August 15, 2019

Thursday

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Page 13

AP Analysis: Moving to make immigration whiter, wealthier

By ZEKE MILLER and JILL COLVIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is on a course to remake the face of immigration in America in ways that would turn it whiter and wealthier.

It is a dramatic editing of the American catechism welcoming "your tired, your poor, your huddled masses , yearning to breathe free," inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, to "your tired and your poor who can stand on their on their own two feet and will not become a public charge."

The administration official who offered that rewrite, Ken Cuccinelli, acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, affirmed on Wednesday that his words were intentional, including his added notion that the poem was written for Europeans.

Continued on Page 4

In this Aug. 11, 2019, file photo, children of mainly Latino immigrant parents hold signs in support of them and those individuals picked up during an immigration raid at a food processing plant, during a protest march to the Madison County Courthouse in Canton, Miss.

Associated Press

A2 UP

Thursday 15 August 2019

FRONT

Police to crack down on impaired driving through Labor Day

By LUIS ALONSO LUGO WASHINGTON (AP) — About 30,000 police officers will be out on the roads around the country through the Labor Day weekend to crack down on impaired driving, an annual effort that this year poses potential risks to immigrants who fear getting stopped and deported.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Wednesday it will run the high-visibility enforcement campaign during what is one of the deadliest times on U.S. roads. Similar efforts have taken place in previous years, but the heightened police presence this year may increase the fear of potential deportation among some immigrants, given the strict immigration policies pursued by the Trump administration.

Since his arrival in the White House, President Donald Trump has moved to increase deportations, limit the access of asylum seekers to the U.S. justice system and end migratory benefits such as Temporary Protected Status for nationals of

Jamie Pfister, associate administrator for Regional Operations and Program Delivery at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speaks during a news conference at the headquarters of the Department of Transportation in Washington, Wednesday Aug. 14, 2019.

Associated Press

countries ravaged by natural disasters or wars, among other policies.

And the Latino community is feeling particularly vulnerable after a gunman who said he was purposely targeting Mexicans killed 22 people in El Paso, Texas, this month.

Partner organizations in the traffic-safety campaign "If You Feel Different, You Drive Different — Drive High, Get a DUI" offered mixed opinions about the possibil-

ity that it could lead to the deportation of immigrants in the country illegally.

"The first thing I would say to the immigrant community is, 'Do not fear if you get pulled over by local police that they are going to check your immigration status,'" said Domingo Herraiz, director of programs at the International Association of Chiefs of Police. "It is not the role of local law enforcement. That is the role of Homeland Security."

But Darrin Grondel, chair of the Governors Highway Safety Association, said deportations could happen because "it is going to be up to the local jurisdictions.

There are very different jurisdictional approaches for that."

Cody Wofsy, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, said "local law enforcement should not be acting as a federal immigration force, but non-citizens in the country during

this campaign, and in general, should be aware of their rights and assert them if they need to."

The campaign, which begins Friday, has a $13 million media budget to run public service announcements on television, radio, online and on social media and in cinemas to stress that not only alcohol but also marijuana and prescribed medications can cause impaired driving.

"Almost everyone knows that driving drunk is dangerous, puts lives at risk, and get you a DUI, but there isn't the same awareness for drug-impaired driving," NHTSA Deputy Administrator Heidi King said.

Although the number of drunken driving-related deaths has fallen over the past three decades, it is still more than 10,000 per year.

While the prevention of impaired-driving is important for all communities, it may be of particular importance for Latinos. Of the Latino children under 14 who were killed in car accidents, 20% of them were in accidents related to the consumption of alcohol.q

U.S. NEWS A3

Thursday 15 August 2019

Rep. King suggests rapes, incest helped populate the world

By SCOTT McFETRIDGE Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — U.S. Rep. Steve King on Wednesday defended his call for a ban on all abortions by questioning whether "there would be any population of the world left" if not for births due to rape and incest.

Speaking before a conservative group in the Des Moines suburb of Urbandale, the Iowa congressman reviewed legislation he has sought that would outlaw abortions without exceptions for rape and incest. King justified the lack of exceptions by questioning how many people would be alive if not for those conceived through rapes and incest.

"What if we went back through all the family trees and just pulled out anyone who was a product of rape or incest? Would there be any population of the world left if we did that?" King asked, according to The Des Moines Register, which covered the event. "Considering all the wars and all the rapes and pillages that happened throughout all these different nations, I know that I can't say that I was not a part of a product of that."

He added: "It's not the baby's fault for the sin of the father, or of the mother."

A King spokesman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

The nine-term Republican congressman, who repre-

sents a sprawling, largely rural 39-county district, has been criticized repeatedly for comments he's made over the years, especially on issues related to race and immigration.

Shortly before the November 2018 election, The Washington Post reported that King met in Austria with the far-right Freedom Party, a group with Nazi ties.

King said the meeting was with business leaders, including one person from the Freedom Party, but the newspaper stood by its story.

Soon after the election, King was quoted in a New York Times story saying, "White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?"

The comments were denounced as racist and led the House to vote 424-1 to rebuke King. Republican leaders also stripped him of his committee assignments.

Although King has usually breezed to victories in the conservative 4th Congressional District, he narrowly won his last election over Democrat J.D. Scholten.

This year, several candidates have said they will challenge King for the Republican nomination, including conservative state Sen. Randy Feenstra.

Scholten also recently announced he'd again run for the seat.

After King's comment Wednesday, Feenstra said in a statement, "I am 100% pro-life but Steve

King's bizarre comments and behavior diminish our message & damage our cause."

Scholten also criticized King.

"Yet again, Steve King puts his selfish, hateful ideology above the needs of the people of Iowa's 4th District. Excusing violence — in any way — is entirely unacceptable," Scholten said in a statement.

In a tweet, U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 Repub-

U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, speaks during a town hall meeting, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019, in Boone, Iowa. Associated Press

lican in House leadership, called King's comments "appalling and bizarre" and added "it's time for him to go."

Several Democratic presidential candidates noted King's comments and urged people to contribute to Scholten's campaign.q

A4 U.S.

Thursday 15 August 2019

Continued from Front

He said in a statement that his agency "is tasked with enforcing the law, not a poem."

It's another defiant step in President Donald Trump's long march to change the way the nation thinks about immigrants, an approach he hopes will win over enough voters to earn him a second term.

He's added another layer of certainty that the 2020 campaign will be deeply rooted in a cultural battle over national identity.

But he faces an accompanying danger that his hard line will further energize Democrats, alienate suburban women and prompt a swell of newly registered Latino voters.

Democrats have been quick to charge that the enforcement pivot the administration announced on Monday — to block many legal immigrants who receive public benefits from being granted green cards — was rooted in sowing racial animus.

"This administration finally admitted what we've known all along: They think the Statue of Liberty only applies to white people," tweeted former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke, a Democratic presidential candidate.

The president and his aides "have further stained this country's tradition as a beacon of hope for immigrants," said Hispanic Federation President José Calderón.

"Shame on them."

Depending on how the new "public charge" rules are applied, experts say that changes intended to predict whether applicants are likely to use public benefits could dramatically alter the makeup of immigrants eligible for green cards or permanent residency in the U.S. by taking into account their incomes,

NEWS

ages and employment histories.

According to a study by the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute, the rules would likely reduce immigration from Mexico and Central America, while increasing it from other regions, especially Europe.

The income standards, in particular, could lead to reduced rates for Mexican, Central American, Caribbean, African and Asian applicants. Canadian and Austrian applicants could likely benefit, as could applicants from non-white countries like India and Japan.

The study also found the new rules would have put most recent legal permanent residents at risk of denial, with 69 percent of the past five years' green card recipients displaying at least one of the "negative factors" identified by the government. The rules are also likely to make it harder for the parents of U.S. citizens to join their children in the country because they're more likely to be older, not working and facing health challenges.

"America's always been a path to success for millions of people and now America wants to make it so that it's a path only for those who have already succeeded," said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a policy analyst at the American Immigration Council.

Trump rose to the White House fanning unease about an increasingly diverse nation, where demographic and immigration trends are projected to make whites a minority in less than two decades.

As Trump told it, immigrants were stealing his supporters' jobs and driving down their wages, denying working class whites opportunities for success.

Immigrants were effective scapegoats, especially

Acting Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Ken Cuccinelli, speaks during a briefing at the White House, Monday, Aug. 12, 2019, in Washington.

Associated Press

in towns in the industrial heartland and other economically depressed areas of the country still reeling from job losses as the rest of the country was experiencing an economic recovery.

And Trump has continued to push that message.

His administration has tried to severely limit the number of migrants claiming asylum in the U.S. and has dramatically reduced refugee admissions — with further reductions possible next month when refugee limits for next year are unveiled.

He has also endorsed legislation that would slash legal immigration rates, while at the same time pushing for a wholesale overhaul of the kinds of immigrants who should be permitted, favoring those with certain skills and high-wage job offers over those with family ties to the U.S. Blunted by Democrats in Congress, he has turned to administrative action, with mixed results withstanding legal challenges.

In addition to the changes he's made and proposed, Trump has spoken dispar-

agingly about immigration from majority black and Hispanic countries, including calling Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals when he launched his 2016 campaign. Last year, he privately branded Central American and African nations as "shithole" countries and he suggested the U.S. take in more immigrants from European countries like predominantly white

Norway. Immigration official Cuccinelli seemed to limit the reach of the Statue of Liberty poem in an interview with CNN on Tuesday night. He said it was referring to "people coming from Europe where they had class-based societies where people were considered wretched if they weren't in the right class."

His own agency seems to like the original. q

U.S. NEWS A5

Thursday 15 August 2019

Government moves toward easing drive-time rules for truckers

By RICHARD LARDNER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration took a key step Wednesday toward relaxing federal rules that govern the length of time truck drivers can spend behind the wheel, a move long sought by the trucking industry but opposed by safety advocates who warn it could lead to more highway crashes.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, an agency of the Transportation Department, issued proposed changes to the "hours of service" rules , which dictate breaks truckers are required to take, and their time on and off duty.

"It puts a little more power back in the hands of the drivers and motor carriers," said Raymond Martinez, head of the federal safety agency. Martinez said the agency listened to drivers and their calls for safer and more flexible rules.

But highway safety groups have warned that putting the revisions into place would dangerously weaken the regulations.

"The agency is offering flexibility without regard for the fact that it could be exploited by the worst actors in the industry, including drivers who will operate while fatigued and motor carriers who will coerce them to do so," said Harry Adler, executive director of the Truck Safety Coalition.

There were 4,657 large trucks involved in fatal crashes in 2017, a 10% increase from the year before, according to a May report issued by the agency. Sixty of the truckers in these accidents were identified as "asleep or fatigued," although the National Transportation Safety Board has said this type of driver impairment is likely underreported on police crash forms.

Trade groups that represented truck drivers and motor carriers have pushed for years for less rigid hours of service rules, arguing that the regulations were

too rigid and out of step with the daily realties confronting most truck drivers.

They found a supporter in President Donald Trump, who has made rolling back layers of regulatory oversight a priority.

"To me, having the flexibility is huge," said Terry Button, a hay farmer from upstate New York who owns his truck and has logged about 4 million miles since he started driving in 1976.

"It's good that the government finally took the time to listen to the people who do the job." Button spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The existing regulations limit long-haul truckers to 11 hours of driving time within a 14-hour on-duty window.

Drivers must have had 10 consecutive hours off duty before the on-duty clock starts anew. A driver who is going to be driving for more than eight hours must take a 30-minute off-duty break before hitting the eight-hour mark.

Under the proposed revisions, truckers could take a break while they are on duty but not driving. Drivers have complained that long waits for cargo to be loaded or unloaded keep them idle yet they are still required to take an off-duty break, even if they do not need to rest or cannot find suitable parking for a big rig.

The administration also is proposing to allow drivers to "pause" the 14-hour driving window for an off-duty break of up to three hours, provided the trucker still takes the 10 consecutive hours off duty at the end of the work shift.

Short-haul drivers are exempt from logging their time electronically if they meet certain criteria that include starting and returning to the same location within 12 consecutive hours and not exceeding a 100mile radius. The proposal would extend the on-duty period to 14 hours and increase the distance limit to 150 miles.

Eric Teoh, a senior statisti-

cian with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, had urged against lengthening the short-haul work period. In a letter sent to Martinez and the agency last year, Teoh said that a recent Institute study showed that interstate truck drivers operating under the short-haul exemption had a crash risk 383% higher than those not using the exemption.

The powerful American Trucking Associations, whose members include the nation's largest motor carriers and truck manufacturing companies, said in a statement that the revisions maintain the "core principles" of the regulations.

A group representing independent truck drivers

In this June 13, 2019 photo, truck driver Terry Button poses with his truck during at stop in Opal, Va., Thursday, June 13, 2019.

Associated Press

hailed the "common-sense approach" that will make it easier for truckers to avoid heavy traffic, bad weather and other adverse situations. "Truckers have families and want to get home safely just like everyone else. They are the most knowledgeable, highway safety advocates and the agency's proposal, overall,

recognizes that fact," said Todd Spencer, president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. The organization Spencer heads and a grassroots group called TruckerNation.org last year petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to amend the hours of service rules.q

Opening Hours: Monday to Monday from 5:00 pm to 10:30 pm

A6 U.S.

NEWS ICE raids raise question: What about the employers?

Thursday 15 August 2019

HOUSTON (AP) — The images of children crying after their parents were arrested in a massive immigration raid in Mississippi revived a longstanding complaint: Unauthorized workers are jailed or deported, while the managers and business owners who profit from their labor often go unprosecuted.

Under President Donald Trump, the number of business owners and managers who face criminal charges for employing unauthorized workers has stayed almost the same, even as almost every other enforcement measure has surged.

Last week's raids at seven chicken-processing plants were the largest worksite operation conducted under the Trump administration. The operation led to 680 arrests of people in the U.S. illegally, with expected criminal charges to follow for some. But no plant owners or top managers were immediately charged, following the pattern of other recent sweeps.

Lawyers and experts agree that investigating managers takes longer and is far more difficult than arresting workers. A key hurdle that predates the Trump administration is that federal law makes it a crime to "knowingly" hire workers who are in the U.S. illegally.

"The 'knowingly' term has proved to be a huge defense for employers," said Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute. "The employer says, 'I'm sorry, I didn't know they were unauthorized.'"

In a statement Tuesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Matthew Albence said that anyone found to have broken the law in the Mississippi case would be held accountable, includ-

In this Aug. 7, 2019, file photo, a man is taken into custody at a Koch Foods Inc. plant in Morton, Miss.

Associated Press

ing "the employers who profit off their crimes." Warrants unsealed after the Mississippi arrests allege that managers at two processing plants participated in fraud.

After Trump took office, then-Acting Director Thomas Homan declared that ICE would try to increase all worksite enforcement actions by 400%.

ICE succeeded almost across the board in just one government fiscal year.

According to statistics the agency released in December, it quadrupled the number of investigations it opened and audits of paperwork submitted by employees to get hired. And it made 2,304 arrests in worksite cases, seven times as many as the previous year.

The major exception was for managers. ICE arrested just 72 managers in the 2018 fiscal year, compared with

71 the year before. And 49 managers were convicted of crimes, down from 55 the previous year.

Congress first created criminal penalties for employers in 1986. According to researchers at Syracuse University, prosecutions under the law banning employers from knowingly employing unauthorized workers have rarely exceeded 15 a year since then. Between April 2018 and this March, just 11 people were prosecuted in seven cases.

Employers can also be charged with other crimes.

The former owner of a meat-processing plant raided in Tennessee last year was sentenced in July to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion, wire fraud and employing unauthorized workers. Investigations are still ongoing following several major Trump administration

/arubatoday/

raids.

Companies and business owners are also better equipped to fight charges than workers who were already earning low wages and now face detention and deportation.

Those workers are sometimes victims of labortrafficking schemes. They can be critical witnesses to prove businesses knew about their lack of legal status, except they may fear coming forward. Some opponents of the administration blame its immigration crackdown for deterring people from contacting law enforcement.

And while both Republicans and Democrats have previously supported enforcement of workplace immigration laws as a way to protect U.S. citizen workers, many businesses are having trouble finding workers due to low unemployment nationally. They quietly rely on unauthorized labor to stay productive, making prosecutions politically unpopular, Chishti said.

Trump himself has been accused of employing unauthorized workers at his hotels, golf courses and other businesses.

"On paper, there is a lot of

enforcement of law, but in reality, people are constantly abusing the law," Chishti said.

Thomas Saenz, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, argued that ramping up penalties for employing unauthorized workers was counterproductive. Instead, he said, the U.S. should better enforce workplace safety standards and prevent wage theft, reducing the incentive for unscrupulous businesses to hire unauthorized workers.

"When you make immigrant workers afraid of the federal government, then you are protecting employers who exploit," Saenz said.

A common outcome in workplace cases is a settlement where the offending company pays a fine and agrees to adopt measures like checking every new hire in the federal E-Verify program, which examines personal information submitted to an employer in government records for any potential fraud.

ICE in August 2018 raided a trailer company in Sumner, Texas. Nearly 160 people were arrested at the company, Load Trail LLC. Load Trail had reached a settlement with ICE just four years earlier. A new criminal investigation is now ongoing, and lawyers for Load Trail say they are close to reaching another settlement. The company said it had relied on staffing companies to provide workers and confirm their legal status.

In April, another raid targeted CVE Technology Group , which repairs and refurbishes cellphones, leading to 284 arrests. That investigation is also ongoing.

Both companies say their business has fallen and they have had trouble hiring replacement workers. Rick Gump, a lawyer for CVE, said the company lost several major contracts after the raid, causing a roughly 75% decline in business.

"The likelihood is a lot of the business that was here in the U.S. has been sent overseas," he said.q

U.S. NEWS A7

Thursday 15 August 2019

1st US ethnic studies plan called anti-Semitic, faces update SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California's effort to write the nation's first ethnic studies curriculum for public schools has united liberals and conservatives: They think it's terrible.

Jewish lawmakers complained that the proposed lessons are anti-Semitic, while a conservative critic says capitalism is presented as a "form of power and oppression." The clash comes as a law requires the state to adopt ethnic studies, which view history through the lens of diverse cultures.

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond said Wednesday that he will recommend changes to better reflect the contributions of Jewish Americans and remove sections that the California Legislative Jewish Caucus finds objectionable.

"We really need some significant changes, if not to go back to square one," said Democratic state Sen. Ben Allen of Santa Monica, the caucus chairman. "Our concern is that the draft curriculum, as currently written, would literally institutionalize the teaching of anti-Semitic stereotypes in our public schools."

For instance, the proposed curriculum has lessons on identifying Islamophobia and other forms of discrimination but does not include ways to identify anti-Semitism. Song lyrics included in the draft also seem to support the stereotype that Jews control the news media, the caucus said.

"It would be a cruel irony if a curriculum meant to help alleviate prejudice and bigotry were to instead marginalize Jewish students and fuel hatred and discrimination against the Jewish community," the 14 caucus members said in a recent letter.

Jewish lawmakers said that's a particular danger following a rise in hate crimes against California Jews last year and recent attacks on synagogues, including one in April. A 19-year-old gunman told

Democratic state Sen. Ben Allen of Santa Monica, center, speaks beside Superintendent Tony Thurmond, right, at a news conference Wednesday Aug. 14, 2019, in Sacramento, Calif.

Associated Press

investigators he was motivated by Jewish hatred when he killed a woman and wounded two other people, including a rabbi, at the Chabad of Poway synagogue near San Diego.

"Children are not born as bigots, and so it's critically important that we get this curriculum right," said Democratic Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson of Santa Barbara.

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond said the omission of Jewish contributions was not intentional but that ethnic studies traditionally have focused on African Americans, Latinos, Asian and Pacific Islanders and indigenous people.

He and Jewish lawmakers said there have been other requests to include Hindus and a section on the Armenian genocide.

Allen suggested that white Europeans might learn empathy for immigrants today if there were a section on the discrimination that Italian and Irish nationals once faced in the U.S. "There's no limit on groups who have experienced oppression," Thurmond said.

In 2016, then-Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, signed a law requiring the state to adopt an ethnic studies curriculum by March 31,

2020. Thurmond said he is likely to ask lawmakers to extend the deadline.

Earlier this year, state officials completed a draft of the curriculum written by a panel of mostly classroom teachers.

The proposed curriculum went to a Board of Education advisory commission in May, and it's seeking public comments through Thursday. Commission members will consider the comments and changes at public hearings in Sacramento next month.

Board leaders said in statement that the curriculum "should be accurate (and) free of bias," acknowledging that "the current draft model curriculum falls short and needs to be substantially redesigned."

The law doesn't require schools to adopt the final version, but legislation approved by the state Assembly and awaiting a vote in the Senate would make the course a requirement to graduate from high school.

Aside from the Jewish lawmakers' concerns, conservative researcher Williamson Evers said California wants to teach kids that capitalism is racist.

Evers, a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and a former as-

sistant education secretary under former President George W. Bush, said in a Wall Street Journal opinion column that the draft includes capitalism as a "form of power and oppression" in an apparently "left wing" approach to the classroom.

Thurmond said he wasn't offering changes to address that criticism. Democratic Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel of Encino, vice chairman of the Jewish caucus, said that too needs to be fixed because it reflects a "fundamentally flawed curriculum" that "feels a lot more like indoctrination."

"We know that it's very personal. History is very personal, ethnic studies is very personal, so we know and understand that this is difficult," said Stephanie Gregson, director of the curriculum division at the state education department.

Gregson called Evers' criticisms a mischaracterization that's taken "out of context."

But she said the department is planning changes after recognizing that the draft curriculum does not meet state guidelines of inclusivity and "creating space for all students, regardless of race, ethnicity, class or gender."q

A8 WORLD

Thursday 15 August 2019

NEWS

UK Labour leader lays out plan to stop a no-deal Brexit

By JILL LAWLESS DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The leader of Britain's biggest opposition party on Wednesday urged other opposition forces to unite, topple Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative government and prevent Britain from leaving the European Union in October without a divorce agreement.

The move came after Johnson accused anti-Brexit U.K. politicians of collaborating with the EU to stymie Britain's exit from the bloc.

Jeremy Corbyn, who heads the main opposition Labour Party, said he planned to call a no-confidence vote in Johnson's government "at the earliest opportunity when we can be confident of success" once Parliament returns from its summer break in September.

In this file photo dated Wednesday, April 10, 2019, Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond in Downing Street in London.

Associated Press

In a letter to other opposition leaders and pro-EU Conservative lawmakers,

the Labour chief said Parliament should then unite behind a Corbyn-led "tem-

porary government" that would seek a delay to Brexit day — currently scheduled

for Oct. 31 — and call a national election.

The plan is feasible under Parliament's rules, but is likely to face resistance.

The smaller opposition parties agree on the need to avoid a no-deal Brexit, but don't want to put Corbyn — a veteran left-winger whom many distrust — in power. Labour, meanwhile, is likely to oppose a politician from any other party heading a national unity government.

Johnson has vowed that Britain will leave the EU on Oct. 31 — just 11 weeks away — with or without a divorce deal. He is demanding the EU make major changes to the agreement the bloc made with his predecessor, Theresa May. The EU refuses to renegotiate, so a no-deal Brexit appears increasingly likely.q

Czech president nixes Cabinet nominee; move could fold govt

In this Wednesday, June 26, 2019, file photo, Czech Republic's Prime Minister Andrej Babis looks up during a parliament session in Prague, Czech Republic.

Associated Press

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech president refused to appoint a candidate for a Cabinet post Wednesday, deepening a political crisis that could cause the country's coalition government to fall.

Prime Minister Andrej Babis nominated the candidate to replace the culture minister he asked to have removed in May at the request of a partner party in the governing coalition, the Czech Social Democratic Party.

Cabinet changes are generally a routine matter. Under the Czech Constitution,

the president is supposed to comply with the prime minister's appointment requests.

President Milos Zeman initially hesitated but then fired Culture Minister Antonin Stanek at the end of July. But Zeman said Wednesday he didn't think the person nominated to take Stanek's place was "competent" for the job.

The proposed replacement, Michal Smarda, is Social Democratic Party deputy chairman.

The president said Smarda has no experience with cultural affairs.

The Social Democrats have said Smarda's appointment was a condition for staying in the government. If they pull out, it could lead to an early election.

Babis said he would meet with party chairman Jan Hamacek next week.

Hamacek told Czech public television Wednesday he was not ready to consider a candidate other than Smarda.

The Social Democrats pushed for Stanek's ouster after he fired two directors of state-run art galleries in April, moves that were met with a wave of protests.q

WORLD NEWS A9

Thursday 15 August 2019

Firefighters battle blaze in Greek island nature reserve

By SRDJAN NEDELJKOVIC ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press MAKRYMALLI, Greece (AP) — Greek firefighters backed by water-dropping planes and helicopters battled a wildfire on the island of Evia for a second day Wednesday, with flareups in hard-to-reach areas hampering efforts to bring the blaze fully under control.

The fire was burning through a protected nature reserve on Greece's second largest island. A massive firefighting effort managed to prevent it spreading to inhabited areas, and some residents of Makrimalli and Platanas, two of the four villages evacuated the previous day, began returning to their homes Wednesday afternoon.

Seven planes and seven helicopters as well as two planes sent from Italy, were tackling the blaze, concentrating on areas where

Firefighters operate during a wildfire in Makrymalli village on the Greek island of Evia, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019.

Associated Press

access to the dense pine forest, which includes canyons, was difficult by land.

More than 250 firefighters, soldiers and volunteers

were battling the wildfire that broke out at 3 a.m.

Tuesday. The cause is under investigation.

By late Wednesday after-

noon, flare-ups were occurring mainly deep inside the forest and far from inhabited areas. Strong winds that had fanned the

flames Tuesday and carried smoke as far as the Greek capital, Athens, around 70 kilometers (47 miles) to the south, died down, leading officials to express cautious optimism.

"Things are better, but ... no complacency is allowed and I would ask everyone to carefully follow the orders and directions of the civil protection authority and the fire department," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said during a visit to the area.

Thanking firefighters for their efforts, Mitsotakis said "drastic interventions" would be made in the way that civil protection operates.

"I am satisfied by the level of coordination but there is still other work that needs to be done," he said. "We know that wildfires will be with us. They will be part, as they have always been, of our daily life as climate change is taking its toll on southern Europe."q

Striking Portuguese truckers defy gov't order to deliver gas

By BARRY HATTON Associated Press LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal braced Wednesday for possible fuel shortages as a trade union representing striking tanker truck drivers said they would defy a government order that they provide minimum deliveries to gas stations — a move that could send them to prison.

The move stoked fears that gas stations could soon run dry and deepened political tension less than two months before a general election.

It was not immediately clear whether truckers would heed the call by the National Hazardous Materials Drivers' Union, which

represents some 750 of the country's about 900 tanker drivers.

Portuguese media reported that no tanker trucks loaded up at a major northern depot, but truckers at a large southern depot were complying with the government order.

Portugal is already rationing gas, three days after the walkout began. The strike came during the peak vacation season and as the harvest of summer staples, such as tomatoes, is coming in.

Anticipating gas shortages, the center-left Socialist government demanded before the strike that truckers provide a minimum volume of supplies, including

to emergency services and airports.

The government also insisted that truckers maintain 75% of normal gas deliveries for public transport systems and 50% to gas stations in order to keep the country running. Soldiers and police have also made gas deliveries.

Authorities concluded that the truckers were not fully complying with the stipulated minimum of deliveries, so on Monday the government enacted a rarelyused law which makes failure to carry out minimum services punishable by up to two years in prison.

After 11 truckers were served with a summons for alleged failure to com-

Soldiers get ready two tanker trucks at a fuel depot in Aveiras, outside Lisbon, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019.

Associated Press

ply with the order, union spokesman Pedro Pardal Henriques announced early Wednesday that no truckers would work.

"They won't do anything," he said at a picket line.

"They'll need a lot of buses to come and take all of us away."q

A10 WORLD

Thursday 15 August 2019

NEWS

Syrian troops push closer to major rebel-held northwest town

By BASSEM MROUE BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian government forces captured five villages in the country's northwest early Wednesday, inching closer to a major rebel-controlled town that was the scene of a deadly 2017 chemical weapons attack and forcing thousands to flee their homes to a safer area farther north, opposition activists and state media reported.

Opposition activists also reported that a Syrian warplane was shot down by rebels in the area, adding that the fate of the pilot was not immediately clear. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said the warplane was shot down on the southern edge of Idlib province. Activist Taher alOmar, who has close links with militants, said it was a Russian-made SU-22.

The Ibaa news agency, the media arm of the main al-Qaida-linked group in northwestern Syria, posted

This photo provided by the Ibaa News Agency, the media arm of al-Qaida's branch in Syria, purports to show part of a Syrian warplane that was shot down by rebel fighters over Idlib province in Syria, Wednesday, Aug 14, 2019.

Associated Press

photos of what it said was the warplane, which appeared charred and destroyed.

Pro-government media websites said the cause of the crash was a technical problem.

The capture of the five villages — Tel Aas, Khirbet Morshed, Kfar Eyn, Um

Zeitoun and Mantar — puts Syrian troops about 5 kilometers (3 miles) west of Khan Sheikhoun, one of the largest and most populated towns on the southern edge of idlib province, which is the last remaining rebel stronghold in the country.

Khan Sheikhoun is a stronghold of al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the most powerful group in the rebel-held areas. The town was the scene of a chemical attack on April 4, 2017 that killed 89 people.

At the time, the United States, Britain and France

pointed a finger at the Syrian government, saying their experts had found that nerve agents were used in the attack. Days later, the U.S. fired 59 U.S. Tomahawk missiles at the Shayrat Air Base in central Syria, saying the attack on Khan Sheikhoun was launched from the base.

Syrian troops have been on the offensive against rebel strongholds in the north of Hama province and the southern districts of Idlib since April 30.

The three-month campaign of airstrikes and shelling has killed more than 2,000 people on both sides and displaced some 400,000. In recent days, troops have intensified their offensive, capturing the town of Habeet on Sunday.

The aim of the latest government push appears to be to surround several towns and villages in rebelheld Hama, including the towns of Kfar Zeita and Latamneh, as well as to reach Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib.q

Pakistani PM reiterates support to Kashmiris on Indian side MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan's prime minister assured Kashmiri people living in the Indianadministered part of the divided region that he supports them in their struggle for self-determination.

In a statement Wednesday, Imran Khan condemned New Delhi's decision on Aug. 5 to downgrade Kashmir's status, as he began celebrations marking Pakistan's independence day.

Khan celebrated the day in the Pakistan-administered part of Kashmir to express solidarity with Kashmiris on the Indian-controlled side.

In a speech in its Legislative Assembly he warned India against any attack on Pakistan-administered Kashmir to divert attention from human rights violations in the Indian-controlled portion of the Himalayan region.

He said his country has credible intelligence that India could launch an attack and that Pakistan is "fully prepared to respond."

Pakistan has strongly con-

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan addresses Kashmir's Legislative Assembly on the occasion of Pakistan's Independence Day, in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistani Kashmir, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019.

Associated Press

demned India's recent downgrading of Kashmir's status from a state with some autonomy to two territories.

India has imposed an unprecedented security lock-

down to try to prevent any violent reaction in Kashmir to its downgraded status.

Khan told the lawmakers that he will step up diplomatic efforts to highlight the issue of Kashmir and In-

dian actions there.

India and Pakistan gained independence in 1947 when British colonialists left the subcontinent. The next year, they fought the first of two wars over control of

Kashmir. It ended with the region divided between them, though both claim all of it.

Protests and clashes have occurred daily in the Indian-controlled portion, thought the curfew and communications blackout have meant the reaction is largely subdued.

Pakistan has called for an urgent meeting of the U.N. Security Council, saying the move by India's Hindu nationalist-led government threatens international peace and could lead to ethnic cleansing and genocide. Poland holds the council presidency this month and Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said members would discuss the letter.

Pakistan's president, celebrating Pakistan's independence in Islamabad, condemned India's downgrading of Kashmir's status as a violation of international law and said Pakistan "will not leave Kashmiri people alone."q

WORLD NEWS A11

Thursday 15 August 2019

Sudan's rebels want a role in transitional government

By SAMY MAGDY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — A Sudanese rebel alliance said Wednesday it should be represented in the transitional government formed by the military and the prodemocracy movement.

Yesir Arman, a senior official in the Sudan Revolutionary Front, told The Associated Press that the transitional government should end the long-running war in Darfur and integrate the rebels into the armed forces as part of an "agenda of peace."

Sudan has been convulsed by rebellions in its far-flung provinces for decades. A cease-fire has held since the military overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April, and the rebels have joined the pro-democracy

coalition, which includes the organizers of months of mass protests that eventually forced al-Bashir from power.

The SRF is an alliance of the largest rebel groups in Darfur, where the International Criminal Court has accused al-Bashir of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in the early 2000s.

Arman spoke to the AP in Cairo, where his group held talks with the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change, the coalition representing the protesters, on changes to the agreement struck with the military. The military and the protesters initialed the agreement earlier this month and the formal signing is planned for Saturday.

"This process is complex.

It's been viewed differently

Yesir Arman of the Sudan Revolutionary Front speaks to The Associated Press Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019, in Cairo, Egypt.

Associated Press

from the perspective of the Sudan Revolutionary Front.

And also our allies in the FDFC, they have different priorities," Arman said. He echoed complaints by other members of the coalition that the FDFC lacks an organized decision-making

body. The power-sharing deal would create a joint military and civilian sovereign council to rule for a little over three years until elections can be held. The agreement would establish a Cabinet appointed by the activists, as well as

a legislative body in which the protest coalition would have a majority.

The power-sharing deal calls for the government to reach a peace agreement with the rebels within six months. Arman said the rebels want assurances that any peace agreement would supersede the constitutional document reached between the military and the protesters.

Otherwise, he said, "if there are contradictions, how are you going to resolve these contradictions?"

He said the rebels are also seeking a commitment to broad-based security reform, after decades in which al-Bashir and previous governments relied on an array of shadowy paramilitary groups to remain in power.q

Satellite photos: Chinese armored vehicles near Hong Kong BEIJING (AP) — Satellite photos show what appear to be armored personnel carriers and other vehicles belonging to the China's paramilitary People's Armed Police parked in a sports complex in the city of Shenzhen, in what some have interpreted as a threat from Beijing to use increased force against pro-democracy protesters across the border in Hong Kong.

The pictures collected on Monday by Maxar's WorldView show 500 or more vehicles sitting on and around the soccer stadium at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center just across the harbor from the Asian financial hub that has been rocked

by more than two months of near-daily street demonstrations.

Flights at Hong Kong's airport, one of the world's busiest, were disrupted on Monday and Tuesday by a mass demonstration and occasional violence inside its terminal.

Chinese state media have said only that the Shenzhen exercises had been planned before hand and were not directly related to the unrest in Hong Kong, although they came shortly after the central government in Beijing said the protests were beginning to show the "sprouts of terrorism."

President Donald Trump tweeted that U.S. intel-

ligence believes that the Chinese government is moving troops to its border with Hong Kong and that, "Everyone should be calm and safe!" Beijing has been apparently reluctant to send in police or army units from the mainland or to mobilize the People's Liberation Army garrison in Hong Kong to quell the unrest. It's seen as mindful of the devastating effect that would have both on the territory's reputation as a safe and stable place to invest in, and as indication of the Communist Party's failure to win over the hearts and minds of the city's 7.3 million residents, 22 years after the former British colony was handed over to China.q

This satellite image captured on Monday, Aug. 12, 2019, provided by Satellite image Š2019 Maxar Technologies appears to show Chinese security force vehicles inside the Shenzen Bay Sports Center, middle, in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, bordering Hong Kong.

Associated Press

A12 WORLD

Thursday 15 August 2019

NEWS

President-elect says Guatemala can't do migrant deal with US SONIA PEREZ D. Associated Press GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A Guatemalan immigration agreement signed with the Trump administration won't work because the Central American nation does not have the resources, the country's new presidentelect says.

Alejandro Giammattei, a conservative who was chosen overwhelmingly by voters in a weekend runoff election, said in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday that Guatemala is too poor to tend to its own people, let alone those from other countries.

The agreement signed in July by the outgoing administration of President Jimmy Morales would require migrants from other countries who cross into Guatemala to apply for asylum here rather than in the U.S. "In order to be a safe country, one has to be certified as such by an international body, and I do not think

Guatemala's President-elect Alejandro Giammattei gives an interview in Guatemala City, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019.

Associated Press

Guatemala fulfills the requirements to be a third safe country. That definition doesn't fit us," said Giammattei, a 63-year-old doctor.

"If we do not have the ca-

pacity for our own people, just imagine other people."

Guatemalans make up one of the largest groups emigrating from Central America because of poverty, unemployment and

crime. Critics say it is hard to see how the country could offer a safe haven to migrants from other nations.

The agreement signed by the current Morales govern-

ment is aimed at reducing the number of asylum seekers arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration pressured Guatemala to sign the deal by threatening to punish Guatemala with taxes.

Giammattei, who takes office Jan. 14, said that annexes to the agreement are still being negotiated with the United States and that he would ask Morales to include members of his transition team in those talks.

The president-elect also noted that the agreement would have to be ratified by the congresses of both nations to go into force.

There has been widespread criticism of the deal in Guatemala.

Giammattei pledged to recognize the importance of Guatemalan migrants living in the United States by creating a Washingtonbased Cabinet-level position to attend to migrant affairs.q

Chastened Argentine leader offers help for workers, the poor ALMUDENA CALATRAVA Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A walloping at the polls led President Mauricio Macri to decree temporary economic relief for poor and working-class Argentines on Wednesday, with measures that include an increased minimum wage, reduced payroll taxes, a bonus for informal workers and a freeze in gasoline prices.

The conservative leader said in a televised address that he recognized the "anger" Argentines expressed in Sunday's primary election, when Macri trailed his leftist rivals by 15 percentage points. The general election is in October.

"I heard what you wanted to tell me on Sunday," he said.

The measures "will bring relief to 17 million workers and their families and all the (small and medium businesses) that are passing through a difficult moment."

A man walk past a currency exchange board in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019.

Associated Press

"After a very hard year and a half, you said, 'No more!" he added, comparing the struggles of working class Argentines to people climbing the hemisphere's highest peak, the nearly 23,000-foot (7,000-meter)

Aconcagua.

The fuel price freeze will last 90 days. Other measures will extend for several months.

Those include cuts in taxes withheld from paychecks, as well as subsidies for work-

ers in the informal sector and the unemployed with children. The minimum salary also will rise.

Public sector workers and members of the armed forces also will receive a bonus roughly equal to $85

at month's end.

The country's nagging high inflation, including higher rates for utilities, and rising unemployment have eroded support for a president who won election in 2015 boasting of his economic expertise after years of leftist-populist leadership, most recently under Cristina Fernández.

Despite facing several corruption trials, she's running for vice president on the ticket with her former chief of staff, Alberto Fernández, who is no relation.

That ticket got 47% of the votes in a primary race pitting candidates of all parties against one another.

Macri won just 32% in what amounted to an usually precise early public opinion poll. The size of the leftist victory frightened investors wary of a return to the interventionist, trade-restricting policies implemented under Cristina Fernández, and it pushed Argentine stocks into a historic collapse this week.q

A13

Thursday 15 August 2019

Ling & Sons: Beauty-full NEW Cosmetics Shop ORANJESTAD — Ling & Sons IGA Supercenter has a huge make-over going on that is in its final phase. The successful supermarket has a solid position on the island and a trustworthy image that makes customers feel like they are shopping at home. Recently, the NEW Cosmetics Shop was opened and that was reason for a big celebration.

The beauty bar was a hit for the visitors last Saturday, August 10, as they could get free tips about make up from renowned brands that Ling & Sons has available in their shining new store.

Several specials and gifts were offered to the clients during the opening celebration as well as make up demos. The day itself was also the start of the Beauty Week, valid until August

17th. This enhances a complete focus on make-up and beauty, so take your chance while this is still on for three days.

L’Oreal, Maybelline, Revlon, Max Factor, Covergirl, Nivea, Biore, Clean & Clear, Neutrogena, Ardell and Siri Siri are just some of the well-known brands you can find at the store against very fair prices. The Grand Opening of the Cosmetics Shop is only the start of a series of happenings, so be prepared. The #1 Supercenter on the island invested in a big renovation with new equipment like refrigerators, showcases, lights, interior design and signage making the place turn into a state-of-the-art supercenter that serves clients in the most comfortable way. Your shopping will be an experience at Ling & Sons!q

Ling and Sons IGA Super Center Schotlandstraat #41, Oranjestad Tel: + (297) 521-2370 Facebook Instagram https://www.lingandsons.com/ Open Mon – Sat 7:30 am – 9:00 pm, Sun 9:00 – 6:00 pm

Mark Your Calendar Every Tuesday: 20 % discount fruits and veggies Every Wednesday: 3 % discount for seniors Every Thursday: 20 % discount on meat Every Friday: Start of the Weekly Specials September 26: Food Show at the Marriott & Stellaris Casino Resort Aruba

Bohemian Restaurant: Tonight live Violinist Angela PALM BEACH — Avant-garde from France, nonconformist in style and ethnic in cuisine. That is what the new kid in town is about. Bohemian Restaurant is different, unconventional and a rebel with a cause. The cause is to make you feel king in this hidden garden with outstanding dishes that connect you to the European liaisons of Aruba. TONIGHT has an extra magic: the live Violinist Angela performs! From traditional French and Italian famous melodies to more upbeat pop and rock and roll. A taste for everyone.

A garden full of strong trees and dressed up in New Yorkstyle industrial-look elements creates a cosmopolitan vibe while at the same time the tropical breeze and outside dining connect to the Caribbean. Waiters with French barrettes and pant suspenders service you with a happy and loose style with on the background the sounds of underground chill music varied with French classics.

ONLY French owned Restaurant The French are famous for their culinary art. Bohemain is the ONLY French owned restaurant on Aruba and offers you Grande gastronomy in a hip decor. French classics like Coq-au-Vin, Beef tartare, Escargot, Duck Foie Gras

Terrine, Bouillabaisse Fish Soup, Tuna-Tartare, Quinoa-Salad, Rib-Eye Butter MaîtreD, Crème Brulee, Chocolate Lava Cake and Pineapple Carpaccio are on the menu. Mediterranean inspired dishes like Ras el Hanout Fish Kebbab, Honey and Rosemary Lamb Shank, Moroccan Lamb sausages, Mediterranean Sea Bass and Grilled Local Catch are other finger licking options. Directly imported wines from wineries in Europe make up for a perfect pairing. You are welcome to enjoy the Happy Hours and Daily Early Birds from 5 to 7 PM. Bon appetite!

Free Parking available at the parking lot in front of Barcelo Resort. q

Make your reservations through their website: https://bohemianaruba.com.

Call them at 00 297 280 8448.

Facebook: Bohemian.

A14 LOCAL

Thursday 15 August 2019

“Creativity, Knowledge & Innovation”: The New Triple Threat Maastricht, The Netherlands – It is not a secret that Aruba and other countries have been focusing on the role of innovation in fostering socio-economic development for a more sustainable future. It has been my personal mission since I was an undergrad student at the University of Aruba to research the possible contribution of a creative industry on Aruba’s socio-economic and cultural growth. This column has been a great tool to share my results and to inform the Aruban community and visitors on the importance of creativity in today’s society.

Recently, I handed in my master thesis which analyzed the possible policy synergy between the Aruban creative industry and knowledge economy. Over the weeks ahead I will breakdown my thesis in different segments with the intention of introducing Aruba to its new triple treat: the synergy between creativity, knowledge and innovation.

Moving forward within the 21st century will demand some policy attention to secure economic growth and social well-being of the Aruban people. Most of the time it seems like policy decisions made are so disconnected with the reality of human behavior. In order to understand the dynamics of this synergy, one interesting concept that has been unfolded is the linkage between human growth and economic development. In past columns, I presented the breakdown of sustainability, where people, the planet and profit coexist with each other. However, it seems more difficult than it seems.

Human Growth vs. Economic Development For those who are not familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, it is a psychology theory formalized by Abraham Maslow (1943) in his paper “A Theory of Human Motivation”. In this paper Maslow presents his findings on the different stages of human growth. This patterns was illustrated as a pyramid with the foundation being “basic needs” (physiological needs) which leads to “safety”, “communication” (social belonging and self-esteem) and “creative selfactualization”. In order for human motivation to move up the pyramid, each level must be satisfied. To pur-

sue intrinsic motivation, the first layers of needs to be met are basic needs, which include: health, food, water, sleep, clothes, and shelter (SDG 1,2,3 and 6). Next, you have safety needs, which include: personal security, emotional security, financial security, health and well-being (SDG 3, 4, 5, 8 and 10). After that, you have social belonging and self-esteem, which include: friendships, intimacy, family, self-confidence, independence, and freedom. Lastly, there is the creative self-actualization, which includes parenting, utilizing and developing abilities and talents, and pursuing goals (SDG 4, 5, 9, 10 and 11).

Interestingly, if we consider these layers of human needs, we can also transform them into economic development. See, if you think about the “basic needs”, we can transform this as the agriculture economy. The same way we can transform “safety” as the industrial economy and “communication” as the information economy. Lastly, the “creative self-actualization” as the triple threat: the synergy between creativity, knowledge and innovation. Creativity in this sense is based significantly on social and personal values (cooperation, trust, etc.), not only economic values (such as profit), and produces an interaction between social, political, and cultural life.

When it comes to the knowledge economy, a great distinction is made between knowledge-based and knowledge driven economies.

Continued on Page 15

LOCAL A15

Thursday 15 August 2019

“Creativity, Knowledge & Innovation”: The New Triple Threat Continued from Page 14

A knowledge-based economy is when knowledge is one of the main means and goals of economic production and exchange, representing a key economic resource. While, a knowledge-driven economy is when knowledge is the primordial goal of economic production and exchange, and the most valuable economic resource. However, when it comes to the creative economy, it is based on mass and constant creativity involvement in the production and distribution of new knowledge, new technologies, new practices, and new contents, and those economies with mass and constant creativity play the prevalent part in the creation of wealth and economic growth.

From this angle, it simply does not make sense to not treat knowledge economy, creativity economy, and innovation economy as interchangeable concepts and possible for merging.

Overall, it is important to consider the connection between the creative industry and knowledge economy. Even when it comes to sustainability or the desire to secure growth of the economy and the protection of the environment at the same time, it will require a balance between people, profit and the planet. People in the sense that human growth and their intrinsic needs should form part of economic growth.

Same as economic development could flourish through a human-centered approach. New ideas on how this synergy can work will only be the beginning of the new era of a diversified Aruba. The highest peak of the pyramid is where this triple threat could manifest, thus this means that at the top of the pyramid both the creative industry and knowledge economy can increase the capacity for innovation on Aruba.

Through further research, effective policy making, good collaboration, and institutional partnership we can transform Aruba in the innovation living lab it is destined to be. q

Biography – Currently, Thaïs Franken is a 23-year-old Aruban student at the University of Maastricht (UM). She is studying a Master of Science in Public Policy and Human Development in collaboration with the Unites Nations University (UNU). Back home, on the beautiful island of Aruba she completed her Bachelor of Arts in Organization, Governance & Management (OGM) at the University of Aruba (UA). She successfully graduated and defended her thesis titled “Placing Culture and Creativity at the Heart of the Aruban Sustainable Development” on July 6th 2018. Thaïs is very passionate about topics such as sustainability, innovation, culture and creativity. Next to her academic interests, she enjoys reading, writing, dancing and cooking.

A16 LOCAL

Thursday 15 August 2019

Paula Nupieri Domacassé Paper Cutting: the New Projecting Art With a ‘Solo Expo’ at Galeria ArtisA San Nicolas SAN NICOLAS — ArtisA, the sole gallery of Art in San Nicolas is going all out to receive the Solo Exhibition of Paula Nupieri Domacassé, this Friday Augustus 16th, from 7:00PM to till 11:00PM. Creating fantastic pieces of paper cutting art in black and white, the artist converted herself in a unique form of unrivaled freedom and creativity.

Nowadays Domacassé has evolved and uses more and more impacting color schemes to emphasize this expression of art.

The artist is a faithful participant in the Aruba Art Fair and participates with her spectacular art of Paper

Cutting. The art of paper cutting we classify in the category of paper design.

This art form evaluated steadily and is nowadays seen globally. In this way it adapted its style to various classes of each culture.

The artist Domacassé, at the age of 6, enrolled at the Municipal Institute of Art in Avellaneda, where she educated herself in music, plastic art, expression, photography and at the same time followed different private drawing courses. Her wish was to become an actress. She took part as a musical star in musical comedies at the Institute of Rio Plateado of Hugo Midon and afterwards

proceeded in the branch of TV acting at the Acting Institute of Eliseo Subiela.

The artista nato multifaceted and went ahead to develop herself in the art of drawing and during a Tedex Conference she discovered through the intermediation of popular artist Beatrice Coron, the art of Paper Cutting. From there on the rest is history.

The born Argentina met her husband, Henry Domacassé and after a very long engagement on a distance, they decided to tie the knot and establish in Curacao.

After a period of nine years the couple switched to Aruba and made this island their residency. They fell to-

tally in love with their new home and especially the warmth of Aruba’s people, the wonderful climate and the full-fledged hospitality.

Aruba became the place where their daughter Nicole saw the light of day.

ArtisA is located at B van der Veen Zeppenfeldtstraat 14 in San Nicolas.

They are open for the public from 9:00 am - 6:00 pm. For more information visit their Facebook page ArtisA.q

Honoring of Loyal Visitors at Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort

PALM BEACH — Recently, Kimberley Richardson of the Aruba Tourism Authority had the great pleasure to honor Aruba’s loyal and friendly visitors as Goodwill Ambassadors. The symbolic Goodwill Ambassador certificate is presented to guests who visit Aruba 20 years or more consecutively.

The honorees were Stephen and Marybeth Deraffele from New York.

The Deraffele’s indicated that they love our island very much, especially for its year-round sunny weath-

er, nice sandy beaches, beautiful sunsets, and delicious variety of foods. They also expressed that Aruba has the friendliest people and that the island is indeed a ‘One happy island’ to them.

Ms. Richardson together with the representatives of the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort and Casino presented the Goodwill Ambassador certificate to the honorees, and handed over some additional presents, thanking them for choosing Aruba as their favorite vacation destination and as their home-away-fromhome.q

A17

Thursday 15 August 2019

ADJOURNED! Simona Halep of Romania returns a serve from Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia on Center Court at the Western & Southern Open Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019 in Mason, Ohio.

Halep advanced in three sets 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.

Associated Press

No. 4 Simona Halep rallies to avoid upset in Ohio

By JOE KAY MASON, Ohio (AP) — Simona Halep wasn't sure how her left foot would feel. After dropping her first set but feeling no pain, she dug in and advanced at the Western & Southern Open.

The fourth-seeded Halep had no problems with her left Achilles as she rallied to beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 on Wednesday, one week after she dropped out of the Rogers Cup quarterfinals because of the injury. She was tentative when she took the court.

"You are a bit scared," Halep said. "But I think I played much better in the end."

Continued on Next Page

Yanks top O's 8-3, run win streak over Baltimore to 15 games New York Yankees' Aaron Judge follows through on a two-run double during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019, in New York.

Associated Press Page 21

A18 SPORTS

Thursday 15 August 2019

Video sheds new light on old problem of slow play

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) — This could go down as one of the most memorable years in golf.

Tiger Woods won the Masters following four surgeries on his back, and just two years after he feared he might never compete again. The British Open was not held in Britain for the first time in 68 years. Two players went from college to PGA Tour winners in a span of two months.

And the PGA Tour might finally get around to doing something about pace of play.

The Player Advisory Council is meeting this week during the BMW Championship, and slow play is on the agenda.

The tour all along had planned on the final PAC meeting of the year to be devoted entirely to solutions for a problem that apparently has no quick fix or it would have been fixed a long time ago.

So this could take some time.

One possibility the tour raised was timing players even when they were not out of position on the golf course.

Osaka beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-2 in a much closer rematch of their U.S. Open match last year. Osaka beat the Belarusian 6-0, 6-0 on her way to the Open title last year.

Sasnovich got treatment on her left knee after falling behind 3-0 in the final set.

There were more upsets in the men's bracket, leaving four qualifiers in the round of 16 at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the third time in the history of the series that began in 1990.

It also happened at Monte Carlo in 2001 and Hamburg in 2005.

Second-seeded Rafael Nadal withdrew before the start of the tournament because of fatigue after winning the Rogers Cup in Montreal on Sunday.

The most notable qualifier upset came from Yoshihito Nishioka, who knocked off sixth-seeded Kei Nishikori

7-6 (2), 6-4 in a matchup of Japan's top players after going sleepless the previous night.

"I was so excited to play with him because he's the hero of Japanese tennis, most of the Asian tennis," Nishioka said. "So I was very excited to play. I couldn't sleep yesterday, you know."

The two had practiced together but never faced each other in a tournament.

"Good to see he's getting stronger, growing up," Nishikori said.

Qualifiers Miomir Kecmanovic and Andrey Rublev also advanced, joining qualifier Pablo Carreno Busta, who beat John Isner in his second-round match a day earlier. Kecmanovic beat seventh-seeded Alexander Zverev in three sets, and Rublev beat Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-4.q

In this July 18, 2019, file photo, Bryson DeChambeau, of the United States, looks at his putt on the fourth green during the first round of the British Open Golf Championships at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

Associated Press

The tour is equipped with ShotLink laser technology that tracks every shot by every player on every hole in every round. For about the last 10 years, players have received individual reports on how long it takes them to play various shots.

The time is not entirely accurate — it's more guide than gospel — because it's measured by when the scorer records each shot in

the group, not when it's the player's turn to hit.

But it at least gives a general idea, and there are not a lot of surprises.

Rules official now have a mobile app that gives the location of every group on the course and how much they are over or under the scheduled time it should take to play. When a group falls behind — even if it is not out of position — they

Continued from Previous Page

The Wimbledon champion fought off two break points in the third set and then broke Alexandrova to serve for the match. It wasn't easy , but at least it was pain-free.

"I felt slowly that I'm feeling good and I have no pain," Halep said. "I got the confidence game by game, even if she was leading me."

Top-seeded Ashleigh Barty beat Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-1. Sharapova has had a rough time since retiring in the first round at Wimbledon with a forearm injury, losing in the opening round at Toronto after leading by a set.

Sharapova reported no physical problems, but she felt rusty because of the lack of matches due to the injury — something she can fix with practice.

"I have sat in this chair a

can use ShotLink to see what or who is the problem.

Oddly enough, it was an older form of technology that brought searing attention to a sore subject: a television camera.

Fans get a Twitter vote on which of two groups they would rather see in streaming coverage, and the winner Friday at The Northern Trust was Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Thomas

and Tommy Fleetwood.

Without them being seen, there would be no video of DeChambeau taking 2 minutes, 6 seconds on an 8-foot putt.

Without that video, there would not have been near the social media storm it caused.

That's not to suggest it exposed a problem because the problem has been around forever. There were no new developments last week, just a video that led to outrage and namecalling (Eddie Pepperell referred to DeChambeau as a singled-minded twit and later apologized).

DeChambeau took more than 2 minutes to hit a putt, and the next day he said on two occasions — to Brooks Koepka's caddie and to the media after his final round — that he was not going to let that episode give him the reputation as a slow player.

Words won't change anything.

DeChambeau had an explanation for what took him so long on that putt, but no good excuse. It's less complicated to hear him talk about air density than his reasons why he shouldn't be singled out. q

Maria Sharapova, of Russia, reacts during her match against Ashleigh Barty, of Australia, at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019. in Mason, Ohio.

Associated Press

few times where I haven't finished the match or I feel like I have a long road ahead of me in terms of recovery with the body, so, yeah, that's a positive," she said. "But there's definitely the repetition, just the feeling of being in a match. It's very different."

Barty, too, was looking to recover from an upset, losing her first match at Toronto last week, and she was satisfied with her return to the court.

"I mean, it was certainly no panic sessions after last week," she said.

Also, No. 2 seed Naomi

SPORTS A19

Thursday 15 August 2019

A time-out for the NFL in 'NOLA no-call' lawsuit

By KEVIN McGILL Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana's Supreme Court has ruled that the NFL can hold off, for now, on providing documents and answering questions in a New Orleans Saints fan's lawsuit over referees' failure to call crucial penalties in a January playoff game won by the Los Angeles Rams.

Attorney Anthony LeMon says the state's highest court issued the stay order Wednesday while it considers the league's appeal of a lower court judge's ruling allowing his suit against the league to continue. That judge had said Commissioner Roger Goodell and game officials must answer questions under oath in New Orleans in September.

However, LeMon says the stay will likely mean the depositions of Goodell and the officials will be put off until October or later — if the suit is allowed to proceed.

The NFL did provide some

limited answers to the extensive questions in LeMon's lawsuit, which alleges fraud and seeks damages over officials' failure to flag a blatant penalty by a Los Angeles Rams player who made a helmet-to-helmet hit on a Saints receiver with a pass on the way. The Rams won and advanced to the Super Bowl.

In answers filed late Tuesday and made public Wednesday — before the stay order by the high court — the league acknowledges that video shows that pass interference and unnecessary roughness penalties should have been called, But, it also says: "To the NFL Defendants' knowledge, no member of the 'NFC Championship game officiating crew' observed NFL player rule violations during the Play in real-time at full speed. The officials designated to cover the area of the field in which the contact occurred reported that during the Play they observed the ball, the

Talks between women's team, U.S. Soccer end without resolution AP Sports Writer Players for the World Cup champion women's national team say mediation talks with the U.S. Soccer Federation in their dispute over equal pay are over.

Molly Levinson, who represents the players in matters concerning the dispute, said in a statement Wednesday that the players look forward to a jury trial.

"We entered this week's mediation with representatives of USSF full of hope," Levinson said. "Today we must conclude these meetings sorely disappointed in the federation's determination to perpetuate fundamentally discriminatory workplace conditions and behavior."

U.S. Soccer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday afternoon.

The players sued the federation in March, charging institutionalized gender discrimination that includes inequitable compensation when compared with their counterparts on the men's national team. The USSF countered that pay and benefits for members of the men's and women's teams, bargained by separate unions, can't be compared and said there was no basis for allegations of illegal conduct. The letter stated that the federation paid out $34.1 million in salary and game bonuses to the women between 2010 and 2018 as opposed to $26.4 million paid to the men.

The total did not include the value of benefits received only by the women, like health care, Cordeiro wrote. The players have disputed the figures, claiming they are misleading.q

receiver, and the defender arrive at the area simultaneously with the defender leading with his arms for a block at the receiver's chest."

The league objected to answering questions, based on game video, about whether side judge Gary Cavaletto was reaching for his penalty flag after the play occurred and whether down judge Patrick Turner gestured to dissuade him from doing so.

Among the reason league attorneys give for objecting are that the questions are "oppressive, harassing and not relevant" to the lawsuit, and that it demands answers regarding "subjective beliefs." The league also declined to say whether any disciplinary action was

In this Jan. 20, 2019, file photo, Los Angeles Rams' Nickell RobeyColeman breaks up a pass intended for New Orleans Saints' Tommylee Lewis during the second half of the NFL football NFC championship game in New Orleans.

Associated Press

taken against the officials.

The lawsuit seeks $75,000 in damages. LeMon has said he intends for any money won to go to former Saints

star Steve Gleason's charity to aid people with neuromuscular diseases. Gleason was diagnosed with ALS in 2011.q

A20 SPORTS

Thursday 15 August 2019

Charlie Manuel back in Phillies uniform in his old dugout

By ROB MAADDI AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Charlie Manuel was back in red pinstripes in his old dugout with a new role as hitting coach exactly six years to the day he managed his last game for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Manuel joined the Phillies on Wednesday, one day after he was hired to replace John Mallee. The 75-year-old Manuel was working as a senior adviser to general manager Matt Klentak before he got the call asking him to put the uniform back on and help revive an underachieving offense.

"The Phillies pay me and I didn't feel I should turn somebody down that wanted me and I'm already working for them," Manuel said. "I'm excited about it.

It's a challenge. I've never been scared about that, especially when it comes to hitting. That's one of my fa-

Philadelphia Phillies hitting coach Charlie Manuel discusses his new role in the dugout before a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

vorite things to talk about."

Manuel is beloved in Philadelphia after leading the team to five straight NL East titles, two NL pennants and the franchise's second World Series championship, in 2008. He won more games (780) than any manager in team history and has 1,000 career wins, including three seasons

with the Cleveland Indians.

He was fired during his only losing season in Philadelphia, and many fans would

like to see the folksy skipper back in charge. Second-year manager Gabe Kapler has been intensely criticized by fans and some media for his "new-school" philosophies.

"I'm not interested in managing," Manuel said. "I'll make that clear right now.

Something would have to go really big for me to change my mind."

Kapler spoke to Manuel after he arrived in Philadelphia and praised his communication skills and ability to relate to younger players.

"It's authenticity," Kapler said. "The age gap is irrelevant and insignificant when there's a lot of care and authenticity and I think

Charlie brings those things in spades."

The Phillies are 20th in the majors in runs (4.7 per game), 24th in batting average (.245) and 23rd in home runs (150) despite a lineup filled with proven hitters, including Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Jean Segura, Rhys Hoskins and Cesar Hernandez.

"We're inconsistent," Manuel said. "We have to get back to enjoy playing the game and enjoy situational hitting, do things correct, move the runners, have a lot of fun. I think the environment can be different as far as talking to the guys and letting them talk to me.

We need to get better. We have a talented team."q

SPORTS A21

Thursday 15 August 2019

Yanks top O's 8-3, run win streak over Baltimore to 15 games

By The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Domingo Germán pitched seven strong innings to become the first 16-game winner in the majors and the New York Yankees beat Baltimore 8-3 on Tuesday night, running their winning streak over the Orioles to 15 games.

Germán allowed two runs, five hits, struck out seven, walked one and won his career-high seventh straight decision.

DJ LeMahieu homered on the first pitch he saw to get the Yankees going. Aaron Judge added a two-run double in New York's fourrun fourth.

Gio Urshela had three more hits, including an RBI single in the fourth. Cameron Maybin had a two-run single in the second while Gary Sánchez and Mike Tauchman added RBI doubles as the Yankees totaled 15 hits.

Germán (16-2) kept Baltimore off-balance by throwing 37 curveballs. He generated 14 of his 21 swings and misses on his curveball.

The Yankees are on their longest winning single-season winning streak against one opponent since beating the 103-loss Philadelphia Athletics 15 in a row in 1954.

Anthony Santander, Stevie Wilkerson and Renato Núñez homered for Baltimore. John Means (8-8) took the loss.

RED SOX 7, INDIANS 6, 10 INNINGS CLEVELAND (AP) — Jackie Bradley Jr. homered with one out in the 10th inning as Boston edged Cleveland after blowing a late lead and potential win for ace Chris Sale.

Rafael Devers became the first player in major league history with six hits and four doubles — and he made a costly error at third base — as the Red Sox won for just the fourth time in 16 games.

Bradley hit his 14th homer of the season off Nick Wittgren (4-1).

It was anything but easy as Boston blew a 6-1 lead over the final four innings, costing Sale his seventh win on a night when he also made

New York Yankees' Domingo German delivers a pitch during the first inning of the team's baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019, in New York.

Associated Press

history by getting to 2,000 career strikeouts faster than any other pitcher.

Brandon Workman (9-1) got the win despite letting the Indians tie it in the ninth.

Carlos Santana homered for the third straight game and Franmil Reyes connected for the Indians.

Sale came in needing five strikeouts to reach 2,000.

He struck out the side in the first, added his fourth in the second and Sale reached the plateau in the third by fanning rookie Oscar Mercado for the final out with a wicked, 81 mph slider.

BLUE JAYS 3, RANGERS 0 TORONTO (AP) — Five Blue Jays pitchers combined on a five-hitter, Teoscar Hernandez and Billy McKinney hit back-to-back home runs, and Toronto beat slumping Texas.

Blue Jays outfielder Randal Grichuk celebrated his 28th birthday with a solo home run as Toronto won for the fifth time in seven games.

Texas has lost six of seven, a stretch in which the Rangers have been shut out twice and scored more than three runs just once.

Font struck out two and allowed one hit in two innings

before making way for lefthander Thomas Pannone (3-5), who worked four shutout innings. Ken Giles finished for his 15th save in 16 opportunities.

Rangers right-hander Lance Lynn (14-8) allowed one run and four hits in five innings.

ASTROS 6, WHITE SOX 2, 1ST GAME WHITE SOX 4, ASTROS 1, 2ND GAME CHICAGO (AP) — Ivan Nova tossed a four-hitter and Chicago took advantage of an injury to Houston ace Gerrit Cole for a win and split of a doubleheader.

Houston won the first game behind six solid innings from Zack Greinke in his second start with the Astros and solo home runs by George Springer and José Altuve.

Cole didn't start because of right hamstring discomfort.

Instead, righty Chris Devenski (2-1) took the mound and lasted just two innings in taking the loss.

Nova (8-9) limited highscoring Houston to one unearned run and walked none in his second complete game this season and 10th of his career. After

hitting Carlos Correa with a pitch in the fourth, the right hander retired 16 straight batters.

Ryan Goins drove in two runs with a single to cap Chicago's three-run second inning. Ryan Cordell doubled in a run and Adam Engel added an RBI single.

In the opener, Greinke (12-4) allowed two runs on seven hits in winning for the second time since Houston acquired him from Arizona in a deal at the trade deadline. He struck out six, walked two and hit a batter in a 102-pitch outing.

Will Harris, Ryan Pressly and Collin McHugh each followed Greinke with a perfect inning.

Robinson Chirinos drove in two runs late with a pair of singles.

Eloy Jiménez and José Abreu drove in runs with doubles for Chicago.

MARINERS 11, TIGERS 6 DETROIT (AP) — Kyle Seager homered three times and Tom Murphy added two to lead Seattle past Detroit.

Seager and Murphy hit back-to-back homers in the fourth and sixth innings before Seager added his third in the ninth. It was the

first three-homer game of Seager's career.

Zac Grotz (1-0) picked up his first win with 1 2/3 innings of relief.

Detroit lost for the ninth time in 12 games and fell to 16-42 at home.

Matthew Boyd (6-9) allowed seven runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.

CARDINALS 2, ROYALS 0 KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jack Flaherty tossed seven innings of three-hit ball, Tommy Edman and Paul Goldschmidt drove in the only runs and St. Louis beat Kansas City.

Flaherty (6-6) struck out seven with a lone walk. The right-hander headed for the showers after throwing 110 pitches, and the St. Louis bullpen nailed down the win. Carlos Martínez got the final two outs, completing the four-hitter and earning his 13th save.

Glenn Sparkman (3-8) did everything the Royals asked over six sharp innings. He allowed two runs, one of them earned, but still hasn't won since a July 16 shutout of the White Sox. Royals manager Ned Yost was ejected for the third time this season.

PIRATES 10, ANGELS 7 ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Josh Bell homered and had three RBIs as Pittsburgh rallied past Los Angeles.

José Osuna drove in two runs, and Bryan Reynolds added a solo homer for the Pirates, who have won consecutive games for the first time since July 6-7 against Milwaukee.

Justin Upton had three RBIs and Shohei Ohtani added two for the Angels, who have lost 10 of 12. Albert Pujols moved into a tie for 15th place in career hits with an RBI single in the first inning.

Trevor Williams (5-5) allowed five runs in five innings. He was tagged for three runs in the first inning, but responded to take some pressure off Pittsburgh's bullpen.

Taylor Cole (2-4) took the loss.

Pujols tied Adrián Beltré (3,166) in career hits with a single during a three-run first inning.q

A22 SPORTS

Thursday 15 August 2019

Mets' McNeil goes down with hamstring in loss to Braves

By The Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. homered and threw out a runner at the plate to back Max Fried's fifth straight win, leading Atlanta past New York.

Acuña sparked a two-run first against Zack Wheeler by leading off with a long single off the wall in rightcenter, coming around to score his 100th run of the season. In the fourth, he lined a 409-foot drive into the left-field seats for his 34th homer.

Acuña ended the sixth by scooping up a single to left by Juan Lagares and rifling a one-hop throw to the plate to get Todd Frazier trying to score from second.

Fried (14-4) went six strong innings, threw 100 pitches, surrendering six hits and three walks.

Wheeler (9-7) was pounded for 12 hits and all five Atlanta runs before he was lifted after the fifth.

NATIONALS 3, REDS 1 WASHINGTON (AP) — Brian Dozier hit his 17th home run and Juan Soto hit a second-deck shot for his 25th , and Joe Ross extended his scoreless streak to 17 1/3 innings as Washington beat Cincinnati.

Ross (3-3) allowed one run and five hits in his 6 2/3 innings; the run came when the final batter the righty faced, José Iglesias, delivered an RBI single.

Daniel Hudson earned his third save of the season as Washington won its third game in a row.

All of Washington's runs came off Alex Wood (1-1), who had gone 36 appearances since last allowing two homers in an inning.

GIANTS 3, ATHLETICS 2 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Madison Bumgarner struck out nine over seven innings, pitching San Francisco past Oakland.

Evan Longoria and Kevin Pillar each hit RBI doubles during a string of three straight two-out doubles by the Giants in the sixth against Brett Anderson (108).

Bumgarner (8-7) allowed two hits and didn't walk a batter for the sixth time this

New York Mets' Jeff McNeil (6) is helped off the field by a trainer and manager Mickey Callaway (36) after being injured running out a ground ball during the ninth inning of the team's baseball game against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019, in Atlanta. The Braves won 5-3.

Associated Press

year. He also laid down a sacrifice bunt in the seventh that led to pinch-hitter Scooter Gennett's sacrifice fly and a key insurance run.

Stephen Piscotty homered in the fifth for the A's.

Will Smith picked up his 29th save in 32 chances.

Anderson struck out four and didn't have a walk in six innings, giving up two runs on six hits.

PHILLIES 4, CUBS 2 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — J.T. Realmuto homered and drove in the tiebreaking run with an RBI double in the seventh inning to lift Philadelphia over Chicago.

The Phillies will have a familiar face in the dugout Wednesday when new hitting coach Charlie Manuel arrives. The franchise icon was hired to replace John Mallee as hitting coach earlier in the day. He's got a lot of work to do to revive an underachieving offense that overcame 15 strikeouts for the win, but the pitching staff did the job against the NL Central leaders.

Jason Vargas allowed two runs and five hits in six innings. Blake Parker (22) and Mike Morin each tossed a hitless inning and Hector Neris finished for his 21st save in 25 chances.

Cubs starter Jose Quintana had a career-best 14 strikeouts in six innings, allowing two runs — one earned — and five hits. Kyle Ryan (3-2) took the loss.

Scott Kingery had a sacrifice fly and Roman Quinn hit an RBI triple in the eighth for Philadelphia. Nicholas Castellanos homered for Chicago.

DODGERS 15, MARLINS 1 MIAMI (AP) — Rookie Will Smith had his first two-homer game, and Los Angeles twice hit back-to-back homers in a rout of Miami.

Cody Bellinger tied a career high with his 39th home run and Justin Turner hit his 20th for the Dodgers, who totaled six homers, a season-high 13 extra-base hits and no singles until there were two out in the ninth.

The six homers tied the record for most by a team at pitcher-friendly Marlins Park, which opened in 2012.

Rookie Dustin May (1-1), making his third career start, earned his first win by allowing one run in 5 2/3 innings.

Corey Seager and Smith went back-to-back in the fourth inning. Smith added a two-run homer in the sixth to make it 6-1, and Turner

and Bellinger hit consecutive homers in the seventh — the 13th time Los Angeles has gone back to back this year.

TWINS 7, BREWERS 5 MILWAUKEE (AP) — Christian Yelich returned to the starting lineup and sparked a late rally, but it wasn't enough for the Milwaukee as Marwin Gonzalez hit a three-run home run off of Josh Hader to propel Minnesota to a come-frombehind win.

With Milwaukee trailing 4-1 in the seventh inning, Yelich hit an RBI double and scored on Yasmani Grandal's three-run home run, his 20th of the season.

That gave the Brewers a 5-4 lead.

But Gonzalez followed in the eighth with his blast, his 14th, to put the Twins ahead to stay.

It was the fifth blown save for Hader.

Drew Pomeranz (2-10) took the loss.

Tyler Duffy (2-1) picked up the win. Sergio Romo recorded his second save.

DIAMONDBACKS 9, ROCKIES 3 DENVER (AP) — Jarrod Dyson homered on the second pitch of the game during a five-run first inning and was

later involved in a quirky double play as Arizona beat Colorado.

It was Dyson's third career leadoff homer — all this season. Christian Walker, Nick Ahmed and David Peralta added two-run homers off Jeff Hoffman (1-4), who was making an emergency start following Jon Gray's late scratch due to left ankle soreness. Hoffman surrendered seven runs over two innings.

The strangest play of the night was on an inningending double play in the eighth that involved tagging out two Diamondbacks runners caught in rundowns. With runners on first and third, Dyson grounded a ball to first baseman Daniel Murphy, who trapped Ahmed between third and home. Ahmed was eventually tagged out and Dyson, who had broken toward second, eventually was tagged out going back to first.

Kevin Ginkel (1-0) earning the win by throwing two scoreless frames.

Rockies catcher Dom Nuñez hit a solo shot in the eighth to become the seventh player in franchise history to homer during his major league debut.

RAYS 7, PADRES 5 SAN DIEGO (AP) — Ji-Man Choi hit a go-ahead, tworun home run with two outs in the seventh inning and rookie Austin Meadows also connected as Tampa Bay beat San Diego for its fifth straight win.

The Rays, who hold the AL's second wild-card spot, have won nine straight on the road. Padres rookie phenom Fernando Tatis Jr. left with a lower back spasm after striking out in the sixth.

The Padres had a bullpen meltdown for the second straight night that included Craig Stammen committing an error in the sixth on what should have been a routine throw home, and then rookie Michel Baez (0-1) allowing Choi's 11th homer in the seventh. Nick Anderson (2-0) pitched the sixth for the victory. Emilio Pagan got the final four outs — all by strikeout — for his 13th save.q

SPORTS A23

Thursday 15 August 2019

Thanks for playing: G Leaguers back in USA Basketball camp

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer There were more than 50 players from the G League who helped USA Basketball get into the FIBA World Cup by winning enough games during the tournament's qualifying rounds.

A few of them are getting a thank-you this week.

USA Basketball invited some of those qualifying players to the final week of World Cup training camp in El Segundo, California that started Tuesday. The group will scrimmage in practice against NBA players who getting ready to compete in China at the World Cup — and while there's no chance for the G League guys to make that team, it's another opportunity to wear USA across their chest for a few days.

"I didn't even wait for them to finish asking the question before I said 'Absolutely,'" former UCLA forward Travis Wear said. "I'm not going to turn down that opportunity to play with the best of the best."

Plenty of NBA players turned down the chance to be on the World Cup team. Wear — who was with the South Bay Lakers last season, spent summer league with Golden State

this year and is looking for a job this season — jumped at the chance to just practice with that group.

"Honestly, to be able to wear 'USA' in any way, shape or form and represent the country is an incredible experience," Wear said. "I was so happy that I could take part in that and it's definitely something that I am forever grateful for."

Wear is one of eight former qualifying-team players brought back for practice — the others: Chris Chiozza, Scotty Hopson, John Jenkins, Ben Moore, Chinanu Onuaku, Chasson Randle and Travis Trice. Combined, those eight players made 22 appearances for the U.S. in 12 qualifying games, with Trice making six and Wear and Randle four apiece.

The only player who appeared in qualifying games for the U.S. and has a chance to make the World Cup roster is Derrick White, who was promoted to the national team last week and is one of 15 candidates still in camp for the 12 final roster spots.

"We are very grateful for what every player did for us in qualifying," USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said.

FIBA changed the quali-

In this March 19, 2018, file photo, Los Angeles Lakers' Travis Wear plays during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers, in Indianapolis.

Associated Press

fying rules for this year's tournament, which meant the U.S. and other nations basically couldn't use NBA players because of scheduling conflicts. So the U.S. put together different rosters, primarily of G League players, for each of the six two-game qualifying windows. Jeff Van Gundy was the qualifying coach for the U.S., getting a new group of players for every

round.

Van Gundy will coach the G League invites this week as well, and Wear said he's eager to be reunited with him for at least a few more days.

USA Basketball national team coach Gregg Popovich said praised the job Van Gundy has done.

Popovich also raved about the job the G League players did just to give the U.S. a

chance at a third consecutive World Cup gold medal.

That's why some of them are back this week for the last days of camp for the Americans.

"You look at this team now, getting ready to embark to China and play, they're qualified because of the work that we did and the games that we won," Wear said. "That's very satisfying."q

Tentative deal set to allow NWHL resume use of Beauts logos

By JOHN WAWROW BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The National Women's Hockey League is close to resuming use of the Buffalo Beauts logos and marketing material after reaching a tentative agreement of its lawsuit against the team's former owners.

Documents filed in federal court Aug. 5 show the league and Pegula Sports and Entertainment have a tentative settlement in place and are "finalizing a written settlement." The comment was included in a joint motion asking the court to extend a deadline

for PSE to respond to Aug. 20.

Attorney Ben Natter, who represents the league, confirmed to The Associated Press the parties are in settlement negotiations and "we believe the dispute will be resolved shortly." A PSE spokesman on Wednesday declined comment except to refer to court documents.

The dispute over use of the team's logos stems from discussions following PSE's decision to relinquish control of the Beauts and return the franchise back to the NWHL in May.

In late June, PSE sent a letter to the NWHL demanding the league immediately stop using Beauts' trademarked materials and destroy all team merchandise in its possession. The NWHL filed its suit a few days later saying the league has every right to use the materials and logos based on a licensing agreement reached a year earlier.

PSE is the parent company operated by Terry and Kim Pegula, who also own the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and NFL's Buffalo Bills. They became the league's first private owners upon assum-

ing control of the Beauts in December 2017.

The Beauts have since had to relocate their home rink, switching from the Pegulaowned HarborCenter facility in downtown Buffalo, to a suburban multi-rink complex.

The five-team NWHL is moving ahead with plans to open its fifth season in October despite losing out on a large core of its top players. The Pegulas relinquishing control of the Beauts came on the heels of more than 200 players pledging not to play professionally in North Ameri-

ca next season.

The group featured a vast majority of the Beauts roster, including U.S. national team defenseman Emily Pfalzer and Canadian national team goalie Shannon Szabados.

The boycott came after the Canadian Women's Hockey League folded due to financial difficulties, leaving the NWHL as the continent's only women's pro league. The players have since formed a union, saying they must "stand together" if there is to be a sustainable professional league.q

A24 TECHNOLOGY

Thursday 15 August 2019

Farmers use tech to squeeze every drop from Colorado River

By DAN ELLIOTT Associated Press GREELEY, Colo. (AP) — A drone soared over a blazing hot cornfield in northeastern Colorado on a recent morning, snapping images with an infrared camera to help researchers decide how much water they would give the crops the next day.

After a brief, snaking flight above the field, the drone landed and the researchers removed a handful of memory cards. Back at their computers, they analyzed the images for signs the corn was stressed from a lack of water.

This U.S. Department of Agriculture station outside Greeley and other sites across the Southwest are experimenting with drones, specialized cameras and other technology to squeeze the most out of every drop of water in the Colorado River — a vital but beleaguered waterway that serves an estimated 40 million people.

Remote sensors measure soil moisture and relay the readings by Wi-Fi. Cellphone apps collect data from agricultural weather stations and calculate how much water different crops are consuming. Researchers deliberately cut back on water for some crops, trying to get the best harvest with the least amount of moisture — a practice called deficit irrigation.

In the future, tiny needles attached to plants could directly measure how much water they contain and signal irrigation systems

In this Thursday, July 11, 2019, photograph, United States Department of Agriculture engineering technician Kevin Yemoto guides a drone into the air at a research farm northeast of Greeley, Colo.

Associated Press

to automatically switch on or off.

"It's like almost every month somebody's coming up with something here and there," said Don Ackley, water management supervisor for the Coachella Valley Water District in Southern California. "You almost can't keep up with it."

Researchers and farmers are running similar experiments in arid regions around the world. The need is especially pressing in seven U.S. states that rely on the Colorado River: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

The river has plenty of water this summer after an unusually snowy winter in the mountains of the U.S. West.

But climatologists warn the river's long-term outlook is uncertain at best and dire at worst, and competition for water will only intensify as the population grows and the climate changes.

The World Resources Institute says the seven Colorado River states have some of the highest levels of water stress in the nation, based on the percentage of available supplies they use in a year. New Mexico was the only state in the nation under extremely high water stress.

The federal government will

release a closely watched projection Thursday on whether the Colorado River system has enough water to meet all the demands of downstream states in future years.

The river supplies more than 7,000 square miles (18,000 square kilometers) of farmland and supports a $5 billion-a-year agricultural industry, including a significant share of the nation's winter vegetables, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which manages most of the big dams and reservoirs in the Western states.

The Pacific Institute, an environmental group, says the river also irrigates about 700 square miles (1,820 square kilometers) in Mexico.

Agriculture uses 57% to 70% of the system's water in the U.S., researchers say. The problem facing policymakers is how to divert some of that to meet the needs of growing cities without drying up farms, ranches and the environment.

The researchers' goal is understanding crops, soil and weather so completely that farmers know exactly when and how much to irrigate.

"We call it precision agriculture, precision irrigation," said Huihui Zhang, a Department of Agriculture engineer who conducts

experiments at the Greeley research farm. "Right amount at the right time at the right location."

The Palo Verde Irrigation District in Southern California is trying deficit irrigation on alfalfa, the most widely grown crop in the Colorado River Basin.

Alfalfa, which is harvested as hay to feed horses and cattle, can be cut and baled several times a year in some climates. The Palo Verde district is experimenting with reduced water for the midsummer crop, which requires more irrigation but produces lower yields.

Sensors placed over the test plots indirectly measure how much water the plants are using, and the harvested crop is weighed to determine the yield.

"The question then becomes, what's the economic value of the lost crop versus the economic value of the saved water?" said Bart Fisher, a third-generation farmer and a member of the irrigation district board.

Blaine Carian, who grows grapes, lemons and dates in Coachella, California, already uses deficit irrigation.

He said withholding water at key times improves the flavor of his grapes by speeding up the produc-

tion of sugar.

He also uses on-farm weather stations and soil moisture monitors, keeping track of the data on his cellphone. His drip and micro-spray irrigation systems deliver water directly to the base of a plant or its roots instead of saturating an entire field.

For Carian and many other farmers, the appeal of technology is as much about economics as saving water.

"The conservation's just a byproduct. We're getting better crops, and we are, in general, saving money," he said.

But researchers say watersaving technology could determine whether some farms can stay in business at all, especially in Arizona, which faces cuts in its portion of Colorado River water under a drought contingency plan the seven states hammered out this year.

Drone-mounted cameras and yield monitors — which measure the density of crops like corn and wheat as they pass through harvesting equipment — can show a farmer which land is productive and which is not, said Ed Martin, a professor and extension specialist at the University of Arizona.

"If we're going to take stuff out of production because we don't have enough water, I think these technologies could help identify which ones you should be taking out," Martin said.

Each technology has benefits and limits, said Kendall DeJonge, another Agriculture Department engineer who does research at the Greeley farm.

Soil moisture monitors measure a single point, but a farm has a range of conditions and soil types. Infrared images can spot thirsty crops, but only after they need water. Agricultural weather stations provide a wealth of data on the recent past, but they can't predict the future.

"All of these things are tools in the toolbox," DeJonge said. "None of them are a silver bullet."q

BUSINESS A25

Thursday 15 August 2019

The typically calm bond market is alarmed about the economy

By STAN CHOE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Compared to the free-swinging and sometimes emotional stock market, the bond market is supposed to be the sober and measured one.

It's getting more alarmed.

Bonds sounded their loudest warning bell yet of recession on Wednesday, when the yield on the 10year Treasury briefly fell below the two-year yield.

Such a thing is rare: Investors usually demand more in interest for tying up their money in longer-term debt.

When yields get "inverted," market watchers say a recession may be a year or two away.

An inverted yield curve has historically been a reliable, though not perfect, predictor of recession.

Each of the last five recessions was preceded by the two- and 10-year Treasury yields inverting, according to Raymond James, taking an average of about 22 months for recession to hit.

The last inversion of this part of the yield curve began in December 2005, two years before the Great Recession tore through the global economy.

This latest inversion is the result of a steep slide in long-term yields as worries mount that President Donald Trump's trade war may derail the economy. Discouraging economic data from Germany and China, two of the world's largest economies, also unnerved investors on Wednesday.

The temporary flip in yields sent stocks sliding, and the S&P 500 was down as much as 2.7% in the afternoon. The bond market has been much more pessimistic about the health of the economy in recent months than the stock market, which set a record high just last month.

If all the talk about yield curves sounds familiar, it should. Other parts of the curve have already inverted, beginning late last year. But each time, some market watchers cautioned not to make too much of it.

In this July 30, 2019 file photo, trader Gregory Rowe works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Associated Press

In December, for example, the yield on the five-year Treasury dropped below the two- and three-year Treasury yields. It wasn't a big deal at the time because academics and economists pay much more attention to the relationship between threemonth yields and 10-year yields.

When the three-month yield rose above the 10year yield earlier this year, it drew more attention. But traders said the inversion would need to last a while to confirm the warning signal, and they pointed out that the widely followed gap between the two-year yield and the 10-year yield was still positive.

Now, that tripwire has been crossed too, and the threemonth Treasury yield remains above the 10-year yield.

One of the biggest concerns is that all the uncertainty around the U.S.-China trade war — where the world's hopes of a resolution can rise and fall with a single tweet or statement — may cause businesses and shoppers to wait things out and rein in their spending. Such a pullback could hurt corporate profits and start a vicious cycle where companies cut back on hiring, leading to further cutbacks in spending and more damage for the economy.

The concerns have sent the 30-year Treasury yield sinking, and it touched a record low Wednesday. But it remains above shorterterm yields, which means not all of the yield curve is inverted and offers a bit of solace. The 30-year yield sat at 2.04% Wednesday afternoon, above the 1.58% 10-year yield and the 1.56% two-year yield.

Some market watchers also say the yield curve may be less reliable an indicator this time because of technical factors that are distorting yields. Bonds in Europe and

elsewhere have even lower yields than U.S. bonds and are negative in many cases. That's sending buyers from abroad into the U.S. bond market, putting extra pressure downward on U.S. yields.

The Federal Reserve is also holding more than $2 trillion in Treasury securities, which it amassed to pull the economy out of the 2008 financial crisis and keep longerterm interest rates low.

Broader measures of the U.S. economy, meanwhile, are not pointing to an imminent downturn. The job

market, consumer spending and consumer confidence all remain solid to strong.

"The only thing that's flashing red or yellow right now is the yield curve," said Jay Bryson, global economist at Wells Fargo.

Eric Winograd, senior economist at AllianceBernstein, said he expects growth to slow to an annual rate of about 1.5% in the second half of this year, down from a 2.5% pace in the first six months, but to avoid a recession.

Some investors believe an inverted yield curve is just a reflection of market worries that the economy is weakening and that the Federal Reserve needs to cut short-term interest rates. Others, though, say an inverted curve can help cause a recession itself by making lending less profitable for banks and cutting off growth opportunities for companies.

"For this reason, investors must not dismiss the current behavior in the fixed income market," Natixis economist Joseph LaVorgna wrote in a research note.

Either way, some market watchers cautioned investors not to take the inversion as a panic signal and sell everything.q

Federal agency supports more condo mortgages

By JOSH BOAK AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Housing Administration is changing regulations to make it easier for more first-time condo buyers to receive mortgages.

The federal agency released new guidelines Wednesday for the types of mortgages it will insure at condominiums. Just 6.5% of the 150,000 condominium developments in the United States were previously eligible for FHA-backed mortgages. But the FHA will start backing mortgages for individual units and will

have greater flexibility to react to changes in market conditions.

Brian Montgomery, the FHA commissioner and acting deputy secretary of the Housing and Urban Development Department, said the changes would make it easier for first-time buyers, retirees and minorities to become homeowners. Unlike conventional mortgages that require 20% down, the FHA backs loans that require 3.5% down payments.

As regulations tightened after the housing crash, the number of FHA mortgages

for condos fell from 72,900 in 2010 to 16,200 last year.

The rule change is expected to increase the number of FHA mortgages for condos by 20,000 to 60,000 units.

Wider availability of mortgages could increase construction by 7,000 condos, according to an analysis last year by HUD. It's unclear just how much the expansion could increase the U.S. home ownership rate, as prices have risen faster than incomes and the inventory of homes on the market have been below historical averages.q

A26 COMICS

Thursday 15 August 2019

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

Thursday 15 August 2019

NYC funeral home dog is 1 millionth 'canine good citizen'

By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Who's a good dog? The American Kennel Club says there are now a million of them.

The club is announcing Wednesday that a Bernese mountain dog named Fiona recently became its 1 millionth "canine good citizen," including dogs past and present.

Fiona and owner Nora Pavone had a special reason for pursuing the club's mark of canine comportment: Fiona spends her days comforting people at the Pavone family's Brooklyn funeral home.

"We wanted her to have proper manners when she's meeting with so many different people ... for her to just be polite and gentle and always in con-

trol," Pavone says. "To gently go up to someone and nudge their hand when they just need her to be next to them."

The club introduced the canine good citizen title in 1989 to promote polite doggy behavior and responsible pet ownership.

Purebred and mixedbreed dogs are eligible, at any age.

They take a test that involves sitting, staying and coming when called, as well as walking through a crowd, being petted by a handler-approved stranger, and other behaviors.

"I love dogs, but I didn't know how it would be perceived in this setting," Pavone says. "But it seems like actually, this would be the place where it would be needed the most."q

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A28 SCIENCE

Thursday 15 August 2019

Library of spider silk could hold secrets for new materials NEW YORK (AP) — With two pairs of fine-tipped tweezers and the hands of a surgeon, Cheryl Hayashi began dissecting the body of a silver garden spider under her microscope.

In just a few minutes she found what she was seeking: hundreds of silk glands, the organs spiders use to make their webs. Some looked like mashed potatoes, others like green worms or air-filled rubber gloves. Each lets the spider produce a different type of silk.

Some silk types can be stretchy, others stiff. Some dissolve in water, others repel it.

"They make so many kinds of silk!" Hayashi said. "That's just what boggles my mind."

Hayashi has collected spider silk glands of about 50 species, just a small dent in the more than 48,000 spider species known worldwide.

Her lab at the American Museum of Natural History is uncovering the genes behind each type of silk to create a sort of "silk library."

It's part of an effort to learn how spiders make so many kinds of silk and what allows each kind to behave differently.

The library could become an important storehouse of information for designing new pesticides and better materials for bullet-proof vests, space gear, biodegradable fishing lines and even fashionable dresses.

Hayashi has been at this for 20 years, but improved

Silver garden spider spiders (Argiope argentata) sit in their webs at Cheryl Hayashi's lab at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Spider silks all start out the same: a wad of goo, akin to rubber cement or thick honey, as Hayashi describes it.

Associated Press

technology only recently let scientists analyze the DNA of silk faster and produce artificial spider silk in bulk.

"Any function that we can think of where you need something that requires a lightweight material that's very strong, you can look to spider silk," Hayashi said.

Spider silks all start out the same: a wad of goo, akin to rubber cement or thick honey, as Hayashi describes it. Spiders make and stash it in a gland until they want to use the silk. Then, a narrow nozzle called a spigot opens. And as the goo flows out, it morphs into a solid silk strand that is weaved with other strands emerging from other spig-

ots.

Nobody knows how many kinds of spider silks exist, but some species can produce a variety. Orb-weaving spiders, for example, make seven types. One has a sticky glue to catch prey. Another is tough but stretchy to absorb the impact of flying insects. The spider dangles from a third type that's as tough as steel.

How and why silks behave in these various ways is a puzzle, but the secret likely lies in genes. Finding those genes, though, isn't easy.

Until recently, scientists had to first chop the glands' DNA into pieces and have a computer try to put the sequence back together

like a jigsaw puzzle. That's a daunting task, and it's especially difficult for spiders, because their genes are very long and repetitive.

It's as if the sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" is instead, "The quick brown fox jumps, jumps, jumps, jumps, jumps, jumps, jumps, jumps over the lazy dog," said Sarah Stellwagen from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. If you have no idea what the sentence says and have to rebuild it from a shredded mess of thousands of copies, how do you know how many "jumps" to put into it?

That's the problem Stellwagen faced when she recently determined the en-

tire set of genes, and their DNA makeup, for spider silk glue. She'd thought she could do it fairly quickly, but it took almost two years.

Scientists have to recover the full gene to truly mimic natural silk, she said. If they try to produce synthetic silk from just part of a gene or some lab-built stunted version, "it's not as good as what a spider makes," Stellwagen said.

That's the issue researchers and companies have had in the past using genetically modified yeast, microbes and even goats to make synthetic silk. Only last year did a group make a small amount that perfectly mimicked an orb-weaving spider's dragline silk, the type it dangles from, using bacteria.

But that was only one type of silk from one species. Hayashi asked: "What about the other 48,000?"

Technology has improved.

Researchers can now determine genes from beginning to end without first chopping them up. And companies have gotten ever closer to mass-produced synthetic silks.

Now, it's a matter of uncovering the secrets of the potentially thousands of other silks out there.

It's a hard task, considering the many spiders she has yet to study and that some are about the size of the period at the end of this sentence.

"But hey, you know, we all have goals," she said.q

Experts call for steps to stem increases in Legionnaires'

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Top U.S.

science experts are calling for stronger policies to combat the growing Legion-

naires' disease problem. In a report released Wednesday, the experts said annual cases of Legionnaires' jumped more than fivefold from 2000 to 2017, and that as many as 70,000 Americans get the disease every year.

Legionnaires' is caused by bacteria that can thrive in buildings with large water systems. About 20 outbreaks are reported each year, including recent ones

This 1978 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Legionella pneumophila bacteria which are responsible for causing the pneumonic disease Legionnaires' disease.

Associated Press

at an Atlanta hotel and a hospital near Chicago.

But there is no single

set of widely accepted guidelines for preventing infections.q

PEOPLE & ARTS A29

Thursday 15 August 2019

Lizzo's 2-year-old song might still qualify at 2020 Grammys

By MESFIN FEKADU NEW YORK (AP) — Lizzo's breakthrough hit "Truth Hurts" is a two-year-old song, but it still has a chance at the 2020 Grammy Awards.

Typically older songs that become hits long after their initial release — from Pharrell's "Happy" to John Legend's "All of Me" — can compete at the Grammys when a live version of the song, released during the current Grammys eligibility period, is submitted.

But "Truth Hurts," which was released as a stand-alone single in 2017, qualifies for the 2020 Grammys because the song was never submitted for contention in the Grammys process and it appears on an album released during the eligibility period for the upcoming show. Songs and albums released from Oct. 1, 2018 through Aug. 31, 2019 qualify for next year's awards, and "Truth Hurts" appears on the deluxe edition of her album "Cuz I Love You," released this year.

So far, the platinum-selling "Truth Hurts" has peaked at No. 4 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart. It has reached at No. 2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs and Hot rap songs charts, respectively.

Normally if an artist submitted an older song — that appeared on an older album — it would not be al-

In this June 23, 2019 file photo, Lizzo arrives at the BET Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

Associated Press

lowed into the Grammys' process. But "Truth Hurts" has the go-ahead and its fate will be decided when the Recording Academy and a group of music industry players meet in September at an annual gathering to choose what makes it on the ballot, what genres certain songs belong to, who really qualifies for best new artist and more.

A representative for the Grammys didn't reply to an email seeking comment.

It's part of a streak of good luck for Lizzo, who has dominated the music scene this year, appeared on dozens

of magazine covers and earned praise for promoting body positivity and denouncing fat shaming.

Though 2019 has served as her breakthrough, she released her debut album, "Lizzobangers," in 2013. Her team has had that album and its follow-up, 2015's "Big Grrrl Small World," removed from streaming services because Lizzo wanted her musical journey to begin with 2016's "Coconut Oil," her debut EP on Atlantic Records.

In the past, acts have won Grammys with live versions of their songs because their

songs have become hits long after its release. Pharrell's Oscar-nominated anthem "Happy," which appeared on the "Despicable Me 2" soundtrack and was released in mid-2013, eventually topped the charts in 2014. At the 2015 Grammys, a live version of the song competed for in the best pop solo performance category, and won the honor.

That same year John Legend's "All of Me," which also hit the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart long after its release, competed in the same category with a live version of the tune.

"All of Me" appeared on Legend's 2013 album, "Love In the Future."

At the 2012 Grammys, Adele won album of the year with "21" as well as record and song of the year with "Rolling In the Deep."

The following year she submitted a live version of "Set Fire to the Rain" — the third No. 1 single from "21" — and won best pop solo performance.

Beyoncé nabbed best female pop vocal performance at the 2010 Grammys with "Halo"; the following year a live version of the pop ballad competed in the same category.

Train's megahit "Hey, Soul Sister" was featured on their 2009 album "Save Me, San Francisco," but the song took off in 2010. It won the band their first-ever Grammy when a live version of the song was awarded best pop performance by a duo or group with vocals at the 2011 Grammys.

Because Lizzo's "Truth Hurts" had not appeared on an album that qualified for previous Grammy eligibility, it could still compete at the 2020 show though it has been widely available for two years. Because Train, Pharrell, Legend and Adele's songs were featured on albums that qualified for previous Grammy inclusion, their songs were disqualified unless a live version was submitted.q

'Deep Dive' is suspenseful and fast-paced

By BRUCE DESILVA Associated Press "Deep Dive" (The Permanent Press), by Chris Knopf Sam Acquillo's past lives as a professional boxer, negligent husband and corporate engineer have long been in his rearview mirror.

He now spends his days working as a carpenter, sailing on Peconic Bay and playing with his dog Eddie Van Halen in a modest cottage on Long Island's Oak Point.

What he aspires to, above all, is a little peace of mind, but readers of Chris Knopf's

first eight novels in the Acquillo series know that what Sam usually finds is trouble.

In the latest book in the series, "Deep Dive," it comes in a phone call from Burton Lewis, one of the billionaires who inhabit the Hamptons section of the island. As a rule, Sam is more comfortable with fishermen, shopkeepers and bartenders, but he and Lewis have become friends.

Lewis, it turns out, was being courted by a fundraiser for the Loventeers, a charity that provides aid to poor people around the globe.

But their meeting ended with the fundraiser crashing through a secondfloor window with Burton's Patek Philippe wristwatch clutched in his hand. There were no eyewitnesses, but the watch and scratches on Lewis' arm are enough for the police to charge Burton with murder.

Sam and his lawyer pal Jackie Swaitkowski set out to clear him, but they have little to go on until an attorney for the charity and his menacing "personal assistant" threaten harm to Sam and everyone he loves un-

less he backs off.

Realizing that the charity isn't what it seems, Sam rummages through its business, breaking into its headquarters in London, working undercover at a facility where it is assisting Hurricane Maria victims in Puerto Rico, stealing files and getting into a confrontation that leaves one man dead.

The tale is suspenseful, the pace is fast, the characters are well drawn and Knopf's prose goes down so easily the novel isn't so much read as inhaled.q

This cover image released by The Permanent Press shows "Deep Dive," by Chris Knopf.

Associated Press

A30 PEOPLE

Thursday 15 August 2019

& ARTS

'Angry Birds' can't fly, but this sequel stays aloft

By JOCELYN NOVECK Associated Press It's hard to have huge expectations for a movie called "The Angry Birds Movie 2." After all, it's not even a movie based on a smartphone game. It's a SEQUEL to a movie based on a smartphone game.

But now that we've established that nobody's expecting Ingmar Bergman here, let's offer up some praise for this sequel-to-a-

movie-based-on-a-smartphone-game, for finding a way to actually improve on the 2016 original in a way that's clever but not snarky, sweet but not syrupy.

Because regardless of its perhaps pedestrian origins (these non-flying birds ARE pedestrians, actually) the movie, directed by Thurop Van Orman, reminds us that finding a formula to appeal to both kids and parents for 90-odd minutes isn't rocket

This image provided by Sony Pictures shows Silver (Rachel Bloom), from left, Red (Jason Sudeikis) and Chuck (Josh Gad) in Columbia Pictures and Rovio Animations' Angry Birds 2.

Associated Press

science. All you need is some appealing characters, some famous voices, a message with heart, and, crucially, some good jokes.

Oh, and potty references.

Unfortunately, kids still really like those.

If you haven't seen the last film, and haven't even played the game (in which case, kudos for all the time you've saved), let's recap.

Our action takes place on two islands — Bird Island, home to the titular angry birds, and Piggy Island, home to the green pigs,

who in the last movie stole — and came frighteningly close to eating — Bird Island's precious eggs. In other words, its future offspring.

But let's not dwell on that.

Because we have more immediate concerns. As we begin the sequel, Red (Jason Sudeikis), he of the touchy temper and large eyebrows who became an unlikely hero in the last film, is basking in newfound popularity. He spends his days with sidekick Chuck (Josh Gad), inventing elaborate pranks to play on the

pigs, who are led by Leonard (Bill Hader.)

The birds slingshot a whole bunch of hot sauce over to Piggy Island. The pigs send over some crabs. This could go on forever, except one day, the pigs ask for a truce. Red and Chuck are skeptical, but it turns out there's something threatening all of them, and they need to join forces. Gigantic ice balls are falling from the sky, targeting birds and pigs alike. "Oh, cwap!" exclaims one of the adorable baby hatchlings.q

Dascha Polanco's back in the acting hustle after 'Orange'

This July 1, 2019 photo shows actress Dascha Polanco posing for a portrait in New York to promote the 7th season of "Orange is the New Black."

Associated Press

By GINA ABDY Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Agencies, writers, producers: The time is now for Hollywood to do more in terms of diversity behind the scenes, Dascha Polanco said.

In front of the cameras, the

"Orange is the New Black" co-star said the industry must stop thinking of her and so many of her co-stars on the recently wrapped Netflix series as non-traditional Hollywood types based on size, looks, race, age or sexual orientation.

"We are the tradition. We are the reality," Polanco told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "Hollywood has been very exclusive in who they consider an actor, who they want to depict on screens."

Polanco said diversity on screen is slowly lurching forward, but it's equally important to do the same off camera. Her struggles finding work are not without emotional scars. She

struggles daily over "selflove, self-acceptance, selfcare."

"A lot of my life as a young girl and as a young adult has been influenced by how people will accept me or feeling that I am not enough to accomplish certain things because of how I look. I was very fearful of going out on auditions and being told, 'Well you have to lose weight, your hair is curly,'" Polanco said.

Learning how to make peace with discrimination and prejudice in her past is key for Polanco.

"It's learning how to embrace those scars and how we use them as foundation and not as identity," she said.q

PEOPLE & ARTS A31

Thursday 15 August 2019

A$AP Rocky found guilty of Sweden assault, won't face prison

By DAVID KEYTON JAN M. OLSEN STOCKHOLM (AP) — American rapper A$AP Rocky was found guilty of assault Wednesday by a Swedish court, six weeks after a street brawl in Stockholm that had attracted the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump.

A judge and jury found the rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, and his two bodyguards guilty of unlawfully hitting and kicking a 19-year-old man during the June 30 fight.

Despite the verdict , the defendants will not be returning to prison as the court gave them "conditional sentences" for the assault convictions. That means they don't have to serve prison time unless they commit a similar offense in Sweden again.

The three, who spent nearly a month behind bars before being released Aug. 2, returned to the United States.

Though they were spared

A$AP Rocky, background right, leaves the district court in Stockholm by car, after the third day of his trial, Friday, Aug. 2, 2019.

Associated Press

further jail time, the defendants have been ordered to a pay a total of 12,500 kronor ($1,310) in compensation to the victim.

Slobodan Jovicic, the Grammy-nominated artist's

Swedish defense lawyer, said he had been looking for "a complete acquittal" and expressed his disappointment at the verdict.

Mayers, 30, had pleaded self-defense and said the

fight happened after he tried to avoid a confrontation with the two men he claimed had persisted in following his entourage.

One of them picked a fight with one of the body-

guards, Mayers said during his trial.

But the court concluded the defendants were "not subject to a current or imminent criminal attack" and as a result "were not in a situation where they were entitled to self-defense."

"In an overall assessment the court finds that the assault has not been of such a serious nature that a prison sentence must be chosen," the summary states.

During the trial, prosecutors played video footage that showed Mayers throwing a young man to the ground.

Presiding Judge Per Lennerbrant said the evidence shows 19-year-old Mustafa Jafari was struck in the back of the head with a bottle but that it could "not be established by whom."

That determination was a factor in the verdict since it "affected the assessment of the seriousness of the crime," the judge said.

"The overall evidentiary situation in the case has been complex," he said.q

'America's Got Talent' dominates the ratings competition ANDREW DALTON Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — In a week dominated by competition shows, “America’s Got Talent” dominated the competition.

NBC’s variety showcase brought in 9.7 million viewers last week according to the Nielsen company’s ratings. The show chose the singers, comedians, dancers and beatboxers that will be on its season-ending live episodes.

That was well clear of second-place “60 Minutes” on CBS, which brought in 6.8 million viewers.

“Celebrity Family Feud” on ABC was a distant third with 4.8 million as game show revivals, reality shows, news shows and talent contests squeezed dramas and comedies almost entirely out of the top of the rankings as they have for most of the summer.

“Beverly Hills 90210” made a splash in its revival on Fox, finishing 12th with 3.84 million viewers as it brought

In this March 11, 2019, file photo, Simon Cowell arrives at the "America's Got Talent" Season 14 Kickoff at the Pasadena City Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif.

Associated Press

back most of its original cast, scoring a rare high finish for a “new” show this summer.

“Blue Bloods” and “Instinct,” both on CBS, were the only other scripted

shows in the Nielsen Top 20.

NBC rode “America’s Got Talent” to win the week among broadcast networks with an average of 3.3 million viewers. CBS had 3 million, ABC had 2.9 mil-

lion, Fox had 1.7 million, ION Television had 1.4 million, Telemundo had 1 million, Univision had 940,000 and the CW had 690,000.

Fox News was first among cable networks with an av-

erage of 2.4 million viewers.

MSNBC was a distant second with 1.5 million. HGTV had 1.2 million, TLC had 1.1 million and Hallmark Channel had 1 million.

ABC’s “World News Tonight” topped the evening newscasts with an average of 8 million viewers. The “NBC Nightly News” had 5.7 million and the “CBS Evening News” had 3.9 million.

For the week of Aug. 4-11, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships: “America’s Got Talent,” NBC, 9.66 million; “60 Minutes,” CBS, 6.76 million; “Celebrity Family Feud,” ABC, 4.78 million; “The $100,000 Pyramid,” ABC, 4.67 million; “American Ninja Warrior,” NBC, 4.63 million; “Big Brother” (Sunday), CBS, 4.58 million; “Bachelor in Paradise” (Monday), ABC, 4.38 million; “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” ABC, 4.33 million; “Bring the Funny,” NBC, 4.21 million; “Big Brother” (Wednesday), CBS, 3.99 million.q

A32 FEATURE

Thursday 15 August 2019

Not just Bali: Indonesia hopes to develop more tourism sites

By KARIN LAUB NINIEK KARMINI Associated Press YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Hundreds of tourists, many of them young Westerners, sat on gray stone steps atop the world's largest Buddhist temple, occasionally checking cellphones or whispering to each other as they waited for daylight.

Sunrise wasn't spectacular on that recent summer day. But even an ordinary dawn at Borobudur Temple — nine stone tiers stacked like a wedding cake and adorned with hundreds of Buddha statues and relief panels — provided a memorable experience.

The 9th century temple is in the center of Indonesia's Java island, a densely populated region with stunning vistas. Other highlights include the towering Hindu temple complex of Prambanan, like Borobudur a UNESCO World Heritage site, and Mount Merapi, the country's most active volcano, whose lava-covered slopes are accessible by jeep.

While the two temples draw many visitors, other foreigners head to the relaxing beaches of Bali, just east of Java and by far the most popular tourist destination in a nation of thousands of islands and almost 270 million people. More than 6 million tourists visited Bali last year, or about 40 percent of 15.8 million visitors to Indonesia overall, according to official figures.

Recently reelected President Joko Widodo wants to change this dynamic by pushing ahead with "10 new Balis," an ambitious plan to boost tourism and diversify Southeast Asia's largest economy.

Key to the plan is to upgrade provincial airports and improve access to outlying destinations, such as Lake Toba on Sumatra island, more than 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from Jakarta, the capital. Yogyakarta, the provincial city from where visitors head to Borobudur and Prambanan, is getting a second airport, expected to be fully

In this Monday, Aug. 12, 2019, photo, tourists visit Borobudur Temple in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia.

Associated Press

operational later this year.

Widodo has been promoting his plan in meetings with foreign leaders and in recent interviews, including with The Associated Press, in hopes of encouraging foreign investment.

The president of the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation told the AP in late July that as part of his push, he would like to see more business ties with the Middle East.

"For investment and tourism, we would like to invite investors from the Middle East as much as possible

because ... we have many tourism locations in Indonesia, not only one or two or four, but many," said Widodo. He did not give specifics.

Muslim tourists, including from the Middle East, might also be an easier fit for some of the more conservative areas earmarked for tourism development. Tourism officials have played down the possibility of cultural friction that might accompany the influx of more non-Muslim visitors, arguing that Indonesia's brand of tolerant Islam can accom-

modate everyone.

"Maybe there are some particular locations that are very strict (religiously)," said Hiramsyah Thaib, who heads the "10 New Balis" initiative. "We believe we won't have any problems.

Sometimes we have problems in the media, but not in reality."

Yet Islamic hard-liners have become more assertive in recent years, potentially spooking investors by undermining Indonesia's image as a moderate nation. Thaib said he believes investor confidence rose

In this Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019, photo, local tourists take a selfie with the background of Mount Merapi, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Associated Press

"significantly" after Widodo defeated former special forces general Prabowo Subianto in April's presidential election. Subianto had been backed by Muslim groups favoring Shariah law.

The tourism plan remains key to Widodo's final fiveyear term, though at least one target — 20 million visitors this year — appears to have been too ambitious.

The 2019 visitor tally is expected to be 18 million, based on current growth figures, said Thaib.

Still, the Indonesian tourism sector grew by 7.8 percent in 2018, or twice the global average, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

One of the 10 sites earmarked for development is the Borobudur Temple area and nearby Yogyakarta, a city of several hundred thousand people that is embedded in a large metro area. The city is a center of Javanese culture and a seat of royal dynasties going back centuries.

In 2017, former President Barack Obama and his family visited the city, where his late mother, Ann Dunham, spent years doing anthropological research.

Obama, who lived in Indonesia as a child, toured Borodbudur and Prambanan during the nostalgic trip.

But while the Obamas got around with relative ease, including private jet travel, ordinary visitors struggle with congested streets packed with motorbikes weaving in and out of slowmoving traffic.

Travelers hoping to be in place at Borobudur just before sunrise need at least 90 minutes to get there from Yogyakarta, a journey of 40 kilometers (24 miles).

A 230-kilometer (140-mile) round trip to the Dieng highlands, with terraced fields, small temples and a colorful volcanic lake, requires a full day of travel, some of it on bumpy back roads. Anton McLaughlin, a 55-year-old visitor from York, England, said he was astounded by the number of motorbikes in the streets. q