what's new: 2012

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Malik Yoba in Chicago for 'Whatever She Wants'

Sweethearts may be in for a frosty Valentines Day, but a new romantic stage comedy will come to town just in time to get couples all warmed up and give some relationship pointers to singles looking for that special someone.

The award-winning team of Je'Caryous Johnson and Gary Guidry of I'm Ready Productions, has created hits like The Maintenance Man and Men Cry In the Dark, right from the pages of bestsellers. This week they bring the stage hit Whatever She Wants to the Arie Crown Theater at McCormick Place, 2301 S. Lakeshore Dr., for three nights only.

Whatever She Wants picks at women's fascination with lists when it comes to dreaming up the perfect mate. The central …

Italian Soccer Results

Results in the Serie A, the Italian first-division soccer league (home teams listed first):

Saturday's Games

Udinese 2, Lazio 2

AS Roma 2, AC Milan 1

Sunday's Games

Atalanta 4, Empoli 1

Cagliari 3, Torino 0

Fiorentina 3, Genoa 1

Inter Milan 2, Palermo 1

Livorno 1, Parma 1

Reggina 4, Siena …

OUT & ABOUT

Chicago-based Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Lisel Mueller willreader fro her works on Wednesday at the School of the Art Instituteof Chicago in the South Loop.

Mueller, who is also a founding member of the Poetry Center, isthe author of seven books of poetry including: Alive Together: New &Selected Poems (it …

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Strategic positioning: M&A's new frontier

Once M&A stood for the consolidation of the banking industry-- cost cutting and efficiency were paramount Today, with regulatory and market barriers all but the field is wide open and strategic mergers and acquisitions are the means to support tremendous cross-industry growth... ...and expansion.

IN THE NEARLY TWO DECADES since the banking industry was deregulated, thousands of institutions large and small have been absorbed or shuttered. The waves of consolidation that nearly halved the number of U.S. banks since the mid-1980s were driven by relentless competitive pressures and the unceasing push for improvements in efficiency and greater economics of scale.

But the …

Martha Stewart in the kitchen with new baking show

NEW YORK (AP) — The oven is on, Martha Stewart is in the kitchen, and class is in session.

Stewart is adding a new show dedicated to teaching the basics of baking to the growing list of programs her company produces for the Hallmark Channel, the cable network to which she moved her daily show, "The Martha Stewart Show," in the fall.

Stewart's initial ratings after the move were disappointing, but she says they have improved and she believes viewers looking to learn rather than simply to be entertained will appreciate the 13-episode "Martha Bakes" series.

The format of the series — Stewart in the kitchen walking viewers step-by-step through recipes — is at odds with much …

No records in banned suits: Sullivan

World records set by swimmers wearing now-banned polyurethane swimsuits should not be allowed to stand, Australian Olympic silver medalist Eamon Sullivan said Tuesday.

Sullivan, who finished second in the 100m freestyle at the Beijing Olympics, said it would be "incredibly stupid" for world records set during 2009 by swimmers using the outlawed suit to be retained. Records set by some of swimming's greatest names had been lowered and Sullivan said FINA should consider restoring records set before the banned suits came into use.

"I definitely think now that the polyurethane suits have gone, to keep the records would be incredibly stupid," …

Suit calls Cook County Hospital practices unsafe

A doctor who was fired from Cook County Hospital has fired backwith a federal lawsuit that accuses hospital officials of condoningnegligent practices that resulted in death and injury to numerouspatients.

The 102-page complaint from Dr. Thomas Draghi paints a scarypicture of a hospital in which brain surgery was performed on thewrong patient, an otherwise-healthy asthma patient was rendered braindead by medical foulups and a newborn baby was killed by a hot airblast from a respirator that was improperly set.

Draghi contends patients in the hospital's Medical IntensiveCare Unit, where he was assigned, were at particular risk because ofthe use of defective …

Los Angeles sheriff's official says Robert Wagner not a suspect in Natalie Wood death

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles sheriff's official …

Mass. reaches $2.9M settlement with Exxon Mobil

Exxon Mobil Corp. and two affiliates have agreed to pay a $2.9 million civil penalty to resolve allegations that the company violated Massachusetts air pollution laws, the attorney general said Monday.

The judgment filed in Suffolk Superior Court requires Exxon Mobil to reduce gasoline vapor emissions by updating and improving air pollution control systems at its bulk gasoline terminals in Everett and Springfield.

"Big oil can no longer marginalize environmental compliance while increasing their gasoline sales and distribution in Massachusetts," said Laurie Burt, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Attorney …

Agencies create plan for graduation, prom, State, county, city to pool resources to combat underage drinking, driving

DAILY MAIL STAFF

Graduation celebrations and after-prom parties are supposed to bejoyous occasions, and law enforcement agencies in Kanawha County aretrying to keep them that way.

Sheriff Mike Rutherford and County Commission President KentCarper today announced a plan to combine state, county and municipalpolice resources in a joint effort to curb underage drinking andreckless driving.

Rutherford said they and other departments will position extraofficers in areas they deem high-risk environments.

The police departments are also working with the Board ofEducation and area high school principals to identify senior skipdays.

Past parties have …

Gates: Persian Gulf countries must work together to counter Iranian threat

Persian Gulf nations must demand that Iran come clean about its past nuclear ambitions and openly vow to not develop such weapons in the future, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Saturday.

In a broad call to diplomatic arms, Gates exhorted leaders from the Gulf to band together to force Iran to stop its uranium enrichment program and to help the fragile Iraqi government.

"Everywhere you turn, it is the policy of Iran to foment instability and chaos, no matter the strategic value or cost in the blood of innocents _ Christians, Jews and Muslims alike," Gates said in a keynote address at an international security conference.

…

Prosecutor: Mich. man killed 2 to avenge his mom

A prosecutor says a 33-year-old Michigan man killed an anti-abortion activist and a business owner in order to avenge his mother.

Jurors in Shiawassee County heard opening statements Monday in the first-degree murder trial of Harlan Drake.

James Pouillon (POOL'-yuhn) was shot four times while clutching a sign with a picture of a dead fetus outside Owosso High, …

Web portal Warrior Gateway helps digital-age vets

For young veterans returning from duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, the process of re-entering society can be daunting, especially if they have been injured or have struggled with mental health problems.

A new, free Web portal wants to help these warriors find the services they need in an environment they are comfortable in: the Internet.

Warrior Gateway is designed with Google Inc. and social media in mind to make its intended audience as comfortable as possible. Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, generally in their mid-20s, grew up with e-mail, keep in touch using Facebook and are familiar with online communities that stretch across time zones.

"Our generation of vets exists within a social media landscape," said Tom Tarantino, a former Army Captain who now works as the legislative associate for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "We couldn't navigate a city without Google Maps, without Yelp."

The site lets veterans, their families, friends and caretakers search for services based on an extensive range of categories, including geography, eligibility and even user ratings inspired by Yelp, a restaurant and shopping review site.

A veteran returning from Iraq could, for example, search for job-mentoring services within 100 miles of New York City and filter the results so that only the highest-rated services pop up.

A search for "PTSD," for post-traumatic stress disorder, within 20 miles of Dallas will bring up the Dallas arm of the U.S. Army Wounded Warrior Program. The program's profile on Warrior Gateway lists an address, a phone number and a short description and provides an option to comment on the service and rate it on a five-star system.

Besides posting reviews, users can also add services not already listed, the same way Yelp users can post new restaurants on that site.

Veterans transitioning out of the military are generally given "a stack of paper, a binder, a book that says here are the organizations that can help you," says Devin Holmes, executive director of Warrior Gateway.

With the site, veterans no longer have to pore through piles of papers or long alphabetized databases.

"If you're searching for these resources you are already under a tremendous amount of stress," Tarantino said. "You're not going on Yelp to find a great sushi place. It needs to be intuitive; you don't want to sift through pages and pages of links."

Warrior Gateway is privately funded by individual donations and grants. It is not funded by the government or the military.

The government does finance an online program called Military OneSource, but that is only available to those on active duty or in the reserves _ not veterans.

Another, National Resource Directory, offers an extensive list of resources, but because it is tied to the U.S. government it cannot show preference to various services, so it doesn't let users rate them.

___

Online: http://www.warriorgateway.org

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Facebook works to remove anti-gay hate speech

NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook is working with a gay-advocacy group to reduce the amount of hate speech and bullying on the online social hub.

Anti-gay bullying has been in the spotlight recently after the suicides of several gay teenagers, including Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi, garnered national attention. According to police, the 19-year-old jumped off the George Washington Bridge after his roommate secretly recorded him with another male student and distributed video online.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said it reached out to Facebook last week after Internet bullies flooded a page set up to honor teens who recently killed themselves in response to anti-gay hate.

The page, set up by a Facebook user, asks supporters to wear purple next Wednesday in memory of the teenagers. Purple represents "spirit" in the rainbow flag that's the symbol of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. On Friday afternoon, most of the comments on the page were from supporters.

Facebook said that its policies prohibit hateful content and that it has systems in place to take down such posts as soon as possible. But the company also said it wants its users to be able to express unpopular opinions and as such must strike a careful balance between removing harmful content and letting people speak freely.

"Facebook has taken an important first step in making social media a place where anti-gay violence is not allowed," said Jarrett Barrios, the president of GLAAD.

Cameron aims for speed to enrich 'Avatar 2' images

LAS VEGAS (AP) — James Cameron plans another innovation for his next "Avatar" installment: shooting at double or more the film speed that has been Hollywood's standard since the 1920s, a move he says will greatly improve 3-D images.

Cameron, whose 2009 sci-fi blockbuster raised the bar for digital imagery and put the 3-D craze on the fast track, said Thursday that "Avatar 2" would be shot at 48 or 60 frames a second to reduce an effect called "strobing" that can blur moving images, particularly those in 3-D. For more than 80 years, the norm has been 24 frames a second.

In a demonstration for theater owners at their CinemaCon convention, Cameron played 3-D footage he recently shot at 24, 48 and 60 frames a second to show the better quality of high-speed filming.

The footage of medieval dinner and fight sequences shot at 48 and 60 frames a second were noticeably superior.

At 24 frames, blurriness was very evident when the camera panned or dollied along the dinner table and when two knights dueled with swords. The fuzzy images greatly diminished at 48 frames and virtually vanished at 60 frames.

"I was stunned when I saw it, at how clear and crisp it was," Cameron said. "If 3-D is like looking at reality through a window, we've taken the glass out of the window."

New digital projectors rapidly being installed in theaters can handle the higher frame speeds with no more than a software upgrade, said Cameron, who wants faster filming rates to become the standard for 2-D and 3-D movies.

While 3-D has been a blessing for studios and theaters that charge a few extra dollars for the added dimension, many movie fans complain about eyestrain from blurry 3-D images. Faster film and projection speeds will help eliminate that problem, Cameron said.

"Avatar" is the biggest modern blockbuster, with $2.8 billion in theatrical revenues worldwide. Cameron has no definite timetable for his two planned "Avatar" sequels, but the second film in the franchise still is years away from theaters.

"I'm still just writing the script, so I'm a minimum of 18 months out of having to shoot something," Cameron said. "I've got a bit of time to get this sorted out."

Help and care for the elderly on doorstep

A family service you can trust Butterfly Home Help is a friendly,family-run Care agency that provides personal care and domestic helpto older and disabled people who wish to remain independently intheir own homes.

We understand the importance of providing a reliable,professional and trustworthy service to give peace of mind torelations and friends as well as to the people being assisted. Weare committed to promoting equality in the services we provide andrespect the diverse needs of the individuals we assist.

Help can be provided on a temporary or permanent basis and allcare packages are tailored to the individual needs of the client.Butterfly Home Help is registered by the Care Quality Commission andis a member of the United Kingdom Home Care Association. Our aim isto drive up the standards in the care provision to older anddisabled people and we strive to achieve this through thoroughvetting of our staff, a comprehensive and on-going trainingprogramme and providing continuity of care.

Help may be privately funded or purchased using direct paymentsor individual budgets if appropriate. We are always interested inhearing from anyone who is committed to providing this importantservice and who is interested in a rewarding career. Butterfly HomeHelp is an equal opportunities employer. Help can be arranged bycalling Anne Wicks or Eric Pelling on 01225 835888.

Local Company re-branded The personal service at RV Mobility Shopis the same, as is the extensive product range and friendly andhelpful staff. In fact, the name is the only thing that has changed.

New owners Retirement Villages Ltd were keen to bring the shopformerly known as Independence at Home into the fold. So it has nowbeen rebranded with the RV logo and renamed RV Mobility Shop.

Boasting a new shop front and website, RV Mobility Shop is gearedtowards 'making life easier'.

The shop, based at the same premises on Midford Road, Combe Downin Bath, provides hundreds of products aimed at supporting theinfirm or disabled to live independently at home.

The bespoke service includes equipment hire on many items, homedemonstrations including advice and guidance, and free delivery inthe Bath area on certain orders.

"RV Mobility Shop does just what it says," said manager JonWebber. "We provide a complete range of disabled living aids andmobility equipment to help people remain as independent aspossible."

Discuss your requirements with RV Mobility Shop staff by visitingus at in Midford Road or telephoning 01225 831960. Browse aselection of our products at www.rvmobilityshop.co.uk.

New home with a difference Springfield is a small luxuryresidential care home for the elderly, specialising and aiming forexcellence in dementia care. The home is situated in Entry Hill Parkwith all rooms at the front of the house offering views across bath.The house is set in large grounds with an enclosed patio area. Staffactively encourage and are happy for prospective residents toinvolve their family, friends or other representatives in visitingthe home and seeing the care and facilities we provide. For furtherinformation or to arrange an appointment call Joy Parker on 01225833338.

More than a politician, Stroger was a dear friend

Business has always played a major role in John H. Stroger's life. From his days as a business administration major at Xavier University in New Orleans to his tenure as Cook County Board President, where he managed the city's $2.9 billion budget.

One of Stroger's first business enterprises was in college.

Alvin Boutte Sr., a personal friend of Stroger's and noted Chicago banker, operated a lucrative dry-cleaning delivery business at Xavier.

When it came time for him to graduate in 1951, he decided to turn it over to Stroger, who still had one year left. Boutte's son, Alvin Boutte Jr., said that it was Stroger's character that led to his father's decision.

"My father said that he was the most honest person he'd ever met. [Stroger] wouldn't say he could do something that he couldn't do."

The business continued to strive under Stroger, and Boutte Jr. laughingly recalled how Stroger said the money helped with his dating life.

"I remember Uncle John saying, 'Before [the business] I never had any money, I couldn't go on a date. Your dad gave me that business and I was in style,'" Boutte said.

Following Xavier track coach Ralph Metcalfe, both Boutte and Stroger moved to Chicago in the early '50s. They became active in the South Side's 3rd Ward, over which Metcalfe was alderman.

And they maintained a relationship as they rose through the city's business ranks. Boutte became the president of two banks, and Stroger chaired the county's finance committee. The both were members of The Original Forty Club, an elite group of Black leaders in Chicago.

Boutte Jr., an investment banker at Grigsby & Associates, said that Stroger used his influence to pry the door open for Black financiers, at a time when the industry was closed to them. He referred to Stroger as one of the "biggest proponents of Black finance in the country."

"Cook County's the second largest county in the country. Him making sure there was minority representation in those transactions filtered out to other counties," Boutte Jr. said.

A childhood friend of Stroger's, Howard Medley, shared memories of their days together in Arkansas.

Medley, who owns Medley Moving and Storage, said, "I lost a true friend today, a friend that's hard to find. There aren't many John Strogers' out there today.

"We went to grammar school [Eliza Miller School] together in Arkansas. Our parents were good friends, so we really had no choice. It was automatic. We didn't have any problems that we wouldn't talk about with each other," Medley said.

"That was my friend, John Herman Stroger. I would always call him John Herman and his mother always called him John Herman.

"He would never sell out and go against his race. There was absolutely no way anyone could buy John Stroger. .

"He championed the health campaign health care for underprivileged people before so many got on the bandwagon. When he was a commissioner, that was his committee - health.

"When his child died, I sent my driver down to Arkansas to get his mother for the funeral because she was afraid to fly. John knew that she didnt want to fly, but he didn't know that I had already arranged for her to come," Medley continued.

"We would visit each other all the time. When I bought a place in Michigan and he bought a place in Wisconsin, our families would visit each other. We talked almost daily. If we didnt talk for a few days, he would call to figure out what's going on.

"The last day of his perfect health, he called me while he was on his way home to tell me about what happened earlier that day. He was mad because he didnt take my advice. He said, 'Howard, I should've listened to you.' I told him to let it go and everything would be all right; that he was going to win. That next day, he had a stroke. During the times I went to see him when he could still speak, he kept telling me that he should've listened to me, because if he did, he would be all right. I kept telling him that everything was going to be ok. After his condition became worse, during our visits, he would just look at me and squeeze my hand," Medley said.

"He was just a heck of a guy. Boy, I am going to miss him."

[Author Affiliation]

by Kathy Chaney and Leila Noelliste

Defender Staff Writers

Obituaries in the news

James Brady

NEW YORK (AP) _ James Brady, the celebrity columnist who created the New York Post's gossipy Page Six, died Monday. He was 80.

His death was announced by Parade magazine, where he wrote the celebrity profile column "In Step With" for nearly 25 years.

Brady worked until his death on Monday. The cause of his death hasn't been announced.

His last column will appear Feb. 15. It will feature actor Kevin Bacon.

He was hired by media mogul Rupert Murdoch in 1974 to edit the then-new weekly Star magazine. He later was an associate publisher at the New York Post.

___

John Updike

NEW YORK (AP) _ John Updike, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, prolific man of letters and erudite chronicler of sex, divorce and other adventures in the postwar prime of the American empire, died Tuesday. He was 76.

Updike, best known for his four "Rabbit" novels, died of lung cancer at a hospice near his home in Beverly Farms, Mass., according to his longtime publisher, Alfred A. Knopf.

A literary writer who frequently appeared on best-seller lists, the tall, hawk-nosed Updike wrote novels, short stories, poems, criticism, the memoir "Self-Consciousness" and even a famous essay about baseball great Ted Williams.

He released more than 50 books in a career that started in the 1950s, winning virtually every literary prize, including two Pulitzers, for "Rabbit Is Rich" and "Rabbit at Rest," and two National Book Awards.

Although himself deprived of a Nobel, he did bestow it upon one of his fictional characters, Henry Bech, the womanizing, egotistical Jewish novelist who collected the literature prize in 1999.

His settings ranged from the court of "Hamlet" to postcolonial Africa, but his literary home was the American suburb, the great new territory of mid-century fiction.

___

Ramaswamy Venkataraman

NEW DELHI (AP) _ Ramaswamy Venkataraman, who was India's eighth president and helped draft the country's constitution, died Tuesday. He was 98.

Venkataraman served as president from 1987 to 1992 and before that was also the country's vice president. He was a member of the Constituent Assembly that wrote India's constitution, which was adopted in 1950. He was also a member of the country's first Parliament.

"He served with distinction in various capacities in public life and ultimately rose to occupy the highest office of the nation," President Pratibha Patil said in a condolence message released to the media. "In his passing away, the nation has lost a true patriot and a distinguished luminary."

Venkataraman was admitted to the hospital on Jan. 12 with complaints of delirium and dehydration, and his condition progressively deteriorated, a government statement said.

His wife and son-in-law were with him when he died, Brig. A.K. Sharma, a spokesman at the army hospital where he was treated, told the Press Trust of India news agency.

Beckman, Bror

Beckman, Bror, Swedish composer; b. Kristine-hamm, Feb. 10, 1866; d. Ljungskile, July 22, 1929. After studying harmony with Julius Bagge and counterpoint with Johan Lindegren (1885–90), he went to Berlin to study orchestration with Franz Mannstâdt (1894). In 1910 he became director of the Stockholm Cons., where he also was a prof. from 1911. In 1904 he was made a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. His works include I sommarnätter for String Orch. (1890), a Sym. (1895), the symphonic poem Om lyckan (1905), pieces for Voice and Orch., a Violin Sonata (1893), piano pieces, and songs.

—Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

CEO touts coal exports in buyout: ; Alpha chief says; proposed purchase of Massey would create 'true global leader'

Alpha Natural Resources' proposed $7.1 billion buyout ofstruggling rival Massey Energy Co. would create a global power builton exporting U.S. coal for steelmakers, Alpha's chief executive saidMonday.

Combined, the pair should produce 27 million tons a year ofhigher-priced metallurgical coal by 2013 and start adding to profitsnext year, Kevin Crutchfield said during a conference call withanalysts.

"We'll become a true global leader. We'll be a leading supplierof metallurgical coal globally and in the U.S.," Crutchfield said,adding that Alpha would have among the world's largest and highest-quality reserves of coal used in making steel.

Demand has pushed up U.S. coal exports nearly 47 percent to 60.8million tons through the first nine months of the year. The biggestgrowth occurred to fast-growing Asian companies. While governmentfigures don't break down exports by type of coal, metallurgical coaltends to account for the bulk of U.S. exports, which come almostentirely from eastern mines.

"We continue to believe that the world is going to experience apersistent structural undersupply of high quality metallurgicalcoal," Crutchfield told The Associated Press.

Crutchfield doesn't think the deal will run into antitrusthurdles. And he hinted that Massey's legal matters from an Aprilmine explosion that killed 29 workers could be resolved soon.

The combined company would have sales of about 131 million tonsannually and control about 29 percent of the U.S. supply ofmetallurgical coal.

Alpha is offering 1.025 shares of its stock for each share ofMassey, plus $10 per share in cash. Together, that represents a bidof $69.33 per share, a 21 percent premium over Massey's closingshare price Friday.

"Our goal was to win, not win at any price, but win at avaluation that we thought could make sense for both sets ofshareholders," Crutchfield said.

Massey shares jumped $5.75, or 10 percent, to $62.98 in afternoontrading while Alpha shares dropped $4.15, or 7.2 percent, to $53.73.

Moody's Investors Service said it was reviewing Alpha's debtratings for a possible downgrade. Alpha expects to have $2.9 billionin debt on its balance sheet if the deal goes through.

The combined company would be run by Crutchfield and his topdeputies. Massey's board would be eliminated. Alpha also wouldreplace Massey's much-maligned safety program with its own approach.

Massey's safety record has been questioned for years and hasfaced renewed skepticism following the explosion that killed 29miners at its Upper Big Branch mine in April. The disaster is thedeadliest at a U.S. coal mine since 1970 and the target of civil andcriminal investigations.

Massey has struggled with heavy losses since the blast and lastfall decided to seek a buyer.

Federal investigators have blamed faulty equipment and poormaintenance for allowing a small methane ignition at Upper BigBranch to turn into massive explosion fueled by coal dust. Masseyinsists natural gas flooded the mine and overwhelmed safeguards.

Crutchfield indicated that Alpha intends to resolve the matterquickly. Discussions with regulators started as soon as the deal wasannounced, he said.

"It was a tragic event and our heart continues to go out to thefamilies and all those affected by that," Crutchfield said. "What wewould hope is for resolution of the matter in the foreseeablefuture."

United Mine Workers President Cecil Roberts praised Alpha for"erasing the Massey name" from the industry. The UMW representsabout 1,500 workers at Alpha and far fewer at Massey.

"Massey had come to represent all that was wrong with the coalindustry, whether it be safety and health issues, environmentalissues or simple respect for its workers, their families and thecommunities where they live," Roberts said in a statement. "While byno means perfect, Alpha's overall safety record is better thanMassey's."

Massey's board unanimously favored the offer over a managementproposal that would have allowed the company to remain independent,Massey Chief Executive Baxter Phillips said. Massey investors wouldown 46 percent of the combined company.

"The board's decision was to take the bird in hand," Phillipssaid.

The deal requires approval from shareholders and the FederalTrade Commission, which will review it for antitrust concerns.

Alpha officials anticipate no antitrust issues.

"Customers have lots of choices, lots of options, so we feel verygood about the FTC process and would expect to start moving forwardon that imminently," Crutchfield said.

Porto routs Benfica 5-0 to go 10 points clear

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — FC Porto routed defending champion Benfica 5-0 Sunday to go 10 points clear at the top of the Portuguese league.

Silvestre Varela opened the scoring after converting from Hulk's run in the 12th minute.

Falcao extended the lead with two goals before the half-hour mark as the Colombia striker took his season tally to eight.

Hulk also added a second-half brace after Benfica's Luisao was red carded in the 65th for an elbow on Fredy Guarin.

The Brazilian striker scored from the penalty spot in the 79th before taking his league-leading scoring tally to 12 from a long-range strike with a minute to play.

Porto has 28 points from 10 games, while Benfica is second with 18. Nacional is next with 16.

Beira Mar hung on for a 3-2 win over Braga after a Leandro Tatu goal and Ronny double had it up 3-0 after 69 minutes.

Albert Meyong opened the scoring for Braga with a 75th-minute penalty before Lima added the second with two minutes to play, but Beira Mar managed to reach 14 points alongside Braga.

Also, Naval and Olhanense drew 1-1, as did Maritimo and Leiria.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Police Hop on the Internet

As use of the Internet grows, so, unfortunately, will high-techcrime.

Recent local cases involving kidnapping, sexual assault,counterfeiting and child pornography - all linked to the Internet -underscore how important it is that police departments be prepared todeal with computer-related crimes. To their credit, a group thattrains suburban officers is planning to do something about it.

By fall, Northeast Multi-Regional Training Inc., which trainsmore than 300 Chicago area police departments, will offer acurriculum that will give officers a basic introduction to theInternet, then teach them how to use it to search for evidence.They're moving in the right direction. These days, a basicunderstanding of how to navigate on the Internet is a useful skill inmany professions, including law enforcement. For instance, theChicago Police Department, which provides no formal Internettraining, does have a web site that is used, among other things, as aforum on community policing and to post "most-wanted" photos.The actual investigation of crimes linked to the Internetinvolves more complex issues, starting with a determination of whatInternet crime is - and isn't.Then there are right-to-privacy issues, including interpretationof confidentiality and the use of warrants to obtain information.As these issues continue to evolve, they will be closelymonitored by all parties involved, and police departments would bewise to recognize that they need training to keep on top of them.

German Football Results

BERLIN (AP) — Results from the 12th round of the Bundesliga (home team listed first):

Friday's Game

Mainz 3, Stuttgart 1

Saturday's Games

Borussia Dortmund 5, Wolfsburg 1

Werder Bremen 3, Cologne 2

Nuremberg 1, Freiburg 2

Hoffenheim 1, Kaiserslautern 1

Hertha Berlin 1, Borussia Moenchengladbach 2

Bayer Leverkusen 2, Hamburger SV 2

Sunday's Games

Hannover 2, Schalke 2

Augsburg 1, Bayern Munich 2

Friday, Nov. 18

Kaiserslautern vs. Bayer Leverkusen

Saturday, Nov. 19

Schalke vs. Nuremberg

Freiburg vs. Hertha Berlin

Cologne vs. Mainz

Wolfsburg vs. Hannover

Borussia Moenchengladbach vs. Werder Bremen

Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund

Sunday, Nov. 20

Stuttgart vs. Augsburg

Hamburger SV vs. Hoffenheim

Demonstrators across the world call for urgent action to stop 'climate change catastrophe'

Skiers, fire-eaters and environmental campaigners joined in demonstrations worldwide Saturday to draw attention to climate change and push leaders to take robust action.

From costume parades in Manila to a cyclist's protest in London, marches took place in more than 50 cities across the world to coincide with the two-week U.N. Climate Change Conference, which runs through Friday in Bali, Indonesia.

Hundreds of people rallied in the Philippines' capital _ wearing miniature windmills atop hats, or framing their faces in cardboard cutouts of the sun.

"We are trying to send a message that we are going to have to use renewable energy sometime, because the environment, we need to really preserve it," high school student Samantha Gonzales said in Manila. "We have to act now."

In Taipei, Taiwan, some 1,500 people marched through the streets holding banners and placards saying "No to carbon dioxide." Hundreds marched outside the conference center in Bali. At a Climate Rescue Carnival held in a park in Auckland, New Zealand, more than 350 people lay on the grass to spell out "Climate SOS."

At the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, ice sculpture artist Christian Funk carved a polar bear out of 15 tons of ice as a memorial to climate protection.

Christmas markets throughout Germany were switching off the lights, and British cyclists pedaled into Parliament Square in London.

In Helsinki, Finland, about 50 demonstrators ground their skis across the asphalt along the main shopping street, calling for decision makers to give them their snowy winters back.

Fire-eaters blew billowing clouds of flame in Greek cities where demonstrators demanded decisive action against climate change, while protesters sang environmentally inspired songs in the Norway's capital.

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, who is in Oslo to attend the Nobel Peace Prize awards ceremony Monday, did not plan to take part in the protest, his spokeswoman Kalee Kreider told The Associated Press.

In London, demonstrators braved cold, rainy weather to descend on Parliament Square, wielding signs reading: "There is no Planet B." Bikers circled the square earlier in the morning to protest the city's traffic and its effect on global warming, organizers said.

The London protest has singled out one particular target _ U.S. President George W. Bush _ calling his administration the biggest obstacle to progress at the Bali talks. Organizers in the British capital plan to underline the point by ending the protest in front of the U.S. Embassy.

"Bush has been forced to change his language on climate, but continues to be the major obstacle to progress," Britain's Campaign against Climate Change said. "We will not just stand by and allow Bush _ or anyone else _ to wreck the global effort to save billions of lives from climate catastrophe."

Washington has found itself increasingly isolated at the climate talks. The U.S. position that technology and private investment _ not mandatory emissions cuts _ will save the planet has taken a beating.

But Americans were just as active in planning to protest Saturday. In Fairbanks, Alaska, U.S. activists prepared to make "polar bear" plunges into icy cold bodies of water.

___

Associated Press writers across the world contributed to this report.

Art history

IN STEP WITH THE GROWING FASCINATION with traditional African art comes Jean-Baptiste Bacquart's The Tribal Arts Of Africa. A former head of the Tribal Art department at Sotheby's, London, and now a consultant, Bacquart provides not so much a reappraisal as a consise, re-packaging of objects originally made by Africans living south of the Sahara, for Africans, for hundreds of years.

The Tribal Arts of Africa masterfully presents dynamic color photos of all the major object types, including masks, statues and everday objects, but the book's convenient, referenced grouping of these objects alongside contextual explanations of the socio-political structures of each group is unique.

The works of the most important ethnic groups in 49 cultural areas are sophisticated modes of expression as well as valuable collectibles.

by Jean-Baptste Bacquart, Thames & Hudson, 1998, 240 pp., $50.00, ISBN 0-500-01870-7.

(null)

An Associated Press photographer who captured on film every U.S. president from Herbert Hoover to Bill Clinton and climaxed a 66-year career with an iconic shot of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks has died.

Marty Lederhandler covered every kind of news and chalked up a roster of celebrity subjects perhaps unmatched by any other lensman of his time. He retired from AP in 2001.

His companion says he died Thursday at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. He was 92 and had suffered a stroke.

AP President and chief executive Tom Curley says Lederhandler's "keen eye for the right moment and the revealing image helped AP to document history for news audiences around the world."

Club hopping

DON'T MISS IT

TINARIWEN

It's impossible to resist being eternally seduced by the edgy, spellbinding Saharan R&B played by these Tuareg tribesmen who make their home on the edge of the vast desert. Their music became the soundtrack for Tuareg independence and reconciliation. At 7 and 10 p.m. Wednesday at the Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln. Tickets, $18-$22. Call (773) 728-6000; www.oldtownschool.org. - Mary Houlihan

VIENNA TENG

The young singer's beautifully conceived, disarming songs perfectly frame her brand of eclectic pop-jazz-folk. With each album (the latest is "Inland Territory"), this talented performer embraces a new confidence and maturity. Ben Sollee opens at 7 and 10 tonight at Schubas, 3159 N. Southport. Tickets, $20. Call (773) 525-2508; www.schubas.com. --MH

RECORD STORE DAY

For dedicated music lovers, every day is Record Store Day, but in these times of turbulent change in the music industry, Saturday has been singled out by retailers for a special celebration of the sort of independent, Mom-and-Pop shops that not only stock the great stuff you'll never find in the big-box stores but also remain invaluable centers of this city's musical community. A full list of participating stores can be found at www.recordstoreday.com, and most are planning free in-store performances as well as selling the soon-to-be-collectible special releases issued by many bands to mark the occasion. Among the local highlights are appearances by Disappears (5 p.m.) and "a long-standing and well-liked Chicago punk band" at Reckless Records at 1532 N. Milwaukee; Azita (noon) at Laurie's Planet of Sound, 4639 N. Lincoln; Company of Thieves (call 708-456-0861 for time) at Rolling Stones Records, 7300 W. Irving in Norridge, and the Luck of Eden Hall (2 p.m.) at Vintage Vinyl, 925 Davis St. in Evanston. -- Jim DeRogatis

TOMMY KEENE

Power-pop fans whose sweet tooth can't be sated by the International Pop Overthrow Festival should experience one of the jangly giants of the genre, Tommy Keene, as he supports his recent album, "In the Late Bright," with a stop at the Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, on Thursday. Sally Crewe opens at 9 p.m. Tickets, $8. Call (773) 227-4433; www.hideoutchicago.com. -- JD

ERIC LINDELL

The songbook of the California-born, New Orleans-schooled Lindell is filled with soulful original tunes that fuse R&B, reggae, swamp pop and funk into a potent, party-time mix. At 9:30 p.m. Saturday at FitzGerald's, 6615 Roosevelt, Berwyn. Tickets, $15. Call (708) 788-2118; www.fitzgeraldsnightclub.com. --MH

Color Photo: Vienna Teng ; Color Photo: Eric Lindell Color Photo: (See microfilm for photo description). ;

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Capuano Fails in All-Star Bid, Beats Cubs

Chris Capuano is relieved that the All-Star voting process is over, even if he didn't make the team. Capuano threw a six-hit shutout to continue his mastery of the Cubs as Milwaukee beat Chicago 2-0 Thursday night.

Before the game, the Brewers told Capuano he placed second in fan voting for the final National League All-Star spot behind the Los Angeles Dodgers' Nomar Garciaparra.

"It was just such a relief that it was finally over and nice to just try to focus on pitching again," said Capuano, who has pitched 26 straight scoreless innings against the Cubs. "After the last few days, I am very uncomfortable with having that much attention on myself."

Capuano (10-4) failed in his All-Star bid despite the Brewers' four-day "Vote Cappy" campaign. The efforts included advertisements on local television stations, and stadium workers wore "Vote Cappy" T-shirts.

Capuano still may end up an All Star with Pedro Martinez placed on the disabled list on Thursday with right hip pain.

"I don't even know how the whole thing works," Capuano said. "I am just done thinking about it, going back and forth. If it happens, that would be great. If not, that's fine too."

In other NL games, it was: San Diego 5, Philadelphia 3; Washington 8, Florida 7, 11 innings; New York 7, Pittsburgh 5; Atlanta 8, Cincinnati 7, 10 innings; Houston 4, St. Louis 2; and San Francisco 5, Los Angeles 4.

Cubs starter Greg Maddux (7-9) gave up six hits and two runs in six innings to drop to 2-9 in his last 11 decisions. He will likely go into the All-Star break with a losing record for only the second time since 1991 and fourth time in his career.

"I got outpitched," Maddux said. "It's hard to shut a team out twice, but three times, you have to tip your hat and say he's good."

Padres 5, Phillies 3

Rookie Josh Barfield had a career-high four hits to lead visiting San Diego.

Chan Ho Park (6-4) survived a shaky start to earn his fourth win in his last five decisions. He gave up three runs and nine hits with six strikeouts and two walks.

Scott Linebrink worked a scoreless eighth and Trevor Hoffman pitched a perfect ninth for his 22nd save in 23 chances.

Ryan Madson (8-6) gave up five runs and eight hits in five innings.

Nationals 8, Marlins 7, 11 innings

Ryan Zimmerman had a two-out RBI-single in the bottom of the 11th inning to lift Washington to the win.

Zimmerman hit a 3-1 pitch from reliever Jason Vargas through the middle to score Brian Schneider, who had started the inning by reaching base on an error by shortstop Hanley Ramirez.

The Nationals won three of four from the Marlins, who have lost four of five.

Chad Cordero (5-3) pitched two innings for the victory. Jason Vargas (1-2), recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque earlier in the day, took the loss.

Mets 7, Pirates 5

Cliff Floyd and David Wright each drove in two runs and Steve Trachsel allowed seven hits, working into the seventh inning of New York's victory over visiting Pittsburgh.

Floyd doubled in two runs off Pirates rookie starter Tom Gorzelanny (0-1) in the second inning. Wright hit his 19th homer, a two-run shot, in the fifth.

Trachsel (8-4) allowed three runs in 6 1-3 innings. Billy Wagner allowed an unearned run the ninth for his 17th save.

Braves 8, Reds 7, 10 innings

Jeff Francoeur's two-out single in the 10th inning drove in Chipper Jones with the winning run as the Braves recovered from a ninth-inning collapse to beat visiting Cincinnati.

Despite rallying with five runs in the ninth, the Reds lost their sixth straight.

Jones hit a one-out double, his third hit of the game, in the 10th. Todd Coffey (3-4) struck out Andruw Jones before intentionally walking Brian McCann to face Francoeur, who laced a single to left. Jones just beat Adam Dunn's throw to the plate.

Ken Ray (1-0) earned the win, pitching around two walks in the top of the 10th.

Astros 4, Cardinals 2

Mike Lamb homered in the first inning and the host Astros went on to their fifth win in six games.

Taylor Buchholz (6-6) pitched six solid innings for Houston and Brad Lidge got four outs to earn his 21st save and 14th in his last 15 opportunities.

Jim Edmonds homered for St. Louis, which lost for the 10th time in its last 11 road games.

Sidney Ponson (4-4) gave up three runs - one earned - in six-plus innings.

Giants 5, Dodgers 4

Pedro Feliz had three hits and drove in two runs, reliever Brad Hennessey worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam, for visiting San Francisco.

Feliz hit a run-scoring single in a three-run first inning and an RBI grounder in a two-run third to help the Giants take a 5-0 lead against Mark Hendrickson (0-2).

Hennessey (4-1) allowed one run and one hit in three innings. Jeremy Accardo worked a perfect eighth and Armando Benitez blanked the Dodgers in the ninth for his ninth save.

Capuano Fails in All-Star Bid, Beats Cubs

Before the game, the Brewers told Capuano he placed second in fan voting for the final National League All-Star spot behind the Los Angeles Dodgers' Nomar Garciaparra.

Capuano still may end up an All Star with Pedro Martinez placed on the disabled list on Thursday with right hip pain.

"I don't even know how the whole thing works," Capuano said. "I am just done thinking about it, going back and forth. If it happens, that would be great. If not, that's fine too."

"I got outpitched," Maddux said. "It's hard to shut a team out twice, but three times, you have to tip your hat and say he's good."

Padres 5, Phillies 3

Rookie Josh Barfield had a career-high four hits to lead visiting San Diego.

Chan Ho Park (6-4) survived a shaky start to earn his fourth win in his last five decisions. He gave up three runs and nine hits with six strikeouts and two walks.

Scott Linebrink worked a scoreless eighth and Trevor Hoffman pitched a perfect ninth for his 22nd save in 23 chances.

Ryan Madson (8-6) gave up five runs and eight hits in five innings.

Nationals 8, Marlins 7, 11 innings

Ryan Zimmerman had a two-out RBI-single in the bottom of the 11th inning to lift Washington to the win.

Zimmerman hit a 3-1 pitch from reliever Jason Vargas through the middle to score Brian Schneider, who had started the inning by reaching base on an error by shortstop Hanley Ramirez.

The Nationals won three of four from the Marlins, who have lost four of five.

Chad Cordero (5-3) pitched two innings for the victory. Jason Vargas (1-2), recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque earlier in the day, took the loss.

Mets 7, Pirates 5

Cliff Floyd and David Wright each drove in two runs and Steve Trachsel allowed seven hits, working into the seventh inning of New York's victory over visiting Pittsburgh.

Floyd doubled in two runs off Pirates rookie starter Tom Gorzelanny (0-1) in the second inning. Wright hit his 19th homer, a two-run shot, in the fifth.

Trachsel (8-4) allowed three runs in 6 1-3 innings. Billy Wagner allowed an unearned run the ninth for his 17th save.

Braves 8, Reds 7, 10 innings

Jeff Francoeur's two-out single in the 10th inning drove in Chipper Jones with the winning run as the Braves recovered from a ninth-inning collapse to beat visiting Cincinnati.

Despite rallying with five runs in the ninth, the Reds lost their sixth straight.

Ken Ray (1-0) earned the win, pitching around two walks in the top of the 10th.

Astros 4, Cardinals 2

Mike Lamb homered in the first inning and the host Astros went on to their fifth win in six games.

Taylor Buchholz (6-6) pitched six solid innings for Houston and Brad Lidge got four outs to earn his 21st save and 14th in his last 15 opportunities.

Jim Edmonds homered for St. Louis, which lost for the 10th time in its last 11 road games.

Sidney Ponson (4-4) gave up three runs - one earned - in six-plus innings.

Giants 5, Dodgers 4

Pedro Feliz had three hits and drove in two runs, reliever Brad Hennessey worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam, for visiting San Francisco.

Feliz hit a run-scoring single in a three-run first inning and an RBI grounder in a two-run third to help the Giants take a 5-0 lead against Mark Hendrickson (0-2).

Hennessey (4-1) allowed one run and one hit in three innings. Jeremy Accardo worked a perfect eighth and Armando Benitez blanked the Dodgers in the ninth for his ninth save.

Capuano Fails in All-Star Bid, Beats Cubs

Before the game, the Brewers told Capuano he placed second in fan voting for the final National League All-Star spot behind the Los Angeles Dodgers' Nomar Garciaparra.

Capuano still may end up an All Star with Pedro Martinez placed on the disabled list on Thursday with right hip pain.

"I don't even know how the whole thing works," Capuano said. "I am just done thinking about it, going back and forth. If it happens, that would be great. If not, that's fine too."

"I got outpitched," Maddux said. "It's hard to shut a team out twice, but three times, you have to tip your hat and say he's good."

Padres 5, Phillies 3

Rookie Josh Barfield had a career-high four hits to lead visiting San Diego.

Chan Ho Park (6-4) survived a shaky start to earn his fourth win in his last five decisions. He gave up three runs and nine hits with six strikeouts and two walks.

Scott Linebrink worked a scoreless eighth and Trevor Hoffman pitched a perfect ninth for his 22nd save in 23 chances.

Ryan Madson (8-6) gave up five runs and eight hits in five innings.

Nationals 8, Marlins 7, 11 innings

Ryan Zimmerman had a two-out RBI-single in the bottom of the 11th inning to lift Washington to the win.

Zimmerman hit a 3-1 pitch from reliever Jason Vargas through the middle to score Brian Schneider, who had started the inning by reaching base on an error by shortstop Hanley Ramirez.

The Nationals won three of four from the Marlins, who have lost four of five.

Chad Cordero (5-3) pitched two innings for the victory. Jason Vargas (1-2), recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque earlier in the day, took the loss.

Mets 7, Pirates 5

Cliff Floyd and David Wright each drove in two runs and Steve Trachsel allowed seven hits, working into the seventh inning of New York's victory over visiting Pittsburgh.

Floyd doubled in two runs off Pirates rookie starter Tom Gorzelanny (0-1) in the second inning. Wright hit his 19th homer, a two-run shot, in the fifth.

Trachsel (8-4) allowed three runs in 6 1-3 innings. Billy Wagner allowed an unearned run the ninth for his 17th save.

Braves 8, Reds 7, 10 innings

Jeff Francoeur's two-out single in the 10th inning drove in Chipper Jones with the winning run as the Braves recovered from a ninth-inning collapse to beat visiting Cincinnati.

Despite rallying with five runs in the ninth, the Reds lost their sixth straight.

Ken Ray (1-0) earned the win, pitching around two walks in the top of the 10th.

Astros 4, Cardinals 2

Mike Lamb homered in the first inning and the host Astros went on to their fifth win in six games.

Taylor Buchholz (6-6) pitched six solid innings for Houston and Brad Lidge got four outs to earn his 21st save and 14th in his last 15 opportunities.

Jim Edmonds homered for St. Louis, which lost for the 10th time in its last 11 road games.

Sidney Ponson (4-4) gave up three runs - one earned - in six-plus innings.

Giants 5, Dodgers 4

Pedro Feliz had three hits and drove in two runs, reliever Brad Hennessey worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam, for visiting San Francisco.

Feliz hit a run-scoring single in a three-run first inning and an RBI grounder in a two-run third to help the Giants take a 5-0 lead against Mark Hendrickson (0-2).

Hennessey (4-1) allowed one run and one hit in three innings. Jeremy Accardo worked a perfect eighth and Armando Benitez blanked the Dodgers in the ninth for his ninth save.

Israeli soldiers enter Gaza Strip, capture local Hamas leader, kill brother.

Byline: Omar Karmi

Aug. 25--RAMALLAH -- Israeli soldiers crossed into the Gaza Strip early yesterday, capturing a local Hamas leader and killing his brother.

As the forces, backed by tanks and helicopter gunships, moved into the area of Abasan and took up positions on rooftops, they were met with resistance, sparking gunbattles that wounded two Palestinians, officials said.

Hamas officials identified the captured man as Younis Abu Daqqa, a local Hamas leader and a lecturer at Islamic University in Gaza City. His brother, Yousef, not a known member of Hamas or any other group, was killed in the fighting, Hamas said.

The Israeli army confirmed that a senior Hamas operative was arrested, and at least one person was killed. It did not identify the men.

The army has routinely carried out nighttime raids into Gaza since it escalated its operations in the strip after the June 25 capture of an Israeli soldier. In that time, Israel has killed more than 200 Palestinians.

Late Wednesday, an Israeli tank fired a shell at two men who approached Gaza's border fence with Israel in the same area, according to Palestinian officials and the Israeli army.

An Islamic Jihad activist's body and another wounded group member were found near the area, Islamic Jihad and ambulance crews said.

The army said soldiers identified two suspicious men crawling towards the border post, fired a tank shell at them and identified hitting them.

Also late Wednesday, a top Islamic Jihad leader in the West Bank was shot in the head and seriously wounded, local hospital officials said.

The officials said Hossam Jaradat, the West Bank leader of Islamic Jihad's armed wing, was shot by undercover Israeli soldiers in the Jenin refugee camp. But Islamic Jihad said they were not sure Israel was behind the shooting.

The Israeli army said it had no information on the report.

Elsewhere, an Israeli military court on Thursday remanded Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Nasseredine Al Shaer in custody for a further eight days following his capture earlier this month.

Shaer did not appear before the military court in Ofer, near Ramallah, to hear the remand order during which no charges were brought. One of his lawyers, Osama Al Saadi, said his client had refused to attend the hearing because he considered the court illegal.

Israeli troops arrested the 44-year-old Shaer, also Palestinian education minister and the most senior member of the Hamas-led Cabinet in the occupied West Bank, on August 19 from his Ramallah home.

The army confirmed that his capture was part of a wider clampdown against Hamas, which the West considers a terrorist organisation, and which has refused to formally recognise Israel or renounce its armed resistance since taking office.

Yesterday, the Israeli army also captured Musa Alqam, 42, the Hamas mayor of Beit Ummar village near Hebron, witnesses told AFP.

Four other villagers were detained in the operation. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army.

In Jerusalem, a court also extended the remand of Jerusalem Affairs Minister Khaled Abu Arafeh by another eight days.

On Tuesday, an Israeli military court charged Palestinian Parliament Speaker Aziz Dweik with "belonging to a terrorist organisation", two weeks after his seizure in the occupied West Bank.

Israel has detained more than 60 elected Hamas officials, including a third of the Cabinet and 26 MPs since June 25.

In Gaza, the wife of a television cameraman being held hostage with a Fox News correspondent in Gaza made a fresh appeal for their release, a day after a videotape of the two men was issued by their captors.

Speaking before meeting Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, Anita McNaught, a former BBC presenter, urged the hostage-takers to understand that her husband, Olaf Wiig, and Fox correspondent Steve Centanni, were not their enemies.

"Olaf and Steve have always worked for the interest of the Palestinian people, they came here to support you by telling your story," she said.

"I do not question that you who are holding them have suffered greatly, as everyone in Gaza -- in the Palestinian territories -- is suffering, but these two men are not responsible for the injustices that you speak of, and they should not be punished for them."

New Zealand-born Wiig, 36, and American Centanni, 60, were seized on August 14 as they were working on a story in central Gaza City. Theirs is the longest-lasting abduction in Gaza in more than a year.

On Wednesday, the previously unknown Holy Jihad Brigades claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and gave the United States 72 hours to free Muslim prisoners or else the captives would face unspecified consequences.

The deadline is set to expire around midday on Saturday.

To see more of the Jordan Times or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.jordantimes.com/.

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