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August 2009

Correction: Argentina-Opus Dei Film story (AP)

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 07:01 — admin

BUENOS AIRES – In an Aug. 24 story about a biopic of Opus Dei founder Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, The Associated Press erroneously reported that the film is being financed by the Catholic organization. The film’s investors include Opus Dei members, but the organization itself is not funding the film, according to Opus Dei spokesman Brian Finnerty.
The story also said the Roman Catholic Church dismissed the allegation that Escriva spoke positively of Adolf Hitler. It should have specified the source of the allegation — former Opus Dei member Father Vladimir Feltzman — and also noted Escriva's repeated condemnations of Nazi ideology.

Family gathers for Ted Kennedy's final journey (AFP)

Thu, 08/27/2009 - 01:39 — admin

HYANNIS PORT, Massachusetts (AFP) –
With Americans mourning the end of a dynasty that dominated US politics for a generation, Edward Kennedy's family prepared Thursday to accompany his body on its final journey.

All government buildings lowered the Stars and Stripes to half-mast, as did private homes in the Massachusetts seaside resort of Hyannis Port, where the veteran senator died late Tuesday at his family compound aged 77.

President Barack Obama led tributes from across the US political spectrum and around the world, saying "the outpouring of love, gratitude and fond memories which we have all witnessed is a testimony to the way this singular figure in American history touched so many lives."

Family members prepared to begin celebrations of a life touched by tragedy, scandals and ultimately success, by escorting his coffin Thursday in a cortege to his home city of Boston.

His body was to lie in state at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library ahead of a Catholic funeral mass Saturday during which Obama was scheduled to deliver a eulogy.

Later that day, the Democratic Party giant's remains were to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery on a Virginia hillside overlooking Washington, alongside his slain brothers. Obama was not expected to attend the burial.

Kennedy, who served 47 years in the Senate, died after a long battle with brain cancer.

His disappearance ended his family's half-century-long dominance of the Democratic Party and robbed Obama of a crucial ally in an increasingly uphill battle to reform the US healthcare system.

It was the eldest brother -- Joseph Kennedy, Jr -- that father, millionaire businessman Joseph Kennedy had originally intended for political greatness. But That dream was cut short when he died aged only 29 during a World War II bombing mission.

Many had thought Kennedy destined for the highest office after his brothers were assassinated -- first president John F. Kennedy in 1963, then senator Robert F. Kennedy, as he campaigned for the presidency in 1968.

But personal scandal got in the way of the youngest Kennedy brother's White House ambitions, in particular the 1969 death of Mary Jo Kopechne. She was the passenger who was riding with him when he drove off a bridge at Chappaquiddick, Massachusetts and fled the scene.

Yet by the end, the man dubbed the liberal lion for his championing of progressive causes earned the respect even of former foes.

Praise poured in from across the world, while US television outlets and newspapers were flooded with retrospectives on his eventful, if controversial life.

More than 100 journalists and ranks of trucks with satellite dishes besieged the sprawling beachfront residence that served as Cape Cod headquarters for the Kennedy clan as strong winds whipped through the moored yachts.

An emotional Ana Lages, a chemical engineer from Cambridge, Massachusetts, placed flowers at the police line.

Kennedy, who long fought for immigrants' rights, had helped her get a green card 30 years ago, she said, sobbing.

"I'm very grateful to him," she said. While not sharing his left-leaning politics, she admired "a man who helped so many people."

Interrupting his vacation on Martha's Vineyard, just across the Nantucket Sound from Hyannis Port, Obama said that "even though we knew this day was coming for some time now, we awaited it with no small amount of dread."

Kennedy would have been a valuable ally to Obama, who owed his meteoric rise to the White House last year in part to the senator's stunning endorsement.

He was renowned for his legislative skills and just last year described bringing health coverage to the 47 million uninsured Americans as "the cause of my life."

But there was also praise from political rivals.

Republican Senator Orrin Hatch lamented the loss of a "treasured friend."

World leaders also lauded Kennedy as a great American and paid tribute to his campaigning for peace and social welfare.

Kennedy, who had eight siblings, died just two weeks after his sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, passed away at the age of 88. That leaves Jean Kennedy Smith, 81, as the last surviving member of her generation of the Kennedy clan.

SC gov rebuffs call to quit; vows to finish term (AP)

Wed, 08/26/2009 - 18:21 — admin

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford rebuffed his lieutenant governor's call to resign Wednesday, two months after he admitted an affair, saying he will not be "railroaded" out of office.
Sanford returned from a nearly weeklong disappearance in June to reveal he had been in Argentina to visit his mistress, a disclosure that led to questions about the legality of his travel on state, private and commercial planes.
At a news conference hours after fellow Republican Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer called for him to step down, Sanford said the people of South Carolina want to move past the scandals and that he will finish the last 16 months of his term.
"I'm not going to be railroaded out of this office by political opponents or folks who were never fans of mine in the first place," Sanford said. "A lot of what is going on now is pure politics, plain and simple."
Bauer and Sanford have served two terms together but were elected separately and have never been friends.
Some Republicans have been reluctant to seek Sanford's resignation or impeachment because they do not want to give Bauer what would amount to a long-term tryout for the job.
If Sanford steps down before his term ends in January 2011, Bauer said he will promise not to run in 2010 so that is not an issue. Bauer considered making the same offer in June but never officially did.
"The serious misconduct that has been revealed along with lingering questions and continuing distractions make it virtually impossible for our state to solve the critical problems we're facing without a change in leadership," he said Wednesday.
House Republicans are expected to discuss impeachment this weekend. The House will likely launch those proceedings when lawmakers return for their regular session in January, though they could also hold a special session before then. Any House member can file a bill to impeach.
Sanford said heeding Bauer's call to resign would be like "heaven on earth" because it would get him out of the public eye, but it would not be right.
"Me hanging up the spurs 16 months out, as comfortable as that would be, as much as I might like to do that on a personal basis, it is wrong," he said.
Bauer said he tried to give Sanford the benefit of the doubt after he admitted his affair, but the state has been paralyzed by questions raised afterward about the legality of his official travel. Bauer said he is concerned that calls for Sanford's impeachment will dominate next year's legislative session instead of issues like the economy and job creation.
Bauer said he will go ahead with his candidacy if Sanford does not resign or lawmakers do not return to Columbia to force him out within 30 days. Term limits prevent Sanford from running for a third term.
Sacrificing the run for governor next year could boost Bauer's status in the state GOP but still allow the 40-year-old plenty of time for another election.
Republican Sen. David Thomas, a 2002 Bauer opponent whose Senate subcommittee is investigating Sanford's travels, said Bauer's decision would likely spur the House to action. Several Republicans have said they support impeachment.
"If he can have a successful time in the year as governor, then he sets himself up for a future race," Thomas said. "He's young. He can re-create himself to some degree as a successful governor."
Francis Marion University political scientist Neal Thigpen said the offer could be disingenuous.
"My guess is, somehow the Bauer people have thought it through and figured this offer itself could be something — knowing Sanford would turn it down — would benefit him in some way in 2010," he said.

Sanford, who led his staff to believe he was hiking the Appalachian Trail, told The Associated Press his mistress was his soul mate. He said he visited her in Argentina during a 2008 trade mission planned by the state's Commerce Department and, after the publicity in June, reimbursed the state $3,300 for part of the trip.

AP investigations since have found Sanford used state planes for personal and political trips, which state law prohibits. He failed to disclose trips on private planes that ethics officials say should have been made public in campaign and ethics filings.

He also took pricey flights on commercial airlines for overseas trips despite a law requiring state employees to use lowest-cost travel.

The governor says he has done nothing wrong and he said Wednesday that his administration should be looked at in comparison with others. He gave no details but accused others of misdeeds including "folks" flying on the Concorde supersonic jet "in days past." The Concorde was taken out of service in 2003.

Sanford left without answering questions.

His wife, Jenny, has moved out of the governor's mansion with the couple's four sons but says she and her husband are working on their marriage.

Myrtle Beach Hotels

Fri, 08/21/2009 - 01:23 — admin

Myrtle Beach Hotels

In the United Kingdom a hotel is required by law to serve food and drinks to all comers within certain stated hours; to avoid this requirement it is not uncommon to come across "private hotels" which are not subject to this requirement.

The Dariush Grand Hotel in Kish Island, Iran, built with the theme of the world heritage Persepolis.

Australia lists Somalia's al-Shabab as terrorists (AP)

Fri, 08/21/2009 - 01:05 — admin

SYDNEY – Australia's government designated a Somali extremist group with links to al-Qaida as a terrorist organization on Friday, just weeks after several men allegedly associated with the group were charged with planning a suicide attack on an Australian military base.
Al-Shabab, which is already listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, "has prepared, planned and carried out frequent attacks as part of its violent insurgency since the beginning of 2007," Australian Attorney-General Robert McClelland and Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said in a statement announcing the designation.
The terror listing means it is illegal to be a member, provide funds or associate with the group.
Earlier this month, five men linked by police to al-Shabab were charged in an alleged plot to shoot up an Australian military base. The men — all Australian citizens with Somali and Lebanese origins — were charged with conspiring to plan a terrorist attack.
Police allege the group planned to send a team of men with automatic rifles on a suicide attack against Holsworthy Barracks, an army base on the outskirts of Sydney that houses commandos trained in counterterrorism, a Black Hawk helicopter squadron and thousands of regular troops. They said the men planned to keep on shooting until they were killed.
Police said the men were linked to al-Shabab and were trying to find a senior cleric who would approve the operation so they could become martyrs.
Al-Shabab has been fighting to overthrow Somalia's Western-backed transitional government and impose a strict form of Islam. It has claimed responsibility for several high-profile bombings and shootings in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, targeting Ethiopian troops and Somali government officials.
Washington has designated al-Shabab as a terrorist group and says it has provided safe havens to al-Qaida "elements" wanted for the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 236 people. The two groups have long been suspected of working together, but have not announced a formal alliance.

Government issues swine flu advice for colleges (AP)

Thu, 08/20/2009 - 22:05 — admin

WASHINGTON – A new rule for college students: Don't sneeze on your roommate.
The government on Thursday urged colleges to prepare for swine flu this fall, issuing new guidelines for keeping dorm-dwellers from making each other sick.
At colleges across the country, officials said their planning was well under way.
"We've got masks. We've got the kits to diagnose the flu. We've got Tamiflu," said Nancy Calabrese, director of student health at St. John's College in Maryland. "We've done everything we can do."
The main advice from federal health officials is for students with flu symptoms to avoid other people until 24 hours after a fever is gone.
That means:
_Students with a private dorm room should stay in their rooms and find a "flu buddy" to deliver meals and notes from class.
_Students with roommates might need to move to some kind of temporary housing for sick students.
_If sick students can't avoid close contact with other people, they need to wear surgical masks.
The point is for sick students to isolate themselves, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said.
"So if that student is not feeling well, they don't need to be walking around to get meals; they don't need to be walking around to pick up class notes," Duncan said Thursday during a conference call. "They can get a friend or roommate to help."
The college guidelines are aimed at keeping schools open and students learning, which is the goal of guidelines issued earlier this month for elementary, middle school and high school students. Officials also are urging schools to set up online learning tools for students who have to stay home.
Students with flu symptoms — fever, cough, sneezing, chills, aches, sometimes diarrhea or vomiting — should stay home from class, officials said. And schools should not demand a doctor's note to prove someone is sick or recovering, because doctors may be inundated, the new guidance said.
College-age students are more vulnerable to swine flu than to regular winter flu, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said. And they don't always see doctors or get regular vaccinations, said Sebelius, who noted she has personal experience with her 28- and 25-year-old sons.
"They need to be encouraged to not only take care of themselves, but to isolate themselves when they are sick," Sebelius said.
The new guidelines recognize that college planning will vary greatly according to the size and location of the school, the number of students living on campus and the severity of an outbreak.
Amherst College in Massachusetts is keeping two residential halls empty for isolating infected students from Amherst as well as other colleges in the area. Nearby Mount Holyoke will send infected students home by private car if they live within 250 miles, but those from farther away may be assigned to isolated campus quarters.
St. John's in Maryland has a campus gymnasium available for isolating students if needed. And at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, officials are reserving an unused sorority house in case it's needed for infected students.

Some colleges have concluded it would be too difficult to isolate entire groups of sick students. Florida's Eckerd College, where 80 percent of students live on campus, will focus instead on sick students' roommates, offering to move those in high-risk groups to other dorm rooms or possibly hotels.

Larger schools may focus on getting students to isolate themselves; the University of Michigan is asking students to stay in their rooms or apartments, and Penn State says sick students will be able to have boxed meals delivered to their rooms.

Hamilton College in New York also plans to deliver food crates and "flu kits" with items like tissues and thermometers to moderately ill students in their rooms, though it plans to move more seriously ill students to isolated housing.

Officials said colleges would be reluctant to impose some kind of quarantine.

Instead, they will rely on students to do the right thing, said Anita Barkin of Carnegie-Mellon University, an official of the American College Health Association.

"We're telling students we want you to be a good public health citizen here," Barkin said. "We're telling them you need to either go home, or go to the home of a relative or go to isolation housing."

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Pope reported from Durham, N.C.

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On the Net:

Federal flu information: http://www.flu.gov

Obama admin. to end Cash for Clunkers on Monday (AP)

Thu, 08/20/2009 - 19:39 — admin

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration will end the popular $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program on Monday, giving car shoppers a few more days to take advantage of big government incentives.
The Transportation Department said Thursday that the government will wind down the program on Monday at 8 p.m. EDT. Car buyers can receive rebates of $3,500 or $4,500 for trading in older vehicles for new, more fuel-efficient models.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the program has been "a lifeline to the automobile industry, jump starting a major sector of the economy and putting people back to work." He said the department was "working toward an orderly wind down of this very popular program."
The White House has touted the program's success in providing a targeted boost to the sluggish economy since its inception in late July. Through Thursday, auto dealers have made deals worth $1.9 billion and the incentives have generated more than 457,000 vehicle sales.
But the administration needed to put a halt to the program to avoid surpassing the $3 billion funding level. Consumers were on pace to exhaust the program's coffers in early September and dealers have complained about long delays in getting reimbursed for the car incentives.
John McEleney, chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association, said he remained concerned that so few dealers had been reimbursed for Clunker deals. But he said the Monday deadline should give dealers time to get their paperwork in order.
"I think if we can get a clean cutoff Monday and get everything processed by then, it will have been a pretty darned successful program," he said.
But Mike Mahalak, who runs a Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep dealership in Winter Haven, Fla., said the Monday end date could lead to a similar rush that nearly crippled the federal government's computer systems that were set up to handle claims.
"That Web site will lock up again once everyone is cramming it again on Monday," Mahalak said. The administration has said it expanded the capacity of the computer network in an effort to improve the process for dealers.
The Transportation Department said they have reviewed nearly 40 percent of the transactions and have already paid out $145 million to dealers. Obama officials said there are no plans to seek additional funding.
Applications for rebates will not be accepted after the Monday deadline, administration officials said, and dealers should not make additional sales without receiving all the necessary paperwork from their customers. Dealers will be able to resubmit rejected applications after the deadline.
The Transportation Department cautioned dealers about making sales this weekend, advising them to make sales only when the buyer's paperwork is clearly in order and can be submitted immediately for repayment.
President Barack Obama said in an interview Thursday that the program has been "successful beyond anybody's imagination" but dealers were overwhelmed by the response of consumers. He pledged that dealers "will get their money." The administration has said it has tripled the number of staffers sorting through the dealer paperwork.
Dealers have complained of delays in getting reimbursed and backlogs of vehicle paperwork getting processed in the program. Dealers have said they face a risk of not being reimbursed but LaHood has pledged that dealers will be paid.
"We do not know how many deals are in the pipeline. We don't know how many dollars are left in the program at this very moment," said Ted Smith, president of the Florida Automobile Dealers Association. "That's fundamental to the health of the dealerships that are participating. If you run out of money before you run out of deals, that's not a good situation."
On Thursday, both Chrysler and General Motors said they would begin providing cash advances to dealers to help cover any cash shortfalls related to the program. The automakers said they would provide the advances for up to 30 days to dealers who have already completed a sale and that they will be available as long as the program remains in effect.
The National Automobile Dealers Association said its trade group met with Transportation officials to discuss concerns about reimbursement delays and ways of fixing the problems. NADA spokesman Charles Cyrill said the association "stressed the importance of addressing — as soon as possible — how the program will end, including the possible suspension of the program."
Dealer say the delays have led to a cash crunch. They typically borrow money to put new cars on their lots and must repay those loans within a few days of a sale.

Some dealers are no longer participating in the Clunker program. The Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, which represents dealerships in the New York metro area, said about half its 425 members had left the program because they cannot afford to offer more rebates.

Still, the program provided at least a temporary jolt for automakers.

GM announced plans to rehire more than 1,300 workers and automakers have been paying overtime to boost production. Hyundai recalled 3,000 workers in Alabama.

"At a time of great economic distress, cash for clunkers has stimulated increased production by domestic automakers, putting thousands of idled workers back on the job," said Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich.

The government's online reimbursement system was flooded with requests shortly after the program began in late July, overwhelming the computer system and staff set up to process the deals. That led to big delays for dealers trying to file the paperwork they needed to get paid back for the rebates.

LaHood said some of the submitted paperwork has been incomplete or inaccurate, which contributed to delays. He acknowledged the Transportation Department did not have enough people to process the paperwork but said DOT was ramping up staff.

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AP Auto Writer Dan Strumpf contributed from New York.

Two men charged over biggest gem robbery: police (AFP)

Thu, 08/20/2009 - 18:27 — admin

LONDON (AFP) –
Two men were set to appear in court Friday after they were charged in connection with what is thought to be the country's biggest jewellery heist, worth 40 million pounds, police said.

The pair were charged late Thursday with "conspiring with others" to rob the exclusive Graff store, the Metropolitan Police said, a brazen theft carried out in broad daylight in central London earlier this month.

The men, aged 24 and 26, have also been charged with a firearm offence, a police spokesman said.

Police have arrested three men in two days over the robbery, which they said was well organised and could have involved accomplices. A 50-year-old man was also arrested last week but was released.

Police declined to give details of the arrests for "operational reasons", and refused to say if the two men charged Thursday were the smartly dressed gun-toting men captured on video camera carrying out the robbery.

Police have also refused to say whether any of the 43 rings, bracelets, necklaces and watches with a retail value of 40 million pounds were recovered in the arrests.

A record reward of up to one million pounds has been offered to find those behind the robbery on London's swanky New Bond Street.

The unknown men, dressed in grey suits and white shirts and speaking with London accents, arrived in a black taxi, walked into the store and threatened staff with handguns.

As they left, they dragged a female staff member with them and fired a warning shot outside. They left her behind as they raced off in a blue BMW.

They abandoned the car nearby, firing another shot at the ground. No one was hurt.

Graff, which is known for its diamonds and caters to celebrities, was also targeted in 2003 in what until now was reportedly Britain's previous most expensive jewellery robbery, worth 23 million pounds.

Stars spotted wearing Graff's jewels include Paris Hilton, Kylie Minogue, Naomi Campbell, Oprah Winfrey and Victoria Beckham.

The latest heist is also thought to be the second biggest robbery in Britain, after a 53-million-pound raid on a Securitas depot in Kent in 2006, police said. A gang tied up staff and stole cash.

Bryant leads Tradition after 1st round (AP)

Thu, 08/20/2009 - 17:54 — admin

SUNRIVER, Ore. – Brad Bryant has matched a tournament record with a 10-under 62 in the first round of the Jeld-Wen Tradition at Crosswater Golf Club in central Oregon.
Bryant had 11 birdies and one bogey for a three-shot lead Thursday in the fourth of five majors this year on the Champions Tour.
Bryant's best finish this year was fourth at the Dick's Sporting Goods Open in June. He has four overall tour victories, his last coming at the Senior U.S. Open in 2007.
Loren Roberts shot a 65, while Tom Watson and Tom Lehman each had 67s as temperatures hovered in the upper 90s on the scenic 7,533-yard course in the shadow of Mt. Bachelor.
Defending champion Fred Funk was in a group at 4-under. Tour money leader Bernhard Langer shot a 71.

Warhol painting of Michael Jackson sold at auction (Reuters)

Thu, 08/20/2009 - 17:39 — admin

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) –
A portrait of the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, painted pop art icon Andy Warhol has been sold at auction in New York for an undisclosed amount.

Janet Lehr, owner of the Vered Gallery on New York's Long Island, said the painting was sold Tuesday night, and while one report said the price was in excess of $1 million, Lehr declined to give a figure.

The average auction price for a Warhol in recent years has hovered around $17 million, and the top price paid for one of his works at auction was $71 million for a piece called "Car Crash." The high for one of the artist's portraits was $28 million for a Marilyn Monroe picture titled "Lemon Marilyn."

Warhol's Jackson portrait was painted in 1984 and commissioned to celebrate record-breaking sales of the singer's album "Thriller."

Jackson died on June 25 of cardiac arrest in Los Angeles at age 50, only days before he was to have begun a series of comeback concerts at London's O2 arena.

(Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis)



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