Market Share Gains Lift Profit at Staples’

Abstract: Staples, the office supplies retailer, said yesterday that its profit rose 19 percent in the second quarter, driven by market share gains in North America and strong back-to-school sales. Staples said its income rose to $161.2 million, or 22 cents a share, from $135.2 million, or 18 cents a share, a year earlier. Sales rose 12 percent, to $3.88 billion from $3.47 billion. Sales at North American stores open at least a year rose 4 percent, helped by strong sales of its mobile computing products, core office supplies, ink and toner products, and copying and printing services, along with an improved performance in office furniture. The company, which is trying to expand margins with private-label products, said it was on track to reach its goal of 20 percent of sales from Staples-brand products. Sales in the international unit rose 5 percent in local currency and 8 percent in dollars, Staples said. Shares were up 12 cents, or .05 percent, to $23.65.

Staples
North America
Sales
Company Reports


As Federal Reserve Selects New Top Officials, Coalition Calls for Public Input

Abstract: WASHINGTON — A coalition of community groups and labor unions wants the Federal Reserve to change the way some Fed officials are appointed, criticizing the existing process as secretive, undemocratic and dominated by banks and other large corporations. In letters sent to Fed officials last week, the coalition called for the central bank to let the public participate in choosing new presidents for the regional reserve banks in Philadelphia and Dallas. The current heads of both banks plan to step down in the first half of 2015. The Fed’s chairwoman, Janet L. Yellen, has agreed to meet on Friday with about three dozen representatives of the groups to hear their concerns. “The Federal Reserve has huge influence over the number of people who have jobs, over our wages, over the number of hours that we get to work, and yet we don’t have discussion and engagement over what Fed policy should be,” said Ady Barkan, a lawyer with the Center for Popular Democracy , a Brooklyn-based advocacy group that is orchestrating the campaigns. “More people’s voices need to be heard.” A spokeswoman for Ms. Yellen confirmed the meeting but declined to comment on the issues raised by the groups. The Philadelphia Fed said in an email that the institution “is conducting a broad search for its next president and will consider a diverse group of candidates from inside and outside the Federal Reserve System.” James Hoard, a spokesman for the Dallas Fed, said the bank’s board would meet on Thursday to discuss the search process. The campaign is part of a broader increase in political pressure on the Fed, which is engaged in a long-running campaign to stimulate the economy that some liberals regard as insufficient and some conservatives see as both ineffective and dangerous. Mr. Barkan led a picket line in support of the Fed’s efforts in August outside the annual monetary policy conference at Jackson Hole, Wyo. House Republicans, meanwhile, have passed legislation that seeks to reduce the Fed’s flexibility in responding to economic downturns, arguing that such efforts are destabilizing. The Fed acts like a monolith, but it has a complicated skeleton. Most power rests with a board of governors in Washington, who are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. But operations are conducted through 12 regional banks, each of which selects its own president. And those presidents rotate among themselves five of the 12 seats on the Federal Open Market Committee, which sets monetary policy. The two presidents who have said they plan to step down are, by coincidence, among the most outspoken internal critics of the Fed’s campaign to stimulate the economy. Charles I. Plosser, president of the Philadelphia Fed since 2006, plans to retire on March 1. Richard W. Fisher, president of the Dallas Fed since 2005, is required to step down by the end of April, though he has not set a date. Image The regional Fed presidents Charles I. Plosser, left, of Philadelphia, and Richard W. Fisher of Dallas plan to retire next year. Credit Richard Drew/Associated Press and Jose Luis Magana/Reuters Their replacements will be selected by the board of each reserve bank. Each board has nine members, including three bankers, but under the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, only the nonbank members can participate in the process. The banks in each reserve district, however, still elect three of those six nonbank members. The other three, including the chairman and vice chairman, are appointed by the Fed board in Washington. By law, the boards are supposed to represent a diverse set of viewpoints, including “labor and consumers.” But the 72 nonbank board members are predominantly corporate executives. Just eight are leaders of community groups; two more are leaders of labor groups. Corporate executives exclusively make up the boards of the St. Louis and Richmond regional banks. The Dallas Fed’s board includes the presidents of the Houston Endowment — a charitable organization — and the University of Houston. The Philadelphia Fed has five executives and the president of the University of Delaware. “I look at that list and it doesn’t strike me that most of those folks are representing the public,” Kati Sipp, director of Pennsylvania Working Families, a nonprofit advocacy group that is one of the signatories of the recent letter, said of the Philadelphia Fed’s board. “We believe it is important for the people who are making economic policy to hear from the regular folks on the ground who are being affected by those decisions.” The two dozen signatories also include the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, New Jersey Communities United and W. Wilson Goode Jr., a Philadelphia city councilman. The letter asks for the Fed to disclose basic information about the selection process, including the timetable, criteria and, eventually, names of candidates. It also seeks search committee seats and opportunities to question the candidates publicly. The selection process is secretive, but control has increasingly shifted from the regional banks to the board of governors. Beginning under the leadership of Alan Greenspan, a former Fed chairman, the central bank has sought presidents who can contribute to making monetary policy. The board provides informal guidance during the winnowing process, and candidates travel to Washington to meet with the governors. As a result of that trend, 10 of the 12 sitting presidents are former Fed staffers, economists or both. Mr. Fisher, a former investor, is one exception. The other is Dennis P. Lockhart, a former banker who leads the Atlanta Fed — and is the next president who will reach retirement age.

Federal Reserve
Appointments and Executive Changes
Richard Fisher
Charles I Plosser
Janet L Yellen
Banking and Finance


Behind Dwight Howard, Magic Cruises Past Nets

Abstract: Brook Lopez emerged in the Nets ’ locker room with a slight bruise under his right eye, a small memory from a night he would rather soon forget. Dwight Howard had 30 points and 16 rebounds and swarmed Lopez defensively, and the host Orlando Magic extended its recent dominance over the Nets with a 105-90 victory Friday night. Howard finished 9 for 13 from the field to power the Magic to its second straight win since it was routed by Miami last week. Howard, the N.B.A. ’s twice-reigning defensive player of the year, gave Brook Lopez fits in one of the worst offensive games of Lopez’s brief career. “It didn’t get there by itself,” Lopez said, referring to the small bruise. Lopez missed his first 13 shots but finished with 10 points, most coming far too late to prevent the Nets’ third straight loss. Orlando has beaten the Nets four consecutive times. Jameer Nelson scored 20 points, Vince Carter had 19, and the Magic went on a 17-4 run to go ahead by 20 points early in the fourth quarter to cruise to victory. It was the tightest game the Magic has had all season — including the preseason, in which the team won its seven games by an average of almost 25 points. Even its lone loss this season to the Heat was a 26-point rout that was never close. “We were winded,” Howard said. “We haven’t played that much since last season.” BUCKS 94, PACERS 90 John Salmons scored 22 points to help Milwaukee beat host Indiana. Roy Hibbert had 14 points, 12 rebounds and 6 blocks, and he led the Pacers with four assists. But he shot 4 for 11 from the field and made six of Indiana’s 19 turnovers. CAVALIERS 123, 76ERS 116 Anderson Varejao had 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Cleveland recovered in the fourth quarter, after blowing a 19-point lead, to win at Philadelphia. Philadelphia’s Andre Iguodala left the game with a right Achilles’ tendon strain and did not return. PISTONS 97, BOBCATS 90 Ben Gordon scored 20 points to lead Detroit to its first win of the season, over visiting Charlotte. HAWKS 113, TIMBERWOLVES 103 The reserve Jamal Crawford came back from a one-game absence because of a toe injury to score a season-high 22 points for Atlanta, which beat host Minnesota. CELTICS 110, BULLS 105 Kevin Garnett chased down Joakim Noah and tipped the ball away from behind with 14 seconds left as host Boston held on to beat Chicago in overtime. HORNETS 96, HEAT 93 Chis Paul had 13 points and 19 assists, and New Orleans remained unbeaten with a win over visiting Miami. Dwyane Wade gave up a 3-point attempt to tie and passed to Eddie House, whose shot rimmed out in the final seconds. JAMES’S RESPONSE TO A RESPONSE A video apparently posted on YouTube by a Cleveland filmmaker remixes LeBron James’s Nike commercial in which he asks, “What should I do?” The original ad was a response to the backlash from James’s nationally televised announcement that he would sign with the Miami Heat after playing seven seasons in Cleveland. The YouTube video portrays Cleveland sports fans and their disgust with James, intercut with the commercial’s original footage. Before tip-off against New Orleans, James said he had seen the video. “It was all right,” he said. “They could have done a better job.” FILL-IN COACH FOR GRIZZLIES Dave Joerger, a Memphis assistant, assumed head-coaching duties for the Grizzlies in their game against the Phoenix Suns. Coach Lionel Hollins and the assistant coach Johnny Davis were attending a private family service for their former teammate Maurice Lucas, who died Sunday.

Orlando Magic
Basketball
New Jersey Nets
National Basketball Assn


Brainy Brand Names Where They’re Least Expected

Abstract: A FINANCIAL crisis, two wars, a presidential election. ... When there is so much for readers to think about, how do magazines aimed at thoughtful readers attract their attention? One such magazine, The Economist, is spoofing the game Twister, distributing pizza boxes that improbably bear its name and sponsoring a performance of political satire by the Second City theatrical troupe. Another such magazine, The Atlantic, plans to advertise on the muffin displays in bodegas, restaurant menu boards and the shampoo shelves of drugstores. The Atlantic is also producing video clips that show what happens when passers-by on city streets are invited to answer questions like “Is Google making us stupid?” and “Why do presidents lie?” — questions that, to make them stand out, have also been reproduced as neon signs. In seeking readers and advertisers, publications like The Atlantic and The Economist, known as thought-leader magazines, have long tried to make up in cleverness what they lack in wallet power. Their ranks also include magazines like Harper’s, Mother Jones, The Nation, The New Republic and The New Yorker. The campaign for The Atlantic, with a budget estimated at $1.5 million, even evokes its identity as a thought-leader title; it carries the theme “Think. Again.” The campaign, which will also include a section of the magazine’s Web site ( theatlantic.com/thinkagain ) is to begin on Monday.  The campaign for The Economist is arriving this week in Philadelphia after stopping in eight other markets, including Boston and Washington. The campaign, with a budget estimated at $5 million, carries the theme “Get a world view.” Both campaigns are indicative of the increasingly unusual efforts by the traditional media to catch the wandering eyes of younger readers as well as younger employees of media agencies who help decide where marketers buy ads. The theory is that they “should be jolted,” said Justin Smith, president for consumer media at the Atlantic Media Company in Washington. “We felt there was a great opportunity, right now, to further inspire our readers and advertisers,” he added. His counterpart at The Economist, Paul Rossi, who is based in New York, echoed Mr. Smith’s decision to seize the moment, fraught as it might be with uncertainty. “I think it’s the best possible time” for a campaign, said Mr. Rossi, executive vice president and managing director for the Americas at The Economist. “What we have to say has never been more relevant,” he added. “We write about the world, about connections between business and politics.” The media company Pearson owns a 50 percent stake in The Economist through The Financial Times. The questions appearing in the campaign for The Atlantic are from articles published in the magazine. Some have stimulated newsstand sales, Mr. Smith said, citing the issue with the article about Google, which sold about 82,000 copies versus the recent average of 42,000. The circulation that The Atlantic guarantees to advertisers, known as a rate base, is 400,000 this year and is to be increased to 450,000 in 2009. That includes newsstand sales and subscriptions. The ads for The Atlantic in unexpected locales like bodegas are meant to reach media buyers where they eat, buy takeout food and shop. Those are “places where people’s brains are most at rest,” said Michael Fanuele, managing director for strategy at the magazine’s creative agency, Euro RSCG Worldwide in New York, part of Havas. The video clips, aimed at readers as well as advertisers, will be available on the Think Again section of The Atlantic Web site, and plans call for additional content to be added monthly. Previews of the clips offer a wide variety of responses from the passers-by. On the question “Why do presidents lie?,” the replies ranged from “Why do we let them?” to “There’d be more problems if we told the truth.” The neon signs, which also appear in print ads and posters, will decorate events sponsored by The Atlantic and eventually end up at the magazine’s offices. “We hope to keep one or two for ourselves,” said José Cabaço, chief creative officer for North America at Euro RSCG. Other agencies working on the campaign for The Atlantic are Cleverworks, for media buying, and the Rosen Group, for public relations. There are several agencies working on the campaign for The Economist: BBDO Worldwide, part of the Omnicom Group, for the creative content; PHD, also part of Omnicom, for media buying; Kinetic, a unit of the WPP Group, for outdoor ads; and Tentpole N.Y. for public relations and events like the Second City performance, part of a three-day program called Off the Page. “It’s always a good time to read The Economist,” said Andrew Robertson, chief executive at BBDO, “but if there ever was a good time to be reading The Economist, it’s now.” Originally, the ads run by The Economist in this country were adapted from a popular campaign for the magazine created in London by the Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO unit of BBDO. Headlines from that campaign — called the “white-on-red campaign” for its color scheme, borrowed from the logo of The Economist — include “Great minds like a think” and Mr. Robertson’s favorite, “Would you like to sit next to you at dinner?”  The idea behind the British campaign “is that if you read it, you’d be better informed, and therefore more successful,” he said, “which evolved into, you’d be better informed, and therefore more interesting.” The new ads with the Twister parody and the like are from the BBDO office in New York so they will more directly address American sensibilities, Mr. Robertson said, and provide “a more specific explanation of what you’ll get from reading The Economist.” “If you look at some of the titles that compete with The Economist, their perspective is from the U.S. looking at the world,” he added, “whereas with The Economist the focus is the world view.” The rate base for The Economist in North America is 714,000. Its worldwide circulation — rate bases are not guaranteed outside North America — is almost 1.34 million.

Magazines
Economist The
Advertising and Marketing
Atlantic Monthly
Online Advertising


Fears of a Purge of Universities Grow in Iran

Abstract: CAIRO — As Iran ’s universities prepare to start classes this month, there is growing concern within the academic community that the government will purge political and social science departments of professors and curriculums deemed “un-Islamic,” according to academics and political analysts inside and outside Iran. The fears have been stoked by speeches by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , and by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad , as well as by confessions of political prisoners, that suggest that the study of secular topics and ideas has made universities incubators for the political unrest unleashed after the disputed presidential election in June. Ayatollah Khamenei said this week that the study of social sciences “promotes doubts and uncertainty.” He urged “ardent defenders of Islam” to review the human sciences that are taught in Iran’s universities and that he said “promote secularism,” according to Iranian news services. “Many of the humanities and liberal arts are based on philosophies whose foundations are materialism and disbelief in godly and Islamic teachings,” Ayatollah Khamenei said at a gathering of university students and professors on Sunday, according to IRNA, the state news agency. Teaching those “sciences leads to the loss of belief in godly and Islamic knowledge.” For years, the study of subjects like philosophy and sociology has been viewed suspiciously by Iranian conservatives. During the earliest days of the Islamic Revolution, the nation’s leaders closed universities and tried to sanitize curriculums to fit their Islamic revolutionary ideology. The efforts ultimately failed under the weight of more pragmatic forces eager to engage with Western economies, and a student population hungry for contemporary ideas and contact with the West. But that failure never healed the ideological differences that have made it impossible for the nation and its hybrid elected and religious institutions to agree on one course, even one identity. In recent years, academics who attended conferences abroad, or took part in cultural exchange programs, were often vilified at home or viewed suspiciously. Some were arrested on charges of trying to organize a soft revolution. The recent speeches by the country’s leaders suggest that they may no longer be willing to live with such ambiguity after months of unsuccessfully trying to extinguish the political and social crisis set off by the election. “Iran is going through a crisis of legitimacy for the regime, and the crisis is based on the regime’s inability to respond to the demands for reform from the increasingly youthful population,” said Mark Fitzpatrick, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London . “The only response it can think of is to stop teaching of the social sciences.” Rasool Nafisi, an academic based in Virginia who is an expert on Iran, agreed: “Khamenei’s statement does not bode well for the Iranian universities.” “He seems to try to pick up where the Islamic republic left off over two decades ago when the late Ayatollah Khomeini expressed similar aversion to ‘Westoxicated learning’ in the universities, and ordered dropping all but natural sciences from the university curricula,” Mr. Nafisi said, referring to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini . The current supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, called for “the promotion of a spiritual environment in universities” and requested that the government of Mr. Ahmadinejad make this a “serious concern,” according to Iranian news services that reported on the comments the ayatollah made Sunday. During Mr. Ahmadinejad’s first term in office, his administration forced out many professors and replaced them. “I think that they don’t like maybe new ideas to get to Iran,” said an Iranian academic now living outside the country. “They don’t like social and cultural figures in the Iranian society to become very popular. That is the aspect which makes problems for them.” The state’s renewed focus on education took center stage last week when the confession of a prominent reformer, Saeed Hajjarian, who had been the theoretician behind the reform movement, was broadcast on national television. The confession, dismissed by reform leaders as a reflection of the views of Mr. Hajjarian’s jailers, provided a lengthy criticism of human sciences, especially sociology and political science. The confession also addressed Mr. Hajjarian’s application of political theories to his own work, saying, “For these unworthy interpretations which became the cause of many immoral acts, I ask forgiveness of the Iranian people.” In another development, Iran’s nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, said that the government had prepared an updated nuclear proposal to give to the West, Iranian news services reported.


Tested by Russia, NATO Struggles to Stay Credible

Abstract: BRUSSELS — Six weeks before a critical summit meeting aimed at bolstering NATO’s deterrence against a resurgent Russia, the alliance is facing a long list of challenges. The first is to find a country to lead the last of four military units to be deployed in Poland and the three Baltic nations. But that, analysts say, could be the least of its problems. Security concerns are as high now as they have been since the end of the Cold War. As the immigration crisis has strained relations within the Continent, anxieties have been heightened by Russian military offensives in Crimea and eastern Ukraine , and a bombing campaign in Syria that has demonstrated Moscow’s rapidly increasing capabilities. Lately, Russia has talked openly about the utility of tactical nuclear weapons. Despite the growing threats, many European countries still resist strong measures to strengthen NATO . Many remain reluctant to increase military spending, despite past pledges. Some, like Italy, are cutting back. France is reverting to its traditional skepticism toward the alliance, which it sees as an instrument of American policy and an infringement on its sovereignty. And that is not to mention the declarations of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump, that NATO is “obsolete,” that the allies are “ripping off” the United States and that he would not really be concerned if the alliance broke up. While that may be campaign bluster, it does reflect a growing unwillingness in the United States to shoulder a disproportionate share of the NATO burden, militarily and financially. Image Georgian soldiers during a joint NATO military exercise with American and British service members at the Vaziani military base outside Tbilisi in May. Credit Zurab Kurtsikidze/European Pressphoto Agency The current concern, and a major element of what the NATO secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, calls “the biggest reinforcement of collective defense since the end of the Cold War,” is the decision to put four combat battalions of up to 1,000 soldiers each in those front-line countries bordering Russia. While Britain, Germany and the United States have agreed to lead one battalion each, to be filled out with soldiers from other NATO allies to preserve the idea of multinational forces, leadership of the fourth is not yet in sight as the July 8-9 summit meeting in Warsaw rapidly approaches. The United States “is not thinking about doing two,” said its ambassador to NATO, Douglas E. Lute. “We’re planning to do one and get our allies to step up” for the other three. But other larger nations like Italy and France have declined. Italy cut military spending after pledging to increase it two years ago in Wales. Its leaders say it is already participating in a newly enlarged alliance rapid-reaction force. And France, which has reverted under the current Socialist government to a more mistrusting view of NATO and its American leadership, is stretched thin in its military campaigns in Mali, the Central African Republic and North Africa and Syria, let alone patrolling its own streets against terrorist attack. France is likely to contribute only about 150 soldiers to the new deployments, NATO officials say, after finally agreeing to the idea of forward deployments in Poland after initial opposition. Germany, which six months ago opposed these deployments, agreed in return for efforts at renewed dialogue with Russia. It also agreed to lead one battalion. So the search goes on for a fourth lead nation. Mr. Stoltenberg is confident it will be found by the summit meeting. The deployments are important, because these combat battalions are designed not to be simple tripwires, but to be large enough and sufficiently well equipped to do an invader real damage. Then they can be reinforced more quickly with the enhanced rapid-reaction force and — another NATO and American decision – to station another United States armored combat brigade of around 5,000 soldiers in Europe (for a total of three) and to pre-position its heavy equipment like tanks and artillery. Poland is demanding that some of that equipment be pre-positioned on its territory, but for the moment, most of it will go to Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, which have storage and transport facilities dating from the Cold War. Only now, in fact, is NATO actually surveying the infrastructure — the bridges, roads and railways — of relatively newer member states in Central and Eastern Europe, not having judged it necessary before to plan how to quickly reinforce them in case of a Russian invasion. Pre-positioning in Eastern Europe would currently require large sums for capital investment to build special new warehouses and infrastructure, Mr. Lute said. Poland, eager to send messages to Moscow, did succeed in advancing groundbreaking for a ballistic missile defense site to coincide with the operational opening of one in Romania. While Mr. Stoltenberg and Washington insist that such missile defenses are not aimed at Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles, Moscow is not convinced. Here, too, France has been skeptical, nervous that the reaction time of missile defense will circumvent the political oversight of the North Atlantic Council, the assembly of member states and their ambassadors that makes NATO decisions by consensus. For the same reason, France has been reluctant to allow the NATO supreme commander, who is always an American general, too much authority to act in a crisis, which others say is needed to respond quickly. But the initial missile defense program, combined with new forward deployments near Russia (to be rotated, to avoid calling them “permanent”) and an enlarged rapid reaction force, supposedly ready to deploy in 48 hours, all are a measure of how much Russia’s recent actions have changed NATO’s calculations. NATO is trying to reassure vulnerable members like the Baltic States, Poland and even southern members, like Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey on the Black Sea, that the alliance intends to deliver on its promise of collective defense. Missile defense is part of the response, along with more naval exercises in the Black Sea and more consistent overflights by reconnaissance aircraft. Video Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary general, said that troops needed to be placed in Poland to address growing international problems, citing Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine and the refugee crisis. As Mr. Stoltenberg points out, the impact of Russian policy has finally pushed European members of NATO to at least halt the decades-long decline in military spending. This year, he said, estimates are that European allies will as a whole increase military spending, something Washington has been demanding, even though most are not yet spending the 2 percent of G.D.P. that is the NATO guideline. Some 16 of the 28 member states have increased military spending in real terms, with only Italy, Bulgaria and Croatia still cutting, although they insist that the cuts are temporary. “I know the mood in Washington and I understand it: the Americans want to see the Europeans doing more, contributing more,” Mr. Stoltenberg said. “This has been my main message in European capitals.” Still, there is another troubling Russia-related issue for NATO – how to deal with a new Russian military doctrine that considers the utility of tactical nuclear weapons at the beginning of a conflict, as a deterrent against an adversary retaking territory, followed by what planners call “a quick de-escalation.” Some member nations believe that Russia already has nuclear weapons in the enclave of Kaliningrad, on the Baltic Sea, where it publicly displayed nuclear warheads in a previous exercise. Russia has been unclear about whether they have been removed. While aware of public horror about using nuclear weapons, Mr. Stoltenberg, Mr. Lute and others emphasize that NATO “remains a nuclear alliance” and that its deterrence is meant to be “seamless,” ranging from responses to cyberattacks through conventional weapons and if necessary, nuclear weapons, too. NATO does not regard its nuclear arsenal as having any use other than political deterrence, Mr. Stoltenberg said. “But as long as nuclear weapons exist in the world,” he said, “we have to remain a nuclear alliance.”

Russia
NATO
Military
Jens Stoltenberg
US Foreign Policy
Douglas E Lute


Far From the Reservation, but Still Sacred?

Abstract: Yuma, Ariz. SQUINTING against the harsh desert sun, Mike Jackson, leader of the Quechan Indians, looks out past his tribe’s casino and the modern sprawl of Yuma and points to the sandy flatlands and the rust-colored Gila mountain range shimmering in the distance. “They came this way,” he says, describing how his ancestors followed the winding course of the Colorado River and ranged over hundreds of miles of what is now western Arizona and southeastern California. “There’s a lot of important history here, both for the Quechan and the U.S.” And if it’s up to him, that history will go a long way in determining the future of this corner of the West, one of the fastest-growing parts of the country and a place where developers are increasingly running up against newly powerful but tradition-minded American Indian leaders like Mr. Jackson. As president of the Quechans over the last decade, Mr. Jackson is leading a new kind of Indian war, this time in the courts. The battlegrounds are ancient sites like the religious circles, burial grounds and mountaintops across the West that Indians hold sacred and are protected by federal environmental and historic preservation laws. After successful smaller battles, Mr. Jackson is now challenging a bigger project, arguing that the construction of a planned $4 billion oil refinery in Arizona could destroy sites sacred to his tribe. What makes this case different from more traditional fights between Indians and developers is that the refinery isn’t on the Quechan reservation or even next to it. In fact, the refinery is planned for a parcel of land some 40 miles to the east of the reservation, on the other side of Yuma and the Gila mountain range. But Mr. Jackson and the tribe’s lawyers argue that before the land can be transferred to the company building the refinery, Arizona Clean Fuels, or construction can start, an exhaustive archaeological and cultural inventory must take place. The Quechans are not a large tribe. Also known as the Yuma Indians (they prefer the name Quechan, which means “those who descended”), they number about 3,300 and their reservation on the California-Arizona border covers roughly 70 square miles. That is a small fraction of the size of lands the federal government set aside more than a century ago to better-known nations like the Apaches or Navajos. Mr. Jackson has already stopped two planned projects — a low-level nuclear dump and a $50 million gold mine on the California side of the border — both also well away from the Quechan reservation. This year, he helped defeat the nomination of a Bush administration official who favored the mine to a federal appellate court. LIKE the land itself, the fight over the refinery reflects a tangle of cultures and centuries of bitterness between Indians and newcomers. Mr. Jackson says it’s about respect for Quechan culture, and a new willingness on the part of Indians to stand up to the local establishment after centuries of not having a say. Business and political leaders in Yuma argue that it’s little more than a land grab by Mr. Jackson, a dubious attempt by the tribe to block much-needed development and assert claims to territory lost long ago. What’s more, says Glenn McGinnis, chief executive of Arizona Clean Fuels, a preliminary inspection failed to turn up evidence of ruins near the site, which was privately owned for decades by local farmers but was later bought by the federal government to acquire water rights. In any case, Mr. McGinnis says he’s committed to protecting any sacred remains that turn up once construction begins. But doing the more extensive survey sought by Mr. Jackson and the Quechans now would not only delay the project by months, it would also cost about $250,000, which Arizona Clean Fuels would be obligated to cover. The dispute is about more than money, though. It has also brought resentment of the tribe’s newfound clout to the surface. David Treanor, vice president of Arizona Clean Fuels, calls the Quechans’ stance “psychological imperialism” and compares Mr. Jackson to Hugo Chávez, Venezuela’s left-wing leader. Casey Prochaska, chairwoman of the Yuma County Board of Supervisors, adds: “My grandmother probably went across here in a covered wagon. This country didn’t stop because they walked over this land.” Indeed, the refinery isn’t even the main issue for some business leaders. “It’s a question of how far does their sphere of influence go,” says Ken Rosevear, executive director of the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce. “Does it go clear to Phoenix? To Las Vegas? The whole West?” Mr. Rosevear may be exaggerating, but his fear illustrates just what’s at stake. If the Quechans’ lawsuit succeeds, it would bolster the efforts of other, larger tribes to block development on territory where they also once lived and prayed. ALREADY, in northern Arizona, Navajos, Hopis and other Indians have effectively stopped plans to expand a ski resort roughly 50 miles from the nearest reservation, after convincing a federal appellate panel in March that using wastewater to make artificial snow would desecrate peaks long held sacred. Leaders of the Northern Cheyenne tribe, meanwhile, have been using similar arguments to block drilling for coal-bed methane near their reservation in Montana. Pumping water out of underground aquifers to extract natural gas will harm the spirits that inhabit the springs and streams where the Northern Cheyenne worship, says Gail Small, a Northern Cheyenne tribe member who heads Native Action, an environmental group she founded after graduating from law school. Adding weight to her argument is the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, passed by Congress in 1978, which acknowledges the link between native American religion and land both on and off the reservation. “You’re seeing a real renaissance of tribes becoming aware of their cultural resources and heritage, and reclaiming that heritage even when it’s off the reservation,” says Robert A. Williams Jr., a law professor at the University of Arizona who has advised tribes on the legal issues surrounding off-reservation sacred sites. And, thanks to the rise of casino gambling on Indian reservations, many tribes now have the money to challenge natural resource companies, real estate interests and other wealthy players who have long held sway in the West. “Tribes no longer have to hope for or rely upon the efforts of outside environmental groups or pro bono law firms,” says Joseph P. Kalt, director of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. “Not only are they much more sophisticated, but they have the money to fight for themselves.” Mr. Jackson doesn’t dispute that the opening of the popular Paradise Casino on his reservation in 1996 has shifted the balance of power in these parts. “It’s made all the difference in the world,” he says. “We didn’t have the money to hire attorneys before; we didn’t have the tools. We also learned how to play the political game in America that’s been played against us in the past.” During the winter months, when snowbirds fill local hotels, it’s hard to find a spot in the Paradise Casino parking lot on some nights, and the casino generates an estimated $45 million a year in net revenue for the Quechans. Mr. Jackson isn’t always against new development. The Quechans are considering building a second casino on the California side of the border, and he has faced protests of his own from tribal elders who argue that the $200 million project also happens to be on sacred ground. In June, the Quechan police force arrested tribe members protesting at the site of the new casino. Yuma officials like Ms. Prochaska call that hypocrisy, but Mr. Jackson says it’s not up to them to decide what is sacred to Indians and what’s not. The son and grandson of tribal leaders, Mr. Jackson, who is 60, says that in the past, “the government gave us funds just to survive and they didn’t hear a word from our people.” Now, he says, local leaders like Mr. Rosevear have to come to him. “They come, smile, and shake my hand, but they don’t like it. Too bad. That is how the process is now.” Glamis Gold, the Canadian mining company that sought to build the California mine, learned that the hard way several years ago. After investing $15 million, the company watched Mr. Jackson tie up the project with regulators. It was finally killed when Gray Davis, then the governor of California, issued an emergency order. Charles A. Jeannes, an executive at Glamis at the time, says the company tried to negotiate with Mr. Jackson. “We’d told them we’d discuss any number of kinds of compensation,” says Mr. Jeannes, now executive vice president of Goldcorp, which acquired Glamis in 2006. “But we never got specific because they made it clear they wouldn’t accept the mine.” Mr. Jackson has a slightly different recollection. “They came and offered money, trucks and other things,” he says. “I told them I’m not going to take one penny, and to get out of my office.” In Quechan lore, dreams are sacred — they are a literal path to knowledge and power. So perhaps it’s fitting that the refinery has been a business dream in Arizona for two decades, a long-talked-about project that if completed, would be the first new refinery constructed in the United States in more than 30 years. It’s also a vision that could prove hugely profitable. Refining margins in the Southwest are among the healthiest in the country, while gasoline demand in Arizona, Nevada and California has been growing at twice the national average. And until Mr. Jackson and the Quechans challenged their plans, the 1,400-acre site seemed like the rare spot in America where a refinery might actually be welcomed. The last fruit orchard on the site died out decades ago, after the federal government acquired the land and bought up the water rights. The nearest homes are miles away. Now the silence is broken only by the sound of passing freight trains and the occasional rumble from the Army’s Yuma Proving Ground. Earlier this year, the government transferred the land intended for the refinery to the local irrigation district, which in turn sold it to Arizona Clean Fuels for $15 million in March. It’s this transfer that the Quechans are challenging in their suit, arguing that procedures required under federal law to protect Indian sites were not followed properly. Mr. McGinnis, a soft-spoken veteran refining executive who retains the accent of his native Toronto, says he is sensitive to the tribe’s worries. And unlike other officials, he shies away from criticizing Mr. Jackson or the Quechans. “But there’s not a whole lot here,” he says, pointing to the furrowed ground and a few remaining tree stumps bleached white by the sun. “The probability of finding any relics is next to zero because the land has been disturbed and farmed for a long, long time. But we’ll bring in surveyors to walk the site, and I committed to that two years ago.” Bringing in experts once the project is under way isn’t enough for Mr. Jackson. He says that he’s not against the refinery but merely wants experts to survey 100 percent of the land now, before any land transfer is approved by the courts. Still, it’s clear he’s not happy that the government is selling land to private buyers like Arizona Clean Fuels. “If they have no use for it, give it back to us,” he says of the federal government’s move. “We know how to protect it; it’s our ancestral land.” FOR Arizona Clean Fuels and Mr. McGinnis, the Quechan lawsuit couldn’t have come at a worse time. After years of negotiations, the company renewed its state emissions permit last September. Now, Arizona Clean Fuels, which is owned by individual investors in the Western United States, is seeking an outside institutional backer with deep-enough pockets to put up the initial $1.5 billion to start construction and eventually borrow an additional $2.5 billion to finish the refinery by 2011. Mr. McGinnis says he’s negotiating with two investor groups over that crucial $1.5 billion initial investment. But the lawsuit is a distraction for him, and a worry for any potential financial backer. “We spend half our time dealing with our attorneys on this when we should be dealing with other things,” he says. The tribe’s effort to seek a preliminary injunction was rejected in federal district court in late June, but now the Quechans are appealing to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco, a traditionally liberal panel that has been sympathetic to Indian claims in the past, including the suit over the ski resort. Both sides seem to be digging in, even though Mr. Jackson has never visited the refinery site, and Mr. McGinnis has never spoken directly to Mr. Jackson. “We’ve had many doors slammed in our face in the past,” says Mr. Jackson, sitting in the tribe’s council chambers on the reservation. “But that’s the old way. Today, my foot is in the door and I’m going to kick it wide open for my people.” Mr. McGinnis avoids responding to that challenge. Because of the lawsuit, he says he hasn’t picked up the phone to call Mr. Jackson directly, but adds that “our attorneys have requested meetings and I’ll sit down with him anywhere and anytime he wants.” That’s not likely to happen soon, and Mr. Jackson says he is willing to take the suit to the Supreme Court if necessary. As was the case with the gold mine, he doesn’t seem interested in a financial settlement with Arizona Clean Fuels but is focused on the land itself. “We’re a tenacious people,” he says, citing earlier fights of a different kind between the Quechans and the Spanish, the Mexicans and the United States cavalry. “We’re still here. The cavalry is gone.”

Indians American
Southwestern States (US)
Oil (Petroleum) and Gasoline
Mines and Mining


With Parents Ill, Happiness Seems Worlds Away

Abstract: “All my happiness was in Poughkeepsie,” said Kajahda McKoy, 9, sitting on her bed. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked out her window in her family’s three-bedroom basement apartment in the Bronx. “But all of that is gone,” she said. “Since I came out here, I’ve been crying.” She and her 15-year-old brother, Demeek, worry when their father, Danny McKoy, 45, stumbles. An accident at work in December crushed his legs. After three operations, a network of pins, rods and screws allows him to stand with a cane. But his body has begun rejecting the hardware. The incision in his right ankle is infected and will not heal. They also worry when their mother, Reggina McKoy, 37, is bent over in pain or nauseated. Surgery in 2004 did not rid her body of ovarian cancer, and she needs further treatment. But recently, her Medicaid coverage was suspended — Mrs. McKoy says it was a mistake — and without it, she has skipped some of her checkups. “If I lose my mother, I might freak out,” Kajahda said. “If I lose them both, I’m done for.” On a recent afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. McKoy sat at a small kitchen table discussing their troubles. Kajahda joined them and fell into her father’s arms. Demeek stood quietly in the doorway leading to the living room, which is furnished with plastic lawn chairs. “If I have to choose between me and getting something for my kids, I will choose my kids,” Mrs. McKoy said. Kajahda and Demeek wish their parents did not have to make such decisions. They do what they can to help. Demeek got an after-school job at the local Y.M.C.A. to pay a few bills. Kajahda wishes she could work, too. At school, she expressed this desire in an essay, and Ms. McKoy received a call of concern from Kajahda’s teacher. “It is hard to see your kids have to go through this,” Mrs. McKoy said. “They should be kids, not having to worry about Con Edison, the rent; that should be my job.” In Poughkeepsie, Mrs. McKoy earned a good living as a case worker, including, briefly, at Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York. It is one of seven agencies supported by The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund . The family had a four-bedroom house with a yard for a dog. Their troubles began with the diagnosis of cancer in 2003. Mrs. McKoy could not work full time. Credit cards and $30,000 in savings kept them afloat for a while. But by 2005, they were in debt and lost their home. The family had few choices. Mrs. McKoy’s mother in the Bronx took them in for a time. Then, with the $2,500 a month Mr. McKoy was earning at his new job with a sanitation company, they got a run-down apartment for $1,625 a month in the Bronx. Soon after moving in, they began seeing mice. Rats followed. Heat and hot water worked sporadically. After Mr. McKoy’s accident, they lived on the $1,600 in workers’ compensation and the $848 in disability he received each month, but began falling behind in rent. In March, they went to housing court to fight eviction. Mrs. McKoy arrived with a dead rat from the apartment to show why it was unlivable. The judge ruled they were not required to pay any back rent but had three months, rent-free, to find a new home. Mrs. McKoy found a new apartment. It was cheaper, $1,300 a month, and ratless. But there was a problem: They needed a security deposit, money for moving costs and two months’ rent, while they had only enough for one. The Jewish Council helped out with a month’s rent. Then the McKoys’ real estate agent paid the security deposit, and Mrs. McKoy’s former employer, Catholic Charities, provided $643 for their move. The money from Catholic Charities was available through annual money donated by The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund. “That was the happiest day,” Mrs. McKoy said. But the emotion was fleeting. “We used to be a family that laughed together. I don’t hear my children laugh anymore.”

Medicaid
New York Times Neediest Cases Fund
Housing
Medicine and Health
Bronx (NYC)
Families and Family Life
New York State
Poughkeepsie (NY)


Japan: U.S. Agency to Stop Monitoring Nuclear Plant

Abstract: The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission said on Monday that its 24-hour operations center had stopped monitoring the nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant because the situation there had improved. “The conditions at the Japanese reactors are slowly stabilizing,” said William Borchardt, the agency’s chief staff official. “As conditions have continued to improve and the Japanese continue to implement their recovery plan, the N.R.C. has determined that it is time to adjust our response,” he said. The agency still has a team of engineers in Tokyo, he said. Mr. Borchardt said last week that the condition of the reactors was “static but not stable.”

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (Japan)


Red Sox’ Rally Sends Mariners to Their 14th Straight Loss

Abstract: Josh Beckett pitched seven strong innings, Jacoby Ellsbury hit a go-ahead two-run single in the seventh and the host Red Sox beat Seattle, 3-1, in Boston on Saturday night. The Mariners ’ loss was their 14th straight. Manager Terry Francona earned his 1,000th victory as Boston moved a season-high three games ahead of the Yankees for the lead in the American League East. Seattle’s losing streak ties the franchise record, set in 1992. The Mariners loaded the bases in the eighth against reliever Daniel Bard, but he got out of the jam and has held teams scoreless in 24 straight innings across 23 outings, the longest active shutout streak in the majors. The only run allowed by Beckett (9-3) came in the seventh, on Mike Carp’s second homer in two nights since he was recalled from Class AAA Tacoma. ROYALS 5, RAYS 4 After host Kansas City tied the score on Alex Gordon’s double with two outs in the ninth, Eric Hosmer doubled home the winning run in the 10th. Tampa Bay now trails first-place Boston by nine and a half games, the Rays’ largest deficit to date. The Rays loaded the bases in the 10th with none out but failed to score against Joakim Soria (5-3). Outfielder Desmond Jennings, in his season debut for Tampa Bay, tripled, doubled, scored twice, drove in a run and stole a base. RANGERS 5, BLUE JAYS 4 Michael Young drove in the winning run with a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning as Texas rallied for two runs against Toronto’s bullpen for its 14th victory in 16 games. Mike Napoli scored the tying run on Elvis Andrus’s squeeze bunt. TWINS 4, TIGERS 1 Scott Baker (8-5) pitched five scoreless innings in his first start since July 5 as host Minnesota beat Detroit for the first time in 12 tries. Joe Nathan finished for his seventh save. ORIOLES 3, ANGELS 2 Adam Jones homered and drove in two runs for host Baltimore. In his last eight games, he has four homers and nine runs batted in. REDS 11, BRAVES 2 Edgar Renteria replaced the injured shortstop Zack Cozart and drove in three runs, rallying host Cincinnati from a 2-1 deficit. Cozart, a rookie, hyperextended his left elbow while trying to make a tag in the fourth inning, and Renteria came off the bench. His two-run double off Derek Lowe (6-8) started a three-run rally in the sixth that put the Reds ahead. X-rays on Cozart’s elbow were negative, and there was no immediate word on how long he would be out. PHILLIES 8, PADRES 6 Michael Martinez’s three-run homer broke a 4-4 tie in the seventh for host Philadelphia, which beat San Diego for the ninth straight time. Chase Utley homered twice, and Ryan Howard started a five-run seventh with a pinch homer off Chad Qualls (4-5), tying the score. CARDINALS 9, PIRATES 1 Lance Berkman and Yadier Molina homered in a five-run fifth inning, and St. Louis beat host Pittsburgh for the second straight night. The Pirates dropped into third place behind the Milwaukee Brewers and the Cardinals in the National League Central. CUBS 5, ASTROS 1 Randy Wells pitched six strong innings for his first victory since April 4, and Geovany Soto hit a solo homer and a run-scoring single for host Chicago. Marlon Byrd also homered for the Cubs, who on Sunday will try to win a third straight game for the first time this season. After winning in his season debut against Arizona, Wells missed nearly two months with a right forearm strain, then went 0-3 with a 7.38 earned run average in nine starts. D’BACKS 12, ROCKIES 3 Justin Upton drove in six runs, four on his second career grand slam, and Miguel Montero drove in five runs for host Arizona. Troy Tulowitzki hit his team-leading 19th home run for Colorado. GIANTS 4, BREWERS 2 Ryan Vogelsong (8-1) of host San Francisco allowed two runs, but his five innings allowed him to qualify again for the N.L. E.R.A. lead, at 2.10. RANGERS’ BELTRE TO D.L. The Rangers placed the All-Star third baseman Adrian Beltre on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring, sustained Friday as he ran the bases. Beltre, who is hitting .276 with a team-high 76 R.B.I., is expected to miss two to three weeks. ... Orioles left fielder Luke Scott will miss the rest of the season with torn labrum in his right shoulder, an injury that sharply limited his swing. ... The Blue Jays designated the left-handed starter Jo-Jo Reyes for assignment, one day after he allowed eight runs in a 12-2 loss to Texas.

Baseball
Seattle Mariners
Boston Red Sox
Atlanta Braves
Cincinnati Reds
Renteria Edgar
Sports Injuries
Cowart Zack


Documents Said to Be Seized From Crane Owner’s Offices

Abstract: Prosecutors investigating a fatal crane collapse on East 91st Street have taken away boxes of documents and computers from the offices of the crane’s owner, New York Crane and Equipment, two people involved in the inquiry said on Monday. The investigation moved forward as insurers for the crane company acknowledged for the first time that the crane’s turntable — the device that swivels at the top of the tower — was a rebuilt version of one removed from another construction project on the West Side last spring after a dangerous crack was discovered in a steel part. Bill J. Smith, president of claims and risk management for NationsBuilders Insurance Services, said that New York Crane had sent the damaged turntable to a welding company in New Jersey for repair after the crack was discovered in May 2007. The cracked part and other aging components were replaced, and the rebuilt turntable was welded back together, Mr. Smith said. Investigators now believe that an inadequate weld on the rebuilt turntable is the cause of last Friday’s accident, in which the top of the crane broke away from the tower, killing two workers. Mr. Smith, who examined the turntable after the accident, said that a visual inspection of the weld suggested that it had not adequately penetrated the metal to “marry” the two pieces of steel that it was supposed to hold together. But Mr. Smith also said that weld had been tested and inspected on two occasions by specialists and that each time it had been certified as having been properly done. He said investigators and specialists would have to determine what went wrong and why testing did not show a problem with the weld. He also said that the preliminary inspection was not conclusive, and that investigators would have to explore other possible causes, including that the crane may have been overloaded. He said that the 91st Street job was the first for the turntable since it was repaired. The crane went up there on April 20 and 21, according to Buildings Department records. “Mr. Lomma, based on industry standards, did his portion of what he should have done,” Mr. Smith said, referring to the owner of New York Crane, James F. Lomma. “He had third-party certified welders do it, had an additional third party come in to certify the welds that were done. And he had another third party come to inspect the crane before it went back to work.” He added, “All three companies moved the crane forward.” NationsBuilders is 50 percent liable for any damages that Mr. Lomma might be forced to pay. Mr. Smith was unable to say whether the City Buildings Department knew that New York Crane was returning the repaired turntable to service or whether the city had authorized the company to do so. Friday’s accident, in which the crane’s cab and boom toppled and crashed into a 23-story apartment building across 91st Street, was the second fatal crane accident in the city in ten weeks. On March 15, a crane collapsed at a construction site on East 51st Street, falling onto nearby buildings and leaving seven dead. That crane was also owned by New York Crane. In that case, however, the investigation has focused on possible mistakes made when workers for a contractor operating the crane were adding sections to make the crane taller, a process known as jumping. But New York Crane has come in for increased scrutiny in the wake of the second accident. Within hours of the accident on Friday, investigators arrived with search warrants at three separate offices used by the company, two in Kearny, N.J., and one in Maspeth, Queens, according to one person familiar with the investigation. The accident, at East 91st Street and First Avenue, is being investigated by the office of the Manhattan district attorney, Robert M. Morgenthau, the city’s Department of Investigation and Buildings Department, and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Mr. Lomma has not returned repeated phone calls since Friday, and additional attempts to reach him on Monday were unsuccessful. His company is one of the most active of a small group of firms in the New York area that provide tower cranes for construction jobs. On high-rise projects in New York, the cranes are typically leased by a concrete contractor, which hires special crews to set up and operate the cranes. The crane that fell on Friday was built in 1984. It was a model known as a Kodiak, a favorite among concrete contractors, who think of it as a reliable workhorse, according to industry experts. Of the 25 tower cranes in use in the city on Friday, six were owned by New York Crane, according to the Buildings Department. The city has suspended the use of all Kodiak cranes until they can be inspected. Mr. Lomma is highly regarded in the crane industry, according to several people interviewed. Kevin J. Cunningham, an executive vice president of NationsBuilders, the insurance company, said that Mr. Lomma had played a leading role in industry associations since the mid-1990s to raise certification standards for crane operators. He also helped set new guidelines for contracts to increase protections for crane owners who rent out their equipment, in the event it is used improperly. “In the old days, the crane operator would sign anything to get the work,” Mr. Cunningham said. “When there is a serious accident, the crane owner’s name is all over the equipment, and they get sued. But from our position, they are not the responsible party at all.” Mr. Lomma may have reaped the rewards of those protections last year after the crack was discovered in the crane turntable on West 46th Street. The crane on that project was leased by Sorbara Construction, a concrete company, the same company that leased the crane at 91st Street. Mr. Smith said that Sorbara and its insurance company agreed to pay for the turntable repairs. There was no response to repeated telephone messages left for Sorbara officials. Mr. Lomma’s companies, though, have had their share of issues. OSHA has issued three violations in the last several years, and Mr. Lomma’s companies have paid $2,550 in penalties. Mr. Lomma has several companies, including New York Crane and J. F. Lomma, which rents and leases heavy construction equipment. Several dozen cranes of varying sizes are listed on J. F. Lomma’s Web site, including some that can lift more than 400 tons. That list includes three types of Kodiak tower cranes.

New York Crane and Equipment
NationsBuilders Insurance Services
Derricks and Cranes
Accidents and Safety
Upper East Side (NYC)
Manhattan (NYC)


Dean Skelos, Albany Senate Leader, Aided Son at All Costs, U.S. Says

Abstract: Over the last five years or so, it seemed there was little that Dean G. Skelos, the majority leader of the New York Senate, would not do for his son. He pressed a powerful real estate executive to provide commissions to his son, a 32-year-old title insurance salesman, according to a federal criminal complaint. He helped get him a job at an environmental company and employed his influence to help the company get government work. He used his office to push natural gas drilling regulations that would have increased his son’s commissions. He even tried to direct part of a $5.4 billion state budget windfall to fund government contracts that the company was seeking. And when the company was close to securing a storm-water contract from Nassau County, the senator, through an intermediary, pressured the company to pay his son more — or risk having the senator subvert the bid. The criminal complaint, unsealed on Monday, lays out corruption charges against Senator Skelos and his son, Adam B. Skelos, the latest scandal to seize Albany, and potentially alter its power structure. The repeated and diverse efforts by Senator Skelos, a Long Island Republican, to use what prosecutors said was his political influence to find work, or at least income, for his son could send both men to federal prison. If they are convicted of all six charges against them, they face up to 20 years in prison for each of four of the six counts and up to 10 years for the remaining two. The case against Mr. Skelos and his son grew out of a broader inquiry into political corruption by the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara, that has already changed the face of the state capital. It is based in part, according to the six-count complaint, on conversations secretly recorded by one of two cooperating witnesses, and wiretaps on the cellphones of the senator and his son. Those recordings revealed that both men were concerned about electronic surveillance, and illustrated the son’s unsuccessful efforts to thwart it. Adam Skelos took to using a “burner” phone, the complaint says, and told his father he wanted them to speak through a FaceTime video call in an apparent effort to avoid detection. They also used coded language at times. At one point, Adam Skelos was recorded telling a Senate staff member of his frustration in not being able to speak openly to his father on the phone, noting that he could not “just send smoke signals or a little pigeon” carrying a message. The 43-page complaint, sworn out by Paul M. Takla, a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, outlines a five-year scheme to “monetize” the senator’s official position; it also lays bare the extent to which a father sought to use his position to help his son. The charges accuse the two men of extorting payments through a real estate developer, Glenwood Management, based on Long Island, and the environmental company, AbTech Industries, in Scottsdale, Ariz., with the expectation that the money paid to Adam Skelos — nearly $220,000 in total — would influence his father’s actions. Glenwood, one of the state’s most prolific campaign donors, had ties to AbTech through investments in the environmental firm’s parent company by Glenwood’s founding family and a senior executive. The accusations in the complaint portray Senator Skelos as a man who, when it came to his son, was not shy about twisting arms, even in situations that might give other arm-twisters pause. Seeking to help his son, Senator Skelos turned to the executive at Glenwood, which develops rental apartments in New York City and has much at stake when it comes to real estate legislation in Albany. The senator urged him to direct business to his son, who sold title insurance. Image Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in Manhattan, discussed the case involving Dean G. Skelos and his son, Adam. Credit Eduardo Munoz/Reuters After much prodding, the executive, Charles C. Dorego, engineered a $20,000 payment to Adam Skelos from a title insurance company even though he did no work for the money. But far more lucrative was a consultant position that Mr. Dorego arranged for Adam Skelos at AbTech, which seeks government contracts to treat storm water. (Mr. Dorego is not identified by name in the complaint, but referred to only as CW-1, for Cooperating Witness 1.) Senator Skelos appeared to take an active interest in his son’s new line of work. Adam Skelos sent him several drafts of his consulting agreement with AbTech, the complaint says, as well as the final deal that was struck. “Mazel tov,” his father replied. Senator Skelos sent relevant news articles to his son, including one about a sewage leak near Albany. When AbTech wanted to seek government contracts after Hurricane Sandy , the senator got on a conference call with his son and an AbTech executive, Bjornulf White, and offered advice. (Like Mr. Dorego, Mr. White is not named in the complaint, but referred to as CW-2.) The assistance paid off: With the senator’s help, AbTech secured a contract worth up to $12 million from Nassau County, a big break for a struggling small business. But the money was slow to materialize. The senator expressed impatience with county officials. Adam Skelos, in a phone call with Mr. White in late December, suggested that his father would seek to punish the county. “I tell you this, the state is not going to do a [expletive] thing for the county,” he said. Three days later, Senator Skelos pressed his case with the Nassau County executive, Edward P. Mangano, a fellow Republican. “Somebody feels like they’re just getting jerked around the last two years,” the senator said, referring to his son in what the complaint described as “coded language.” The next day, the senator pursued the matter, as he and Mr. Mangano attended a wake for a slain New York City police officer. Senator Skelos then reassured his son, who called him while he was still at the wake. “All claims that are in will be taken care of,” the senator said. AbTech’s fortunes appeared to weigh on his son. At one point in January, Adam Skelos told his father that if the company did not succeed, he would “lose the ability to pay for things.” Making matters worse, in recent months, Senator Skelos and his son appeared to grow wary about who was watching them. In addition to making calls on the burner phone, Adam Skelos said he used the FaceTime video calling “because that doesn’t show up on the phone bill,” as he told Mr. White. In late February, Adam Skelos arranged a pair of meetings between Mr. White and state senators; AbTech needed to win state legislation that would allow its contract to move beyond its initial stages. But Senator Skelos deemed the plan too risky and caused one of the meetings to be canceled. In another recorded call, Adam Skelos, promising to be “very, very vague” on the phone, urged his father to allow the meeting. The senator offered a warning. “Right now we are in dangerous times, Adam,” he told him. A month later, in another phone call that was recorded by the authorities, Adam Skelos complained that his father could not give him “real advice” about AbTech while the two men were speaking over the telephone. “You can’t talk normally,” he told his father, “because it’s like [expletive] Preet Bharara is listening to every [expletive] phone call. It’s just [expletive] frustrating.” “It is,” his father agreed.

New York
Corruption
Preet Bharara
Adam Skelos
Dean G Skelos
Nassau County NY
State legislature


Bergdahl Is Set to Resume Life on Active Duty

Abstract: WASHINGTON — Six weeks after being released from five years in Taliban captivity, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is expected to return to life as a regular Army soldier as early as Monday, Defense Department officials said late Sunday. Sergeant Bergdahl has finished undergoing therapy and counseling at an Army hospital in San Antonio, and will assume a job at the Army North headquarters at the same base, Fort Sam Houston, the officials said. He is also expected to meet with Maj. Gen. Kenneth R. Dahl, the officer who is investigating the circumstances of Sergeant Bergdahl’s disappearance from his outpost in Afghanistan in 2009. Sergeant Bergdahl’s transfer from the therapy phase to a regular soldier’s job is part of his reintegration into Army life, officials said. He will live in barracks and have two other soldiers help him readjust. The sergeant has been an outpatient at the hospital for about three weeks, during which time he continued to participate in debriefings about his time as a Taliban prisoner. He was released six weeks ago in exchange for five senior Taliban detainees. Last Thursday, Senator Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat who heads the Armed Services Committee, released letters from each of the Joint Chiefs of Staff supporting the repatriation of Sergeant Bergdahl, a rebuttal to critics who said the swap should not have been made.

Taliban
Bowe Bergdahl
Afghanistan
Afghanistan War
Prisoner of war
US Military
US Army


France: Government to Alter laws on Roma Expulsions

Abstract: The government is willing to alter some laws in response to European Commission complaints that followed France ’s expulsions of Gypsies, or Roma, to countries in Eastern Europe, officials said Friday. France has been locked in a standoff with the European Union ’s head office over its expulsion of some of Europe’s poorest minorities, and the commission had given it until a deadline to comply with its directive on freedom of movement across the 27-nation union — or face legal action. The French Foreign Ministry said laws would be amended by the deadline to comply with European Union regulations, but it did not provide the exact changes to be made.

France
European Commission
European Union
Romani People


Cohen Ends a Long Night by Edging Ahead of Slutskaya

Abstract: TURIN, Italy, Feb. 21 - The stage could not have been any larger or come with any more pent-up anticipation, but Sasha Cohen charged into her Olympic short program with the kind of guts and nerve she had never mustered before. Given the cruel, pressure-packed position of performing last among 29 skaters Tuesday night, Cohen showed she could not only weather the occasion but rise to it. At the end of a nearly flawless performance, Cohen beamed and lingered on the ice at the Palavela, enjoying the best part of skating last -- she had to yield the ice to no one. She waved and curtsied and beamed some more, turning what had been a raucous pro-Italian crowd into a pro-Sasha one. "When I was finished with my performance, I just wanted to soak it in," she said. "Everyone's so quick to get off, but we work so hard for this, it's nice to spend two minutes or so to enjoy what you've accomplished." When she finally did skate off, she landed in the hug of her 76-year-old coach, John Nicks, who celebrated Cohen's scores by raising her right arm as if she were the winner of a prize fight. And that, essentially, is what she was. Cohen outdueled the favorite, Irina Slutskaya of Russia, by three-hundredths of a point, 66.73 to 66.70. The 27-year-old Slutskaya, the defending world champion, skated more than an hour and a half earlier than Cohen -- they were separated by 11 skaters and one Zamboni sweep -- but had left a door slightly open for Cohen. Shizuka Arakawa of Japan, the 2004 world champion, was less than a point behind in third place, with 66.02. Their three-way battle will culminate with the long program Thursday night. For that, Slutskaya drew the nerve-rattling last position. Cohen will skate four slots earlier, second in the final group, made up of the top six finishers in the short program. Kimmie Meissner, a 16-year-old from the United States, will also be in that final group. She hit a triple-triple jump combination and landed in fifth place with a score of 59.40; Fumie Suguri of Japan was fourth (61.75). Cohen, 21, was refusing to look ahead in the minutes after the short program. She said that was what she had learned from her experience at the last Olympics -- not to get ahead of herself. In Salt Lake City in 2002, Cohen was third after a terrific short program, but she faltered in the free skate and dropped out of the medals to fourth. She said she was so focused on winning that she forgot about what it took to get there. "Everybody really wants an Olympic gold medal, but it's what you are willing to put yourself through to get it," she said. "I want it, but I definitely do not let it be my main focus here. I think about it every day, of course. I think, Wouldn't it be nice to take one of those home? But my job here is to enjoy the process, have fun with every moment. "It's kind of what you have to follow to get there." Slutskaya was talking the same game after the short program, answering most questions with a variation on one theme. "I skated great," she said. "This was important for me." Slutskaya did not seem as strong on the ice Tuesday night as she had in winning last year's world championships. She wore a purple jumpsuit with sequins that lighted up like fireworks. Her jumps were strong, but she wobbled on her spirals and did not have her usual speed. Cohen's jumps, in contrast, were not quite as strong, but she glided easily through her trademark spiral sequence. As a result, Slutskaya had the highest technical scores of the night, but Cohen made up for it by earning the highest component, or artistic, scores. Cohen wore a bright turquoise dress and her usual glamour-girl makeup, but she showed far more substance under the surface. Nicks, the coach Cohen worked with when she was younger, then returned to just over a year ago, has always described the toughness he believed was under Cohen's porcelain doll exterior. But until now, Cohen remained notorious for wilting under pressure. "Well, she's been very much more mature and training really hard," Nicks said. "Tonight was a good start, a very good start, but it was only a start." The long program Thursday night will now carry double the pressure. Until then, Cohen will enjoy what she has already accomplished. She steps into the limelight after spending the past several weeks under nearly everyone's radar. She won her first national title in January, but the focus turned to Michelle Kwan and her successful petition onto the Olympic team. Then, just as Cohen arrived in Turin, Kwan pulled out. Once again, instead of the attention shifting to her, it went to Kwan's replacement, 17-year-old Emily Hughes. In the short program, Hughes's limited experience showed. She skated without mistakes and finished seventh. Hughes came with the built-in interest of being the younger sister of Sarah Hughes, the 2002 gold medalist, who was in the stands waving a giant "Hughes" banner. "I was nervous tonight," Sarah said afterward. "I was happy she skated well, but it was hard to watch." Much of the crowd had the same experience when it came time for its favorite, Carolina Kostner of Italy, to skate. Kostner, 19, finished third at last year's world championships and was third in the recent European championships, raising her country's hopes for a triumphant Olympics at home. But Kostner fell on the first jump of her planned triple-triple combination and slid to a dispiriting 11th place. She was the second-to-last to skate, right ahead of Cohen. "It's been a long night," she said. "To wait for so long is difficult." Cohen used to think that way, back when battling nerves was her biggest challenge. Now, she says, the waiting is all part of the process. And she is trying to enjoy every last minute of it. "It was a really wonderful experience for me tonight," Cohen said. "To be able to skate my best after all that at the end of the night was just wonderful. I had a great time out there. I'm happy with this moment." She had, after all, made it her own.

SLUTSKAYA IRINA
COHEN SASHA
ICE SKATING
OLYMPIC GAMES (2006)
WINTER GAMES (OLYMPICS)
OLYMPIC GAMES
FIGURE SKATING


Dr. Wheelchair Keeps Things Rolling

Abstract: On Roosevelt Island, Mike Acevedo, 54, is known as Dr. Wheelchair, because he has been keeping patients at the Coler-Goldwater Specialty Hospital and Nursing Facility rolling since 1976. Most of the 1,300 patients require wheelchairs in this sprawling complex across the East River from Manhattan, the largest long-term care center run by the city’s Health and Hospitals Corporation. “This is called the wheelchair diagnostic repair center, but it’s basically a wheelchair pit-stop,” the good doctor said in his basement shop on Tuesday where he leads a staff that builds, maintains and repairs a stock of more than 2,000 wheelchairs. “The wheelchair is their freedom, and my job is to keep them going,” said Mr. Acevedo, who is divorced with two grown children. He turns 55 on Wednesday and will be eligible to retire. He has no plans to do so — at least until he cashes in on an invention he’s developing on the side: a self-charging wheelchair. “This is my home — it’s all I’ve ever done,” said Mr. Acevedo, who grew up in the Bronx and became fascinated by electronics. He tried studying prosthetics at New York University, he said, “but I realized I was allergic to the plaster of paris used for making the molds.” So, still in his teens, he began working at the Coler-Goldwater shop, which dates to the opening of the hospital in 1939. In the early years, he said, veterans made chairs for amputees coming home from battle. When Mr. Acevedo first joined the shop, there were still some old wooden wheelchairs around. He trained under a group of Vietnam veterans who developed early motorized wheelchairs by installing motors under the seats of the big bulky Goldwater chairs and equipping them with steering columns, he recalled. The chairs were belt-driven, had big wheels and were tough to steer. But Mr. Acevedo kept innovating, adding joysticks and electronic controls that he stripped from remote control model airplanes. He found ways to mount ventilators on the chairs, for bronchial patients. “Now with today’s chairs,” he said, walking past rows of brand-new motorized wheelchairs ready for calibration, “patients can control them with their foot, their toe, their chin, their breath — even their eyeballs.” Some of his patients roll all over the city. “One guy, I fixed his chair, and then I see him out in it on Steinway Street buying a hot dog,” he said. “We have a woman who rides her chair the length of Queens Boulevard to Jamaica. Another woman takes her chair on the subway to visit her old neighborhood in the Bronx.” For these patients, wheel changes are more frequent, he said, as he walked by bins full of wheels, rails, armrests, control modules, seat cushions, motors and rechargeable batteries. There were lightweight fold-up chairs and heavy-duty ones for heavy patients. “This can handle a 600-pound person,” he said, patting one throne-on-wheels. Then there were the sleek, titanium road-racers, and the chairs used by the Goldwater Swipers basketball team, for which Mr. Acevedo served as team mechanic. He walked deeper into the cavernous storage areas, surveying hundreds of faded, bulkier units that make the shop something of a wheelchair museum. “I just love this thing,” he said stopping at a cylindrical unit resembling a household boiler. “It’s an old iron lung.” He stopped reverentially at a scooter adorned with miniature international flags. The chair, customized by Mr. Acevedo, belonged to a patient who was something of a mayor of the hospital but who died in December. “Some chairs you just can’t get rid of — this man was loved by everybody here,” said Mr. Acevedo, a dapper dresser who likes his jewelry and keeps an inventory of flashy ties on a rack next to his desk. “I have to get dirty sometimes, but this isn’t a grease monkey operation anymore,” he said, demonstrating a computer monitor that plugs into the newer chairs, to diagnose problems. In the shop, his workbench is crowded with tools and meters and oscilloscopes. A soft soundtrack of dance tunes throbbed from his office. “That’s one of my mixes,” said Mr. Acevedo, who on weekends works as a D.J. with the nickname DJ Riny-Q, an acronym for Roosevelt Island, New York and Queens — he has lived on the island for decades and been a fixture at Queens dance clubs. He said he had spun records at Studio 54, and even Plato’s Retreat (“Clothes on,” he emphasized). Sound systems are his thing. He has rigged them on wheelchairs with the woofer under the seat, and he installed a set of homemade speakers in his office. Then there was Robby, the robot he built years ago to entertain sick children. He used an old wheelchair and added ventilator hoses for arms and a globe for the head. He installed lights and a tape recorder for a voice. It was also a hit at the clubs, out on the dance floor. “The ladies loved it,” he said.

Hospital
Roosevelt Island Manhattan
Coler-Goldwater Memorial Hospital
Disability


Australian Gold Miner Takes Big Hit as Price Slides

Abstract: HONG KONG — Rising operating costs and slumping commodity prices continue to create problems for global mining companies. The latest to come under pressure is Newcrest Mining, Australia’s biggest gold miner, which said Friday it would write down assets worth 6 billion Australian dollars, or $5.7 billion, and scale back planned spending on exploration and new projects. Newcrest, which has gold mines in Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Ivory Coast, said its moves were the result of ‘'the current market environment and outlook, including a recent sharp deterioration in the gold price, the largest in 30 years.'’ The company also blamed rising costs and the strong Australian dollar. Large miners of ore and other raw materials have been drastically scaling back spending and dropping plans for new projects in recent months. BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, two of the world’s biggest mining companies, announced the departures of long-serving chief executives early this year after a number of financial setbacks. While revenue at the world’s 40 biggest mining companies in 2012 was basically unchanged from the previous year at $731 billion, net profits fell 49 percent, to $68 billion, according to a report released Friday by the consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. Forecast 2013 capital expenditure by the companies of $110 billion is 21 percent lower than spending for last year, the report said. ‘'While longer-term demand fundamentals remain, mining companies need to handle rising costs, increasingly volatile commodity prices and other challenges such as resource nationalism, in order to regain investor confidence,'’ Ken Su, the China mining practice leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said in a news release accompanying the report. Producers of a wide range of metal products are also struggling. On Wednesday, the Aluminum Corp. of China, known as Chalco, said that because of weak market conditions, it would impose a temporary shutdown of 420,000 tons of production capacity, equal to 9 percent of the company’s output of primary aluminum products last year. Newcrest’s problems are more directly tied to the dynamics of the global gold market. While demand from the two biggest consumers of gold, India and China, is expected to hold steady, the price of gold has been subject to high volatility in recent months. The price of gold has recovered some of the ground that was lost during a sudden, two-day rout in April, when the price fell 13 percent. But at $1,410 per ounce, the price is down 16 percent so far this year, and 21 percent since October, when the downtrend began. Shares in Newcrest closed down 7.6 percent Friday after it announced the plans to reduce capital expenditure in the financial year beginning in July to 1 billion dollars, down from a previous goal of 1.5 billion dollars. The company also said it would reduce outlays for exploration by about half, to 85 million dollars. Newcrest said it was aiming for gold production of 2 million to 2.3 million ounces in the coming financial year, an increase of 4 percent, based on the middle of the range. Australia was the world’s second-biggest producer of gold after China last year, with output of 276 tons.


Browns’ Johnny Manziel Avoids Charges After Dispute With Girlfriend

Abstract: Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel was involved in a dispute with his girlfriend this week that the police said involved alcohol. Manziel was pulled over by the police in Avon, Ohio, after a witness said a person was trying to jump from his speeding vehicle. Manziel admitted having consumed alcohol before the incident. According to the police, Manziel was not charged, and his girlfriend, Colleen Crowley, said she did not want to press charges. Manziel, who was drafted by the Browns in the first round in 2014, spent 70 days in a Pennsylvania rehabilitation clinic earlier this year for an unspecified condition. It is not known if he was prohibited from drinking after leaving the program. Browns General Manager Ray Farmer released a statement Friday night. “It is a matter that we take seriously and have expressed our concerns to Johnny directly,” Farmer said. “Those conversations will remain private and we will refrain from further comment at this time.” A team spokesman said that Manziel’s status for the Browns’ home game Sunday against Denver had not changed. Manziel could face discipline from the N.F.L. under its personal-conduct policy. Manziel, whose rough rookie season was followed by his checking himself into the treatment center, has been Josh McCown’s backup for the last three games. He started for an injured McCown in Week 2 and led the Browns to a win over Tennessee. Shortly after the Browns issued their statement, Manziel posted an explanation on his Twitter account. “Colleen and I got into a dumb public argument on the way home Monday afternoon,” Manziel wrote. “It probably looked more interesting than it was and I know I would stop and check if I saw a couple arguing on the side of the road. It was embarrassing but not serious and when we talked to the police and they realized everything was alright and I was sober, we went home together and everything is fine.” SEAHAWKS’ LYNCH TO RETURN After missing the last two games with a hamstring strain, Marshawn Lynch is expected to return to the Seattle’s starting lineup for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers. Linebacker Bobby Wagner’s status will be a game-time decision. Lynch did not start against the Chicago Bears in Week 3 because of a calf injury and then left the game for good in the second quarter after straining his hamstring. The two games Lynch missed were the first games in which he was inactive since being traded to Seattle in 2010. Lynch participated fully in practice on Thursday and Friday. “He looked really back to full health,” Coach Pete Carroll said. “He made it out, looked good, and we’re counting on him playing.” Wagner’s status is more uncertain. He suffered a strained pectoral last week against the Cincinnati Bengals. “He’s tough enough to play with it,” Carroll said. “It’s just whether it’s the right thing to do to get him back to health.” BILLS’ MCCOY LIKELY TO PLAY Buffalo running back LeSean McCoy expects to return from a hamstring injury and play Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. The status of quarterback Tyrod Taylor and receiver Sammy Watkins is listed as questionable. McCoy has missed each of the last two weeks after a setback at practice. He originally hurt his left hamstring at training camp Aug. 18. He is listed as probable. “I look forward to playing,” McCoy said. “When my number’s called, I’m going to be out there looking to make plays.” Asked about McCoy’s status, Coach Rex Ryan said: “I feel pretty good. I guess sometimes the experts get it wrong.” McCoy has yet to make a major impact after arriving in Buffalo in a blockbuster trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for linebacker Kiko Alonso. In three games, he has 146 yards on 43 carries. If Taylor is unable to play, E. J. Manuel will start in his place.


Orioles’ Sixth Straight Win Is Another in Extra Innings

Abstract: BOSTON — At 3:30 a.m. Saturday, Mark Reedy and his son, Dan, put on their Nick Markakis throwback jerseys, climbed into a Jeep and left their Baltimore home for the seven-and-a-half-hour drive to Fenway Park. Once there, the Reedys saw many others also dressed in Orioles orange, including Mark Adams, who had made the trip from Singapore, with a detour to Florida for business. They were all standing, chanting, “Let’s go, O’s,” in the bottom of the 12th inning and watching Baltimore closer Jim Johnson nail down a 9-6 victory over the Red Sox . It was Baltimore’s 16th consecutive extra-inning victory, the most since the Cleveland Indians won 17 in a row in 1949. The victory enabled the Orioles to remain a game behind the first-place Yankees in the American League East. The Yankees won an extra-inning game of their own Saturday, beating Oakland, 10-9, with a run in the 14th after rallying from four behind an inning earlier. “Unbelievable,” Mark Reedy said, leaving his field box seat with a smile on his face after his first game at Fenway Park. “It was more than I could have hoped for.” Making such a trip at any point in the last 15 years would have been unthinkable for Reedy, Adams and most Orioles fans. It was always the Red Sox fans invading Camden Yards in Baltimore. For an Orioles fan, it was annoying. For an Orioles player, it was downright depressing. “I’ve heard it from Yankee fans; I’ve heard it from Red Sox fans,” said Baltimore center fielder Adam Jones, who started the game-winning, three-run 12th inning with a double. “They come into our ballpark and chant, ‘Let’s go, Yankees,’ and, ‘Let’s go, Red Sox.’ I’ve called out our own fans because all they say in response is ‘boo!’ They should be saying, ‘Let’s go, Orioles.’ “Today was the very first time in my five years in Baltimore that I heard fans say, ‘Let’s go, Orioles,’ ” Jones continued. “And you know what the Red Sox fans did? They booed. I’m there in center field in the bottom of the 12th with chills because that’s the first time I had ever heard it on the road. I don’t know how many Oriole fans were there, but I heard every last one of them. It was awesome.” The Orioles, who have won a season-best six straight games, continued what has been one of the best stories in baseball. Of their 87 victories, 45 have come on the road, the most in the A.L. They are on their way to their first playoff appearance since 1997, an achievement that is not lost on their long-suffering fans. “You look at the lineup, you look at the numbers, you look at the talent, and you don’t know how they’re doing it,” said Adams, who was seeing the Orioles at Fenway Park for the first time. “But then you look at the standings, and they are doing it. It’s exciting. I just hope I don’t wake up and find out that it’s all a dream. It’s been 15 years, a long time, a lot of suffering.” Baltimore appeared to be in excellent shape to win without extra innings after Jones homered to lead off the seventh. That gave the Orioles a 6-3 lead, and they are 68-0 in games in which they lead after seven innings. Boston got two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but it was still 6-5. That also boded well for Baltimore, which is 52-21 in one-run games and had a streak of 13 victories in such games. Of course, the Orioles have also shown an affinity for extra innings. Saturday’s game was their 18th extra-inning game of the season. They have had games of 18 innings, 17 and 15. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, they are the first team to win games in eight different extra innings. They do not seem to mind the extra work. “We’ve had so much experience at it, there’s not some sense of panic or finality, especially on the road, when you don’t score in the top of your inning,” Manager Buck Showalter said. Jones attributed the team’s success to perseverance. “We’re not quitting until that last out,” he said. “If we have to go 13, 14, 15, up to 18 to do the job, that’s what we have to do.” Jones led off the 12th with a double and scored one out later when Jim Thome, who joined the Orioles on July 1 and had not played since July 27, bounced a double into the right-field stands. Endy Chavez and Manny Machado added two-out, run-scoring singles. Johnson yielded a one-out single in the bottom of the 12th but he struck out Danny Valencia to end the game, which took 4 hours 14 minutes. “It’s about winning baseball games, whether it’s nine innings or however many it was today,” Showalter said. Asked about the extra-inning streak, he shrugged and said: “It’s not a topic of conversation for us. It’s one of those things when you get away from it in the off-season, you’ll step back and say, Really?” Reedy had originally hoped to attend Sunday’s afternoon game, then fly back to Baltimore and attend the Ravens-Patriots game that night. “That would have been a little much,” he said. “Don’t you think?”

Baseball
Boston Red Sox
Baltimore Orioles


Smells Like Hawaii (and Benzyl Acetate): Revealing the Chemicals in Glade’s Fragrances

Abstract: SC Johnson, the maker of Glade air fresheners, has decided to tell consumers more about the chemicals they are breathing. On Monday, the company disclosed ingredients in the fragrances used in more than 200 of its air fresheners, candles and scented oils on its website . Companies have increasingly responded to safety concerns not from government regulators, but from customers who demand to know more about everyday products like moisturizers and cleaning products. Kelly Semrau, the SC Johnson senior vice president for global corporate affairs, said, “We just feel that transparency in this area is the right thing to do.” Customers have already been able to see specific dyes, waxes and other ingredients used in Glade’s various air fresheners and candles. But the chemicals behind scents like “ Aruba wave ” and “ Hawaiian breeze ” have largely been a mystery. Some of the ingredients for Aruba wave, for instance, include 2-t-butylcyclohexyl acetate, 2,6-dimethyl-7-octen-2-ol, allyl caproate, benzyl salicylate, ethyl 2,2-dimethyl hydrocinnamyl and ethyl hexanoate. “Fragrance disclosure is a really big deal and consumers have been asking for it for a really long time,” said Janet Nudelman, the director of program and policy for the Breast Cancer Fund. Typically, a fragrance is listed simply as “fragrance,” even though each fragrance could contain hundreds of individual chemicals. SC Johnson buys its fragrances from fragrance houses, which are known for closely guarding the formulas of their scents. Fragrance ingredients also are often exempted from the disclosure requirements that apply to other chemicals, like those used in cosmetic products like perfumes and lipsticks. SC Johnson will disclose ingredients in two ways. When there are more than 20 chemicals in a fragrance, it will disclose the top 10, or it will disclose the highest concentrations down to 0.09 percent of the formula, “whichever provides the most information,” the company said in a statement. “It’s a good first step but it doesn’t go far enough,” Ms. Nudelman said, saying that many of the chemicals her group is concerned about have effects at much lower doses than what SC Johnson is disclosing. A handful of Glade products are excluded from the new policy. Ms. Semrau said that those products’ scents came from companies that SC Johnson no longer worked with and they would be phased out. The company said it planned to expand its fragrance disclosures to other brands, including Pledge, Windex, Shout and Scrubbing Bubbles.