A Biracial Candidate Walks His Own Fine Line

Abstract: The 2006 Democratic primary campaign for the presidency of the Cook County Board of Commissioners was vintage Chicago politics. The incumbent was an aging party loyalist, mayoral confederate and institution in black Chicago. His opponent was younger and white, a reform-minded independent Democrat who had helped Barack Obama in his Senate race two years earlier. Both sides wanted the support of Mr. Obama, a vote magnet in Chicago. The challenger, Forrest Claypool, 48, had the backing of the major newspapers and a couple of liberal members of Congress. The incumbent, John Stroger, 76, had the party organization, many of the city’s blacks and Mr. Obama’s political benefactor, the State Senate president, Emil Jones. So Mr. Obama remained neutral. He was blasted in blogs and newspapers for hedging rather than risk alienating people he needed, though others said he had made the only shrewd choice. “Those relationships are complex,” said Mr. Claypool, who lost the primary race to Mr. Stroger (who never served because of illness) and is now working on Mr. Obama’s presidential campaign. “No politician takes important relationships for granted.” Much of Mr. Obama’s success as a politician has come from walking a fine line — as an independent Democrat and a progressive in a state dominated by the party organization and the political machine, and as a biracial American whose political ambitions require that he appeal to whites while still satisfying the hopes and expectations of blacks. Like others of his generation, he is a member of a new class of black politicians. Too young to have experienced segregation, he has thrived in white institutions. His style is more conciliatory than confrontational, more technocrat than preacher. Compared with many older politicians, he tends to speak about race indirectly or implicitly, when he speaks about it at all. After Hurricane Katrina , he did not attribute the lumbering federal response to the race of most of the storm’s victims. “The incompetence was color-blind,” he said, adding that the real stumbling block was indifference to the problems of the poor. After six black teenagers were charged with attempted murder in the beating of a white schoolmate in the “Jena Six” case in Louisiana, he said the criminal justice system needed fixing to ensure equal justice “regardless of race, wealth or circumstances.” And when Mr. Obama announced his candidacy in February, he chose the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., a place imbued with the spirit of Abraham Lincoln. He spoke of his work in “Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods” and of ending poverty; race came up only glancingly, as in, “Beneath all the differences of race and region, faith and station, we are one people.” But the postracial style has its pitfalls. ‘Acting Like He’s White’ Earlier this fall, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, an Obama supporter who ran for president twice, was quoted by a reporter as saying Mr. Obama “needs to stop acting like he’s white” (words that Mr. Jackson has variously said that he would never say and that were taken out of context). He added, “If I were a candidate, I’d be all over Jena.” More recently, Mr. Jackson accused the Democratic candidates except for John Edwards of having “virtually ignored” the plight of blacks. (His son, Representative Jesse Jackson Jr., a national co-chairman of the Obama campaign, fired back in an op-ed column in The Chicago Sun-Times under the headline, “You’re wrong on Obama, Dad.”) “A black candidate doesn’t want to look like he’s only a black candidate,” the Rev. Al Sharpton, the civil rights activist, who ran for president in 2004, said in an interview about Mr. Obama. “If he overidentifies with Sharpton, he looks like he’s only a black candidate. A white candidate reaches out to a Sharpton and looks like they have the ability to reach out. It looks like they’re presidential. That’s the dichotomy.” In a telephone interview, Mr. Obama denied that he had spoken less about race issues than other candidates. But he said he focused when possible on “the universal issues that all Americans care about.” His aim, he said, is “to build broader coalitions that can actually deliver health care for all people or jobs that pay a living wage or all the issues that face not only black Americans but Americans generally.” He suggested that his critics were comparing him not with Mr. Edwards or Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton but with Mr. Jackson and Mr. Sharpton. “That comparison is one that isn’t appropriate,” he said. “Because neither Reverend Jackson nor Reverend Sharpton is running for president of the United States. They are serving an important role as activists and catalysts but they’re not trying to build a coalition to actually govern.” Mr. Obama’s legislative record does not diverge sharply from that of other black legislators, some who have studied it say. For example, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which grades members of Congress on their support for its agenda, gave Mr. Obama a 100 percent score. The difference between him and some others lies more in life experience, approach to politics and style. And while Mr. Obama’s advisers say he is entirely comfortable with his identity — as he has said, proud to be an African-American but not limited by that — he carries a peculiar burden as a presidential candidate: whether or not he calibrates his words, blacks as well as whites are likely to parse them for anything they might signal about racial issues. “There is a special expectation and opportunity that we have to talk about the ways race works in America,” said Gov. Deval Patrick, a friend of Mr. Obama and the first black to lead Massachusetts. But, Mr. Patrick said, “sometimes I think advocates want one note from us. I think our experience in our lives and in our politics has been that there’s much more than the one note — and sometimes a cacophony.” There was a time when black politicians had little in common with white politicians. They had been educated in segregated schools and historically black colleges; many had entered politics through the civil rights movement, social activism or the black church. Their districts and constituents were overwhelmingly African-American. They were “race men” who had built their careers advocating for blacks. Winning a Mixed District They tended to be more liberal and militant than the Democratic Party as a whole, said Michael C. Dawson, a University of Chicago political scientist. They opposed rising military budgets and military intervention abroad, favored economic redistribution and were willing to consider such things as demands for reparation for slavery. Hanes Walton Jr., a University of Michigan political scientist, said, “Once you got African-American elected officials in the 1960s and 1970s, there was huge demand from the black community about getting things done. Some of these elected officials came on with fairly rough edges because they were making consistent and hard demands. In many ways, that couldn’t be escaped. These elected officials knew that they were elected from the black community.” Mr. Obama, by contrast, grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia, far from any center of black life. He graduated from a private prep school in Honolulu, Columbia College and Harvard Law School. Though he has belonged to the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago since 1987, he was not raised in the traditions of the black church, which Ange-Marie Hancock, a Yale political scientist, says “nurtured generations of black politicians” and “that almost exclusive emphasis on race — and race in a black/white framework.” Mr. Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996 — not from an overwhelmingly black district like those that elected early black legislators but from a racially and economically mixed neighborhood, Hyde Park, home of the University of Chicago. In a state where Irish-American dynasties dominate Democratic Party politics, he sprang up as an outsider — a former community organizer without party or machine support. Mr. Obama never fit any easily recognizable model of a black politician during his seven years in Springfield. He was a progressive Democrat who worked with Republicans; a black man whose weekly poker-game partners were white; an independent Democrat whose mentor, Mr. Jones, was one of the most powerful black politicians in the state and supported by the Chicago machine. In his 2006 book, “The Audacity of Hope,” Mr. Obama recalls sitting with a white, liberal Democrat in the Senate and listening to a black, inner-city legislator, whom he identified only as John Doe, speechifying on how the elimination of a particular program was blatant racism. The white colleague turned to Mr. Obama and said, “You know what the problem is with John? Whenever I hear him, he makes me feel more white.” Mr. Obama finds a lesson in that moment: White guilt has exhausted itself. Even fair-minded whites resist suggestions of racial victimization. Proposals that benefit minorities alone cannot be a basis for the broad coalitions needed to transform the country, he concluded. Only “universal appeals” for approaches that help all Americans, he wrote in his book, “schools that teach, jobs that pay, health care for everyone who needs it” can do that, “even if such strategies disproportionately help all Americans.” Mr. Obama has never had difficulty appealing to whites. In his ill-fated 1999 campaign against Representative Bobby L. Rush, a four-term Democratic congressman and former Black Panther, Mr. Obama won the white vote but lost the black vote in a district that was overwhelmingly black. Abner J. Mikva, a former Illinois congressman and longtime supporter, said, “It took him a while to realize that it’s a vote that has to be courted.” Hermene Hartman, the publisher of N’Digo, a weekly newspaper in Chicago, recalls advising Mr. Obama to talk less about his experience as the first African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review. “What I was saying early on was, ‘Harvard Review will play at the University of Chicago, it won’t play on 55th and King Drive,’” Ms. Hartman said. Mr. Mikva says Mr. Obama learned to campaign in different ways without changing the substance of what he was saying. He learned to use rhythms, analogies, “quotes that resonate better.” Others say he simply worked hard at becoming better known, consolidating his support among black elected officials, black ministers, labor organizations and community groups, skating nimbly among factions. Straddling Interests Mr. Obama’s relationship with Mr. Jackson extends back at least to the early 1990s. Mr. Jackson’s daughter, Santita, was a friend of Mr. Obama’s wife, Michelle, and was a bridesmaid at their wedding. The Congressional district of Representative Jackson included Mr. Obama’s State Senate district; they have worked together on issues, endorsed some of the same reform-minded candidates against the party slate and sought each other’s advice. At the same time, Mr. Obama has remained close to his longtime mentor, Mr. Jones — an old antagonist of Representative Jackson, who defeated him for Congress in 1995. Alan Gitelson, a political scientist at Loyola University in Chicago, said, “The skill of Obama is that he’s been able to straddle the two major factions among blacks in Illinois.” Mr. Obama has also cultivated a working relationship with Mayor Richard M. Daley. Mr. Daley, who backed an opponent of Mr. Obama in the 2004 Senate primary, this year endorsed Mr. Obama for president — around the time that Mr. Obama endorsed Mr. Daley for re-election, annoying some supporters and passing over two black candidates considered unlikely to win. “I can tell you, having worked for both of them, they are both pragmatists who want to get things done,” said David Axelrod, Mr. Obama’s chief strategist and a longtime consultant to Mr. Daley. By the time Mr. Obama began running for the United States Senate, he “didn’t have to run as a black candidate,” said Don Rose, a longtime political consultant in Chicago. Illinois had already elected one black senator, Carol Moseley Braun, and Mr. Obama had nailed down overwhelming black support. According to Mr. Axelrod, he ended up with 92 percent of the black vote in a competitive field. Yet race was a subtext of a television advertisement widely believed to have helped Mr. Obama win, Mr. Rose believes. The advertisement featured Sheila Simon, the daughter of former Senator Paul Simon, a Democrat who was a revered figure in Illinois politics, lionized by white progressives and admired by some conservatives. Mr. Simon, who had worked with Mr. Obama on ethics reform, had intended to endorse him but had died unexpectedly after heart surgery in 2003. So Mr. Axelrod had asked Ms. Simon to make an advertisement about the similarities between her father and Mr. Obama. He said the commercial might help explain Mr. Obama’s unexpected success in white, working class neighborhoods on Chicago’s Northwest Side, which had been hostile to black candidates in the past. Mr. Rose believes that the advertisement’s subtext, intentionally or not, was gender and race: “It is saying, ‘People, I’m a white woman, and I’m not afraid of him.’” Dining With Sharpton In Washington, Mr. Obama made it clear almost immediately that his career would not be defined by his race. One of the first acts of the new Congress was to certify the results of the Electoral College. Some members of the Congressional Black Caucus moved to contest the certification of the Ohio votes. Mr. Obama did not join them. In a hastily arranged maiden speech, he said he was convinced that President Bush had won but he also urged Congress to address the need for voting reform. In his office, he hung paintings of Lincoln, Gandhi and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., all of whom he calls his heroes. In recent weeks, Mr. Obama has turned some of his attention to courting black voters. Nine months into his campaign, he held his first fund-raiser in Harlem, at the Apollo Theater, where he said, among other things, he was in the race because he was “tired of reading about Jena.” Then he went on tour with Oprah Winfrey, whom he had gotten to know when she interviewed him after his speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. Mr. Sharpton, who has yet to endorse anyone, says Mr. Obama began his campaign as “the alternative to guys like me.” But in recent months, Mr. Sharpton said, “he’s been calling us.” Mr. Obama also arranged to dine with Mr. Sharpton, in the presence of a herd of reporters, before his appearance at the Apollo. “A portion of black voters want Obama to give them some raw meat,” said Julian Bond, chairman of the board of the N.A.A.C.P. “Because they want so badly to have their concerns addressed and highlighted, and they expect it of him because he’s black.”

Presidential Election of 2008
Obama Barack
Race


U.N. Backs Peace Effort for Central African Republic

Abstract: The United Nations Security Council unanimously approved a resolution on Thursday aimed at stabilizing the Central African Republic, a dangerous and dysfunctional country that has descended into near-total chaos over the last half year. Sponsored by France, the country’s former colonial power, the resolution promised support for a new multinational African Union force that is deploying in the Central African Republic, and it raised the possibility that the operation would be transformed into a United Nations peacekeeping mission, which would give it more resources and power. The resolution demanded that the weak interim government, put in place after armed rebels known as the Seleka ousted President François Bozizé in March, adhere to previously negotiated plans to hold elections in early 2015, promising unspecified help to honor that deadline. It further demanded that the Seleka and other armed groups “lay down their arms immediately” and allow the unfettered flow of humanitarian aid into the country. It also said the Security Council would investigate and report all violations of human rights there, including through the deployment of advisers who specialize in the protection of women and children. The Security Council action followed a crescendo of warnings, including from France’s president , that the Central African Republic, chronically unstable in the best of times, had become an utterly lawless and terrifying country because of the Seleka insurgency, creating new risks of instability among neighboring states. The resolution singled out Seleka fighters as being responsible for what it called “extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detention, torture, sexual violence against women and children, rape, recruitment and use of children and attacks against civilians.” While the resolution did not threaten the immediate prospect of a more forceful armed intervention, the reference to the possible strengthening of the African Union force was welcomed by the Central African Republic’s United Nations ambassador, Charles Armel Doubane. “Today is the first day for another time — it’s the beginning of a different future,” he told reporters outside the Security Council chamber after the resolution had been approved. Rights groups who have been sounding the alarm on the breakdown in the Central African Republic were more cautious in their endorsement, saying the resolution did not go far enough. “The Security Council is finally waking up to the human rights tragedy plaguing the Central African Republic,” said Philippe Bolopion, the United Nations director for Human Rights Watch. “Broadening the human rights mandate of the U.N. mission is a good but insufficient first step.” He said the Security Council should urgently strengthen the capacity of the African Union force “to protect civilians and sanction individuals responsible for grave abuses, including Seleka leaders.” The Security Council action came as reports of new violence of a sectarian nature were emerging from the country. In a dispatch from Bangui, the capital, Reuters reported deadly clashes between Seleka fighters, who are mostly Muslim, and self-defense militias, who are mostly Christian, in the northwest mining village of Gaga and the isolated eastern town of Bangassou, leaving 60 people dead.

Central African Republic
Military
African Union
UN Security Council
UN
France


Chasing a Soccer Dream All the Way to Brazil

Abstract: It was my first day of practice with Santo André and I sat quietly on the team bus, staring out the window as we rode to a practice center. I had no idea where we were going or what kind of soccer I was in store for. As the bus veered through the winding hills and favelas of São Paulo, one of Brazil’s largest cities, I truly wondered what was ahead of me. Having graduated from Princeton in 2006 , I was now in the second year of my quest to become a professional soccer player. I spent most of 2007 in San Francisco, playing in the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League , a minor league circuit equivalent to Class AA baseball, and then working out for some lower-division clubs in England. Now I was in Brazil, in January 2008, thinking, realistically or not, that if I could stay focused and work hard and show some promise, I could have an entire soccer career in the hotbed of the sport. The worst case was that I would come home with some valuable credibility as a player and sign with an M.L.S. team for the 2008 season. I was ready for my adventure, even if I could barely speak a word of Portuguese. Santo André was a second-division team that was hoping to recapture some of its recent history. In 2004, the club won the Copa do Brasil, a 64-team tournament composed of the top teams from all 26 of the South American country’s states. But now it was simply back to being stuck one tier down from the top, playing in a 15,000-seat stadium that consisted for the most part of concrete bleachers and had definitely seen better days. I found a place to live right next to the stadium. Since many of my teammates had families, I found myself spending a lot of time by myself in the neighborhood, a busy area about 40 minutes south of downtown. A two-lane highway ran two blocks east of the stadium, and you could hear the noise of its traffic while hanging around the stadium complex on a day when no game was scheduled. When there was a game, fans would sometimes park miles away and walk because there was not enough space nearby for parking. Nor was there any room for practice fields, which meant every day was a bus tour as we traveled to different locations around the city, looking for somewhere where we could kick some balls around. Sometimes, we would practice twice a day, in two places. And the best field we practiced on had a surface that was all dirt, a welcome contrast to the bumpy, uneven grass we often encountered. I was assigned to the reserve team, better known as the Profi B.’ At 24, I was one of the older players on a squad that had players as young as 18. Being a foreigner from an inferior soccer country had already presented a hurdle for me in Brazil, and my age did not make things easier. In a country where young players were often sold to create big paydays for their clubs, an older player was automatically less attractive. It would be one more obstacle to navigate. When I got off the team bus for that first practice, I met the coach. To me, he was known only as Barone. He had played professionally in Brazil in the 1980s but now he had a pot belly, a slight limp and a scowl that rarely left his face. I probably understood about half of what Barone said as he would mumble instructions in Portuguese. To get by, I would usually follow what other players were doing and then wait for an extended break to get a more coherent explanation from the assistant coaches. What I also did to learn the language was to buy a biography of the English guitar player Eric Clapton in Portuguese and then spend nights reading it with the help of a Portuguese-English dictionary. Victories and losses meant little to Barone — player development was the key issue — so he would jump on us for mistakes whether we were in a close game or winning, 5-0. And the practices were always intense. Right away I knew I was in a different place when we broke into teams and Barone threw out what is known as a futsal ball. Futsal balls are smaller and have a restricted flight. With significantly less bounce, the ball stays on the ground and encourages more creativity. I soon learned that this ball was a staple in training and that its size and density made everyone’s individual footwork stand out. As we graduated to using a standard ball, I began to feel the rhythm and flow for the game that Brazilians are renowned for. I quickly realized that I could do many of the simple things that my teammates could, but that the ease and comfort that they expressed on the ball made my movements seem almost robotic. I fought the game while they embraced it. Still, from the first practice on, I was determined to have an impact. I walked to the local mall on my first day off and bought some inexpensive indoor shoes and an extra ball so I could put in extra work in the evenings. In the first month or so, I spent hours on mundane exercises like slamming a ball at a concrete wall and trying to comfortably trap the rebound. Occasionally, youth players affiliated with Santo André — some as young as 12 or 13 — would pass by, see me training and join in. One night, one of the youngsters came by and we spontaneously started working on free kicks. He was insistent that he had a better method than the one used by Real Madrid’s Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, and was determined to convince me. As we spent the next hour taking turns at bending kicks at an imaginary target, I was amazed at how enthusiastic he was about all the ways to strike the ball. The curiosity he had was startling. While I ran extra drills to sharpen certain movements, young Brazilians were always thinking of new moves that nobody had seen before. And because of that constant exploration, they never got tired of the game. Many of the youth players lived in dormitories built into the east side of the stadium’s stands, with as many as four sets of bunk beds in one room. I spent my first month in Brazil talking with a lot of them and listened as they described their dreams of playing for a major European team. It quickly became clear that their overall mentality was different from players their age in the United States. They were not particularly interested in winning tournaments or trophies; they just wanted to find the quickest path to being a professional, preferably in Europe. As a result, there was no real loyalty to Santo André; it was just the team they were currently playing for. Next week, it could be somebody else. Indeed, it seemed as if every week there was a new player moving into one of the rooms, while another would disappear. As I became more comfortable with the language, I found that the best way to bond with people was to try to fill in their gaps about American culture. I talked with our trainer, Jon, about our mutual love for the Boston Celtics, and how K. G., Kevin Garnett, was making a big impact on the franchise in his first year. At night, I had dance battles with one of our midfielders. I could even talk about hip-hop music with our assistant coach, Neir, who turned me on to Brazilian rap. In the end, I played in five games for the Santo André reserve team, but never scored. Still, I was surprised at how comfortable I felt on the field. It helped, too, that our coach knew that explaining the tactics of our defense to me in any detail was probably a lost cause. As a result, I was free to go out and just do my best. More than anything, I was seduced by the Brazilian mentality, which somehow allows players to take their soccer seriously while at the same time not taking it seriously at all. Win or lose, it was inevitable that halfway through the bus ride home somebody would turn his water bottles into drums and there would be singing all the way back to the stadium. To me, the Brazilians approached the game with both curiosity and confidence. When I flew home in the summer of 2008, I felt I had graduated from a crash course. It led to a tryout with Major League Soccer, a stint with the reserve team of the San Jose Earthquakes and then a chance to play in Trinidad until a hamstring injury intervened. My professional soccer career was pretty much over. But my appreciation of Brazilian soccer is intact. Its compelling style will be on display in the United States in the coming weeks, as Brazil’s men’s team travels to play the United States and then Argentina in exhibition games. It will be in the spotlight this summer, too, when Brazil will compete in both men’s and women’s soccer in the London Olympics. You can catch much of it on TV, of course, or even in person. I am thankful I got to see it up close.


Central African Republic: Troops Kill Rebel Leader’s Bodyguard

Abstract: Ugandan troops in the Central African Republic have killed the chief bodyguard of Joseph Kony, the fugitive leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, a Ugandan Army officer said Monday. The bodyguard, a commander known only as Binani, was killed Friday, said the officer, Col. Felix Kulayigye. An African Union force, led by Ugandan officers, is hunting for Mr. Kony and is being advised by American Special Forces units. It was not clear whether Mr. Kony, who has eluded capture for more than two decades, was with rebels who fled the attack in which Binani was killed, Colonel Kulayigye said. Mr. Kony, whose rebellion in Uganda spread to neighboring countries, was indicted by the International Criminal Court in 2005 for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

War Crimes,Genocide,Crimes Against Humanity


Even Under Microscope, Catch by Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr. Earns Applause

Abstract: In living rooms and on websites across the country Sunday night, there was only one sporting question that mattered: How did Odell Beckham Jr. make that catch? By the next morning, in the laboratories and offices of physicists, mechanical engineers and sport scientists, the answer was being deduced through scrutiny of gyroscopic effects, vectors, linear and angular momentum, a coefficient of friction, mass, velocity and the material composition of the specialized glove on Beckham’s hand. In the end, there was a definitive conclusion: great piece of human athletic performance. At some point, even scientists put down the calculators and bow. “It was a bit like Spider-Man,” said Jim Gates, a professor of physics at the University of Maryland. “A near superhuman activity.” But with the help of slow-motion video and other systematic and painstaking measurements, the roughly one second of Beckham’s stunning acrobatics from the Giants’ 31-28 loss to the Dallas Cowboys can be explained in exacting, technical detail. The numbers still add up to Beckham’s doing something extraordinary. The analysis starts with Eli Manning’s throw, which came from the Giants’ 48-yard line. Manning let go of the football just to the left of the right hash mark. John Eric Goff, a professor of physics at Lynchburg College in Virginia and the author of “Gold Medal Physics: The Science of Sports,” carefully assessed the video of Beckham’s catch and determined that Manning’s pass had traveled about 55 yards of horizontal distance on its way to Beckham’s right hand. The ball ascended on its path down the field until it was 10 yards higher than Manning’s hand, and it left Manning’s hand at about 56 miles per hour. By the time it arrived at the point where Beckham was jostling with Dallas cornerback Brandon Carr, the football was speeding along at about 46 miles an hour. Measuring the trajectory and route of the football, Goff concluded that the pass had been heading out of bounds. “Beckham had to bring the football to a complete stop — bringing its linear momentum to arrest — in 0.2 seconds,” Goff said. “And that’s not much time.” But first, Beckham had to get in position as he was being shoved, grabbed and interfered with by Carr (two officials threw penalty flags). Image Beckham’s catch has drawn comparisons to David Tyree’s catch in Super Bowl XLII. Credit Barton Silverman/The New York Times “The visual acuity, the concentration, the body awareness and the strength to get his arm and shoulder oriented behind him and aligned with the ball — that’s all amazing,” said Tony Schmitz, a professor of mechanical engineering and engineering science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. “His body is cantilevering, but he’s fortunate at one point to get his left foot on the ground to brace against the momentum of the football striking his hand.” Grounding one foot also kept Beckham from over-rotating away from the precise path of the spinning football, which would have most likely caused the football to deflect away from him. That the pass came in a tight spiral helped considerably, too. “It’s the gyroscopic effect,” Gates said. “It means the ball will likely stay on the same line, and that makes it easier for the human eye to see where the center of the ball is headed, which makes it easier to catch.” When Beckham reached for the ball, it was mostly behind him, and he probably could no longer see it. But he got a little luck. His hand came in contact directly opposite the laces on the football. “A big break,” Goff said. “It allowed direct contact with the leather of the football and not the irregular laces. That meant an enormous amount of static friction between the glove and the ball.” A N.F.L. football weighs slightly less than a pound. To stop an object of that weight traveling at 46 miles an hour, Beckham had to exert an average of 10 pounds of force — with only his forefinger, middle finger and right thumb touching the ball initially — during the two-tenths of a second that he controlled the football. “That’s really hard to do, especially when you’re falling down,” Goff said. Schmitz said: “He also had to let the tip of the football pass through his hand first so that he grabbed the ball toward its center. His grip on the ball ended up like a quarterback might grip the ball to throw it.” The glove Beckham wore, a Nike Vapor Jet 3.0 model, played a significant role in corralling the pass. The gloves, which sell for $100 a pair, have overlays of a tacky mesh in the palm and curved fingers that mimic the natural bends of the hand. Beckham, his teammate Victor Cruz, Dallas’s Dez Bryant and Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald worked with Nike to help design the glove. Testing various materials for the glove by simulating a thrown football in a lab allows the manufacturer to raise the glove’s coefficient of friction as high as possible. In other words, engineering can make the ball stop in a receiver’s hands more quickly. “Unless the gloves are wet from sweat or rain,” Goff said. “If Beckham’s gloves weren’t dry last night, that pass probably slips through his hands.” But that is not what happened. Instead, millions of American sports fans marveled at a catch that was instantly being considered one of the best catches in football history. The catch it has most often been compared to was the one made by the Giants’ David Tyree in 2008 in Super Bowl XLII against New England. Because Tyree pinned the football to his helmet as he toppled to the ground, physicists had a field day assessing that reception, too. “The Tyree catch was in a big game, so it’s a bigger moment, but it involved a little luck,” Goff said. “The helmet helped to stop the football. In terms of pure, linear athleticism, this was better. Beckham caught it all on his own. He made the whole thing happen.”

Football
Odell Beckham Jr.
Giants
Dallas Cowboys


Living Costs Rising Fast, and Wages Are Trailing

Abstract: The cost of living, led by the soaring cost of gasoline and food, is rising at the fastest rate since the recession of the early 1990s, the government said on Thursday, handing a de facto pay cut to the American worker. The report, from the Labor Department, offered quantitative proof of what Americans have been feeling for months: almost everything costs more, even as they have less money to pay for it. Prices of a wide range of common products in the Consumer Price Index were 5.6 percent higher last month than they were in July 2007, the sharpest annual increase since January 1991. Much of the increase has been driven by the immense run-up in gasoline prices. But food, beverage and transportation costs are also significantly higher than they were a year ago. The higher prices have made many workers’ wages effectively worth less. In July, rank-and-file workers — those in production or nonsupervisory roles — earned 3.1 percent less than they did a year ago, after adjusting for the rising cost of living. “Any way you slice it, incomes aren’t keeping up with the inflation rate,” said Michael T. Darda, chief economist at the trading and research firm MKM Partners. It was the 10th consecutive month that the weekly average salary had failed to keep pace with inflation, according to statistics from the Labor Department. Employers are doling out modest wage increases, but not nearly enough to compensate for more expensive food and fuel. “People see it and they feel it on a daily basis,” Mr. Darda said. “If it’s gasoline or food, that’s visible inflation, and the stuff that households need the most and depend on.” Prices have not risen at the speed they did during the oil crises of the 1970s, and financial policy makers have said they do not expect a repeat of the so-called wage-price spiral that led to double-digit inflation rates during that decade. But with home values falling and the stock market in a slump, Americans are finding it more and more difficult to pay for basic purchases. Credit card debt has spiraled upward, home foreclosures are rising, and banks have become more guarded in giving out loans and mortgages. Social Security recipients are now on track to receive the highest cost-of-living increase since 1982. The Federal Reserve can try to choke off inflation by raising its benchmark interest rate. But such a move would also make it harder for businesses, banks and households to obtain loans, which could cause a further slowdown in the economy. Investors now expect the Fed to hold rates steady until at least the end of the year. Some economists have argued that as Americans cut back their spending, demand for products and services will drop, forcing businesses to lower their prices. But inflation is causing pain for businesses, too, as many companies are forced to pay more for fuel and transportation costs for goods. To keep making money, firms may try to pass those costs on to their customers. Recent weeks have shown a few indications of relief in fuel prices, as oil prices declined steeply. On Thursday, crude oil futures dropped about a dollar to just over $115 a barrel, down 11 percent from a month ago. Gasoline prices rose 4 percent in July, but that was less than half the 10 percent increase in May. Transportation costs also decelerated. And the dollar has waged a comeback against foreign currencies; on Thursday, it reached a six-month high against the euro. But while some economists predicted that inflation would start to ease, they said that process could take several months. Many reserved the right to modify their forecasts if the price of oil rebounded. Over all, the Consumer Price Index, considered the benchmark gauge of domestic inflation, rose 0.8 percent in July. Economists had predicted an increase of half that rate. In June, prices rose 1.1 percent, the second highest monthly pace in 26 years. The C.P.I. surveys the prices of a basket of common goods and services, from toothpaste and prescription drugs to airline fares and restaurant menus. Because food and energy prices can be highly volatile from month to month, the Labor Department also calculates a so-called core price index, which strips out those costs. In July, core C.P.I. rose 0.3 percent, reaching a 2.5 percent annual rate. That is higher than the Fed and other economic policy makers would prefer. Central bankers use core C.P.I. to see whether price increases are becoming entrenched in the broader economy; Fed officials are said to prefer to keep the annual inflation rate at or below 2 percent.

Consumer price index
Recession and Depression
Price
Food


Third-Place Finish Helps Spain Recover From Semifinal Loss

Abstract: RUSTENBURG, South Africa (AP) — Xabi Alonso scored on a free kick in extra time Sunday to give Spain a 3-2 victory over South Africa and a third-place finish at the Confederations Cup. Alonso, a midfielder, curled his shot through a crowd in the penalty area and inside the far post, allowing Spain to rally from its first loss in 35 games. Spain, the European champion, lost to the United States, 2-0, in the semifinals Wednesday. “It’s a nice way to forget about the loss to the U.S.,” Spain Coach Vicente del Bosque said. “The match was difficult for us. Our opponent created a lot of difficulties for us.” Katlego Mphela, a substitute, scored both goals for South Africa, known as Bafana Bafana. His goal in injury time tied the score and sent the match into extra time. Dani Guiza had scored in the 88th and 89th minutes to give Spain a 2-1 lead. “We gave our all,” Aaron Mokoena, the South Africa captain, said. “We made it very difficult for them but I’m very, very devastated.” Mphela had South Africa poised to squeak out its second win of the tournament when he scored his first goal in the 73rd minute. Breezing into the penalty area, he controlled a cross from Siphiwe Tshabalala with his knee, then shot over goalkeeper Iker Casillas for a 1-0 lead. Spain equalized in the 88th minute, when Guiza chested down a long pass by David Silva and put a low shot beyond goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune. Moments later, Guiza lofted a chip from the right edge of the area that floated over Khune and bounced off the far post before going in. Some of the crowd began to leave, and they missed Mphela’s tying goal three minutes later. The goal was all the more surprising because he had played only 57 minutes in the tournament. Casillas saved a shot by Mphela in the 98th minute and denied Bernard Parker soon after. The South Africans finished the tournament, a warm-up to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, with three straight losses. SPAIN 3 SOUTH AFRICA 2 Extra time

Soccer
Confederations Cup
Spain
South Africa


Illinois: Emanuel Seeks Outside Review of Lawyers

Abstract: Days after saying a federal review was not necessary, Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago has called for an outside review of the city’s law department after a lawyer resigned amid allegations he concealed evidence in a fatal police shooting. Mr. Emanuel said Tuesday when asked about the lawyer Jordan Marsh’s resignation that it was not necessary for the Justice Department to add the law department to its Chicago police investigation. Mr. Emanuel said he was confident in the law department’s head who is handling oversight. But on Thursday, the mayor announced that practices and standards of the law department’s civil rights division will be reviewed and new training added. Chicago’s handling of police shootings is under scrutiny since the release of video showing a black teenager’s 2014 killing by an officer.

Police Brutality,Police Misconduct,Police Shootings


Visiting Pakistan, Hagel Seeks to Shore Up Alliance

Abstract: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel cautioned Pakistan’s prime minister on Monday that if Pakistani regional officials followed through on their threats to block NATO supply lines for the war in Afghanistan, it could jeopardize hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance to the military here, Pentagon officials said. In response, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif offered assurances that his government would take action to guarantee the safe passage of American and alliance shipments through the Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the officials said. Mr. Hagel arrived in the Pakistani capital for meetings to shore up one of Washington’s most complicated alliances, meeting with civilian and military officials in an effort to improve a relationship that has often broken down over differences on how to fight terrorist groups within Pakistan. It was the first visit to Pakistan by an American defense secretary in almost four years. The American officials, who described the session with Mr. Sharif as amicable and constructive, said the talks focused equally on supply lines, counterterrorism, regional security and economic development. Pentagon officials said Mr. Sharif had expressed his nation’s outrage over continued American drone strikes on suspected terrorist and militant targets inside Pakistan, some of which have killed civilians. American and NATO officials have postponed some shipments through Torkham, out of fears over security for truck drivers and their cargo during protests against the drone strikes. Imran Khan, a former cricket star and political power broker whose PTI party governs the surrounding Pakistani province, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, has threatened to use protests to close the crossing in retaliation over the drone strikes. For his part, Mr. Hagel raised Washington’s concerns over havens inside Pakistan for militant organizations that have killed American and allied troops in Afghanistan. The defense secretary specifically cited the Haqqani network, which is believed to be abetted covertly by some Pakistani intelligence officials in an effort to assert influence in Afghanistan. “The Haqqani network is a major concern for the United States,” another senior Pentagon official said. “The security of our forces is paramount. The Haqqanis pose a threat.” Senior Pentagon officials, speaking on diplomatic ground rules of anonymity, said there were no breakthroughs, and no concessions by either side on counterterrorism issues, except for a shared concern on the threat and agreement on the need to continue discussions. Washington froze Pakistan’s financial aid in 2011, as the countries’ relationship reached a low point with the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden inside Pakistan and an errant American airstrike that killed 24 Pakistani border patrol troops. The United States recently restored funding to underwrite Pakistani counterterrorism efforts, including operations against militants in the regions along the Afghan border. Pakistan has received more than $10 billion in Coalition Support Funds since 2001, making it the largest recipient under the program. In October, the United States disbursed $322 million for the period of July through September 2012, which was frozen when relations soured. The current request for October through December of 2012 is being processed but has not yet been paid. Pentagon officials said Mr. Hagel did not issue a threat that the Defense Department would cut off the next round of payments. Instead, the officials said, Mr. Hagel indicated that because the funds are subject to congressional oversight, inaction by the Pakistani government to guarantee safe transit for American and allied shipments could again result in a freeze. “This is obviously a critical issue for the Department of Defense and to the United States,” a Pentagon official said. “And one of the issues that is critical to the Pakistanis is the continuation of Coalition Support Funds.” Rasul Baksh Rais, the director general of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, a policy research center here, reiterated the importance of Afghanistan as an issue between Pakistan and the United States. “The focus is on understanding which way Pakistan wants to go about Afghanistan and on regional issues, especially negotiations with the Taliban,” Mr. Rais said, “and what role Pakistan will play in 2014 and beyond in stabilizing Afghanistan and protecting international interests there.” Despite often-strained ties, the Obama administration has continued to seek Pakistani military and intelligence cooperation on counterterrorism issues, illuminating the realpolitik basis of the relationship. Pentagon officials said that strengthening military-to-military relations could act as ballast to steady a relationship with a nuclear-armed nation in a turbulent corner of the world. Mr. Hagel’s visit came amid changes at the top of Pakistan’s powerful military. The prime minister chose Lt. Gen. Raheel Sharif last month as army chief of staff, the most powerful military position in Pakistan. Because General Sharif (who is not related to the prime minister) had not been viewed as the military leadership’s preferred candidate, his selection was seen as an assertion of independence by the prime minister. Mr. Hagel met with General Sharif at the General Headquarters compound in Rawalpindi, the garrison city adjacent to the capital. The talks covered “mutual and common interests,” Mr. Hagel said after the meeting, and underlined that the militaries of both nations were trying to strengthen a relationship that General Sharif described as “long-lasting.”

Chuck Hagel
Pakistan
Afghanistan War
Nawaz Sharif


Man Guilty in Killing of Briton in Italy

Abstract: PERUGIA, Italy — A judge on Tuesday convicted a defendant for the murder of a British exchange student last year and sentenced him to 30 years in prison. The judge also charged two other suspects — an American college student and her Italian former boyfriend — with the crime, lawyers for the three suspects said. The sentencing of the defendant, Rudy Guede, 21, and the charges against the American student, Amanda Knox, 21, and her onetime boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, 24, are milestones in a case that has gripped Italy ever since the body of Meredith Kercher, 21, was found last November naked with her throat slit in the house she shared here with Ms. Knox and two other students. The proceeding was closed, as have been all previous court sessions in the case, and many questions remain unanswered. There was no official statement from Judge Paolo Micheli, who under Italian law has several weeks to make public his reasoning. Prosecutors contended that Mr. Guede, Ms. Knox and Mr. Sollecito killed Ms. Kercher in a drug-fueled sex game that went awry. They also accused Ms. Knox and Mr. Sollecito of covering up the killing to make it look like a robbery. Judge Micheli ruled that Ms. Knox and Mr. Sollecito should stand trial on all charges filed by prosecutors, lawyers said. All three defendants have denied wrongdoing and have been in jail since their arrest last fall. Italian law allows suspects to be held for as much as a year without charges if they are considered flight risks. Judge Micheli has five days to rule on whether Ms. Knox and Mr. Sollecito may be placed under house arrest pending trial, as their lawyers have requested. Mr. Guede, who was born in Ivory Coast and reared in Italy, has admitted to being present the night of the killing and to having sex with Ms. Kercher. Traces of his DNA were found at the crime scene, the police said. Mr. Guede had requested a fast-track trial, which is a closed proceeding without a jury and can sometimes result in a shorter sentence. Prosecutors had requested a life sentence, the stiffest offered in Italy, which does not have the death penalty. Mr. Guede can appeal the ruling. In final arguments last week, prosecutors accused Mr. Sollecito of having held Ms. Kercher while Ms. Knox held a knife to her throat and Mr. Guede tried to penetrate her, prosecutors told the Italian media. Although no murder weapon has been identified, an eight-inch kitchen knife was found at Mr. Sollecito’s house; prosecutors said it had traces of Ms. Kercher’s DNA near the tip and of Ms. Knox’s DNA near the handle. Ms. Knox initially told the police that she was in the house the night of the killing and had heard Ms. Kercher’s screams from another room. She accused someone else of the crime, but that suspect was subsequently cleared and is now suing her for defamation. Italy’s highest court later threw out Ms. Knox’s statement to the police on the grounds that she had been questioned without a lawyer present, although the same ruling also upheld her detention. Ms. Knox subsequently changed her account, saying that she had arrived home the morning after the killing. Lawyers for Mr. Sollecito contended last week that a vital piece of evidence, Ms. Kercher’s bra, was unreliable, because it contained DNA from more than one person. “There was a mix of traces, so the evidence isn’t usable,” Giulia Bongiorno, a lawyer representing Mr. Sollecito, said Tuesday before the verdict. Carlo Dalla Vedova, a lawyer representing Ms. Knox, said he was disappointed by Judge Micheli’s decision to send Ms. Knox and Mr. Sollecito to trial. “We will fight against the accusations, knowing that Amanda has nothing to do with the murder of her friend Meredith,” he said. A lawyer for the Kercher family, Francesco Maresca, said, “Italian justice has paid the tribute of truth to poor Meredith.” Lawyers said the trial for Ms. Knox and Mr. Sollecito was expected to begin on Dec. 4.

Italy
Decisions and Verdicts
Sentences (Criminal)
Knox Amanda
Sollecito Raffaele
Guede Rudy
Kercher Meredith
Murders and Attempted Murders


Orlando Gunman Used Assault Rifle With Military Roots, Police Say

Abstract: A firearm that the authorities said was used on Sunday in a mass shooting at a nightclub in Orlando , Fla., is a descendant of one of the world’s most widely distributed and familiar infantry weapons, and a type of rifle that has been involved in previous mass shootings in the United States . Chief John Mina of the Orlando Police Department said the gunman’s weapons included a handgun and an “AR-15-type assault rifle.” The first AR-15s were designed in the 1950s by Eugene M. Stoner , a Marine and inventor, who developed the weapon to military standards and for military service. It was an atypical rifle for its time, seemingly futuristic, and made partly with lightweight plastics and aluminum that traditionalists scorned. It fired a small-caliber, high-velocity bullet — a .223 — that was also considered revolutionary. The rifle was capable, via a selector lever, of semiautomatic or automatic fire. In the 1960s, under Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara, the Pentagon bought vast quantities of the rifle, calling it the M-16, for American ground troops in Vietnam. The M-16’s firepower and reputation for lethality were necessary, in Mr. McNamara’s view, to counter the Kalashnikov assault rifles carried by the North Vietnamese Army and Vietcong. Mass Shootings in the U.S. This partial list dates to 2007, the year of the Virginia Tech mass shooting. In this way, the M-16 and the Kalashnikov became a related pair, the assault rifle of the West springing into service as a response to the more widely distributed assault rifle of the East. A half-century later, AR-15s and M-16s are made in varied forms by multiple manufacturers, and updated versions, including the M-4 carbine, remain the standard shoulder-fired weapon for most American service members and many allies. Civilian versions have many trade and model names, but are generally referred to as AR-15s, although this name is a rough description and does not indicate whether a particular specimen of the rifle is capable of both semiautomatic fire and automatic fire, or is semiautomatic only. The police have not said whether the weapon recovered in Orlando was capable of automatic fire. Such questions are politically contentious, although depending on a shooter’s skill and the situation, they can sometimes be moot, as aimed semiautomatic fire from a competent shooter can be far more dangerous than automatic fire, which is harder to control and is often inaccurate. AR-15s that fire only on semiautomatic are generally legal in the United States, and are widely owned by assault-rifle enthusiasts. They are also sometimes used in crimes, and have been involved in some of the most deadly mass shootings in American history, including the massacre in December in San Bernardino, Calif., which killed 14 people, and the attack in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., which killed 26 people, 20 of them children. (That gunman also killed his mother at home before driving to the school.) The AR-15’s once unfamiliar caliber — commonly called 5.56-millimeter — also evolved into a military standard. The rifle-and-cartridge combination can cause serious wounds, though the damage is determined partly by the type of bullet fired. Investigators in Orlando have yet to provide details on the bullets that were fired in the attack.

Orlando Shooting
Omar Mateen
Orlando shooter
Guns
Orlando
Murders and Homicides


After Hall of Fame Vote, Theres No Doubting Moons Position

Abstract: Detroit - THE weather turned nasty here yesterday as the temperatures began to drop and the rain mixed with snow. But the atmosphere was jubilant inside a building rented out by the sports agent Leigh Steinberg for his 20th Super Bowl party. The former quarterback Warren Moon, a partner in Steinberg's business, made his way through the crowd. There were handshakes and congratulations, and a few cheers. Moon took an elevator to the fifth floor, but he could have floated. A couple of hours earlier, Moon, 49, was named as one of six new inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I generally don't like the idea of members of the news media voting for awards. But this year, faced with an impressive slate of candidates, the Hall of Fame panelists got it right. They chose Rayfield Wright, a rock of an offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys. They chose the long-overlooked Harry Carson, an anchor of the Giants' great defense in the 1986 championship season. They chose Reggie White, who was known as the Minister of Defense. They chose John Madden, who was a great coach before becoming a great broadcaster. They selected Troy Aikman, who led the Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles. Moon's selection on the first ballot was particularly fitting, because it acknowledged his sensational career numbers. Moon won five consecutive Grey Cups with the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League. He signed with the Houston Oilers in the N.F.L. as a free agent in 1984 and went on to play for Minnesota, Seattle and Kansas City. He completed his N.F.L. career with 51,061 yards of total offense, 291 touchdown passes and 22 rushing touchdowns. More than the numbers, the selection acknowledged a hard road traveled and a career blocked by convention at various stages. There were college recruiters, then pro scouts, who didn't believe Moon had what it took to play football's most glamorous position. His professional career began in 1978 in Canada and ended in the United States in 2000. Yesterday, he said this was the first time in his football career that he did not have to wait. "To be the first African-American quarterback into the Hall of Fame, all African-American QB's who played before me should share in this," Moon said at a news conference after the Hall of Fame announcement. "I don't want to make this a racial thing, but I think it is significant. It shows that we have arrived at the pinnacle of our sport." Moon's entry into the Hall comes at a time when African-American quarterbacks are at the heart of a transformation at the position. At the party last night, Moon put the Hall of Fame honor in perspective. "Everybody that's ever played this game as an African-American before me, and guys who are playing right now, can all kind of share in this," he said. "Because me being the first, I think it makes it significant whenever a minority does anything for the first time, a huge achievement. And I think this is a huge achievement, because I am now a part of one of the most elite groups of athletes to ever play the game." In the week leading up to the Super Bowl, Moon made it clear that if he were inducted into the Hall of Fame, he would carry generations in with him. He would bring along those who were never given the opportunity to play quarterback, those who were forced to switch positions, those who were marginalized, those who are flourishing in college, those who are playing in the N.F.L. and the C.F.L. "For it to happen to me in the first time, being eligible to do that, it just sends a statement to everyone that African-Americans can play this position," he said. "They can play at a high level, and they can play with the best players to ever play this game." Earlier in the day in a Detroit suburb, Moon and three other quarterbacks, Doug Williams, James Harris and Marlin Briscoe, held an indoor football clinic for their organization, the Field Generals. Briscoe was the first African-American quarterback to start an N.F.L. game. Harris was the first to open the regular season as a starter. Williams was the first to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory. They taught passing skills and mechanics to high school athletes. The most important skill they discussed was leadership -- what it means to persevere, to overcome, to push forward, to become a leader. For Seahawks fans, Moon's selection might be an omen of good things to come today. "This could be a very special weekend," said Moon, who is a color analyst for Seahawks broadcasts. "Inducted in the Hall of Fame and possibly get a Super Bowl ring." Moon was born in Los Angeles. He played his college career at Washington, began his pro career in Canada and ended it in the United States. The journey finally and fittingly will end this summer in Canton, Ohio. Sports of The Times E-mail: wcr@nytimes.com

PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME
MOON WARREN
SPORTS OF THE TIMES (TIMES COLUMN)
BLACKS
SUPER BOWL
FOOTBALL
AWARDS DECORATIONS AND HONORS


A Review of Kushi Restaurant, in Nesconset

Abstract: IN light of fuel shortages and long lines at the pumps, I have a new criterion for rating a restaurant: Is it gas-worthy? In the case of Kushi, in Nesconset, 20 miles from my home in Huntington, the answer is a definite yes. Kushi, which made its debut at the end of September, is owned by Jason Chen and Eric Wu, who are also the proprietors of Onsen Sushi in Oakdale, a friendly storefront that immediately became my favorite Japanese restaurant when it opened two years ago. In Kushi, they have another winner on their hands. Mr. Chen and Mr. Wu, who are brothers-in-law, are experienced chefs. Mr. Chen had been the head chef at Nisen in Commack, and Mr. Wu had been a sushi chef at various Manhattan restaurants for over 10 years. Mr. Chen remains at Onsen, still behind the sushi bar, where he serves as genial host; Mr. Wu plays the same role of master of ceremonies at Kushi. On our first visit, he greeted us, sent over a complimentary treat and checked on our reactions throughout the meal. (He didn’t know us.) By our second visit, a week later, we had become regulars. Mr. Wu came out from behind the sushi bar and fist-bumped everyone at the table. Kushi closed for several days when it lost power during Hurricane Sandy, and our second visit came a couple of days after it reopened. The restaurant hadn’t missed a beat. The waitresses add to the welcoming atmosphere. Our server was superb, bringing extra plates and napkins as needed and demonstrating, when asked a question, that she knew every ingredient in every dish. The place is small and simple — a 28-seat storefront in the Nesconset Plaza shopping center — but the food is fantastic. For the first time in my life, I dreamed about sushi after eating here. The dish that inspired those dreams was the super white roll, a beautiful creation of spicy white tuna and what the restaurant calls crunch, similar to a tempura coating, topped with more white tuna and a zippy wasabi sauce. All the sushi bar appetizers that we tried hit the bull’s-eye. Among them was crazy salmon, consisting of spicy tuna and cilantro wrapped in salmon with a wasabi-yuzu sauce. Another winner was tuna tataki, lightly seared fish resting on a bed of julienne cucumber and ponzu sauce, with seaweed salad on the side. The eggplant sandwich consisted of layers of deep-fried eggplant, lobster salad, salmon and spicy tuna, the whole creation dabbed with a wasabi-eel sauce. Spicy tuna made another appearance surrounded by slices of fresh avocado, which formed a bowl for the fish. The best cooked appetizer was the black cod miso zuke. The fish had been marinated and grilled, then set atop crisp-tender green beans. More miso sauce was served on the side. The five crisply fried oysters served in their shells atop a garlic butter sauce were another hit. Rock shrimp tempura was the usual mound of crunchy morsels tossed in a spicy aioli. We also liked the shrimp gyoza (pan-fried dumplings) with their paper-thin wrappers, and the broiled Japanese eggplant glazed with miso sauce. The sushi deluxe, nine pieces of assorted fish plus a tuna roll, was a wonderful choice. The moment it arrived, our waitress identified each piece of the sparkling seafood. We also tried a Chilean sea bass special that took first prize for both creativity and flavor. The grilled fish arrived atop a bed of lightly stir-fried okra, jicama, onion and red and green peppers, with a black bean sauce on the side. The combination of the crunchy vegetables and the perfectly cooked fish was spectacular. Even the miso soup was better than the norm. The broth was flavor-packed, with shards of seaweed and tiny cubes of tofu floating in it. Entrees came with either that soup or a salad: iceberg lettuce, tomato, cucumber and ginger dressing. It sounds ordinary, but the ingredients were impeccably fresh and crunchy. There are very few also-rans at Kushi. The seafood kushiyaki, skewers of broiled shrimp, scallops and salmon, were perfectly cooked, but not as exciting as the rest of the fare. A bento box entree harbored the only real disappointment: Its beef teriyaki was too chewy, but the shrimp tempura had a spectacularly light, airy coating. Kushi has the usual desserts for this type of restaurant: ice creams, including tempura and mochi ice cream, tempura banana slices and tempura cheesecake. We tried the last two, and they filled the bill for diners with a sweet tooth. The fresh oranges the restaurant sends out gratis are an even more refreshing end to a meal. Dessert is beside the point. Kushi ties with its sister restaurant, Onsen, as the best Japanese restaurant on the island. Kushi 127-23 Smithtown Boulevard Nesconset Plaza Nesconset (631) 366-1688 DON’T MISS THE SPACE Small, simple Japanese storefront with 28 seats. A long leather banquette faces bare, black wood tables and high-backed black leather chairs. Complete wheelchair access. THE CROWD Casual, with many return patrons. The servers are sweet and well informed. THE BAR There is no physical bar, but wine and beer are served. The restaurant has a small selection of wines by the bottle and by the glass, cold and hot sake and Japanese beer, all at reasonable prices. THE BILL Lunch entrees (including soup and salad), $8 to $14. Dinner entrees, $11 to $26. Prices are very reasonable for food of this caliber. Through November, as an opening promotion, the restaurant plans to offer a 20 percent discount on diners’ checks. American Express, MasterCard, Visa and Discover are accepted. WHAT WE LIKED Super white roll, crazy salmon, tuna tataki, eggplant sandwich, spicy tuna avocado bowl, black cod miso zuke, oyster yaki, rock shrimp, shrimp gyoza, broiled eggplant, sushi deluxe, sea bass with jicama and okra. IF YOU GO Open Tuesday to Thursday, noon to 10 p.m.; Friday, noon to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 12:30 to 11 p.m.; and Sunday, 2 to 10 p.m. Closed Monday. Ample parking in the large shopping-center lot facing the restaurant. Reservations are strongly recommended. RATINGS Don’t Miss, Worth It, O.K., Don’t Bother.

Restaurants
Long Island (NY)
Kushi (Nesconset NY Restaurant)
Nesconset (NY)
Kushi (Nesconset NY)


Rookies Lead Rally Over Falcons, and Giants Could Get Used to It

Abstract: EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — A pass flung out of bounds does not usually alter the tenor of a football game. But late in the third quarter Sunday, with the slumbering Giants trailing the underdog Atlanta Falcons by 10 points, Eli Manning hastily threw in the direction of the rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. while under pressure. It was a busted play, with a missed block in the backfield forcing Manning to heave the ball well past the sideline. As the play was ending, though, what caught Manning’s attention — and the attention of everyone else at MetLife Stadium — was the sight of Beckham dashing down the field uncovered, easily 15 yards behind any Atlanta defender. Beckham, the Giants’ first-round draft pick in May, was making his N.F.L. debut after sitting out for months with a hamstring strain. But his speed, his elusiveness and his potential were plainly evident on one incomplete pass. “I’m sure they took notice of it on the sideline,” Giants Coach Tom Coughlin said of the Falcons. During the next several plays, the Falcons’ defensive backs took several steps away from the line of scrimmage as they tried to cover Beckham. Manning completed short passes to him instead. The Falcons, who had been dominating the game, suddenly looked discombobulated, worried about the Giants’ new pass-catching threat. The tide turned quickly as another Giants rookie, running back Andre Williams, capitalized on Atlanta’s new emphasis on the Giants’ passing attack with a burst into the end zone that cut the Falcons’ lead to 3 points. Within minutes, it was Beckham’s turn: He caught a 15-yard, fourth-quarter pass for the go-ahead touchdown in what became a 30-20 Giants victory . “The first of many,” Coughlin told Beckham as he came off the field, having scored his first touchdown as a Giant. Manning told him, “Not a bad N.F.L. debut.” Manning later added, “We had never even practiced the pass route that Odell caught for the touchdown.” A Giants team reeling less than a month ago, with an 0-2 record, is now on a three-game winning streak and has been revitalized by a jolt of fresh blood. “We are just getting started,” said defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who had a strong second half harassing Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan. “We’re getting the young guys mixed in with the vets. We’re building something.” For Beckham, who finished with four receptions for 44 yards, it was a performance that seemed long overdue. He had strained his hamstring in a workout not long after he was drafted. Rushing back in an effort to make a good impression on his new teammates, Beckham reinjured the muscle. With fans growing frustrated while waiting to see the Giants’ new weapon in action, Beckham again returned too soon and had a setback. Finally, the Giants decided to hold him out until they were certain he was 100 percent healthy. Standing on the field Sunday as the national anthem was being sung, Beckham cried, he said. “They were tears of joy that all the other stuff was finally behind me,” he said. In the first quarter, he caught his first pass. The crowd gave him a loud ovation. “That gave me chills,” Beckham said. “To know they were behind me after all.” Image Andre Williams scoring on a 3-yard run in the third quarter as Paul Worrilow tried to tackle him. Credit Barton Silverman/The New York Times But Beckham was still trying to adjust to his new surroundings. “A lot of on-the-fly learning going on out there,” he said with a grin. Beckham would have been forgiven if he were distracted in the early going Sunday. All around him, his team seemed to be imploding. Until late in the third quarter, it appeared the Giants were preoccupied by their recent roll. Perhaps adding to their sense of confidence — or overconfidence — were the many injuries that had depleted Atlanta’s starting lineup. Or maybe the Giants were looking past the Falcons to two N.F.C. East games coming up next on their schedule, against Philadelphia and Dallas. Whatever the cause, the Giants played a lackluster, mistake-filled first half and trailed by 3 points entering the third quarter. That deficit ballooned to 10. Manning insisted the Giants did not panic. “I’m proud of the team today,” he said. “No one got uptight or worried. We just went about our jobs.” But it is hard to overlook the impact of the Giants’ first play after the Falcons took the 20-10 lead — the pass thrown out of bounds down the left sideline, the one where Beckham turned around his defender and left him in the dust. The next time Manning threw toward Beckham, Atlanta was penalized 26 yards for pass interference. Three plays later, Beckham moved as if he were planning to run a deep pass route but stopped short. He was open for an 8-yard reception. Atlanta’s secondary now had to defend the Giants’ receivers equally, rather than double covering Victor Cruz or Rueben Randle. Manning, who completed 19 of 30 passes for 200 yards, responded by picking apart the Falcons. Soon the Giants were closing in on the end zone. Image Giants Coach Tom Coughlin and Falcons defensive end Osi Umenyiora, a former Giant, after the game. Credit Barton Silverman/The New York Times Rashad Jennings, the Giants’ starting running back, had left the game with a knee sprain, which gave Williams, who led the Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing last season while with Boston College, a bigger role. With the Giants at the 3-yard line, Williams took a handoff and slammed into Atlanta safety Kemal Ishmael, knocking him into the end zone as Williams toppled in for the score. The rejuvenated Giants defense then forced Atlanta to punt after three plays. Beckham appeared to be wide open on two plays in short succession, but Manning looked his way on only one of them, connecting with Beckham for 14 yards. After the Giants had advanced to the 15-yard line, Manning looked to his left and saw Beckham in single coverage against Atlanta cornerback Robert Alford. The play called for Beckham to run a double-move route. On the first fake, Alford grabbed Beckham, which drew a penalty flag for holding, but Beckham then cut inside and outraced and outjumped Alford for Manning’s pass, cradling the ball as he fell into the end zone for a 24-20 Giants lead. The Giants’ defense, led by Pierre-Paul, continued to swarm Atlanta’s offense, which entered the game tied for the N.F.L. lead in total yards. Atlanta did not advance past its 37-yard line again. “The first half I did not like at all,” Coughlin said. “The end of the game was different. The fourth quarter was ours.” Coughlin, who had waited a long time to see his most prized rookie play, was asked for a first impression of Beckham. Coughlin grinned broadly. “The athleticism was obvious to everybody,” he said. “And his speed will have to be reckoned with.”

Football
Odell Beckham Jr.
Andre Williams
Eli Manning
Giants
Atlanta Falcons
Matt Ryan


Two Convicted in Killing of Livery-Cab Driver Near Exoneration

Abstract: A man and a woman who have been imprisoned since 1997 for the fatal shooting of a livery-cab driver in the Bronx took an important step toward exoneration and freedom on Friday when prosecutors told a judge that they had agreed to vacate the convictions while they look into assertions that the killing was committed by somebody else. The defendants, Eric Glisson and Cathy Watkins, have long maintained that they were wrongfully convicted in the murder of Baithe Diop, a Senegalese immigrant who was shot twice in 1995 and left to die as his livery cab rolled through a street in the Soundview neighborhood. The case has been re-examined as a result of evidence that has recently emerged suggesting that the murder was committed by members of a Bronx narcotics gang who later became federal informers. Mr. Glisson and Ms. Watkins stood handcuffed in State Supreme Court in the Bronx before Justice Denis J. Boyle, as a prosecutor in the Bronx district attorney’s office, Nicole Keary, agreed to free them for at least 90 days. “During that time we will investigate the claims that two other individuals, not Mr. Glisson and Ms. Watkins, committed the murder,” Ms. Keary said. She added that if the district attorney’s office found evidence within 90 days that absolved Ms. Watkins and Mr. Glisson, the temporary clearing of their convictions would become permanent. A memorandum of agreement also gave the district attorney’s office the option of asking that the charges be reinstated if they determined that Mr. Glisson and Ms. Watkins were in fact guilty. Ms. Keary said the two would be released, probably on Wednesday, after they had been fitted with electronic bracelets to ensure that they abided by the terms of the conditional release, which limits their travel. As the prosecutor spoke, Ms. Watkins’s lawyer, Paul Casteleiro, stood next to her, gripping her hand. A moment later, court officers briefly uncuffed Ms. Watkins so that she could sign paperwork. Mr. Glisson and Ms. Watkins gained influential support a few months ago after Mr. Glisson wrote to federal prosecutors in Manhattan saying that he thought members of a gang called Sex Money and Murder, or S.M.M., had killed Mr. Diop. The details of the crime resonated with a federal investigator, John O’Malley, who had once been a homicide detective in the Bronx. Mr. O’Malley remembered that two former S.M.M. members, Jose Rodriguez and Gilbert Vega, who had agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors against the gang, had told him that they had shot an African livery driver in Soundview in late 1994 or early 1995. Mr. O’Malley confirmed details of the crime with Mr. Vega and Mr. Rodriguez, then met with Mr. Glisson and eventually prepared a detailed affidavit in which he wrote: “I believe the evidence is overwhelming that Vega and Rodriguez, acting alone, robbed and shot Baithe Diop on Jan. 19, 1995, causing his death.” Ultimately, six people were tried in Mr. Diop’s death in two trials in the 1990s and five were convicted. Lawyers for Mr. Glisson and Ms. Watkins first cited the information from Mr. O’Malley in August as they asked the court to dismiss the charges against their clients. On Thursday, Bruce D. Austern, a lawyer for Carlos Perez, among the five convicted in Mr. Diop’s death, filed a motion asking that his client’s conviction be vacated. A lawyer for Mr. Glisson, Peter A. Cross, told reporters that he thought his client should be cleared swiftly, saying: “I think we all know that Eric and Cathy are innocent. We know who the real killers are.” Even as supporters of Mr. Glisson and Ms. Watkins were cheered on Friday by the district attorney’s decision, they said they had been hoping they would be released immediately. Among those present was Mr. Glisson’s daughter, Cynthia Morales, who was 2 weeks old when he was arrested. “Going to school and hearing other girls talk about their dad and the times they enjoyed together,” she said,“that’s hard for me.”

False Arrests Convictions and Imprisonments


Finland, Once a Eurozone Point of Pride, Is Now Faltering

Abstract: What a comedown. Not too many years ago, Finland was seen as a “Nordic tiger” with a world-leading technology company, the cellphone maker Nokia. And ever since the financial crisis and Europe’s sovereign debt problems shined a harsh light on eurozone government finances, Finnish leaders have strongly supported the German chancellor in insisting on strong budget discipline as the medicine for the weaker members of the 19-nation currency bloc. Now it is Finland that looks weak. Its economy contracted 0.1 percent in the first quarter of 2015, official data showed on Wednesday . That was its second consecutive quarterly decline, meeting the common definition of a recession. Factors include the effects of Western economic sanctions against Russia, which is Finland’s third-largest trading partner after Germany and Sweden. There is also the decline of Nokia as a global force in smartphones. Even Italy and Spain, countries that a few years ago appeared to be in danger of being forced out of the eurozone, performed better in the quarter. Among eurozone members, only Finland and troubled Greece are currently in recession, and economists now disparage the competitiveness of the Finnish labor force. Adding insult to injury, the European Commission said on Wednesday that it would decide within two weeks whether to bring an “excessive deficit procedure,” a type of administrative review that could result in a fine, because Finland’s finances were out of line with European rules. Finland in October lost its top-notch triple-A debt rating from Standard & Poor’s, which cited the risk of “protracted stagnation” for the downgrade. S&P now rates it AA+. Moody’s Investors’ Service and Fitch Ratings, though, still rate the country as triple-A. Finland’s current malaise is hardly a disaster for the eurozone. The country contributes only 1.9 percent of the bloc’s economy. Its problems are in some sense its own. Eero Lehto, an economist with the Labour Institute for Economic Research in Helsinki, said that Finland was being held back by a variety of factors that might not long endure. Exports to Russia “collapsed” after sanctions imposed by the West over Russian intervention in Ukraine, he said, even as fewer Russian tourists found it possible to visit Finland because of the sharp fall in the value of the ruble. The economy of the country of 5.4 million people has also been hurt by slumping demand for its forestry products, including paper, as digital communications have grown, Mr. Lehto noted. Then there is Nokia. The company, once the world’s biggest cellphone maker, was responsible for as much as one-fourth of Finland’s economic growth in the decade leading up to the global financial crisis. But the national tech champion failed to adapt to the smartphone revolution and was ultimately clobbered by Apple and Samsung. Mr. Lehto said the decline of Nokia’s cellphone business, which was sold to Microsoft in 2014, had cost many thousands of well-paying jobs, just as the formerly immense profit that the company had been spreading through the economy dried up, requiring a painful period of adjustment. “But I think it’s turning around now,” he added, pointing to the former Nokia employees who were finding new jobs in the country’s technology sector. “It’s sort of a process of creative destruction.”


S.E.C. Accuses 2 in Trading of Credit-Default Swaps

Abstract: The Wall Street salesman sounded cryptic: “You’re listening to my silence, right?” But those few words, spoken to a valuable client in 2006, over a recorded telephone line, have now led to a landmark case of insider trading. Winks and nods are common currency on Wall Street, but this case, disclosed Tuesday by the Securities and Exchange Commission, is significant because it is the first to focus on the vast, murky market for credit-default swaps , considered by some to be among the most dangerous instruments of the financial crisis . The S.E.C. claims Jon-Paul Rorech, a salesman at Deutsche Bank , tipped off a money manager at a prominent hedge fund, Millennium Partners, about a deal involving the company that controls Nielsen Media, the television ratings service. Based on that information, the money manager, Renato Negrin, then bought credit-default swaps that rose in value when the deal was made public, eventually earning him a $1.2 million profit, the S.E.C. claims. “Rorech and Negrin checked their integrity at the door and schemed to engage in insider trading of C.D.S. to the detriment of investors and our markets,” Scott W. Friestad, the deputy director of the S.E.C.’s Division of Enforcement, said in a statement. Mr. Rorech, 36, through his lawyer Richard M. Strassberg of the law firm Goodwin Procter, denied violating any securities laws. He has been placed on paid leave pending the results of the investigation, which the S.E.C. said was continuing. Mr. Negrin, 45, through his lawyer, Lawrence Iason, of the law firm Morvillo, Abramowitz, Grand, Iason, Anello & Bohrer, denied receiving insider information and said he would fight the charges. “We have a zero-tolerance policy toward insider trading and Millennium requires every employee to certify annually that they are aware of and in compliance with our policies,” said Israel Englander, the founder of Millennium, which manages $11 billion. The firm has agreed to put the profits in escrow until the case is resolved. Deutsche Bank said it would continue to look into the matter in cooperation with the S.E.C. According to the S.E.C., the trouble began in July 2006, when Mr. Rorech, seeking to curry favor with Mr. Negrin, an important client, alerted the money manager to a coming bond offering. The deal was to finance the leveraged buyout of VNU, the Dutch media conglomerate that controls Nielsen. Many financial companies record the telephone calls of employees, and so the conversations were picked up. The men also spoke via cellphone, the S.E.C. said. Mr. Negrin then bought credit-default swaps — instruments that serve as insurance policies on the bonds, in the case of default — and profited when the deal was announced a week later, the S.E.C. said. Regulators also claim that Mr. Rorech was prohibited by Deutsche Bank from soliciting trades for credit-default swaps on VNU and other companies before he called Mr. Negrin. While this is the first time credit-default swaps have been the focus of an S.E.C. insider-trading investigation, regulators have recently called for increased transparency and regulation of the market. The case also raises questions about the possible abuse of inside information by hedge funds and investment banks that have delicate information about new bond offerings and trade credit-default swap contracts. The contracts are primarily bought and sold through private negotiations between investors instead of on a public exchange, and typically bring in hefty fees for investment banks. The S.E.C. has been examining trades of credit-default swaps since at least 2007 after Ben S. Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, urged regulators to take action to prevent abuses in the market.

Credit Default Swaps
Securities and Commodities Violations
Insider Trading
Deutsche Bank AG
Millennium Partners


Hornets Take Anthony Davis With Top Pick in Draft

Abstract: NEWARK — Despite playing only one season for Kentucky, a university that has become nearly synonymous with the one-and-done era of the N.B.A. draft , Anthony Davis is a bit of a throwback when it comes to top draft picks. Not a household name coming out of high school, Davis rocketed to fame in his lone college season by leading his team to an N.C.A.A. championship. For his efforts, the New Orleans Hornets made him the first pick of the 2012 draft Thursday. Since 2005, when the N.B.A. instituted a rule that players must be at least one year removed from high school before entering the draft, many high schoolers have been preordained as future stars and attended college largely to fill the one required year. Davis, however, lacked the profile of players like Greg Oden and John Wall because, less than three years ago, the 6-foot-11 power forward was a 6-foot-3 guard. Asked how the year in college had benefited him, Davis said: “I think I changed a lot. I became more of a leader, more mature, developed a post game I didn’t have going into Kentucky.” Davis also credited the system put in place by Coach John Calipari for giving him a head start on his professional career. “He coached in the pros before, so it helped me, as well, to become ready,” Davis said. “He runs his practices in the program as a pro team, and I think me going to Kentucky really helped me become prepared.” Proving that point, Davis’s teammate, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, was chosen by the Charlotte Bobcats with the second pick in the draft, the first time that the first two picks came from the same college team. “We have two down and four more to go,” Davis said of his celebrated Kentucky teammates after Kidd-Gilchrist’s selection. “Hopefully, all of them go in the first round.” While Kentucky failed to fulfill Davis’s wish, the team did have four first-rounders, with Terrence Jones going to the Houston Rockets at No. 18 and Marquis Teague going to the Chicago Bulls at No. 29. In the second round, Doron Lamb was taken at No. 42 by the Milwaukee Bucks, and Darius Miller was taken at No. 46 by the Hornets. With six players drafted, Kentucky tied the record for one draft set by U.N.L.V. in 1977. The Hornets received an instant upgrade on both offense and defense. Davis, with a standing reach of 9 feet, is an excellent rebounder and shot blocker, complementing his developing interior game on offense. With Davis having won the Wooden, Adolph Rupp and Naismith Awards, the only criticism leveled against him is his lack of experience playing in the paint compared with some of his counterparts, largely as a result of his late growth spurt. Joining Davis on the Hornets will be Austin Rivers, a shooting guard from Duke and the son of Boston Celtics Coach Doc Rivers, whom the team chose with the No. 10 pick. The pair of top-10 picks may be enough to entice the star guard Eric Gordon, a restricted free agent, to remain with the team, although Davis played down that notion. “I’m not sure a rookie can do that,” Davis said. “I don’t think I have that much power.” Florida’s Bradley Beal was selected third by the Washington Wizards. A deft outside shooter, Beal will be paired with Wall in Washington’s backcourt. Beal was the focus of a great deal of pre-draft speculation as teams looked to move up to take him. He ended up on a team that badly needed a shooting guard. The top five were rounded out by Dion Waiters, a guard from Syracuse selected by Cleveland, and Thomas Robinson, a power forward from Kansas who was chosen by Sacramento. North Carolina matched Kentucky with four first-rounders: Harrison Barnes (No. 7, Golden State), Kendall Marshall (No. 13, Phoenix), John Henson (No. 14, Milwaukee) and Tyler Zeller (No. 17, Dallas). Zeller was later traded to the Cavaliers. Taking a risk in hopes of a big reward, the Boston Celtics used the Nos. 21 and 22 picks on Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo. Sullinger, a forward from Ohio State, was projected as a top-five pick a year ago but fell because of potential problems with his back. Melo, a center from Syracuse, was barred from the N.C.A.A. tournament over academic issues, but is a 7-foot defensive specialist. They form a potentially potent frontcourt combination. In the second round, the Celtics picked Melo’s Syracuse teammate Kris Joseph, a 6-7 forward. The steal of the draft could be Perry Jones III of Baylor, taken with the No. 28 pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder. A team built through the draft, the Thunder may have added yet another star player to the defending Western Conference champions. “What’s better than learning from one of the best teams?” Jones said when asked if he was upset about falling to the end of the first round. “They were in the finals. They have great players, a great coach. This is just an opportunity for me to grow.” At least one other trade materialized Thursday night. Picking one spot before the Thunder, the Miami Heat selected Arnett Moultrie of Mississippi State before sending him to the Philadelphia 76ers for two draft picks.

Davis Anthony
Kidd-Gilchrist Michael
New Orleans Hornets
Charlotte Bobcats
Draft and Recruitment (Sports)
Basketball
Basketball (College)
University of Kentucky


Road to N.B.A. Is Taking Detour Around College

Abstract: Three of the top seven picks taken in the N.B.A. draft on Thursday did not play college basketball, only the second time that had happened since the 2006 draft, when the N.B.A. began to require draftees to be at least one year removed from high school. Two of the players — including Kristaps Porzingis, selected fourth by the Knicks — have played internationally their whole careers, while the third, Emmanuel Mudiay, whom the Denver Nuggets drafted at No. 7, was a high school standout in Dallas before spending the past season as a professional on the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China. Mudiay, a 6-foot-5 guard, joined Brandon Jennings in choosing to forgo college to play overseas. Mudiay’s decision reportedly partly stemmed from eligibility concerns related to his high school, Prime Prep, the now-closed charter school founded by Deion Sanders. On Thursday, Mudiay told reporters that he did not think choosing to play in China rather than at Southern Methodist, where he had initially committed, had influenced his draft stock. Mudiay, whom some once projected as a top-three pick, said: “Seven is a great number. That’s my favorite number.” While it is still too soon to tell whether Mudiay’s journey marks the beginning of a trend (many incorrectly predicted the same would happen after Jennings’s decision to play for Lottomatica Roma), some young players might be lured by the riches associated with playing overseas as the N.C.A.A. sorts through legal battles and reshapes the amateur model. While most of his fellow draftees were barred from making money off their athletic pursuits, Mudiay received a reported seven-figure salary from the Southern Tigers and signed a deal with Under Armour. Several Foot Locker commercials featuring Mudiay aired during ESPN’s draft broadcast. General Manager Chris Wallace of the Memphis Grizzlies said playing college basketball was “not necessary.” The draft, he added, is “a process to grab for talent, and we’re going to take the talent wherever we find it.” Amid the pageantry at Barclays Center on Thursday, college basketball felt like the uninvited guest — unless you count Kentucky Coach John Calipari congratulating the six former Wildcats who were selected. If the N.B.A. shows little interest in college basketball, the N.C.A.A. is very interested in the N.B.A. Since the 2006 draft, the N.B.A.’s rule requiring players to wait a year after high school to enter the draft has loomed over the men’s college game. As a result, the sport’s top teams — including this year’s champion, Duke, which was led by three freshmen who were drafted in the first round Thursday — are fueled by so-called one-and-done players. Despite the importance of the rule to college basketball, the N.C.A.A. does not have any influence over it. Instead, it is the exclusive product of negotiations between the N.B.A. and the players’ union. “At the end of the day, college athletics is not in the room,” said Jim Haney, the executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Larry Scott, the Pacific-12 commissioner, said: “Decisions about eligibility for pro leagues are made by the pro leagues. And this is often a misconception. People think it’s the N.C.A.A.’s rule, and it’s not.” N.B.A. owners were the main drivers behind the rule change. While the selections of stars like Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James straight out of high school were easy calls, teams grew frustrated with having to consider large investments in players who had never faced superior competition. “The N.B.A. has always been of the view that getting a longer period to see a player against good competition is a plus for teams when they have to make difficult draft decisions,” said Russ Granik, who retired as the N.B.A.’s deputy commissioner in 2006. N.B.A. Commissioner Adam Silver has said he would favor moving the eligibility requirement to two years removed from high school, but the executive director of the players association, Michele Roberts, said recently that the union did not support such a rule. There are other ideas that might make skipping college ball more popular. Arn Tellem, an agent who recently announced that he was joining the Detroit Pistons’ front office, has proposed bolstering the N.B.A.’s Development League, but that would require getting the players’ union to go along. Under current rules, any player who skips college is eligible to sign with a D-League team, but because the league’s salaries range from $13,000 to $25,500, playing overseas remains a more attractive option. Once thing is certain: The college sports establishment is not happy with the one-and-done phenomenon. “I think there’s a consensus among many that for some student-athletes in the sport of basketball, we’re falling short of the objective of using college as an opportunity to educate young people and prepare them for success in life,” said Scott, who added that he hoped “to make sure kids coming to our universities are serious about getting education as opposed to using it as a brief steppingstone to an athletic career.” One idea that was bandied about this year was the reintroduction of freshman ineligibility, which existed in basketball until the 1970s. The Big Ten distributed a memo in April, titled “Education First, Athletics Second,” that discussed “a year of readiness.” Several conference commissioners said the idea of freshman eligibility deserved further study. But the idea does not appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. More appealing has been a proposal worked out among the N.C.A.A, the N.B.A. and the coaches’ association to move the early-entry draft declaration deadline back five weeks and allow players who attend an invitation-only combine to receive feedback and then decide whether they want to stay in college. This week, the Division I Council announced that it would sponsor legislation along those lines. Haney, of the coaches association, credited the N.B.A. and the N.C.A.A. for working together on the proposal. “It wouldn’t have happened without Adam Silver and Kiki Vandeweghe and Ned Cohen’s willingness to sit down,” he said, referring to three N.B.A. officials. In the meantime, college basketball’s most attractive attribute for players who might be tempted by an immediate payday in Guangdong, Rome or Istanbul is the college experience and, of course, the N.C.A.A. tournament. “Come around March Madness is when I missed it a little bit — the excitement of it is just crazy,” said Jennings, who was picked eighth over all and is now with the Detroit Pistons. “Just going to school on campus, getting the love, stuff like that.” Still, Jennings acknowledged that the path he had taken had its perks. “For a kid at 17, 18, if he can get a million dollars, that’s hard to say no to,” Jennings said. “It’s hard to turn down 1.2 million when you’re 18 and broke.”

Basketball
Emmanuel Mudiay
Sports Drafts and Recruits
College basketball
Wages and salaries
NBA
NCAA


Lawyer’s Graphic Novels, Anything but Brief

Abstract: LOS ANGELES — “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” Philip K. Dick asked in the title of a novel that became the basis of the movie “Blade Runner.” The question is best answered by androids. But we know that one very big entertainment lawyer, Harry M. Brittenham, dreams of inhabiting the body of a toothy, ship-crunching Mosasaur, or of a sneaky, ratlike Morganucodon, as the situation requires. The Mosasaur and Morganucodon, prehistoric types, are just two of the beasts briefly occupied by Noah Freeman, the workaday civil servant who is the hero of Mr. Brittenham’s latest graphic novel. It is a 224-page Goliath titled “Shifter,” and is set for publication on Nov. 15 by Mr. Brittenham’s own Anomaly Publishing. Mr. Brittenham, who writes as and is widely called “Skip,” has a day job representing some of Hollywood’s most substantial companies and executives as a senior partner at the Ziffren Brittenham law firm. Recently, for instance, he undertook the ticklish business of negotiating the exit of his client Jeff Robinov from his post as president of the Warner Brothers motion picture group. Since last year, however, Mr. Brittenham has been moonlighting as the author and publisher of elaborate fantasy books (with accompanying apps ) in collaboration with Brian Haberlin, a writer-artist, and others. Mr. Brittenham is hardly the only show business lawyer to indulge his creative yearnings. Bertram Fields, who has represented the actor Tom Cruise and others, has published novels as D. Kincaid, and histories under his own name. Neville Johnson, a Hollywood litigator, has long been performing as the bluesy singer-songwriter Trevor McShane. “Anomaly,” Mr. Brittenham’s earlier graphic novel — which claimed to be the longest full-color original graphic novel ever published — was set up as a possible film project at Relativity Media, with Joe Roth among the producers. Mr. Roth, whose credits include “Snow White and the Huntsman,” has an eye for promising film material. And, like much of Hollywood, he is a longtime client of the Ziffren Brittenham firm.

Books
Cartoons
Writer
Harry M Brittenham