‘We’re Not Perfect,’ an Illinois Synagogue’s Ads Proclaim - Campaign Spotlight

Abstract: Madison Avenue loves to extol the perfection of products, from a whipped icing that is “the perfect blend of fudge and vanilla” to a luxury car that is devoted to “the relentless pursuit of perfection.” A new campaign, however, takes a much more modest tack by declaring, “We’re not perfect.” The campaign is also unusual in that it is not selling a product or burnishing a brand image but rather encouraging people to join a house of worship. The campaign is on behalf of a Conservative synagogue, Beth Hillel Congregation Bnai Emunah, in the Chicago suburb of Wilmette, Ill. The campaign started running recently, ahead of a new year for the synagogue’s Hebrew school and ahead of the Jewish New Year, 5773, which began Sunday night. The campaign was created by a Chicago agency , the Ungar Group, whose president and creative director, Tom Ungar, is a member of the synagogue. The campaign includes print advertisements, the synagogue’s Web site, posters and social media like a Facebook page and Facebook ads. The media spending for the campaign, at $10,865, is small by the standards of most marketers but a serious commitment for a religious institution that strives, as the ads note, for a balanced budget. The synagogue’s name, address and Web address appear at the bottom of most of the ads, with the declaration that “We’re not perfect” appearing at the top. Those three words are followed by another three: “What family is?” “We like bagels. A little too much,” the text continues. “But we have weekly zumba classes. And daily opportunities to renew yourself spiritually.” The text goes on to discuss the synagogue’s Hebrew school, youth department, choir, rabbi and budget, then pauses: “We could certainly go on, but this is an ad, not a brochure.” “So if you want to see how caring a community we are, please drop in,” the ads conclude. “Or call our president” — Arlene Gold, whose cellphone number is provided — “any day but Shabbat” (the Sabbath). In a phone interview, Ms. Gold explains what led to the campaign. “Competition was fierce” for members, Ms. Gold says, sounding like a chief marketing officer for a consumer products company, and “I saw a slow decline” in membership and enrollment at the school. Membership, which had been at 650 “unit family members,” she adds, which includes families and singles, was more recently at 579. If the idea was to run the synagogue “like a business,” Ms. Gold says, advertising made sense. “A lot of synagogues don’t advertise,” she adds, “but a lot of synagogues are failing.” In turning to Mr. Ungar, whom Ms. Gold describes as a congregant who has created “some cutting-edge stuff” for marketer clients, she recalls that his advice to her was, “‘You have to put your name out there.’” The goal became “to try something different,” she says, that would appeal to potential new members, particularly younger ones. “Young families are the future of the synagogue,” Ms. Gold says, and “younger people today want a community,” hence the references in the campaign to the members of Beth Hillel Congregation Bnai Emunah, which is affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, as a “family” and a “community.” There were some criticisms of the campaign from “a couple conservative people,” she adds — “conservative,” in this instance, with a small “c” — but “nobody really frowned.” Ads for religious institutions are often “boring,” Ms. Gold says, adding: “We wanted to show there’s a fresh start here. We wanted to light a fire.” To accomplish that, Ms. Gold says, the campaign highlights specific aspects of the synagogue to give potential new members reasons to join. For instance, the ads describe how students of the Hebrew school can choose to attend classes either two or three days a week. And there are mentions of a new director of education, who is Rabbi Michael Cohen; a new cantor, Pavel Roytman; and the rabbi, Allan Kensky, who is described as “compassionate and thought-provoking.” (“Are we biased about him?” the ads ask cheekily. “Of course.”) The intent is to convey “that there have been important changes at the synagogue,” says Mr. Ungar, who has also worked for marketers like the Bosch Group, Master Lock, the National Marine Manufacturers Association, Newell Rubbermaid and Sharpie. “We came at it from the same way we think a lot of other advertisers should,” Mr. Ungar says, that consumers who are watching television, reading newspapers or visiting a Web site are not saying, “ ‘Gee, I want to see what ads there are today.’ ” “People don’t want to be interrupted” from what they actually want to read or watch, he adds, “so we have to consider how do we make it worthwhile” for them to take time out for the ads. Using the words “We’re not perfect” to begin the ads is a nod to the fact that “people like to be treated with intelligence,” Mr. Ungar says, “not, ‘I’m here to sell you something today.’ ” “It’s a way of saying, ‘We’re human,’ ” he adds, and “a way of saying, ‘We’re not full of ourselves,’ ” both messages that are not often heard from religious institutions. To underline the “We’re not perfect” concept, “the execution of the ads is not pristine, either,” Mr. Ungar says. “The paper looks crumpled, the type is a little askew.” And in the wild postings of the posters in Wilmette and nearby communities that include Evanston and Skokie — putting them up in public places like bus stops — they are not being affixed to doors, walls and other surfaces in uniform fashion. So far, the response to the campaign has been positive, Mr. Ungar says, both from potential new members of the synagogue and current members who say “it makes them feel good about where they belong.” “That’s very important,” he adds. Ms. Gold is enthusiastic, too. “We’re getting members, young members,” she says. “I am very happy. And we’ve received several calls from executive directors of other synagogues, and calls from other tuition institutions,” she adds, seeking information about the campaign. The campaign will continue through the holidays, Ms. Gold says, adding with a laugh, “But I’m not sure which holidays” — either through the High Holy Days, which end with Yom Kippur on Sept. 26, or through Hanukkah , in December.  If you like In Advertising, be sure to read the Advertising column that runs Monday through Friday in the Business Day section of The New York Times print edition and on nytimes.com . And read coverage anytime of advertising, marketing, television, print, movies and new media on the Media Decoder blog at mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com .

Advertising and Marketing
Jews and Judaism


No Little League World Series for Ugandan Team

Abstract: For nearly two weeks, the players of the Rev. John Foundation Little League team from Kampala, Uganda, believed they were headed to Williamsport, Pa., for the Little League World Series. The team of 11- to 13-year-olds, which plays with donated equipment, was the first African team to advance that far. But their fairy tale story ran smack into United States immigration red tape. The players and their coaches learned this week that at least some of the team’s visa applications were denied by the State Department. The Little League World Series, which begins Aug. 19, will proceed without them. “It is unfortunate, as we were very much looking forward to welcoming the first African team to the Little League Baseball World Series,” Stephen Keener, president of Little League Baseball and Softball, said in a statement. The Ugandans were tripped up by their country’s inconsistent infrastructure and the United States’ strict requirements for travel visas. The State Department did not give specific reasons for the denial, but it told Little League officials that there were discrepancies in the players’ documentation. In Uganda, birth certificates are far from the norm, and establishing someone’s age and identity is complicated because parents and guardians are often illiterate. “It is a difficult situation, I won’t deny that,” the State Department spokesman Mark C. Toner said Friday at a news briefing. “But you know, these cases are adjudicated by consular officials who look very closely at all the appropriate data, and they make their decisions based on that.” The Ugandan children play baseball because an American — Richard Stanley, a part owner of the Trenton Thunder, the Yankees’ Class AA affiliate — helped introduce the sport to the country eight years ago. “This would have been huge for kids all over Africa,” Stanley said Friday. “This is a great opportunity to expand the sport. All these kids want is an opportunity to go out and play. They have the talent. They don’t have the facilities.” Jay Shapiro, who has been following the team for two and a half years while filming a documentary, “Opposite Field,” said in a telephone interview from Kampala that the players were crushed when they heard the news and that the embassy employee who told them on Wednesday was so upset “she had tears in her eyes.” The team had come agonizingly close to qualifying a year ago, beating Saudi Arabia in a qualifying tournament in Kutno, Poland, but Shapiro said they lost the next day to Kuwait and lost the tournament because of a tiebreaker rule. This year, it beat Saudi Arabia on July 16 and returned to Kampala full of hope about a trip to the United States. Shapiro said the State Department was right to question the players’ documentation, which he called incomplete. Documenting birth is not a simple process in Uganda, Shapiro said. Birth certificates are scarce, especially in the countryside. Many children are not born in hospitals. Some of their parents are illiterate, and in many cases the people raising the children are not their birth parents. A year ago, Little League officials asked Shapiro to gather the necessary documentation and oversee the process when the team qualified for the tournament in Poland. This summer, Shapiro was not in Uganda. He had wrapped up the film after last season, but he and his crew flew back to Kampala after the team qualified for the World Series to add to the film. He said after the visas were denied, he looked at the players’ documentation and found it incomplete. “Last year’s team, I’m 100 percent convinced of the legitimacy of that team,” Shapiro said. “This one, I couldn’t say I was 100 percent convinced. The paperwork was sloppy. In reality, they shouldn’t have even been allowed to go to Poland in the first place. This should have been caught earlier.” Before granting a visa to travel to the United States, the American Embassy requires interviews with each child and his parents. If any of their answers differ from what is on the paperwork, it is considered a discrepancy. “I don’t think any of them were deliberately trying to give false information,” Shapiro said. “They were just mistakes. But the result is the same. And I don’t disagree with their decision.” Toner, the State Department spokesman, said he did not know how many of the players were denied visas. “It’s unclear to me whether it was a preponderance of the kids, so that the team was no longer viable, if you will, or whether every individual on the team was denied,” he said. Stanley said he hoped Little League officials would appeal to the State Department, but Pat Wilson, the vice president for operations for the Little League, said that would not happen. “We are going to respect their decision,” he said. “We don’t think it would be appropriate for us to call into question their determination.” Wilson said there was no precedent for a team’s qualifying for the Little League World Series but failing to gain entry into the United States. He said a few teams have had last-minute hitches in the process, but all were worked out. Stanley said he considered it a major setback to his efforts in Uganda. He became involved eight years ago after visiting the country for a United Nations economic development program and said he had spent more than $1.5 million building facilities and setting up a program. He said he paid for the team to travel to Poland for the qualifying tournament in 2008, in 2010 and again this year. He said each trip cost about $35,000. He said his goal was to build sports schools that emphasize academics and athletics. “When I talked to the minister of sports, he asked me, ‘Can we win at this sport?’ ” Stanley said. “That’s what they care about, because they can’t win at anything. They have great talent there, but I told them: ‘You have to teach the kids. And those kids will play all day long if you give them the opportunity.’ ” Shapiro said Little League should require teams attempting to qualify for the World Series to go through a preliminary visa approval process so that there are no last-minute disappointments. “It’s a shame,” Shapiro said. “Their country isn’t ready for this. The schools aren’t ready. The parents aren’t ready. The only thing that’s ready are the kids and their talent. They will make it one day, and if there is anything positive out of this, it’s for people to realize what wonderful things are happening with these kids. They’ve got their own little world growing here.”

Little League World Series
Uganda
Visas
State Department
Baseball


Before Connectomics Work, Building a Better Brain Slicer

Abstract: As a graduate student, Kenneth J. Hayworth had a most unusual hobby: He built brain-slicing machines in his Los Angeles garage. Mr. Hayworth, 39, had developed an interest in connectomics — the emerging science of mapping the brain — while conducting neuroscience research at the University of Southern California. He believed that the field needed better equipment. So he set to work building an apparatus that could cut and process mouse brains in a semiautomated fashion, sort of like a deli slicer, and prepare them for analysis under an electron microscope. Soon the contraption began to grow. “My wife put up with it,” Mr. Hayworth said. “I spent like $10,000 of our own money on the machine, with no hope of recouping it.” He sought to drum up interest in his project and secure financing to develop the machines, but no universities bought into the pitch. “I was trying to shop it around at graduate schools,” said Mr. Hayworth, a tall man who looks as thin as the brain slivers he produces. “But nobody wants a graduate student who has an idea of what they already want to do.” By chance, he met Jeff Lichtman , an encounter that united a researcher who had built a brain slicer with a Harvard professor who needed one for his connectomics work. They joined forces, got their financing and set off to build a mouse connectome. Meanwhile, Mr. Hayworth earned his doctorate from the University of Southern California. “Ken reminded me of Scotty from Star Trek ,” Dr. Lichtman said. “I just kept asking for more juice — pushing him like a psychopath to slice thinner and thinner.” The custom machines in Dr. Lichtman’s lab cost millions of dollars, but Mr. Hayworth envisions a day when brain slicers and related software will be everyday tools. “We want neuroscientists to finally be able to see the circuits they have been working on for the last 20 years,” he said. On a personal level, he hopes that a proper map of the human brain — a connectome — will one day allow people to transfer their thoughts and personalities onto, well, computers. “The circuitry of the brain will be mapped,” Mr. Hayworth predicted. “We will understand how this network of neurons is connected, how it stores memories, how it preserves the skills a person has and how these connections give rise to emotion.” Mr. Hayworth goes so far as to suggest that a person’s brain map could be replicated in a computer one day. In essence, someone could download their brain structure into a machine and have his or her personality live on. “In 100 years, if we have the technology to bring someone back, it won’t be in a biological body,” he said. “It is these scanning techniques and mind-uploading that, I think, will bring people back.” Mr. Hayworth emphasized that his views were personal and not those of Lichtman Lab. “This is a taboo topic in the scientific community,” he said. “But we have a cure to death right here. Why aren’t we pursuing it?”


Firms Track and Sell Data on All Your Web Clicks

Abstract: IMAGINE that a company set up a mall store where, instead of selling trinkets, it sold information about customer behavior. For a few cents, it could tell a saleswoman at Nordstrom that the person who was about to walk in had already stopped at Steve Madden and was looking for red shoes. That is the idea behind two new Internet companies, BlueKai and eXelate Media, which run so-called behavioral exchanges. They do not sell products or ad space, but information about Web site visitors. Data houses have existed in the offline world for years. When you receive a catalog in the mail, seemingly at random, it is usually because a marketer has bought data about you — income level, interests, age, gender — from a firm like Acxiom or Experian. (Why the data seems to indicate you’ll enjoy the Bowling Delights catalog is another question.) In the online world, where data is highly specific and immediately available, directing ads based on data can be even more detailed and lucrative. “People are realizing that it’s the data that drives the value,” said Omar Tawakol, the chief executive of BlueKai. BlueKai and eXelate work in similar ways. They both track who is interested in what through a cookie, an invisible bit of code on a Web page. When someone does a search, for example, on Kayak.com for first-class flights to Paris in September, that information can be captured by a cookie, and Kayak.com can sell that cookie using eXelate or BlueKai.  A buyer would want that cookie so the company could cut down on wasted ads. Sure, Hilton could blanket sites with its ads, but it would rather show an ad to someone who has searched for flights to Paris recently. “When you see a cookie on that user, you can show them travel to Paris even though they may be on MySpace or The New York Times,” said Mark Zagorski, the chief revenue officer of eXelate. Buyers vary: the Hilton itself or its media agency may buy the information. A publisher may buy data so it can sell more expensive ads to Parisian hoteliers and restaurants. Or the buyer may be an ad network — a company that handles sales for big groups of sites at once. A general ad space buy costs around $1 to $2 for a thousand impressions. If BlueKai data is purchased, that may rise to $4 to $15 for a thousand impressions, Mr. Tawakol said. Once the buyers log in to the exchange, they select the criteria they want, and the exchange tells them how many cookies are for sale. BlueKai has about three million cookies for in-market sedan buyers, for instance, and nine million for cellphones and P.D.A.’s. The advertisers specify how recent they want the cookie to be — they may want only people who have looked for their product in the last day — and bid on a price. The challenge for eXelate and BlueKai is to get publishers and commerce sites interested in selling information about their visitors.  Mr. Tawakol argued that a commerce site has a lot of information about what someone is interested in, but does not make money from it. Expedia and Kayak.com, for instance, know the travel dates of customers, preferred airlines, and city of departure and arrival. “A commerce player knows more about travel than Google does, but Google’s capturing all this advertising,” Mr. Tawakol said. EXelate has a slightly different model. It asks not only commerce sites to sell their user data, but also publishers and sites with registration data. That may be challenging: many publishers have been reluctant to share any user information with other sites. Mr. Zagorski argues that publishers can make extra money by selling data. “You still have extremely valuable data on your users that can be monetized,” he said. “Publishers need to have a data strategy. It’s as important as an e-commerce strategy or a social network strategy.” In the Internet world, whenever talk of consumer data arises, so do questions about privacy. Privacy advocates have been pushing companies and Congress for stricter rules about aiming at consumers, and the Federal Trade Commission has been threatening to regulate online advertisers unless the industry adheres to more stringent standards. Both BlueKai and eXelate have made a surprising decision on privacy. They not only provide a page where consumers can refuse all targeting, but they are allowing consumers to see what information has been collected about them, at exelate.com/new/consumers-optoutpreferencemanager.html for eXelate, and tags.bluekai.com/registry for BlueKai. To see how this works, visitors can look at that BlueKai page, which might list some categories they are interested in, or might list nothing. Then, they could go to Kayak.com, which works with BlueKai, and perform a flight search. Now, when they return to the BlueKai page, they should see a number of categories have been added within travel, like “first class,” or “Friday departures,” depending on what they searched for. Showing consumers what information the company has on them might make them less concerned about privacy, Mr. Tawakol said. “You’re like, ‘You know, it’s not that scary,’ ” he said. I checked the BlueKai and eXelate pages to see what they had on me. BlueKai’s said I was interested in online privacy, which is true, though probably not very useful for advertisers. At eXelate, though, I wasn’t identified as being interested in anything at all. And while it had my age range correct — 25 to 34 — it also had decided that I was male. Certainly it wasn’t scary — but it also showed how far these exchanges have to go.

Online Advertising
BlueKai
eXelate Media
Privacy


Ronaldo Lifts Real Madrid Into Quarterfinals

Abstract: Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored twice to give Schalke a 4-3 victory at Real Madrid, but two headers by Cristiano Ronaldo meant that the hosts advanced to the quarterfinals, 5-4, on aggregate in the Champions League. Porto trounced visiting Basel, 4-0, to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2004, when it won the title.

Soccer
UEFA Champions League
Real Madrid
Schalke 04 Soccer Team
Basel Soccer Team
Porto Soccer Team


Disney Reboots ‘Star Wars’ Video Games

Abstract: LOS ANGELES — Never mind the movie. The first big test of the unearthly riches that Disney hopes to mine from “Star Wars” is a video game. Over the last two years, as anticipation has built for the restart of the “Star Wars” movie series, the Walt Disney Company has executed a parallel plan to overhaul how “Star Wars” games are made. The revamp was complex — dozens of workers were laid off and planned concepts were jettisoned — but the reason for it was simple: More often than not over the years, “Star Wars” games have disappointed. Now it’s show time. Star Wars Battlefront, published by Electronic Arts under a license from Disney, will arrive in stores on Nov. 17. (An Internet-based test version was made available to fans on Thursday.) Battlefront, as the game is known, cost an estimated $180 million to make and market, and hopes are that it will sell roughly 12 million copies worldwide, which translates to about $720 million in retail sales or $550 million wholesale, according to Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Securities. Electronic Arts has told Wall Street that it expects to sell nine million to 10 million copies of the hyper-realistic Battlefront, which carries a suggested price of $60. Most analysts, however, say they believe that the publisher is lowballing its estimates. More is at stake than the quick ring of cash registers. Disney, which bought Lucasfilm and its “Star Wars” assets for $4 billion in 2012, wants to prove to investors that the boutique studio is starting to achieve its full potential. An exuberant reception for the game would also help assure fans of the quality of the coming movie, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which is set for release in theaters on Dec. 18. The last three “Star Wars” films relied heavily on computer-generated imagery, disappointing many moviegoers. Image The Disney Infinity “Star Wars” game is aimed at families. Credit Disney Interactive “We felt a lot of pressure — good pressure, but pressure — to nail the ‘Star Wars’ gaming experience,” said James Pitaro, co-chairman of Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media. “We feel great about where we came out,” he added, referring to both Battlefront and a “Star Wars” version of Disney Infinity , a game aimed at families. Mr. Pitaro was given control of Disney’s struggling gaming division in 2013 and charged with ending years of wildly uneven results. He laid off a quarter of Disney Interactive’s global staff, or about 700 people, and sharply scaled back in-house game development. Mr. Pitaro’s turnaround effort has been successful, but a smash hit would further solidify his strategy. Electronic Arts is hoping to vanquish its own ghosts. A few years ago, the company ran into criticism from investors after missing financial forecasts and making acquisitions that never quite paid off, forcing it to lay off employees and otherwise cut costs. More recently, Electronic Arts has been on the upswing; its stock price is up more than fourfold since the start of 2013. But a seamless introduction of Battlefront would help the game giant end a lingering reputation for delays and convince consumers that it sits on the cutting edge of an industry push toward games that are cinematic in their graphic realism. Battlefront tries to tap into the seemingly inexhaustible reservoirs of nostalgia for the original “Star Wars” trilogy by allowing players to engage in combat in the forests of Endor and wield lightsabers in the deserts of Tatooine. “If you go play Endor, the funny thing is the game actually looks better than the original movie does,” said Patrick Söderlund, executive vice president of EA Studios. The fan response to last week’s test version was strong, and critics who previewed the game at a recent trade convention were impressed. (IGN, a games-focused website, called it “gloriously hectic, and a welcome change of pace.”) But there has been skepticism among some core fans because of past letdowns — this crowd forgets nothing — and die-hards have grumbled about features that Battlefront lacks. There is no space combat, for instance, or a story-driven single-player mode. Image A man dressed as a “Star Wars” Stormtrooper at the 2015 New York Comic Con. Credit Justin Lane/European Pressphoto Agency “The lack of single player isn’t the kind of thing that tanks a game, but it puts more pressure on the multiplayer to be really fantastic,” said Geoff Keighley, the creator and producer of the Game Awards, the Oscars of the gaming world. Unexpected malfunctions could also lessen Battlefront’s impact. “Making games is hard; building fun is hard,” Andrew Wilson, the chief executive of Electronic Arts, said in a recent earnings call in response to a question about Battlefront’s readiness. He added that he felt “very, very good” about the game. “Star Wars”-themed games have a checkered history when it comes to sales and quality. Electronic Arts introduced an online game in 2011 called Star Wars: The Old Republic that charged players a monthly subscription fee just as that model was beginning to fall out of favor. The pre-Disney game, which went considerably over budget and suffered delays, was a major flop. (Electronic Arts says Old Republic has become more successful since it was made free to play. The company charges players for enhanced abilities and other perks.) The “Star Wars” name is not enough to guarantee success. Star Wars: Commander, a mobile game released by Disney a year ago, has been a significant moneymaker, according to data from the analytics firm App Annie. But a recent mobile game pegged to “Star Wars Rebels,” an animated TV show, landed with a comparative thud. “Star Wars” games go back to at least 1982, when Atari players could battle in the snow of “The Empire Strikes Back.” LucasArts, a division created by George Lucas to capitalize on the fledgling entertainment medium, over the years created critically acclaimed games like The Secret of Monkey Island and Grim Fandango. But “Star Wars” games, with a few exceptions, were often misfires. As budgets on big games began to soar into the tens of millions of dollars, some LucasArts employees felt as though they didn’t have consistent backing. “As the gaming business scaled up, they faced challenges because they were a little boutique publisher,” Mr. Keighley said. Image Star Wars Battlefront will arrive in stores on Nov. 17. Credit Electronic Arts Disney immediately closed LucasArts and said it would concentrate on fewer games of higher quality; most of the biggest games have been licensed to the likes of Electronic Arts. Some business partners in the past have complained that the intensely private Lucasfilm kept them at arm’s length. This time, the Electronic Arts teams were given “unprecedented” access to the “Star Wars” archives, according to Ada Duan, Lucasfilm’s vice president of digital business and franchise management. The studio held seminars for Electronic Arts developers at Lucasfilm headquarters in San Francisco or at E.A.’s offices down the peninsula in Redwood City. The “Yoda Talks,” as they were called in homage to TED Talks, showed how Mr. Lucas was inspired by film of World War II aerial battles when he was creating “Star Wars.” Developers in the trenches often groan about making games based on movies; in most cases they favor original projects that aren’t encumbered by the kind of creative approvals involved when a brand is licensed. That has changed slightly in recent years, most notably with the critical and commercial success of recent Batman games . There was no hesitation at Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment, a developer owned by Electronic Arts where “Star Wars” geekdom runs deep, said Mr. Söderlund, who was one of the studio’s founders. When told they would be building a new Battlefront game, he said, “literally, people were crying.” To deepen Battlefront’s realism, Digital Illusions took terabytes of high-resolution photographs of stored props and costumes. They also shot new material at locations (a redwood forest, Death Valley) where the original “Star Wars” movies were filmed. They then stitched the images together into 3-D models using a technique called photogrammetry . “This will be the first time,” said Mr. Wilson, the Electronic Arts chief, “that the collective ‘Star Wars’ fan base is going to have the ability to live out the Star Wars fantasy in a truly immersive way.”

Computer and Video Games
Movies
Walt Disney
Electronic Arts
Star Wars
LucasArts Entertainment
Lucasfilm


Niger Hit by Two Suicide Attacks

Abstract: DAKAR, Senegal — Two groups of suicide bombers rammed vehicles full of explosives into a military base and a French-owned uranium mine 150 miles away in the West African desert nation of Niger early Thursday, killing at least 26 people, including 21 soldiers and five bombers, Nigerien officials said. They said a sixth bomber appeared to be holding several Nigerien soldiers hostage inside the base. They were the first terrorist attacks in Niger, a landlocked, impoverished nation of 17 million that has positioned itself in the front lines against jihadist penetration in West Africa. They were also the deadliest in the region since the French military, with the help of troops from Niger, pushed back an Islamist takeover in neighboring Mali this year. A regional offshoot of Al Qaeda, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, or Mujao, claimed responsibility. Besides sending soldiers to Mali, Niger allowed the United States to establish a drone base within its borders this year, and this week negotiated with Nigeria, with whom it shares a long border, on containing an Islamist uprising there. The attacks on Thursday took place in the towns of Agadez and Arlit, which are separated by a vast stretch of desert. They were both timed to morning prayers, when both the military installation and the mine were off guard and vulnerable, officials said. At Agadez, the attackers “took advantage of a changing of the guard, and the prayer, to force open the battalion gates,” said the justice minister, Marou Amadou. All were wearing explosive belts, he said. At the mine at Arlit, at least a dozen civilians were injured, possibly more. “The toll is heavy,” Mr. Amadou said. “This is really a catastrophe; this is really a national tragedy for us. It’s what we’ve always said, that we are very exposed. It’s what we’ve always feared.” Nigerien officials and other analysts said the attacks showed the continued ability of jihadist groups to cause harm in the Sahel region of West Africa, despite the French intervention in Mali. Hundreds of Islamists were killed in that conflict, and the remnants of several jihadist groups are thought to have fled to nearby states. “They never came close to dealing a crushing blow to these guys,” said Rudy Atallah, a former Pentagon counterterrorism official. “They basically forced them to spread out.” Thursday’s attackers may have come from southern Libya, according to the Nigerien state news agency, highlighting what a senior Nigerien official called the menacing lawlessness of that bordering region. On Thursday Nigerien officials rejected the idea that the establishment of the American drone base might have made Niger especially vulnerable. President Obama announced in February that about 100 American soldiers had arrived in the country to set up the base outside its capital, Niamey. The drones were to be unarmed and intended for surveillance in a region pocketed with jihadist outposts. Officials in Niamey said it was the country’s position against Islamic extremism that had drawn the attack. “Niger is on the front lines and will continue to be on the front lines,” said Massaoudou Hassoumi, chief of staff to Niger’s president. “We remain their irreducible enemies,” he said of the jihadists. Another senior official close to Niger’s president said the attacks revealed the threat from neighboring Libya. “The instability of Libya is costing the whole sub-region,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he did not have permission to speak publicly. “To find a solution, Libya must be stabilized. The international community must interest itself in this.”

Mujao Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa


Broader Approach Urged to Reduce Gun Violence

Abstract: The most effective way to reduce gun violence without significantly curtailing Second Amendment rights is to treat the problem as a public health issue, like smoking or drunken driving, rather trying to profile potential shooters, according to a report released Thursday by a panel of experts who were commissioned by the American Psychological Association to study the issue in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., massacre. The panel reviewed evidence on a wide variety of interventions intended to reduce violence, including suicides and homicides, in schools and in the workplace. It concluded that trying to predict who will act out by profiling was unreliable, and that more systemic preventive policies were far more effective. The report offers a list of such policies, including legal changes like tighter background checks on gun sales, and programs in schools to teach nonviolent conflict resolution. The report also sharply criticized the lack of government money to study firearm violence. “There’s been so much focus on crisis response, on getting to the scene on time and fortifying our schools, and that’s not going to take care of the problem,” said Dewey G. Cornell, a clinical psychologist and professor of education at the University of Virginia, who led the panel. “We need to focus on prevention more broadly, before the violence, to have a real impact.” Experts who were not involved in compiling the report generally agreed with its conclusions, while acknowledging that some of the recommendations were politically challenging. “It’s the most comprehensive and balanced analysis I’ve seen on gun violence in America, and it shows just how hard this problem is and how difficult it will be to solve,” said J. Reid Meloy , a forensic psychologist at the University of California, San Diego, and editor of the International Handbook of Threat Assessment. One of the newer interventions that the report highlights is called behavioral threat assessment, which is used at an increasing number of schools and workplaces around the country. When a student or employee openly threatens others or shows evidence of planning an attack — researching it online, buying supplies — a behavioral assessment team gets the person help immediately, whether through counseling or more intensive therapy, and monitors the progress. On campuses, that team typically includes an administrator, a member of the mental health staff and someone from school security. When necessary, the team coordinates with the local police to have the person involuntarily hospitalized. In the wake of mass shootings, states like Virginia and Illinois have mandated that universities assemble threat assessment teams; Virginia just passed a law to mandate such services in schools at all levels. This is considered secondary prevention — intervening if troubling behavior is noticed. So-called primary prevention includes conflict resolution programs, which have significantly reduced fights at some schools, and mental health screening, to try to identify young people who are at risk of depression. The authors acknowledge that such measures will not catch everyone before an action. The Newtown gunman, for instance, lived and plotted in his basement, and it is not clear whether he qualified for any psychiatric diagnosis, as troubled as he was. But a commitment to preventive measures, Dr. Cornell said, would reduce the overall number of cases in the same way that such measures have worked to reduce smoking and drunken driving. The panel called for a number of changes to gun laws, including prohibitions on ownership for domestic violence offenders, people convicted of violent misdemeanors, and those with mental disorders who are thought to be a threat to themselves or others. “It really comes down to a question of political will,” Dr. Meloy said. “Until we have the political will to move legislation and a commitment on the part of the general public to do so, these changes are not going to occur.”

Gun Control
American Psychological Assn
Dewey G Cornell


Iraq Poised to Revive Oil Contract With China

Abstract: BAGHDAD — Iraq is on the verge of reviving an 11-year-old contract with China worth $1.2 billion, its largest oil deal since the invasion in 2003, an Oil Ministry official said Tuesday. The deal sets new terms for an agreement reached between China and Iraq under Saddam Hussein in 1997. Unlike that agreement, which included production-sharing rights, the new one is a service contract, under which China would be paid for its work at the Ahdab oil field southeast of Baghdad but would not be a partner in the profits. Hussein al-Shahristani, Iraq’s oil minister, is expected to complete the negotiations when he is in China late this week or early next week, said a ministry official who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the news media. Mr. Shahristani was in Poland with other ministry officials to study its oil industry, the official said. In an interview that appeared Tuesday on al-Noor, an Iraqi news Web site, Mr. Shahristani said Iraq had decided that the original contract, with the China National Petroleum Corporation, was valid but open to negotiation. “The Chinese contract was signed with the former regime,” he said. “It’s valid. It was unfair because it was a production-sharing contract. We have negotiated with them for a year. It was turned from a sharing contract into a service contract.” Despite United Nations-imposed economic sanctions, Iraq had contracts with five foreign oil companies — from China, Russia, Indonesia, India and Vietnam — before the American-led invasion in 2003. Since then, Iraqi officials have been considering how those contracts should be honored. “After long debate, we decided that those oil contracts should be reconsidered, not to be accepted just like that, because things have changed, the price of oil has changed, the regime is new,” said Thamir al-Ghadban, a former oil minister who advises Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki . “We arrived at this consensus, that those oil contracts should be reviewed,” he said. Three companies had production-sharing contracts for oil fields in Iraq, though the Iraqi government maintains that Saddam Hussein had revoked a contract with the Russian oil giant Lukoil for one of the largest fields. “Concerning the Russian contract, the former regime had signed it for political reasons and canceled it for political reasons, too,” Mr. Shahristani said in the interview on al-Noor. “This oil field will be put up for transparent public competition.” The other contracts are being discussed, Mr. Ghadban said, but the agreement with China was the most pressing. Iraq wants the oil from the Ahdab field — expected to produce around 90,000 barrels a day — to supply a planned power station in the province that is expected to be one of the largest in Iraq. Under service contracts, companies provide technical support and consulting on how to raise oil production. Six other service contracts — with ExxonMobil, Shell, Total, BP, Chevron and some smaller oil companies — were scheduled to be announced by the end of June, but have been stalled in negotiations. The duration of those contracts, which drew international criticism for being awarded without competitive bidding, has been shortened to one year from two, causing some of the interested companies to reconsider. The contracts were not especially lucrative, but were looked upon as a way to open a relationship with one of the world’s largest oil-producing countries. “Some of the companies have said one year is hardly worth the investment,” Charles Ries, the chief economic official in the American Embassy in Baghdad, told reporters on Sunday, citing a decision by the Anadarko Petroleum Corporation to abandon plans for a service contract. “It appears that in present form, they probably won’t proceed on most of these or all,” Mr. Ries said of the Iraqi government, though he added, “Some of the companies are hoping to continue discussions.”

Iraq
China
Oil (Petroleum) and Gasoline
International Relations
China National Petroleum
Lukoil
Maliki Nuri Kamal al-


Sutter Becomes Fourth Closer to Make Hall of Fame

Abstract: Bruce Sutter was a minor league pitcher with a weak elbow and a fuzzy future in 1973 when Fred Martin, a coach in the Chicago Cubs organization, asked him if he wanted to try throwing a new pitch. Sutter did. The rest is history -- baseball history. The pitch was the split-finger fastball. The pitch was also the reason Sutter believes he made it to the major leagues, saved 300 games with the Cubs, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves over 12 years and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday. "It was something I had to throw," Sutter said in a conference call. "I was short with the fastball and short with the breaking ball. I needed another pitch or I would never have pitched in the big leagues if I didn't have that pitch." In Sutter's 13th year on the ballot, he received 76.9 percent of the votes cast by 10-year members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Sutter was on 400 of a record 520 ballots and barely passed the needed threshold of 75 percent. If 11 of those 400 writers had omitted Sutter, the closer who revolutionized the pitch that devilishly dives would still be waiting. While Sutter was so emotional over the news that he wept with his family in Georgia, Jim Rice and Rich Gossage were frustrated again. Rice, a Boston Red Sox outfielder, received 337 votes for 64.8 percent, and Gossage, a reliever who pitched for more than two decades, notched 336. Sutter said he thought that Gossage, who was 54 votes short of 75 percent, was "definitely a Hall of Fame pitcher." So is Lee Smith, the career saves leader, Sutter added. Smith received 234 votes. "Right now, I don't think I'll ever get in," Gossage said. "Why would I feel good about this? Because Sutter got in, that's supposed to help me? Let me tell you, I don't have to take a back seat to anybody." For now, Sutter is the only closer headed to Cooperstown. He becomes the fourth closer in the Hall of Fame, and he is the first pitcher to make it who never started a game. Sutter will announce which team's cap will appear on his plaque during a news conference today in New York. Even though Rice, Gossage and Andre Dawson (61 percent) had increases in their votes, the competition will stiffen next year when Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripken Jr. and Mark McGwire are eligible for the first time. McGwire's presence offers an interesting question for voters who will have to decide how to judge his refusal last year to tell a Congressional committee whether he had used steroids during his career, an allegation made in a book by Jose Canseco, his former teammate. "I was planning a hunting trip next year if I didn't get in this year," Sutter said. "I didn't need to be around the phone. I can tell you that." A player can appear for 15 years on the writers' balloting, then can be voted to the Hall only by the old-timers' committee. Gossage's disappointment after being bypassed in his seventh year on the ballot was obvious. In a 22-year career in which he saved 310 games and had a 124-107 record, he is most remembered for being a feared closer with a blazing fastball for the Yankees. But Gossage says he thinks he has been unfairly compared to modern closers, who typically pitch one inning per outing. When Gossage was relieving, he often came in as early as the seventh inning. Now, closers are reserved for the ninth and, sometimes, parts of the eighth. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Gossage averaged 1.64 outs in games he finished, while Sutter averaged 1.52. The Yankees' Mariano Rivera averages 1.08. "I was a pioneer in how the bullpen is used today," Gossage said. "I did the work it takes three guys to do today. Don't compare what Mariano does today to what I did. It's two different positions." Before the 1973 season, Sutter, a 20-year-old minor leaguer, did not tell the Cubs that he had had elbow surgery. After the surgery, Sutter was leery about throwing certain pitches. Then Martin showed him a new, split-finger grip in which the index and middle fingers were spread wide outside the seams of the ball. "It really came to me pretty fast," Sutter said. By 1976, Sutter was on the Cubs. He saved 31 games and had a 1.34 earned run average in his second year, and he saved 37 games and won the National League Cy Young Award in 1979. The Cubs traded him to the Cardinals before the 1981 season, and Sutter helped St. Louis win the World Series in 1982. The Veterans Committee does not vote this year, so no other major league player will be inducted with Sutter on July 30. The results from a special Negro leagues and pre-Negro leagues voting committee will be revealed next month, so at least one other player may be honored. Regardless, Sutter knows he is finally a Hall of Famer. "It was a call you always hope for, but you never really expect it to happen," Sutter said. "And, when it did, I didn't think it would affect me or hit me as hard as it did, but it sure did."

BASEBALL HALL OF FAME
CHICAGO CUBS
SUTTER BRUCE
BASEBALL
HALLS OF FAME
AWARDS DECORATIONS AND HONORS


Ecuador: President to Ask U.S. Officers to Leave

Abstract: President Rafael Correa said Wednesday that Washington had too many military officers assigned to its embassy in Ecuador and that he planned to order some to leave. Mr. Correa, an American-educated economist who refers to himself as a “modern leftist,” made the remarks during a meeting with international correspondents and did not offer any more details. “There are about 50,” he said. “What justifies that?” He added, “Unfortunately, these people have been infiltrated in all sectors, which scandalously seemed normal. They flew in the helicopters of the Air Force, of the Army. It was normal for foreign soldiers to be flying with our soldiers in frontier areas.” The United States Embassy’s press officer, Jeffrey Weinshenker, told The Associated Press that it had not received any notification from Ecuador’s government about the subject. “There are about 20 military and civilians accredited before the Ecuadorean government to participate in a range of activities,” Mr. Weinshenker said. “All our activities occur with the explicit approval of Ecuadorean authorities.” Relations between the United States and Ecuador have been rocky in recent years, and the Correa government recently announced it was asking the United States Agency for International Development to leave, accusing it of backing the opposition. Mr. Correa has expelled at least three American diplomats since first taking office in 2007.

US Military
Diplomats Embassies and Consulates
Ecuador
Rafael Correa


China Denies Entry to an American Scholar Who Spoke Up for a Uighur Colleague

Abstract: BEIJING — When Elliot Sperling, an American professor, landed here in Beijing after a 12-hour flight from the New York area last weekend, he found himself dragged by border officers into a back room in the airport for an interrogation. They then marched him back to the same United Airlines jet that he had flown in on, despite the fact he had arrived with a valid one-year tourist visa. Mr. Sperling said he believed he was being punished for his vocal support of Ilham Tohti, an ethnic Uighur economics professor here who has been charged by the Chinese authorities with separatism, and whose arrest has ignited outrage across the globe. The forced removal of Mr. Sperling and cancellation of his visa is the clearest sign yet that China is desperate to silence international advocates of Mr. Tohti, a moderate scholar whose arrest has been denounced by the United States State Department , human rights groups and many others. In May, the PEN American Center , which defends freedom of speech, gave Mr. Tohti a prominent award; his daughter, Jewher Ilham, accepted it in his absence. China increasingly uses denial of entry as punishment against scholars, journalists and others who write or speak in ways that Chinese officials deem politically offensive. The tactic has led to growing concern that intellectuals might censor themselves in order to maintain access to China, and some Americans have been calling for the United States to pressure China to back off. Mr. Sperling’s removal took place as senior American officials were arriving in Beijing to negotiate with the Chinese on various issues as part of the United States-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. “The issue for me is not my being denied entry — I can certainly continue my research and academic work without going to China — but the attempt to pressure those who speak in support of Ilham to retreat into silence, or at least to isolate them,” Mr. Sperling said. Mr. Sperling, 63, who teaches Tibetan history at Indiana University, had arranged earlier for Mr. Tohti to spend one year as a visiting scholar at the university, which has a department of Central Eurasian studies. The two had become friends after meeting here in 2012. But Mr. Tohti was detained by police officers in February 2013 when he arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport to board his flight to the United States. His daughter, who was accompanying him, did board the flight and is now studying at Indiana University. Mr. Tohti was formally charged with separatism in February. Ethnic and political tensions between Uighurs and the ruling ethnic Han have risen sharply in recent years, and violent clashes often flare now in the western frontier region of Xinjiang, the Uighur homeland. Mr. Tohti has promoted dialogue between Uighurs and Han, and has never advocated Uighur independence, Mr. Sperling said. It was at the same airport where Mr. Tohti was detained in 2013 that Mr. Sperling ran into trouble on Saturday, after a direct flight from Newark. He had recently received a one-year tourist visa from the Chinese Consulate in Chicago, but border officers at the airport canceled the visa after pulling him from an entry line and questioning him for more than an hour in a small room. At one point, an officer took photographs of Mr. Sperling standing next to a height measurement chart, as if for a police mug shot. Mr. Sperling’s tourist visa, which was valid until June 18, 2015, now has the word “canceled” stamped atop it in blue ink. Officers also scrawled a black X across the visa. Image Ilham Tohti, left, and Elliot Sperling in August 2012. Mr. Sperling, who teaches Tibetan history, said he believed that China was punishing him for his backing of Mr. Tohti. Credit Elliot Sperling “I call it my Chinese Communist Party Human Rights Award,” Mr. Sperling said. “There was obviously an order about me entered into the database,” he added. “I saw no point in arguing. I mean, I had a pretty clear notion about why I was being denied entry. For me, it was clearly about Ilham.” When asked on Monday about Mr. Sperling’s case, a police officer surnamed Cheng who had answered the telephone at the visa office of the Public Security Bureau said he had not heard of it. A Foreign Ministry employee at the ministry’s press center also said she had no information. The United States Embassy in Beijing declined to comment. Mr. Sperling said he did not believe his scholarship on Tibet, also a delicate issue for the Chinese government, was the main factor. Until now, Mr. Sperling had traveled often to China on tourist visas. He made a trip in 2010 at the invitation of Chinese scholars hosting a private conference on Tibet. In 2011, Mr. Sperling came to here on a work visa to take up a post of about four months as a visiting scholar at Peking University. During that period, he gave academic lectures on Tibet around Beijing, including at Renmin University and at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Mr. Sperling is the latest Western scholar to join a list of academics denied access to China. Perry Link and Andrew J. Nathan, two professors in the United States who coedited “The Tiananmen Papers,” an inside look at the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and massacre, cannot get visas to enter China. Orville Schell, who also worked on the book, can get visas only for brief visits. Most notably, 13 scholars who contributed to a 2004 anthology on Xinjiang were put on a Chinese visa blacklist. Only about four or five have managed to get a Chinese visa in recent years. One of the authors, Gardner Bovingdon, is a colleague of Mr. Sperling in the department of Central Eurasian studies at Indiana University. In May 2013, he received a Chinese visa after friends lobbied Chinese officials on his behalf. He landed in Beijing a month later, but was turned away by border officers at the airport in the same manner in which Mr. Sperling was rejected on Saturday, Mr. Bovingdon said in a telephone interview from Kazakhstan, where he has been doing research during his long ban from China. Mr. Bovingdon said he believed his denial was not directly related to Indiana University’s ties to Mr. Tohti, but rather to the blacklist that resulted from the Xinjiang anthology. More recently, China has aggressively put journalists and entire news organizations on visa blacklists to try to quash reporting on sensitive issues. Officials recently denied visas for two longtime resident journalists, Paul Mooney of Reuters and Melissa Chan of Al Jazeera English, forcing them to leave Beijing. China has also refused for two years to issue new resident visas for The New York Times and Bloomberg News, which published stories in 2012 on the hidden wealth of Chinese leaders’ families. Mr. Sperling visited China just last year on a tourist visa, but said he did not know when he would be able to return. “I don’t know if there is any way to get off the blacklist, but I see no reason to change my behavior,” he said. “I have done nothing wrong except to dissent — vociferously, I admit, but still I use only words — and have no intention of conforming to authoritarian norms for the sake of a visa.”

China
Uyghur
Elliot Sperling
Ilham Tohti
Blacklist
Academic freedom
Visas
Censorship


On YouTube and Hulu, Viewers Settle In for Longer Videos

Abstract: Even as viewership of online video climbs, the average viewer’s behavior has changed sharply, accordingly to Nielsen Online. People who watched online video in May spent 49 percent more time on each clip than they had a year before. Jon Gibs, Nielsen Online’s vice president for media analytics, attributed the change to a shift toward “appointment-based viewing” of TV shows or movies online, rather than casual viewing of short clips. That shift has been driven by the rise of Hulu, now the second-most-watched online video site behind YouTube , and by policy changes at YouTube that favor commercial video and longer-form amateur submissions. While viewing time has risen, the number of people who watched at least one video online in a month increased only 13 percent from May 2008 to May 2009. Mr. Gibs said this was a sign that the online video audience, now pegged at 70 percent of online Americans, had reached a plateau. “Only people who are on slower connections or are actively avoiding those kinds of sites will not see them,” he said. ALEX MINDLIN


Helping Out the Family, Especially in Good Times

Abstract: Acorn woodpeckers are industrious, cooperative birds that live in family groups. Each family has several “helper” woodpeckers that do not breed. These birds devote their time to gathering acorns and other food for the young. Researchers were surprised to find that helpers are more beneficial in the spring after a good crop than in one after a poor harvest. “It makes a lot of intuitive sense that the helpers are a lot more useful when conditions are bad,” said Walter Koenig, an ornithologist at Cornell University. “But in fact it seems to be exactly the opposite.” In the spring after a good acorn crop, the average number of new offspring in a family group increased by about seven-tenths of an offspring per helper. In a bad year, helpers slightly reduced the overall reproductive success. That’s because when an acorn crop is bad, having a helper may not help much, Dr. Koenig said. In fact, helpers might be eating up food that could otherwise go to fledglings. But in a good year, helpers are able to help harvest extra food and contribute to the family’s food reserves. Helper woodpeckers are generally young adults that are actively looking for breeding opportunities, within the family group or outside of it. Until they make a match, they maintain their roles as assistants and help raise their younger siblings and other relatives. They seem willing to do this work because they are helping their genetic relatives, Dr. Koenig said. But as far as reproductive success goes, he added, “it’s not as good as being the parents.” Dr. Koenig and his colleagues reported their findings in a recent issue of The American Naturalist.

Woodpeckers
Science and Technology
American Naturalist (Journal)


Texas Officials Oppose New Controls, Despite Gun Smuggling to Mexico

Abstract: In the recent debate about stricter gun control, some Mexican and American officials saw a sliver of hope — that such laws might curb the flow of illegal weapons over the United States’ southern border. “I hope that whatever we are going to do in trying to protect our gun rights but at the same time regulate the legal ownership of weapons is going to have a component on guns that are being smuggled out of the country so easily now and causing the carnage,” said Alonzo Peña, the former deputy director of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement who has also served as a Department of Homeland Security attaché at the United States Embassy in Mexico City. But the national debate, coupled with the Obama administration’s proposals to tighten gun laws, has only fortified the ranks of Second Amendment proponents in Texas, who say the border states that are a main source for weapons in Mexico’s drug war are not responsible for the thousands of murders in that country since 2006. After President Obama called last week for more background checks on potential gun purchasers and a ban on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, Republican lawmakers immediately rebuked the White House’s efforts. Texas state lawmakers have already pushed proposals that would permit college students to carry weapons on campus and that would also open the door for gun-carrying marshals at primary schools. Attorney General Greg Abbott last week threatened Travis County and the City of Austin with a “double-barreled” lawsuit when they considered banning gun shows on public property, and Gov. Rick Perry has said the country’s Democratic leadership is using the slaughter of innocent children as a political pawn. “The piling on by the political left, and their cohorts in the media, to use the massacre of little children to advance a pre-existing political agenda that would not have saved those children, disgusts me personally,” Mr. Perry said in a statement on Wednesday. Other Texas Republicans dismissed the notion that it was time to re-evaluate what role the United States plays in the carnage in Mexico, where more than 70,000 people have been killed in cartel-related violence since former President Felipe Calderón declared war on organized crime in December 2006. A December 2012 report from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives showed that more than 68,160 of the approximately 99,700 weapons recovered in Mexico and submitted for tracing between 2007 and 2011 had originated in the United States. But United States Representative Michael McCaul, Republican of Austin and the chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said the data were misleading and that changing gun laws in the United States would not change gun behavior in Mexico. “The fact is, guns are illegal to possess in Mexico,” Mr. McCaul said, “and that certainly hasn’t had any effects on the drug cartels.” Image Guns found in a southbound vehicle at the Del Rio bridge. Credit Reuters He said he understood that the debate was fueled by emotion, which he said was inevitable after years of bloodshed in Mexico and the murder of 20 schoolchildren in Connecticut. But he also said the public was not aware that many of the weapons favored by cartels like the Zetas came from other countries and were often not traceable, which inevitably led to data that reflected poorly on the United States. “We all feel for what happened recently with the shooting in a very emotional way, but the fact is a lot of their AK-47s, which is the Zetas’ gun of choice, those are coming from China and Russia,” Mr. McCaul said. “We could make guns in the United States illegal altogether, and I don’t think it’s going to stop the drug cartels from getting weapons.” Gun-control proponents who link the United States’ gun laws to violence in Mexico have drawn attention to what they call the gun-show loophole, which allows many dealers to sell firearms without conducting background checks. Critics call it a significant flaw that allows weapons to fall into the wrong hands, and law enforcement officers say it has aided the illegal smuggling of weapons into Mexico. Jerry Patterson — the Republican land commissioner and a gun collector, who wrote the state’s concealed-handgun law in 1995 when he served as a state senator — drew attention last month when he suggested that he was open to changing the ways background checks were conducted at gun shows. But Mr. Patterson is not changing his mind on gun rights. What he is actually calling for is a privacy measure, he said, which would allow a customer to get a background check at a gun show that was good for the duration of the event but would not leave evidence of the purchase. Mr. Patterson said what gun owners feared was what they believed gun control proponents wanted: to record every conveyance of a firearm. “The fear is that things like that lead to registration,” Mr. Patterson said. “Registration may not be unconstitutional, but confiscation certainly is, and you can’t have confiscation without registration.” In one of his first public statements after being appointed Mexico’s ambassador to the United States, Eduardo Medina Mora, the former attorney general of Mexico, said the Connecticut shooting had presented officials in the United States with an opportunity to quell the illegal flow of weapons into his country. And United States Representative Robert O’Rourke, Democrat of El Paso, said ignoring the smuggling of weapons across the border during the current gun control debate would be counterproductive to the United States’ work under the Mérida Initiative, a $1.4 billion aid package of equipment and training intended to help Mexico and Central America fight drug violence. He said better enforcement of existing American laws, the closing of gaping loopholes and the institution of waiting periods for the purchase of high-powered guns should be on the table. “As part of a community that has seen more than 10,000 people murdered in the last five or six years, this is certainly a discussion worth having,” Mr. O’Rourke said. “El Paso and other communities that have a unique perspective on this, given the recent violence in Mexico, should certainly be part of the conversation.” Mr. Patterson acknowledged there was a problem with weapons smuggling into Mexico. But he said the best solution to end the carnage there was outside his purview as a Texas official. “It wouldn’t be a U.S. law; it would be a Mexican law,” he said. “There is no right to bear arms in Mexico. I would put forth a law that would establish a Second Amendment to keep and bear arms for Mexican citizens.”

Texas
Gun Control
Guns
Smuggling
Drug cartel
Mexico
Jerry E Patterson
Legislation


Veteran Educator Advises on How to Succeed

Abstract: Joan K. Stringer, who began her 30-year career in education with the rather unusual job of teaching criminals, was the first woman to become the head of a Scottish university. She will be stepping down from her role next year after a decade as the principal and vice chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University. She spoke to the International Herald Tribune during a trip to Hong Kong and discussed affirmative action, cultural differences, mature students and what it takes to get ahead. Q. How did you end up with a job teaching prisoners? A. I was doing my Ph.D. and was looking to supplement my income and to get some experience. I saw this job ad for part-time tutoring at a prison a few miles from where I lived. I went a couple evenings a week for two years. I taught current events and — I’m not sure if it’s politically correct to say this — remedial classes for people who needed help with writing and literacy. It was fascinating. I loved it. You saw all sorts of life. Q. You did not enter university in the traditional way, straight out of high school. What was it like as an older student? A. I benefited from my life experiences before university. By that time, I was really ready and hungry and soaked everything up like a sponge. I was in my first year as an undergraduate at the age of 26. It was a whole new world to me. Q. Edinburgh Napier has programs to encourage women in math and science. Is this still needed in this day and age? A. It’s changing. But we haven’t reached that critical mass in which we can draw on a pool of female talent. It’s better than it used to be, especially in the professions, like law or medicine. In fact, in some of those classes there are now more women than men. But still, in the very upper levels, there are fewer women in very senior posts. Progress has been slow. Q. Do you have any advice for women entering traditionally male fields? A. Some research shows that women are put off by male-orientated environments. Some research shows that women might make assumptions about male-orientated environments — that they may be aggressive — but that might not be true. There’s an old story: A man and a woman are going for the same job. The man thinks of 10 reasons why he’s right for it. The woman wonders why she might not be able to fit the bill. Q. Have you faced discrimination? A. There is still discrimination out there. Sometimes it’s unthinking discrimination. I’ve come across a bit of chauvinism and being patronized. But, personally, I’ve never come across real discrimination that has stopped me. That’s why I tell young women — don’t be put off. Give it a go. Q. Do you believe in affirmative action for women in education? A. We’ve set targets to increase the number of women in science and math. Just about half of my senior team are women. My largest department — that would be engineering, computing and creative industries — has a female dean. But it’s not quite affirmative action. We don’t use different sets of rules. Positive discrimination is not something I would recommend. Q. Do you have any advice for prospective foreign students going to Britain? A. Do your research. Don’t just settle for what comes up. Know what you want to do and stick with it. Foreign students really work hard, so my advice is for them to enjoy it, too. That experience of being a student only comes around once. You make new friendships, you experience new cultures. Q. How diverse is your student body? A. About one-third of our student body is from outside the U.K. About one-quarter are from outside the E.U. A significant number are Chinese, and much of that is from Hong Kong. We have a real imbalance in Britain, between the number of students coming in and the number of Britons going abroad. Q. Your school has partnerships with Chinese universities, and you are personally an honorary citizen of Shandong Province. Can you talk about what particular challenges Chinese students face? A. Maybe it’s because of the recent history of China — and compared to countries like India, there has been less outside exposure — but there is a greater cultural shock for Chinese students than for some others. When they arrive, they come together for mutual support. They want to live together, shop together in the Chinese supermarket, eat in the Chinese restaurant. In some universities that have suddenly received many Chinese students, you can have classes filled almost entirely with Chinese students, and that is not a great overseas experience for them. We’ve capped the number of foreign students in particular classes. We have international school networks and expect them to mix. We’re very sensitive to that. A few years ago, we engaged in research supported by a grant from one of our supporters, a Chinese businessman. We came up with a program in which we sent our staff to Chinese partners, and Chinese staff would visit us in Scotland so we could better understand each others’ teaching methods. That is where students were having a problem. In Scotland, there were expected to interact and discuss, and that’s not how they’re taught. In China, they’re given information, they remember it, and then they’re given an exam. Now, our Chinese partners prepare the students before the arrive in Scotland. We find that they’ve integrated more efficiently and are enjoying their experiences more. Q. Do you have advice for graduates? A. It’s a tough world, particularly right now. And there’s a lot of pressure on kids to do well. First of all, think of what you want as your career. If you’re clear what you want, that’s fine. But also think of what your future employer wants, and what you will need to learn to achieve that. Q. How do you prepare students for the real world? A. We make them work in teams, solve problems and do presentations. We help develop confidence. We have a center for entrepreneurship. For instance, design, art and music students might end up working for themselves. So knowing what a balance sheet is, how to do marketing or how to approach people — these skills can help. Q. What’s the best part of your job? A. I still hear from old students. I get Christmas cards and letters from South Africa and all over the world. The thing about education is that you often don’t see anything tangible for some time. But when you get a letter 10 years later from an old student saying you’d made such a difference to them, that’s your reward. Q. What’s next? A. It may well be that we’re looking at a physical presence in this part of the world — and if that ever arises, I’d like to stay connected. But I’d also like to try something different and new.

Women and Girls
Education
Scotland
Edinburgh (Scotland)
Hong Kong
Colleges and Universities


13-Year-Old Girl’s Winning Hit Could Be a First

Abstract: SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — Katie Reyes hit a two-run single in the top of the sixth to help Vancouver, British Columbia, rally for a wild 14-13 victory Tuesday over Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany, in the Little League World Series. The Little League president, Stephen Keener, and other longtime tournament officials said they could not recall a girl having the winning hit before in a World Series game. “I was excited. I was shaking,” Reyes, 13, said about going to the plate for her big hit. She finished with three hits and three runs batted in. Playing first, Reyes also caught the last out. She joined her happy teammates jumping on the mound after Canada won its last game of the series. Both teams had already been eliminated entering Tuesday. Canada rallied in the sixth, when Anthony Cusati hit his second homer of the game, a two-run shot that cut the deficit to 13-12. After loading the bases, Reyes drove in the winning runs. Fifteen girls have played in the Series since 1984, when Victoria Roche of Belgium became the first in the event. In a United States division game Tuesday night, Travis Daves and Wyatt Willis each hit two-run homers to lead San Antonio, Tex., past Chula Vista, Calif., 6-3. Texas will play Staten Island in a semifinal Wednesday, and California will play Warner Robins, Ga., in the other semifinal Thursday. Austin Batchelor homered and scored three runs, and Peabody, Mass., used a nine-run third inning to rout Russellville, Ky., 12-3 Batchelor also doubled and batted in two runs for Massachusetts. Both teams had already been eliminated from contention. In an International division game, Marcelo Martinez struck out 12, and Reynosa, Mexico hit three solo homers and stayed undefeated at 3-0. Martinez did not allow a hit but was lifted with two outs in the fifth after reaching his 85-pitch limit. “I knew about the no-hitter, but I didn’t want to tell him; I didn’t want to jinx him,” Mexico catcher Luis Trevino said through an interpreter. “I just concentrated on making the right calls, keeping him relaxed.” Taiwan broke up the no-hitter when Wen Hua Sung homered off reliever Jorge Maldonado to open the bottom of the sixth. Reliever Raúl Rojas struck out the final Taiwan hitter for the save.

Dent Bucky
Little League World Series
Baseball
Little League


Giants Say Umenyiora Could Get New Deal

Abstract: INDIANAPOLIS — General Manager Jerry Reese said for the first time Saturday that the Giants were open to an extension for defensive end Osi Umenyiora, who is under contract for 2012. “We’ve got a lot to talk about,” Reese said when asked about Umenyiora. “It could happen. But we have a lot of issues to look at, and we just have to formulate a good game plan and see if we can get it done.” That is a sharp change from the stand the Giants took last summer. Then, Umenyiora, 30, who is due to make a little less than $4 million next season, was so unhappy with his contract that he engaged in a holdout before deciding to have knee surgery. The Giants briefly allowed Umenyiora to seek a trade partner during the summer before rescinding their permission. They also made it clear that an extension was not in the offing with two years left on his contract. In an affidavit that was part of the antitrust lawsuit against the league after the players union decertified during the lockout, Umenyiora said Reese had told him in 2008 that if he continued to play at a high level, he would give him a new contract or trade him. Because of knee and ankle injuries, Umenyiora played in only nine regular-season games last season and lost his starting job to Jason Pierre-Paul. But Umenyiora still had nine sacks, and he played particularly well during the Giants’ run to the Super Bowl . Reese said that his relationship with Umenyiora was less contentious than widely believed and that they had had great talks. And now, with a year left on Umenyiora’s contract, it seems clear that there is a greater willingness to revisit his deal. In an interview Friday with SiriusXM NFL Radio, Umenyiora seemed to subtly change his stance on the Giants, too. He indicated that he may be willing to accept a hometown discount. “You know what’s funny?” Umenyiora said. “If it came down to me taking less to stay here, I would.” Reese said he had had no discussions about a contract with Umenyiora’s agent, Tony Agnone. The Giants are believed to be well over the anticipated salary cap, although Reese would not clarify by how much, and they have other contract situations to contend with. Running back Brandon Jacobs, who has said he wants to remain with the Giants, is under contract for 2012 but is due a $500,000 roster bonus in March. Receiver Victor Cruz has said he wants a raise, and receiver Mario Manningham can become a free agent. Manningham seems likely to hit the open market rather than return. “I don’t think it’s fair to frame what the odds are on that,” Reese said of Manningham. “He’s a good football player. Obviously, players, when free agency comes around for them, they want to make as much money as possible. We’ll see how it unfolds, but he is a good football player. “It’s free agency. March 13, that’s free-agent time, and guys are free to do what they want to do. He’s been a good player for us.” CRENNEL TALKS QUARTERBACKS Kansas City Chiefs Coach Romeo Crennel, who got his job in the final month of the 2011 season after Todd Haley was fired, finally said aloud what every coach in need of a quarterback this season is thinking: he is interested in Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, who is expected to be released in the next two weeks. “I’m not supposed to talk about anybody else’s players,” Crennel said. “With a talent like that, I would be crazy not to consider it if he were available.” That could catch the notice of the N.F.L.’s tampering police, but if nothing else, Crennel also threw wide open the Chiefs’ starting quarterback job, perhaps spelling the end of the Matt Cassel era. Although they play outdoors, the Chiefs would be a good fit for Manning: they have a good defense and young, talented offensive players in running back Jamaal Charles and receiver Dwayne Bowe, whom the team hopes to re-sign in free agency. Crennel said Cassel would be the starter “until we get another quarterback on the team,” and he added that the Chiefs would play the best quarterback. That could also mean another chance for Kyle Orton, whom the Chiefs acquired during the season. Orton went 2-1 as a starter. “Probably if it were not for Kyle, I would not be standing here either,” Crennel said. “I’m very appreciative of what he’s done.” And Crennel raved about the team’s meeting Friday night with Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. Like Crennel, Griffin is an Army brat. But the Chiefs have the 11th pick in the first round, and moving up high enough to select Griffin — whom many expect to go second — will be difficult. MEASURING UP Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore won 50 games in college, the most in Football Bowl Subdivision history, and he ranks in the top five in F.B.S. history for touchdown passes, passing yards, pass efficiency rating and completion percentage. N.F.L. scouts are more concerned with some of his other statistics: Moore said he measured in at exactly 6 feet at the combine Friday, a critical number, and at less than 200 pounds. Moore said he would rather the scouts focus on what he has done on the field. “There’s a lot of ways to evaluate a quarterback,” he said. “Some evaluate it and put a lot of emphasis on that. That’s fine. Smile and move on.” Moore compared himself to another quarterback who was supposed to be too small to play in the league: Drew Brees. “I love watching the way he plays, the way he moves in the pocket,” Moore said. “He’s constantly moving, doing a tremendous job of finding lanes and throwing the ball downfield.” (AP)

Umenyiora Osi
Football
New York Giants
Reese Jerry


Scorer of Winning Goal in World Cup Qualifier Was Late Choice for U.S.

Abstract: KINGSTON, Jamaica — There was no clock at the National Stadium, so Brad Evans had no idea that Friday’s taut World Cup qualifying match had extended into added time. “Every time I asked the ref how much time there was, he wouldn’t even talk to me,” Evans said. “He’d just run away.” In the 92nd minute, no one was more unlikely to deliver the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Jamaica than Evans. He was making only his second start at right back for the United States and had not scored in nine previous appearances with the national team. But his chance came, and Evans delivered. It has been that kind of auspicious month. Taking a pass from Michael Bradley after a short corner, his back to goal, Evans spun and fired a shot inside the far post from about eight yards. He pulled his jersey over his head and fell to the ground in celebration. “Insane,” Evans said, describing the goal as “a totally blind shot” and adding, “The only thing on my mind was turn and shoot.” And so he continued a blithe and improbable journey toward the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. In late May, the cellphone in Evans’s pocket rang. He was making lunch on a day off, so he almost let the call go to voice mail. Then he reconsidered. It was Jurgen Klinsmann, the coach of the national team. The United States had friendlies coming against Belgium and Germany, followed by three important World Cup qualifying matches in June. Klinsmann needed a right back. Was Evans interested in a late, emergency call-up? He was, after all, a midfielder, not a fullback, with the Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer. But rare opportunity trumped technicality of position. At the time, Evans, who is 28, had made only seven international appearances. He was not about to decline a chance for more. “It’s a great opportunity; you’re not going to say no,” Evans said. “I found myself at a place in my career where I want to be on the field, wherever that may be.” With qualifying encouraging but still unresolved, the American back line also remains unsettled. Sometimes, it resembles a drawer full of mismatched socks. It remains to be seen whether Klinsmann will discover some genius in unorthodoxy or will be forced to settle on a defensive ensemble of the ill-fitting and incompatible. But, Klinsmann noted, a player can develop a certain momentum just by showing up. And, at least for the moment, Evans is available at right back while Steve Cherundolo and Timothy Chandler are not. Image Brad Evans covered his head with his shirt after scoring in the 92nd minute of a 2-1 win in a World Cup qualifying match Friday. Credit Gilbert Bellamy/Reuters Internationally, the position has evolved over the last 10 or 15 years. It requires more versatility now, not merely pugnacity on defense and calm strength one-on-one. It also requires a playmaking role, the willingness and vision to join in attacks, to make overlapping runs, to deliver crossing passes, to assist in goals. And, occasionally, to perhaps score a goal. “It is one of the most demanding roles in the modern game,” Klinsmann said. And, for the moment, anyway, the position belongs to Evans. “I think he’s growing into this role,” Klinsmann said. “He understands it’s there for him to grab. You’ve just got to let him play his role, let him make his mistakes, let him find his game. It’s not happening overnight. You need to give him time. The moment was there for him. And he’s in. He’s in.” Evans made his first start at right back in last Sunday’s 4-3 win over Germany. But that was a friendly. Jamaica was something else, a qualifying match with a trip to the World Cup on the line. His strengths were on display, as were his vulnerabilities. Evans chipped inviting passes toward Jozy Altidore and made a hustling recovery to tackle the ball away from a hurtling Jamaican wing. But Evans also seemed rushed at times, playing long balls when Klinsmann preferred a patient buildup through the midfield. Defensively, Evans sometimes appeared besieged and in staticky communication with the center backs. In the 39th minute, the Jamaican midfielder Rodolph Austin slashed inside him and ricocheted a shot off the post. “There’s so much that I need to learn about the position, especially at the highest level,” Evans said. “I’ve played that outside mid position, so that offensive connection is always going to be there, and the runs forward are nothing to worry about. But it’s the defensive side of things that aren’t probably my strong suit. It’s mostly the communication and tracking those runners down the line.” His next start will surely come Tuesday before a home crowd in Seattle, when the United States faces Panama. That is where Evans made his first appearance with the national team, on July 4, 2009, in the Gold Cup. It was not an auspicious beginning. Sent to replace Cherundolo in the second half, eager for his debut, Evans left the sideline before being officially waved into the match. As he stepped onto the field, he received a yellow card. “It was literally three steps, the most ridiculous yellow card,” Evans laughed. “The crowd was so loud, I couldn’t hear the linesman say, ‘Wait, wait.’ I think it was probably the fastest in the history of soccer.” Cherundolo, a mainstay at right back who will be 35 in February, is taking the summer off, a restorative breather after knee surgery. Chandler, a German-American, also has had knee troubles and seems reluctant to travel by air. Geoff Cameron is versatile, but more suited to center back than right back. These circumstances, Klinsmann said, leave Evans “in the driver’s seat.” While praising Cherundolo’s tactical awareness, Klinsmann noted that he was not getting any younger. “It’s my job to bring up people that challenge Stevie and steal his spot,” he said. The time is now for Evans, Klinsmann said, adding, “The other ones are behind, and they have to steal it back from you.”

2014 World Cup
US Men's Soccer Team
Jurgen Klinsmann
Brad Evans
Soccer


On a Last Trip to Detroit, Jeter Recalls a First One That Never Happened

Abstract: DETROIT — Derek Jeter, recently called up to the major leagues, collected his 11th hit while batting ninth for the Yankees on June 11, 1995, against the Seattle Mariners. Batting ninth for Seattle that day was Alex Rodriguez, and Tino Martinez, then a Mariner, hit a home run. The Yankees’ starting pitcher was Mariano Rivera, who was also in his first few months in the big leagues. Rivera had a bad game, allowing five runs, and was lifted in the third inning. After the game, Rivera and Jeter were demoted, ruining plans for Jeter’s family to see him the next day in Detroit where Jeter would play in his home state for the first time since graduating from Kalamazoo Central High School in 1992. “Mo gave it up and they sent me down,” Jeter recalled. “I think it was guilt by association. The bags were packed and we were ready to go, so there were a lot of family and friends that had to change their plans.” On Tuesday, 19 years later, Jeter came to Detroit for his final regular-season series here and jovially spoke to reporters about topics as varied as growing up nearby and his plans after the season. “I don’t want to make plans,” he said, “that’s the key. I’ve been on a schedule pretty much my entire life, so when we get into the summer for me, I don’t want to make plans. I want the freedom to move around and do what I’d like to do.” Jeter was asked whether he might try some extreme activities like hang gliding. “I don’t think I’m going to flirt with death,” he said with a laugh. “It’s not the first thing I’m going to do, hang gliding.” Born in Pequannock, N.J., on June 26, 1974, Jeter and his family moved to Kalamazoo, 140 miles west of the old Tiger Stadium, four years later. That made him a full-blooded Michigander — at least in his view and the eyes of so many people here who grudgingly respect Jeter, but have taunted him as well over the years. “I’ve heard, ‘Sellout,’ and ‘You should be playing for the Tigers,’ ” he said. “It wasn’t my choice. I was drafted by the Yankees. But the fans have always been respectful.” Jeter also discussed his infatuation with the University of Michigan and its sports teams, which he said began during his recruiting visit when he was in high school. He went to a football game and stood on the field close to the action in the Big House that seated more than 100,000 fans. Later, he said, some Michigan players took him on a tour of Ann Arbor, which clinched his devotion. “I saw a couple of parties,” he said, “so I was sold on the campus at the University of Michigan.” His mother wanted him to attend Notre Dame, and the Yankees, who drafted him in the spring of his senior year in 1992, wanted him to stick to baseball. Even though Jeter signed with the Yankees and lost his college eligibility, he still attended one semester in Ann Arbor in the fall of ’92. The next year, though, the Yankees asked him to go to the Instructional League, so that was it for higher education. “I think I made the right choice,” Jeter said with a straight face. But one day he might go back to college. “You saw that movie ‘Back to School’ with Rodney Dangerfield?” he said. “That would be me right there.” The big difference, of course, is that wherever he goes — even Detroit — Jeter gets respect.

Baseball
Yankees
Detroit Tigers
Derek Jeter
Michigan


U.S. Says Some Chicken Feed Tainted

Abstract: CHICAGO, April 30 — Government investigators said Monday that byproducts from pet food contaminated with wheat gluten imported from China were used in chicken feed on some farms in Indiana . The latest revelation came as part of the investigation into imported rice protein concentrate and wheat gluten that have been found to contain melamine and melamine-related compounds. Pet food contaminated with melamine has killed at least 16 cats and dogs and sickened thousands of others. The Agriculture Department and the Food and Drug Administration said that some 30 broiler poultry farms and eight breeder poultry farms in Indiana had received contaminated feed in early February and fed it to chickens within days of receiving it. All of those potentially affected chickens have since been processed. The two agencies said they believed the likelihood of illness to people eating contaminated chicken was low because the contamination was most likely diluted. Without evidence of harm to humans, the agencies said they were not issuing recalls of any of the processed chicken products. The Agriculture Department and the F.D.A. revealed last week that eight pork producers in seven states had purchased adulterated feed. Some 6,000 hogs were quarantined as a result in California, Kansas, North Carolina, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah. Authorities are also in contact with a feed mill in Missouri that might have received adulterated products. On Monday, Tyson Foods acknowledged that it had sent nearly 200 hogs that may have eaten feed containing melamine to a pork-processing plant. But the F.D.A. and the U.S.D.A. said they were not concerned that those hogs posed any risk to people, according to Bloomberg News.

Pet Foods
Food Contamination and Poisoning
Poultry
Indiana
Agriculture


Rage and Revival in Italy’s Sports Opera

Abstract: The drama of Italian soccer, the success and the squalor, the skill and the sleaze, has again been laid bare for the world to see. Calcio, as the game is called in Italy, has been plagued throughout its history by conspiracy theories, scandals, intrigue and hooliganism. On Sunday, a Lazio fan on the way to Milan for the game between Inter and Lazio was fatally shot by a policeman, apparently accidentally, inciting a night of violence across the country. Yesterday, the Italian authorities postponed this weekend’s games in the second and third divisions. Italy’s top league, Serie A, was already scheduled to be dark because of Italy’s 2008 European Championship qualifier in Scotland on Saturday. The latest turmoil comes on the heels of the best and the worst of Italian soccer — a bribery scandal that resulted in Juventus, the most popular club in the country, being stripped of two Serie A titles (2004-5 and 2005-6) and relegated to Serie B; only to be followed by Italy’s winning the 2006 World Cup. Juventus’s nickname, La Vecchia Signora (the Old Lady), is a pun on the club’s name, which means youth in Latin. The team gained promotion back to Serie A after one season and hired Claudio Ranieri as coach. He had earned the nickname the Tinkerman during his tenure with Chelsea in England and has been charged with restoring respectability and returning Juventus to its elite place in world soccer. (In Ranieri’s final season in England, Chelsea finished second to an unbeaten Arsenal team. It then won two consecutive Premier League titles under José Mourinho, Ranieri’s successor.) “I believe in this project,” Ranieri said in a telephone interview late last week. “In my career I try to do this everywhere. At Cagliari, I took the team from Serie C to Serie B and then Serie A. The same in Naples. The same with Fiorentina and Parma, Valencia and Chelsea. This is my karma. Is the same word in English, yes? “There are new men at the top of Juventus, a new mentality, and we want to build a new Juventus with new players. I love to build a team like this.” Ranieri has a difficult task. Juventus has won the Serie A title 27 times. Owned by the Agnelli family, which also owns Fiat, since 1920, Juventus has long had a national appeal because many thousands of workers from the south and central parts of the country moved north to Turin to work for Fiat. Relegated to Serie B in 2006 because of the bribery scandal, Juventus was forced to sell players like Fabio Cannavaro, Lilian Thuram and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, while others like Gianluigi Buffon, Pavel Nedved and Alessandro Del Piero stayed with the club. This season, in effect, is Year 0 for a club that had never been outside the top flight of Italian soccer since its founding in 1897. “I think right now there are three or four teams better than us,” said Ranieri, whose team is in third place in Serie A after Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Parma. “This is my first year, and we have to rebuild. A lot of players left when Juventus went to Serie B, and the ones that stayed, I’m not sure why they made that decision, but I think they want to help the team get back to the top.” Major League Soccer ¶There is little doubt that Steve Ralston of New England is the iron man of Major League Soccer. And when he plays in Sunday’s M.L.S. Cup in Washington against the Houston Dynamo, Ralston, 33, will set an American record for the most games played in top-division professional games. The rematch of last year’s championship game, won by the Dynamo in a shootout, will be No. 371 of Ralston’s career. He will surpass the record set by Bill McPherson of the American Soccer League in the 1920s and ’30s. Ralston, playing for Tampa Bay and now the Revolution, has been in the league since its inception in 1996 and holds league records for assists, games and minutes played. ¶Toronto F.C., the expansion team that was third in the league with an average attendance of 20,130, is expected to sell out its season-ticket allotment, which was capped at 16,000, this week. “These people are like traditional soccer fans: wins and losses are less important than love of team,” Paul Beirne, the director of team business, told SportsBusiness Journal. ¶David Beckham of the Los Angeles Galaxy is in England training for Saturday’s friendly match against Austria and a crucial European Championship qualifier against Croatia on Nov. 21. Russia controls England’s fate, and the Russians’ chances of beating Israel on Saturday in Group E increased with the news that Israel’s Yossi Benayoun, who plays for Liverpool, will not play because of a torn adductor muscle. Croatia leads the group with 26 points, England has 23 and Russia 21. Notes ¶Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has proposed a $2.5 billion redevelopment plan for Coney Island. The proposal, unveiled last week, calls for the transformation of an 11-block stretch of beachfront. But perhaps Bloomberg should consider offering Coney Island in a bid, in conjunction with the United States Soccer Federation, to play host to the FIFA Beach World Cup in 2010. Next year’s tournament will be played in Marseille, France, and the 2009 event will be in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.


Expulsion Over Minidress Is Reversed

Abstract: SÃO PAULO, Brazil (AP) — A university student expelled for wearing a minidress that caused a near riot and made her an Internet sensation said all she wanted was to go back to school. She will now get her wish. Geisy Arruda, a 20-year-old tourism student, can return to the classroom after Bandeirante University reversed its decision to expel her ; this followed a flood of negative responses to her expulsion in a nation known for tiny bikinis, beaches and Carnaval. The dean of Bandeirante, a private university in suburban São Paulo, announced the reversal in a statement on Monday. One of Ms. Arruda’s lawyers, Nehemias Domingos de Melo, said Tuesday that she had not yet been officially notified of the decision to reinstate her. He said he remained cautious about the prospects of her going back to school. “She can only return with some safety guarantees,” he told reporters. On Oct. 22, students ridiculed and cursed Ms. Arruda for her short pink dress. She was forced to put on a professor’s white coat and was escorted away by police officers amid insults by students.

Brazil
Colleges and Universities
Dresses