Outdoor Funeral for a Protester of a Church Closing

Abstract: Carmen Gonzalez, of East Harlem, died at 72 on Monday. She had regularly attended Mass at Our Lady Queen of Angels, a Roman Catholic parish on 113th Street in East Harlem, for years. When the church closed in February as part of a round of parish closings ordered by the Archdiocese of New York, Mrs. Gonzalez was devastated. She joined a small but fervent group of protesters who urged the archdiocese to reconsider. So Mrs. Gonzalez’s family decided that the most fitting way to honor her memory was to hold a funeral outside the church, in lieu of the funeral Mass that would have been offered inside the parish had it stayed open. The ceremony was held outside the church yesterday morning. “Mami played a major role in bringing her church culturally closer to the present wave of Puerto Ricans who are an increasingly rarer breed in our Spanish Harlem,” Marina Ortiz of East Harlem Preservation, a local advocacy group that favors reopening the church, said in a statement. “She struggled alongside a group of doñas who petitioned the New York Archdiocese to keep their humble house of worship open. Donations may be made directly to the family.” Our Lady Queen of Angels was founded by the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin to serve German immigrants. The church, designed by William Schickel & Company, opened in 1886. Later, it served mostly Irish and Italian parishioners, and more recently, it ministered to a congregation of Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Mexicans and African-Americans. The church sits on a cul-de-sac, surrounded by the Thomas Jefferson Houses, a public housing project completed in 1959. Like the neighborhood around it, the parish has seen tough times and better ones. For example, in May 1993, during the crack cocaine epidemic, hundreds of people gathered at the church to mourn six people who had been found slain nearby. In March 2006, the archdiocese announced plans for a vast reorganization, recommending the closing of 14 schools and 31 parishes, including Our Lady Queen of Angels. There were hopes for a reprieve, but in January, the archdiocese issued a final list of 21 parishes to be closed. The East Harlem parish was one of them. In February, determined parishioners began a protest vigil, recruiting help from Catholics in Boston who had resisted church closings there. The police arrived and ended the vigil after 28 hours, arresting six women, who were taken away in handcuffs and given summonses for trespassing. The archdiocese decided to shut the church, which had been scheduled to close on March 1, immediately. But some congregants have continued to return each Sunday, singing hymns and reciting prayers on the sidewalk outside. The fierce protests by the parishioners have been an embarrassment to the archdiocese, and the rawness of the disagreement remained in open view yesterday. Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for the archdiocese, said that only a few hundred parishioners remained at Our Lady Queen of Angels when it closed. He said that most of the other parishioners had found a new church and that there were at least four other parishes nearby. “We encouraged the family to approach one of these other parishes in order that Mrs. Gonzalez could have a proper and fitting Mass of Christian Burial,” Mr. Zwilling said. “Even though this building is closed, the Church — in the Archdiocese of New York — is open to them. It is too bad that they decided to make this an occasion to protest rather than an occasion to pray for the soul of the deceased.” Mr. Zwilling said that demographic changes made it impossible for some parishes to remain open. “These parishes were built when these areas were teeming with Catholics attending church and there was a need for a German-speaking parish, which Our Lady Queen of Angels was established to be,” he said. “The churches need to be where the people are. We cannot continue to try to have a church in the 21st century using a 19th-century model.”

Harlem (NYC)
Gonzalez Carmen
Roman Catholic Church
Shutdowns (Institutional)


Bill Clinton Recovering at Home After Heart Procedure

Abstract: CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton was recovering at his home on Friday after leaving a Manhattan hospital where he underwent a heart procedure to fix a blocked artery. “I feel great,” Mr. Clinton said from the driveway outside his home. “The doctors and the hospital crew did a great job.” “I even did a couple miles on the treadmill today,” he added. A State Department spokesman, P. J. Crowley, said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was with her husband at the family’s home here in Westchester County. A Clinton adviser, Douglas Band, said in a statement that Mr. Clinton left NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia hospital “in excellent health.” “He looks forward in the days ahead to getting back to the work of his foundation,” the statement said, “and to Haiti relief and recovery efforts.” Mr. Clinton, 63, had quadruple bypass surgery in 2004. He returned to the hospital on Thursday to have a clogged heart artery opened after suffering discomfort in his chest for several days. Dr. Allan Schwartz, his cardiologist, said tests had shown that one of the four bypasses from the earlier surgery was completely blocked. Instead of trying to open that bypass, doctors reopened the original clogged artery and inserted two stents to keep it open. The procedure took about an hour, and Mr. Clinton was able to get up two hours later, Dr. Schwartz said. Mr. Clinton should be able to return to work on Monday, he said.

Medicine and Health
Clinton Bill
United States Politics and Government
Chappaqua (NY)


Truck Hits Bronx House, Killing Driver

Abstract: A concrete pump truck crashed into a home in the Bronx on Monday evening, killing the driver and destroying the front of the building. The truck was exiting the northbound lanes of the Major Deegan Expressway when it struck several cars and hit the two-family, three-story home on Cedar Avenue around 6:20 p.m., officials said. The cause of the accident remained unclear. The driver, who has not been identified, was dead when the authorities arrived, Fire Department officials said. Two people were seriously hurt, and three others, including a firefighter, had minor injuries. Several people were taken to Bronx-Lebanon Hospital, fire officials said. Traffic on the Major Deegan Expressway was severely delayed Monday night as rescue trucks lined the side of the road and officials closed the exit. The two homes on each side of the building were evacuated because of fears over the building’s collapse, fire officials said. Two families were provided with emergency housing at hotels, according to the American Red Cross. The crash destroyed the front of the building, leaving a hole in the wall and piles of debris in the front yard. The inside of the living room was visible from the street. The truck, which had a large crane, had the name Precision Concrete Pumping on the side. Fire officials said the truck would not be removed until at least Tuesday morning. When they made an attempt to pull the truck out Monday night, the entire facade collapsed. Malika Hiends, 23, received a call from her sister, Taiesha Henry, on Monday evening saying that she and her two sons were trapped inside the home. They were in the living room when Ms. Henry heard a bang and ran to the back of the home, Ms. Hiends said. Ms. Henry and her sons were trapped for about 15 to 20 minutes before firefighters helped them escape through a back window. Epsilina Brissett, the landlord and upstairs resident of the home that was struck, arrived at the scene Monday night. Ms. Brissett was usually home by 4:30 from her job as a phone operator at the Hotel Pennsylvania but spent the afternoon shopping at Macy’s in Herald Square. “That’s what the Lord wanted,” she said, calling her fortuitous absence a miracle.

Bronx
Buildings
Car Crash
Fatalities,casualties


Scoring in Baseball Returns to Dead-Ball Levels

Abstract: The string of numbers looks as if it could have come from any major league baseball season in the past decade. Batting average: .266. On-base percentage: .336. Runs per game: 4.51. But the figures are from exactly a century ago , and they are slightly better than those that major leaguers are putting up this year. As baseball finishes up a fifth consecutive season with declining offense, its numbers have shrunk to levels just below those of 1911, the middle of the dead-ball era. Through Thursday , major league teams were averaging 4.28 runs a game while batting .255 with a .321 on-base-percentage. Walks per game, even hit batters per game, are virtually identical a century apart. The end results — runs, batting average, on-base percentage — are strikingly similar, but the elements of offense have of course been radically reconfigured in a century of evolution. Compared with the teams of 1911, teams now hit more than four and a half times as many home runs and many more doubles — and they strike out three and a half times as often. Teams a century ago hit three times as many triples as they do now, stole twice as many bases, hit sacrifice bunts almost five times as often and made almost three times as many errors. But over the decades, as the style of play, the ball, the ballparks and the ballplayers have changed, runs per game have kept moving like a sine curve, always returning to the middle. Major League Baseball was only 0.01 off the modern game’s median for runs per game just last year. “The game is being played differently, but what is remarkable is the relatively constant nature of runs scored,” said John Thorn, an author and the official historian for Major League Baseball. Still, baseball is in one of its worst offensive slides since the American League joined the National League as a major league in 1901. This run of five consecutive seasons with declining offense, as measured by runs per game, is only the second such stretch in modern history; the only other similar slump was from 1939 to 1943. (Ever-increasing offense is rare, too; only once has runs per game increased as many as five years in a row, from 1917 to 1922.) Changes will come, baseball historians and analysts say. “The game is built on balance,” Thorn said. “When one side, offense or defense, gets out of balance, someone takes an action to bring it back into balance.” Rob Neyer, a baseball analyst and the national baseball editor for SBNation.com , said there was an equilibrium about the game, whether internal or external. “There are natural pressures from fans, from the media, even the players themselves,” said Neyer, an occasional contributor to The New York Times. “Nobody wants to see two runs a game, and nobody wants to see seven or eight runs a game.” But the game changes slowly, Neyer said. “Major League Baseball as it exists now isn’t as aggressive as other sports in changing rules to reach desired statistical levels,” he added. As a result, he said, professional sports like basketball and football have undergone radical changes in statistics that could be viewed as equivalent to batting average. Shooting percentage in the N.B.A., for example, is far superior to what it was 60 years ago, and pass-completion percentage in the N.F.L. has also improved drastically. Neyer said the last major change in baseball was the lowering of the pitcher’s mound in 1969, unless you count the introduction of performance-enhancing drugs. “So, two major changes in almost 50 years,” he said. Add in the designated hitter, and it is three. Changes in the past have affected offense, intentionally and unintentionally. Take the ball itself, which has been tinkered with several times. John McMurray, the chairman of the Society for American Baseball Research’s dead-ball era committee , pointed out that 1911 was an anomaly for its time — a season of relatively high scoring during two decades when teams generally averaged less than four runs a game — in part because of a change in the ball. McMurray said a cork-center baseball was introduced at the 1910 World Series, and its use was continued in 1911. Offense then soared, with the largest single-season increase in runs per game of the 20th century. But that surge was brief. Within three years, runs were back below four a game. McMurray attributed that to pitchers’ increased scuffing of the ball, which he said was popularized by a New York Highlanders pitcher, Russ Ford . He was soon out of baseball. So were runs. Ballparks have changed the game, too. A wave of stadium building occurred in the middle of the dead-ball era, much like the one that coincided with the recent era of big offense. As the size of stadiums has changed, so has the style of play in them. Ballparks used to be huge — in 1911, the average dimensions in the major leagues were 362 feet down the left-field line, 467 to center and 337 to right. (Current stadiums average 332-405-329.) One ballpark, the Palace of the Fans in Cincinnati, was 390-510-450, which makes Citi Field look cozy. With a deader ball and huge stadiums, triples, stolen bases and sacrifice bunts were major factors, not home runs. The 1907, 1908 and 1909 seasons — three of the four worst for scoring — put the dead ball in the dead-ball era. It is no wonder the livelier cork-center ball was introduced. Theories abound for the recent offensive nosedive. Thorn and Neyer cited testing for steroids, initiated for the 2004 season. Thorn suggested that changes in the drafting of pitchers had had an effect. An element of randomness — what Thorn called “the elephant in the room” — may also be an issue. Talent, for example, is not distributed equally over time. David Fleitz, a baseball historian and author, noted that around 1911, an unusually large number of very good pitchers, including several who would go into the Hall of Fame, retired. “One era of pitching may have come to an end and another had not yet begun,” he said. “They couldn’t be replaced all at once.” Likewise, McMurray said, “We may be in a cycle where we have good young pitchers” in the major leagues now. And if baseball cycles repeat, perhaps there is predictive value in the narrative, if not the numbers, of 1911. That year, teams from Philadelphia (the Athletics) and New York (the Giants) met in the World Series . A team with a high-powered offense (it had the so-called $100,000 Infield; some things certainly have changed) met a team with a star-studded rotation. And Home Run Baker earned his nickname with two blasts that made history, and made Philadelphia the World Series champion.


Theranos Under Pressure as Inquiries Mount

Abstract: The news that the blood-testing company Theranos is being investigated by the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission brings to mind the adage that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The company, which seemed to epitomize a Silicon Valley “unicorn” by shooting to a valuation of $9 billion on the promise of revolutionary technology, making a billionaire of its founder, Elizabeth Holmes, could find itself swamped as it deals with the investigations and problems in its laboratory. Theranos says it “is cooperating fully with all investigations.” The question is what potential violations might be the subject of the investigations. Like most private companies, Theranos shares have not been made available to the general investing public. But that does not exempt the company from the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws . A misstatement or omission of material fact in connection with the sale of its securities to venture capital firms could constitute a violation. One might expect that the sophisticated investors in Silicon Valley would not be duped by the projections and market predictions made by a start-up like Theranos. But the issue could be one about the viability of the company’s claims about its scientific methodology and results, an area where most investors would have little ability to scrutinize. In a speech on March 31 , Mary Jo White, the chairwoman of the S.E.C., raised questions about the rocketing valuations of start-ups, pointing out how these companies may succumb to the same pressure as corporations whose shares are publicly traded to push their valuation as high as possible. “The concern is whether the prestige associated with reaching a sky-high valuation fast drives companies to try to appear more valuable than they actually are,” she said. That may well signal one area of concern about Theranos. The company undoubtedly had hefty disclosures about the risks and potentials of its technology when it sought venture capital funds. And it may well be that Ms. Holmes’s technology works – we just don’t know yet. Securities violations can be the subject of both a civil enforcement action by the S.E.C. and criminal prosecution by the Justice Department. Companies have to handle inquiries carefully because of the risk of a hefty criminal fine on top of disgorgement of funds raised through misleading solicitations of investments. Video Maria Shriver discusses her “Today” show interview with Elizabeth Holmes, the chief executive of Theranos. Credit Credit CNBC A potential area of inquiry for federal prosecutors is the relationship between Theranos and the drugstore chain Walgreens, which agreed to make the company’s equipment available in some of its stores. Any deception regarding the efficacy of its testing, especially if consumers were misled, could lead to charges under the federal mail and wire fraud statutes . Another avenue for possible scrutiny by criminal investigators is the filings that Theranos made with the Food and Drug Administration to obtain approval for use of its blood-testing equipment. An incomplete or misleading disclosure in an application to the agency could be prosecuted under the law that makes it a crime to submit “any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation” to a federal agency. As the investigations delve into the company, an important issue will be whether any individuals are singled out for possible prosecution and civil penalties. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services threatened to close Theranos’s laboratory in California and bar Ms. Holmes and the company’s president, Ramesh Balwani, from owning or operating its labs for two years. The Justice Department has emphasized that a company must identify individuals responsible for wrongdoing to receive any credit for its cooperation. That will put a premium on information that can help the government pursue charges against people inside Theranos. As the company deals with the investigations by the Justice Department and the S.E.C., the question arises about who will undertake any internal inquiry. The company’s defense has been led in recent months by David Boies, a founder and the chairman of Boies Schiller & Flexner and, most recently, its newest director. As the Deal Professor noted in February , this puts Mr. Boies in a ticklish situation because of the potential conflict of interest between his role as counsel to the company and as one of its directors. Prosecutors and regulators rely heavily on companies to conduct an initial investigation and report the results. But if it looks as if the lawyers conducting the inquiry have a conflict of interest, any credibility the investigation might have can be undermined by questions about its independence. That can lead investigators to dig into an organization on their own, rummaging through corporate records and demanding to speak with employees and executives rather than allowing the company to control at least the preliminary stages of an investigation. An interesting sign of how Theranos will respond to the Justice Department and S.E.C. investigations will be who is chosen to oversee the internal inquiry, an expected step in any effort to demonstrate cooperation. The federal investigations prompt another question: Why aren’t the venture capital firms that invested in Theranos suing? After all, if Theranos were a public company, there would be a slew of lawsuits claiming that shareholders were defrauded. One reason may be that there is no basis to make such a claim. Investors either still believe in Theranos’s blood-testing devices or they received truthful disclosure about the state of that technology and the risk of investing in the company. Another explanation may simply be that Theranos’s investors are too embarrassed to make such a claim. In the feeding frenzy that led to Theranos’s $9 billion valuation, some venture capitalists may not have done their due diligence, and they may not want to admit to their own investors that they were either foolish or duped. This is probably going to be a more common problem in Silicon Valley as sky-high valuations start to fall back to earth.

Theranos
Justice Department
Elizabeth Holmes
David Boies
SEC


Things to Do in Connecticut, April 9 April Through 17

Abstract: A guide to cultural and recreational events in Connecticut. Items for the calendar should be sent at least three weeks in advance to ctcal@nytimes.com. Comedy HARTFORD The Realish Housewives of West Hartford, parody. April 14, 15 and 16. $24.50 to $74.50. Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, 166 Capitol Avenue. bushnell.org; 860-987-5900. MANCHESTER Jamie Lissow. Through April 10. $12 and $15. Capone. April 14 through 17. $10 and $15. The Hartford Funny Bone, 194 Buckland Hills Drive. 860-432-8600; hartford.funnybone.com. MASHANTUCKET Nick Cannon and Howie Mandel. April 9 at 8 p.m. $35 and $55. Grand Theater, Foxwoods Resort Casino, 350 Trolley Line Boulevard. foxwoods.com; 800-200-2882. RIDGEFIELD Tracy Morgan. April 15 at 8 p.m. $95 to $110. Bridget Everett. April 17 at 8 p.m. $30. Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road. ridgefieldplayhouse.org; 203-438-5795. RIDGEFIELD “Whose Barn Is It Anyway?,” improvisation. April 9 at 8 p.m. $25. Ridgefield Theater Barn, 37 Halpin Lane. 203-431-9850; ridgefieldtheaterbarn.org. UNCASVILLE Paul Mercurio. April 9 at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. $15 to $50. Jay Nog. April 13 at 8 p.m. $10 to $30. “Spinnato’s Hypnotic Hysteria,” comedic hypnotist. Through April 15. $15 to $35. Nick Thune. April 14, 15 and 16. $15 to $50. Comix Mohegan Sun, 1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard. 860-862-7000; comixcomedy.com. WESTPORT Joey Kola with Brett Druck and Joey Novick. April 9 at 9 p.m. $22.50. Treehouse Comedy, at Bistro B, 1595 Post Road East. 203-268-5857; treehousecomedy.com. Film FAIRFIELD “The Met: Live in HD — ‘Roberto Devereux.’” April 16 at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. $5 to $25.Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield University, 1073 North Benson Road. 203-254-4010; quickcenter.fairfield.edu. HARTFORD “April in Paris,” week of classic French films. Through April 9. “Bolshoi Ballet in Cinemas: ‘Don Quixote.’” April 10 at 1 p.m. “The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums” (1939), directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. April 11, 12 and 13. $7 and $9. Cinestudio, 300 Summit Street. 860-297-2463; cinestudio.org. HARTFORD “The Truman Show” (1998), starring Jim Carrey, Ed Harris, and Laura Linney. April 14 at 11:30 a.m. $4.50 to $11. Real Art Ways, 56 Arbor Street. realartways.org; 860-232-1006. OLD SAYBROOK “Vincent van Gogh: A New Way of Seeing,” art film with virtual tour of the Van Gogh Museum. April 9 at 1 p.m. “Bolshoi Ballet in Cinemas: ‘Don Quixote.’” April 10 at 1 p.m. $15. “Christopher Strong” (1933), starring Katharine Hepburn. April 12 at 2 and 7 p.m. $8. “The Met: Live in HD — ‘Roberto Devereux.’” April 16 at 12:55 p.m. $28. The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main Street. 877-503-1286; thekate.org. RIDGEFIELD “Bolshoi Ballet in Cinemas: ‘Don Quixote.’” April 10 at 12:55 p.m. $15 to $25. “National Theatre of London Live: ‘Hamlet,’” starring Benedict Cumberbatch. April 13 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. $10, free for students. Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road. 203-438-5795; ridgefieldplayhouse.org. For Children BRIDGEPORT “Princess and the Pea,” children’s theater. April 16 through May 22. $23. Downtown Cabaret Theater, 263 Golden Hill Street. 203-576-1636; dtcab.com. HARTFORD Second Saturdays for Families: Making Sense of Sound. Each program includes art projects, tours for families, live music, and engaging fun through film, theater and dance. April 9, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free. Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 600 Main Street. 860-278-2670; thewadsworth.org. NEW HAVEN Family Program, stories and art. April 10 at 1 p.m. Yale University Art Gallery, 1111 Chapel Street. artgallery.yale.edu; 203-432-0600. RIDGEFIELD Third Saturdays: Family Art Experience, textile dying. April 16, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free. Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, 258 Main Street. aldrichart.org; 203-438-4519. RIDGEFIELD “Seussical the Musical.” April 9 at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. $20 and $25. Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road. 203-438-5795; ridgefieldplayhouse.org. STAMFORD Outdoor Adventures: Amphibian Amble. Bring flashlights and hiking boots, meet at Overbrook Nature Center. April 15, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. $8; members, $5. Sunday Explorers, hike or animal meet and greet. Through May 22. Free with gate admission, $10; members, free. Stamford Museum & Nature Center, 39 Scofieldtown Road. 203-322-1646; stamfordmuseum.org. TORRINGTON Nature hike, journaling class with the artist Banjie Nicholas. Children age 7 and up will capture their observations of the natural world using pencils, markers, crayons, cutouts and more. April 16 through May 7. $100 (includes materials). Warner Theater, 68 Main Street. warnertheatre.org; 860-489-7180. WESTPORT KidsCreate, introduction to painting, drawing and collage. April 15 through June 3. $155 to $185. Westport Arts Center, 51 Riverside Avenue. westportartscenter.org; 203-222-7070. WESTPORT “Are You My Mother?,” children’s play based on P. D. Eastman’s picture book. April 10, 1 to 4 p.m. $20. Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court. 203-227-4177; westportplayhouse.org. Music and Dance BRIDGEPORT Desert Highway, Eagles tribute band. April 16 at 5 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. $45. Downtown Cabaret Theater, 263 Golden Hill Street. 203-576-1636; dtcab.com. CLINTON The Swingles, vocalists. April 10 at 4 p.m. Free. Andrews Memorial Town Hall, 54 East Main Street. COLLINSVILLE The Christine Spero Group, Laura Nyro tribute. April 9 at 8 p.m. $25 and $35. Seth Glier, singer-songwriter. April 14 at 8 p.m. $15 and $25. Bridge Street Live, 41 Bridge Street. 860-693-9762; 41bridgestreet.com. FAIRFIELD Frederic Chu, pianist, performs Tchaikovsky and Chopin with the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra. April 10 at 3 p.m. $5 to $35. Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield University, 1073 North Benson Road. 203-254-4010; quickcenter.fairfield.edu. FAIRFIELD Shawn Mullins, singer-songwriter. April 9 at 7:45 p.m. $25 and $38. Blind Boys of Alabama, blues. April 15 at 7:45 p.m. $60 and $65. The Church, rock. April 16 at 8 p.m. $38 and $140. Graham Parker Duo with Brinsley Schwarz, rock. April 17 at 7:45 p.m. $35 and $38. StageOne, Fairfield Theater Company, 70 Sanford Street. 203-259-1036; fairfieldtheatre.org. FAIRFIELD Ryan Montbleau Band, folk and blues. April 9 at 9 p.m. $25 and $28. The Warehouse, Fairfield Theater Company, 70 Sanford Street. 203-259-1036; fairfieldtheatre.org. HARTFORD Hartford Symphony Orchestra, “Orpheus & Eurydice: Transformed.” Through April 10. Belding Theater, 166 Capitol Avenue. 860-987-5900; bushnell.org. HARTFORD The Connecticut Youth Symphony, the music of Mozart. Through April 10. $35 to $71. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Mendelssohn’s “Elijah.” April 14 at 7:30 p.m. $23 to $60. Zakir Hussain and Masters of Percussion. April 15 at 8 p.m. $25 to $89. John Mellencamp, rock. April 19 at 8 p.m. $39.50 to $228.50. Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, 166 Capitol Avenue. 860-987-5900; bushnell.org. HARTFORD The Kenny Hamber Revue with Broca’s Area, R&B and soul. April 9 at 8 p.m. $24 to $34. The Infamous Stringdusters, bluegrass and folk. April 10 at 7:30 p.m. $19 to 44. Robert Randolph and the Family Band, rock and R&B. April 14 at 8 p.m. $44 to $64. Graham Parker Duo with Brinsley Schwarz, rock. April 15 at 8:30 p.m. $34 to $49. Howie Day with Brian Jarvis, singer-songwriters. April 16 at 8 p.m. Curtis Brothers Quarter and Orice Jenkins, Latin jazz. April 17 at 7:30 p.m. $24 to $34. Infinity Hall Hartford, 32 Front Street. infinityhall.com; 860-560-7757. HARTFORD Jazz Brunch: The Mike Casey Trio. April 17 at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. $25 to $35. Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 600 Main Street. thewadsworth.org; 860-278-2670. MASHANTUCKET Lupe Fiasco, hip-hop. April 14 at 8 p.m. $37.50. The Doobie Brothers, rock. April 15 at 8 p.m. $35 to $50. Fox Theater, Foxwoods Resort Casino, 350 Trolley Line Boulevard. 800-200-2882; foxwoods.com. NEW HAVEN Gogol Bordello with Xylouris White, punk. April 9 at 8 p.m. $25 to $35. Tower of Power, funk. April 15 at 8 p.m. $40 to $75. Ghost, heavy metal. April 16 at 8 p.m. $25 to $32. Esperanza Spalding, jazz. April 17 at 8 p.m. $32 to $35. College Street Music Hall, 238 College Street. 877-987-6487; collegestreetmusichall.com. NEW HAVEN Ari Hoenig Trio, jazz. April 15 at 8:30 and 10 p.m. $15 and $20. Firehouse 12, 45 Crown Street. 203-785-0468; firehouse12.com. Image NEW CANAAN “Crème de la Crème” (2016), oil on canvas by Teodora Guererra, is on view in “Vivid,” newworks by Ms. Guererra and Carol Young, April 22 through May 16 at Sorelle Gallery Fine Art, 84 Main Street. For more information: 203-920-1900 or sorellegallery.com . Credit Teodora Guererra NEW HAVEN Atlas Genius with Skylar Grey and the Young Wild, indie pop. April 21 at 7:30 p.m. $20. College Street Music Hall, 238 College Street. 877-987-6487; collegestreetmusichall.com. NEW HAVEN Lisa Hodermarsky, curator, discusses the proliferation of print media in 19th-century France. April 13 at 12:30 p.m. Free. Yale University Art Gallery, 1111 Chapel Street. 203-432-0600; artgallery.yale.edu. NEW LONDON Led Zeppelin Tribute. April 16 at 8 p.m. $22 to $37. Garde Arts Center, 325 State Street. 860-444-7373; gardearts.org. NEW LONDON Old Lyme Inn Trio, piano. April 14 at 5:30 p.m. $15 and $20. Lyman Allyn Art Museum, 625 Williams Street. lymanallyn.org; 860-443-2545. NORFOLK Rory Block with Professor Louie and the Crowmatix, Americana and blues. April 9 at 8 p.m. $24 to $34. Jonathan Edwards, folk and pop. April 15 at 8 p.m. $40 and $55. Stick Men, progressive rock. April 17 at 7:30 p.m. $29 to $39. Infinity Hall, 20 Greenwoods Road. 866-666-6306; infinityhall.com. OLD LYME Eddie Allen Quintet, jazz. April 9 at 8:30 p.m. $35. Renee Rosnes Quartet, jazz. April 15 at 8:30 p.m. $43. Manuel Valera Trio, jazz. April 16 at 8:30 p.m. $38. The Side Door, 85 Lyme Street. 860-434-0886; thesidedoorjazz.com. OLD SAYBROOK Hammer of the Gods, Led Zeppelin tribute band. April 9 at 8 p.m. $50. Griffin House, folk and rock. April 14 at 7:30 p.m. $25. Loudon Wainwright, folk. April 21 at 7:30 p.m. $37. The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main Street. thekate.org; 877-503-1286. RIDGEFIELD Christian McBridge Trio, jazz. April 10 at 8 p.m. $42.50. Jewel, singer-songwriter, with JD and the Straight Shot,rock. April 14 at 8 p.m. $80. Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road. 203-438-5795; ridgefieldplayhouse.org. STORRS Artemis Quartet, chamber music. April 15 at 8 p.m. $15 to $32. “Die Fledermaus,” opera by Johann Strauss. April 15 through 17. Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, 2132 Hillside Road. 860-486-4226; jorgensen.uconn.edu. TORRINGTON “One Night of Queen," Gary Mullen and the Works. April 13 at 8 p.m. $30 to $60. Gordon Lightfoot, singer-songwriter. April 14 at 8 p.m. $35 to $65. “Pop, Rock and Doo Wopp Live!,” with Charlie Thomas’s Drifters, Gary U.S. Bonds, Bob Miranda and the Happenings, Vito Picone and the Elegants, Emil Stucchio and the Classics, and Barbara Harris and the Toys. April 16 at 8 p.m. $42 to $83. Warner Theater, 68 Main Street. warnertheatre.org; 860-489-7180. UNCASVILLE Chicago and Earth, Wind and Fire, rock and soul. April 9 at 7:30 p.m. $60 and $80. Journey and Santana, rock. April 15 at 7 p.m. $90 and $120. Nelson, rock. April 16 at 8 p.m. Free. Mohegan Sun, 1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard. 888-226-7711; mohegansun.com. WALLINGFORD Brit Floyd, Pink Floyd tribute band. April 9 at 8 p.m. $24.75 to $45. Huey Lewis and the News, rock. April 16 at 7:30 p.m. $45 to $75. Dream Theater, progressive rock. April 20 at 7:30 p.m. $25 to $65. Oakdale Theater, 95 South Turnpike Road. 203-265-1501; oakdale.com. WATERBURY “Let It Be,” Beatles tribute. April 15 and 16. $50 and $65. Palace Theater of Connecticut, 100 East Main Street. 203-755-4700; palacetheaterct.org. Outdoors ANSONIA Spring cleaning and planting day. April 9, 9 a.m. to noon. Free. Build your own terrarium. April 10 at 2 p.m. $10. Ansonia Nature Center, 10 Deerfield Road. 203-736-1053; ansonianaturecenter.org. HAMDEN “History of the Giant Hike. April 10 at 1:30 p.m. Sleeping Giant Park, 200 Mount Carmel Avenue. 203-789-7498; sgpa.org. Spoken Word HARTFORD “Confronting the Cultural Heritage Crisis." Dr. Michael Danti, archaeologist, speaks on current issues in Syria and Iraq. April 12 at 6:30 p.m. Free. “Netherlandish Artists in Rome.” Dr. Lara Yeager-Crasselt explores the artistic culture of Dutch and Flemish artists in 17th-century Rome. April 15, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Free with admission. Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 600 Main Street. 860-278-2670; thewadsworth.org. MYSTIC “Capturing the Sea Through Oil and Cold Wax,” artist lecture. April 9 at 3 p.m. $15 and $20. Modern celestial navigation workshop. April 9 and 10. $120; members, $108. Maritime Art Gallery, at Mystic Seaport, 47 Greenmanville Avenue. 860-572-5388; mysticseaport.org/gallery. NETCONG Jews and the American Songbook, featuring the New York Times critic Jody Rosen. April 19 at 7:30 p.m. $20. Palace Theatre, Route 183. 973-347-4946. NEW HAVEN Prof. Jonathan B. Losos of Harvard, “Improbable Destinies: Is Evolution Predictable and Why It Matters.” April 12 at 5:30 p.m. Free. Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, 170 Whitney Avenue. 203-432-5050; peabody.yale.edu. SOUTH WINDSOR South Windsor Poetry Day, readings by the Connecticut poet laureate Rennie McQuilkin. April 10 at 2 p.m. free. South Windsor Library, 1550 Sullivan Avenue. 860-644-0697; facebook.com/SWHRC. STORRS Michael Beschloss, historian and author, discusses contemporary issues. April 13 at 7 p.m. Free. Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, 2132 Hillside Road. 860-486-4226; jorgensen.uconn.edu. WATERBURY The history of American wedding dresses, lecture. April 13 at 11 a.m. Free with museum admission. Mattatuck Museum, 144 West Main Street. 203-753-0381; mattatuckmuseum.org. WESTPORT ArtSpeaks: Ann Chernow, artist, and Paul Levin, film producer, discuss noir. April 12, 6 to 8 p.m. Free. Westport Arts Center, 51 Riverside Avenue. 203-222-7070; westportartscenter.org. Theater EAST HADDAM “Anything Goes,” musical by Cole Porter and Guy Bolton. Through June 16. $34 to $79. Goodspeed Opera House, 6 Main Street. 860-873-8668; goodspeed.org. HARTFORD “Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years,” play by Emily Mann. Through April 24. $25 to $85. Hartford Stage, 50 Church Street. hartfordstage.org; 860-527-5151. HARTFORD “King Arthur in Contemporary Connecticut,” radio play. April 10 at 4 p.m. $10. The Mark Twain House and Museum, 351 Farmington Avenue. marktwainhouse.org; 860-247-0998. HARTFORD “Sex With Strangers,” drama by Laura Eason. Through April 17. $15 to $65. TheaterWorks, 233 Pearl Street. 860-527-7838; theaterworkshartford.org. IVORYTON “The Road: My Life with John Denver,” musical directed by Randal Myler. Through April 24. $17 to $44. Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main Street. ivorytonplayhouse.org; 860-767-7318. MIDDLETOWN Capstone Theater Production, “They Alone Know,” comedy by Daniel Meseda, student. Through April 10. Free. Center for the Arts, Wesleyan University, 283 Washington Terrace. 860-685-3355; wesleyan.edu/cfa. NEW HAVEN “Love Letters,” play by A. R. Gurney. Through April 10. $30.50 to $84.50. “Lewiston,” drama by Samuel D. Hunter. Through May 1. $30.50 to $55.50. Long Wharf Theater, 222 Sargent Drive. 203-787-4282; longwharf.org. NEW HAVEN Shakespeare’s “Cymbeline,” directed by Evan Yionoulis. Through April 16. $59 and $86. Yale Repertory Theater, 1120 Chapel Street. 203-432-1234; yalerep.org. NORWALK “The Last Five Years,” musical by Jason Robert Brown. Through April 24. $35 to $55. Music Theater of Connecticut, 509 Westport Avenue. musictheatreofct.com; 203-454-3883. SIMSBURY “The Sorcerer,” musical comedy by Gilbert and Sullivan. April 9 through 17. $10 to $25. Eno Memorial Hall, 745 Hopmeadow Street. www.town.simsbury.ct.us; 860-651-9161. WALLINGFORD The Illusionists, magic. April 17 at 4:30 and 8 p.m. $30 to $50. Oakdale Theater, 95 South Turnpike Road. oakdale.com; 203-265-1501. WATERBURY “Cinderella,” the Brass City Ballet. April 9 at 6:30 p.m. $35. Palace Theater of Connecticut, 100 East Main Street. 203-755-4700; palacetheaterct.org. WEST HARTFORD “Superstition,” dance theater. Through April 10. $15 to $35. Playhouse on Park, 244 Park Road. playhouseonpark.org; 860-523-5900. Museums and Galleries CENTERBROOK “Text Messages,” group exhibition. Through May 15. Wednesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays, 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sundays, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Spectrum Gallery, 61 Main Street. spectrumartgallery.org; 860-767-0742. Image NORWALK “Catelayas” (2016), oil on canvas by Hunt Slonem, is on view in “Welcome to Spring” through April 15 at Galerie Sono, 123 Washington Street. For more information: 203-831-8332 or sonogalerie.com . Credit Max Becker COS COB “Close to the Wind: Our Maritime History,” exhibition on Greenwich history. Through Sept. 4. $8 and $10; members and children under 6, free. Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. Greenwich Historical Society, 39 Strickland Road. greenwichhistory.org; 203-869-6899. DANBURY “Off Peak,” photographs by Phyllis Crowley. Through May 27. Weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Gallery at Still River Editions, 128 East Liberty Street. 203-791-1474; stillrivereditions.com. FAIRFIELD “Look at Me! Recording and Sharing Ourselves,” group show. Through May 1. “Fabulous Animals: The Illustrated World of Robert Lawson,” solo exhibition. Through Sept. 18. $3 and $5; members and children 5 and under, free. Daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fairfield Museum and History Center, 370 Beach Road. 203-259-1598; fairfieldhistory.org. GREENWICH “Secrets of Fossil Lake,” paleontology. Through April 17. “And Still We Rise: Race, Culture and Visual Conversations,” 40 quilts from artists of the Women of Color Quilters Network. Through April 24. “Mianus River Gorge: Photographs by William Abranowicz.” Through June 5. “Wild Reading: Animals in Children’s Book Art.” Through July 3. $6 and $7; members and children under 5, free. Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive. 203-869-0376; brucemuseum.org. GREENWICH “Wildlife Art: Field to Studio,” group exhibition. Through May 4. Mondays through Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Flinn Gallery, 101 West Putnam Avenue. 203-622-7947; flinngallery.com. HAMDEN “In the Lion’s Den: Daniel Macdonald, Ireland and Empire.” Through April 17. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum, Quinnipiac University, 3011 Whitney Avenue. 203-582-6500; ighm.nfshost.com. HAMDEN “The Seed of the People: 1916 Remembered,” Irish history exhibition. Through Sept. 30. Quinnipiac University, 275 Mount Carmel. 203-582-7809; quinnipiac.edu. HARTFORD “Multiple Impressions,” group show. Through April 21. “Desperate Cargo,” sculpture and installation by Mohamad Hafez. Through April 24. “Vestiges from a Dream Pool,” sculpture by Heidi Lau. Through April 28. “Alina Gallo: Keleti Station.” Through April 30. Suggested donation, $3; members and cinema patrons, free. Daily, 2 to 9 p.m.; and by appointment. Real Art Ways, 56 Arbor Street. 860-232-1006; realartways.org. HARTFORD “Sound and Sense: Poetic Musings in American Art,” Georgia O’Keeffe and others. Through April 17. “The End of Innocence: Childhood Torments in the Contemporary Art Collection.” Through June 12. “Gothic to Goth: Romantic Era Fashion and Its Legacy.” Through July 10. “Forty acres: The Promise of a Black Pastoral.” Through Oct. 1. “Miniature World in White Gold: Meissen Porcelain by Johann Joachim Kaendler.” Through Jan. 16. $5 to $15; members and children under 12, free. Wednesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Weekends, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 600 Main Street. 860-278-2670; thewadsworth.org. LITCHFIELD “Navigating the Human Landscape,” sculptures by Susan Clinard. April 10 through June 25. Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wisdom House, 229 East Litchfield Road. 860-567-3163; wisdomhouse.org. MYSTIC “Young at Art,” group show. Through April 9. “Drawn From a Private Collection: Works on Paper From 1880-2009.” Through April 19. Open entry art show for members. April 15 through June 4. Tuesdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mystic Museum of Art, 9 Water Street. mysticmuseumofart.org; 860-536-7601. NEW BRITAIN “Andy Warhol to Sally Mann: The Collection of Kevin McNamara and Craig Nowak.” Through April 17. “NEW/NOW: Clinton Deckert.” Through June 7. “Cycle of Life in Print: Salvador Dalí.” Through June 26. $10 to $15; members and children under 12, free. Sundays through Wednesdays and Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. New Britain Museum of American Art, 56 Lexington Street. 860-229-0257; nbmaa.org. NEW CANAAN “Defying Perceptions,” group exhibition. Through April 9. Mondays through Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and by appointment. Heather Gaudio Fine Art, 66 Elm Street. 203-801-9590; heathergaudiofineart.com. NEW CANAAN “Evidence of Nature,” mixed-media works by Constance Kiermaier. Through May 8. Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. New Canaan Library, 151 Main Street. 203-594-5003; newcanaanlibrary.org. NEW CANAAN “Glimpses Within,” works by Julia Contacessi and Jane Schmidt. Through April 18. Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Sorelle Gallery Fine Art, 84 Main Street. sorellegallery.com; 203-920-1900. NEW HAVEN “Gloria Laposka-Life Stories (1922-2015),” realist paintings. April 8 through May 1. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Da Silva Gallery, 899 Whalley Avenue. dasilva-gallery.com; 203-387-2539. NEW HAVEN “Common Ground,” paintings by Farrell Brickhouse. April 9 through May 14. Free. Mondays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and by appointment. Fred Giampietro Gallery, 1064 Chapel Street. giampietrogallery.com; 203-777-7760. NEW HAVEN “From Clocks to Lollipops: Made in New Haven.” Through Sept. 3. “The Nation’s Greatest Hits: 100 Years of New Haven’s Shubert Theater.” Through Feb. 27. $2 to $4; children under 12, free. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m.; first Sundays, 1 to 4 p.m. New Haven Museum, 114 Whitney Avenue. newhavenmuseum.org; 203-562-4183. NEW HAVEN Works by Stacey Alickman and Michelle Benoit. Through April 30. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fridays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. Reynolds Fine Art, 96 Orange Street. 203-498-2200; reynoldsfineart.com. NEW HAVEN “Meant to Be Shared: Selections From the Arthur Ross Collection of European Prints at the Yale University Art Gallery.” Through April 24. “Everything Is Dada,” group show. Through July 3. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; weekends, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Yale University Art Gallery, 1111 Chapel Street. 203-432-0600; artgallery.yale.edu. NEW LONDON “Time and Again,” paintings by Michael Peery. Through April 24. “Dark Water, Deep Treasures: The Art of Discovery.” “Beyond Three Hundred Fathoms: Life at the Extremes.” Through May 16. “Herman Leonard: Jazz Memories.” Through May 29. $5 to $10; members and children under 12, free. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Lyman Allyn Art Museum, 625 Williams Street. 860-443-2545; lymanallyn.org. OLD LYME “Ten/Forty: Collecting American Art at the Florence Griswold Museum.” Through May 29. $8 to $10; children under 12, free. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Florence Griswold Museum, 96 Lyme Street. 860-434-5542; flogris.org. OLD LYME “Contemporary Look,” “Drawing Attention,” “Palate to Palette” and “Urban Landscape,” group shows. Through April 15. Suggested donation, $5. Wednesdays through Sundays, noon to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. Lyme Art Association Gallery, 90 Lyme Street. lymeartassociation.org; 860-434-7802. RIDGEFIELD Juried Member Show. Through May 1. Tuesdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ridgefield Guild of Artists Gallery, 34 Halpin Lane. 203-438-8863; rgoa.org. SHARON “How the West Was Won,” exhibition of works by Matt Magee . Through May 1. Reception: April 2, 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays to Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Darren Winston, Bookseller, 81 Main Street, darrenwinstonbookseller.com; 860-364-1890. SOUTHPORT “Pages from Pequot: Uncovering Shakespeare,” exhibition featuring items from Pequot Library’s special collections of rare books and materials. Through May 6. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pequot Library, 720 Pequot Avenue. 203-259-0346; pequotlibrary.com. STAMFORD “Why We All Need Art in Our Lives,” works by Carl Schumann. Through April 21. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. University of Connecticut Stamford Art Gallery, One University Place. 203-251-8450; artgallery.stamford.uconn.edu. STAMFORD “Discovering John Singer Sargent,” group show. April 9 through May 1. Free. Weekends, 1 to 4:30 p.m. Loft Artists Association, 575 Pacific Street. 203-247-2027; loftartists.com. STORRS M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition. Through May 10. Guerrilla Girls Exhibition. Through May 22. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Weekends, 1 to 4:30 p.m. William Benton Museum of Art, University of Connecticut, 245 Glenbrook Road. benton.uconn.edu; 860-486-4520. TORRINGTON New Exhibition of Student Art Work . Nancy Marine Studio of the Warner Theater, 68 Main Street. warnertheatre.org; 860-489-7180. WASHINGTON DEPOT “Made Realities, Real Situations,” group show featuring Neil Callander, Russell Horton and Marc Roder. April 9 through May 7. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Washington Art Association, 4 Bryan Memorial Plaza. 860-868-2878; washingtonartassociation.org. WATERBURY “Victor Vasarely: The Absolute Eye.” Through April 10. “What! Not White? The Victorian Bride.” Through May 29. “Making Her Mark,” multimedia group show. April 17 through June 5. $6 and $7; members and children under 16, free. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Mattatuck Museum, 144 West Main Street. mattatuckmuseum.org; 203-753-0381. WATERBURY “Legacy in Wood,” furniture exhibition by Thos Moser. Through May 22. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Mattatuck Museum, 144 West Main Street. 203-753-0381; mattatuckmuseum.org. WESTPORT “Noir,” paintings, prints and drawings by Ann Chernow. Through April 23. Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Westport Arts Center, 51 Riverside Avenue. westportartscenter.org; 203-222-7070. WESTPORT “Good Nature,” group show. Through April 23. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and by appointment. Amy Simon Fine Art, 1869 Post Road East. 203-259-1500; amysimonfineart.com. WINDSOR “Mixit Print Studio Trip,” group printmakers show. Through April 16. Weekdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7:45 to 9:45 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 4 p.m. Mercy Gallery, the Loomis Chaffee School, 4 Batchelder Road. 860-687-6030; loomischaffee.org/mercy. WINDSOR “Soulful Journeys,” works from the Connecticut Fiber Artists Collective. Through April 23. Thursdays, 6 to 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Windsor Art Center, 40 Mechanic Street. windsorartcenter.org; 860-688-2528.


Muirhead and Britain Are Pushing for an Olympic Medal in Sochi

Abstract: STIRLING, Scotland — It is a sight as arresting as any in winter sports: Eve Muirhead gliding metronomically across the curling sheet, up to — and beyond — the moment when she releases the stone toward its target 150 feet away. Her body crouched low, her blond hair bunched in a ponytail, her head and hands rock steady, Muirhead seems the embodiment of the strength and physical grace that will be on display across 15 sports at the Olympics that open Feb. 7 in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia. Figure skating, Alpine skiing, ski jumping — all have their innate symmetry, their own wafer-thin margins of error that mark the difference between medals and score-sheet oblivion. So, too, does curling, and Muirhead, 23, is working frenetically on those margins these days at the SportScotland Institute of Sport before heading to Russia as leader of the women’s team Britain will send to the Games. She will arrive as a reigning world champion, but also as the focus of a newfound Olympic interest in Britain, and particularly in Scotland, which claims to have originated curling on its frozen lochs and rivers in the middle of the 16th century. “Everything’s now focused on the Olympics,” Muirhead said recently after her daily routine of strength training and ice practice in the Stirling gym. Her profile, and the stakes, have never been higher. Eighteen months ago, at the widely hailed London Olympics, Britain’s record haul of 65 medals, including 29 golds, placed it fourth in the overall table, behind the sporting superpowers of the United States, China and Russia. But Britain has traditionally had only scant success at the Winter Games: its teams won single medals at the past two Winter Olympics, and its athletes have regularly gone home empty-handed. Image Eve Muirhead, center, and teammates in action during the 2010 women’s world championships. Credit Todd Korol/Reuters As a result, Britain is looking ahead to Sochi, the first Games since London, with modest expectations. Its best hopes rest with Team Muirhead , as its four-member team calls itself; it won the world title in March and was second at the European championships last month. “Going into the Olympics as world champions means you’ve got a massive target on your back,” Muirhead said. “But competing for a spot on the podium is better than going in ranked eighth or ninth in the world.” Accustomed to living in the sporting shadows, curling — often disparaged by the uninitiated as the pensioners’ choice among winter sports — is experiencing rising global popularity, with a new generation of participants and television viewers in places as far removed from its cold-weather roots as Ivory Coast, Hawaii and Las Vegas. Spearheading this rejuvenation are competitors like Muirhead, a four-time world junior curling champion who has also won junior championships in golf and bagpiping. Turning professional in curling meant turning down golf scholarships from several American colleges, a potentially costly choice in financial terms: Muirhead’s earnings this year on the world curling tour are listed as a meager $32,150 . In Stirling, her training — supported by an annual grant for living expenses from the sports institute — includes sessions with Misha Botting, a 46-year-old Russian-born sports psychologist, who is a Bolshoi-trained ballet dancer. In an interview, he described curling as equally demanding, in physical strength and mental toughness, as other, more popular athletic winter sports like skiing. “Curling, now, is a sport for full-time professionals,” he said. “What Eve does really well is to sustain a very particular body shape, and that determines the consistency and precision with which she delivers the stone. Curling is a target sport, like golf, and the slide before the stone is released is very much like a swing. Eve works at that very hard.” Officials of the World Curling Federation say theirs is the fastest growing of all winter sports, with 1.5 million active curlers worldwide. An estimated 1.2 million of those are in Canada, which has curling clubs in scores of cities and towns. But the growth elsewhere — curling clubs in the United States estimate there are 16,000 American curlers — has been enough to mount a challenge to the traditional supremacy of countries like Canada, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. Image Led by Muirhead, Scotland captured the world title this year. Credit Andrew Testa for The New York Times Together, those countries have won 19 of the 24 medals awarded in the men’s and women’s events in the four Olympics since curling was formally re-established as a medal event in 1998. Curling has its own vocabulary. The 44-pound stones propelled down the ice — all, at the Olympics, carved from rare granite quarried on the uninhabited Scottish island of Ailsa Craig — are rocks. The low board from which competitors push off is the hack. The blue line for releasing the rock is the hogline; and the circular target area, a multicolored roundel, is the house. Strategies for knocking opponents’ rocks out of the house have led to the sport’s being known, among enthusiasts, as chess on ice. Strenuous brushing by two team members ahead of the rock as it approaches the house aims not at speeding up the rock but slowing it down, by heating and melting the ice, and altering its trajectory by brushing harder on one side than the other. In Scotland, Muirhead and team members have trod warily not to become embroiled in another contest occupying Scottish minds as 2014 approaches. That is the September referendum set by Scotland’s nationalist government to determine whether Scotland will remain a part of Britain, or end the 300-year-old union with England and become, as it was for 400 years until 1707, an independent country. Alex Salmond, the nationalist leader and Scotland’s first minister, has worked hard, without notable success, to recruit Scotland’s top sports figures to his cause. Last summer, he ruffled feathers at Wimbledon by unfurling Scotland’s blue-and-white flag, the Saltire, at his seat in the Royal Box at the moment of Andy Murray’s victory in the men’s singles final, the first championship by a British man there in 77 years. Academic studies in Scotland over the past decade have aided the nationalist cause, at least indirectly, by finding a link between Scotland’s perceived underperformance in sports and a culture of defeatism among Scottish athletes, a pattern some have attributed to the centuries that Scotland has spent as a dependent part of Britain. But Murray and other top Scottish athletes, including Chris Hoy, a cyclist with six Olympic gold medals, have resisted the nationalists’ call. So, too, have the curlers. Although she speaks of Scotland as her country — “It’s nice to know that we have the whole country, Scotland, behind us” — Muirhead shrugs off any suggestion of nationalist leanings. “Right now, I’m just trying to get on with my life,” she said.

Scotland
Eve Muirhead
Curling
2014 Winter Olympics
Great Britain


Ex-Champion Kelly Pavlik Indicted in Ohio

Abstract: The former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik has been indicted on felony charges in Ohio after being accused of shooting a man with a pellet gun. A Mahoning County grand jury indicted the 33-year-old Pavlik on two counts of felonious assault for an incident last August at his home in Canfield. The Vindicator newspaper in Youngstown reported that the man was helping dig a lake on Pavilk’s property and told the police he was shot in the head and the arm while testing the lake’s depth.

Kelly Pavlik
Ohio
pellet guns
Assault
Boxing
BB guns
air guns


Google’s Antitrust Woes in Europe Are Likely to Grow

Abstract: Google’s antitrust problems in Europe are about to get a whole lot bigger. The company is expected to be charged with breaking the European Union’s competition rules by unfairly favoring Google services, like its search engine and Google Maps, on its Android smartphone operating system over those of rivals, according to three people. The three, who work in either government or the private sector, spoke on the condition of anonymity. The charges, known formally as a statement of objections, may be announced in Brussels as soon as Wednesday, though the announcement could still be postponed until later this month, according to one of the people. The expected charges against Google are the latest in a raft of regulatory problems that American tech giants have faced as the European Union has cracked down on these companies’ perceived dominance over how people in the 28-member bloc get access to digital services. That ranges from privacy complaints over how Facebook uses people’s online information to questions about Apple’s tax affairs from its headquarters in low-tax Ireland. These cases come after previous antitrust investigations into how the likes of Microsoft and Intel operated across regions. Google denies that it has breached the region’s tough competition laws, and it will have several months to respond to the charges from the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union. “Anyone can use Android with or without Google applications,” Mark Jansen, a Google spokesman, said in a statement when asked about the company’s mobile software. “Hardware manufacturers and carriers can decide how to use Android, and consumers have the last word about which apps they want to use on their devices.” A spokesman for the European Commission declined to comment. Despite the company’s denials, the expected charges linked to Android, which powers 77 percent of European smartphones, would represent a major setback for the Silicon Valley company as it grapples with a growing number of global competition investigations into Google’s vast operations. The case against Android also comes as Google is trying to strengthen its position on mobile — increasingly the primary way that people go online — as its traditional desktop business has started to show some signs of fatigue. Europe’s antitrust officials have already accused Google of unfairly abusing its dominant market position across the 28-member bloc to favor some of its own search services. A conclusion into those separate charges is expected within months, and it could lead to a fine exceeding $7 billion, equivalent to about 10 percent of Google’s most recent annual revenue, the maximum allowable fine. The Federal Trade Commission in Washington is also looking into whether Google broke American antitrust laws by using its Android operating system to bolster the company’s products. American officials previously investigated claims that Google’s search services violated federal competition rules, though they eventually decided not to bring charges. Other countries, including India and Russia, have similarly either accused the company of breaking antitrust rules or opened antitrust investigations into Google’s activities. Canadian authorities, though, said on Tuesday that they had closed their investigation into claims that Google had misused its dominant position in online search. They added they would continue monitoring the company’s activities. Apple continues to generate the largest share of revenue from global smartphone sales. The company also bundles its own services, including digital maps, into its mobile software, but has yet to face similar questions over whether it has broken Europe’s antitrust rules. How Europe Is Going After Apple, Google and Other U.S. Tech Giants The biggest American tech companies face intensifying scrutiny by European regulators, with — pressure that could potentially curb their sizable profits in the region and affect how they operate around the world. Google does not make money from licensing its basic Android software to cellphone manufacturers, but instead earns revenue through digital services like advertising from search, among other mobile services. It holds more than 80 percent of the smartphone operating system market worldwide, according to the technology research company Gartner. If European officials demand that the company provide rivals greater access to the Android universe — a possibility if Google is found to have broken the region’s laws — the search giant may find it more difficult to promote its own mobile services to users worldwide as well as to smartphone makers. As part of the charges to be announced as soon as Wednesday, Margrethe Vestager, Europe’s antitrust chief, is expected to focus on Google’s deals with cellphone manufacturers that include bundles of Google services included in Android. Speaking in Amsterdam on Monday, Ms. Vestager said that these deals may have hindered competition by forcing cellphone manufacturers to rely on Google’s mobile services that come preinstalled on certain versions of the Android software. “Our concern is that, by requiring phone makers and operators to preload a set of Google apps, rather than letting them decide for themselves which apps to load, Google might have cut off one of the main ways that new apps can reach customers,” Ms. Vestager said ahead of the charges being announced. The case related to Google’s Android operating system has been long expected. In 2013, Europe said it had received an official complaint from FairSearch Europe, a group of Google’s competitors, including Oracle and Nokia, among others. Aptoide, a Portuguese Android online marketplace, also filed a complaint against Google in 2014. These companies say that they have been financially hurt by Google practices that they call unfair, an accusation the company rejects. In response to these complaints, the European Commission announced last year that it would investigate Google’s dominant role in the Android operating system, and whether rivals had been treated unfairly. “Consumers deserve more choice and innovation in mobile devices and applications,” said Thomas Vinje, a lawyer for FairSearch. “A statement of objections in the Android case would be an important step forward for competition and consumers.” Google says that its partnerships with cellphone makers that rely on its operating system are voluntary, and that these relationships offer benefits to consumers as well as manufacturers. Europe’s latest antitrust charges represent one of the first major challenges for Sundar Pichai, who took over as Google’s chief executive after a reorganization last year. Google is now owned by a holding company called Alphabet, which reports its quarterly earnings on Thursday. In February, Mr. Pichai traveled to Brussels to meet with Ms. Vestager and other European politicians, including Günther Oettinger, a German politician in charge of the digital economy in the bloc. Eric E. Schmidt, Alphabet’s executive chairman, has also been a regular visitor to Europe, meeting often with regional officials, in part to discuss the company’s continuing antitrust problems. Mr. Pichai is no stranger to competition struggles. In 2009, he wrote to European officials explaining why they should take a hard line against Microsoft on charges that the company had abused its then-dominant position in web browsers. Microsoft eventually paid more than $3 billion in fines for breaking the region’s antitrust rules. Now, Google faces mounting pressure over accusations it abused its position in everything from online search to its Android operating system. And it is the turn of Mr. Pichai, along with other Google executives, to respond.

Google
Search Engines
Google Maps
Android
Smartphone
Competition law
European Commission
Software
Sundar Pichai
EU


Contract for New York’s Hotel Union Is Seen by Some as Special Case

Abstract: By summer 2018, thousands of people who spend their days changing sheets and towels in hotel rooms across New York City could be the envy of the blue-collar world, earning nearly $60,000 a year with a promise of full medical benefits for their families and pensions when they retire. The proposed labor contract covering 30,000 members of the New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council, A.F.L.-C.I.O. , is so beneficial to workers that it seems born from a different era. Wages would rise by more than 29 percent over the next seven years. A housekeeper, now making a little more than $25 an hour, would have her annual pay rise to $59,823 in mid-2018. She would continue to receive full medical, dental and eye-care benefits, and her employer’s contribution to her pension would rise each year. Officials of other unions enviously dismissed the proposed contract as a special case that was not likely to be replicated in the private sector anytime soon. Still, some of them wondered, how were those terms even on the table in an era of dwindling union clout, frozen pensions and unpaid furloughs? The simple answer was emblazoned on flashing billboards surrounding Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in Times Square two months ago. Record numbers of tourists have flocked to New York — more than 50 million last year , the mayor said — filling its growing list of hotels at higher and higher tariffs. Last year, the average hotel in Manhattan charged $275 a night and filled 85 percent of its available rooms, according to data compiled by PKF Consulting USA. In other words, the typical hotel room in Manhattan brought in more than $85,000 last year, before its occupants spent an additional dollar on room service or on souvenirs in the lobby gift shop. “They know the industry’s doing very well and has for the last two or three years,” said James Parrott, chief economist for the pro-union Fiscal Policy Institute , referring to the council’s leaders. Still, he added, the negotiation that led to the proposed deal was “not influenced by the broader currents at work in the economy that have been bearing down on both business and labor, particularly labor.” Another factor is that health-care costs, the bugaboo of most labor negotiations, was not at issue here. Officials of the hotel union say their costs are held down because they provide care through four clinics that the union and the association jointly operate. The union’s members go to those clinics — two in Manhattan, one in Brooklyn and one in Queens — for their basic medical, dental and optical services. By comparison, the union representing the workers who clean offices throughout the city, Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union, ratified a contract last month that was not as rich. The office workers, who make about $2 an hour less than hotel housekeepers now, accepted wage increases of just 5.6 percent over four years. By the last year of that contract, the office workers will be earning about $4.50 an hour less than the housekeepers, though they also receive health coverage with no out-of-pocket costs. The hotel contract is more in line with the last contract the New York Police Department worked out with the city; it called for annual raises of 4 percent for each of its four years. Under that contract, the base pay of a police officer with two years on the job is only about $2,000 more than a housekeeper makes. But the police pay rises at a much faster rate as an officer gains experience, while the hotel workers earn the same hourly rate regardless of how long they have worked. John Turchiano, a spokesman for the hotel union, said the housekeepers, who clean 12 to 14 rooms a day, were “the backbone of our union,” making up about half of the employees of the hotels. The proposed contract, he said, “allows many of our members to afford to live in the city where they work.” Though there has not been a citywide strike by hotel workers in 25 years, officials of the city’s hotel industry seemed pleased to have come to terms with the union with minimal animosity. The president of the hotel association, Joseph E. Spinnato, said the terms were in line with those the workers had previously received. “Historically, the contracts have provided fully paid medical benefits and have set forth periodic increases in the contributions that hotels make to the pensions,” Mr. Spinnato said. The contract, already approved by the Hotel Association of New York City, is expected to be ratified by the union members on Monday. Mr. Parrott, while acknowledging how well the hotel workers fared, said he hoped that the proposed deal was not an anomaly but a herald of better prospects for workers in other industries. “Maybe that’s a leading indicator for the economy, that things are improving,” he said, sounding as if he was trying to convince himself.

American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations


Judge in Alabama Dismisses Infosys Whistle-Blower Suit

Abstract: A federal judge in Alabama on Monday dismissed a lawsuit by an American employee of Infosys , the giant Indian outsourcing company, who claimed he was harassed and sidelined after he reported what he believed was visa fraud by managers there. Judge Myron H. Thompson of federal court for the Middle District of Alabama ruled that the allegations by the whistle-blower, Jack B. Palmer, did not meet the standard under Alabama law for a worker to claim negligent or outrageous mistreatment by an employer. The judge found in favor of Infosys on all six civil claims Mr. Palmer presented. Judge Thompson made it clear that he reached his conclusion reluctantly, saying the nature of the case required him to base it on Alabama statutes, not federal law. The judge described as “deeply troubling” the threats Mr. Palmer said he received after word of his visa fraud accusations circulated within the company. “Indeed,” Judge Thompson wrote, “an argument could be made that such threats against whistle-blowers, in particular, should be illegal.” But, the judge wrote, “This court cannot rewrite state law.” Mr. Palmer claimed that he witnessed Infosys managers making widespread fraudulent use of short-term business visitor visas, known as B-1 visas, to bring workers from India to the United States for longer-term projects. The short-term visas can be obtained more quickly than other temporary work visas, and foreign workers on those visas are less costly for a company. Mr. Palmer, who is known as Jay, contended that Infosys used the short-term visas to bring in less-expensive Indian workers for technology projects, undercutting Americans with similar skills. Mr. Palmer continues to hold his job as a project manager at Infosys, but since his charges against the company became public, he says he has not been assigned any work. Infosys hailed its victory, after a legal battle that began in February 2011 when Mr. Palmer first filed his lawsuit. “Today’s decision confirms what we have been saying from the beginning: Mr. Palmer’s claims of retaliation were completely unfounded,” Infosys said in a statement. “This is a company built on core values that include leadership by example, integrity and transparency. Those values always have and will continue to shape the way we do business with our clients and, without exception, the way we treat our people.” Judge Thompson noted that his decision was limited to employment issues and did not touch on Mr. Palmer’s visa accusations. Federal authorities in Texas are conducting a criminal investigation of Infosys’s visa practices. The company has strongly denied that it had any corporate policy of improper use of visas for Indian workers. The judge noted that Alabama is an “at-will” employment state, meaning that “absent a contract providing otherwise, an employee may be demoted, denied a promotion or otherwise adversely treated for any reason, good or bad, or even for no reason at all.” He did not dispute that Mr. Palmer had received at least five “worrisome” threats after he first reported his concerns through internal whistle-blower channels. But Judge Thompson found that the impact on Mr. Palmer of the threats, and of being denied bonuses and work assignments, was not “so severe that no reasonable person could be expected to endure it,” as Alabama law requires. The lawyer for Mr. Palmer, Kenneth J. Mendelsohn, said he was disappointed with the decision, but would not comment further. “It is important for the public to understand that Judge Thompson did not condone Infosys’ conduct,” he said. An effort to reach an agreement through court-ordered mediation failed in July. Since bringing the suit, Mr. Palmer has struggled with depression that he said resulted from being idle. Another whistle-blower lawsuit against Infosys was filed this month in California by Satya Dev Tripuraneni, who claimed he quit his job after harassment following his reports of visa abuse. Infosys has rejected his claims.

Alabama
Whistle-Blowers
Foreign Workers
Palmer Jack B
Infosys Technologies Ltd
Thompson Myron H
Decisions and Verdicts


With Another Shutout, Sharks Take Series Lead Over Blues

Abstract: SAN JOSE, Calif. — Martin Jones made 22 saves in his second straight shutout and Tomas Hertl scored twice Thursday to give the San Jose Sharks a series lead for the first time in four trips to the Western Conference finals with a 3-0 victory over the St. Louis Blues. Joonas Donskoi also scored to give the Sharks a two-games-to-one series advantage and move them as close as they have ever been to their first Stanley Cup finals. San Jose had won just three combined games in its first three trips to the conference finals, part of a long history of playoff disappointment. St. Louis has gone 150 minutes 45 seconds without scoring since Jori Lehtera’s second-period goal in its 2-1 victory in Game 1. After allowing that soft goal to Lehtera, Jones has been perfect the past two games. He has stopped 58 straight shots and has posted the first back-to-back playoff shutouts in Sharks history. Game 4 is Saturday in San Jose, where the Sharks have won six straight playoff games.

Martin Jones
San Jose Sharks
Playoffs
Ice hockey
St Louis Blues


Panthers Build a Big First-Half Lead, Then Outlast the Seahawks

Abstract: CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As the Carolina Panthers ran roughshod over the N.F.L. this season, finishing a league-best 15-1, questions lingered. Sure, quarterback Cam Newton was performing like a most valuable player and the team’s defense was among the league’s best, but the Panthers also had one of the easiest schedules, and they barely escaped with wins against teams like the New Orleans Saints and the Giants, who had losing records. So the Panthers were out to show on Sunday that their regular-season record was no fluke. And they were determined to do it against the Seattle Seahawks, who had won the N.F.C. title the past two seasons. The Panthers let it be known they were about to erase all doubts, dominating the Seahawks from the first play en route to a 31-24 victory that earned them the right to host the N.F.C. championship game next Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. “At the beginning of the season, nobody gave us a chance except for the guys in this room, and it was like that throughout the year,” said Mike Tolbert, the Panthers’ fullback. “We didn’t listen to it, and this pretty much puts a stamp on the type of team we are.” The Seahawks did not go quietly, mounting a furious second-half comeback that fell short yet raised questions about Carolina’s defense. Still, the win amounted to a changing of the guard in the N.F.C., lifting the ascendant Panthers and knocking the Seahawks down a peg. The Seahawks were trying to become the first team in the era of the salary cap to reach the Super Bowl in three straight seasons. Instead, they will go home wondering how to avoid another slow start that forced them to run uphill the rest of the season. The Panthers will try to reach the Super Bowl for only the second time in their history. On Sunday, the die was cast early, and early plays from scrimmage for both the Panthers and the Seahawks offered a preview of how both teams would fare in the latest installment of their burgeoning rivalry. The plays involved each team’s best running back, returning from injury. Image Stewart (28) scoring one of his two first-half touchdowns against Seattle on Sunday. Stewart finished the game with 19 carries for 106 yards and the two scores. Credit Mike Mccarn/Associated Press After receiving the kickoff, the Panthers gave the ball to Jonathan Stewart, who sat out the last three games of the regular season with a foot injury. Stewart broke through the line and sprinted into the open field, running 59 yards to the Seattle 16-yard line. A few plays later, he carried the ball 4 yards into the end zone to give the Panthers a lead less than three minutes into the game. When the Seahawks went on offense, they gave the ball to Marshawn Lynch, who had not played since mid-November because of an abdominal injury. Lynch was thrown down for a 3-yard loss. On the next play, quarterback Russell Wilson, under pressure as he was throughout the game, threw an interception to Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, who returned it 14 yards for a touchdown. Less than four minutes into the game, the Panthers were up by two touchdowns, and it looked as if the Seahawks were in for a long afternoon. Jet lag? Still thawing out from their wild-card game a week earlier in Minnesota? Whatever the reason, things got worse for Seattle. The Panthers put together a rugged 15-play, 86-yard drive that resulted in another touchdown by Stewart. The Panthers were leading, 21-0, less than a minute into the second quarter. The rout continued when Wilson threw another interception. Carolina settled for a field goal to go ahead, 24-0, but a few minutes later, Newton hit tight end Greg Olsen with a 19-yard pass to push the lead to 31-0. The Seahawks seemed to gain some composure as the clock wound down in the first half, but they came up a yard shy on fourth down and later missed a field-goal attempt as time expired. Thirty minutes, no points. The last time a team overcame a deficit of 31 points or more in the playoffs was in 1993, when the Buffalo Bills came from 32 down to beat the Houston Oilers at home. Still, the Seahawks were determined to give it a try, and for most of the second half, they looked like the inverse of themselves in the first half. Helped by a 15-yard penalty against the Panthers, the Seahawks scored less than two minutes into the second half, when Wilson hit Jermaine Kearse with a 13-yard touchdown pass. On the next drive, Seattle’s defense finally got to Newton, dropping him for a 10-yard loss and forcing the Panthers to punt. After overthrowing Doug Baldwin on the next drive, Wilson found Tyler Lockett for a 33-yard touchdown. Suddenly, the Seahawks trailed by only 17 points. In the fourth quarter, Wilson engineered another scoring drive, the key play coming when he hit Lockett for 27 yards as he fell out of bounds. The pass was ruled incomplete, but the call was reversed after a review. Wilson then hit Kearse, tight end Luke Willson and Kearse again. After scrambling away from trouble, he found Kearse in the back of the end zone to draw the Seahawks to within 31-21 with a little more than six minutes left. Back on offense, the Panthers continued to try to drain the clock by running the ball, but they failed to put together any sustained drives, which kept the Seahawks in the hunt. The vibe at Bank of America Stadium turned edgy. “We needed a little bit more of that in the second half,” Newton said. “There were a lot of guys playing with their butts tight, coaches with their butts tight. Hell, at one point, fans and myself were butt-tight, too.” With a little less than three minutes left, Wilson hit Baldwin, Kearse and Willson to get to the Panthers’ 37 as the two-minute warning arrived. Wilson, who led the Seahawks to the Super Bowl last season by engineering a thrilling comeback against the Green Bay Packers, seemed to be working on another storybook ending. But penalties pushed them backward, so the Seahawks settled for a 36-yard field goal. In contrast to last year’s game against the Packers in the divisional round, Seattle was unable to recover the inevitable onside kick, which left the Panthers to run out the clock and the crowd to sing along to James Brown’s “I Feel Good.”

Seahawks
Carolina Panthers
Playoffs
Football


U.S. Investigating Marine in Iraqi Policeman’s Death

Abstract: BAGHDAD — A United States marine is at the center of an American military investigation into the death on Monday of an Iraqi policeman from what appears to have been a knife fight between the men at a base jointly staffed by American and Iraqi forces in Anbar Province, a military spokesman said. The incident is an embarrassment for the United States military, which has praised Anbar as a model for Sunni tribes and American soldiers cooperating to fight fundamentalist groups like Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, the homegrown militant group that United States intelligence officials say is led by foreigners. The death has provoked local anger and demands for legal action. Maj. Jeff Pool, an American military spokesman in Iraq , confirmed that Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents “are currently investigating the death of an Iraqi policeman and the wounding of a U.S. marine while on duty at a joint security station north of Ramadi in the early morning of Dec. 17.” While emphasizing that the investigation is still “in the initial stages,” Major Pool said that “the incident appears to have resulted from an argument escalating into a physical altercation.” In e-mailed responses to questions on Wednesday night, he said the marine and Iraqi policeman each received “knife wounds.” The policeman “died from his wounds,” Major Pool said, and the marine was eventually taken to a military hospital for treatment, though his wounds were not life-threatening. Neither man has been identified by the American authorities, but relatives and colleagues identified the dead Sunni policeman as 18-year-old Waleed Khalid Khudhaier, who was stationed at the Wala’a base in the Jazeera neighborhood, three miles north of the provincial capital. Major Pool said American commanders in Ramadi had already met with tribal leaders and police officials. “Both the Iraqi and Coalition Force leaders regret this incident and are working to assure incidents such as this do not occur in the future,” he said. At Mr. Khudhaier’s funeral in Ramadi on Wednesday, 500 people, mostly members of his tribe, Albu Shaaban, chanted slogans demanding the departure of American forces from the area, and proclaiming, “We are the ones who liberated Anbar.” Sheiks from at least six major local Sunni tribes have threatened to call for demonstrations if no legal proceedings are forthcoming. The death comes less than a week after Lance Cpl. Delano Holmes, a United States marine reservist, was found guilty of killing an Iraqi soldier while they stood watch together at a guard post in Falluja, near Ramadi, on Dec. 31, 2006. A military jury at Camp Pendleton in California convicted Lance Corporal Holmes, a 22-year-old from Indianapolis, on Dec. 13 of negligent homicide and making a false official statement over the stabbing death of the Iraqi soldier, Munther Jasem Muhammed Hassin. But he was acquitted of the more serious charge of unpremeditated homicide after his lawyers argued that he had acted in self-defense after getting into a fight because the Iraqi had exposed them to sniper fire by opening his cellphone and lighting a cigarette. As part of the temporary increase in American forces known as the surge, American reinforcements were moved to Anbar earlier this year, where they work alongside 44,000 Iraqi security forces. The Sunnis here say it was their decision to fight Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia as part of a tribal movement known as the Awakening Council, not the increase in American forces, that proved decisive in tackling the threat from the militant group. The American military confirmed that Monday’s incident happened while both men were on duty, with “another marine standing post nearby.” Major Pool said that agents with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, known as the N.C.I.S., arrived at the scene later that morning to take statements from witnesses. He stressed that the investigation was “still ongoing,” but that as of last night “N.C.I.S. has not recommended any charges.” At the funeral, Mr. Khudhaier’s father, Lt. Col. Khalid Khudhaier Khalif, who serves at the same police station, claimed that the killing happened after Americans moved across from their own watchtower to the Iraqis’ guard tower. “I will not surrender my son’s rights,” he said at the funeral. “I call upon the governor and the provincial council president to intervene to have this soldier who did the killing brought to trial,” he declared at the graveside, where black-garbed women were wailing, and gunshots were fired over the heads of the dead man’s many police colleagues. Abdul Ghafour Abdul Baki, commander of the police station, said: “If they have killed this policeman today, then they will kill us tomorrow. We want to put an end to these violations. After the incident, we were locked inside the police station for more than 10 hours. The American forces who were surrounding the police station didn’t let us out.” In Baghdad, the most senior American military officer in northern Iraq, Maj. Gen. Mark P. Hertling, warned that Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia still had the ability to carry out major attacks in his area, despite a steep drops in attacks on American and Iraqi forces since June. General Hertling also provided evidence of what he called the group’s continuing brutality, saying that allied forces in western Diyala Province had recently discovered a “torture facility.” The building, he said, held chains, an iron bed that was still connected to a battery, apparently with the intent to torture victims, and knives and swords still covered in blood. “We captured and killed numerous Al Qaeda members in that particular find,” he said.

Iraq
Police
Knives
United States Armament and Defense
Murders and Attempted Murders
Assaults


Publicis Groupe, Awaiting a Big Deal, Makes Another

Abstract: The urge to merge on Madison Avenue is intensifying as evidenced by an acquisition made on Wednesday by an advertising holding group that has already agreed to a blockbuster deal to form the world’s biggest ad company. The acquisition is being made by the Publicis Groupe, based in Paris, which agreed late last month to merge with the Omnicom Group, based in New York, to form the Publicis Omnicom Group, which will be a new industry leader in revenue. Publicis is acquiring Engauge Marketing , an advertising and digital-services agency based in Columbus, Ohio, with offices in Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Orlando, Fla. The price was not disclosed. Engauge was formed in 2007 by Stan Rapp, a longtime direct marketer, and Halyard Capital, a private equity firm in New York, which was the majority owner. Their goal was to acquire agencies in fields like direct marketing, behavioral targeting and data analytics, then roll them into one agency under the Engauge name. But the plans to grow much larger through acquisitions slowed after the recession, while the giants of the industry kept expanding. Examples include the Publicis-Omnicom merger, the acquisition of the Aegis Group by Dentsu and the acquisition of LBi by Publicis . The trade publication Advertising Age reported that the owners of Engauge, which had revenue last year of $39 million, had been shopping the agency to various ad holding groups for about a year. “As we explored opportunities,” Nick Bandy, chief executive of Engauge, said in a telephone interview on Wednesday, it became apparent that Publicis was “the group we felt most the aligned with, the most comfortable with, the best home for our associates and our clients.” Engauge has more than 250 employees and clients that include Cisco Systems, Coca-Cola and Nationwide Insurance. Engauge will keep its name and report to a Publicis agency named Moxie, which is a division of the ZenithOptimedia Group at Publicis. Moxie has about 350 employees at its headquarters in Atlanta and offices in Los Angeles and New York. Engauge is “a fantastic complement to Moxie,” said Suzy Deering, chief executive of Moxie, who joined Mr. Bandy for the interview. “Engauge has a very strong list of clients,” she added. How Engauge and Moxie will be staffed and located in Atlanta is “to be sorted out,” Ms. Deering said. She and Mr. Bandy played down suggestions of possible cuts. Both agencies “are very busy” and “there’s plenty to do together,” he said.

Publicis Groupe
Omnicom Group
Mergers and Acquisitions
advertising,marketing


Ex-Principal Sentenced to 55 Years for Sexual Abuse

Abstract: The former principal of a Brooklyn yeshiva who had been convicted of sexually abusing three boys over a 10-year period has been sentenced to 55 years in prison. The Brooklyn district attorney’s office said on Thursday that the man, Emanuel Yegutkin, 33, was sentenced after being convicted on multiple sex charges in December. Mr. Yegutkin was arrested in 2009. He was earlier the principal of Elite High School, a private Jewish school in Bensonhurst. Prosecutors say Mr. Yegutkin abused two boys, who are brothers but not students at his school, after he became friends with their family.

Emanuel Yegutkin
Child Abuse
Principals School
Bensonhurst Brooklyn
Criminal Sentence
Rape
K-12 Education
Private Schools


Park Deals Chip Away at New York City’s Gems

Abstract: Sheik Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan is a smart-looking fellow, whether clad in Burberry blue or desert white. And he is apparently a falcon-eyed businessman, as this Abu Dhabi sheik seems about to persuade New York City officials to part with 13 precious acres of parkland for the not-so-princely sum of $1 per year, according to Crain’s New York . In exchange, he will pay for a $340 million stadium for his soon-to-be-acquired Major League Soccer team. In this way, the city chips away at one of its workaday gems, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. A sylvan strand between parkways and highways, the busiest of Queens’s parks already bears the weight of several stadiums and parking lots. Javier Valdes is a director of Make the Road New York , a nonprofit group that works to empower the hundreds of thousands of working-class and poor residents of Queens. The group expects to fight for paid sick days and better wages. It does not expect to battle to preserve the little green space available to the densely packed neighborhoods. “We call this park the ‘pulmones’ of Queens, the lungs of the city,” he says. “Why are we giving our land away to an oil tycoon?” Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, as is his wont, wrinkles his nose at such talk. He is all but tripping over himself in his dash for a mayoral legacy. This corner of Flushing Meadows Park, he said recently, “isn’t very much and isn’t in good shape.” Where to start? Flushing Meadows, with its tree-lined walking boulevards like Avenue of Progress and Avenue of Industry, reflects the optimism of an earlier age. Its hardscrabble stretches of dirt and rock, its cracked asphalt and dead-limbed trees and the fence-ringed pond reflect the neglect common to parks unaccompanied by hedge fund benefactors. Our parks make manifest our primal economic divisions. The High Line in Chelsea is an elegant beauty to walk, and its 6.7 acres do wonders for those owners of condominiums whose doors open onto it. Its staffing would please Marie Antoinette; its work force of about 70 includes 3 curators and 10 rangers. Image Sheik Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan Credit Robin Parker/FOTOSPORTS, via European Pressphoto Agency The 1,255-acre Flushing Meadows Park, according to a representative, has 19 full-time workers. The forces now brought to bear on this homely beauty of a park are impressive. John H. Alschuler Jr., a patrician sort, serves as chairman of the High Line park. In his day job, he is chairman of HR&A Advisors, which pulled in a cool $1.3 million lobbying fee for its efforts to plop that stadium in Flushing Meadows. Major League Soccer spent more than $2 million last year on lobbyists. And all of this, of course, reckons without our royal sheik, whose nation inherited roughly 9 percent of the world’s oil reserves . He is a munificent man; he once flew in Jay-Z and Kanye West for his niece’s 16th birthday. Talk of such excess leaves the lobbyist class giddy. What sum might this man lavish to ensure that the parkland comes unencumbered by the requirement to pay a sales tax? Sheik Mansour has walked this road before. He bought a second-tier soccer team in Manchester, England, and administered a shower of cash. As The Guardian noted, he built training facilities, smart shops and huge awnings so that no ticket holder need ever feel the rain. He put on loud concerts on the days the stadium sat empty. City economic development officials mumble that they won’t allow this in Flushing Meadows. The same officials promised affordable housing in nearby Willets Point, before noting that the start date for that was 2025, maybe. “All the parts are moving until we’ve actually reached an agreement,” a mayoral spokesman says. Headaches loom, even for a master builder. The proposed stadium site sits atop federal wetlands and in a flood zone. Dig down five feet and you’re backstroking in the ancient currents of the Flushing River. Major League Soccer officials talk of building a berm — read “vast mound of dirt” — and placing the stadium atop that. And they propose building a new park on the former Flushing Airport, which sits miles to the northeast and is accessible only by car. So the fight could be long, which is appropriate when a mayor proposes selling off a greensward inheritance. The Rev. Darrell DaCosta, pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Corona, has a congregation whose work weeks are arduous. They are drawn as if by homing beacon to the park. “It’s in a natural setting that you learn the value of God’s creation,” he notes. “Everything in New York can’t be bought and sold.”

Parks
Soccer
Make the Road New York
Mansour bin Zayed al- Nahyan
Flushing Queens
Stadiums Arenas
MLS
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Public property