,” said Hamid al-Zaidy, who was on his way to the city’s electricity department when the explosion occurred. “I lay on the ground because the American forces were in a complete state.” In a statement, the American military command said that the soldiers exchanged fire with a gunman; his fate was not clear. The suicide bombing was the latest in a recent series of attacks against American and Iraqi forces, a potentially ominous spike in violence despite generally improving security. Eleven American soldiers have died this month, eight of them from enemy attacks, while at least 30 have been wounded, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count. The death toll has already surpassed the total in March, though American casualties remain near the lowest levels they have been since the war began in 2003. Baquba is the capital of Diyala, a province populated by Sunni and Shiite Arabs and Kurds. Along with Nineveh, in the north, the region is one of the most violent in Iraq today. Both provinces still face regular attacks from insurgents and extremists belonging to Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia or its umbrella organization, the Islamic State of Iraq. On April 10, a suicide truck bomb killed five American soldiers in Nineveh’s capital, Mosul. That was the single deadliest attack against Americans since early 2008. The Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for that attack and, on Sunday, said it had carried out two others since, according to the SITE Intelligence Group , which monitors claims and other statements by terrorist and extremist groups. Later on Monday a Web site believed to be associated with the Islamic State of Iraq posted a message claiming that a 21-year-old suicide bomber named Kattab al-Nuaimy had carried out the attack in Baquba. It also claimed to have killed four American soldiers and 12 Iraqi police officers. One of the other attacks it said it carried out was on a bus with police officers on board that killed at least 13 people — the group claimed 15 — near an oil facility in Kirkuk on April 15 . The second was a suicide attack at a military base in Habbaniya in Anbar Province that security and military officials said killed 15, though the Ministry of Defense publicly said no one died except the bomber. Ibrahim Bajiran, a former member of Diyala’s provincial council, blamed Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia for Monday’s attack, saying its Iraqi wing was coordinating operations with the group’s leadership outside the country. He stressed the need for better security, including modern equipment to detect explosives. Another provincial council member, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity for fear of his safety, warned that the attacks would intensify. “Armed groups are working to make the situation unstable to prevent the American forces from withdrawing from Diyala,” he said. Violence against Iraqi security forces continued elsewhere in Iraq. An improvised bomb attached to the car of an Iraqi police captain in Falluja in Anbar Province killed two children standing nearby: the captain’s daughter and nephew. Another aimed at a police patrol in Mosul killed two civilians.


11 Are Presumed Dead in Army Helicopter Crash as Mangled Metal Washes Ashore

Abstract: NAVARRE, Fla. — Along this beachside stretch of R.V. parks and retirement homes, the first hint of something amiss came as a puzzling after-dinner bang. But by Wednesday morning, as mangled metal and human remains washed ashore, the scope of the tragedy became clear. An Army helicopter conducting a training mission had gone down in a thick blanket of fog Tuesday evening over the waters of Santa Rosa Sound, and Pentagon officials said the seven Marines and four soldiers aboard the UH-60 Blackhawk were presumed dead. Throughout the day Wednesday, Coast Guard helicopters and boat crews slipped through the stubborn slate-gray fog banks that continued to cling to the coast, in a mission that military officials alternately referred to as search and rescue and, less optimistically, search and recovery. The Marines were part of a special operations regiment from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. The four soldiers, the aircrew, were members of the National Guard’s 1-244th Assault Helicopter Battalion out of Hammond, La., said Sara Vidoni, an Eglin Air Force Base spokeswoman. In an interview on Wednesday night, Capt. Barry Morris, a spokesman at Camp Lejeune, said that the Marines had been in Florida for a week of training focused on “insertions and extractions in and out of boats, and in and out of helicopters.” Military officials said the cause of the crash was under investigation, and as of Wednesday evening, the identities of the dead had not been released. But a somber mood had settled in throughout this Florida Panhandle community, about 25 miles west of the Eglin base, where American duty and American leisure are the defining pursuits — and where helicopter training missions are almost as commonplace as rounds of golf. “We hear the helicopters all the time in the air. What was weird about last night was what I didn’t hear,” said Michele Simone, a Navarre resident. “There was a loud noise, and all of a sudden, it was nothing — in an instant. I knew something was wrong when it went from loudness to nothing.” Mourning had already begun in Jacksonville, N.C., the city just beyond the gates of Camp Lejeune, which has such close ties to the military that a Marine Corps flag flies outside the local mall. “Whether they die overseas or die in our country, it’s a terrible tragedy,” said Larry Rose, whose family runs a furniture store on Lejeune Boulevard. “I hate it either way.” At an afternoon news conference in Hammond, Gen. Glenn Curtis of the Louisiana National Guard said that all four soldiers aboard the helicopter were married with children, and the entire crew had several thousand hours of experience flying Blackhawks. General Curtis said three of the four men had been involved in rescue missions during Hurricane Katrina. “At this hour, our priorities are search and rescue for our soldiers and the Marines, and secondly it is to take care of their families, and we are doing both of those,” General Curtis said. He added, “It’s a tough day.” Image Military personnel searched the beach in heavy fog in Florida for the wreckage of a military helicopter that crashed with 11 Marines and soldiers on board. Credit Melissa Nelson-Gabriel/Associated Press The helicopter was one of two assigned to a training mission at one of the base’s range sites just east of Navarre Beach. It was reported missing around 8:30 p.m. It was about that time that Brooks Sweet, 51, heard a noise as he was chatting with his parents in their beachside home. “I could hear the helicopter’s prop, and then a sudden stop and a boom sound,” said Mr. Sweet, an engineer recently laid off from Boeing. “It sounded like two cars crashing at high speed.” In addition to the military, the Coast Guard and local fire departments were combing an area of more than 50 square miles throughout Wednesday. At the Emerald Beach R.V. Park here, residents reported that local fire and rescue workers arrived at the park’s tiny beach Wednesday morning and carried away human remains in white plastic bags. A mangled sheet of pea-green metal with empty electrical housings affixed, presumably part of the aircraft, had washed ashore. Military officials said the search would continue through Wednesday night, but said little about what might have caused the crash. The Marine Corps described the episode as “a training mishap,” and the White House press secretary, Josh Earnest, said President Obama anticipated “a detailed and thorough investigation into this incident and what caused it.” During testimony on Capitol Hill before a Senate committee, Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the accident was “a reminder to us that those who serve put themselves at risk both in training and in combat.” Mr. Sweet, the engineer, had assumed that the sound he heard at his parents’ house was that of a helicopter pilot making a difficult ground landing nearby. But hours later, as he took his dog for a walk on the beach, he said, the smell of fuel was overpowering.

Helicopter
Plane Crash
Florida
US Military
US Marines
Military aircraft


Miami Dolphins at Jacksonville Jaguars Preview

Abstract: Dolphins (1-0) at Jaguars (0-1) 4:05 p.m. Line: Dolphins by 6 The Dolphins dodged a bullet when the N.F.L. declined to discipline Ndamukong Suh for appearing to kick off the helmet of Redskins running back Alfred Morris after a tackle. So Suh, who is becoming football’s version of a cartoon villain who just can’t help himself, will suit up against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who lost their opener, 20-9, to the Panthers. It will be interesting to see how Jacksonville’s revamped offensive line holds up in this one. PICK: Dolphins

Football
Jacksonville Jaguars
Miami Dolphins


From Jordan to Hummus, Looking Back at Ben Carson’s Tough Week

Abstract: Ben Carson is taking a break from the campaign trail on Friday, which he may need after a particularly rough week that saw him stumbling in polls amid questions about his command of foreign policy. While Mr. Carson shrugged off signs of trouble as par for the course when running for president, the numbers show that the retired neurosurgeon has some work to do if he wants to stop the bleeding before voters head to the polls. 1 Rough Landing Mr. Carson drew some accolades for heading to Jordan last weekend to witness the Syrian refugee crisis firsthand. After his return, though, the trip was characterized by some as a desperate measure to shore up his foreign policy bonafides. Rather than emphasizing the substance of the trip, television news reports focused on how Mr. Carson jetted to Jordan to confront concern about his weak grasp of international affairs. 7 Percentage Point Drop National surveys from Quinnipiac University and CNN/ORC showed that Mr. Carson’s autumn surge in the polls proved to be short-lived. After rising to essentially tied Donald J. Trump in several national and state polls, Mr. Carson fell by 7 percentage points in the Quinnipiac poll and 8 points in the CNN poll , as Republican voters expressed growing concern about terrorism. 2 Staff Departures A bad week would not be complete without some departures of workers. Those came on Wednesday, when The Wall Street Journal reported that Bill Millis, a top fund-raiser who serves on the campaign’s board of directors, had resigned, and that Terry Giles, another top adviser, had been pushed out. Mr. Carson dismissed the departures at a new conference. “People come and go,” he said, “particularly when they feel that things are not being run the way they want them to be run.” 5 Helpings of Hummus At the Republican Jewish Coalition presidential forum in Washington, Mr. Carson read a history of the Israeli-Arab conflict from a script. His meandering remarks failed to impress the group, but were most notable for his mispronunciation of the name Hamas, the militant Palestinian movement. Although he eventually corrected himself, five of his references to the group sounded more like the word hummus.

Ben Carson,Benjamin S. Carson
2016 Presidential Election
Polls
Republican Jewish Coalition
Jordan


A Review of Petra in Scarsdale

Abstract: On a Scarsdale street packed with Asian restaurants, Petra fills a need for an informal spot that offers both small and large plates and good strong coffee at modest prices. At the moment, however, the place has a few problems. Open for just three months, Petra is in its infancy, and polishing amateurish service and getting the kitchen up to snuff are still works in progress. But this Greek restaurant, though small, has plenty of potential. The next time I am in the neighborhood and hungry for a light bite and a cup of coffee, I might consider heading there. Image The menu includes lamb chops. Credit Gregg Vigliotti for The New York Times Seating barely more than two dozen, Petra is like a mini diner, without breakfast but with that long menu — too long for the necessarily limited clientele. Fewer dishes with the zing of better seasoning would make a welcome fix. Petra seems to be a place where women meet for lunch, and the most popular menu category seems to be salad. And with good reason. These salads are light, crisp, dewy fresh and colorful with tomatoes, cucumbers, feta and much more. The Village salad with kalamata olives and the Petra salad with grilled zucchini were more than ample. For a few dollars more, grilled shrimp or chicken or salmon can be added. If it were not for the lack of seasoning, many more items would have been recommendable, especially among the dips to be scooped up in bits of warm, supple pita. But both tzatziki and skordalia needed salt and more garlic; the taste of fish roe in taramosalata was undetectable. From a long list of warm appetizers, we won one and lost one. A balanced vinaigrette brought out the sweetness of roasted beets. But an adornment of olives and onions could not disguise over-cooked grilled octopus, without texture and flavor. Image The menu also includes the Village salad, with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, kalamata olives, peppers and feta cheese. Credit Gregg Vigliotti for The New York Times Many Greek dishes are comfort foods, not least among them moussaka, soft delicious layers of ground meat, potatoes and eggplant, all under a lid of thick, whipped béchamel. Always a comfort, though, are dishes well made, like four tender riblets of marinated lamb, rare-medium to order and terrific with rice. Excellent as well were six huge shrimp Santorini-style. The quick sauté of double jumbos kept that crisp snap we want, and rice made a perfect sop for the pool of thick tomato sauce. A choice of rice, fries or lemon potato wedges accompany the entrees, and while tasty, the lemon potatoes were tough. A satisfying side order of steamed horta (dandelion greens) came through under a lick of lemon and olive oil ($5.75). There were some disappointments. The gyro could not have been less exciting: the pressed meat dry, the edges burned. Even the additional lettuce, tomatoes, onion and tzatziki in the pita wrap brought nothing in the way of seasoning or moisture to this traditional wrap. Other entrees also failed to make the cut: spanakopita, the pastry hardened and dark, with an overwhelming flavor of burned crust; and big, mushy chunks of swordfish skewered along with tomato, peppers and onions (xifias kebab) in a sloppy presentation. Don’t hold back on enticing desserts. A spoon could stand erect in the luxurious thickness of Greek yogurt with walnuts and honey (yiaourti) and in a rice pudding fragrant with cinnamon, both perfect for sharing. Galaktoboureko, the creamy custard cake, was irresistible. We were denied walnut cake, however, a personal favorite; the charming waiter would not serve it to us because “it’s two days old and I’m your friend.” We were touched. Baklava was also on offer, and its intense sweetness could be cut deliciously by strong, fragrant Greek coffee poured from a traditional long-handled copper briki into a dainty white coffee cup.


Information Officer Is Leaving

Abstract: Vivek Kundra, the White House’s first chief information officer, will leave in August after two and a half years in the post. Mr. Kundra is leaving to become a joint fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, said Jacob J. Lew, the White House budget director, in a blog post Thursday. A successor to Mr. Kundra was not immediately named. The announcement comes as the administration is preparing to spend roughly $80 billion this year on technology, financing that includes upgrading thousands of federal data programs and worker e-mail.

Kundra Vivek
Washington (DC)
Kennedy John F School of Government


Admiral Says ‘No Reason’ to Bar Women From SEALs

Abstract: The Navy is on track to open up its storied SEAL teams to women, a top admiral said in an interview with a military-focused publication , the latest sign of a movement to widen access to roles long forbidden to women across all branches of the military. Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, the chief of naval operations, told Defense News that women would be allowed to serve as long as they pass the grueling six-month training regimen. Image Navy SEALS near Fallujah, Iraq, in 2007. Credit John Moore/Getty Images Admiral Greenert said “there is no reason” that women who measure up should be barred. “So we’re on a track to say, ‘Hey look, anybody who can meet the gender nonspecific standards, then you can become a SEAL,’” he said. He did not detail a timeline, but his position is in line with Rear Adm. Brian Losey, the head of the Naval Warfare Special Command, who led a review recommending that women be allowed. In 2013, the Pentagon announced it would lift its ban on women serving in combat roles and gave the military services until the end of 2015 to argue whether certain jobs should remain off-limits. This week, two soldiers will become the first women to graduate from the demanding Ranger School , the Army’s premier leadership course. This was the first year that women have been allowed to attend, and officials said they did not change the standards in any way.

Navy Seals
US Navy
Jonathan W Greenert
Women and Girls


Lochte Takes 2 Golds in Istanbul

Abstract: Ryan Lochte won two gold medals as the United States dominated the first day of the short-course world championships in Istanbul. He posted a time of 1 minute 41.92 seconds in the 200-meter freestyle, beating Paul Biedermann, the world-record holder. Lochte earned another gold in the 4x100 freestyle relay, and the American women won the 4x200 freestyle relay.


William Thompson’s Moment of Truth in the Dolomites

Abstract: It was pitch black. There was no water left. And panic was setting in. William C. Thompson Jr. , out of shape and aching from 16 hours of climbing, peered out over a 9,000-foot precipice and had a terrible epiphany. “There is a strong possibility that if you do something wrong, you could get killed,” he told himself, a lump lodged in his throat. It was the summer of 1999, and Mr. Thompson, then the president of the New York City Board of Education and now the city comptroller, found himself clinging to a wall of rock in the Dolomites of northern Italy. Outward Bound, which emphasizes self-discovery through experience in the wilderness, had asked him to participate in a trip to learn about the program firsthand. He figured it would be a painless week of hiking and networking. “A safe adventure,” he told friends before he left. It turned out to be the most harrowing experience of his life. By the end of the high-exposure trek, he had lost two toenails and several pounds. “I don’t I think I realized — I don’t think any of us realized — just how challenging this would be,” said Mr. Thompson, the leading Democratic contender in the New York City mayor’s race, a contest that many have likened to mountain climbing because of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s resources. It quickly became clear that the Outward Bound trip was not an Italian vacation. The group slept on bunk beds in large huts. Dinner was minestrone soup. The bathroom was a “porcelain hole in the ground,” Mr. Thompson recalled. He was part of an eclectic group of 16: Outward Bound instructors mixed with novice climbers, like an investment banker named Bob Smith, and experienced ones, like the chairman of The New York Times Company, Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr., who had invited Mr. Thompson on behalf of Outward Bound. The trip began ominously with a practice hike intended to teach inexperienced hikers how to maneuver with heavy packs on their backs. A veteran climber tripped and fell on her wrist, breaking it. “Everybody was like, ‘Oh, my God,’ ” Mr. Thompson recalled. “This was just the practice run.” The next day, the group waded into the mountains for what was supposed to be an eight-hour hike. To increase the challenge, optimistic instructors had chosen a distant hut as the destination, bypassing closer lodgings. The route, known as the Via Ferrata (or Iron Way), was daunting: narrow paths that accommodated two people at a time; metal railings that hikers clipped into as a safeguard; and ladders used to climb steep walls. It was painfully slow going. The new hikers became bogged down by their packs and the unfamiliar altitude. The hike dragged on for 10 hours, then 15. Soon, the group ran out of daylight, water and energy. Unbeknownst to them, a search party was dispatched to find them. Mr. Thompson struggled to keep his cool. “I remember coming down a metal ladder, putting my head against a stone wall and just trying to find the extra energy to keep moving,” he said. He had hiked a few well-defined trails in Colorado and Arizona, but “I was not a great outdoorsman,” he said. “Outdoors for me might have been the golf course.” But those on the trip recall that he kept his exhaustion to himself, frequently calling out to other hikers to check on their well-being, and cracking an occasional joke to lighten the mood. “He looked out for others, and believe me, not everyone does that on those kinds of courses,” said Richard Stopol, president of New York City Outward Bound. “It’s so easy to retreat into yourself when you’re struggling.” The group arrived at the hut at 2 a.m., 19 hours after leaving. Mr. Thompson was so tired that he needed help untying his shoes. Over the next few days of hiking, “you watched people change,” Mr. Thompson said. Those who struggled to finish the first day’s hike suddenly took the lead. Mr. Thompson took on extra weight from an exhausted fellow hiker. “From the first step to the last, his personal development was huge,” Mr. Sulzberger said. “It really seemed to touch him.” By week’s end, when the group sat around discussing what they had learned, many were moved to tears. They had overcome phobias and summoned confidence beyond their expectations. “You realized that you could draw on something that you had not drawn on before to succeed,” Mr. Thompson said. And it left a lasting impression. When he returned from the trip, he overhauled his exercise routine, adding cardiovascular exercises to build stamina. After the 19-hour trek, “I realized I needed it,” he said. And he became a fierce advocate for Outward Bound programs in New York City’s schools, arguing that they would build self-reliance. “It turned out to be one of the most fascinating experiences I’ve ever had,” he said. “I might have questioned my sanity a couple of times, but I was glad I did it.”

Thompson William C Jr
Outward Bound
Hiking
Italy
Education and Schools
Board of Education (NYC)


After Hockey Score, HBO Seeks New Game

Abstract: The success of HBO ’s series detailing the Penguins ’ and Capitals ’ run-up to the N.H.L.’s Winter Classic has encouraged the network to broaden its programming with other leagues in the heat of their regular seasons. “This might have been a game-changer and proven that we should pursue other leagues and other sports,” said Ross Greenburg, the president of HBO Sports. “We’ve talked to other leagues over the last couple of years. But now there’s much more awareness of this kind of programming.” The four-episode run of “ 24/7 Penguins/Capitals: Road to the N.H.L. Winter Classic, ” which ended Wednesday night, has followed the Penguins through a winning streak, and the Capitals through a losing one. They played each other once, in Washington, but the story pointed inexorably toward their game on New Year’s Day in Pittsburgh. It made a star of Bruce Boudreau, the Capitals’ coach and serial swearer. But more important, it has shown the players on the ice, in airplanes, in locker rooms and at home in ways that have rarely, if ever, been seen. It has been funny, foul, revealing, ribald, bloody and gritty. The template would be the same if other sports followed the N.H.L.’s example: an all-access look at a short part of the season that leads to a climax. The Winter Classic — which is played outdoors — is a contrived but spectacular concluding point during the season, something that other leagues don’t quite have. Greenburg said he had been examining how to highlight rivalries in other sports that would give the series a beginning, middle and end. “We’ll figure it out and build a series around it,” he said. “You have to do high-profile events that hit the mark.” One such event could be golf’s Ryder Cup , which would move HBO into a new sport. A spokesman for the N.B.A. said it had turned down several requests for teams to be in “24/7.” But a Major League Baseball spokesman said it would be interested in exploring opportunities with the network. In earlier incarnations, the “24/7” franchise has followed boxers like Floyd Mayweather in training camp leading to bouts. Only one edition before “Penguins/Capitals” ended with coverage of an event — last year’s “ 24/7 Jimmie Johnson: Race to Daytona. ” HBO’s other sports reality series, “ Hard Knocks, ” has been about N.F.L. training camps, most recently that of the Jets. So far, viewership of the hockey series is just below HBO’s average of about three million for all showings of its boxing “24/7” shows. For the first episode, the only one that HBO has full numbers on, 2.8 million total viewers watched in a week, including 555,000 for its initial play on Dec. 15 and the first repeat. The second episode had the same number and the third fell to 549,000. The Jets’ “Hard Knocks” series averaged 4.6 million viewers a week for all its showings. The N.H.L. is ecstatic at the attention paid to the Capitals-Penguins series, and it is more than likely that HBO will return for a second Winter Classic “24/7.” John Collins, the league’s chief operating officer, said: “The buzz and feedback has been incredible from the hockey community as well as beyond the core fan to the casual fan. It’s part of the success of the Winter Classic.” He added: “The HBO guys are great storytellers and had a chance to show the work ethic, the character and the personality of the players. For HBO to get the acclaim they’ve gotten for a hockey show opens up doors; it makes it easier for other people to do these sorts of things with us.” The league and the teams provided broad access to HBO. “We didn’t put any parameters on them,” Collins said, “and they took it to a level that I don’t think anybody could have hoped for.” Among the most appreciative observers of the series was Ted Leonsis, the Capitals’ owner. On his blog, he wrote : “Do characters on reality television prosper after their experience on reality TV shows? No. They usually don’t. But we did. And we will be stronger for it in the long term.” He also said that until he watched the series, he had never heard Boudreau curse. And perhaps he never expected to see his coach shopping in a mall with his sons, where Boudreau made clear his preference for ice cream at Haagen-Dazs to buying an expensive handbag for his wife.

Home Box Office
National Hockey League
Reality Television
Athletics and Sports
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals
Television
Hockey Ice


Q. and A. With Stuart Elliott

Abstract: Stuart Elliott, the advertising columnist, answers questions from readers each week. Questions can be sent to stuarte@nytimes.com . Q. Did anyone else think it was weird for Toyota to be running a campaign — during the Jerry Sandusky trial — in which a revered, white-haired coach is in a car with young men, complimenting them and encouraging them to commit to Toyota? It’s creeping me out a little bit. Ordinarily, it wouldn’t, but the timing ... eek. Just wondering. Q. So, has Toyota pulled those creepy, manipulative Sandusky-lookalike spots yet? A. Well, dear reader No. 1, there was at least one other “anyone” who thinks like you do, as you can see from the second comment. Any such resemblance did not cross my mind when I watched the spots; I was instead reminded of John Wooden, the longtime coach of U.C.L.A. In seeking a comment from Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles, part of the Publicis Groupe, which is the creative agency for Toyota Motor Sales USA, I was referred to the client. What follows is a response from Dionne Colvin, national media marketing manager at Toyota Motor Sales USA, who addresses the questions about the coach character in the campaign, known as “Coach T,” in an echo of Coach K, Mike Krzyzewski of Duke. “Coach T was a concept that was created specifically with ‘March Madness’ in mind,” Ms. Colvin writes in an e-mail. “The concept was based on a fictional Coach T (short for Toyota) and his assistant recruiting potential drivers for Camry and Corolla similar to the way a college basketball coach would recruit for a university.” “There was no specific coach in mind but we knew that engaging, passionate coaches are a staple of college sports (John Wooden, Lou Holtz, etc.),” Ms. Colvin says. “It was important for our coach to be a likeable and charismatic character to represent the Toyota brand.” “During the casting process, the creative team reviewed Coach T talent of various age ranges and looks,” she adds. “We ultimately selected Phil Reeves, who had the best acting skills and a great Southern delivery to give the character an extra layer of humor.” Q. This is about those “Steak-over” commercials and magazine ads for Walmart Choice Premium steaks, in which a restaurant or someone’s barbecue is taken over by Wal-Mart Stores and its steaks are served instead. The language and the approach remind me of the old Folgers switch spots for Folgers coffee. I was wondering whether that echoing was on purpose, or is it just that any kind of “We’ve replaced the usual food/drink/whatever with our product” ad is going to sound like other such ads. A. “The concept of replacing a known thing with a new thing is a tried and true method for turning skeptics into believers,” Joe Alexander, executive creative director at the Martin Agency in Richmond, Va., the creative agency for Walmart, writes in an e-mail. “We certainly took inspiration from the iconic Folgers ‘switcheroo’ spots, but we’ve taken it a step further.” “Walmart had renowned steakhouse chefs switch out their meat for Walmart's Choice Premium steaks and invited critics on Facebook and Twitter to try it for themselves,” Mr. Alexander says. “We’ve even surprised some of our skeptics with a one-on-one ‘Steak-over’ that we filmed for Facebook,” he adds. “What you’re seeing is a genuine reaction from real people.”

Advertising and Marketing
Toyota Motor Corporation
Folgers Coffee Co


Russia: Space Station Crew Returns to Earth

Abstract: A Soyuz spacecraft carrying two Russian astronauts and an American astronaut landed safely in Kazakhstan after the end of their mission at the International Space Station. Plans to replace them, though, have been delayed because of technical problems.


Planning Detour in the U.S., Giro Director Takes a Big Risk

Abstract: WASHINGTON — With a course that winds more than 2,000 miles through Italy, up snow-covered mountains and down steep, snaking roads, the Giro d’Italia — Italy’s renowned 21-day cycling race — is one of the world’s most grueling sporting events. But Angelo Zomegnan, the race director, is out to make it even harder. A maestro of marketing, Zomegnan is the driving force behind bringing the first two stages of the Giro to the streets of Washington in 2012. He said the project would cost about $5 million. Some critics say starting the race in the United States is unrealistic: too expensive, too much of a hassle and too punishing for the riders, who would have to deal with jet lag. Others say it is nonsensical, comparing it to hosting the middle two games of the World Series overseas. “Is it crazy? Oh sure, yes, I’ve heard that,” Zomegnan said last week before meeting with Washington’s mayor, Adrian M. Fenty , to discuss race plans. “But I think it is good to take chances. I don’t say, why. I say, why not?” Zomegnan, a former journalist, has taken chances to garner more attention for the Giro, with mixed results. At the 2009 Giro in May, the race’s 100th anniversary, he designed a spectacular, made-for-television course so demanding that some riders — including the seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong — complained that some parts were too dangerous . Zomegnan all but called them wimps, saying they may be “getting too old and no longer want to race in tough situations.” The riders were angered, but the race garnered more spectators and a larger television audience than ever. “Bringing in extreme events brings more publicity for the sport, but he goes a little too far in creating a spectacle and he neglects the sporting element and the safety of the riders,” Pat McQuaid, the president of the International Cycling Union, said last week, adding that he had warned Zomegnan to keep the riders’ safety in mind. “I understand his position of trying to create public interest, but this can’t go on,” McQuaid said. “If the Giro idea becomes realistic, we would definitely have a say in the structure of the race. We would make sure to protect the riders.” McQuaid said that the priority for the cycling union would be for the riders to have enough time to overcome their jet lag. He said at least two to three days of rest in Italy would be necessary before the race continued. Zomegnan said one or two days would suffice. “Normal people have jet lag,” Zomegnan said. “Normal people can’t run three weeks and 3,500 kilometers. The riders aren’t normal people.” Still, the project is going forward. Mark Sommers, a lawyer who is head of the group working to bring the race to Washington, said the city and Giro organizers had a “tentative agreement.” Over the next several weeks, Giro officials will speak to tourism, safety and city officials to complete details. The proposed course for both stages would remain inside the city, passing buildings and monuments that have a link to Italy, Sommers said. One of those sites includes the Memorial Bridge, which connects Virginia and Washington. The statues at one end were gifts from Italy to the United States in 1950. “Angelo doesn’t want the race to be Italian-centric; he’s more universal than that,” Sommers said. “He has a larger mission to build the brand and the sport outside of Europe. He’s inventive. You’ve got to love that.” That feat of holding two Giro stages in Washington would be a logistical marvel, requiring 198 riders and several hundred Giro and team staff to fly eight hours and traverse five time zones before the race resumes on Italian soil, in Rome. The bicycles, each worth thousands of dollars, would ride along. Other sports have already accomplished something similar, to different degrees. Major League Baseball has played regular-season games in Japan, and the N.H.L. has done so in Europe. The N.F.L. has played regular-season games in London. But none of those sports are quite like the Giro, one of cycling’s three Grand Tours — races that require riders to have nearly superhuman resilience as they endure physical pain day after day for three weeks. It is a triumph just to make it to the finish. None of the Grand Tours, which include the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, have ever started outside Europe. But several times, Tour organizers have toyed with the idea. In the 1980s, a New York start for the Tour was considered, but dropped because there were not enough Concordes to fly the riders back to France. In 2008, a start in Quebec City would have been part of the city’s 400th anniversary, but Tour organizers balked. “It would be like asking the Formula One people to hold their time trials in Canada and then having the Grand Prix race run in Europe,” the Tour official Jean-François Pescheux told La Presse, a newspaper in Montreal, during those negotiations. “The idea has been studied, the potential is there, everything is there, but we can’t allow it.” Zomegnan, however, says he does not see any problems with his plan. He tried to bring the race’s start to New York for the Giro’s anniversary, but decided against it because of the lagging economy. He then began working with Robin Morton, who runs an event planning and production company in New Jersey, to try again. They ended up in Washington. “There’s so many events that come to the city of New York, whether it’s sporting events or global functions, I guess New York didn’t want to pursue our plan,” said Morton, who was the manager of the 1984 Gianni-Motta team, the first American-based team at the Giro. “But Mayor Fenty is a big cycling fan, and the city is also trying to raise its profile. It was a good fit.” Some riders, including the Garmin-Transitions team leader Christian Vande Velde, say the plan not only is feasible, but it may also be fun. “I think if you are intelligent about the whole matter and are civil to the riders, it would be beautiful and really cool, and it would bring a lot of recognition for our sport,” Vande Velde said. “It’s a crazy idea, but it could work. “But, of course, there’s a fine line between crazy stupid and crazy spectacular,” he added. ”I’m supportive of it, within reason.”

Giro d'Italia (Bicycle Race)
Washington (DC)
Zomegnan Angelo
Fenty Adrian M