October 4, 2017

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Page 13

Trump Sees ‘Miracle’ Puerto Rico Survival, Ignores Critics

By JILL COLVIN CALVIN WOODWARD Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Touring a small slice of Hurricane Maria’s devastation, President Donald Trump congratulated Puerto Rico on Tuesday for escaping the higher death toll of “a real catastrophe like Katrina” and heaped praise on the relief efforts of his administration without mentioning the sharp criticism the federal response has drawn.

“Really nothing short of a miracle,” he said of the recovery, an assessment at odds with the despair of many still struggling to find water and food outside the capital city in wide swaths of an island where only 5 percent of electricity customers have power back.

The death count of 16 is expected to rise.

Continued on Page 3

President Donald Trump pumps his fists after arriving at Luis Muniz Air National Guard Base to survey hurricane damage and recovery efforts, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

A2 UP

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Pentagon:

FRONT

Afghan troop boost to cost $1 billion

By RICHARD LARDNER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military’s top leaders told lawmakers Tuesday that the thousands of additional U.S. troops President Donald Trump has ordered

negotiated by the United States and signaled he may abandon the agreement.

The release of the Afghan war cost information came as Sen. John McCain, RAriz., assailed Mattis and

“We want to be your partners,” McCain said. “But this committee will not be a rubber stamp for any policy or president. We must be well-informed. We must be convinced of the merits of the administration’s ac-

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, left, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, right, speak with Chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., center, as they arrive to testify on Afghanistan before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017.

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

to Afghanistan will cost just over $1 billion a year, bringing the total bill for fighting America’s longest war to $12.5 billion annually.During wide-ranging hearings on Capitol Hill, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis also said that the United States should remain in the nuclear deal negotiated during the Obama administration that constrains Iran’s ability to build a nuclear arsenal. Trump has trashed the international accord, a cornerstone of Barack Obama’s presidency, as the worst agreement ever

Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for withholding from Congress key details about Trump’s new strategy for winning in Afghanistan that was announced six weeks ago.

McCain, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, declared that it was “bizarre” that Mattis and Dunford did not submit written testimony before the hearing started.

That’s customary practice for administration witnesses testifying before congressional committees.

tions. And unfortunately, we still have far more questions than answers about this new strategy.”Mattis and Dunford, who appeared first before the Senate panel and later before the House Armed Services Committee, sought to assure skeptical lawmakers that Trump’s plan for expanding the U.S. presence in Afghanistan would pay off. Several members expressed concern the U.S. was wading more deeply into a conflict at great expense without prospects for long-term success.q

In Kremlin visit:

New US ambassador to Russia meets Putin

By N. VASILYEVA Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — The new U.S. ambassador to Russia presented his diplomatic credentials to President Vladimir Putin at a ceremony Tuesday in the Kremlin, a move that marks the formal start of Jon Huntsman’s work in Russia.

Huntsman, who has twice served as a U.S. ambassa-

dor, arrived in Moscow on Monday to take over from John Tefft, who left after serving in Russia for three years, a period that was marred by a deep and rapid deterioration of ties, unseen since the end of the Cold War. The U.S.-Russia relationship has soured even further in recent months following a series of expulsions of diplomats and closures of diplomatic

missions.

In his address to Huntsman, Putin offered Russia’s condolences over Monday’s deadly shooting attack in Las Vegas and expressed hope for better ties with the U.S. “The current level of the ties cannot satisfy us,” Putin said. “We stand for constructive, predictable and mutually beneficial cooperation.” q

Iran deal’s future may hinge on face-saving fix for Trump

By BRADLEY KLAPPER MATTHEW LEE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The future of the Iran nuclear deal may hinge on a facesaving fix for President Donald Trump so he doesn’t have to recertify the Islamic republic’s compliance every 90 days, according to U.S. officials.

Several officials familiar with internal discussions say the periodic reviews mandated by Congress have become such a source of embarrassment for Trump that his national security aides are seeking ways for him to stop signing off on the seven-nation accord without scuttling it entirely.

The president has called the agreement one of America’s “worst and most one-sided transactions” ever. Officials say what Trump hates most, however, is a provision in a 2015 U.S. law — known as the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act — that requires him to tell Congress every three months if Iran is meeting promises to scale back its nuclear program in exchange for broad international relief from oil, trade and financial sanctions.

Because the U.N. nuclear watchdog has found Iran in compliance, it’s difficult for the U.S. administration to say otherwise.

But Trump has said repeatedly that he doesn’t want to certify Iranian compliance again after having done so twice already, declaring last month he even had made his mind up about what he’ll do next.

“Decertification” could lead Congress to reintroduce economic sanctions on Iran that were suspended under the deal.

If that happens, Iran has threatened to walk away from the arrangement and restart activities that could take it closer to nuclear weapons.

“Iran is not in material breach of the agreement and I do believe the agreement to date has delayed the development of a nuclear capability by Iran,” Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint

Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday.

Asked if he believed staying in the deal was in America’s national security interest, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said, “Yes, senator, I do.”

For U.S. officials involved in the decision-making process, the focus on finding a way for Trump to avoid anything looking like approval for the accord has become a source of frustration. Various options are in play to resolve the problem, but none are clean solutions, according to officials who weren’t authorized to discuss the private deliberations and demanded anonymity.

The most likely strategy centers on Trump not certifying Iran’s compliance when he faces another deadline Oct. 15. Below the president, diplomats and officials would then strive to manage any fallout with Tehran and America’s European allies by emphasizing that the U.S. isn’t leaving the deal or applying new nuclear sanctions on Iran. After that, Trump wouldn’t have to address the certification matter again, officials said.

The State Department and National Security Council declined to comment for this story.

The Iran review law provides a potential out for Trump. The president must determine that Iran is implementing the nuclear deal and hasn’t committed a “material breach,” or taken action that could advance its nuclear weapons program. It also demands the president’s verdict on a fourth question: whether suspending sanctions is “appropriate and proportionate,” and if doing so is “vital to the national security interests of the United States.”

Mattis hinted his boss may try to decertify without breaking the deal.

“You can talk about the conditions under one of those, and not walk away from the other,” he said.

“They’re two different pieces.” q

U.S. NEWS A3

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Trump sees ‘miracle’ Puerto Rico survival, ignores critics

President Donald Trump walks with FEMA administrator Brock Long, second from right, and Lt. Gen. Jeff Buchanan, right as he tours an area affected by Hurricane Maria in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017. Trump is visiting Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Continued from Front

In the heart of San Juan, in fact, a few miles from the air base where Trump gave his thumbs-up report on progress, people stacked sewage-fouled clothes and mattresses outside houses and businesses lacking electricity nearly two weeks after the storm. “Nobody’s come,” said Ray Negron, 38, collecting debris in the Playita neighborhood.

Trump pledged an all-out effort to help the island while adding, somewhat lightly, “Now I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but you’ve thrown our budget a little out of whack because we’ve spent a lot of money on Puerto Rico.

And that’s fine. We’ve saved a lot of lives.”

Known deaths from Maria in the U.S. territory stand at 16.

But local officials caution that any accounting of death and destruction is far from complete as people suffer secondary effects from thirst, hunger and extreme heat without air conditioning. As for Katrina, as many as 1,800 people died in 2005 when levees protecting New Orleans broke, a toll in lives and property that took years to understand.

The visit offered fresh evidence of the unconventional path Trump has taken in responding to the one-two-three punch from hurricanes Harvey,

Irma and Maria. His effusive praise for federal relief efforts has overshadowed his displays of empathy for those who are suffering.

And in Puerto Rico, in particular, his criticism of local people for not doing more to help themselves has struck an off note during a time of crisis.

Trump said his visit was “not about me” but then praised local officials for offering kind words about his administration’s recovery effort and invited one to repeat the “nice things” she’d said earlier.

Trump also singled out Gov. Ricardo Rossello for “giving us the highest praise.”

“Every death is a horror,” he said, “but if you look at a real catastrophe like Katrina and you look at the tremendous, hundreds of and hundreds and hundreds of people that died, and you look at what happened here with, really, a storm that was just totally overpowering, nobody has ever seen anything like this.” He told local officials “you can be very proud of all your people, all of our people working together.”

Known deaths from Maria in the U.S. territory stand at 16.

But local officials caution that any accounting of death and destruction is far from complete as people suffer secondary effects from thirst, hunger and extreme heat without air

conditioning. As for Katrina, as many as 1,800 people

died in 2005 when levees protecting New Orleans broke, a toll in lives and property that took years to understand.Trump’s most prominent critic in Puerto Rico, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, joined other officials at the air base for a briefing with him, shook the president’s hand and said afterward she hoped he now understood the gravity of the situation.

But his comment implying Maria was not a Katrinalevel event left her unsure.

“Sometimes his style of communication gets in the way,” she told CNN. “I would hope that the president of the United States stops spouting out comments that really hurt the people of Puerto Rico.”

On a more positive note, Cruz said “I saw a real connection between

the reality and the White House staff. I think they finally understood.”

In a tweet, she pointedly excluded the president as she credited his people with now understanding “the disconnect between how things are supposed to happen and how they really happen.”Air Force One brought the president, first lady Melania Trump and aides to Puerto Rico for a tour stretching through the afternoon.At least parts of the itinerary were drawn to ensure a friendly reception: Trump visited the houses of selected families waiting on their lawns.In the upscale Guaynabo neighborhood, one of the fastest to recover, 200 people cheered Trump’s visit and crowded around him for cellphone photos. q

A4 U.S.

Wednesday 4 October 2017

NEWS

Investigators want to talk to Vegas gunman’s girlfriend

By KEN RITTER MIKE BALSAMO Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Investigators trying to figure out why Stephen Paddock gunned down 59 people from his high-rise hotel suite are analyzing his computer and cellphone, looking at casino surveillance footage and seeking to interview his girlfriend.

Nearly two days after the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, what set off the 64-year-old highrolling gambler and retired accountant remained a big question mark Tuesday, though the Las Vegas sheriff said he is confident investigators will find a motive.

Paddock’s girlfriend, Marilou Danley, is considered a “person of interest” and

Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, center, responds to a question during a media briefing at the Las Vegas Metro Police headquarters in Las Vegas, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017.

(Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

has been speaking with police from the Philippines, where she is traveling, Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said.

“We anticipate some information from her shortly,” he

said.

While the probe into Paddock’s background included searches of two houses he owned in Nevada, some investigators turned

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their focus from the shooter’s perch to the festival grounds outside the Mandalay Bay hotel casino where his victims fell.

A dozen investigators, most in FBI jackets and all wearing blue booties to avoid contaminating the scene, documented evidence at the site where gunfire rained down Sunday night and country music gave way to screams of pain and terror.

“Shoes, baby strollers, chairs, sunglasses, purses.

The whole field was just littered with things,” said Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, who told The Associated Press it was like a “war zone.” ‘’There were bloodstains everywhere.”

Paddock killed himself before a SWAT team blew off the door of his room on the 32nd floor.

Investigators found video cameras set up inside his room and on a service cart outside it to spy anyone coming his way, Lombardo said.

A hotel security guard who approached the room during the rampage was shot through the door and wounded in the leg.

Paddock had 23 guns with him at the hotel, along with devices that can enable a rifle to fire continuously, like an automatic weapon, authorities said. Nineteen more guns were found at his Mesquite home and seven at his Reno house.

More than 500 people were injured in the rampage, some by gunfire, some during the chaotic escape.

At least 45 patients at two hospitals remained in critical condition.

All but three of the dead had been identified by Tuesday afternoon, Lombardo said.

Retired FBI profiler Jim Clemente speculated that there was “some sort of

major trigger in his life — a great loss, a breakup, or maybe he just found out he has a terminal disease.”

Clemente said a “psychological autopsy” may be necessary to try to establish the motive for the attack. If the suicide didn’t destroy Paddock’s brain, experts may even find a neurological disorder or malformation, he said.

He said there could even be a genetic component to the slaughter: Paddock’s father was a bank robber who was on the FBI’s most-wanted list in the 1960s and was diagnosed a psychopath.

“The genetics load the gun, personality and psychology aim it, and experiences pull the trigger, typically,” Clemente said.

Paddock had a business degree from Cal State Northridge. In the 1970s and ‘80s, he worked as a mail carrier and an IRS agent and held down an auditing job in the Defense Department, according to the government. He later worked for a defense contractor.He had no known criminal record, and public records showed no signs of financial troubles, though he was said to be a big gambler.“No affiliation, no religion, no politics. He never cared about any of that stuff,” his brother, Eric Paddock, said outside his Florida home. He said he was at a loss to explain the massacre.Nevada’s Gaming Control Board said it will pass along records compiled on Paddock and Danley to investigators. Danley is expected to speak with detectives when she returns to the U.S. from out of the country.The FBI discounted the possibility of international terrorism early on, even after the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.q

U.S. NEWS A5

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Acts of heroism emerge in chaos of Las Vegas shooting

University of Nevada Las Vegas students Raymond Lloyd, right, and Karla Rodriguez take part in a vigil in Las Vegas. A gunman on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay casino hotel rained automatic weapons fire down on the crowd of over 22,000 at an outdoor country music festival Sunday.

(AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

By AMANDA LEE MYERS JOCELYN GECKER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Rob Ledbetter’s battlefield instincts kicked in quickly as bullets rained overhead.

The 42-year-old U.S. Army veteran who served as a sniper in Iraq immediately began tending to the wounded, one of several heroes to emerge from the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Amid the massacre in Las Vegas, which left 59 people dead and more than 500 injured, there were acts of compassion and countless heroics that officials say saved many lives.

There was a man one survivor knows only as Zach who herded people to a safe place. There was a registered nurse from Tennessee who died shielding his wife.

Like many people in the crowd of some 22,000 country music fans Sunday night, Ledbetter heard the pop-pop-popping noise and figured it was fireworks.

Then he saw people dropping to the ground. When more booms echoed in the night air, he recognized the sound of automatic weapons fire.

The gunman, identified as Stephen Craig Paddock, a 64-year-old retired accountant from Mesquite, Nevada, created his own sniper’s perch inside the 32nd floor room at the Mandalay Bay casino hotel, across from the concert grounds. He appeared to fire unhindered for more

than 10 minutes, according to radio traffic, and then killed himself before officers stormed in and found 23 firearms.

“The echo, it sounded like it was coming from everywhere and you didn’t know which way to run,” said Ledbetter, who was at the concert with seven people including his brother, who was shot and injured, and his wife. They found cover in a VIP area of the concert. Once out of harm’s way, he turned to injured strangers.

Thanks to a man who took the flannel shirt off his back, Ledbetter says he put a makeshift tourniquet on a wounded teenage girl, whose face was covered with blood.

“Some random guy, I said, ‘I need your shirt,’ “said Ledbetter, who is now a mortgage broker and a resident of Las Vegas. “He just gave me the flannel off his back.”

Ledbetter said he compressed someone else’s shoulder wound, and he fashioned a bandage for a man whose leg was shot through by a bullet.

“There was a guy that looked like he had a through and through on his leg, that we just put a T-shirt around and just did a bandanna tie,” said Ledbetter, who was outside University Medical Center on Monday, where his brother was being treated for a gunshot that went through his arm and into his chest. He is expected to survive.

Ledbetter and others

grabbed the injured man, carried him out to Las Vegas Boulevard, put him in the back of a utility truck with five to 10 other people that was headed to the hospital.

Ledbetter said he would have helped more people but couldn’t clear the barrage of gunfire.

“I’m saving people, or trying to do my best. But it got to the point, I saw people all over, laying where we used to be standing ... just laying there and nobody getting to them and I couldn’t get out there. The shots just kept coming in and bouncing. I would have been in harm’s way,” he said.He worries that those unfamiliar with battlefields will suffer what they have survived.

“Everybody there is going to have emotional problems. I know that. There

was blood everywhere I went: Excalibur, Luxor, on the Strip, on the street,” Ledbetter said. “All these people are going to have PTSD. I feel bad for all of them.”

Another concertgoer, Anna Kupchyan, credits a man she knows only as Zach for saving her life and about nine others when he herded them into an outdoor trailer serving as a restroom.

Kupchyan, a 27-year-old law student from Los Angeles, said bullets were raining down on the crowd as she and a horde of others began running in search of a way out of the outdoor venue.

The man, Zach, opened a door and ordered people inside and then joined them and shut the door, Kupchyan said.q

A6 U.S.

Wednesday 4 October 2017

NEWS

GOP leaders say no action on gun legislation

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican leaders made clear Tuesday that Congress will take no action on gun legislation in the wake of the massacre in Las Vegas. They refused to entertain Democratic demands to expand background checks for gun purchases and tighten restrictions on semi-automatic weapons, but also shelved their own House bill that would have loosened access to gun silencers.

“I think it’s premature to be discussing legislative solutions, if there are any,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters after the mass shooting that killed at least 59 people and wounded hundreds more.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said there is no plan for the House to act soon on the silencer bill, which a Republican-led House committee backed last month. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina, said it would help hunters protect their hearing.

The silencer bill is “not

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., center, with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, RWis., left, and other GOP members as they talk at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. Republican leaders made clear Tuesday that Congress will take no action on gun legislation in the wake of the massacre in Las Vegas.

(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

scheduled right now. I don’t know when it will be scheduled,” Ryan said.

The congressional inaction underscored the power of the National Rifle Association and the political stakes for lawmakers who maintain their support for the constitutional right to bear arms and fear any chal-

lenge to their fealty.

Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., said action on guns after Las Vegas was unnecessary, “We are not going to knee-jerk react to every situation.”

Four years ago, after the deadly school shooting in Newtown, a bipartisan bill on background checks failed in the Senate.

The complicated politics of guns was personified

by West Virginia Sen. Joe

Manchin, a Democrat up for re-election next year in a state carried overwhelmingly by President Donald Trump.

Manchin, who co-sponsored the failed bill that would have expanded background checks, said Tuesday, “I come from a gun state and I am a protector of Second Amendment rights and I understand these people’s fear.”

West Virginia residents

“cherish the right to be able to go hunting with their family ... sport shooting and all the things we do enjoy,” Manchin said, adding that any potential legislation must be based in common sense.

“It’s just common sense to say that if a person is such a risk to get on an airplane that they get (put) on the no-fly list, don’t you think there should be some concern and prevention from them being able to still buy a gun in America?” Manchin said, adding that any movement on the issue will depend on Trump.

“The president could really take a lead on this. He really could,” Manchin said.

Trump has called the Sunday night shooting at an outdoor music festival an “act of pure evil” and declared the nation would unite behind the survivors.

“We’ll be talking about gun laws as time goes by,” Trump said Tuesday. Asked about silencer bill, Trump said, “We’ll talk about that later.”

Democrats pressed for a response.Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., said on Twitter: “It’s not ‘political’ to urge action to stop the regular killing of Americans by guns.

It’s responsibility. Silence is the political choice.”q

Sheriff:

Traffic stop turns up assault rifles, 900 rounds JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) — Federal agents are trying to determine why a man pulled over for speeding in Tennessee was carrying a cache of weapons including two submachine guns and 900 rounds of ammunition.

Deputies found Scott Edmisten, 43, of Johnson City, carrying a .357-caliber Magnum, a loaded .45-caliber semi-automatic, a .223-caliber fully automatic assault rifle, a .308-caliber fully automatic assault rifle, more than 900 rounds of ammunition, and survival equipment, Washington County Sheriff Ed Graybeal said.

Graybeal asked the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to help investigate, since the automatic

weapons aren’t registered and lack serial numbers. He told The Johnson City Press that Edmisten had apparently modified the AR rifles to make them automatics.

“Anytime you have several firearms and several hundred rounds of ammunition in a vehicle, that always causes a concern,” said Michael Knight, an ATF spokesman.

Authorities still haven’t determined why Edmisten was carrying all that firepower, but they “don’t see a connection” to recent mass shootings, Knight said.

The arrest came a day after Stephen Paddock killed 59 people and wounded more than 500 in Las Vegas, firing down on a music festival crowd from a high-rise hotel suite. Some

of the 23 guns in the suite were equipped with devices that enable a rifle to fire continuously, like an automatic.“It’s not connected to any of the other national incidents, but timing obviously was a concern,” Knight said.Knight said investigators are tracing where Edmisten’s weapons came from.“Our priority is reducing violent crime on the front end, so that’s the other thing we’re looking at, along with motive: Were these items going to be used for a criminal act or were they just being transported from one area to another area?”Graybeal said Edmisten threatened his arresting officer and lunged toward investigators trying to question him. q

U.S. NEWS A7

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Analysis:

Kennedy is key to Supreme Court outcome on partisan maps

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — In a case that could reshape American politics, the Supreme Court appeared split Tuesday on whether Wisconsin Republicans gave themselves an unfair advantage when they drew political maps to last a decade.

If Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose vote almost certainly controls the outcome, is prepared to join his liberal colleagues, the court could rule for the first time that districting plans that entrench one party’s control of a legislature or congressional delegation can violate the constitutional rights of the other party’s voters. That could lead to changes in political maps across the country.

While both parties seek maximum partisan advantage when they can, Republicans controlled more state governments after the 2010 census and aggressively used redistricting to lock in electoral advantages to last for the next 10 years.

Kennedy suggested, as he did in another redistricting case 13 years ago, that courts perhaps could be involved in placing limits on extremely partisan electoral maps.

But he did not tip his hand about whether the Wisconsin map that favors Republicans crossed a constitutional line.

Throughout the session, the justices and lawyers alike appeared to cast their questions and remarks

Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks at a rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017. The Supreme Court heard arguments in a case about political maps in Wisconsin that could affect elections across the country.

(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

with the hope of attracting Kennedy. He wrote in 2004 that he would be open to ruling for the challengers if the court could be shown a good way to measure and manage excessively partisan districts.

Paul Smith, the same lawyer who failed to get Kennedy’s vote and thus a majority 13 years ago, said technology and data analysis had so improved since then that there are good ways to measure when one party gives itself an unfair edge in creating districts.

Without the court’s intervention, Smith said on behalf of the Democratic voters, the next round of redistricting after the 2020 census will see far more extreme partisan maps.

“You are the only institution in the United States that

can solve this problem just as democracy is about to get worse,” Smith said.

“You paint a very dire picture,” Justice Samuel Alito replied dryly. He seemed unpersuaded.

The conservative justices were skeptical about striking down the state’s map or even involving courts in the inherently political process of redistricting.

Chief Justice John Roberts worried about involving the Supreme Court in a glut of partisan redistricting claims that would follow if the Wisconsin Democrats prevail.

“We’ll have to decide in every case whether the Democrats win or the Republicans win,” Roberts said, a scenario that he said would damage the court’s credibility.

The liberal justices ap-

peared to favor the Democratic voters who challenged the Wisconsin plan. Republicans who controlled the legislature and the governor’s office adopted electoral maps that have given themselves a significant advantage in the state Assembly in a state that is otherwise roughly divided between the parties.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said that a decision upholding the Republicandrawn districts in Wisconsin would encourage one party’s lawmakers to stack the deck against their opponents when they control the process and reduce the number of legitimately contested elections.

“What becomes of the precious right to vote?” she asked.

Representing Wisconsin, Misha Tseytlin urged the court not to succumb to the other side’s “scare tactics about what will happen next.”People waited in line for hours for a chance to view the argument on the second day of the court’s term. Roberts turned down a request for live audio of the argument.

The packed house included former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, among a handful of prominent Republicans who want the court to rein in partisan redistricting.

The Supreme Court has never thrown out a political map because it is too partisan. Courts have struck down districts as racially biased for decades, and other partisan districting lawsuits are moving through the courts in Maryland and North Carolina.

In Wisconsin, a lower court sifted through evidence showing that Republicans packed Democrats into some districts and spread them out across others to maximize gains for the GOP. In one analysis, Democrats captured far fewer state Assembly seats even when they won roughly the same percentage of the statewide vote as Republicans.The lower court concluded that the districting plans were drawn to discriminate against Democrats, the Republicans’ advantage would endure even in the face of a strong Democratic showing at the polls and the plans could not be explained by other, non-partisan reasons.q

A8

Wednesday 4 October 2017

WORLD NEWS

EU: Brexit talks still stuck on question of UK exit bill

By RAF CASERT LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union insisted Tuesday that Brexit negotiations with Britain will not move on to the question of future relations until enough progress has been made on divorce issues, such as how much Britain’s exit bill should be.

Britain desperately wants talks to move on to future trade and security arrangements but EU Commission President JeanClaude Juncker said that more needs to be done on the withdrawal issues first.

Juncker told the European Parliament that “we have not made the sufficient progress needed” and the EU legislators backed him, approving a resolution underscoring the same point with a vote of 557 to 92 with 29 abstentions. It further underscored the unity of the 27 EU nations as they face off with Britain in the talks.

The EU wants London to commit to guaranteeing the rights of EU citizens already in Britain and make that sure border posts do not reappear between Northern Ireland — which is part of the U.K. — and Ireland, which is part of the EU. It also wants Britain

to pay up for everything it had agreed to while it was a member.Juncker said “the taxpayers in the EU 27 should not pay for the British decision” to leave, while the bloc’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, said “serious differences remain” on how many bills the U.K. still has to settle.

Estimates vary widely on the amount Britain will be expected to pay, from 20 billion euros ($27 billion) to over three times

that amount.“Serious rifts remain, especially on the financial settlement,” Barnier said. “We will not pay at 27 what has been decided at 28, it is simple as that.”The parliamentary resolution called for postponing any move to widen the talks with Britain unless “a major breakthrough” takes place during the fifth round of negotiations in Brussels next week.

Observers said decisive progress was highly unlikely.

Tuesday’s moves further dampened hopes that the EU leaders might give the green light to an expansion in the talks at a summit on Oct 19-20.

British Prime Minister Theresa May downplayed the EU vote, saying it was “not unexpected” and adding that she believed EU leaders were beginning to consider Britain’s ideas.

U.K. Brexit Secretary David Davis said talks were making good progress, dismiss-

ing what he called “lurid accounts” in the media of crisis and breakdown.

But he also said Britain had “contingency arrangements” in case the negotiations broke down without a deal.

Many European lawmakers were dismissive of May’s Conservative government, which is widely seen as insecure and bumbling. The head of the biggest party group in the European Parliament called for the sacking of British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson for stoking confusion over the Brexit talks.

The European People’s Party chairman, Manfred Weber, appealed to May: “Please sack Johnson, because we need a clear answer who is responsible for the British position.”Weber turned Henry Kissinger’s famous observation about the many leaders in the EU onto Britain.“Who shall I call in London? Who speaks for the government? Theresa May, Boris Johnson, or even David Davis?” he asked.

Others are speculating that Britain might actually be stalling to make sure that the member states that trade heavily with the U.K. would buckle and concede at the last moment, sowing discord among the 27 remaining EU nations. q

Johnson told delegates to the Conservative annual conference that “the whole country owes (May) a debt for her steadfastness in taking Britain forward, as she will, to a great Brexit deal.”

May laid out her plans for Britain’s exit from the European Union in a speech last month in Florence — “on whose every syllable I can tell you, the whole Cabinet is united,” Johnson said.

Johnson has spent weeks giving the opposite impression. He has been accused of undermining the prime minister — and advancing his leadership ambitions — by laying out his own distinct roadmap for Britain’s exit from the European Union.

With EU divorce negotiations proceeding at a snail’s pace, Johnson has positioned himself as a champion of a clean-break “hard

Brexit.” He wants the U.K. to adopt a low-tax, lowregulation economy outside the EU’s single market, says Britain must not pay to get tariff-free trade with the EU and insists that any post-Brexit transition period should not last “a second more” than two years.

Johnson told conference delegates that it was time to stop being negative about Brexit and “treating the referendum result as

though it were a plague of boils.”

“It is time to be bold, and to seize the opportunities, and there is no country better placed than Britain,” he said.Johnson’s Brexit stance — tougher than May’s stated position — has added to uncertainty for British businesses, who want to know whether they will keep easy access to the EU market and its population of nearly half a billion.q

In this Wednesday, April 5, 2017 file photo, European Union chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, right, speaks with President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker during a session at European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France. The European Union insisted Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017, that Brexit negotiations with Britain will not move onto future relations until enough progress on such things as London’s exit payment has been made.

(AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Boris Johnson vows loyalty to May as divided UK Tories meet

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson assured British Conservatives Tuesday that he supports “every syllable” of Prime Minister Theresa May’s plans for Brexit.

But unity is in short supply in the U.K.’s fractious, anxious governing party — and Johnson’s vow of loyalty did not quell suspicions he covets the leadership.

WORLD NEWS A9

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Catalans stop work to protest police force during referendum

Demonstrators with “estelada”, or Catalonia independent flag, gather in protest in front of the Spanish police station in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017. Labor unions and grassroots pro-independence groups are urging workers to hold partial or full-day strikes and demonstrations throughout Catalonia to protest alleged brutality by police during a referendum on the region’s secession from Spain that left hundreds of people injured.

(AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

By ARITZ PARRA CIARAN GILES Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Striking workers, students and hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Barcelona and other Catalan towns Tuesday to protest police violence, adding pressure to Spain’s unprecedented political crisis as central authorities mull how to respond to separatists’ plans to push ahead with secession.

Separatist leaders in Catalonia have vowed to de-

clare independence in the northeastern region this week following Sunday’s disputed referendum.

The central government has declared the vote illegal and invalid, but Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has not disclosed what his response to the independence bid will be, or if he intends to go as far as suspending the region’s selfgovernment.

The city’s urban guard said that 700,000 people joined Tuesday afternoon’s marches in Barcelona, after thousands more took

Dutch defense minister quits over artillery training deaths

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Netherlands’ defense minister and the country’s military chief both resigned Tuesday night following a critical report into a 2016 artillery training accident that killed 2 peacekeeping troops and wounded a third.Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, who has been a caretaker minister since national elections in March, had been under pressure since the publication last week of the independent Dutch Safety Board report into the accident in Mali.

Cutting short, at least for now, what many had seen as a promising political career, she announced her resignation in Parliament following a long debate into the report, which criti-

cized the defense ministry for “serious shortcomings” in its care for troops sent on a peacekeeping mission in the African nation.

“I have put my heart and soul into serving in the defense ministry,” she told lawmakers. “But it stops here, today. ”Hennis-Plasschaert, who served as minister for five years, told lawmakers that Defense Chief Gen. Tom Middendorp also was resigning. He had been due to leave his post later this week anyway, but a ceremony to mark that will no longer take place.The report said that the two soldiers were killed instantly when a mortar shell exploded prematurely during a training exercise near a Dutch military base in Kidal, Mali. The other man was injured by shrapnel.q

part in scattered protests in the morning.

With protesters still in the streets, Spain’s King Felipe VI made a television appearance in the evening and accused authorities in Catalonia of deliberately bending the law and undermining coexistence, adding that the Spanish state has a duty to ensure unity and constitutional order in the country.

“Today, Catalan society is fractured,” Felipe said in his address to the nation, referring to the political crisis as “very serious moments for our democratic life.”

Catalan officials say that 90 percent of the 2.3 million people who voted Sunday were in favor of independence. But fewer than half of those eligible to vote turned out. The vote was boycotted by most of

Spain’s national parties on grounds that it was illegal and lacked basic guarantees, such as transparency, a proper census or an independent electoral governing body.

The king’s call for unity and the blame put on the Catalan authorities was interpreted as laying the ground for an upcoming response from Rajoy. The prime minister held talks on Tuesday with national opposition leaders, but no multi-partisan consensus emerged from meetings.

“He made no mention of dialogue, and that’s worrying,” said Victor Lavagnini, a sports journalist who joined protests at the gates of the National Police headquarters in downtown Barcelona. “He seemed nervous, like everybody is, but showed no sensibility

toward the injured.”

The strike affected bus and subway services, shops, schools and other businesses, and disoriented tourists scrambled to find open cafeterias to avoid the protests.

There were moments of tension when a handful of picketers forced the closure of shops that had remained open in the city’s famed Las Ramblas boulevard, but elsewhere the demonstrations were largely peaceful.

Separatist groups and unions had initially called for strikes to be held in support of Catalan leaders pushing ahead with the independence declaration.

But many non-separatists were also drawn to the streets following Sunday’s crackdown on the referendum vote.q

A10 WORLD

Wednesday 4 October 2017

NEWS

French authorities suspect 4 of helping killer in Marseille

Members of the media stand outside the entrance of an apartment building where police found an explosive device early Saturday, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017. Five people are in custody and a terrorism investigation is under way after an apparent failed bombing attempt in a chic Paris neighborhood.

(AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

By PHILIPPE SOTTO Associated Press PARIS (AP) — French authorities on Tuesday detained four people suspected of helping a man who later stabbed to death two women in the southern port city of Marseille.

In a separate case, five

people remained in custody after being detained by French authorities over an apparent failed bombing attempt in an apartment building in a chic Paris neighborhood.

The two developments occurred on the same day that the lower house of

the French Parliament approved by an overwhelming majority a controversial security law intended to strengthen police and intelligence capacity in fighting the extremist threat. France has seen numerous attacks in recent years, including 130 killed in Paris in Novem-

Denmark:

ber 2015.

The National Assembly passed the bill Tuesday by 415-127. It still has to go to the upper house and then return to the assembly for a final vote.The law would make permanent some of the measures imposed as part of a state of emergency that began just after the Paris attacks. Critics say the bill infringes on individual liberties and puts the country in a permanent state of emergency.

In the Marseille probe, a judicial official said four people were detained Tuesday in the probe into Sunday’s killing of two young women at the city’s main train station. The attacker was killed by soldiers just after the stabbings, which were claimed by the Islamic State group.

The four are being held in custody on suspicion of criminal association in relation with a terrorist undertaking. Several locations were searched in the investigation.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity under internal rules, wouldn’t give more details.

Stab wounds found on dead journalist’s torso COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Fifteen stabs wounds were found on the headless and dismembered torso of a Swedish journalist last seen with a Danish inventor in his home-made submarine, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

Police also found videos on the man’s computer showing women being tortured and murdered.

Prosecutor Jakob BuchJepsen said at a pre-trial

hearing that the cause of death for 30-year-old Kim Wall has not yet been established.

Inventor Peter Madsen, 46, is being held on preliminary charges of manslaughter and indecent handling of a corpse. Madsen says Wall died after being accidentally hit by a 70-kilogram (155-pound) hatch in the submarine’s tower and he buried her at sea.

Buch-Jepsen said the vid-

eos found on Madsen’s personal computer are considered real.

Wall’s torso was found off Copenhagen Aug. 21, 10 days after Madsen’s arrest.

The two — who didn’t know each other beforehand — had gone out on Madsen’s 40-ton submarine UC3 Nautilus on Aug. 10 Buch-Jepsen said Madsen, 46, had killed Wall at an unknown time between Aug. 10 and 11, had cut up the

body and attached a belt with a pipe to the torso with the purpose of making it sink.

The missing body parts were cut off after Wall’s death, Buch-Jepsen said, quoting an autopsy report.

The hearing at Copenhagen City Court was not aimed at determining the guilt of Madsen, but extending his detention to Oct. 31 while police continue to investigate.q

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said on France Inter radio that the assailant in Marseille had Italian residency and a valid Tunisian passport.

One of the seven IDs the attacker used in previous encounters with French police was a Tunisian passport identifying him as Ahmed H. A judicial official said that authorities have determined that is the Marseille attacker’s true identity.Collomb said he has ordered an internal investigation into why the attacker had seven encounters with French police and had no residency papers, but wasn’t expelled from the country. His latest arrest was just two days before the stabbing, when he was picked up for shoplifting and released.

Rome prosecutors opened their own terrorism investigation into the suspect, identified in the Italian media as Ahmed Hanachi. He had lived in Aprilia, south of Rome, from about 2006 to 2014, Italian news agency ANSA said.The area south of Rome was also where the Berlin Christmas market attacker, Anis Amri, spent about a week in July 2015 after getting out of an Italian prison. There’s no indication the two ever crossed paths, the daily La Repubblica said, without citing sources.Meanwhile in Paris, police said Tuesday that a neighbor alerted authorities to suspicious activity early Saturday in the building in the posh 16th arrondissement, or district. A judicial official said an explosive device was found and deactivated and that counterterrorism prosecutors have opened an investigation. q

WORLD NEWS A11 First rifts emerge in Palestinian reconciliation talks

Wednesday 4 October 2017

By FARES AKRAM Associated Press GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — A new round of Palestinian reconciliation talks experienced its first sign of trouble on Tuesday as the Hamas militant group said it would not give up its vast weapons arsenal, putting it at odds with both the rival Fatah movement and Israel.

The tough comments by Hamas’ supreme leader, Ismail Haniyeh, provided a reminder of the long road that lies ahead after this week’s launch of talks with President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement.

Abbas’ prime minister, Rami Hamdallah, is in Gaza, where he has received a warm welcome in what is by far the most ambitious attempt by the Palestinian rivals to end a 10-year rift.

But Hamdallah’s visit is largely symbolic, and the negotiations on key sticking points, including the future of Hamas’ military force, only start next week in Egypt.

In a TV interview, Haniyeh said his group, which has fought three wars with Israel, would never give up its armed struggle against the Jewish state.

“As long as there is occupation on the ground, our people have the right to possess weapons and resist the occupation with all forms of resistance,” he told the private On TV station.In a gesture to Abbas, he said Hamas will not go back to war against Israel unilaterally. “We are ready to negotiate with the Palestinian factions and Fatah on unifying the decision of peace and war,” he said.

Such concessions are unlikely to satisfy Abbas, who issued his own tough statement late Monday saying “everything must be in the hands of the Palestinian Authority.”

He said specifically he would not agree to reproduce the “Hezbollah model” of Lebanon, where the armed militant group acts freely under the watch of a weak central government.

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, mean-

while, said his government will not accept a reconciliation deal between rival Palestinian factions that puts Israel at risk.

He said any deal must include recognizing Israel, disbanding Hamas’ military wing and cutting ties with Hamas’ patron Iran.

“We are not prepared to accept bogus reconciliations” in which the Palestinians reconcile “at the expense of our existence,” he said.A day after his festive arrival, Hamdallah held his first Cabinet meeting in Gaza on Tuesday in another symbolic step toward reconciliation.

His Cabinet ministers were then to head to their local offices to meet with staffers.Hamas, an Islamic militant group that seeks Israel’s destruction, seized

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah waves to the media as he arrives to head the Cabinet session in Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ former official resident in Gaza City, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017. Hamdallah has held the first government meeting in the Gaza Strip as part of a major reconciliation effort to end the 10-year rift between Fatah and Hamas.

(AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra)

control of Gaza from Abbas’ forces in 2007, leaving

the Palestinians divided between rival governments in

territories located on opposite sides of Israel. q

A12 WORLD

Wednesday 4 October 2017

NEWS

After attacks on US diplomats, Cubans’ visa hopes in limbo

By ANDREA RODRIGUEZ Associated Press HAVANA (AP) — Tomas Luis Balseiro got up at 5 a.m. Monday to make the 90-mile (150-kilometer) bus journey from his home in Matanzas to the U.S. Embassy in Havana.

He had applied weeks ago for a visa to visit his gravely ill mother in Florida, and hours later he was waiting desperately outside the gates of the seaside diplomatic mission for a chance to get inside — or simply to learn the status of his application.

“For me it would be a victory just to see her alive,” said Balseiro, a 60-year-old food salesman, his eyes moist.

Thousands of islanders have had their travel plans thrown into limbo by the U.S. State Department’s announcement Friday that it

was indefinitely suspending visa processing in Cuba.

The move was attributed to a roughly 60 percent reduction in embassy staffing after 21 diplomats were left with serious health problems by mysterious attacks that have yet to be fully explained.

The U.S. government also issued a travel warning for the island, potentially threatening the livelihoods of thousands of Cubans who run private restaurants and home B&Bs catering to tourists, a group that increasingly includes Americans following a nearly three-year-old, partial thawing of relations that have been icy since the Cold War.On the first business day since the announcement, about 300 people milled about in what is known as the “park

Tomas Luis Balseiro shows a picture of his mother, who’s ill in the United States, as he waits outside the U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba, Monday, Oct. 2, 2017. Balseiro applied weeks ago for a visa to visit his gravely ill mother in Florida, and hours later he was waiting desperately outside the gates of the seaside diplomatic mission for a chance to get inside — or simply to learn the status of his application. “For me it would be a victory just to see her alive,” said the 60-year-old food salesman, his eyes moist.

(AP Photo/Desmond Boylan)

of laments,” a small plaza near the embassy where visa-seekers wait for appointments.Associated Press journalists spoke to about a dozen people there, all of whom worried that families separated by the 90 miles (150 kilometers) of the Florida Straits stand to suffer the most.“My mother cried on the phone when we talked Friday,” said Carlos Sierra, a 31-year-old restaurant worker whose hopes for a family reunification visa to join his parents in the United States are now on hold.

He had hoped to find a job there and send money back to his wife and 6-yearold son. “For now,” Sierra said, shaking his head, “the only thing I can do is wait.”

Cuba’s government has criticized the U.S. response as “hasty” and expressed regret it was implemented before investigations yield conclusive results about the attacks. President Raul Castro’s government has denied responsibility.

U.S. officials have not identified whatever device might be responsible. They have pointedly not accused Cuba’s government directly of culpability, while criticizing it for failing to protect foreign diplomats on its soil.The AP reported Monday that the attacks hit first — and hardest — among the United States’ spy network in the country.

Beginning in the morning, the “park of laments” filled up with people visibly on edge and chatting with each other to see if anyone had any information. Some paced about with their heads down, while others sat on narrow benches in the shade.

Three embassy staffers emerged to ask everyone to be patient before a fourth came out to line up those who had been summoned by phone. They were the lucky ones: Their visas had been approved prior to the announcement, and they would be

allowed to pick them up.

About 2 million people of Cuban origin live in the United States, and just about everyone on the island has some family connection to the country.Balseiro’s parents moved there in 1993 during a severe economic crisis, settled in Florida and found jobs as factory workers before retiring. Balseiro stayed behind to raise his two children.Now in her 80s, his widowed mother is alone following hip surgery and suffers from dementia.

He has already traveled twice to the United States, and on Monday he carried a white folder with pictures of his mother and letters from hospitals where she has been treated.

Balseiro had actually succeeded in getting an emergency visa appointment for Sept. 19, but the embassy closed for days around that date when Hurricane Irma swamped Havana’s coast and damaged the building.q

A13

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Organizations in the Caribbean get extra time:

Oranje Fonds Extends the Application Deadline for Appeltjes van Oranje Initially, the deadline for organizations in the Caribbean to apply, was September 29.

Because several islands have been severely affected by hurricane Irma and this had a major impact on the Caribbean part of the Dutch Kingdom, the Oranje Fonds has decided to extend the application period up to and including October 8.

ORANJESTAD - Organizations in the Caribbean get extra time to apply for the 2018 Appeltjes van Oranje of the Oranje Fonds. Hurricane Irma has had enormous impact on the islands and therefore the Oranje Fondsis extending its application deadline until October 8.

The Appeltjes van Oranje theme this year is the ‘Young and Social Enterprising’. This means that social initiatives started by

people who are younger than 35 this year can compete for the prizes. Applications can be submitted via www.oranjefonds.nl/ appeltjes.

In May, Queen Máxima will award the prizes at the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague.

The award ceremony has a different theme each year. The Oranje Fonds really wants to show that young people are also taking the initiative to address problems in society.

This results in wonderful initiatives. That is why the Oranje Fonds has chosen to put this year’s spotlight on projects initiated by these young people. Think

of young people who, for example, have started a project to tackle loneliness amongst the elderly or to offer their disadvantaged peers a better future.

Criteria Projects that are likely to have a chance of receiving an Appeltjes van Oranje this year must meet a number of criteria.

For example, the initiator must be 35 years old or younger, the project must focus on connecting and involving vulnerable people and it must involve volunteers in its approach. All the criteria to participate can be found at www. oranjefonds.nl/appeltjes.

Prizes The Appeltjes van Oranje are awarded annually to three initiatives that successfully bring different groups of people together or ensure that people can once again participate in society. All winners of an Appeltjes van Oranje receive a bronze statue

made by Princess Beatrix and a 15,000 Euro cash prize. Every year Queen Máxima awards the prizes.

OranjeFonds The Oranje Fonds supports social projects in the Netherlands and in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.

Each year, approximately 30 million Euros are allocated for thousands of initiatives that ensure that people interact with each other, feel less lonely, get an understanding of each other and commit themselves to one another.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima have been the guardians of the Oranje Fonds since its inception.

This year the Oranje Fonds celebrates its 15th anniversary.

A14 LOCAL

Wednesday 4 October 2017

About Workplace Harassment Head to Walk the Walk ORANJESTAD Karin Bosman, the Dutch founder of About Workplace Harassment (AWH), will walk 313 miles from NYC to Washington DC in December 2017.

This will be a Walk-for-aTalk. Karin will walk 313 miles with the goal to have a talk with President Donald Trump to create awareness about sexual harassment in education.

Animal Attention ORANJESTAD - It’s World Animal Day today. This day we can speak up for those who not have a voice to help make the world a better place for animals.

The mission of the World Animal Day organization is to raise the status of animals in order to improve

Growing Problem AWH is not only advocating on sexual harassment in the workplace but also in education. According to Karin this Walk is needed to create the necessary awareness about sexual harassment in education. The budget cuts planned for 2018 by the US government will hamstring the monitoring of complaints, coordinate incidents and will not empower men and women to speak and stand-up against this growing problem, it will only have an adverse effect. More victims and bystanders will suffer in silence resulting in disas-

trous consequences.

From NYC to Washington “We need to raise these budgets, new technology and lack of digital privacy will require even more special care and attention and new policies to provide a better and adequate prevention”, states Karin. The Walk-for-a-Talk will start on December 1, 2017 in New York City and her deadline to be in Washington is set at December 14, 2017.Why is she walking in the USA and not in Europe? “Because I feel that we need worldwide attention for this topic of sexual harassment, which is infect-

welfare standards around the globe.

To achieve this, they encourage animal welfare organizations, community groups, youth and children’s clubs, businesses and individuals to organize events in celebration of World Animal Day

At this tiny 19.6-mile long and six-mile wide island we find some remarkable and amazing animals. Aruba’s dry, desert-like rocky terrain is an ideal home for many four-legged animals, including wild donkeys and goats. And what to think of the iguanas and a variety of lizards that also call the island home? Beautiful birds, about 200 species, live in Aruba, including the burrowing owl, tropical mocking bird, the vibrant orange trupial, yellow headed Aruban parakeet, scarlet ibis, black noddies,

sooty terns, cormorants and pelicans.

Wild Ones Camels, monkeys, emus and the occasional anaconda are not homey’s in Aruba, but we do encounter them at an amazing place: Philip’s Animal Garden, a non-profit organization founded in 2009 by Philip Conrad Merryweather. Philip started building cages on his parent’s property and started to adopt animals not only locally but also from the United States, Latin American countries and neighboring islands.

ing every school, university and eventually the workplace. We need to work on this together, both women and men.”

Join in Please let her know if you are interested in helping her by; walking some miles with her, sponsor her with shoes, a hotel room, with other suggestions or just by spreading the word. This way she and hopefully with you all, will be successful in this walk for a serious talk with President Trump. http://aboutworkplaceharassment.com/about/karinbosman.htmlq Wild donkeys, brought to Aruba by the Spaniards some 500 years ago, live at the Donkey Sanctuary Aruba. A non-profit organization established in 1997, it’s now home to 132 wild donkeys.

Besides the above mentioned animal homes we find a list of animal shelters and other organizations that rescue mainly cats and dogs from a miserable life in the streets. Aruba Animal Shelter, ARA, Sergeant Pepper and Friends, New life for Paws, The Crijojo Trappers, ARF and United Dogs Aruba are some of them.

Join In The Animal Care Clinic at Paradera organized a dog wash for today between 2 and 5pm and the funds go to the harmed animals in St. Maarten after hurricane Irma. Philips Animal Garden organizes a special weekend dedicated to World Animal Day with all kind of activities between 9am and 6pm.q

LOCAL A15

Wednesday 4 October 2017

At The Ritz-Carlton’s Indulge Aruba: Shoco Beer to Debut Toasted Coconut Pale Ale

PALM BEACH - This Saturday, October 7, the Shoco Beer Company will introduce its newest craft beer—the One Hoppy Island Toasted Coconut Pale Ale—at The Ritz Carlton’s Indulge Aruba event, held in the resort’s ballroom from 6pm to 10pm.

Shoco Beer is Aruba’s craft

beer, brewed in the spirit of the island’s lifestyle.

The first two Shoco Beer selections, Blood Orange Blonde and Long Legged Lager, debuted at the Craft Beer Festival held this past May at the Renaissance Convention Center, and were an instant hit right out of the gate.

The Toasted Coconut Pale Ale is a great addition to the Shoco portfolio— uniquely blending caramel and malty notes with essence of toasted coconut—it’s an ideal island beer!

The beer is named after the shoco owl, an endangered endemic species of burrowing owl and one of Aruba’s national symbols.

An important part of the craft beer culture is the social consciousness of these small breweries that are lauded for their charity work and contributions to their local communities.

The Shoco Beer Company is proud to honor this tradition here on Aruba, and in June presented a check in the amount of $10,000 to Arikok National Park to support its conservation efforts.

Additionally, a percentage of sales will be earmarked for a fund that will go towards more conservation projects at the park.q

A16 LOCAL

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Is it a Lemon? Is it a Lime? Try … an Etrog!

Jewish Community to Celebrate Sukkot Holiday

PALM BEACH - Starting Wednesday evening the Jewish community of Aruba will celebrate the annual holiday of Sukkot by heading outdoors in to their Sukkah huts. Joining Jews around the world, Chabad Aruba will be celebrating Sukkot, the Jewish festival of booths, from October 4 to October 11.

During the eight-day holiday, families leave their homes and eat their meals in a temporary hut called a sukkah.

The temporary booths emphasize how the world and the Jewish people rely on G-d’s protection.

Another unique holiday practice is the gathering

of four different species-most notably the etrog, a citrus fruit with a sweet and strong smell--along with a palm branch, and twigs from the willow tree and myrtle bush.

Chabad Aruba will have the etrog and lulav avail-

able for doing the blessing starting on October 5 -11, and will be offering guidance and classes for all community members and visitors interested in learning more about the holiday.

Sukkot, referred to as the holiday of rejoicing, comes just five days after Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement.

The group of four plants, including the etrog fruit, are replete with symbolic meaning, including the fall harvest and gathering season, and the unity of the Jewish people.

Chabad will host holiday meals and services in their Sukkah.

For more information and

to join the celebrations contact Rabbi Ahron on 5926713 or email Rabbi@ JewishAruba.comq

November 16 - 17 at the Hilton Aruba Resort:

Green Aruba 2017 Presents ‘Sustainability in Motion’ PALM BEACH – Organizers of Green Aruba recently announced details of the 8th edition of the Green Aruba Conference (GAVIII), which will be held at the Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort on the 16th and 17th of November 2017.

This year’s theme is “Sus-

Paradise in the Caribbean

SALES OFFICE +297 2801005 info@leventaruba.com MOBILE +297 5927275 www.leventaruba.com

tainability in Motion”, which captures the focus on what it takes to move from talking about sustainability to actually doing things in a more sustainable manner.

Conferences on sustainability often center themselves around the Why of sustainability (concern oriented), or the What (innovation oriented).

GAVIII distinguishes itself from other conferences by also focusing on the How of sustainability (best practices of Aruba and other nations).

Since 2010, Green Aruba has served as an exceptional platform to deliver premium informational experience on how to reach full sustainability, through best practices and innovations.

Most importantly, this conference has made it possible for other countries, institutions and experts from all over the world to share valuable information,

knowledge, experiences and best practices.In the context of creating sustainable partnerships, this year the Green Aruba will host the conference in collaboration with CARILEC. CARILEC, founded in 1989, is the leading association of electric utilities and industry partners in the Caribbean with currently 106 members.

It focuses on electric utility advocacy, growth and sus-

tainability in the Caribbean region, Central and South Americas.

Together, Green Aruba and CARILEC will enable more opportunities for the conference participants to engage in moving sustainability forward by providing valuable insights into how the evolution of the electric utility sector will affect us all.

Visit www.greenaruba.org for more information.q

A17

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Today’s Happening A weekly calendar with a selection of what’s going on in Aruba Wednesday 4 Local Art Night • Local Art Night with live

entertainment • 6.30 – 9.30 pm • Palm Beach Plaza Mall • Facebook Palm Beach

Plaza Mall

Thursday 5 Circus Night • Circus show with live

acrobatic performance • Starts at 8:00 pm • Paseo Herencia • Facebook Paseo Herencia

Sunday 8 Walk for Cure • Walk 5 kilometer(3.1 mile) for a good cause: Foundation

Prostate Cancer • Start at 6 am • Parking lot of CIBC First Caribbean Bank • Facebook Fundacion Contra Cancer di Prostaat

Harvest Festival • Enjoy this fresh fruits and vegetables local market • 10 am – 2 pm • Antraco Plaza Parking lot • Facebook Antraco Plaza

Full moon yoga for St. Maarten • Full moon yoga to raise funds to support the SXM PAWS

Animal Shelter who are working night and day to rebuild

the shelter and help the animals • 7 – 8.30 pm • Eagle Beach • Facebook Prana Yoga & Meditation Center Friday 6 Beam Social • Start Your Fridays with board

games and social gathering at

cool place BEAM (including DJ

music) • From 7 pm • BEAM at Oranjestad • Facebook BEAM Saturday 7 Open Day Court • Grasp your change to explore

Aruba’s court and enjoy

demonstrations of police units,

kid’s

entertainment and more • 9 am – 1 pm • Court Aruba • Facebook Gerecht in Eerste

Aanleg van Aruba Indulge Aruba Ritz-Carlton • Exquisite tastings from top chefs

and local specialty restaurants,

as well as premium wine & spirt

vendors and live entertainment • 6 – 10 pm • The Ritz-Carlton Aruba ballroom • Facebook

Monday 9 Museum Monday • Today is a mighty museum day, especially to explore the

company that for 125 years has grown Aruba’s aloe plants

to produce the World’s Finest Aloe • 8 am – 4 pm • Aruba Aloe Museum, Factory, and Store • Facebook Aruba Aloe

Tuesday 10 World Mental Health Day Aruba • Lectures on mental health by several experts and patients • 6 – 9 pm • Renaissance Festival Arena (outside) • Facebook World Mental Health Day Aruba

A18

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Bullpen aces ready to follow Andrew Miller’s lead this fall

UNDEFEATED

Houston Astros relief pitcher Chris Devenski reacts after striking out Chicago White Sox’s Matt Davidson during the eighth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, in Houston.

Associated Press

By JAKE SEINER AP Sports Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Andrew Miller turned the middle innings into a major stage last October, earning AL Championship Series MVP while pitching the Cleveland Indians into the World Series.

This postseason, he’ll have company — a crew of shutdown arms trained to do more than close out a lead in the ninth.

Managers have taken their cue from Indians skipper Terry Francona, keeping some lights-out pitchers in long relief roles that once existed outside of the spotlight. With starter workloads continuing to shrink, these playoffs could be when those middle men become household names.

There’s Yankees fireballer Chad Green, who has a 1.83 ERA but routinely pitches in the fifth or sixth innings. Same with Houston’s Chris Devenski, an All-Star who worked up to four innings per outing this season. The Cubs have a steady long man in Mike Montgomery (2.49 ERA in relief), Arizona can call on Archie Bradley (1.73 ERA), Continued on Page 23

Chiefs last unbeaten left through first 4 weeks of season

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Albert Wilson (12) makes a catch as Washington Redskins cornerback Fabian Moreau (31) pursues during the second half of an NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Monday, Oct. 2, 2017. The Chiefs won 29-20.

Associated Press Page 20

SPORTS A19 Mickelson’s final mission: Win a Ryder Cup in Europe Wednesday 4 October 2017

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — Phil Mickelson hasn’t had his fill, not when it comes to the Cup. Especially the next one.

Mickelson saved some of his best golf in one of his worst years for when it really counted. Steve Stricker wanted to see some life from Lefty before deciding to use a captain’s pick on him for the Presidents Cup, and Mickelson delivered with four rounds in the 60s at the TPC Boston to tie for sixth.

The pick extended his record streak to 23 consecutive teams, and Mickelson delivered another strong performance on the course and in the team room. He went 3-0-1 at Liberty National, one of four Americans to go unbeaten.

But it was a passing comment in Chicago, the week after he was chosen for the Presidents Cup, that shed some insight into his immediate future. He is starting a new season this week at the Safeway Open, which was expected because his management company runs the tournament.

“Looks like I’m probably going to go to China, too,” Mickelson said.

China?

Mickelson is a two-time winner at Sheshan International, but he has played the HSBC Champions only once in the last four years.

Why now? One reason — perhaps the only reason — is because the World Golf Championship in Shanghai is the only tournament in the fall that offers Ryder Cup points.

This is one team Mickelson doesn’t want to miss.

He turns 48 next year and is still trying to manage psoriatic arthritis, which affected his energy and focus this year. Mickelson realizes his time is running out as a player in the Ryder Cup. He has played on three winning teams, all in America.

Next year’s matches are in France. This might be Mickelson’s last chance to win a Ryder Cup in Europe.

“That’s the one thing I haven’t done,” he said in Chicago.

And the opportunity has never looked better.

The Americans suddenly look a lot like Europeans when only a gold trophy, not cash, is on the line. They have developed a formula of familiarity, and they have relationships that go beyond the team room. Not even Europe had that. Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Daniel Berger grew up together in junior golf and graduated high school the same year. Thomas lives down the street from Rickie Fowler.

“You look at the camaraderie of the young players and how they support each other, even outside of these team events,” Mickelson said. “They have a support system where they love competing against each other, love beating each other, but are genuinely happy for each other’s success. And that leads to a very positive, uplifting energy in the team room.

“And I think that these young guys ... really lay a solid foundation for the U.S. teams.”

The performance in the Presidents Cup — a 19-11 victory, a beating so thorough the Americans were one match away from ending it on Saturday — made it tempting to look ahead one year to the Ryder Cup with the belief it will turn out the same way.

If the Europeans were watching, should they be nervous?

“It’s more confidence for us than anything they would be worried about,” Spieth said.

That alone might be enough to worry.

The Americans have figured something out, and Mickelson was behind that, too.

He’s the one who put his image on the line at Gleneagles after the 2014 Ryder Cup with his passiveaggressive criticism of the way Tom Watson ran the team and his incredulous tone when asking why the Americans got away from what had worked for them in Valhalla when they won in 2008.

That led to the task force, in

U.S. Team member Phil Mickelson gets his ball back after putting on the third hole during the final round of the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J., Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017.

which the players lobbed for consistency and control.

And it appears to be working.

“They got better at doing what Europe does than what Europe did,” said Geoff Ogilvy, an assistant captain for the Internation-

al team. “And we paid the price. Europe made America better. ... Europe plays with such spirit, and that’s what it is. What you see with that U.S. team, isn’t it a bit of that European spirit?”

Does that translate to the Ryder Cup? Not necessarily. The Americans have

been feeling good about themselves after the Presidents Cup for the last decade and they have only two Ryder Cup victories to show for it.

The Ryder Cup is a different monster. Mickelson knows that better than anyone.

And that’s why he’s so desperate to be there.

“There will be a point where I look back and I remember, cherish, talk about all the experiences and memories that have been created,” he said of his 23 appearances in the Cups. “Right now, I’m still trying to make more.

I have not been a part of a Ryder Cup victory in Europe. It’s a big goal of mine. We have the players, the foundation, and the direction. I want to be part of that team next year.”q

A20 SPORTS

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Nadal saves 2 match points, advances at China Open

Rafael Nadal of Spain gestures to the umpire after losing his shoe during his men’s singles match against Lucas Pouille of France in the China Open tennis tournament at the Diamond Court in Beijing, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017.

Associated Press

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — Rafael Nadal needed to save two match points before advancing to the second round at the China Open.

The top-ranked Spaniard, playing for the first time since winning the U.S. Open title last month, rallied to beat Lucas Pouille 4-6, 7-6 (6), 7-5 Tuesday.

Pouille held two match

points while leading 6-4 in the second-set tiebreaker.

But Nadal reeled off four straight points to take the set and turn the match around.

“Was a very tough first round, as I say the other day,” said Nadal, who lost to Pouille in five sets at the 2016 U.S. Open. “He played well, I think. Very aggressive. He’s serving well. For me was little bit difficult at the beginning. Then I started to play better, I think.

“But still, I didn’t have the control of the match for almost all the time.”

In the final set, Nadal broke Pouille’s serve to take a 6-5 lead and then served out the match.

Nadal is 57-9 this season and leads the tour with five ATP singles titles, including the French Open. He won the China Open title as a teenager in 2005 and has a 21-5 record in Beijing. He next plays Thursday against Karen Khachanov, who beat Chinese wild-card entry Wu Di. Earlier, Juan Martin del Potro advanced by beating Pablo Cuevas 7-6 (4), 6-4.

“It was enough to win. I play good in important moments of the match, that’s the tiebreaks and the last game of the second set,” said the 2009 U.S. Open champion, who returned to professional tennis last

year after wrist surgery.

Third-seeded Grigor Dimitrov, sixth-seeded John Isner, eighth-seeded Nick Kyrgios and Leonardo Mayer also advanced.

In the women’s tournament, Maria Sharapova rallied to defeat Ekaterina Makarova 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.

“She definitely picked it up in the second. But I felt like although she won that second set, I was really motivated to start the third,” Sharapova said. “I was questioning how I would feel physically, but I felt really good going into the third set.”

The former top-ranked Russian will next face secondseeded Simona Halep on Wednesday.

“We know each other’s games very well. That’s no secret. They’ve always been very challenging, tough, competitive, emotional,” Sharapova said.

“Any time you’re able to face an opponent that’s done something and well, it’s great to see where you are and where your level is.”

Halep advanced after Magdalena Rybarikova retired from their match while trailing 6-1, 2-1.

Other winners include Karolina Pliskova, Elena Vesnina, Petra Kvitova, Daria Gavrilova, Sorana Cirstea, Darla Kasatkina and Barbora Strycova.q

SPORTS A21

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Butker’s field goals send Chiefs to 29-20 win over Redskins

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer KANSAS CITY, Missouri (AP) — After Harrison Butker missed the first field-goal attempt of his NFL career, Chiefs coach Andy Reid walked over to the rookie and prepared to instill a little bit of confidence.

“He said, ‘I got it. I got it.

I was just off a tad,’” Reid recalled of their brief exchange. “He kind of gives you that feeling that everything’s going to be OK.” Better than just “OK.” Butker responded to his first-half miss Monday night by drilling three field goals in the second half, the last a go-ahead 43-yarder with 8 seconds remaining that helped Kansas City beat the Washington Redskins 29-20 and remain the only unbeaten team in the NFL. “I didn’t have butterflies. I felt confident,” said Butker, who was claimed off the Carolina practice squad to replace injured kicker Cairo Santos. “I knew it was going to come down to a field goal. I felt pretty calm.

I was excited; I wasn’t nervous.”

The Chiefs (4-0) an exclamation point on the win when linebacker Justin Houston picked up a fumble as the Redskins (32) were trying to keep the game alive and returned it for a game-ending touchdown.

The last time there was only one unbeaten team through the first four weeks of the season was 2010, when the Chiefs were the final team standing. They went on to win the AFC West.

“I mean, it’s the NFL. It’s any given Sunday for a reason,” said Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who had seven catches for 111 yards and a score. “All these teams are scheming everybody up. It’s a testa-

Kansas City Chiefs’ Harrison Butker (7) kicks a field goal with Dustin Colquitt (2) holding, during the second half of an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins in Kansas City, Mo., Monday, Oct. 2, 2017. The Kansas City Chiefs won 29-20.

Associated Press

ment to this team for especially not only being 4-0, but the way we’ve won.”

Alex Smith threw for 293 yards with touchdowns on the ground and through the air, and his 37-yard strike to Albert Wilson on a broken play that set up Butker’s go-ahead kick.

Kareem Hunt added 101 yards on the ground for the rookie’s fourth straight 100yard effort.

“Winning is more meaningful,” Hunt said with a smile.

“I could have 50 yards as long as we win.”

Kirk Cousins had 220 yards passing and two touchdowns for Washington, but his throw to the end zone with 50 seconds left was dropped by Josh Doctson and forced the Redskins to kick a field goal.

That missed opportunity came back to haunt them less than a minute later.

“We’ll go back and try to look at different plays throughout the game that could have made a big difference,” Cousins said. “A

tough one to lose. Felt like we had a chance there and didn’t get it done.”

The Redskins stunned the Chiefs early when Cousins found Terrelle Pryor over star cornerback Marcus Peters for a 44-yard touchdown pass, then drove to the goal line before settling for a field goal.

But the plucky Chiefs slowly fought their way back into the game.

Smith started to find his athletic tight end down the seam, then hit Kelce with a 17-yard TD strike late in the first half. The two connected again on third down shortly after the break, and Smith scored a few plays later when he fooled the defense with a quarterback-keeper.

The Redskins needed fewer than 2 minutes to answer: Cousins’ 69-yard pass to Vernon Davis set up a short throw to Ryan Grant, who also beat Peters, for a touchdown and a 17-14 lead.

But that’s when injuries be-

gan to take their toll: The Redskins lost cornerbacks Josh Norman, Montae Nicholson, Kendall Fuller and Quinton Dunbar along with safety Deshazor Everett, and in the fourth quarter had just four available defensive backs.“I was looking up and I’m like, ‘Man, we’ve got all backups in,” Redskins safety D.J. Swearinger said. “If you’re number is called, you’ve got to step up. We’ve got to get better at that as

well.”

It was 17-all after Butker made his first field goal, and his 32-yard kick gave Kansas City the lead back.

The Redskins tied the game once more when Dustin Hopkins hit from 40 yards with 47 seconds left, but that turned out to be enough time to get Butker in position for the winning kick.“He has a leg,” Hunt said, “so I wasn’t too worried. Just make it routine. He had a rough start but honestly, I believed in him, that he was going to bounce back.”

PREGAME TRIBUTE Flags flew at half-staff and there was a moment of silence before the game for victims of the Las Vegas shooting. The Redskins then locked arms for the national anthem, while everyone on the Chiefs side stood with the exception of cornerback Peters and linebacker Ukeme Eligwe.

INJURY WATCH Norman left in the second quarter with a rib injury and could miss several ribs, while running back Rob Kelley joined the Redskins’ defensive guys on the sideline with an ankle injury.

The Chiefs lost right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was sidelined by a left knee injury on their second offensive play.q

A22

Wednesday 4 October 2017

SPORTS

NHL stars who grew up with Olympics face season without it

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer The NHL became entwined with the Olympics before young stars like Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel or Auston Matthews even pulled on a pair of skates.

Nagano in 1998 started a string of five consecutive Olympics featuring NHL players, a tradition that became so routine that young players around the world added dreams of winning a gold medal to their hopes of someday lifting the Stanley Cup. “I’ve always been alive in the days where the NHL teams allow their players to go to the Olympics,” Eichel said. “I’ve had a lot of good memories watching the Olympics and seeing a lot of great players play, so it’s something you’ve always looked up to.”

There’s nothing to look forward to this time: Instead of going to South Korea this winter to play for their home countries, NHL players face an 82-game season that will keep right on going on during the Olympics. The Games will instead include a mix of players from the minors, colleges and Europe.

“It’s going to be weird for everybody,” said Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon, who was hoping to make Canada’s Olympic team. “It won’t feel right watching other guys wear that maple leaf and they’re good players, but they’re not the best players in the world at that

By BRIAN MAHONEY AP Basketball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA is scrapping the East vs.

West format for its All-Star Game and will have captains pick teams this sea-

tournament. Whoever wins it, hopefully Canada wins it. That’d be awesome. But it just won’t feel the same.

They’re not world champions, technically, because they’re not the best players.”

Almost six months since the league announced it would skip the Pyeongchang Olympics, most of the NHL’s best players are resigned to their missed opportunity.

That Canada won’t have Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews to go for the three-peat, that McDavid, Matthews and Eichel won’t make their Olympic debuts

quite yet.

Russian superstar Alex Ovechkin, who was vocal about saying he’d go no matter what, said last month that he and other players have never had to choose between their NHL teams and the Olympics, and “should not have to be in position to make this choice.” Washington Capitals teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov said after not making the team for Sochi that he thought about signing in the Kontinental Hockey League so he could play in Korea, while countryman Vladimir Tarasenko

simply expressed frustration that a lifelong dream and a chance at Russia’s first Olympic gold with NHL players was snatched away.

“It’s very disappointing you’re not going to have the chance to be there when we have as short of careers as we do,” Swedish defenseman and Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson said. “It’s going to be some guys’ only opportunity to go and they’re not going to be able to since it’s not our decision to not attend.”

That decision belonged to

NHL owners, who saw no tangible benefit from stopping the season for over two weeks to let players take part in the Olympics.

“The fact of the matter is, we find the Olympics incredibly disruptive with no positive benefit, no opportunity to promote our presence or anything else of the Olympic experience,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “We have enough experience to understand what the Olympics represents. The people who suggest that somehow this is an opportunity to grow the game, it didn’t grow the game in Japan, it didn’t grow the game in Italy.”

The league believes playing exhibition games in China and regular-season games in Sweden does more to grow the game than the Olympics. But NBC Sports, which has the league’s national television rights, will instead be showing the Olympics this February with no NHL games scheduled on its networks between Feb. 8 and Feb. 25, the day of the gold-medal game, and the trade deadline set for Feb. 26.

During that time, New York Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh expects teammates to root for their countries. Considering the 13-hour difference from the Eastern time zone (noon ET is 1 a.m. the following day in Pyeongchang), it may be difficult for players to watch, but many will try.q

son.

The league said Tuesday that the leading vote-getter from each conference will choose teams from the pool of players who were voted as starters and re-

serves.

The change will begin with this season’s game in Los Angeles on Feb. 18.

Players and league officials have been eager to inject new interest in the often defense-absent game, and they decided to act after another dull affair last February in New Orleans.

“I’m thrilled with what the players and the league have done to improve the All-Star Game, which has been a priority for all of us,” National Basketball Players Association president Chris

Paul of the Houston Rockets said in a statement.

“We’re looking forward to putting on an entertaining show in LA.” The sides worked closely — with Charlotte owner Michael Jordan, chairman of the league’s Labor Relations Committee, heavily involved in the conversations — and chose a format that has been used by the NFL and NHL for what will be the first NBA All-Star Game that doesn’t pit the Eastern Conference against the Western Conference.

The 10 starters will continue to be chosen by a combination of fan, player and media balloting, with the coaches from each conference then selecting the 14 reserves.

The captains will then draft their teams at an undetermined time — making certain that those chosen starters are split up so they remain starters.

The teams will play for charity. They will select either a Los Angeles-area or national organization for donations to go.q

In this Sept. 6, 2016, file photo, Team North America forwards Auston Matthews, left, and Connor McDavid skate during the team’s World Cup of Hockey practice in Montreal.

Associated Press

NBA changes All-Star Game format; captains will pick teams

SPORTS

A23

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Bullpen aces Continued from Page 18

and Colorado’s Chris Rusin (2.65 ERA) has reliably gotten six or more outs in the middle innings, too.“Especially with what you saw with Miller last year, sometimes the big out is in the fifth inning,” Green said. “That might be the big inning.”

The threat of playoff elimination is often a catalyst for creativity. Last year, traditional one-inning closers like Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman were stretched for eight or nine outs at times, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called on ace Clayton Kershaw for a save in Game 5 of an NL Division Series, and Cubs lefty Jon Lester made his first relief appearance in nearly a decade during Game 7 of the World Series.

Francona is as bold an innovator as any manager, and Miller might be his most fruitful playoff trial.

Miller’s transition to middle relief last fall keyed Cleveland’s run to the Series, with Miller — formerly an elite closer — eagerly entering games as soon as the fifth and powering through two-plus innings.

Miller’s success has put long relief in a new light.

“It is changing the perception, for sure,” said Montgomery, who has split time between the bullpen and rotation the past two seasons.

“I guess people look at long relief as the mop-up duty,” he added. “I guess him and maybe with the help of me, we’re changing it to where you can pitch long relief in higher leverage situations.”

Pitcher usage is changing across the board. Starters covered an all-time low 5.5 innings per game this year, and teams have been

even quicker with the hook in recent postseasons.

Some of that is about pitch counts and injuries, but it’s also because managers want certain relievers in the game sooner.

Take it from the hitters’ perspective: facing someone like Miller, Green or Devenski isn’t much of a reward for chasing away those starters.

Green has been particularly dominant in those middle innings this season.

The 26-year-old has quietly dominated in a bullpen headlined by All-Stars Chapman, Dellin Betances and David Robertson.

He has the best ERA out of that group this year despite averaging more than five outs per appearance.

Green has struck out 40.7 percent of his batters, trailing only closers Craig Kimbrel, Jansen and Corey Knebel among pitchers with at least 60 innings.

He’s also earned manager Joe Girardi’s trust in big spots by consistently throwing strikes.

“He doesn’t beat himself,” Girardi said.

A starter in the minor leagues, Green hasn’t ruled out a return to the rotation one day — he says he’ll go wherever New York wants him. In the meantime, he’s bought into the idea that he can make critical contributions in the middle of games.

“Games can be won or lost in the fifth or sixth innings because you’re getting to guys in the back of the bullpen that are lights out,” he said. “Teams might use their pinch hitter in the fifth or sixth and not wait until the ninth.”

A look at some of the other fireman relievers who could shine this postseason: ___ CHRIS DEVENSKI, HOUSTON

In this Friday, Sept. 29, 2017, file photo, Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Andrew Miller delivers in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Cleveland.

Associated Press

ASTROS Devenski grabbed baseball’s attention by opening the season with a pair of overpowering four-inning relief appearances and pitched his way into the AllStar Game. A right-hander with a devastating changeup, he’s thrown over 80 innings out of the bullpen each of the past two years and ranks seventh among relievers with 3.6 wins above replacement in that span, per Fangraphs . The names ahead of him? Jansen, Miller, Roberto Osuna, Kimbrel, Chapman and Betances.

Devenski has become a fan favorite in Houston, too, despite only saving five games in his career. He got his own bobblehead doll in June, and some supporters have even worn “energy dome “ hats, popularized in the 1980s by the band DEVO, as a nod to Devenski’s “Devo” nickname.

Also of note: Devenski isn’t Houston’s only quality long relief option. Joe Musgrove has a 1.44 ERA as a reliever this season while working 1.4 innings per relief outing.

ARCHIE BRADLEY, ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS The bush-bearded Bradley has a 1.73 ERA over 73 innings, averaging more than three outs per appearance while pitching anywhere between the fifth and ninth innings. He’s been used in a more traditional setup role of late, but after throwing 182 1/3 innings last year, Bradley should have the stamina for a heavy workload in the playoffs.

MIKE MONTGOMERY, CHICAGO CUBS Montgomery got a oneout save in Game 7 of last year’s World Series, but he also had three multi-inning relief outings in the playoffs and could get even more of those this year after an impressive season of bullpen work. Montgomery moved in and out of the rotation but had a 2.49 ERA while pitching 61 1/3 innings over 30 relief outings.

CHRIS RUSIN, COLORADO ROCKIES Rusin has been a workhorse in Colorado’s bullpen, finishing second in the majors with 85 relief innings while posting a 2.65 ERA, includ-

ing 1.88 away from Coors Field. The left-hander is a groundball machine and keeps his pitch count down by challenging hitters early. Four times this year, he pitched at least three innings out of the bullpen without topping 37 pitches, and he’s even gone multiple innings while throwing on consecutive days.

DAVID PRICE, BOSTON RED SOX Price’s situation is different, but his impact could be similar.

Price has struggled, been hurt and feuded with the media this year. But since ending his most recent DL stint, he’s proven useful in the bullpen, pitching shutout ball over 8 2/3 relief innings in September. Long relief might not be the role Boston envisioned when Price signed a $217 million seven-year deal prior to the 2016 season, but the 2012 AL Cy Young Award winner could be an asset there.

Plus, he has experience as a playoff reliever — in 2008 as a rookie with Tampa Bay and in 2015 ALDS Game 4 with Toronto.q

A24 HEALTH

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Eggs and Butter - By: Dr Carlos Viana

A favorite dish of mine in a Japanese restaurant is a raw quail egg yolk on sea urchin eggs.

A variable “cholesterol bomb”, one of my colleagues called. Notice that the Japanese sushi chef throws away the white of the egg. A good thing, since raw egg whites should never be consumed. Egg whites contain substances that remove vitamins from your body and could possibly inhibit digestion of protein, and affect growth.

Cooking the egg for just a few minutes destroys these and other harmful compounds.

The reason a myth has survived for years about the dangers of eating egg yolks is because one egg yolk contains about 213 milligrams of cholesterol. This is about the same amount as my other favorite food, olive oil that is also loaded with cholesterol. However, any clinical nutritionist will tell you that the different types of cholesterol are not the same. Olive oil, like egg yolks, both have a high content of monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidative substances. In lay terms, both of these great foods are rich in HDL, the “good” cholesterol.

If you enjoy the convenience of taking a multivitamin to be sure you’re getting enough nutrients, you should consider including soft boiled or poached eggs in your diet. They come close to having everything a natural multivitamin provides. Eggs are low in sodium and are a good source of protein, ri-

boflavin, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic acid, phosphorus, and selenium. Additionally, there are amino acids, the building blocks for muscle and a great source of lecithin.

In fact, the word “lecithin,” comes from the Greek word “lekithos” meaning “egg yolk”. Other foods that contain lecithin include: butter, peanuts, cauliflower, tomatoes, banana, oranges, lentils, oats, barley, corn, sesame seeds, flax seeds, whole wheat and human breast milk.

Notice I said, butter, not margarine. Actually, if you are worried about cholesterol, according to a Harvard Medical study, margarine may increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter. Margarine contains up to 45 percent of artificially created unhealthy trans-fats.

No more fattening than margarine, butter has been in the diet for thousands of years so our bodies are used to digesting it. Besides lecithin, butter is a rich source of easily absorbed vitamin A, E, K, D and selenium, a powerful antioxidant. We use salt free to eliminate the harmful processed salt which is used as a preservative to help the butter last longer on the shelf. If you like the taste of salt, try adding your own natural sea salt, which still has some of the minerals left and is not chemically processed. Even better is Clarified Butter or “Gee” a form of butter found in the Indian section of your supermarket. Gee can be

made easily at home and is butter which has the milk solids or fat removed. It has a high smoke point and is a safer, healthier choice for cooking than other fats or oils.

With people afraid to eat egg yolks, the richest source of choline found in modern diets comes from an additive called lecithin. Lecithin is most often added to foods as an emulsifier which helps keeps food blended. As a dietary supplement, I consider lecithin to be essential for everyone. In our clinic I see patient’s daily suffering from fatigue, insomnia, kidney and bladder problems, high cholesterol levels, nerve-muscle problems, including cardiovascular disease, infertility, liver and gallbladder problems, anemia, and high blood pressure. Lecithin in your body keeps your cells functioning properly, allows your nerves to communicate with your muscles; and prevent the build-up of homocysteine in your blood. Homocysteine is a harmful compound that is associated with cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Since lecithin has fat-modifying effects, lecithin helps prevent fatty build-up in the liver. An important part of lecithin is choline. Since the 1930s, research has shown that choline is a component of every human cell. Lecithin can help control cholesterol levels. Because of its role in nerve-muscle function, lecithin has been used to help improve neuromuscular function in Alzheimer’s disease and plays a critical

role in memory functions and learning difficulties.

Lecithin supplementation is very important to babies, even while still in the womb.

Dietary deficiency of lecithin can provoke respiratory distress in newborns, and failure to thrive. In very young babies a continuing deficiency can produce impaired growth, and abnormalities in bone formation. Medical data on lecithin suggests that simply supplementing the diets of pregnant and nursing women with lecithin could affect their children’s lifelong learning and memory.

In adults, lecithin can boost cognitive function, diminish age-related memory decline, and reduce the brain’s vulnerability to toxic substances.

Eggs are nutritious. They’re nutrient dense that means that eggs provide a good proportion of needed nutrients for the calories they provide. Eating nutrientdense foods is particularly important for children as well as older adults because their energy needs are less but their nutrient needs are high. Nutrient density is also important for anyone of any age who is trying to lose weight. One of the reasons for eating eggs is lecithin and supplementing your diet with a quality lecithin supplement give us a healthy boost.

By the way, I recommend most of my patients take individual, natural supplements, like Vitamin C, Magnesium, Zane and always Lecithin. However, if you prefer taking a multivitamin, make sure you are using a natural one. There is a difference between quality food based nutrients and

cheaper, synthetic or artificial vitamins, which may also include fillers, dyes and preservatives.

Get The Point! Eggs and butter do not increase heart disease risk in most people. A Harvard School of Public Health study found that healthy adults were able to eat an egg a day without increasing their risk of heart disease or stroke. Want help with a cholesterol problem or a healthier gall bladder, liver, brain or to improve the learning ability of your child? Come in so we can tailor a health program to your specific needs.q CARLOS VIANA, Ph. D. is an Oriental Medical Doctor (O.M.D.) having studied in China; a US Board Cert.

Clinical Nutritionist (C.C.N.), an Addiction Professional (C.Ad.), Chairperson of the Latin American Committee of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT), a Rejuvenating Cell Therapist specializing in Age Management, has a weekly radio program, writes and lectures extensively. For information: VIANA HEALING CENTER, Kibaima 7, St Cruz TEL: 585-1270 Web Site: www.vianaheal.com “Prescriptions from Paradise” - Dr. Viana’s Award Winning BOOK: Prescriptions from Paradise, Introduction to Biocompatible Medicine – Available at local Bookstores, Hotel Gift shops and Boticas. Signed copies at Viana Healing Center, EBooks: Amazon kindle, Nook, Itunes check for Events at: facebook. com/vianahealingcenter.

Join the discussion: www. facebook.com/prescriptionsformparadise q

Retail groups: holiday sales to rise 3.6 to 4%

By A. D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A retail trade group says it expects holiday sales to at least match the 3.6 percent growth of a year ago, as job creation and improving wages should put shoppers in a mood to spend.

The National Retail Federation said Tuesday it expects sales in November and December to rise 3.6 percent to 4 percent, to a range of $678.75 billion to $682 billion. It’s the first time the trade group forecast in a range rather than by a fixed percentage, because the impact of several big hurricanes is still uncertain.

So far this year dozens of retail chains have filed for bankruptcy, and hundreds of stores have closed — particularly among those dependent on clothing sales.

Toys R Us is reorganizing in bankruptcy as well at a critical time of year.

Holiday sales account for nearly 20 percent of the annual industry sales total.

But online spending is still growing strongly, which accounts for some of the optimism, and some analysts say retailers like dollar chains are still adding locations.

Holiday forecasts from Deloitte, the International Council of Shopping Centers and AlixPartners have come in around the same level, ranging from growth of 3.5 percent to 4.5 percent. PwC predicts that holiday spending will rise 6 percent, but that estimate includes travel and entertainment. Other holiday forecasts exclude restaurants and travel.

The NRF forecast — which considers economic indicators such as consumer credit, disposable personal income and monthly retail sales — excludes sales from autos, gas and restaurants but includes online spending and other non-store sales like those from catalogs. It estimates that online spending and other non-store sales will rise 11 percent to 15 percent.q

BUSINESS A25

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Soaring airlines lift Wall Street to new heights

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Airline and automaker stocks took off on Tuesday and helped U.S. indexes push a bit further into record territory.

Trading was again quiet overall, with only modest moves for bond yields, commodities and other markets.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 5.46 points, or

0.2 percent, to 2,534.58 for its sixth straight day of gains. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 84.07, or 0.4 percent, to 22,641.67, and the Nasdaq composite rose 15.00 points, or 0.2 percent, to 6,531.71. The Russell 2000 index of smallcap stocks added 2.49, or 0.2 percent, to 1,511.97. All four indexes are at records.

Airlines led the way after Delta Air Lines updated its

forecast for third-quarter results. The Atlanta-based carrier expects to report roughly 2 percent growth in a key revenue measurement, which would be at the high end of the forecast range it had given a month earlier, after accounting for the hit that it took from Hurricane Irma.

Delta jumped $3.18, or 6.6 percent, to $51.25 for its best day since January

2015. United Continental, American Airlines Group and Southwest Airlines also each rose more than 4 percent.

Outside of airlines and a handful of other big movers, though, markets were generally quiet. No big economic reports were on the docket, and few companies reported quarterly results.

“This is the calm before we get hit with some more impactful information,” said Steve Chiavarone, portfolio manager at Federated Investors.

In upcoming weeks, the market will be looking to hear more about whether Washington will be able to cut tax rates for companies and others. Investors may also get clues about who the next chair of the Federal Reserve will be, and most companies will begin reporting their thirdquarter results.

In the meantime, some economic reports may look abnormally weak because of the hurricanes that have recently struck the United States, such as this week’s upcoming report on hiring. q

By JOSH FUNK ERIK SCHELZIG AP Business Writer OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Warren Buffett’s company is acquiring a major stake in Pilot Flying J truck stops and it will take over a majority stake within about five years from the family of Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.

The ubiquitous truck stops, 750 of them in 44 states and Canada, make up the 15th largest private company in the U.S., according to Forbes, with 27,000 employees and revenue of more than $20 billion per year.

Berkshire Hathaway and Pilot Travel Centers announced the deal Tuesday morning. Initially, Berkshire will buy 38.6 percent of the company, but in 2023 that will increase to 80 percent.

Financial terms weren’t disclosed, so it wasn’t imme-

diately clear how much of Berkshire’s roughly $100 billion in cash will be used.

The announcement comes as Bill Haslam is deciding whether to make a bid to succeed U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, a fellow Republican and close family friend who made the surprise announcement last week that he won’t seek another term in Congress.

Haslam’s refusal to divulge his earnings from his Pilot stake was a major issue in his first run for governor in 2010, and the company’s legal problems have quickly become fodder for critics from either side of the political spectrum hoping he won’t join the Senate race.

Pilot Flying J, which is run by Jimmy Haslam, has been under scrutiny in recent years because of a diesel fuel rebate scam that led to criminal charges against several members of the company’s sales team.

Fourteen have pleaded guilty, while another four — including the company’s former president — are scheduled to go on trial on Oct. 31.The company paid an $85 million settlement with most of the defrauded customers as well as a $92 million penalty to the government.The scheme became public after federal agents raided the company’s Knoxville, Tennessee, headquarters in 2013. An FBI affidavit unsealed after the search contained tran-

scripts of secretly-recorded conversations among the sales team deriding trucking clients as unsophisticated, lazy and undeserving of the rebates they wrongly thought they were receiving.Company founder Jim Haslam, a former University of Tennessee football player and the father of Jimmy and Bill Haslam, in 1958 bought his first gas station in Gate city, Virginia, and ultimately grew the company into country’s largest diesel retailer. q

Traders Dan Ryan, left, and Edward Schreier work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Airline and automaker stocks took off on Tuesday and helped U.S. indexes push a bit further into record territory.

(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Buffett buys big into Pilot Flying J truck stops

A26 COMICS

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Mutts

Conceptis Sudoku

6 Chix

Blondie

Mother Goose & Grimm

Baby Blues

Zits

Yesterday’s puzzle answer

Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

CLASSIFIED A27

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Trying to get sober? NIH offers tools to help

Dr. George Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at the National Institutes of Health, is shown Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, in his office in Rockville, Md. Koob’s agency is releasing a novel online tool to help people get a better shot at high-quality care for alcohol problems _ directories of treatment providers paired with the questions to ask before signing up.

(AP Photo/Lauran Neergaard)

By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The phone calls come — from fellow scientists and desperate strangers — with a single question for the alcohol chief at the National Institutes of Health: Where can my loved one find good care to get sober?

Tuesday, the government is releasing a novel online tool to help — directories of alcohol treatment providers paired with key questions patients should ask for a better shot at high-quality care.

“Most people think treatment is detox for 28 days or Alcoholics Anonymous.

There’s a vast in-between,” said George Koob, director of NIH’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

More than 15 million adults in the U.S. have what’s called alcohol use disorder, meaning they either misuse or are addicted to alcohol, and fewer than 10 percent get treatment, according to federal estimates.Many who do get treated don’t receive quality care that best fits their needs, Koob said. He ordered development of the Alcohol Treatment Navigator after realizing if medical professionals were confused, families must be lost.“It’s the hardest thing, navigating how do you find treatment,” agreed Linda Rosenberg, president of the nonprofit National Council for Behavioral Health. She wasn’t involved with the tool but praised NIAAA for developing it. “It’s desperately needed.”

The tool can’t solve issues of affordability or accessibility. Insurance coverage varies, and some parts of the country have shortages of providers that may leave patients traveling or turning to telemedicine, Rosenberg cautioned.The Navigator offers a stepby-step guide to assessing additional options beyond the well-known AA and detox. First, it links to existing directories of thousands of board-certified addiction doctors or psychiatrists, accredited alcohol treatment centers and licensed therapists, searchable by ZIP code. Licensing and accreditation information mark an initial filter.Next, the NIH defined five signs of quality to check:—Credentials. For example, look for a therapist who holds at least a master’s degree and has specialized training in addiction treatment, the tool advises.—A comprehensive assessment.

Providers can use a battery of tests to determine the type and severity of alcohol disorders.—Customized treatment. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, Koob stressed.— Evidence-based practices.

NIH wants patients to consider scientifically proven options, including behavioral therapies and three FDA-approved medications.—Continuing recovery support. “It’s not just an acute disorder,” said Lori Ducharme, a NIAAA specialist who led the Navigator’s development. q

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A28 SCIENCE

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Cold War radiation testing in U.S. widespread, author claims

By JIM SALTER Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — Three members of Congress are demanding answers after a St. Louis scholar’s new book revealed details of secret Cold War-era U.S. government testing in which countless unsuspecting people, including many children, pregnant women and minorities, were fed, sprayed or injected with radiation and other dangerous materials.

The health ramifications of the tests are unknown. Lisa Martino-Taylor, an associate professor of sociology at St. Louis Community College who wrote “Behind the Fog: How the U.S. Cold War Radiological Weapons Program Exposed Innocent Americans,” acknowledged that tracing diseases like cancer to specific causes is difficult.

But three House Democrats who represent areas where testing occurred — William Lacy Clay of Missouri, Brad Sherman of California and Jim Cooper of Tennessee — said they were outraged by the revelations.

Martino-Taylor used Freedom of Information Act requests to obtain previously unreleased documents, including Army records.

She also reviewed already public records and published articles. She told The Associated Press that she found that a small group of researchers, aided by leading academic institutions, worked to develop radiological weapons and later “combination weapons” using radioactive materials along with chemical or biological weapons.

Her book, published in August, was a follow-up to her 2012 dissertation, which found that the government conducted secret testing of zinc cadmium sulfide in a poor area of St. Louis in

the 1950s and 1960s. The book focuses on the mid1940s to the mid-1960s.

An Army spokeswoman declined to comment, but Martino-Taylor’s 2012 re-

said. The women were chosen without their knowledge. Blood tests were performed to determine how much radioactive iron had been absorbed

In this Sept. 5, 2017, photo, sociologist Lisa Martino-Taylor poses for a photo in her office in Kirkwood, Mo. Associated Press

port on testing in St. Louis was troubling enough to trigger an Army investigation. The investigation found no evidence that the St. Louis testing posed a health threat.

Martino-Taylor said the offensive radiological weapons program was a top priority for the government. Unknowing people in places throughout the U.S., as well as parts of England and Canada, were subjected to potentially deadly material through open-air spraying, ingestion and injection, MartinoTaylor said.

“They targeted the most vulnerable in society in most cases,” Martino-Taylor said. “They targeted children. They targeted pregnant women in Nashville. People who were ill in hospitals. They targeted wards of the state. And they targeted minority populations.”

The tests in Nashville in the late 1940s involved giving 820 poor and pregnant white women a mixture during their first pre-natal visit that included radioactive iron, Martino-Taylor

by the mother, and the babies’ blood was tested at birth. Similar tests were performed in Chicago and San Francisco, MartinoTaylor said.

Cooper’s office plans to seek more information from the Army Legislative Liaison, said spokesman Chris Carroll.

“We are asking for details on the Pentagon’s role, along with any cooperation by research institutions and other organizations,” Carroll said.

“These revelations are shocking, disturbing and painful.”

In California, investigators created a radiation field inside a building at North Hollywood High School during a weekend in the fall of 1961, Martino-Taylor said. Similar testing was performed at the University of California, Los Angeles and at a Los Angeles Police Department building.

Sherman said he wants a survey of people who graduated from the school around the time of the testing to see if there was a higher incidence of illness, including cancer. He also

said he will seek more information from the Department of Energy.

“What an incredibly stupid, reckless thing to do,” said Sherman, whose district includes North Hollywood High School.

Among those who recall the testing is Mary Helen Brindell, 73. She was playing baseball in a St. Louis street in the mid-1950s when a squadron of green planes flew so low overhead that she could see the face of the lead pilot. Suddenly, the children were covered in a fine powdery substance that stuck to skin moistened by summer sweat.

Brindell has suffered from breast, thyroid, skin and uterine cancers. Her sister died of a rare form of esophageal cancer.

“I just want an explanation from the government,” Brindell said. “Why would you do that to people?”

Clay said he was angered that Americans were used as “guinea pigs” for research.

“I join with my colleagues to demand the whole truth about this testing and I will reach out to my Missouri Delegation friends on the House Armed Services Committee for their help as well,” Clay said in a statement.

St. Louis leaders were told at the time that the government was testing a smoke screen that could shield the city from aerial obser-

vation in case of Soviet attack. Evidence now shows radioactive material, not just zinc cadmium sulfide, was part of that spraying, Martino-Taylor said.

Doris Spates, 62, was born in 1955 on the 11th floor of the Pruitt-Igoe low-income high-rise where the Army sprayed material from the roof. Her father died suddenly three months after her birth. Four of her 11 siblings died from cancer at relatively young ages. She survived cervical cancer and suffers from skin and breathing problems.

“It makes me angry,” Spates said. “It is wrong to do something like that to people who don’t have any knowledge of it.”

According to MartinoTaylor, other testing in Chicago; Berkeley, California; Rochester, New York; and Oak Ridge, Tennessee, involved injecting people with plutonium-239.

She said her book shines a light on the team of mostly young scientists tasked with developing radiological weapons. They worked in a closed world with virtually no input from anyone “who could say, ‘This isn’t right,’ or put some sort of moral compass on it,” she said.

She hopes her book prompts more people to investigate.

“We haven’t gotten any answers so far,” MartinoTaylor said. “I think there’s a lot more to find out.”q

PEOPLE/ARTS A29

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Genealogy show unlocks family secrets for Carly Simon, more

By LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — If there’s a bigger cheerleader for genealogy research than Henry Louis Gates Jr. it’s unlikely they’re nearly as well-connected.

The prominent Harvard professor once again lures the famous and celebrated to PBS’ “Finding Your Roots,” which shares their ancestry and family stories as uncovered by impressive research and science.

In the fourth season beginning Tuesday (check local listings for time), the three dozen subjects include Scarlett Johansson, Lupita Nyong’o, Sean Combs, Amy Schumer, Garrison Keillor, Aziz Ansari, filmmaker Ava DuVernay, author Ta-Nehisi Coates and Christopher Walken.

Larry David, whom Gates said he’d “bugged” for three years to go under the “Roots” microscope, finally agreed and discovered that he’s related to Bernie Sanders, whom David memorably impersonated on “Saturday Night Live.”

Their separate family stories are on the season opener.

David said he was reluctant to have personal details disclosed on TV but was glad he finally took part, lauding the “incredible job” done by researchers.There were other revelations that took him aback, he said. David learned of ancestors who

settled in Birmingham, Alabama, in the 1840s, owned two slaves and fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. A hundred years later, many aunts, uncles and cousins on the maternal side of his family died in Nazi Germany’s Holocaust.

But “Finding Your Roots” is aimed at more than satisfying individual curiosity and telling an engrossing story, said Gates, an executive producer and writer as well as host of the series: It carries a message of shared origins that he argues can benefit society.

The science of DNA proves that “there aren’t four or five biologically distinct races. We’re all from one race, the human race, genetically,” Gates said. “And we know that genetically we all ... descended from common ancestors that left the African continent 50,000 years ago. That’s a fact.”Detailing how different ethnic groups contributed to world history and how their experiences “merged or conflicted” with those of other groups is also of immense value, he said.“It’s part of a larger education process to make us all realize we’re fully human,” Gates said.

Advances in DNA testing and the increased digitization of records benefited those who participated this year, he said, while some searches required plain old

By NICOLE EVATT Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Action hero Jackie Chan wishes he could have used his iconic, on-screen martial arts skills to help those at Sunday’s mass shooting in Las Vegas.

“A lot of young kids say ‘Jackie, you’re a superhero. You’re hero.’ I really want to be any superhero (so) I can fly around the world, save the people, beat up the bad people, put them in the jail. But sometimes I watch this, I’m just useless. Only thing I can do is pray, pray for them,” Chan said in an interview Tuesday.

The rampage by Stephen Craig Paddock killed at least 59 people and injured 527 others at the Route 91 Harvest Festival.

Chan does get the chance to battle terrorists in his new action-thriller “The Foreigner,” opening Oct. 13. The actor takes a dramatic turn as a grief-stricken father hunting a rogue IRA cell responsible for an explosion that killed his daughter.

“I hope through the movie (to) tell the people stop this kind of violent things,” Chan said. “It’s a good message to tell, stop these kind of terror things, stop the bombing, stop hurting innocent people.”

This combination photo shows Carly Simon, left, at the Oceana’s Partners Award Gala on Oct. 30, 2013, in Beverly Hills, Calif. and Scarlett Johansson at the 71st annual Tony Awards in New York on June 11, 2017.

Associated Press

shoe leather as well.

Among the stars with standout stories:— Carly Simon, who was eager to find out whether her maternal grandmother, who came to the United States from Cuba, had her lineage right: She claimed to be the offspring of the king of Spain and a Moroccan slave.Researchers traveled to Cuba to search out Catholic church records unavailable online and found “an amazing family tree,” Gates said, one different than expected.

Simon’s grandmother was found to be 40 percent

Jackie Chan feels ‘useless’ in wake of the Las Vegas attack

Other films canceled and scaled back promotion in the wake of the attack in Las Vegas — something Chan thought long and hard about.

“Yes, it is challenging,” he said of continuing the film’s promotional tour, which includes Thursday’s Los Angeles premiere. “Asked what should I do? Should we change? Should we cancel? And you know I’m really a foreigner in another country. I don’t know what to do.

You know, what should I say? Anything I can (do to) help?”

At 63, the Hong Kong star is hoping to prove he can do

black, making the singer-songwriter 10 percent black.Her grandmother “invented this crazy story, this fabrication, because she knew she was from a mixed-race heritage, and that was very unpopular in the 1950s and ‘60s,” Gates said.— Tea Leoni, who asked the show to focus on finding the family of her mother, Emily Patterson, an adoptee who never knew the names of her biological parents.Over a period of months, Patterson’s DNA was run through databases that hold DNA results for some 6 million people,

Gates said. A match would show they had a common ancestor.

The candidates were narrowed to a pair of sisters, one of whom proved to be Patterson’s mother and who, at 96, was still alive, Gates said. A private meeting was arranged with her for Leoni, Patterson and Leoni’s daughter.Research also revealed Leoni’s biological mother’s father, and traced his family back to her seventh great-grandfather, born around 1690, and his Virginia-born son who at one point lived near George Washington.q

ackie Chan poses for a portrait to promote his film,”The Foreigner” at the Four Seasons on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017 in Los Angeles.

Associated Press

more than martial arts.

“I want to be a true actor.

I don’t want audiences to keep thinking I’m an action star. One day I’m getting old, I cannot fight anymore. I want to be a Robert

De Niro. I want to be a Clint Eastwood,” he explained.

“They are true actors, but they can fight!”

Chan says a romantic lead in a musical would be a dream gig.q

A30

Wednesday 4 October 2017

PEOPLE/ARTS

In this Oct. 10, 2016 file photo, author Dan Brown arrives for the premiere of the movie “Inferno” in Berlin.

Associated Press

Dan Brown talks religion, science and his new novel

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Dan Brown is once again taking on the big questions.

“Will God survive science?” asks the author of the blockbuster “The Da Vinci Code” and other philosophical-religious thrillers during a recent interview. “All the gods of our past have fallen. So the question now is: Are we naive to think the gods of today won’t suffer the same fate?”

His new novel is “Origin,” already a chart-topper on Amazon.com, and for Brown fans a familiar blend of travelogue, history, conspiracies and whodunit, with asides on everything from the poetry of William Blake to the rise and fall of fascism in Spain.

Brown protagonist Robert Langdon, a Harvard symbologist, is in Spain and back in danger. A former student, Edmond Kirsch, has been assassinated just as he’s ready to unveil a scientific-technological breakthrough that he promises will bring about the downfall of Western religion and revolutionize how people think of life and death. Langdon, with the help of a prince’s wayward lover and a voice of artificial intelligence named Winston, attempts to find out what Kirsch had planned.

“The Da Vinci Code” outraged church officials and scholars with such suggestions as Jesus and Mary married and had children.

Brown acknowledged that the controversy led him to avoid larger religious questions in his follow-up novel, “The Lost Symbol,” but his skepticism remains. A native and longtime resident of New Hampshire, he remembered visiting Boston’s Museum of Science as a boy and being confused by the theory of evolution and how it contradicted the story of Adam and Eve. Back home, Brown asked a priest about the differences.

“This guy said, ‘Nice boys don’t ask that question.’

I did what every little boy does, I started asking the questions,” he says. “I gravitated towards science.

Faith became difficult for me.”

Brown has the time and money to research his settings firsthand and spent extensive time in Spain over the past few years.

The country appeals to him, he said, because of its blend of old and new, of supercomputers and deep roots in Western religion.

The violent police actions against Catalans voting on independence were “heartbreaking” but didn’t shock him; the “fault lines” of Spanish culture were the reason he wanted to write about it.

Speaking from a sky-high floor of a midtown Manhattan hotel, looking out on the city on a sunny fall afternoon, the 53-year-old Brown also discussed his feelings about technology, the response to his books and the future of Robert Langdon. ____ ON KIDS AND THEIR DIGITAL DEVICES “The miracles for kids today — they have nothing to do with Noah’s Ark. They have to do with an operating system. When I was a kid, the miracles of my life were the resurrection, a candlelight service on New Year’s Eve, the virgin birth and the three wise men. Things have changed a lot and it takes numerous amounts of magic to impress on a child that something is special — because they have something special every day of their lives.”

ON WHAT HIS FRIENDS IN THE CLERGY THINK OF HIS BOOK “(They) would fall into three categories: Those that essentially say, ‘We’re going to have to agree to dis-

agree.’ Those who would say, ‘Hey, this is actually a really interesting dialogue.

It’s making me think about religion in a new and exciting way. Thank you.’ And those who essentially say, ‘We can’t be friends anymore.’ You know what — those are outliers. The primary reaction I get, from atheists to the deeply devout, is that the dialogue is critical.”

ON WHY HE’S NEVER WRITTEN ABOUT EASTERN RELIGION “I spent some time in India and thought I might write about Hinduism. But it’s so far removed from my experience I couldn’t even get my mind around it to write about it. Christianity, Judaism and Islam share a gospel, and it’s the one I grew up with. ... Hinduism is not monotheistic; that’s my tradition. And this is a religion of many gods. I can’t decide whether it feels more advanced or less advanced. It’s just so different.”

ON WHY HE MAY WRITE A BOOK THAT DOESN’T INCLUDE LANGDON “I think Langdon wouldn’t mind a vacation. He’s had a tough few years. He’s the man I wish I could be, clearly. He has a knack for falling into fascinating situations. He’s far more daring than I am. I probably would run away from most of those adventures.”

ON WHY HE’S AN OPTIMIST “We have plenty of technologies we could use to destroy the planet and we don’t. There’s more love on this planet than hate, there’s more creativity than destructive power. I know it’s a strange day to be saying that, but there is more love than hate by exponential factors and we’ll find a way to express that.”q

PEOPLE/ARTS

A31

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Tom Petty a rock classicist from the beginning

By DAVID BAUDER NEW YORK (AP) — Given the leather jacket and sneer Tom Petty wore on the cover of his 1976 debut, many people assumed he was one of those cheeky punks bent on tearing down the walls of rock ‘n’ roll.

He wasn’t. It’s not that Petty and his band, the Heartbreakers, didn’t have their share of energy and attitude. But the kid from Gainesville, Florida, was a rock classicist to the core, and he built a body of work to stand with his heroes.

That debut contained songs that stood the test of time, the snaky “Breakdown” and “American Girl,” which so echoed the Byrds that it confused that band’s leader. “When did I record that?” Roger McGuinn recalled thinking when he first heard it.

Only a week before his death Monday night after suffering cardiac arrest, Petty and the Heartbreakers finished a triumphant 40th anniversary tour in his adopted Southern California home. His sturdy compositions built a discography so strong he couldn’t get to all of his hits. “The Waiting,” ‘’Listen to Her Heart,” ‘’Here Comes My Girl,” ‘’Refugee,” ‘’You Got Lucky,” ‘’Don’t Do Me Like That,” ‘’Even the Losers,” ‘’Don’t Come Around Here No More.” And so on. All are fist-pumping favorites.

It was melodic rock ‘n’ roll built with the solid structures of his favorites from the 1960s. Petty had an impish grin and playful drawl, and in concert he raised his arms to direct both his band and the thousands of fans singing along from the audience. “’Rock and roll star’ is probably the purest manifestation of the American dream,” Petty said upon his 2002 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“It’s a blessing beyond belief.”

As Petty and his band performed “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” and “American Girl” to the well-heeled audience, his daughters stood up and danced.

The Heartbreakers stood

with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band as one of the all-time great rock backup bands. Petty wouldn’t give ground: he added an expletive to his declaration on that night that the Heartbreakers weren’t just one of America’s best bands, they were THE best.

Being able to stand onstage next to guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboard player Benmont Tench made Petty the envy of many bandleaders.

Still, two key periods of his career came without the Heartbreakers.

“Full Moon Fever,” Petty’s first solo album in 1989, stands as the apex of his

career. Working with producer Jeff Lynne, Petty fashioned a cleaner sound and created the classics “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” ‘’I Won’t Back Down” and, most indelibly, “Free Fallin’.”

He sings about “a good girl, crazy ‘bout Elvis, loves horses and her boyfriend, too.”

And the narrator admits, “I’m a bad boy, ‘cause I don’t even miss her. I’m a bad boy for breakin’ her heart.”

He had his own problems.

Petty was also a member of the temporary supergroup, the Traveling Wilburys, with George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan and Lynne.

Pulled together by Harrison to record a B-side to a single, “Handle With Care,” they soon realized that the song, and their sound, was too good to bury.

It felt like a night at a Hollywood party, a bunch of rock legends break out the guitars, pour a few drinks, and maybe a few more, and trade lines with each other.

It’s a good life.

“It was a gift I was given and what it means I don’t know,” Petty said in a 2009 interview with The Associated Press. “Johnny Cash once told me, he said, ‘it was a noble job.’ And I said, ‘Really?’ And he said,

‘Well, it makes a lot of people happy.’ ... It does.

It makes a lot of people happy. You can lose sight of that. People come up to me on the street and tell me how some song played a role in their life or how it got them through a hard time or this and that and I just think, ‘Damn, that’s what it is about.’”

Like everyone’s, Petty’s path wasn’t always smooth. Biographer Warren Zanes’ book revealed that Petty slipped into heroin addiction in the 1990s. He recently told Rolling Stone that his use of a Confederate flag as a prop while promoting a 1980s album, “Southern Accents,” was a stupid move he regretted.

He was frustrated when the passage of time took him out of the spotlight when he actually deserved it: the 2014 album “Hypnotic Eye” was excellent, but the pop world had moved on.

Last December, as he was about to embark on the anniversary tour, Petty told Rolling Stone that it would likely be his last big jaunt with the Heartbreakers. He had a granddaughter he wanted to spend time with.

It was easy to dismiss it then. Heck, they were too good and not that old, not really. His old buddy Dylan is 76 and constantly on the road.

Sadly, it turned out to be true.q

By JOHN CARUCCI Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Sofia Vergara is debuting a new lingerie line, but she says it’s about more than sexy underwear — it’s also about empowering women in business.

The “Modern Family” star promoted her EBY line in New York. It’s a subscription-based service that also sets aside a portion of the profits to woman entrepreneurs via small loans.

“It’s a fun mission, you know. It’s very exciting to be able to find something so interesting for me,” Vergara said of EBY, an acronym for Empowerment By You. Vergara went through her

own struggles before her financial circumstances changed for the better.

“I was a single mother, and a very young single mother. I moved from Colombia to the United States.

One of the most important things for me was to be able to provide for my son, Manolo,” Vergara said Tuesday. “I had dreams for him. I wanted to give him a great college education. I wanted to give him great health care. I wanted to be there for him. I wanted also to help my family in Colombia, and for that, you need money no matter what.”

The idea came from her partner in the project, Renata Black. Ten percent of the net profit will go to

the Seven Bar Foundation, which disperses funds through microfinance

loans for business ventures, large and small, as low as $100. q

In this Sept. 17, 2017, file photo, Tom Petty of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers appears at KAABOO 2017 in San Diego, Calif.

Associated Press

Vergara says new lingerie line also assists businesswomen

Actress Sofia Vergara participates in the BUILD Speaker Series to discuss her new subscription underwear line “EBY”, at AOL Studios on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, in New York.

Associated Press

A32 FEATURE

Wednesday 4 October 2017

For many hotels, terror risks make tight security routine

By KELVIN CHAN and DAVID KOENIG AP Business Writers In many parts of the world, the constant fear of extremist attacks has led to tighter security measures at hotels and resorts, but that is less so in the United States, where hotels are reluctant to intrude on the privacy of guests.

Security experts say the shooting attack that left at least 59 people dead in Las Vegas could lead to more cameras and more training for hotel staff.

More aggressive measures such as metal detectors or X-ray screening of guests and luggage — standard for airline travel — are less likely to gain footing in the U.S. because of cost and privacy concerns.

Although they are private property, hotels are notably public spaces in most of the world. In many places, luxury hotels have entrances from shopping malls, and their lobbies serve as a refuge from noisy, chaotic streets.

Hotel operators in other countries are increasingly deploying armed guards, vehicle barricades, X-ray machines and other measures to reduce the risk of attack.

The King David Hotel in Jerusalem, where President Donald Trump and other foreign leaders have stayed, reportedly uses infrared cameras carried by balloons and robots in sewers to search for bombs.

Windows on higher floors can withstand gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades, and the air conditioning system is designed to block attacks using poison gas.

The Resorts World Manila casino in the Philippines said it hired a security contractor, Blackpanda, and established new security protocols after a man with a gambling addiction carried out an arson attack in June that left 37 dead, the latest major incident in Asia.

Even before the attack, visitors to Resorts World — like many other hotels, office buildings and shopping malls in Manila — were

In this Friday, June 2, 2017, file photo, a security guard, left, inspects a man at the entrance of the hotel at the Resorts World Manila complex, in Manila, Philippines, where a gunman stormed the mall-casino complex earlier in the day.

Associated Press

required to pass through metal detectors and have their bags X-rayed. Somehow the attacker got past hotel security with an ammunition vest and assault rifle.

That was a trifling arsenal compared with the 23 guns and prodigious ammunition stockpile that 64-yearold Stephen Paddock hoarded in his room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel casino overlooking the Las Vegas Strip and a packed country music

festival.

Attention is certain to focus on how Paddock was able to carefully prepare and stage his deadly attack on Sunday night.

“My guess is we will see more security cameras at many hotels and more monitoring of people who bring many large packages to a hotel room,” said Bjorn Hanson, a professor of hospitality and tourism at New York University. “But I don’t think one event will lead to more intrusive mea-

sures” in the U.S. such as metal detectors or X-raying guests’ bags.

Hanson also believes that hotels, perhaps pressured by their insurance carriers, will increase training of staff to spot suspicious behavior or materials left in rooms.

There is a model for that in training to help staff spot human trafficking, he said.

Jeffrey Price, a security expert at Metropolitan State University of Denver, said employees who clean rooms should report

In this Friday, June 2, 2017, file photo, smoke rises from an attack inside the Resorts World Manila complex in suburban Pasay city, southeast of Manila, Philippines.

Associated Press

it to a supervisor if they see weapons, but that screening guests’ bags would be difficult in a place like Las Vegas, where people having a lot of luggage is not all that unusual.

“It would be a logistical nightmare to screen everybody going into and out of the hotel room, not to mention costing billions of dollars,” Price said. “That also gets into all sorts of privacy-rights issues.”

Hanson and Price said people who attend major public events should take their own precautions including knowing where the exits are, having an escape route in mind and a place to meet with companions if they get separated.

The American Hotel and Lodging Association said that hotels in Las Vegas were working closely with local law enforcement after the shooting.

“Hotels have safety and security procedures in place that are regularly reviewed, tested and updated as are their emergency response procedures,” the group’s president, Katherine Lugar, said in a statement. “As we better understand the facts in the coming days, we will continue to work with law enforcement to evaluate these measures.”

Hotels already employ security measures such as asking guests to show their room key in the lobby, and limiting access to some floors to those who have a keycard. But because the U.S. hasn’t had the same experience — in frequency or ferocity — of hotel attacks in countries where security is tougher, that could make stringent measures seem less worthy when applied against a cost-benefit ratio.

Other regions can’t afford or aren’t willing to take the risk. For instance, Africa saw two attacks on hotels within months of each other in 2015 — 38 died in Tunisia and 18 in Mali.

Tunisia depends on tourism and seen arrivals plummet since a spate of attacks.

Since 2015, hotels have beefed up police presence and brought in metal detectors.q