Apple and I.B.M. Aren’t All That Different

Abstract: EVERY once in while, there are symbolically intriguing historical moments in the corporate world, and one of them occurred last month. On Oct. 18, Apple and I.B.M. reported their quarterly results, and Apple’s total profit surged past I.B.M.’s. The two companies have long been cast as polar opposites, even before Apple’s commercial during the 1984 Super Bowl that depicted a female rebel (Apple) striking a blow against a corporate Big Brother (I.B.M.). Today, Big Blue is seen as a machine — a company that caters to big corporate and government customers and is known for steady improvement and five-year profit plans. Indeed, I.B.M.’s profit rose 12 percent for the third quarter, the 31st consecutive quarter that the company delivered higher earnings. Apple, by contrast, is seen as a consumer-product hit factory that is on a roll. Yet I.B.M. and Apple can be viewed as the yin and the yang of high-tech innovation, as two companies with more in common than is generally understood. There is a lot of eureka invention and deep science in I.B.M.’s varied businesses, industry experts say. And Apple’s continuing success, they add, is explained in good part by its ability to make innovation a managed system, more machinelike. I.B.M. and Apple pursue different markets, but there is a similarity in their strategies, according to David B. Yoffie , a professor at the Harvard Business School. The big shift at I.B.M., he notes, came about 15 years ago, when the company tilted increasingly toward technology services and software and relied less on hardware. (The change began under the former chief executive Louis V. Gerstner Jr. and accelerated under the current chief, Samuel J. Palmisano .) The goal, Mr. Yoffie adds, was to build a profitable business with a lot of recurring revenue, based on service contracts and software licenses, and to attract industry partners and software developers to use its technology. Over the last 10 years, Apple has embraced much of the same strategy — in broad strokes. The company’s partners and developers build on its iPhone and iTunes software and share with Apple their revenue for music and software applications sold on the iStore. These complementary offerings encourage more sales of Apple’s hardware, and have become money makers on their own. “Each company has created an ecosystem of partners and developers around its core products,” Mr. Yoffie says. “And both depend on ongoing innovation.” When Steven P. Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, the company was saddled with inefficient manufacturing, loose cost controls and bulging inventories. It lost more than $1 billion in fiscal 1997. In early 1998, Mr. Jobs recruited Timothy D. Cook , an operations expert, from Compaq, who had previously spent 12 years with I.B.M. Under Mr. Cook, now Apple’s chief operating officer, the company is a model of lean efficiency. It holds seven days’ worth of inventory, compared with an average of more than 30 for most technology companies, analysts say. Companies typically try to manage payments so they collect cash from customers slightly before they have to pay suppliers, thus making money by investing the cash before payments are due. Apple collects its cash in 25 days, on average, and pays its suppliers in 85 days — an extraordinary, 60-day spread that generates an extra $1 billion in cash flow a year, estimates A. M. Sacconaghi Jr., an analyst at Bernstein Research. That achievement is made easier, Mr. Sacconaghi notes, because Apple makes its billions in profit from just a handful of products. But the scale at which it buys components for its hit products, like iPhones and iPods, gives the company some Wal-Mart-style muscle with its suppliers. Fostering consistent innovation, experts say, requires a balance of management systems and inspirational leadership. At Apple, the inspiration wellspring is the megawatt personality of its leader, Mr. Jobs, and its ability to make consumer products that delight millions of people. At I.B.M., the inspiration engine is more subtle and conceptual. In late 2008, Mr. Palmisano and his team settled on a theme: the deployment of scientific research and technology to tackle big challenges for business and society in fields like energy, pollution, transportation and health care. And the company has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on its “Smarter Planet” advertising campaign. “Sure, it’s marketing, but it’s also a big idea that explains the company’s mission to the world and to its employees,” says John Kao, an innovation consultant to governments and business. A striking difference between the companies, experts say, is in their approach to research. I.B.M. has laboratories around the world, spends $6 billion a year on research and development, and generates more patents a year than any other company. Five I.B.M. scientists have won Nobel prizes ; the company’s researchers attend scientific conferences, publish papers and have made fundamental advances in computing, materials science and mathematics. Apple, by contrast, focuses only on product innovation, not scientific invention. “Apple does research insofar as it advances their laser-focused product aspirations,” observes Michael Hawley, a computer scientist who worked for Mr. Jobs at NeXT, a pioneering but commercially unsuccessful computer company. At Apple, the emphasis is not on the basic science of traditional research but on the “behavioral science” of the user experience, explained a former Apple manager, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he still had ties to the company. APPLE has technical experts who constantly scout new commercial technologies, he said; they work with suppliers, often co-inventing down to the chip level. Then prototypes and initial products are produced, with constant refinements. They are shown not to focus groups or to other outsiders, but only to Mr. Jobs and his lieutenants. For example, three iPhone prototypes were completed over the course of a year. The first two were tossed out, the third passed muster, and the product shipped in June 2007, the former manager said. “That is the rocket science — the product,” he said.

International Business Machines Corporation


Europe Decides Against Fines for Spain and Portugal

Abstract: BRUSSELS — European Union officials, facing the rise of populist movements across the region, opted against hitting Spain and Portugal with sanctions on Wednesday for breaking the bloc’s rules on government spending. The refusal to impose fines highlights how the 28-nation bloc is struggling with divergent strains of populist and anti-European forces across a region where one member state, Britain, has already voted to leave. The failure to issue penalties will also raise new questions about whether the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, has the political will to enforce its own rules. Many economists have called on Brussels to ease the fiscal straitjacket, whereby countries face punishment if they run budget deficits beyond 3 percent of gross domestic product, to stimulate spending and to accelerate anemic economic growth across the region. Nevertheless, the commission faced pressure to act against Spain and Portugal from some lawmakers in countries like Germany and the Netherlands who argue that a common currency needs commonly enforced rules to avoid the sort of sovereign debt crisis that was set off by the discovery of a large hole in Greece’s finances. In the end, the commission was wary of forcing more austerity on ordinary Spaniards and Portuguese who have already endured years of spending cuts. A more punitive approach could have further complicated efforts to form a new government in Spain; and in Portugal, it could have forced a breakup of the center-left coalition. “Even symbolic sanctions would not have allowed us to correct what happened in the past and would have been hard to understand by populations who have undertaken significant efforts in recent years,” Pierre Moscovici, the European commissioner for economic and financial affairs, told a news conference. Mr. Moscovici said that the commission had “not played fast and loose with the rules.” “A punitive effect we didn’t feel would be most appropriate at a time when people are questioning Europe,” he added. European officials apparently feared that any penalty, however symbolic, would have fueled anti-European movements, concerns that have only been exacerbated by last month’s British vote to leave the bloc. A fine for Spain and Portugal could also have set a precedent, obliging Brussels to mete out similar treatment to other offenders, like France. But that could risk further strengthening the popularity of Marine Le Pen, who leads the populist National Front in that country. Ms. Le Pen rejects interference from Brussels and wants a British-style referendum on membership of the bloc. Had the authorities imposed fines, it would have been the first time countries using the euro had received formal penalties for breaching their budget deficit limits since the single currency came into use in 1999. The penalties can be as high as the equivalent of 0.2 percent of gross domestic product. That would have amounted to about 2 billion euros, or about $2.2 billion, for Spain and around €350 million for Portugal.


Small Newspapers Cater to City’s Many Ethnic Groups

Abstract: In the last few weeks, a Greek-language newspaper investigated a suicide off the George Washington Bridge, a Russian newspaper surveyed the local Russian diaspora about the newly arrested spies, and a newspaper that focuses on the African and African-American populations gave tips to illegal immigrants on how to avoid getting stopped while driving. Here are excerpts, translated with help from the New York Community Media Alliance. The Final, Tragic Days of Steve Koufakis Late in the afternoon of Monday, June 21, 48-year-old Steve Koufakis was alone with his thoughts and his conscience, God, and his inner demons on the George Washington Bridge. It’s where he wanted to be, and he knew what he wanted to do. When police encroached on a solitude riven by despair and lost hope, he jumped into the Hudson River below, and was killed. A snapshot of the former Wall Street trader’s life showed a man wrestling with — and losing — a life that turned from picture book to horror show after losing his job, facing divorce, and, finally, court-ordered separation from his two sons, aged 5 and 9 years. At about 5 p.m., he left a court hearing related to his pending divorce and headed for the bridge. His last words and thoughts were in a text message to friends they wouldn’t reveal. CONSTANTINE S. SIRIGOS and THEODORE KALMOUKOS, July 1 The National Herald, a Greek-American weekly published in Long Island City, Queens, has a circulation of 13,000. From Russia With Love? How will the scandal affect U.S.-Russian relations? Has it changed the attitude of Americans to their Russian-speaking fellow citizens? Nelly Braginsky, activist and philanthropist: Of course, we suffer: immigrants of the Soviet Union, alas, will look bad, though thousands of our people have earned a good reputation. Attitudes toward us change every time articles appear in the press about Russian criminals, hackers, prostitutes — and, worse, spies! Ilya Levkov, editor, Liberty: I’m sure that the scandal will not affect the perception of the Russian community in the American press or in America as a whole. Xenophobes, who disliked their Russian neighbors before, will continue to hate them, but people who considered us worthy, intelligent people will continue to respect us. ... Russia will continue to flirt with our community as a whole, trying to turn it into its sphere of influence. But I doubt that it will succeed: our children and grandchildren — real Americans — are not nostalgic for Russia, unlike their parents and grandparents. LEAH MOSES, July 10 Russkaya Reklama, a weekly newspaper, is published in Coney Island. Tips for Undocumented in Avoiding Sudden Deportation • In NYC and in most cities in the USA ... avoid driving automobiles. Any cop can stop you for any reasons, such as a defective brake light, red light and can lead to immigration problems. • In Brooklyn, the undocumented immigrants who insist on driving must avoid driving on the service lane of the overpass on Atlantic Avenue, between Eastern Parkway and Pennsylvania Avenue (dubbed “Expressway to Lagos and Accra”), where N.Y.P.D. officers mount roadblocks. • Avoid traveling to upstate New York ... where the local counties there have enacted anti-immigration laws that enable their police to act or become deputized as immigration agents. AFRICAN ABROAD REPORTERS, June 30 African Abroad/USA is a biweekly newspaper published in Jamaica, Queens, and has a circulation of 55,000.


Winning Because They Won’t Accept Losing

Abstract: LONDON — If size or the weight of history were the sole determining factors in a soccer match, then you might wonder why Burkina Faso would even bother to turn up against Nigeria in the Africa Cup of nations final Sunday in Johannesburg. And if you do wonder, you have missed the point of the past three weeks. Burkina Faso has a population of about 17 million. Nigeria outnumbers it by nearly 10 to 1. The Burkinabé have no experience of soccer at this level, apart from one previous semifinal in 1998, and they have been dealt a poor hand at this tournament in South Africa. Each of Burkina Faso’s five games to the final has been played on a wretched field, unsuitable for top-class sport at Nelspruit — and that sand-based, bare, unpredictable field may well have contributed to some of the injuries it has picked up along the way. Furthermore, the African Confederation — the organizer of the competition — has admitted that the Tunisian referee Slim Jdidi, who punished Burkina Faso unduly in the semifinal that went into extra time Wednesday, fell below acceptable standards (he was suspended after the contest). Yet the Burkinabé prevailed. They are in the final against their West African big brother, Nigeria. Anyone who witnessed the scene after Burkina Faso had come from behind to beat Ghana on penalty kicks Wednesday could sense what had brought the team to the final: A God-fearing spirit of togetherness and indomitability. The moment the final penalty was converted, the entire squad of players, led by senior officials, knelt in a circle on the field, reached up to the Heavens and intoned a prayer. It was powerful stuff after two hours of resolute refusal to accept the odds, or the fate seemingly handed to them. Ghana had been one of the favorites — along with Ivory Coast and Nigeria — to win the tournament. But the Ghanaians, despite being awarded an extremely dubious penalty early in the match, became more nervous as the contest wore on. They had reason. In the early stages of the tournament, Burkina Faso had surprised Nigeria with a 1-1 draw, and then kept on chiseling out results on that pitiful playing field. At one point, the Burkinabé coach, Paul Put, said that as terrible as the pitch was, his players had grown accustomed to making do on it. In a similar vein, Put is making what he can of life in Africa, one of the few places where he could find work after he was banned from working in soccer in his own country, Belgium, for his involvement in a match-fixing scandal. But if the coach has sleepless nights, his players seem impervious to the historical and contemporary factors weighted against them. If they are to surmount the final hurdle, they will have to do it in front of an expected sell-out crowd of 90,000 people at the Soccer City stadium on the outskirts of Soweto. They will also have to it without the injured Alain Traore, the top Burkinabé striker who scored against Nigeria in the first game. They may have to do it without their outstanding player in this tournament, Jonathan Pitroipa, who was wrongly sent off in the semifinal. Pitroipa is suspended, and his only hope is that the federation rescinds its ban. And that can only happen if the discredited Tunisian referee admits in his report that he was wrong to issue a second yellow card, for alleged diving, against Pitroipa. Another player who will miss the final is defender Mohamed Koffi, injured against Ghana on Wednesday. Yet one can almost imagine the dressing room Sunday: the summoning of prayer, the defiance of men like Aristides Bancé. With his outrageous blond dyed hair and his apparently limitless energy, he will just keep running at the Nigerians. Nigeria is in two ways the Brazil of Africa. It identifies itself through soccer and has millions of aspiring players. The Nigerian way is not Brazilian samba. It is pace and power, an athletic endowment that has in the past enabled Nigerians to fit comfortably in the physical style of the English league, or, as its current coach Stephen Keshi pioneered, to be sturdy and strong with Belgian clubs. Keshi, in his playing prime, was a redoubtable defender: tall, broad, no-nonsense. He captained the Super Eagles, the national side, leading it to victory in the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations; outspoken against his continent’s proclivity to prefer imported coaches rather than trust its own, he is attempting a double as a winning player and coach. He learned that kind of self determination when he took his coaching badges in the United States at the end of a 17-year playing career. And he possibly developed a kind of coaching kidology, coming into this event professing that Nigeria was simply in a transition phase and not ready to win it. You can bet that Keshi hasn’t been saying those things to his chief striker, Emmanuel Emenike, or his Chelsea players, the midfield strongman John Obi Mikel and the speedy winger Victor Moses. Nigeria has greater experience. Its players earn their living at clubs from Moscow to London to Rome and Seville. They should be able to handle the pressure of starting this final as heavy favorites to win the title, and with a clean bill of health they are coming off a devastating performance in their semifinal. Nigeria devoured Mali 4-1 in that match in Durban on Wednesday. Moses was just too rapid for the Malian defense, and with three goals in a 20-minute burst the contest against a plucky, but overpowered, Malian side became a training ground exercise that allowed Nigeria to start conserving energy. Burkina Faso, taken through the hard labor of 30 minutes extra time, forced to go through the penalty lottery, feeling that it was playing against the referee as well as highly fancied opponents, reached out and achieved history. In getting to this final, that much is achieved for their comparatively small nation. If anyone thinks it will end without a monumental effort on Sunday, they should look again at the communal celebration after the semifinal. The Burkinabé are on a mission.


Standoff Ends Peacefully at a Clinton Field Office

Abstract: ROCHESTER, N.H., Nov. 30 — A man who claimed to have a bomb walked into Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton ’s campaign field office here Friday and took three campaign workers hostage for hours before surrendering to the police. Nobody was hurt, and after the man, identified as Leeland Eisenberg of nearby Somersworth, was taken into custody, the police said he had nothing more than road flares taped to his chest. They would not discuss Mr. Eisenberg’s motive or mental state, but said he could face federal as well as state charges once the investigation was complete. Mrs. Clinton, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, was far from New Hampshire during the incident, preparing to give a speech to the Democratic National Committee in suburban Virginia, which she canceled. Col. Frederick H. Booth, director of the New Hampshire State Police, said Mr. Eisenberg repeatedly asked to speak to Mrs. Clinton, but police negotiators refused his request. “From a tactical standpoint, that would not have been a wise move,” Colonel Booth said. “If we had put that chip up in the very beginning, then there was no place to negotiate.” He said Mrs. Clinton and her aides were “very supportive of what we were doing” during the standoff and that her top priority was ensuring that no one was injured. Mrs. Clinton flew late Friday from Washington to New Hampshire, intending to meet with the workers who had been held hostage before she traveled on to Iowa. She told reporters in Portsmouth that she believed Mr. Eisenberg “was seeking help” and went to her office “because he thought he might get some kind of relief from his own pain and suffering.” She would not elaborate. Mrs. Clinton, of New York, said what happened would not affect how she campaigned. “These incidents unfortunately occur from time to time,” the senator said. “And you work with law enforcement, you trust the professionals to deal with whatever the threat might be. And I have full confidence in them. I don’t think it’s going to impact in any way on me.” The incident, which played out at the office on North Main Street over almost six hours, virtually shut down the business district of this small former mill city of 30,000 about 70 miles north of Boston. The police evacuated buildings along North Main Street. Nearby campaign offices for Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and John Edwards were also evacuated. Stunned residents watched from behind police barricades as law enforcement officials in camouflage and body armor swarmed around the low brick building where Mrs. Clinton rents office space. She has several campaign offices throughout New Hampshire, where the presidential primary is scheduled for Jan. 8, five days after the Iowa caucuses. Chief David Dubois of the Rochester Police Department said Mr. Eisenberg had entered Mrs. Clinton’s office around lunchtime, encountering three members of the campaign staff, one volunteer and a child. He soon released the child and the volunteer, who immediately notified the police. A second woman escaped a few hours later. Mr. Eisenberg, 47, was scheduled to attend a hearing at Strafford County Superior Court on Friday afternoon regarding domestic violence charges that his wife had filed against him, according to Foster’s Daily Democrat, a state newspaper. The newspaper also reported that, according to divorce papers filed this week, Mr. Eisenberg had been arrested and charged with criminal mischief and violating a protective order. His wife, Lisa, said in the filings that she was seeking a divorce based on irreconcilable differences and that Mr. Eisenberg abused drugs and alcohol, the newspaper reported. The authorities would not discuss Mr. Eisenberg’s background but suggested that they had encountered him before. Several news media outlets reported that he drew attention last spring when he complained that his constitutional rights had been violated after the police placed a flier in his unlocked car, warning him to lock it. Chief Dubois said Friday night that the hostages were “home recovering with their families” and doing well. A state trooper negotiated with Mr. Eisenberg by phone through the afternoon, Colonel Booth said, denying his requests for Pepsi and alcohol but giving him cigarettes. At first, the hostages mediated between their captor and the state trooper. “She built a confidence with Mr. Eisenberg and got to the point where finally she was able to get the hostages released,” Colonel Booth said of the trooper. About a half-hour after the last hostage was released, the negotiator persuaded Mr. Eisenberg to come out. He took off his sweater, dropped to his knees and put up his hands. He was being held at the Rochester Police Department. As Mrs. Clinton monitored the events from her home in Washington all afternoon, her aides suspended campaign activities for the day. Former President Bill Clinton also canceled his appearance at an evening fund-raiser in New York City.

Hostages
New Hampshire
Presidential Election of 2008
Clinton Hillary Rodham
Threats and Threatening Messages


Tucson Citizen to Print Last Paper Saturday

Abstract: TUCSON (AP) — Arizona’s oldest continuously published daily newspaper, The Tucson Citizen, will publish its final print edition Saturday after its owner failed to find a buyer. Kate Marymont, Gannett’s vice president for news, told the newspaper’s staff on Friday that The Citizen would continue with a Web edition providing commentary and opinion, but no news or sports coverage. She said the paper’s 60 employees would know by the end of Friday if they would be laid off, kept on short term or be hired long term. The 138-year-old paper had a circulation about 17,000 today. The Citizen has a joint operating agreement with Lee Enterprises, which publishes the competing Arizona Daily Star. Because of the agreement, the Arizona attorney general’s office filed a complaint Friday in federal court seeking to halt the closing. A spokeswoman for Attorney General Terry Goddard said the complaint was filed in Tucson shortly before court closed, and a motion for a temporary restraining order also was filed. Robert J. Dickey, president of Gannett’s community publishing division, said that a Tucson Citizen editorial weekly would run in The Star.

Arizona
Newspapers
Shutdowns (Institutional)
Tucson (Ariz)
Gannett Co
Dickey Robert J


Walter Curley, Venture Capitalist and U.S. Ambassador, Dies at 93

Abstract: Walter Curley, a venture capitalist who was the American ambassador to Ireland and France and New York City’s official greeter under two mayors, died on June 2 in Manhattan. He was 93. The cause was a head injury he sustained in a fall, his son, Patrick, said. Mr. Curley, who was prominent in Republican fund-raising circles, especially for the presidential campaign of George Bush, also wrote four books, served on numerous boards and was a trustee of the New York Public Library. From 1960 to 1974, Mr. Curley was a partner in J. H. Whitney & Company, the venture capital investment firm that, he once recalled, helped introduce Minute Maid frozen orange juice, with a plug on the radio from John Hay Whitney’s friend Bing Crosby, who had invested in the company. Walter Joseph Patrick Curley Jr. was born in Pittsburgh on Sept. 17, 1922. His father owned a railroad tank car company. His mother was the former Marguerite Cowan. He graduated from Yale, where he was a classmate of Prescott Bush Jr., George’s brother, and of John V. Lindsay, who would be elected mayor of New York in 1965. After serving in the Marines as a lieutenant in the Pacific during World War II, Mr. Curley grudgingly took his father’s advice and enrolled in Harvard Business School, where he got a master’s degree. “I don’t care whether you become a foreign service officer, a businessman, a tap dancer, a nuclear scientist or a beach bum,” Mr. Curley recalled his father as saying, “but whatever you do, before you do it, at least learn to read a balance sheet, and it might serve you in good stead, somehow, somewhere.” Mayor Lindsay, a Republican who later became a Democrat, named him chief of protocol and commissioner of public events, a position he held into the administration of Mayor Abraham D. Beame, a Democrat. He was named ambassador to Ireland by President Gerald R. Ford (his senior thesis at Yale was titled “The Influence of the Irish on American Politics”) in 1975 and served until 1977. He then opened his own venture capital firm. Mr. Curley was a prodigious fund-raiser for Mr. Bush, who appointed him ambassador to France (he spoke fluent Italian, but said his French was only fair), where he served from 1989 to 1993. In addition to his son, W. J. Patrick Curley III, he is survived by his wife, the former Mary Taylor Walton; a daughter, Margaret Bacon; and seven grandchildren.

Walter Curley
Venture capital
Obituary
Diplomats Embassies and Consulates


British Open 2014: Golfers Start Early at Royal Liverpool

Abstract: HOYLAKE, England — The oldest of golf’s major championships is also the earliest of golf’s major championships. This is not without consequences. Steven Brotherhood, David Howell’s caddie, set his alarm for 3:30 a.m. on Thursday. “In 10 years of doing this, that’s the earliest I’ve had to get up for a start,” Brotherhood said. Howell, an Englishman who was scheduled to hit the first shot of the British Open, set his alarm for 4:15 and woke up unprompted at 4:11. “I thought, Shall I go four more minutes?” he said. With his mind already racing ahead to the round to come, the answer was no, whether he liked it or not. Howell and Brotherhood were soon in the car on their way to Royal Liverpool. Others made their way on foot, walking through the empty streets of the neighboring town West Kirby, past storefronts bearing specially printed British Open signs that had been flipped to read, “Sorry We’re Not Open.” No apologies should be required at 5 a.m., but inside the gates of Royal Liverpool, golf carts were delivering employees and goods to various points. When the gates were opened to the public at 6 a.m., there was a civilized rush for the first hole, and by the time Howell’s threesome arrived for its 6:25 tee time, the large grandstand at the first tee was only about 20 souls short of a full house. “You think, Do people not sleep?” Brotherhood said. The Open has the earliest start of the majors in part because of geography: At these latitudes in July, the days are long. And the Masters, which had a field of 97 this year, has many fewer rounds to get through than the Open, with its field of 156. Although the P.G.A. Championship and the United States Open also have large fields, they start from two tees — the first and the 10th — to accelerate the process. Still, the United States Open started quite early this year, too: 6:45 a.m. What truly separates the British Open from the other majors — and nearly every other tournament — is the length of the day’s play. Thursday’s last stroke was a short par putt by Chris Rodgers at 8:59 p.m., 14 hours 34 minutes after Howell, his English compatriot, struck his opening drive. With sunrise at 5:07 a.m. and sunset at 9:31 p.m., the Open actually had light available for even more golf. But Thursday’s output certainly must have seemed sufficient to Ivor Robson, the Open’s gray-haired, reedy-voiced announcer, who had to give a proper hail and farewell to all 52 threesomes on the first tee. Peter Dawson, the chief executive of the R & A, which conducts the British Open, was there by Robson’s side at the beginning. He was one of those who had picked Howell and his playing partners to start the festivities. There is no random draw for the Open, no hard-and-fast criteria. But there is a working formula: geographical diversity. The idea is to place together a European, an American and a player from elsewhere as much as possible. Enter Howell, David Duval the American and Robert Karlsson the Swede. In terms of career achievement, this was a high-profile group for such an early start. All are former Ryder Cup players, and Duval won the 2001 Open. But viewed through the lens of recent achievement, their profiles are not nearly so high, so they were first-group material: familiar enough to kick off the pomp and circumstance but lacking the rankings or present-day currency to be placed in the prime starting times later in the morning. “They don’t send Tiger Woods out at 6:25,” said John Alderson, 66, from Harrogate in North Yorkshire, who was in the crowd at the first hole. Woods got the 9:04 slot and the usual attention on Thursday, but, as he likes to practice at the crack of dawn, Woods would presumably not mind an early round, when there are fewer cameras about. Grist for thought for the R & A. But the fans who followed the first group, like Alderson, a regular first-grouper, still enjoyed what was on offer. “It’s less crowded, and you can follow all 18 holes without much trouble,” Alderson said. And so they did, with the nearly full grandstand at the first tee soon giving way to nearly empty grandstands the rest of the round. Howell, Karlsson and Duval played in the early-morning sunlight to the sound of very few hands clapping and to the occasional blare from the large video screens scattered around the course. With no players ahead of them to slow them down, that was a rare impediment. “To be honest, we’re used to playing in front of no one,” Howell said. “Obviously at the big tournaments we have big crowds, but anywhere else in the world on Thursday morning, there’s not a lot of people around watching. So that’s not unusual. The much bigger problem was the televisions in the tented villages. The noise from those was putting us off a little bit.” The course, however, was particularly inviting : relatively soft for a first-rate links after rain on Wednesday, close to becalmed, with the flags hanging limply on their sticks and the subtle wind shifts more noticeable to the combatants than to those tramping along beside them. “It went from northeast to southeast and a bit around and everywhere,” Karlsson said of the breeze. “So it was a bit tricky, but if you call this tricky, I’ll take this tricky.” It was a good line considering the sort of summer weather this stretch of northwestern England can dish out, and the sort of stormy, windy weather it is forecast to dish out Friday morning. Thursday was clearly the clear day to pile on the birdies, and Karlsson ultimately did it best in the threesome, shooting a three-under-par 69 that put him in the lead but by day’s end left him tied for 10th with Woods and seven others. Howell had to settle for a 72, Duval for a 73. At least they were both set to get some more sleep Friday morning, with an 11:26 a.m. start. The 6:25 a.m. slot went to Hiroshi Iwata, Matthew Southgate and James McLeary. McLeary sounded more than ready for the challenge and not just because, with two young children, he is accustomed to sleep deprivation. “In South Africa, at my first event on the main European Tour this year, I teed off at something like 10 past 6,” he said. “It was a two-ball, and they were still serving breakfast when we came in. That’s how early we teed off. I actually had two bacon and eggs that day — two breakfasts.”

British Open
Golf
Royal and Ancient Golf Club


Milan's Gennaro Gattuso Barred for Head-Butting Coach

Abstract: A.C. Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso was barred for four Champions League or Europa League games for head-butting a Tottenham assistant, Joe Jordans, at a Champions League game last week, UEFA said. ¶Carlton Cole scored twice in three minutes to help West Ham rout Burnley, 5-1, and reach the quarterfinals of the F.A. Cup. FAcup

UEFA Champions League (Soccer)
AC Milan
Gattuso Gennaro


Census Considers How to Measure a More Diverse America

Abstract: When Alexa Aviles received her census form in 2010, she was frustrated by the choices. Like all Hispanics, Ms. Aviles, a Puerto Rican who lives in Brooklyn, was first asked to identify her ethnicity and then to answer a question about her race. Ms. Aviles, 41, who works for a nonprofit, thought, “I’m all of these!” In annoyance, she checked Hispanic, and then identified herself as white, black and “some other race.” Mustafa Asmar, a Palestinian-American waiter in Paterson, N.J., does not like his options either. Arab-Americans are broadly classified as white in the census. “When you fill out white or other, it doesn’t really represent the Middle Eastern population,” said Mr. Asmar, 25. “I don’t feel like I’m white. I don’t know what else to put.” As the United States becomes more diverse, the Census Bureau is grappling with how to accurately classify race and ethnicity in its next decennial count in 2020. It is an issue that plays out in divergent ways for different groups. Many Hispanics, like Ms. Aviles, are frustrated that they are prompted to select from racial categories that they believe do not represent their identity. Many Arabs have the opposite concern: They are not asked a separate ethnicity question and are typically categorized as white, a label that many feel does not apply. Of the 47.6 million people who classified themselves as being of Hispanic or Latino origin on the 2010 census, 30.5 percent also considered themselves “some other race.” Many emphasized their Hispanic heritage by writing in “Mexican,” “Hispanic,” “Latin American” or “Puerto Rican” to specify what they meant. An additional 13 percent declined to provide a race at all. As a result, the bureau is considering modifying the Hispanic question for the 2020 census. Respondents could continue to select as many race categories as they wanted, but Hispanics would no longer be prompted to check a racial category. That pleases many Hispanics, but in a sign of how complicated the issue is, it has raised concerns among some black Latinos who say that not prompting a response on race “helps enforce the myth of a monolithic Latinidad,” said Guesnerth Perea, the communications coordinator of the Afro Latino Forum , a nonprofit cultural group. “The concern is about erasure,” he continued. “Who gets recognized and who doesn’t get recognized.” Of the Hispanics who did name a race in 2010, 47.4 percent reported “white” while 2.1 reported percent “black.” A Hispanic origin question has been part of the census since 1970, and the question has evolved each decade in an attempt to more accurately reflect the growing Hispanic demographic, census officials said. Answers to those questions have also shifted. A recent New York Times article on preliminary research from the 2000 and 2010 censuses, which showed some Hispanics switched the answer to the race question from “some other race” to “white” and some switched from “white” to “some other race,” was criticized by some Hispanics for not understanding the fluidity of Hispanic identity. The critiques set off a flurry of opinion articles across the country about Hispanic identity as well as a Twitter campaign called #WhatLatinosLookLike, in which Hispanics posted photos of themselves to show their diversity of skin color, hair texture, and racial and economic backgrounds. Image Hector R. Cordero-Guzman is a professor at the School of Public Affairs at Baruch College. Credit Ruby Washington/The New York Times “It’s not that the people are confused; it’s that the question is inexact,” said Hector R. Cordero-Guzman, a professor at the School of Public Affairs at Baruch College, of the decision by many Latinos to choose “some other race” or no race at all. “If you are asking somebody simply what their skin color is — that’s how some people understand the question. Some people say they are asking me about my ancestry. Others think they are asking me about how I’m treated when I go outside.” Arab-Americans are generally categorized as white in the census, something activist groups and academics have been lobbying to change . A letter to the Census Bureau last July, submitted by the Arab American Institute and co-signed by a number of organizations and academics, asked for an ethnic category box to be added to the census form to cover people from the Middle East and North Africa. The letter said an estimated two-thirds of people from the region do not consider themselves white. Census officials said they were considering testing an ethnic category box for Arab-Americans in advance of the 2020 census. “We want to get away from that binary where you’re either one of these races or you’re nothing,” said Helen Hatab Samhan, a member of the Arab American Institute’s board. Amer Zahr, a Palestinian-American comedian and the creator of a documentary film called “We’re Not White,” which examines Arab-American identity and the census form quandary, asks, “How do we then become part of the fabric of American society if our government tells us that we don’t exist, they put us in this group that we don’t belong in?” Like Hispanics, people from the Middle East and North Africa can have complex racial identities that are interwoven with ethnicity and national origin. Many of the people Mr. Zahr interviewed for his film said they did not feel white or black but distinctly Arab, and felt ignored by the lack of a box. “On stage sometimes I say the real test for whiteness is whether or not white people think you’re white, and white people definitely don’t think we’re white,” Mr. Zahr said. But for some Arab-American groups, the addition of a census box is not enough. For the past few years, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee has been taking steps toward petitioning the federal government to classify Arab-Americans as a full-fledged minority group. Ultimately, Congress would have to decide whether or not to grant a group minority status. Ms. Samhan of the Arab American Institute said the proposal to add a census box was not meant to advocate for the classification of Arab-Americans as a minority group, but to collect more accurate data. “There has always been a lot of difference of opinion about whether or not minority status is a good thing for this population,” she said, “which is why we’ve made it very clear that that is not what we are requesting.” To some, the larger issue is the ambiguous nature of race altogether. Kenneth Prewitt, a former director of the Census Bureau, a professor of public affairs at Columbia University and the author of “What Is Your Race? The Census and Our Flawed Efforts to Classify Americans,” said the problem with asking about race was that it forced people to think about skin color. Mr. Prewitt said asking people about their national origin rather than race would be a more accurate way to classify them. “ ‘What race are you?’ is a very complicated question,” he said.

Census
Race and Ethnicity
Arab American
Hispanic Americans


Student Editor Keeps His Job, but Is Warned About Ethics

Abstract: A headline in Friday’s Rocky Mountain Collegian hit especially close to home for the writers and editors of the college newspaper at Colorado State University . “Collegian Editor Will Keep His Job,” it said, reporting that an independent review board that oversees The Collegian had decided to admonish, but not fire, the editor who had approved a vulgar, four-word editorial about President Bush in a space that would usually run to hundreds of words. The unusual editorial, published on Sept. 21 in an extra-large font, contained a four-letter expletive in front of Mr. Bush’s name. The Collegian, led by editor in chief J. David McSwane, said the message was an exercise of free speech; some students on the Fort Collins campus said it was immature and insulting. Calls for Mr. McSwane’s removal were immediate, and the board responsible for the newspaper called a hearing to determine his fate. After several hours of deliberations on Thursday, the board determined that Mr. McSwane had violated the newspaper’s code of ethics (which states that “profane and vulgar words are not acceptable for opinion writing”) but said that the editorial was an expression of opinion protected by the First Amendment. In a statement, the board called Mr. McSwane’s decision to publish the editorial “unethical and unprofessional.” In his own statement, Mr. McSwane said he was pleased with the decision. “I am proud to be a student at a university that respects students’ First Amendment rights,” he said. Mr. McSwane and the board chairman have declined to comment further. Hailey McDonald, The Collegian’s managing editor, said Mr. McSwane had the full support of the newspaper’s student leadership. She expressed relief yesterday that the case was now concluded. “We’re all just ready for the circus to die down so we can get back to reporting the news rather than being it,” she said. The furor surrounding the editorial placed The Collegian in an awkward position as it covered the potential removal of its own editor. Aaron Hedge, a senior reporter who joined the staff two months ago and was assigned to cover the controversy, even wrote an article describing a threat phoned in to the newsroom from an anonymous caller. “The staff was unsure whether or not they would keep their leader, so when we had support we were on top of the world, and when we were chastised we felt like we were walking through a vat of peanut butter. There was no calm medium,” Mr. Hedge said.

Ethics
Newspapers
Colorado State University
Freedom of Speech and Expression
Colleges and Universities


Kicking Back and Kicking Off the Heels

Abstract: Vicki Marlane, 75, is a transgender drag queen. Every Friday and Saturday night she performs with The Hot Boxxx Girls at Aunt Charlie’s Lounge, a postage-stamp-sized bar in the city’s Tenderloin District, where she is known as “The Girl with the Liquid Spine.” Ms. Marlane started entertaining as a female impersonator at 17. (Her words have been edited and condensed.) THE WITCHING HOUR At midnight on Saturday I’m at the bar thinking about how many more numbers we still have to do. It’s hectic backstage. It’s “Girl, where are you? You’re up next!” I usually have one more song. I do a lot of Celine Dion. She’s so gutsy for being such a little dinky thing. I’m a firm believer in lip-synching without a sound coming out. No one wants to hear my real voice. CURTAIN CALL By 12:30 we’re done and me and the girls go out and take our final bow. Then I come backstage and turn everything off, the sound system, the spotlights, the microphones and smoke machine. I take off my gown. I’m a gown freak. When I was 6, I took my aunt’s wedding gown, put it on and danced in the backyard. She almost killed me. BURGERS I have a regular cabbie who is a real peach. He picks me up at 12:45 and gets me home by 1. I throw my wigs, high heels and everything on the floor. I take my makeup off with cold cream and baby wipes. Then I put a couple of frozen White Castle hamburgers in the microwave, put the television on, get my caffeine-free Pepsi and I sit down, unwind and eat my little baby burgers. BEANS I’m asleep by 2:30 and awake by 9. What do I need more sleep for? I’m 75 years old. The first thing I do is make my cappuccino and decide which restaurant I’m going to for dinner. I don’t cook except for beans. I love beans — lima beans, great northern beans with ham hocks, all of them. EVERYDAY CLOTHES On Sunday I wear my everyday garb: jeans, a sloppy shirt and tennies. I wear glasses. When I’m performing, I don’t wear them. I like to be blind. I make believe that the audience is staring at me in adoration, going, “Oh, Vicki.” That’s how I’d like to die, on stage. At the end of one of my big numbers I’d just fall to the ground. They’d be applauding, saying, “This is so great,” and then they’d start wondering, “Why is the poor thing not getting up?” FAMILY GUY I don’t drive. To get to dinner, I take buses and street cars. There’s no place to sit. It’s horrible. I can’t stand for too long; I have very bad sciatica. I go to bed around 10, but first I watch “The Simpsons,” “Family Guy” and “Extreme Home Makeover” — deserving people getting homes. I cry my head off.

Impersonations
Transsexuals
San Francisco Bay Area (Calif)
Marlane Vicki


A Review of ‘Tovarich,’ From the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey

Abstract: CHANGE IS hard. There is an economic recession, let’s say, and you have to give up Caribbean vacations, day spas and decent wines. Or there is a revolution, and you have to give up your royal title and wealth, leave the country and work as a servant, setting the table (such tacky china!) and polishing the boots of the Parisian bourgeoisie. The Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey brings us just such a fantasy of displaced Russian nobility, “ Tovarich ,” in a sometimes thrilling, frequently elating and consistently complex new production. Hearing the play’s premise, it’s easy to think “European screwball comedy,” and “Tovarich” is that — it was made into a 1937 Hollywood film with Charles Boyer and Claudette Colbert — but it’s a great deal more. And to its authors’ credit, it is not obvious whose side we are supposed to take: that of the seemingly noble Bolsheviks who have overthrown Russia’s titled 1 percent, or the charming young Russian prince and grand duchess who find themselves stealing artichokes for dinner and cutting up chemises to make handkerchiefs. In this production, it helps the aristocracy’s side that Jon Barker, as Prince Mikail Alexandrovitch Ouratieff (butler name: Michel), and Carly Street, as Grand Duchess Tatiana Petrovna (housemaid name: Tina), are supremely lovable. Maybe the message is something about how each of us deals with adversity. As Tatiana says, with a nod to “Twelfth Night,” “Resourcefulness has been thrust upon us.” Image The grand duchess showing her gratitude to Charles Dupont, played by Matt Sullivan, for allowing her to be a servant to his family. Credit Gerry Goodstein/Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey To the credit of many — particularly Bonnie J. Monte, who has directed four very different scenes with royally confident versatility — everyone here is lovable, with the semi-exception of Commissar Gorotchenko (Anthony Cochrane), who has just discovered that Communism and the oil business can be friends. Charles Dupont (Matt Sullivan) and his wife, Fernande (Alison Weller), are a lovely upper-middle-class couple whose classified ad Mikail and Tatiana answer, bringing along a glowing letter of recommendation (from themselves). Mr. Sullivan’s finest moments are when he is struggling to stifle his lust for the new maid. The Duponts’ grown children, Georges (Seamus Mulcahy) and Hélène (Rachael Fox), are brats when we first meet them. But they have the common sense to become entranced by the new arrivals, for both their nonservantlike skills and their sexiness, and soon we love the children, too. A lot of crushing is going on chez Dupont. If there were an award for most fabulous scene, it would go to the one in which Michel volunteers some fencing advice to young Georges and then dazzles everyone in a demonstration that would have made Errol Flynn envious. Yes, Rick Sordelet, the company’s acclaimed fight director, deserves major credit, but the seductiveness is all Mr. Barker’s. Image Hélène and Georges Dupont, played by Rachael Fox and Seamus Mulcahy, center, question the new servant, Mr. Barker. Credit James Morey/Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey The second-best moment is the realization by the Duponts’ white-haired Russian guest, Madame Van Hemert (Mary Dierson), as “the maid” enters the room. Although Tina-Tatiana is practically carrying a feather duster, Madame Van Hemert falls to her knees and kisses her hand. I don’t know much about Jacques Deval, who wrote the original 1933 French play, but Robert E. Sherwood , who did the 1935 English adaptation, also wrote my favorite 1940s movie, “The Best Years of Our Lives,” which was another story of changing identities. (The World War II enlisted man is actually an affluent banker married to Myrna Loy. The brave officer can’t get a postwar job in a drugstore.) Those same rich observations about 20th-century life, character and fortune are now on the stage in Madison. Brittany Vasta’s scenic design (Paris, 1925 and 1926) is both beautiful to look at and imaginative. It is especially satisfying to see the skylight in the Russians’ cheap hotel room turn into a glamorous backdrop in the Duponts’ formal parlor and finally into the windows of the servants’ kitchen. Paul Canada’s period costume design is elegant. Has a grand duchess ever looked better in a French maid’s uniform with a below-the-knee hemline? Steven Rosen’s lighting design is lovely, but in the first scene it is almost too good. That atmospheric hotel room nearly put me to sleep. Eliminating or rewriting great playwrights’ words can be sacrilege, but a scene late in Act II, in which the newly christened Michel and Tina admire the view of a Russian Orthodox church from their new employers’ window, could be an exception. Tina says, with a deep sigh, “We can see Russia.” It may take a few minutes to get the unspoken words “from our house” and the image of Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin out of your head.

Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey
Theater
Jon Barker
Carly Street
Matt Sullivan
Seamus Mulcahy
Rachael Fox
Madison NJ


Facing Protests, China’s Business Investment May Be Cooling

Abstract: SHIFANG, China — Local leaders were all smiles this summer at a groundbreaking ceremony for a vast copper smelting project that seemed like the answer to the chronic unemployment that has plagued this city in northern Sichuan ever since a devastating earthquake in 2008. But within days, the tree-lined plaza at the heart of the city was packed with thousands of youths, protesting that the $1.6 billion factory would pose a pollution hazard. After two nights of street battles pitting youths against the riot police, city leaders canceled the smelter. “The environment is more important” than new investments or jobs, said a young woman sitting, on a recent afternoon, at the cafe across the street from the plaza, now empty except for a clutch of retirees gathered under the clock tower. China’s economic boom over the last three decades has depended overwhelmingly on a build-at-all-costs investment strategy in which pollution concerns, the preservation of neighborhoods and other such questions have been swept aside. But that approach is starting to backfire, posing one of the biggest challenges for the new generation of Chinese policy makers who will take over at the Communist Party Congress, which starts on Thursday. New investment projects used to be seen as the best way to keep the Chinese public happy with jobs and rising incomes, assuring social stability — a paramount goal of the Communist Party — while frequently enriching local politicians as well. But from Shifang in the west to the port of Ningbo in the east, where a week of sometimes violent protests forced the suspension on Oct. 28 of plans to expand a chemical plant, more projects are running into public hostility. In many cases, they are running into opposition not just from farmers who do not want their houses and fields confiscated, but also from a growing middle class fearful that new factories will lead to more environmental damage. In response to this and other worries about the economy, a number of influential officials and business leaders in China have stepped up their calls for changes aimed at increasing the efficiency of investment and simultaneously shifting the country toward a greater reliance on consumption. But China’s leaders, including the outgoing prime minister, Wen Jiabao, have been talking about such a transformation for years with little sign of success, as state-controlled banks continue to lend huge sums to politically powerful state-owned enterprises and local governments. Frenzied construction of roads, bridges, tunnels and rail lines over the last decade has left China with world-class infrastructure. But it has also produced deeply indebted local governments that are struggling to finance more projects. At the same time, vast unused capacity in practically every industrial sector has crippled profitability and left manufacturing firms straining to repay their borrowings, a problem that has been partly masked by banks in the habit of simply rolling over loans rather than recognizing losses. “All Chinese industries are like that — can you dig out which area of Chinese industry is not in overcapacity?” said Li Junfeng, a longtime director general for energy at China’s top economic planning agency. Investment reached 46 percent of China’s economic output last year. By comparison, Japan’s investment rate peaked at 36 percent, which it reached in the early 1970s; South Korea topped out at 39 percent in the late 1980s. Growth in Japan and South Korea started to slow and eventually tumbled after investment peaked. The big question now is when China will run into the same limits, and how rapidly change will take place, said Diana Choyleva, an economist at Lombard Street Research in Hong Kong. “The potential for a big crisis is always there,” she said. Even experts who strongly favor fundamental policy changes, like moving to a more market-oriented system for allocating bank loans and setting interest rates, doubt that China’s leaders are preparing to move quickly. Conversations at senior levels of the Communist Party appear to have focused so far on reducing the state’s role in the day-to-day management of many state-owned enterprises rather than selling them or breaking them up. But a few hints have surfaced that sentiment for reining in the excessive reliance on business investment might be strengthening even among those segments of the Chinese elite — executives at China’s big state-owned enterprises — that benefit the most from the status quo. Zhu Fushou, the chief executive of the Dongfeng Motor Corporation, one of China’s largest car and truck manufacturers, startled executives at an industry conference in September when he said that China might have almost all the cars it needs, at least for the near-term, and that the government should discourage further investment in the sector. Mr. Zhu called for greater reliance on the free market to determine the winners and losers in major industries, chastising other auto executives for complaining too much about competition. Such griping “is not objective — it’s irrational, incompetent and immature,” Mr. Zhu said at the Global Automotive Forum in Chengdu, the main annual conference for executives from Chinese automakers and the China units of global car companies like General Motors and Volkswagen. Mr. Zhu’s remarks were especially striking because of Dongfeng’s longstanding close ties to Beijing as a pillar of Chinese heavy industry ever since Mao ordered its founding in 1969. Mr. Zhu’s predecessor at Dongfeng, Miao Wei, is now the minister of industry and information technology, leading an office that has long favored government-organized oligopolies of state-owned enterprises in many industries. The auto industry in China is operating at about 60 percent of capacity this year, typical of Chinese industries these days, according to a report this summer from the International Monetary Fund. By contrast, United States auto factories and those in other industries usually operate at a much higher rate; even during the worst days of the economic crisis in 2009, capacity utilization in American industry fell no lower than 66.8 percent and then only briefly, according to Federal Reserve data. For many years, economists inside and outside of China have recommended a shift toward more reliance on consumption to sustain growth over the longer run. Progress has been slow, in part because the government has set a cautious pace in offering more medical insurance and pensions, forcing many Chinese to maintain high savings rates to provide their own safety net. But the rising tide of protests against big investment projects may put pressure on Beijing to move faster. Almost every region of China has been affected within the last year or so, starting with a protest against a large chemical plant in northeastern China in August 2011; the local government promised a crowd it would close that plant but after the crowds went home, the plant has continued to operate. Just in the last two weeks, there have been numerous demonstrations against a proposed coal-fired power plant on the southeast coast of the island of Hainan and against the expansion of the petrochemical plant in Ningbo, a port near Shanghai. Shifang, the site of the canceled copper smelter, is a town full of retirees that had hoped to create more jobs for its young people, instead of sending them off to factories in Chengdu, a 90-minute bus ride to the south, or even to Guangdong in southern China, a 30-hour train ride. Yet many youths joined the protests here in July, with some even traveling from nearby towns, and the recent Ningbo protests also attracted many youths. The re-emergence of youth protests is surprising because in a nation of one-child families, Chinese parents often seek to stop their offspring from participating in political activity because they worry that it will harm their future careers. The Chinese authorities have shown scant tolerance for anyone who travels to another town to participate in a protest. It is not clear whether Beijing officials will heed further protests around the country or decide instead that they see no other way to stimulate economic growth than to keep fostering ever more heavy industry projects. They appear to be keeping all options open. On the outskirts of Shifang, there was no sign of work at the smelter site, but a uniformed soldier stood near a heavy steel barrier painted in bright red and white. Large signs warned visitors not to enter. And about 100 yards past the barrier sat a dozen troop carrier trucks, to make sure no one did.

China
Economic Conditions and Trends
International Trade and World Market
Factories and Manufacturing
Consumer Behavior
Politics and Government
Demonstrations Protests and Riots
Series
Changing of the Guard (Series)


Taliban Leader Said to Warn U.S. on War

Abstract: KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A message on Saturday attributed to the Taliban ’s reclusive leader, Mullah Omar, said that the United States and NATO should study Afghanistan’s long history of war, a pointed reminder that foreign forces have had limited military success in the country. The message for the approaching holiday of Id al-Fitr, which ends the fasting month of Ramadan , said Western nations should study the military history of Afghanistan, starting with Pashtun tribesmen’s thwarting of Alexander the Great and up through more recent invasions. “We would like to point out that we fought against the British invaders for 80 years from 1839 to 1919 and ultimately got independence by defeating” Britain, the statement attributed to Mullah Omar said. “Today we have strong determination, military training and effective weapons,” the message said. “Still more, we have preparedness for a long war, and the regional situation is in our favor. Therefore, we will continue to wage jihad until we gain independence and force the invaders to pull out.” The statement’s authenticity could not be verified, but it was posted on a Web site the Taliban frequently uses. Mullah Omar is believed to be in hiding in Pakistan, but his location has not been verified in years.

United States Defense and Military Forces


Police Fire Tear Gas and Water Cannons at Istanbul Protesters

Abstract: ISTANBUL — Riot police officers used tear gas and water cannons to disperse hundreds of protesters who took to the streets of Istanbul on Friday, defying a government ban on May Day celebrations in Taksim Square . At least 250 people were detained, according to the Istanbul Bar Association. The authorities had tried to lock down the city by erecting roadblocks and suspending service on the main public transportation lines. About 10,000 police officers were deployed to stop labor unions and activists from gathering in Taksim Square, where violence has marred May Day celebrations in the past . In the Besiktas district, activists shouted resistance slogans and May Day chants. Many protesters were stopped and searched by the police, and several people carrying gas masks were arrested in the Sisli district. “Turkey has a highly oppressive government with dictatorial tendencies,” said Kani Beko, the president of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey, which represents more than 320,000 workers in the country. “They would do anything to prevent anyone calling for better democracy in this country,” he added. Cengiz Umut, a member of the trade union confederation, said of the square: “Taksim is ours. It is a symbol of May Day. Gathering there is our right.” Image A man fell to the ground after riot police officers used a water cannon to disperse protesters in Istanbul on Friday. Credit Bulent Kilic/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images “Look at all this police around you,” he added. “This is pure fascism.” Taksim Square was closed to May Day celebrations by the military government in 1980 after an episode in 1977 when gunmen opened fire on the rally, killing dozens of protesters. The government reopened the square for May Day in 2010, but then closed it again, citing security concerns. The square has been under tight police control since 2013, when it became the center of sweeping antigovernment protests that roiled the country, posing one of the greatest challenges to the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the former prime minister who is now president. Mr. Erdogan met on Friday with representatives of labor groups at the presidential palace in Ankara, and called for May Day, a national holiday in Turkey, to be celebrated in a festive atmosphere. “Taksim Square is not suitable for rallies, as rallying in Taksim Square would mean paralyzing transportation in Istanbul,” he said. The governor of Istanbul, Vasip Sahin, said before the events on Friday that while union representatives were welcome to lay wreaths in the square to commemorate the dead protesters, any mass gatherings should be held in designated areas outside the city center and not in the square. The protests on Friday came at a time of deep polarization in Turkey, with mounting opposition to what many see as the authoritarian style of Mr. Erdogan and his government. The authorities have responded by increasingly quashing dissent. A bill passed in March expanded police powers and stiffened the penalties for unauthorized demonstrations. “This government has made this city unlivable,” said Alev Kuyumcu, a protester who lives in Besiktas. “They make us suffocate on a national holiday. You can’t even leave the house.”

Istanbul
May Day
Turkey
Civil Unrest
Taksim Square Istanbul Turkey


EXECUTIVE PAY; C.E.O. Pay Keeps Rising, And Bigger Rises Faster

Abstract: CHIEF executives' pay continued to rise in 2005, although at a slightly slower pace than in 2004. The average total pay for chief executives rose 27 percent, to $11.3 million, according to a survey of 200 large companies by Pearl Meyer & Partners, the compensation practice of Clark Consulting. The 123 chief executives included in the survey for the last three years saw their compensation increase, on average, 15 percent, to $11.4 million in 2005. Last year, their pay was up almost 30 percent, to $10.2 million. Chief executives' median pay -- the point at which half are above and half are below -- was $8.4 million in 2005, up 10.3 percent from 2004. A few executives who received very large long-term bonus and option awards account for the big difference from the average. While ordinary workers' wages and benefits were squeezed last year, chief executives were largely immune from those pressures. The median base salary for chief executives rose about 4 percent, to $1 million. The median bonus rose 8 percent, to $1.8 million. That compares with a 38 percent increase, to $1.9 million, in 2004, when profits were growing faster. The fastest-growing part of executive compensation in 2005 was in new grants of restricted stock and long-term incentive payouts. For the typical chief executive, they rose almost 15 percent, to $1.9 million. In 2004, they grew almost 111 percent, to $1.4 million, reflecting rising profits and a shift away from stock options. Of the 200 executives surveyed, about half stand to collect big pensions. At least 20 percent can expect $1 million in annual benefits. There were some big winners but few real losers last year. Chief executives of the largest oil companies, homebuilders and Wall Street investment houses had the largest paychecks in 2005. Ray R. Irani, the chief executive of Occidental Petroleum, topped the list, with more than $63 million in total pay. Next were Bruce E. Karatz of KB Home and William E. Greehey of the Valero Energy Corporation, who each received more than $40 million in total compensation. The heads of Wall Street's four biggest investment houses -- John J. Mack of Morgan Stanley, Henry M. Paulson Jr. of Goldman Sachs, Richard S. Fuld Jr. of Lehman Brothers and E. Stanley O'Neal of Merrill Lynch -- were also near the top. Next year may reveal even bigger paydays. In January, the Securities and Exchange Commission proposed 370 pages of rules to improve the disclosure of how -- and how much -- executives are paid. The requirements, expected to take effect in 2007, call for companies to explain how much the five highest-paid managers and all directors receive. Companies will also be expected to show deferred compensation, retirement benefits and severance pay -- figures so hard for investors to find that they are called "stealth wealth." One area that has already changed is the disclosure of perks, which are usually reported in public filings as "other compensation." This form of compensation rose 9.3 percent, to about $188,000, last year, after the S.E.C. took a more aggressive stance on perk reporting. Companies "are now putting a value on things that never had to be valued before," said Jannice L. Koors, a managing partner at Pearl Meyer & Partners. "That affected tons of stuff with everybody: airplanes, cars, drivers, apartments. All the stuff that wasn't disclosed because it wasn't reported income now has to be disclosed as a perquisite." Chief executives at consumer products companies took a pay cut of about 4 percent after weaker shareholder returns. But boards at many automobile, retail and telecommunications companies appeared to ignore last year's bad news. Gap, for example, more than doubled the compensation of its chief executive, Paul S. Pressler, to $19.1 million, even though the company posted its worst results in years. Still, the board withheld his annual bonus.

PEARL MEYER & PARTNERS
EXECUTIVES AND MANAGEMENT
WAGES AND SALARIES


Tigers’ Off-Season Moves Forge a Lineup Without a Weak Link

Abstract: LAKELAND, Fla. — Iván Rodríguez will be paid $13 million this season to play catcher for the Detroit Tigers and bat eighth. This is not a glamorous lineup spot for a veteran power hitter who could reach the Hall of Fame. Manager Jim Leyland announced Rodríguez’s lowly slot over the weekend amid praise for his catcher, an older and declining member of one of baseball’s best-hitting teams. Rodríguez said batting eighth was fine with him. “I don’t care where I’m hitting, I’ve just got to be part of the team,” Rodríguez, 36, said at Joker Marchant Stadium. “I just want to stay healthy and do my job.” Last season, he usually batted sixth. The circumstances of Rodríguez illustrate the depth and the power of the Tigers’ lineup, which has been bolstered by the trades for third baseman Miguel Cabrera and shortstop Édgar Rentería and given more depth with the acquisition of outfielder Jacque Jones. Like the Mets, the Tigers finished second in their division in 2007 after leading it much of the season, and then were dramatically active in the off-season. The Mets acquired Johan Santana, perhaps the best left-hander in baseball. The Tigers added a star left-handed pitcher, Dontrelle Willis, who came in the trade that brought Cabrera from Florida. Rentería arrived in a trade with Atlanta and Jones in a deal with the Chicago Cubs. Leyland will have other difficult decisions about who bats where, but Rodríguez made this one easier. He asked Leyland, “Am I hitting eighth or ninth?” and told him he did not care where he batted. “I already had my talk with Pudge,” Leyland said. “He said, ‘Whatever’s best for the team.’ That’s why I have the utmost respect for him.” Rodríguez batted .281 last season with 11 home runs and 63 runs batted in. For his 17-year career, Rodríguez has a .303 average, 288 home runs and 1,182 R.B.I. In his four seasons with the Tigers, Rodríguez has been a major factor in transforming a team that improved from baseball’s worst record in 2003 to a World Series appearance in 2006. The Tigers briefly had the best record in the majors after last year’s All-Star break, but finished 88-74 for second place behind Cleveland in the American League Central division. Injuries hurt pitchers like starters Kenny Rogers and Jeremy Bonderman and relievers Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney. Bonderman has recovered from his sore elbow and Rogers from shoulder and elbow problems. But Zumaya is out until midseason after shoulder surgery and Rodney’s shoulder is hurting again. If Rodney does not recover by the start of the season, “We’ll pitch someone else,” Leyland said. Zumaya, who hurt his pitching hand playing a video game in 2006, said he hurt his shoulder moving boxes during the wildfires in Southern California last fall. The lack of a setup man for closer Todd Jones could be a big void for an otherwise formidable team. The left-handers Bobby Seay and Tim Byrdak have a chance to fill that gap. But there are also questions about Willis, who slipped to 10-15 last season as his earned run average grew to 5.17. He is 68-54 in a five-year career, with an E.R.A. of 3.78. At 26, Willis should be approaching his prime, with a twisting, high-kicking delivery that most A.L. batters have not faced. Willis, who has averaged more than 200 innings and 34 starts in five seasons, said he was neither injured nor tired last year. “I just didn’t play as well as I wanted to,” he said. Will the distant fences of Comerica Park help him? “I hope so,” Willis said. “But I’ve been known to make spacious parks look small. We’ll see.” At the plate, Willis has 8 home runs in his career with 35 R.B.I. and a .234 average in 351 at-bats. Leyland, when asked whether he would use Willis to hit, at first said no, but then conceded he might use him in an extra-inning game if he was low on pinch-hitters. “Yes, absolutely, that could happen,” Leyland said. “I’d put him up there.” Justin Verlander, the staff ace at 18-6 last season, discussed being backed by a lineup that will probably have Cabrera and designated hitter Gary Sheffield flanking the cleanup hitter Magglio Ordóñez, the right fielder. (Who bats third and who bats fifth has not been decided.) Ordóñez, the defending A.L. batting champion, hit .363 in 2007, with 28 home runs and 139 R.B.I. Cabrera’s numbers were .329, 34 and 119 with the Marlins. Sheffield was .265, 25 and 75, but he was bothered by a shoulder injury that required surgery. “It’s nice to have situations where, if things go awry, you might have a chance to sneak out a win while giving up some runs,” Verlander said. He said having Jones patrolling left field would give pitchers more nerve to attack hitters even when behind in the count. With three left-handers in the rotation — Willis, Rogers and Nate Robertson — with the righties Verlander and Bonderman, Verlander said opposing hitters “are going to see something different every day. “It’s going to be hard for them to get in a groove.” The batting order will be filled out by Carlos Guillén (.296, 21, 102) who moves from shortstop to first base and will probably bat sixth; Plácido Polanco (.341, 9, 67), playing second base and probably batting second; and Rentería (.332, 12, 57), who will likely join Rodríguez and Jones (.285, 5, 66) in the bottom third of the order. Atop them all is the leadoff man, Curtis Granderson, a center fielder who batted .302 with 23 home runs and 74 R.B.I. In the off-season, Granderson signed a $30.25 million contract for five years. He also worked as a television commentator in the postseason and toured South Africa to encourage baseball teams from several nations. Granderson said the hype surrounding the Tigers was “a lot of talk” that had yet to be backed up. “We’ve got to understand that the opposing pitchers are not going to come out and say, ‘Oh, my God, this is that lineup!’ and give in to us,” Granderson said. “We’ve got to stay hungry. I hope we’re still on people’s breath at the end of the season.”

Detroit Tigers
Baseball
Leyland Jim
Cabrera Miguel
Renteria Edgar
Jones Jacque


Breeders’ Cup: Union Rags’s Owner Trusts Instincts and Has Favorite

Abstract: LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Phyllis Wyeth knows the horse business. She grew up in Middleburg, Va., watching her parents, James and Alice Mills, build Hickory Tree Farm and Stable into an international breeding and racing operation. She understands both how to trust her gut and how to make hard decisions. So when Wyeth’s accountant told her that to satisfy a tax concern, she should sell a certain striking bay colt she had bred, she let her head defeat her heart, and she sold. The colt fetched $145,000 at the 2010 Fasig-Tipton Yearling sale, but it did not make Wyeth happy. There was something inspirational about the colt, and throughout the fall and winter she had a nagging feeling that she had made a terrible mistake. “I was haunted that I didn’t trust my instincts,” she said. So when the colt she had sold — a son of Dixie Union and Wyeth’s mare Tempo — showed up in the catalog of a 2-year-old in training sale in Florida, Wyeth had a second chance to trust her gut. “I told Russell to go buy him and I didn’t care how much he cost,” she said, referring to her bloodstock agent, Russell Jones. Wyeth, 70, knows something about muses and hunches. Her mother, Alice, was a du Pont who followed her heart beyond horses and into a colorful life as an aviatrix, environmentalist and philanthropist. Her husband, Jamie Wyeth, pursued his vision, as well as his pedigree, as an artist. His father was Andrew Wyeth . The colt she bought back came at a cost — $390,000. But the colt, now named Union Rags, is undefeated, has already paid for himself and is the 2-1 favorite to win the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Saturday at Churchill Downs. Wyeth has already turned down millions for parts or all of Union Rags. “I’m lucky enough to have enough money,” she said. “I don’t want people to tell me how to race my horse.” While her parents were fortunate enough to breed and race such notable horses as the filly Glad Rags, who won England’s 1,000 Guineas Stakes in 1966, and Devil’s Bag, the 2-year-old champion here in 1983, Wyeth has not been so successful at the track. In fact, after having a couple of horses who looked better than they ran, Wyeth promised her trainer, Michael Matz, that someday she would give him a good horse. They are neighbors as well as friends in the horse country of Chester County, Pa. “She had sent me a bunch of horses a bunch of times and they just weren’t that good,” Matz said. “She always kept saying, ‘I’m going to get you a good one.’ She more than has kept her promise.” It was Matz who campaigned Barbaro , the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner whose battle to recover from a broken leg sustained in the Preakness Stakes captivated the nation. Matz knew as soon as Union Rags showed up in his barn that he might have his second once-in-a-lifetime horse. While Barbaro had raced once at this point as a 2-year-old, Union Rags has won three times at three tracks at distances up to a mile. Last month in the Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park, he was stuck behind a wall of horses in deep stretch before his rider, Javier Castellano, punched him through an opening and then sat still as Union Rags drew off by five and a quarter lengths. “This colt is a lot more physically and mentally mature than Barbaro was at this point,” Matz said. “He’s got so much raw talent and he’s still learning, but he’s a really kind horse with common sense.” In the Matz barn, Wyeth is regarded kindly as a character. She is tough and blunt talking and has a fondness for cigars. She also has been on crutches or in a motorized scooter for 50 years as a result of a broken neck sustained in a 1962 car accident. “It’s really been fun seeing how happy this horse has made her,” Matz said. When she married Jamie Wyeth after the accident, she made him promise that they would review their life each year and decide if they wanted the union to continue. “I didn’t want my husband to feel like he had to take care of me,” Wyeth said, before adding with a wry laugh: “I told him he could get rid of me whenever he wanted. Now, I guess we’ve been married too long.” Instead, Phyllis Wyeth has been one of his muses and has been a subject in some of his notable paintings. Union Rags, in turn, has moved his owner deeply. She fights back tears before the colt ever reaches the starting gate and lets them flow after what have so far been remarkable performances. “I had never kept a colt before,” said Wyeth, who during her career had raced only her fillies. “But I just knew I had to have this one. He’s special.” No matter how Union Rags runs in the Juvenile, then, Wyeth said she had no regrets for letting her heart have its way.

Horses
Horse Racing
Breeders' Cup (Horse Race)
Wyeth Phyllis
Matz Michael
Wyeth Jamie
Wyeth Andrew


L.S.U. Sends No. 10 Marquette to Its First Loss of Season

Abstract: Ralston Turner scored 22 points and host Louisiana State extended its winning streak to five games while handing No. 10 Marquette its first loss of the season, 67-59, on Monday night. Justin Hamilton closed out a 13-point performance with seven free throws in the last 53 seconds to ensure the Tigers (8-3) held off the Golden Eagles (10-1). DAVIDSON 80, KANSAS 74 Nik Cochran scored 21 points, including a 3-pointer in the closing minutes, and visiting Davidson (7-3) shocked No. 12 Kansas (7-3) to exact a bit of revenge over an epic N.C.A.A. tournament loss three years ago. INDIANA 107, HOWARD 50 Jordan Hulls had 16 points as No. 17 Indiana beat visiting Howard. The Hoosiers are off to their first 11-0 start since the 1975-76 team went 32-0. MICHIGAN ST. 89, U.M.K.C. 54 Branden Dawson scored a career-high 16 points to lead No. 19 Michigan State (10-2) past visiting University of Missouri-Kansas City. ILLINOIS 64, CORNELL 60 Meyers Leonard had 19 points and a career-high 16 rebounds to lead No. 25 Illinois (11-1) over visiting Cornell. BAYLOR 95, PAUL QUINN 54 Quincy Acy had 24 points and seven dunks as No. 6 Baylor (10-0) defeated Paul Quinn College in Waco, Tex. CREIGHTON 83, TULSA 64 The sophomore Doug McDermott scored a career-high 35 points and No. 23 Creighton (9-1) routed host Tulsa. N. CAROLINA 99, NICHOLLS ST. 49 Dexter Strickland scored 14 points to help No. 5 North Carolina (10-2) beat visiting Nicholls State. DUKE 90, U.N.C. GREENSBORO 63 The freshman Quinn Cook had all of his 14 points in the second half, and No. 7 Duke (10-1) topped visiting U.N.C. Greensboro. FLORIDA 82, MISS. VALLEY ST. 54 Erving Walker scored 19 points and No. 11 Florida (9-2) overwhelmed Mississippi Valley State to extend its home winning streak to 11. Women GONZAGA 71, GEORGIA 68 Haiden Palmer’s 3-pointer with two-tenths of a second sent Gonzaga (9-2) past No. 13 Georgia at the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic.

Marquette University
Louisiana State University
Indiana University
Howard University
Basketball
College Athletics
Basketball (College)


For Stephen Curry, an Unfamiliar Walk to the Locker Room

Abstract: CLEVELAND — After it slowly sank in on Thursday night, after Stephen Curry realized he had been ejected from a game for the first time in his N.B.A. career, all he could do was perform penance for his behavior. It began with a long, deliberate exit from the court. Curry was jeered by a ravenous capacity crowd in Cleveland as he passed the scorer’s table and then his own bench, where he paused for a moment before continuing his perp walk to the locker room. There Curry sat as he considered his circumstances. He had to wait out the final 4 minutes 22 seconds while the Cleveland Cavaliers put the last touches on their emphatic 115-101 Game 6 victory over Curry’s Golden State Warriors and sent the N.B.A. finals back to Oakland, Calif., for a deciding Game 7 on Sunday. “I just sat in my chair,” Curry said later at a news conference. “I’ve never been ejected before, so it was a weird feeling. It was just frustration and also kind of, like you said, I thought it was kind of hilarious the way the last two fouls and me blowing up kind of unfolded and some of the things that were said out there.” Video After the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors to force a decisive Game 7 of the N.B.A. finals, LeBron James, Tyronn Lue, Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr discussed game and some of its controversial moments. Credit Credit Jason Miller/Getty Images It was as if all of the events of the last week had congealed for Curry: the suspension of his teammate Draymond Green for Game 5; the loss of another teammate, Andrew Bogut, to injury; the jousting with LeBron James; and finally, his brief, but startling, loss of cool late in Game 6, when he flung his mouthpiece into the stands after he had fouled out and was immediately tossed from the scene by the referees. On Friday, the N.B.A. fined Curry and Warriors Coach Steve Kerr $25,000 each for their outbursts about the officiating in the game. Specifically, Curry was fined for throwing his mouthpiece, which hit a person in the stands, and Kerr was fined for his public criticism of the officiating at a postgame news conference. No team has ever lost a three-games-to-one lead in the N.B.A. finals, but the mighty Warriors, who for the past week have been on the cusp of back-to-back titles, are now in danger of doing just that. And it showed the depths of the Warriors’ exasperation that it was not the combustible Green or the sometimes feisty Kerr who blew up as Game 6 slipped away for good, but the cherublike Curry. Image “I thought it was kind of hilarious the way the last two fouls and me blowing up kind of unfolded and some of the things that were said out there,” Curry said. Credit Jason Miller/Getty Images “There is nothing in his entire time in the league that would tell you this is anything other than frustration that had built up,” Warriors forward Harrison Barnes said of Curry’s mouthpiece misdemeanor. Curry said, “I had some stuff I wanted to get off my chest tonight after the way the game went, and that was it.” Watching Game 6 unfold the way it did was apparently too much for Curry’s wife, Ayesha, as well. She wrote on Twitter that Game 6 was rigged, for either money or TV ratings. “I won’t be silent,” she wrote. But then she was. She deleted the post shortly after it appeared, and as she and Curry’s parents waited for him outside the locker room, she wiped away tears and shielded her eyes while they were affixed to her phone. She waved away a reporter who approached, saying, “I’m fine, thank you.” The N.B.A. was powerless to fine Curry’s wife, but Curry was a different story, although he did quickly apologize to the fan he had struck with the mouthpiece. And Kerr’s fine was a no-brainer, as he had opened his postgame news conference by calmly, but directly, criticizing the officials for three of the six fouls called on Curry, terming them “absolutely ridiculous.” Kerr also called out the official who levied the sixth foul, Jason Phillips, by name. “Let me be clear, we did not lose because of the officiating,” Kerr said. “But three of the six fouls were incredibly inappropriate calls for anybody, much less the M.V.P. of the league.” Kerr, seeking to set the tone for the officiating in Game 7, was not the only one playing mind games. LeBron James, whom Kerr accused of flopping on Curry’s final foul, went out of his way to bump Curry after making a layup on Thursday night and, in another sequence, barked at Curry after swatting away his shot near the basket. Curry, whose layup attempt after the buzzer in Game 5 was also blocked by James, answered with little other than a smile late Thursday when asked about his star rival. “However he wants to celebrate or whatever he wants to do to kind of take in that moment, it is what it is,” Curry said. “I stay aggressive — don’t let him get in my head.” The Warriors have not been the aggressors in three of the last four games. It took them more than five minutes to score in Game 6, and they missed 21 of their first 25 shots. They trailed by as many as 24 points in the third quarter, and the Cavaliers withstood each run the Warriors made. Image Stephen Curry after his ejection. Credit Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Curry was whistled for his fifth foul with 9:49 left in the fourth quarter after he had poked the ball away from Kyrie Irving. Later came the sixth foul when James and Curry made contact with each other. At that point, the mouthpiece went flying. Nobody on the Warriors seemed bothered by Curry’s outburst. In fact, some players said they were buttressed by it. “Absolutely,” Klay Thompson said when asked if the Warriors needed to play angry on Sunday. “Play angry, but don’t play with so much emotion it takes you out of your focus. But 100 percent play angry. We feel like we could have closed it out a long time ago, but here we are.” When the locker room opened 30 minutes after Game 6 had ended, Curry was still in his uniform. He got up from his locker to toss a banana peel in a trash can, then sat down to take off his sneakers, remove his jersey, shorts and compression wear and peel away the bandages on his right knee. His mood seemed light as he joked with teammate Brandon Rush. Later, as he sat on the podium and answered questions, he took comfort in the thought of returning home, where the Warriors have thrived all season playing in front of raucous crowds of their own. He said it was all he and his teammates could ask for, the chance to win one game and a championship. And if it happens, Curry will not be walking off the court alone.

Stephen Curry
Cavaliers
Golden State Warriors
Referee
Basketball
NBA Championship


Hillary Clinton Says ‘Radical Fringe’ Is Taking Over G.O.P. Under Donald Trump

Abstract: RENO, Nev. — Hillary Clinton delivered a blistering denunciation Thursday of Donald J. Trump ’s personal and political history with race, arguing in her most forceful terms yet that a nationalist conservative fringe had engulfed the Republican Party. In a 31-minute address, building to a controlled simmer, Mrs. Clinton did everything but call Mr. Trump a racist outright — saying he had promoted “racist lie” after “racist lie,” pushed conspiracy theories with “racist undertones” and heartened racists across the country by submitting to an “emerging racist ideology known as the alt-right.” “He is taking hate groups mainstream,” Mrs. Clinton told supporters at a community college here, “and helping a radical fringe take over the Republican Party.” Mrs. Clinton said that while a racially charged and “paranoid fringe” had always existed in politics, “it’s never had the nominee of a major party stoking it, encouraging it and giving it a national megaphone, until now.” Mrs. Clinton’s remarks coincide with a conspicuous shift in strategy from Mr. Trump, who has spoken with more compassion about people in the country illegally and expressed a desire to win African-American support. He has even suggested he might revisit his call to deport 11 million immigrants in the United States illegally, a pivot seen as an attempt to draw in moderate voters turned off by his views. With Mr. Trump’s rise, Mrs. Clinton has often struck a have-you-no-sense-of-decency theme in her critiques — warning sternly and repeatedly that the arc of his candidacy transcended standard political attack. But her effort on Thursday was remarkable for its exhaustive accounting of Mr. Trump’s controversial racial history in business and in his presidential campaign. Mrs. Clinton detailed the Justice Department’s housing discrimination case against Mr. Trump during the 1970s, noting that the applications of black and Latino residents “would be marked with a ‘C’ — ‘C’ for colored.” She said state regulators had fined a Trump casino for repeatedly removing black dealers from the floor and reminded the audience of Mr. Trump’s promotion of “birtherism,” questioning President Obama’s birthplace. She recalled his opening salvo in the Republican primary, calling Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals when he announced his candidacy, and his more recent suggestion that a judge with a Mexican heritage could not be impartial in hearing a case involving Trump University. “This is someone who retweets white supremacists online,” Mrs. Clinton said, citing a posting by someone with the user name “WhiteGenocideTM. “Trump took this fringe bigot with a few dozen followers and spread his message to 11 million people.” In the Race for Registered Voters, Republicans Are Gaining Republicans have narrowed the Democrats’ lead in registered voters in several swing states, especially in North Carolina and Florida. By the end, Mrs. Clinton was quoting headlines from the Breitbart News website , which is overseen by Mr. Trump’s new campaign chief, Stephen K. Bannon. “I’m not making this up,” she warned, before digging into the site’s archives: “ Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy ”; “ ‘Would You Rather Your Child Had Feminism or Cancer?’ ”; “ Hoist It High and Proud: The Confederate Flag Proclaims a Glorious Heritage .” The address came a week after Mr. Trump hired Mr. Bannon , who has eagerly described the site as “the platform for the alt-right” — a loosely defined and contested term often associated with white nationalist and anti-immigrant sentiment. “The de facto merger between Breitbart and the Trump campaign represents a landmark achievement for the alt-right,” Mrs. Clinton said. At a rally in Manchester, N.H., on Thursday afternoon, Mr. Trump offered a pre-emptive response to Mrs. Clinton’s speech, portraying her attacks as directed not only at him, but also at his many supporters. “She lies, and she smears, and she paints decent Americans — you — as racists,” he said, motioning toward the crowd gathered at a hotel. “She bullies voters who only want a better future and tries to intimidate them out of voting for a change.” He offered a pointed response to Mrs. Clinton and those “pushing her to spread smears and her lies about decent people.” “I have three words,” he said. “I want you to remember these three words: Shame on you.” Mrs. Clinton’s pitch seemed aimed largely at moderate Republicans and other voters who have watched Mr. Trump’s attempts in recent days to soften his image. “Trump is trying to rebrand himself,” she said. “Don’t be fooled.” She detailed explicit rejections of racist behavior from prominent Republicans in the past, like Bob Dole, George W. Bush and Senator John McCain of Arizona. And she defended the House speaker, Paul D. Ryan, and Senator Ted Cruz, who had been attacked by Mr. Trump’s campaign. Mrs. Clinton suggested a reason Mr. Trump had latched onto the evidence-free theory that Mr. Cruz’s father was involved in the assassination of John F. Kennedy. “Perhaps in Trump’s mind, because Mr. Cruz was a Cuban immigrant, he must have had something to do with it,” she said, speaking before two dozen American flags. Video Donald J. Trump lashed back after reports that his rival Hillary Clinton would accuse him in her next speech of appealing to an anti-immigrant fringe movement. Credit Credit Damon Winter/The New York Times She later called the Trump campaign “a moment of reckoning for every Republican dismayed that the Party of Lincoln has become the Party of Trump.” In a signal of the gravity with which the campaign viewed her speech, Mrs. Clinton took the stage without music. Jason Miller, a spokesman for Mr. Trump, said that with her attacks, Mrs. Clinton was merely trying to direct attention away from her own controversies. “Hillary Clinton’s attempt to delete the single worst week of her political career isn’t going to work,” he said, citing uproars over her private email server and the Clinton Foundation. Mr. Trump’s recent efforts to moderate his tone, which have come in front of predominantly white audiences, have more than occasionally offended minority voters . Mr. Trump has said African-Americans live in neighborhoods resembling “war zones,” struggle to get by on food stamps and constantly face down errant gunfire. “What do you have to lose?” he has asked. On Thursday, Mrs. Clinton offered her response: “The answer is everything.” As Mr. Trump has been recalibrating his message, Mrs. Clinton’s team has been straining to hold Mr. Trump to his statements from the Republican nominating fight, reminding voters of his hard-line stance on immigration and arguing that his campaign has encouraged hate groups. On Thursday morning, Mrs. Clinton posted a campaign video on Twitter featuring clips of white supremacists praising Mr. Trump. It included a now-famous interview in which Mr. Trump initially declined to disavow David Duke, the former Ku Klux Klan leader. Near the end of Mrs. Clinton’s video, these words appear: “If Trump wins, they could be running the country.” In her speech, she alluded to a so-called Trump effect in schools, citing instances of bullying that have targeted Latino and Muslim students, and lamented his penchant for conspiracy theories. “This is what happens when you treat The National Enquirer like gospel,” she said. She mused at the Trump team’s suggestion that she was in the throes of a health crisis. “Dream on,” she said.

Hillary Clinton
Donald Trump
Discrimination
2016 Presidential Election
Race and Ethnicity