AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
The rebel March 23 Movement, or M23, which has been fighting the Congolese government since April, reached the outskirts of Goma on Sunday night in some of the heaviest fighting since 2008 and issued an ultimatum to the government to announce direct negotiations with the group within 24 hours. “To allow a peaceful exit,” a rebel statement on Monday morning said, the rebels also demanded “the complete demilitarization” of Goma and the international airport in eastern Congo, although U.N. peacekeepers would be allowed to stay. Otherwise, the rebel group said, it reserved the right “to take all necessary measures,” including “following its its resistance against the government of Kinshasa up to its fall.” On Sunday, a rebel spokesman had said that rebels had no intention of advancing on the city. Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province, is home to nearly one million people and United Nations peacekeepers who have a mandate to use force to protect civilians. Goma remained largely quiet on Monday morning. Some shops were open, civilians there said, but Congo’s military spokesman said the army was digging in. “We are now in a state of reinforcing our positions,” said Col. Olivier Hamuli. Violence erupted between rebel forces and government troops last week and both sides claimed to have inflicted heavy losses although they provided no numbers. On Saturday, the rebels captured the town of Kibumba and continued to advance on Sunday. Despite ground battles with government troops and aerial strikes by United Nations helicopters on rebel positions, the insurgents pushed to within two miles of central Goma, long an objective in Congo’s 15-year civil war, displacing tens of thousands of people in a humanitarian camp. “They were able to bypass all of the positions we had,” said the United Nations chief in Goma, Hiroute Guebre Sellasie. “We are not facing a conventional force.” “The deadlock depends on so many things,” Ms. Guebre Sellasie said. “I cannot project what will happen in the next 24 hours.” The M23 group is made up of soldiers from a former rebel army that signed a peace deal with the government on March 23, 2009, and was integrated into Congo’s national army. But last spring, hundreds of them mutinied, claiming that the government had failed to meet their demands under the 2009 agreement. The figurehead of the group is believed to be Gen. Bosco Ntaganda, a former rebel and high-ranking army officer wanted by the International Criminal Court to answer charges that he committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. The rebellion broke out as Congo and foreign governments called for the arrest of General Ntaganda. Since then, Rwanda and Uganda have been accused by a United Nations panel of experts of aiding the rebel movement, a charge that both countries deny. A new wave of fighting erupted last week, with the army claiming to have killed more than 150 rebels and the rebels capturing the town of Kibumba, about 18 miles from Goma.
Monday, 19 November 2012
The Gaza clash escalates with the deadliest Israeli strike
Bernat Armangue/the Associated Presssmoke rose over Gaza City on Sunday, as Israel extended its range of targets to include buildings used by the news media.CAIRO — Emboldened by Islamists growing power around the region, the Palestinian militant group Hamas called for new Israeli concessions to its security and independence before it stops its rocket attacks on Israel, even as the conflict took a growing toll on Sunday.
A look at violence in Gaza,
a woman and her child took cover in the southern Israeli city of Ashod, which was the target of several rockets on Sunday. After five days of punishing Israeli air strikes on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and no letup in rocket fire in return for Israel and Hamas representatives met separately with Egyptian officials in Cairo on Sunday for indirect talks on a cease-fire.
The talks came as an Israeli bomb hit a house in Gaza on Sunday afternoon, killing 11 people in the deadliest single strike since the conflict between Israel and Hamas escalated on Wednesday. The strike, along with several others who killed civilians across the Gaza Strip, signaled that Israel extends its range of targets on the fifth day of the campaign.At the end of the day, Gaza health officials reported that 70 Palestinians had been killed in air strikes since Wednesday, including 20 children, and that 600 had been wounded. Three Israelis have been killed and at least 79 wounded by persistent rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel and as far north as Tel Aviv.
Hamas, poorly armed banditry disguised cruise on the battlefield, seemed to try to take advantage of its increased political clout with its ideological allies in Egypt's new Islamic-led Government. The Group's leaders reject Israel's call for an immediate end to rocket attacks have instead established sweeping requirements, which would put Hamas in a stronger position than when the conflict began: cessation of Israel's five-year-old embargo of the Gaza Strip, a promise that Israel not to attack again and multinational guarantees that Israel would meet its commitments.Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel stabbed his demand that all rocket fire ceases before the air campaign leaves, and Israeli tanks and troops remained lined up outside Gaza on Sunday. Tens of thousands of reserve troops had been called. "The Army is prepared to expand the operation considerably," Mr. Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting.
Reda Fahmy, a member of Egypt's House of Lords of Parliament, and of the nation's dominant Islamic party, resulting from the negotiations, said the attitude was equally unequivocal Hamass. "Hamas has a clear and precise requirements: for the siege lifted completely from Gaza," he said. "It is not reasonable that every now and then Israel decides to level the Gaza with the Earth, and so we decide to sit down and talk about it when it is done. On the Israeli side, they want to stop the missiles from one side. How is it? "He added: "if they stop the aircraft from shooting, Hamas will then stop its missiles. But the violence could not be stopped from one side. "
Hamas aggressive attitude in the negotiations a cease-fire is the first test of the Group's belief that the Arab spring and the increase of Islamic influence around the region has strengthened his political hand, both against Israel and Palestinian rivals, Hamas, which now controls the West Bank, with Western backing.It also puts intense new pressure on President Mohamed Morsi of Egypt, a former leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, who was known for his fiery speeches defending Hamas and condemning Israel. Mr. Morsi must now strike a balance between the conflicting demands of an Egyptian public, which is deeply sympathise with Hamas and the Palestinian case against the Western pleadings to help broker a peace and Egypt's need for regional stability to revive its moribund economy.
Actually illustrates the Egyptian-led truce talks the divergent paths of the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, a Palestinian offshoot of the original Egyptian Islamist group. Hamas has evolved into a more militant insurgents and called a terrorist organization by the United States and Israel, while the Brotherhood has effectively been Egypt's ruling party. Mr. Fahmy said in an interview in March that Brotherhoods new responsibilities required a step back from its ideological cousins in Hamas, and even a new push to convince the group to compromise.Reporting was contributed by Ethan Bronner and Isabel Kershner, Irit Pazner Garshowitz from Jerusalem, and Peter Baker from Bangkok.
Palestinian death toll rises as Israel presses onslaught
The losses — 19 reported killed since midnight local time — included Palestinians killed in attacks by warplanes and a drone attack on two men on a motorcycle. Another drone attack killed the driver of a taxi, hired by journalists and display "Press" sign, although it was not clear what journalists employed it, said Palestinian officials.
Sunday attacks Israeli forces two buildings containing local tv stations and production companies used by foreign outlets. Israeli officials denied targeting journalists, but on Monday blasted the Israeli forces again Al Sharouk block used by many local television stations, as well as Britain's Sky News and Al Arabiya channel.
Attacks, apparently aimed at a computer store on the third floor of the building, triggered a blaze that sent the theme of dark smoke creeping up the sides of the building. Video footage showed clouds of grey smoke billowing from high-rise building as the missiles hit home.An Israeli bomb pummeled a home deep in the ground here on Sunday, killing 11 people, including nine in three generations of a single family, in the deadliest single strike in six days of cross-border conflicts. Family members were buried Monday in a rite, transformed into a gesture of defiance, and was a rally supporting Gaza militant Hamas rulers.
A militant leader said Tel Aviv in the Israeli heartland, would be hit "again and again" and warned Israelis that their leaders were misleading them and would "take them to hell."Air strikes indicated further that Israel was striking a variety of targets. Three Israelis have been killed and at least 79 injured by continued rocket fire into southern Israel and as far north as Tel Aviv.
Israel says its onslaught is designed to stop Hamas from launching rockets, but after an apparent lull overnight, hurtled more missiles against targets in Israel, some of them intercepted by Israel's iron Dome defense system. Four were intercepted by five rockets fired at the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon on Monday, but a messed up through concrete roof at the entrance to an empty school. There were no reports of casualties, Other rockets rained on areas along the border with Gaza.Later defeated another volley Ashkelon. Several missiles were intercepted, but one crashed on a House, causing damage but no casualties, News reports said 75 rockets had been fired by midafternoon.
Sunday totaled a new blitz of the Palestinian rockets nearly 100 by nightfall, including two that had risen against the population center in Tel Aviv, but was knocked out of the sky by Israeli defense forces.In a statement on Monday said the Israel Defense Forces overnight targets included "underground rocket launchers, terrorist training bases, tunnels, Hamas command posts and arms storage facilities." But news reports said strikes flattened two houses belonging to a single family, killing two children and two adults and injuring 42 people, while a shrapnel burst from a second attack killed a child and wounded others living near the ruins of the former national security compound.
The latest exchanges offered a grim light Egyptian-led truce efforts have so far proved inconclusive. The United Nations Secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, was set to join efforts in Cairo on Monday.Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, spokesman for Israel Defense Forces, said there had been a reduction of up to 40 percent in the rocket fire from Gaza, while Israeli forces had launched 40 raids on tunnels between Egypt and Gaza, at both entrances and along the road leading to them, causing considerable damage.
He said six rocket launch team and two men on motorcycles were affected, while the Israeli forces continued to intercept Palestinian radio signals in order to urge Gaza residents to steer clear of the activists.In the Israeli strike Sunday morning it took emergency workers and a Caterpillar digger more than an hour to reveal the extent of the devastation in the two-storey home of Jamal Dalu, a shop owner. Mr. Dalu was a neighbor when the blast wiped out almost his entire family: his sister, wife, two daughters, daughter-in-law and four grandchildren ages 2 to 6 all perished under the rubble, as well as the two neighbours, an 18-year-old and his grandmother.
Ticket prices and Jodi Rudoren Anonymous reported from Gaza City and Alan Cowell from London. Reporting was contributed by Isabel Kershner from Ashkelon, Israel; Ethan Bronner, Myra Noveck and Irit Pazner Garshowitz from Jerusalem; RINA Castelnuovo from Ashdod, Israel; Peter Baker from Bangkok; and David d. Kirkpatrick from Cairo.
Analysis of news: in the second debate, Obama strikes again
President Obama, who concluded that he was "too polite" in his first debate with Mitt Romney, ensured no say that after their second. He broke off, he scolded, he filibustered, he shook his head.
He tried to talk the right over Mr. Romney, who tried to talk over him back. President, who waited patiently on his trip last time around forced its way into Mr. Romney time this time. At one point he squared Mr. Romney face to face, almost chest to chest, in the middle of the stage, as if they were in a ring of roos.
"The Governor Romney said just not true.""Not true, Governor Romney, not true."
"What you say is simply not true."For a President who is a threat on the edge of a single expression, could make a stronger case at Hofstra University on Long Iceland Tuesday night could hardly have been more compelling. Thirteen days after the presidential election, he took decency to a Xanax extreme, he tucked away a dinner of steak and potatoes and then went out on stage with lots of red meat for eager supporters.
If it decisively want to redirect the course of the campaign is still visible, but the President emerged from the encounter have settled nerves within his panicky party and claim a new chance to frame the race with just three weeks left.Heading into the evening, said the Obama camp that he needed at least a draw to turn turmoil over the first debate and running some of the potential drama from the final meeting on Monday. But the risk was, of course, that a confrontation could turn very happy swing voters he covets.
Strategy on Tuesday evening was clear: undercut Mr. Romney character and credibility by portraying him as lying about his true views on issues like taxes and abortion. Mr. Obama questioned again and again about the man on stage with him was the same "serious conservative" candidate that time right in the Republican primary election.He painted Mr. Romney as a tool of big oil, which is soft on China, hard on immigrants, political rough on Libya and hypocritical on guns and energy. He inserted many of the attack lines that went unused in Denver, after Mr. Romney business record, his personal income taxes and are considered in the final minutes of debate, his comments about 47 percent of Americans he once too dependent on the Government.
"Governor Romney has a five-point plan," charged Mr. Obama. "He has a one-point plan" which is to help the rich, he said.He mocked Mr. Romney, noting that he once closed a coal plant as Governor of Massachusetts. "Now suddenly you are a great champion of coal," he said.
As for trade, he said, "Governor, you are the last person who will get tough on China."And he pressed Mr. Romney for not revealing how he would pay for his tax and deficit reduction targets. "We have not heard from the Governor any specifics beyond big bird and eliminate funding for planned parenthood," he said.
Mr. Romney held its own and gave as good as he got, presenting Mr. Obama as a failed President who has stacked on trillions of dollars of debt, leaving millions of Americans without work, security for American personnel in Libya, done nothing to reform entitlement programs bungled and deserted a middle class "crushed under the policies of a President who does not understand what it takes to get the economy working again."But it was Mr. Obama who was the central storyline of the night, his performance, comes across as a striking contrast to the, his first face-off with Mr. Romney. In the days leading to Tuesday night encounter, Mr. Obama huddled in a Virginia resort with advisers to practice a more aggressive approach, without which one way or another referenced illegitimate or passage over a line of presidential dignity. It was a line he would stride up to several times during more than 90 minutes, and some would argue that he slipped over it. at times.
DealBook: Citigroup Investors hope clarity on the Bank's path quickly
Jemal Countess/Getty Images of Pandit TimeVikram not overhaul Citibank quickly enough or aggressively enough in the eyes of many investors.As Michael l. Corbat takes up the reins at Citigroup, analysts and investors have a message for him: shrink your bank, and be much more transparent, as you do.
Mr. Corbat will take over from Vikram s. Pandit as Chief Executive Officer of Citigroup four difficult years after the financial crisis. During this period, Mr. Pandit Service Banking behemoth and attempted to focus the Citi of the firms he felt it could do best. But increasingly, many investors felt Citis overhaul was not bold or fast enough.
"Citigroup has acted as if it is too big to care," said Mike Mayo, an analyst at CLSA, a brokerage company. "This means that they are too large to be sensitive to shareholder concerns."
Dissatisfaction with the Citigroups progress motivated shareholders to vote against a $ 15 million salary package for Mr. Pandit in April. The vote came shortly after the Federal Reserve killed Citigroups plans to pay capital to shareholders, a damning evidence that legislators still weren't comfortable with the Bank.
Since these expressions of dissatisfaction is Citigroups shares significantly higher, although they are still down 89 percent, as Mr. Pandit took over in December 2007. Stock building trades on a pitiful valuation reflects two dominant views on the markets: Citigroup's transformation has a long way to go, and its annual accounts can be opaque.
The New York TimesAlthough relatively unknown to shareholders, Mr. Corbat starts with a reputation as a tenacious Executive with a deep knowledge of Citigroup, where he has worked for nearly 30 years. He even got good reviews from people who have been skeptical about Citigroup and its management. Sheila c. Bair, former head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which clashed with Mr. Pandit, knew Mr. Corbat from interactions during the financial crisis.
"He was involved in several meetings with us," Ms. Bair said, adding, "he was prepared, and he knew his stuff."
Some analysts believe now, Mr. Corbat could open the door to more radical move at Citigroup.
"I think that this is a genuine and long-term positive for Citi," said Gerard Cassidy, a banking analyst with RBC capital markets.
Still, Mr. Corbat perhaps impress quickly, given the pent-up frustration among shareholders. His first public conference calls as CEO on Tuesday was not encouraging on that front. He seemed to disappoint analysts who wanted to hear Mr. Corbat express a greater desire to change things. Instead, he said, "today's changes do not change the strategic direction for Citi, which we believe is a good thing."
In a memo to employees on Tuesday sounded Mr. Corbat more urgently. He wrote: "we must deliver sustained profitability, improved operational efficiency and shareholder returns."
Part of Mr. Corbat jobs will get more out of Citigroups best results operations. Many of its international lending organizations consistently do well, and he can look for ways to ensure investors give greater recognition to this force.
An idea may be to sell minority holdings in these operations in foreign exchanges, something that Spanish bank Santander has done recently with its Mexican unit. If these shares perform well, it would highlight the value in these companies and maybe lift the Citigroups stock. Asked about that idea Tuesday, said Mr. Corbat, "I want to look at these things and see what the numbers say."
Burning question, however, is whether he has the will to get out of businesses that the Bank does not excel in, even though the short-term costs are high. Mr. Cassidy, the analyst, said Mr. Corbat should sell any business line could not achieve the kind of returns to shareholders is expected. Citigroups Chairman, Michael e. O'Neill, reduced aggressive size of Bank of Hawaii when he led it.
"He shrunk the Bank with 30 percent; It is what Citi has to do, "Mr. Cassidy said.
In particular, some investors Citigroup be faster on selling assets in Citi Holdings, bad Bank Citigroup set up for its unwanted and loss-making assets. Mr. Corbat ran Citi Holdings until the end of last year. Faster sales can mean Citigroup would not get the best price possible for the $ 171 billion in assets in Citi Holdings. It could lead to higher losses when the sale took place.
But selling assets faster could free up capital the Bank stops there. This could in turn lead to a major improvement of Citigroups regulatory capital ratios, which investors look very closely. Banks can show they have little trouble meeting these ratios often get better valuations on their shares.
Citigroups investment bank are other obvious targets for shrinkage. Right now, it is huge. Department for "securities and banking" in Citigroup has 903 billion dollars of assets. It is only slightly smaller than Goldman Sachss assets. And Citis investment bank revenue has been uneven since the financial crisis.
The unit also is seen as a black box, something Mr. Corbat will have to deal with if he wants to regain investor confidence, said analysts. Citigroups revelations not as detailed as those of some other banks. For example, publishes each quarter, Goldman Sachs a critical number that shows how much profit it makes on the capital.
But Citigroup does not, for its investment bank; It simply tell not outsiders how much capital it has implemented in this device. As a result, it could make unproductive investments in Wall Street operations without shareholders knowing. This could be the case in other business areas as well.
Self created for Mr. Corbat may be that if he increases the publication, can investors shy away at any alarming numbers and dump stocks. He may even so could result.
"They have open up the kimono," Mr. Cassidy said.
Perhaps Mr. Corbat will Citigroup's quiet revolutionary, a leader who is ready to make a bold move to win, and win back shareholders. He offered up a button-down remark on Tuesday that could provide a tidbit hope to shareholders who are counting on him to double Citigroup's remodeling. "I would not minimize the impact you can have on a place," he said.
Gazans begræde Dalu familie dræbt af israelske bombe
There were few, if any visible tears on the intense, chaotic, lengthy funeral on Monday, Jamal and seven relatives among the 12 people killed the day before in the single deadly attacks since the latest hostilities between Israel and the Gaza Strip began on Wednesday after months of Palestinian militant rocket fire into Israel. Instead, there were fingers jabbing the air to signal "Allah is the only one," defiant chants about resistance and calls for revenge, in the Green Hamas flag and the white paper in its Al-Qassam Brigades signature.
On the destruction of the family home, a man Dalu climbed on top of the pile of rubble where a dozen photographers had positioned himself and hoisted the body in one of the four slain children in the air several times, as if a totem. At the mosque, was interrupted by the launching of a missile eulogy, which is tied to Israel. And at the cemetery, head of a Qassam directed, not even mourning but prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, warning, "we still have so much in our pockets, and we show you where we are."
Much of the militant splendor was probably meant as a message to the news media, and thus the world, given how Dalus immediately had been the face of the Palestinian cause. But the tone, much more fundamentalist than sad, was also a potent sign of martyrdom, as all parts of culture at this location, and the numbness, many here have developed for death and destruction after years of cross-border conflicts."This blood, which was delivered by your family will not go in vain," a Hamas minister told grieving in the mosque. "Of these children, these little flowers, rights rights are on our necks.
"We all have to die today or tomorrow," he added. "But the dead are martyrs and none died yesterday."Avital Leibovich, a spokeswoman Lieutenant for the Israel Defense Forces, said it was "still out" Sunday afternoon strike on Dalu home in Al Nasser neighborhood, which she described as an accident. She said the target had been a man "responsible for rocket launch" from the neighborhood, and that 200 -300-rockets had been fired toward Israel under his command in recent days, but it was unclear whether the man even lived nearby.
The two-story structure had been Obliterated homes for 15 people in three generations. Patriarch, also known as Jamal, ran a shop in Al-Zawya market sells seeds, sugar, tea and other staples, which his grandfather had started and he had worked since childhood. He survived because he had been on the market when the bomb hit. Jamal's son Mohammed worked in the Hamas Government as a police officer; neighbors and relatives insisted that he was not a Qassam fighter or a political leader, although the extent of the militant presence at the funeral raised questions.In addition to Mohammed, his wife and his four children, was Jamal's sister, wife and two daughters were killed in the attack, after the Hamas Ministry of health, as well as the two neighbours, an 18-year-old and his grandmother. Jamal and his wife, Tahani, had recently returned from their first pilgrimage to Mecca, relatives said, and was filled with joy and optimism from the experience. They have five surviving children, relatives said, including 18-year-old Abdullah, who was practically conducted funeral, his arms around the shoulders of two friends.
"This is occupation is doing injustice to the Palestinians," said the elder Mr. Dalu, in a brief interview in the House as he awaited the bodies will be moved from the morgue. "They have not given us a warning. They hit just the House with the kids in it. My daughters were in their youth. What have you done to them? "But even if the deaths were condemned as a massacre, mourning was neither overwhelmed by emotions or tired, the current casualty count Paling conditions for 1,400 lost four years ago when the Israelis invaded Gaza.
As devout Muslims, many of them to want what they see as martyrdom in the fight for a Palestinian State. such funerals is a rhythm of life here, punctuating the bodies taken from the morgue to his family home, then to the mosque and the cemetery in which attracts large crowds ordered processions."We are accustomed to it, we got used to the killing," said Emad Al-Dalu, 35, an accountant and cousin to death. "Each of us has seen one of his relatives, one of his neighbors has died. We defend our rights. We can take more. "
Three-hour ritual was an almost all-male affair. Several dozen women Show bodies map in a home near pile rubble, one of them collapses in grief. But even close female relatives have followed basic course not service at the mosque, nor the burial.So it was the men who conducted bodies: grown-ups on stretchers over their shoulders in the stretcher bearer style, and children, to be cradled in their arms as they walked, then ran through the normally traffic-clogged the city's now-empty streets. Some were wrapped in white sheets, others in the Palestinian or Hamas flags. Just head to the rear and would have sent the service at times.
The crowd ran down a long Hill, around several corners, and finally in the Sheikh Radwan cemetery, a messy mosaic of stone on a steep mound of dirt. That split it into several circles around the separate graves.Jamal and two of his siblings were lowered vertically in a one-square-yard hole, the men are covered with a concrete slab and then dirt. Baby, 1-year-old Ibrahim, was buried along with her mother.
Hala Nasrallah and fares Anonymous contributed reporting.
Cuba to End Exit Visa Requirement in January
AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
Now that bureaucratic barrier is on its way out. The Cuban government announced on Tuesday that it would terminate the exit visa requirement by Jan. 14, possibly letting many more Cubans depart for vacations, or forever, with only a passport and a visa from the country where they plan to go. The new policy — promised by President Raúl Castro last year, and finally announced in the Communist Party newspaper — represents the latest significant step by the Cuban government to answer demands for change from Cubans, without relinquishing control. Like some recent economic openings in Cuba, it allows the government to carefully calibrate the flow of change. Even Cubans with passports will need to have them renewed, and the law says that applicants can be prevented from leaving for several reasons, including “national security”; enough, experts say, to keep dissidents from traveling. Cuba’s doctors, scientists and other professionals, who have long faced tight restrictions on movement, might be held back as well because the new policy includes a caveat allowing the government to limit departures to “preserve the human capital created by the Revolution.” And yet, the new migration law also gives Cubans latitude to stay abroad longer, letting them remain outside the country for two years, and possibly longer, before losing their rights to property and benefits like health care — an increase from 11 months under the current policy. Analysts say the government is encouraging a larger class of Cubans to travel, partly so that they can earn money elsewhere and return, injecting capital into the island’s moribund economy. The benefits of such an arrangement are already clear: remittances to the island have grown to an estimated $2.3 billion a year, from $1 billion in 2004. But whether the new law will create a temporary or permanent mass exodus, Cubans and experts say, will be determined by how many people have the means and passports to leave, and which countries welcome them. “The decision to lift the exit visa is a significant one for several reasons, although like most of the new reforms, it depends a great deal on how it is implemented,” said Robert Pastor, professor of international relations at American University. “Nonetheless, by removing a state barrier to leave, this reform could lead to a large outflow — many of whom will eventually want to come to the United States — or it could begin to allow a circular flow of people that could enhance the economic opening of the island.” The Cuban government’s earlier steps toward a market economy have mostly fallen short of expectations. There are now hundreds of thousands of small business owners on the island of 11 million people, but not nearly the numbers the government initially said it needed to cut back on the nation’s bloated public payrolls. Experts say fears of instability have often hampered the push for a rapid economic opening, leading celebrated new laws — allowing for property sales and entrepreneurship, for example — to be later larded with restrictions and taxes. Cubans in Havana and Miami say they are convinced the same dynamic will apply to travel. They mostly greeted the end of the exit visa after 51 years with their usual stance of “we’ll see.” On Tuesday, there were no long lines at the passport office in Havana or at foreign embassies, and many Cubans said they still faced hurdles to a legal departure. “It’s all very good,” said Laydis, 30, an employee at a bank in Havana who gave only one name to avoid government reprisals. “But which interesting country is going to give me a visa?” Her colleague Maricel, 44, who is eligible for a Spanish passport because her grandparents were from Spain, identified another problem. “Sure, I can go,” she said, “but where am I going to get the money?” After all, the new law, despite cutting a bureaucratic hurdle, might not mean lower costs to leaving: Yoani Sánchez, the well-known Cuban blogger whose exit visa requests have been repeatedly denied, said on Twitter that the cost of a Cuban passport will nearly double, to just over $100.
AppId is over the quota
Now that bureaucratic barrier is on its way out. The Cuban government announced on Tuesday that it would terminate the exit visa requirement by Jan. 14, possibly letting many more Cubans depart for vacations, or forever, with only a passport and a visa from the country where they plan to go. The new policy — promised by President Raúl Castro last year, and finally announced in the Communist Party newspaper — represents the latest significant step by the Cuban government to answer demands for change from Cubans, without relinquishing control. Like some recent economic openings in Cuba, it allows the government to carefully calibrate the flow of change. Even Cubans with passports will need to have them renewed, and the law says that applicants can be prevented from leaving for several reasons, including “national security”; enough, experts say, to keep dissidents from traveling. Cuba’s doctors, scientists and other professionals, who have long faced tight restrictions on movement, might be held back as well because the new policy includes a caveat allowing the government to limit departures to “preserve the human capital created by the Revolution.” And yet, the new migration law also gives Cubans latitude to stay abroad longer, letting them remain outside the country for two years, and possibly longer, before losing their rights to property and benefits like health care — an increase from 11 months under the current policy. Analysts say the government is encouraging a larger class of Cubans to travel, partly so that they can earn money elsewhere and return, injecting capital into the island’s moribund economy. The benefits of such an arrangement are already clear: remittances to the island have grown to an estimated $2.3 billion a year, from $1 billion in 2004. But whether the new law will create a temporary or permanent mass exodus, Cubans and experts say, will be determined by how many people have the means and passports to leave, and which countries welcome them. “The decision to lift the exit visa is a significant one for several reasons, although like most of the new reforms, it depends a great deal on how it is implemented,” said Robert Pastor, professor of international relations at American University. “Nonetheless, by removing a state barrier to leave, this reform could lead to a large outflow — many of whom will eventually want to come to the United States — or it could begin to allow a circular flow of people that could enhance the economic opening of the island.” The Cuban government’s earlier steps toward a market economy have mostly fallen short of expectations. There are now hundreds of thousands of small business owners on the island of 11 million people, but not nearly the numbers the government initially said it needed to cut back on the nation’s bloated public payrolls. Experts say fears of instability have often hampered the push for a rapid economic opening, leading celebrated new laws — allowing for property sales and entrepreneurship, for example — to be later larded with restrictions and taxes. Cubans in Havana and Miami say they are convinced the same dynamic will apply to travel. They mostly greeted the end of the exit visa after 51 years with their usual stance of “we’ll see.” On Tuesday, there were no long lines at the passport office in Havana or at foreign embassies, and many Cubans said they still faced hurdles to a legal departure. “It’s all very good,” said Laydis, 30, an employee at a bank in Havana who gave only one name to avoid government reprisals. “But which interesting country is going to give me a visa?” Her colleague Maricel, 44, who is eligible for a Spanish passport because her grandparents were from Spain, identified another problem. “Sure, I can go,” she said, “but where am I going to get the money?” After all, the new law, despite cutting a bureaucratic hurdle, might not mean lower costs to leaving: Yoani Sánchez, the well-known Cuban blogger whose exit visa requests have been repeatedly denied, said on Twitter that the cost of a Cuban passport will nearly double, to just over $100.
An employee of The New York Times contributed reporting from Havana, and Jacqui Goddard from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Daily Multivitamin May Reduce Cancer Risk, Clinical Trial Finds
AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
After a series of conflicting reports about whether vitamin pills can stave off chronic disease, researchers announced on Wednesday that a large clinical trial of nearly 15,000 older male physicians followed for more than a decade found that those taking a daily multivitamin experienced 8 percent fewer cancers than the subjects taking dummy pills. While many studies have focused on the effects of high doses of particular vitamins or minerals, like calcium and vitamin D, this clinical trial examined whether a common daily multivitamin had an effect on overall cancer risk. A randomized, double-blinded study of the kind considered the gold standard in medicine, the study was one of the largest and longest efforts to address questions about vitamin use. The findings are to be presented Wednesday at an American Association for Cancer Research conference on cancer prevention in Anaheim, Calif., and the paper was published online in The Journal of the American Medical Association. The reduction in total cancers was small but statistically significant, said the study’s lead author, Dr. J. Michael Gaziano, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the VA Boston Healthcare System. While the main reason to take a multivitamin is to prevent nutritional deficiencies, Dr. Gaziano said, “it certainly appears there is a modest reduction in the risk of cancer from a typical multivitamin.” He noted that other measures are likely to protect against cancer more effectively than daily use of multivitamins. “It would be a big mistake for people to go out and take a multivitamin instead of quitting smoking or doing other things that we have a higher suspicion play a bigger role, like eating a good diet and getting exercise,” Dr. Gaziano said. “You’ve got to keep wearing your sunscreen.” The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health and a grant, initiated by the investigators, from the chemical company BASF Corporation. Pfizer provided the multivitamins. The sponsors did not have input into the study design, data analysis or manuscript preparation, the authors said. About half of all Americans take some form of a vitamin supplement, and at least one-third take a multivitamin. But many recent vitamin studies have been disappointing, finding not only a lack of benefit but even some harm associated with large doses of certain supplements. The 2010 dietary guidelines for Americans state there is no evidence to support taking a multivitamin or mineral supplement to prevent chronic disease. The American Cancer Society recommends that people eat a balanced diet, but that those who take supplements choose a balanced multivitamin that contains no more than 100 percent of the daily value of most nutrients. Though several researchers said they were somewhat surprised by the findings, others called the results encouraging. “It is a small overall effect, but from a public health standpoint it could be of great importance,” said Dr. E. Robert Greenberg, an affiliate at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. “Other than quitting smoking, there’s not much else out there that has shown it will reduce your cancer risk by nearly 10 percent.” Multivitamin use had no effect on the incidence of prostate cancer, which was the most common cancer diagnosed in the study participants. When researchers looked at the effect of vitamin use on all other cancers, they found a 12 percent reduction in occurrence. Overall cancer deaths were reduced among vitamin users, but the difference was not statistically significant. A major limitation of the study is that it included only male physicians, who were particularly healthy, with extremely low smoking rates, said Marji McCullough, a nutritional epidemiologist with the American Cancer Society. “We still need to find out whether these findings can be applied to others in the population,” she said. While the research effort may have benefited from the fact that the physicians who participated were very diligent about taking their pills, the researchers also suggested that the effect of multivitamin use may have been muted because the participants were very health-conscious to begin with. Dr. David Chapin, 73, a gynecologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston who participated in the trial, said that although he had “never believed” in vitamins, he might start taking a daily multivitamin now, despite the modest benefit. “A lot of studies make big news, but when you look at the nitty-gritty, they don’t show all that much,” Dr. Chapin said, adding that he recently discovered he had been taking a placebo pill. “This was a very reliable study, it was very well designed and administered, and it went on and on and on.”
AppId is over the quota
After a series of conflicting reports about whether vitamin pills can stave off chronic disease, researchers announced on Wednesday that a large clinical trial of nearly 15,000 older male physicians followed for more than a decade found that those taking a daily multivitamin experienced 8 percent fewer cancers than the subjects taking dummy pills. While many studies have focused on the effects of high doses of particular vitamins or minerals, like calcium and vitamin D, this clinical trial examined whether a common daily multivitamin had an effect on overall cancer risk. A randomized, double-blinded study of the kind considered the gold standard in medicine, the study was one of the largest and longest efforts to address questions about vitamin use. The findings are to be presented Wednesday at an American Association for Cancer Research conference on cancer prevention in Anaheim, Calif., and the paper was published online in The Journal of the American Medical Association. The reduction in total cancers was small but statistically significant, said the study’s lead author, Dr. J. Michael Gaziano, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the VA Boston Healthcare System. While the main reason to take a multivitamin is to prevent nutritional deficiencies, Dr. Gaziano said, “it certainly appears there is a modest reduction in the risk of cancer from a typical multivitamin.” He noted that other measures are likely to protect against cancer more effectively than daily use of multivitamins. “It would be a big mistake for people to go out and take a multivitamin instead of quitting smoking or doing other things that we have a higher suspicion play a bigger role, like eating a good diet and getting exercise,” Dr. Gaziano said. “You’ve got to keep wearing your sunscreen.” The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health and a grant, initiated by the investigators, from the chemical company BASF Corporation. Pfizer provided the multivitamins. The sponsors did not have input into the study design, data analysis or manuscript preparation, the authors said. About half of all Americans take some form of a vitamin supplement, and at least one-third take a multivitamin. But many recent vitamin studies have been disappointing, finding not only a lack of benefit but even some harm associated with large doses of certain supplements. The 2010 dietary guidelines for Americans state there is no evidence to support taking a multivitamin or mineral supplement to prevent chronic disease. The American Cancer Society recommends that people eat a balanced diet, but that those who take supplements choose a balanced multivitamin that contains no more than 100 percent of the daily value of most nutrients. Though several researchers said they were somewhat surprised by the findings, others called the results encouraging. “It is a small overall effect, but from a public health standpoint it could be of great importance,” said Dr. E. Robert Greenberg, an affiliate at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. “Other than quitting smoking, there’s not much else out there that has shown it will reduce your cancer risk by nearly 10 percent.” Multivitamin use had no effect on the incidence of prostate cancer, which was the most common cancer diagnosed in the study participants. When researchers looked at the effect of vitamin use on all other cancers, they found a 12 percent reduction in occurrence. Overall cancer deaths were reduced among vitamin users, but the difference was not statistically significant. A major limitation of the study is that it included only male physicians, who were particularly healthy, with extremely low smoking rates, said Marji McCullough, a nutritional epidemiologist with the American Cancer Society. “We still need to find out whether these findings can be applied to others in the population,” she said. While the research effort may have benefited from the fact that the physicians who participated were very diligent about taking their pills, the researchers also suggested that the effect of multivitamin use may have been muted because the participants were very health-conscious to begin with. Dr. David Chapin, 73, a gynecologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston who participated in the trial, said that although he had “never believed” in vitamins, he might start taking a daily multivitamin now, despite the modest benefit. “A lot of studies make big news, but when you look at the nitty-gritty, they don’t show all that much,” Dr. Chapin said, adding that he recently discovered he had been taking a placebo pill. “This was a very reliable study, it was very well designed and administered, and it went on and on and on.”
Thousands Mourn Former King Sihanouk in Cambodian Capital
AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
The body of King Sihanouk, who died on Monday in China, arrived from Beijing on Wednesday aboard an Air China jumbo jet and was driven through the streets of Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, under a scorching tropical sun. “He was the father, and we are the children,” said Pich Ravy, a vegetable seller who traveled to the Royal Palace, where King Sihanouk’s body will lie in state for the next three months. “He was one of Cambodia’s greatest kings.” King Sihanouk’s death at 89, after six decades of deep involvement in Cambodia’s often devastating post-independence politics — marked by long years of war and the bloody rule of the Khmer Rouge — signaled the end of an era for Cambodia. But what the new era, and the monarchy, will look like is a subject of heated debate. Amid the official praise and remembrances Wednesday, Cambodians discussed competing visions for the role of future kings. To some, King Sihanouk’s death underscored the end of an activist monarchy where the lines between king and politician were blurred, and where a monarch could use the prestige of the throne to exert influence and power, as King Sihanouk, who ceded the throne to his son in 2004, often did. To others, his death highlighted a vacuum of moral authority and the highly concentrated and lopsided power of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has presided over the Cambodian government for the past 33 years, making him one of the longest-serving leaders in the world. “This is a new era for Hun Sen,” said Lao Moung Hay, a former civil servant and professor of law and economics. “There is no force to restrain him anymore — there are risks for the country.” Prince Sisowath Thomico, King Sihanouk’s longtime private secretary and nephew, said that some Cambodians were worried and afraid after Mr. Sihanouk’s death. “He had such charisma,” he said in an interview in the Royal Palace. “And now there will be a kind of hiatus. The people of Cambodia will have to wait for the next person who will have that same moral authority.” King Sihanouk, who was crowned in 1941, had gradually withdrawn from public life in recent years. In his long, colorful and complex rule as king and politician, he was praised by historians for his role in obtaining independence from France and criticized for providing legitimacy to the Khmer Rouge and assisting their rise to power. Some 1.7 million people are estimated to have died under the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s. But among mourners in Phnom Penh on Wednesday, King Sihanouk was remembered mostly as someone concerned with the plight of the poor and powerless. “The king did everything for the people,” said Som Srey Pao, a 49-year-old mother who traveled to the Royal Palace with her three children on Wednesday. “He sacrificed himself for the people.” The king’s elaborate coffin, draped in a blue royal flag and festooned with flowers, was placed on a gilded carriage shaped to represent a mythical birdlike creature. Mourners clutched incense sticks and lotus flowers. They remained quiet and reverential, many of them kneeling, as the carriage wheeled past. Trailing it was the black Mercedes of the current king, Norodom Sihamoni, who reluctantly took the throne when his father abdicated in 2004. King Sihamoni, 59, is a former ballet instructor who remains under the long shadow of his father. He is unmarried and seen as unlikely to produce an heir. Although kings can be chosen from among hundreds of descendants of prior kings, the lack of an obvious successor to King Sihamoni has raised anxiety among some royalists. Son Soubert, a member of the privy council to the current king, spoke of a “vacuum” following King Sihanouk’s death. He described the current king as much more reserved on many issues than his father. “Our present king is so neutral that he doesn’t get involved,” Mr. Son Soubert said. “He sticks to his role within the Constitution.” To allies of Mr. Hun Sen, the prime minister, that is exactly the way it should be. Phay Siphan, secretary of state in the Council of Ministers, which functions as a cabinet, describes a new era for the monarchy in Cambodia, enshrined in the country’s 1993 Constitution. “The king should be away from political activity,” Mr. Phay Siphan said in an interview. “The king does not rule the people — the king is respected by the people,” he said. Mr. Phay Siphan called King Sihanouk a “well-respected politician” and suggested he be described as the “godfather of Cambodia.” But he said the nation had moved on. “The king played two roles, one as a king and one as a politician,” he said. “This was a mixed message for the nation.” Critics of Mr. Hun Sen’s government see an effort to monopolize the entire political arena and the monarchy. Unlike the royals in Thailand or Britain, the Cambodian royal family is not wealthy and does not have vast landholdings. Kings are largely reliant on the state budget for their activities, giving the government potential leverage over the monarchy. Depending on the timing of succession, Mr. Hun Sen and his allies may also have considerable say about who becomes the next king. The Constitution puts that power in the hands of a nine-member Throne Council that includes the prime minister and top officials from the National Assembly and Senate, both of which are currently controlled by Mr. Hun Sen’s party.
AppId is over the quota
The body of King Sihanouk, who died on Monday in China, arrived from Beijing on Wednesday aboard an Air China jumbo jet and was driven through the streets of Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, under a scorching tropical sun. “He was the father, and we are the children,” said Pich Ravy, a vegetable seller who traveled to the Royal Palace, where King Sihanouk’s body will lie in state for the next three months. “He was one of Cambodia’s greatest kings.” King Sihanouk’s death at 89, after six decades of deep involvement in Cambodia’s often devastating post-independence politics — marked by long years of war and the bloody rule of the Khmer Rouge — signaled the end of an era for Cambodia. But what the new era, and the monarchy, will look like is a subject of heated debate. Amid the official praise and remembrances Wednesday, Cambodians discussed competing visions for the role of future kings. To some, King Sihanouk’s death underscored the end of an activist monarchy where the lines between king and politician were blurred, and where a monarch could use the prestige of the throne to exert influence and power, as King Sihanouk, who ceded the throne to his son in 2004, often did. To others, his death highlighted a vacuum of moral authority and the highly concentrated and lopsided power of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has presided over the Cambodian government for the past 33 years, making him one of the longest-serving leaders in the world. “This is a new era for Hun Sen,” said Lao Moung Hay, a former civil servant and professor of law and economics. “There is no force to restrain him anymore — there are risks for the country.” Prince Sisowath Thomico, King Sihanouk’s longtime private secretary and nephew, said that some Cambodians were worried and afraid after Mr. Sihanouk’s death. “He had such charisma,” he said in an interview in the Royal Palace. “And now there will be a kind of hiatus. The people of Cambodia will have to wait for the next person who will have that same moral authority.” King Sihanouk, who was crowned in 1941, had gradually withdrawn from public life in recent years. In his long, colorful and complex rule as king and politician, he was praised by historians for his role in obtaining independence from France and criticized for providing legitimacy to the Khmer Rouge and assisting their rise to power. Some 1.7 million people are estimated to have died under the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s. But among mourners in Phnom Penh on Wednesday, King Sihanouk was remembered mostly as someone concerned with the plight of the poor and powerless. “The king did everything for the people,” said Som Srey Pao, a 49-year-old mother who traveled to the Royal Palace with her three children on Wednesday. “He sacrificed himself for the people.” The king’s elaborate coffin, draped in a blue royal flag and festooned with flowers, was placed on a gilded carriage shaped to represent a mythical birdlike creature. Mourners clutched incense sticks and lotus flowers. They remained quiet and reverential, many of them kneeling, as the carriage wheeled past. Trailing it was the black Mercedes of the current king, Norodom Sihamoni, who reluctantly took the throne when his father abdicated in 2004. King Sihamoni, 59, is a former ballet instructor who remains under the long shadow of his father. He is unmarried and seen as unlikely to produce an heir. Although kings can be chosen from among hundreds of descendants of prior kings, the lack of an obvious successor to King Sihamoni has raised anxiety among some royalists. Son Soubert, a member of the privy council to the current king, spoke of a “vacuum” following King Sihanouk’s death. He described the current king as much more reserved on many issues than his father. “Our present king is so neutral that he doesn’t get involved,” Mr. Son Soubert said. “He sticks to his role within the Constitution.” To allies of Mr. Hun Sen, the prime minister, that is exactly the way it should be. Phay Siphan, secretary of state in the Council of Ministers, which functions as a cabinet, describes a new era for the monarchy in Cambodia, enshrined in the country’s 1993 Constitution. “The king should be away from political activity,” Mr. Phay Siphan said in an interview. “The king does not rule the people — the king is respected by the people,” he said. Mr. Phay Siphan called King Sihanouk a “well-respected politician” and suggested he be described as the “godfather of Cambodia.” But he said the nation had moved on. “The king played two roles, one as a king and one as a politician,” he said. “This was a mixed message for the nation.” Critics of Mr. Hun Sen’s government see an effort to monopolize the entire political arena and the monarchy. Unlike the royals in Thailand or Britain, the Cambodian royal family is not wealthy and does not have vast landholdings. Kings are largely reliant on the state budget for their activities, giving the government potential leverage over the monarchy. Depending on the timing of succession, Mr. Hun Sen and his allies may also have considerable say about who becomes the next king. The Constitution puts that power in the hands of a nine-member Throne Council that includes the prime minister and top officials from the National Assembly and Senate, both of which are currently controlled by Mr. Hun Sen’s party.
Poypiti Amatatham contributed reporting.
Venezuela’s Opposition Struggles for Unity
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AppId is over the quota
His job is not about to get any easier. Battered by the re-election of President Hugo Chávez this month, Venezuela’s fractious opposition is struggling to remain united and rally its followers for crucial elections for governors in December. “There is nothing to suggest we would do better apart than together,” said Mr. Aveledo, the executive secretary of the opposition coalition, known as the Democratic Unity Table, which backed Mr. Chávez’s challenger, Henrique Capriles Radonski. Mr. Chávez, who has been in office for almost 14 years, was re-elected Oct. 7 with 55 percent of the vote, compared with 44 percent for Mr. Capriles. It was the best showing by the opposition in a presidential election since Mr. Chávez first came to office in 1999. But a loss is a loss, and now the opposition has the difficult task of rousing its supporters for the elections for governors in the nation’s 23 states on Dec. 16. Eight governors currently belong to the opposition, but all of them must run for re-election. That includes Mr. Capriles, the governor of Miranda, who said last week that he would run again. Opposition activists secretly fear a debacle if their disillusioned followers refuse to go out and vote. Mr. Chávez won in 21 states, including Miranda, suggesting that he may be poised to take away some of the governorships currently in the hands of the opposition. In two states, the opposition even seems to be helping the president’s chances; in those states, Táchira and Monagas, the opposition holds the governorships. Yet a second opposition candidate has filed to compete against the incumbent in each state, meaning they could split opposition votes and clear the way for the pro-Chávez candidates. “The key to success is to get up quickly and keep going,” Mr. Capriles said at a news conference two days after the election, referring to the blow of losing. But much will depend on the ability of the opposition to stay unified. The coalition did especially well in legislative elections in 2010, when the opposition won a large number of seats in the National Assembly. But now it must overcome frictions that built up during the presidential campaign. During the race, Mr. Capriles pushed many opposition politicians and their parties to the sidelines, confiding in a small group of advisers. That was done in part to protect against charges by Mr. Chávez that he represented old parties that had failed to solve the nation’s problems before Mr. Chávez took office. Some of these strains were visible. Activists from parties in the coalition complained that the Capriles campaign would not let them get involved. “We were not treated well,” said Henry Ramos, the head of Democratic Action, a social democratic party that, along with the Christian Democrats, dominated Venezuelan politics during the second half of the 20th century. Mr. Capriles’s attempts to distance himself at times took on comic dimensions. At one Democratic Action event, party officials prominently displayed a life-size cutout of Mr. Capriles, who was not in attendance. Some observers saw a dig at the candidate, though Mr. Ramos said that was not the intention. Still, Mr. Ramos said he stopped attending campaign meetings a few weeks before the election after a leader close to Mr. Capriles referred to Democratic Action and other groups as “parasite parties.” Mr. Capriles did nothing to heal potential rifts in comments he made after the election. “I defeated the old politics,” he said. Mr. Ramos scoffed at his comments. “He didn’t defeat anyone,” Mr. Ramos said. “They defeated him.” Still, he predicted the Unity Table would stay together, and others agreed.
AppId is over the quota
His job is not about to get any easier. Battered by the re-election of President Hugo Chávez this month, Venezuela’s fractious opposition is struggling to remain united and rally its followers for crucial elections for governors in December. “There is nothing to suggest we would do better apart than together,” said Mr. Aveledo, the executive secretary of the opposition coalition, known as the Democratic Unity Table, which backed Mr. Chávez’s challenger, Henrique Capriles Radonski. Mr. Chávez, who has been in office for almost 14 years, was re-elected Oct. 7 with 55 percent of the vote, compared with 44 percent for Mr. Capriles. It was the best showing by the opposition in a presidential election since Mr. Chávez first came to office in 1999. But a loss is a loss, and now the opposition has the difficult task of rousing its supporters for the elections for governors in the nation’s 23 states on Dec. 16. Eight governors currently belong to the opposition, but all of them must run for re-election. That includes Mr. Capriles, the governor of Miranda, who said last week that he would run again. Opposition activists secretly fear a debacle if their disillusioned followers refuse to go out and vote. Mr. Chávez won in 21 states, including Miranda, suggesting that he may be poised to take away some of the governorships currently in the hands of the opposition. In two states, the opposition even seems to be helping the president’s chances; in those states, Táchira and Monagas, the opposition holds the governorships. Yet a second opposition candidate has filed to compete against the incumbent in each state, meaning they could split opposition votes and clear the way for the pro-Chávez candidates. “The key to success is to get up quickly and keep going,” Mr. Capriles said at a news conference two days after the election, referring to the blow of losing. But much will depend on the ability of the opposition to stay unified. The coalition did especially well in legislative elections in 2010, when the opposition won a large number of seats in the National Assembly. But now it must overcome frictions that built up during the presidential campaign. During the race, Mr. Capriles pushed many opposition politicians and their parties to the sidelines, confiding in a small group of advisers. That was done in part to protect against charges by Mr. Chávez that he represented old parties that had failed to solve the nation’s problems before Mr. Chávez took office. Some of these strains were visible. Activists from parties in the coalition complained that the Capriles campaign would not let them get involved. “We were not treated well,” said Henry Ramos, the head of Democratic Action, a social democratic party that, along with the Christian Democrats, dominated Venezuelan politics during the second half of the 20th century. Mr. Capriles’s attempts to distance himself at times took on comic dimensions. At one Democratic Action event, party officials prominently displayed a life-size cutout of Mr. Capriles, who was not in attendance. Some observers saw a dig at the candidate, though Mr. Ramos said that was not the intention. Still, Mr. Ramos said he stopped attending campaign meetings a few weeks before the election after a leader close to Mr. Capriles referred to Democratic Action and other groups as “parasite parties.” Mr. Capriles did nothing to heal potential rifts in comments he made after the election. “I defeated the old politics,” he said. Mr. Ramos scoffed at his comments. “He didn’t defeat anyone,” Mr. Ramos said. “They defeated him.” Still, he predicted the Unity Table would stay together, and others agreed.
Wednesday, 7 November 2012
New reality show will be about Montgomery County animal cruelty
Montgomery County will serve as the setting of a new reality show about fighting animal cruelty that will air on Animal Planet next week.
The show, ?Bully and Sugar: Southern Justice,? will feature Scott ?Sugar Hill? Hill, one of the county?s animal control officers, and Christopher ?Bully the Kid? Bennett, a former animal control investigator for the state of Georgia.
The premise of the show is that Bennett, bringing his city experience from Atlanta, rides around with Hill, a native of Montgomery, to help with animal control and cruelty problems throughout the county.
The show is being produced by 44Blue Productions. If the pilot episode, which was filmed this summer, is successful, the company will film 15 episodes. The pilot will air at 10 p.m. Nov. 10 on Animal Planet Network.
Michael Briddell, the city?s director of public information, said what will really make the show work is the personality contrasts and chemistry between Bennett and Hill.
?I think the show is going to show we do have animal cruelty in Montgomery, but we?re serious about it. We?re going to fight it every day,? Hill said. ?We don?t play around with this stuff here.?
The city worked closely with the 44Blue Productions, the Montgomery Humane Society and its attorneys to make sure they have some control over how the city and county are portrayed in the show.
?All of us had some serious reservations,? Briddell said. ?We don?t want Montgomery, Alabama, to be portrayed in 96 million homes as a place that has a lot of problems.?
After seeing the footage and working with the company, Briddell said he has no doubt that the city and county will be represented accurately.
Steven Tears, executive director of the Montgomery Humane Society, said he hopes the show will educate other cities and counties that don?t take animal cruelty crimes seriously.
He said Bennett?s unique skill set ? and the fact that he won?t be in a uniform ? will help improve the investigations. He said individuals involved in animal cruelty cases who wouldn?t normally talk to the county officers have spoken to Bennett.
?We?re really excited on behalf of the Humane Society and the city and the county that we?re going to be able to showcase the hard work that we do and the successes we have, whether it?s using education to prevent people from having to visit our jails or we actually have to force them to go to jail,? Tears said.
Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange said the show does depict animal cruelty, but it also shows that the city and county are trying to eliminate it with the resources they have.
?We took a leap of faith and we decided to go forward with this,? Strange said.
Bennett, who said he came to Montgomery to make an impact, said the South is often misrepresented as a ?backwoods place? where people don?t care about animals.
?I know this is the new South and the new Montgomery,? Bennett said. ?I thought this show was a way to showcase who we are as people and individuals and as a community.?
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
Poarch Creek tribe restarts casino work
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians has resumed construction of its $246 million casino expansion in Wetumpka after halting building two weeks ago to try to resolve disagreements with an Oklahoma tribe that believes the construction is further desecrating the land.
Leaders with the Muscogee Creek Nation of Oklahoma, which consider the site sacred, met with Poarch Creek Tribal Council members in Oklahoma this week, but Tribal Chairman Buford Rolin said in a statement sent to the Montgomery Advertiser that the two sides are at an impasse.
According to correspondence between tribal leaders released by an attorney for the Muscogee Creeks on Wednesday, the two sides appeared close to an agreement in the fall of 2010, but the two sides could not reach an agreement about where to relocate human remains that had been excavated during the construction of the current casino.
?From the beginning, it has been our stance that the remains should be put back where they were excavated. The ceremonial ground remains sacred, so it is not a proper place for a casino,? Mekko George Thompson, Muscogee chief of 42 years, said in a statement sent to the Advertiser on Wednesday by an attorney for the tribe.
Poarch Creek Tribal Council member Arthur Mothershed, in the statement sent to the Advertiser, said they have been ?extremely careful to plan a development that is culturally sensitive while ensuring the economic well-being of our tribal members, our community, and our state. It is a balanced, reasonable approach for using land that we own, which has been met with increased opposition from some in Oklahoma.
?Now, we are being faced with demands to remove ancestral remains that have already been reinterred,? Mothershed said. ?We can ensure that no more remains will be excavated. It has been almost eight years since any remains have been unearthed. We cannot change the fact that remains were found and removed. Those remains are now reinterred and we cannot support disturbing those remains again.?
Robert McGhee, a Poarch Creek Tribal Council member who heads the tribe?s Governmental Affairs Office, previously told the Advertiser that all of the human remains and burial objects that were previously excavated at the site were reinterred in mid-April after the tribe was unsuccessful in trying for six years to work with the Muscogee Creeks to agree on a location for reinterment.
Poarch Creek leaders have said they started construction of the 20-story hotel and casino in July and expect to complete construction by January 2014.
Leadership of the Muscogee Creeks, whose ancestors lived on the land before being forced west, demanded in August that the Poarch Creeks stop expansion of Creek Casino Wetumpka. They vowed to take legal action if the expansion at the site along the Coosa River did not stop.
In their news release, the Poarch Creeks said that they halted construction in good faith so that leadership from the two tribes could meet again to discuss concerns.
?We are indeed saddened by the outcome of this recent trip to Oklahoma made by representatives of our Tribal Council,? Rolin said.
The Muscogee Creeks believe the land where the casino is located is sacred land they know as Hickory Ground, where their ancestors lived and where there is a ceremonial ground, a tribal burial ground and individual graves.
The Poarch Creeks have argued, despite accusations from the Muscogee Creeks and other tribes, that they are in compliance with applicable federal laws and historic preservation laws.
The Poarch Band, the only federally recognized tribe in Alabama, operates casinos in Montgomery, Atmore and Wetumpka.
The Muscogee Creeks, in their news release announcing the stoppage of construction earlier this month, said the Poarch Creeks agreed to the stoppage after the Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes unanimously approved a resolution stating ?the Inter-Tribal Council of Five Civilized Tribes supports the lawful efforts of the lineal descendants of Ocevpofv (Hickory Ground) ceremonial ground/tribal town to halt the desecration and all future desecrations of Ocevpofv ceremonial ground/tribal town located in Wetumpka, Alabama, as should be afforded protection under federal laws.?
Earlier in the resolution, the tribes wrote that the Poarch Band of Creek Indians desecrated the original location of Hickory Ground, are currently in violation of Federal Historic Preservation laws, and are violating Muscogee Creek traditions.
Swearing-in for Prattville officials Monday
PRATTVILLE — New city leaders will take office Monday morning, bringing a different look and experience level to the Prattville City Council.
The swearing-in ceremony for the mayor and seven council members is set for 10 a.m. in council chambers at City Hall. The public is invited to attend.
The mayor will stay the same. Bill Gillespie Jr. was elected to his first full term in office during the August elections with about 70 percent of the vote.
Three of the council members will be new ? Jerry Starnes in District 4, Clyde Chambliss Jr. in District 5 and Lora Lee Boone in District 7.
The three outgoing councilmen ? Tom Miller, Mike Renegar and Nathan Fank ? have a combined 36 years service on the board.
Renegar serves as president and Fank as president pro-tem.
The first order of business once the new council is sworn in is electing a new president and pro-tem, said Cathy Dickerson, city clerk. The organizational meeting will follow as soon as the swearing-in duties are completed.
Dickerson will preside at the organizational meeting until the president is elected.
The new president will preside as the pro-tem until a new pro-tem is elected.
The changeover shouldn?t mean big changes in the way Prattville is governed, Gillespie said.
?I have complete confidence in our current council, and I have complete confidence in the incoming council,? he said. ?I look forward to working with the new council members. We may see things differently from time to time, but that?s okay. I see us as a team working to make things better.
?The new council members are qualified people, and I think there will be an honest desire to continue moving Prattville forward as the new quadrennium begins.?
Volunteers build ball field, add seating at Pike Road park
More than 70 volunteers were in Pike Road on Friday working on upgrades to a 10-acre park owned by the city that will soon be the home of a baseball field and a veterans memorial.
The city received more than $20,000 worth of materials from the Home Depot Foundation to fix up the park, which is currently being called the Old Town Hall resource park, Pike Road Mayor Gordon Stone said.
Jason Schoonhoven, manager of the Home Depot on Chantilly Parkway, said he read about the new veterans memorial in the city?s newsletter, and wanted to help. From Sept. 11 until Veterans Day, the Home Depot Foundation offers celebration of service grants to communities.
Schoonhoven applied for the grant and coordinated with city officials to execute the project. About 60 volunteers from Home Depot stores all over the region, along with about 15 resident volunteers, worked on the park.
Projects included landscaping around the pavilion and veterans memorial, installing a field fence, laying sod on the field, building two dugouts, building trash can enclosures and adding seating near the memorial, Stone said.
Schoonhoven said the plan was to finish the projects by the end of Friday.
?It?s going to allow us to continue to have a connection to the center of our original crossroads community,? Stone said. ?People will always be able to go to the heartbeat of Pike Road.?
The park contains a trailhead for the Pike Road Natural Trail, the Pike Road Volunteer Fire Department station, a restroom facility, a picnic pavilion, a community garden, an unfinished softball/baseball field and a place for the memorial once it?s finished.
The city bought the property in 2006, Stone said.
The memorial, which will be unveiled Nov. 11 at the city?s Veterans Day celebration, is being funded by the Pike Road Investment in Community and Education, a community nonprofit established by the city.
Stone said that eventually the Old Town Hall facility across the street will be torn down and replaced with a replica, which will serve as a meeting house for community groups and as a small museum about the history of Pike Road.
Stefanie Duncan, who works at the Home Depot in Pike Road and lives in Montgomery, said she travels all over the region on her days off to volunteer at Home Depot community service projects.
?I like to do these projects because it gives back to the community,? Duncan said. ?It?s a place where they can actually come and have fun.?
Alabama Voices: Amendment 4 doesn't remove racist policies
Have you ever listened to a debate between two friends about a complicated issue? Because you find some truth in both arguments, you change back and forth as each makes his case.
Alabama Voices: Amendments 9 and 10 offer major revisions to state constitution
On Tuesday, the people of Alabama will have the opportunity to completely replace two articles of Alabama's more than 100-year-old constitution.
Alabama Voices: Keep Alabama 'Forever Wild' with Amendment 1
Over the years, Alabamians have been given the opportunity to vote on monetary issues that significantly affect our state's future.
Monday, 5 November 2012
Editorial: A review of Advertiser endorsements - Cast an informed vote Tuesday
Registered voters in the River Region have an opportunity Tuesday to do something millions of people around the world can only dream of doing.
Editorial: Baxley represents balanced leadership for PSC president
The race for president of the Public Service Commission is an internal political battle between the incumbent, Democrat Lucy Baxley, and a PSC member looking to ascend to the top post on the commission, Republican Twinkle Cavanaugh.
Editorial: Roby, Rogers should follow Sewell's lead
The three members of the U.S. House of Representatives whose districts contain the River Region appear to be cruising comfortably toward another term.
Guest columnist: US manufacturers need to add 25 million jobs over next 10 years
If the United States economy is to restore itself to earlier levels of full employment, prosperity and financial soundness, the American manufacturing community must engage in a national effort to resurrect its global competitiveness.
Guest editorial: Teachers deserve raises, but there are questions to answer
Henry Mabry's job is to represent the interests of the public school employees who belong to the Alabama Education Association. Sometimes the best interests of school employees and education coincide, and sometimes they don't.
Monday, 29 October 2012
Montgomery Curb Market's redesign to add seating, signage
When John Grier would set up his stand at the Montgomery Curb Market 39 years ago, eager customers helped him unload his truck so they could get the pick of the freshest produce.
Grier, a member of the curb market?s board of directors, said during the ?boom? days, produce would be gone within minutes.
But today, the market doesn?t have the amount of patrons it used to, he said.
In an effort to beautify the market and attract new customers, the city of Montgomery, which owns the curb market building on Madison Avenue, is planning to redesign the front entrance, improve signage and add seating for patrons.
?One of the challenges is a lot of people know where the curb market is, but a lot of new folks or guests into town may not know exactly where it is,? said Chad Emerson, the city?s director of development. ?And so hopefully this new frontage will make a clear entrance while preserving everything about the curb market that everybody has historically appreciated.?
The curb market moved to its current location in 1947, and is one of the oldest farmers markets in the state, Grier said. There have been some renovations over the years, but there?s still a lot that needs to be done, he added.
The city has hired Montgomery-based Pfeffer Torode Architecture to start designing the project. The plan is to add a covered pavilion-like structure across the entire front of the building for vendors to display and sell their goods, Emerson said.
The city also will add a seating area on the north side of the entrance.
?When you buy the goods and products at the curb market, you can sit down and enjoy them right there,? Emerson said.
The budget for the project is between $40,000 and $50,000, Emerson said. The goal is to have the construction completed by next spring.
The project is part of the Madison Avenue Gateway Plan, a vision created for improving Madison Avenue from North Ripley to Vonora streets.
Once the plans are done, the city will work with the curb market to determine the best way to proceed with construction, he said.
?Historically, it?s been a great place to go, but it?s never had a great curb appeal,? Emerson said. ?It?s an institution for people that come and get fresh vegetables.?
Reeda McElwaney, who has a stand at the curb market, said city officials got feedback from members about what they?d like to see the entrance look like.
McElwaney said she?s grateful that the city is going to design a plan that will preserve the historic character of the market, but still make it attractive to younger people.
?People have forgotten about the market,? said Diann Causey, who has had a stand at the market with her husband since 1983. ?If it looks more presentable and there are better signs, then people might remember it.?
Causey said the idea of the front porch, New Orleans-style frontage will improve the ambiance of the market.
?The younger generation that does not come down here as much will come more if it looks a little bit brighter, a little bit cleaner, a little bit more modern,? Causey said.
Montgomery firefighters douse single-room blaze at State House Inn
The Montgomery Fire Department on Monday afternoon quickly extinguished a fire at the State House Inn in downtown Montgomery.
No one was injured in the fire, which was confined to the room where it started, said Lt. Kenny Jones, a fire department spokesman.
The department received the call at 1:33 p.m., and 12 units and 48 personnel responded, Jones said. It was a second-alarm fire, he added.
The city is buying the Madison Avenue property where the aging hotel sits and plans to implode the building and use the empty space to attract a developer to the site.
The 69,000-square-foot building, located at 924 Madison Ave., was built in 1962. Deputy Mayor Jeff Downes said in a Montgomery Advertiser story last week that the property at one time was a Holiday Inn, and it has deteriorated over time. He said there are rooms with boarded-up windows that don't meet current building codes.
Mayor Todd Strange has said that he hopes to close the hotel by the end of the year, according to previous Advertiser reports.
? Scott Johnson
No one was injured in the fire, which was confined to the room where it started, said Lt. Kenny Jones, a fire department spokesman.
The department received the call at 1:33 p.m., and 12 units and 48 personnel responded, Jones said. It was a second-alarm fire, he added.
The city is buying the Madison Avenue property where the aging hotel sits and plans to implode the building and use the empty space to attract a developer to the site.
The 69,000-square-foot building, located at 924 Madison Ave., was built in 1962. Deputy Mayor Jeff Downes said in a Montgomery Advertiser story last week that the property at one time was a Holiday Inn, and it has deteriorated over time. He said there are rooms with boarded-up windows that don't meet current building codes.
Mayor Todd Strange has said that he hopes to close the hotel by the end of the year, according to previous Advertiser reports.
? Scott Johnson
Montgomery Firefighters get new ladder truck
Montgomery firefighters at Station No. 6 welcomed the arrival of a brand new ladder truck Friday.
The new Ladder Truck 42 replaces one that was nearly 20 years old, said Lt. Kenny Jones, a Montgomery Fire Department spokesman.
The new truck features new safety features that the old truck did not have and is roomier than the old truck as well, firefighter Quinton Robinson said.
The safety features include a sensor that keeps the truck from going too fast around curves and tandem dual axles that prevent the truck from slipping on a rainy day.
The new truck also does not separate the firefighters traveling on it.
?It is one solid cab, so that way we can all talk to each other,? Robinson said.
Jones said firefighters always love having a new truck.
?It?s like Christmas morning,? he said.
Montgomery gunshot victim, 18, dies from injuries received Thursday
An 18-year-old man who was shot Thursday night has died of his injuries, according to a news release from the Montgomery Police Department.
Justin Leonard, 18, of Montgomery was pronounced dead Sunday.
About 11:30 p.m. Thursday, MPD officers and fire medics responded to a report of a shooting into an occupied vehicle in the 2200 block of Bonaparte Boulevard.
The initial responders found Leonard, who had been shot, and took him to Baptist Medical Center South. His injuries were classified as life-threatening.
This was Montgomery?s 27th homicide of 2012. The investigation is ongoing, and MPD did not indicate that a suspect was in custody.
? Allison Griffin
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Face lift for west side - House to House helps re-energize Washington Park community
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/*Collect Image Information*/(function(){var _id = 'AR';if(_id)GEL.thepage.pageinfo.pic[_id]= {id: "DS-310140021-AR-L",link: "http://cmsimg.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DS&Date=20121014&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=310140021&Ref=AR&Profile=1007",caption: "LAMP%20students%20help%20clear%20out%20three%20houses%20on%20Hill%20Street%20for%20House%20to%20House%2C%20a%20Christian%20homeownership%20ministry%2C%20in%20the%20Washington%20Park%20neighborhood%20in%20Montgomery%20recently.",credit: "Lloyd Gallman/Advertiser",canBuyPhoto: "1",width: "800",height: "393"};})();The Montgomery Advertiser is committed to the national Make a Difference Day campaign, a ?national day of doing good? that rallies millions of people across the U.S. in a single day to help change the communities they live in.
For its MADD project, the Advertiser has partnered with House to House, a Christian homeownership ministry, and will provide volunteer labor in a daylong work effort at three houses on Hill Street on Oct. 27. We?d like your help, too, knowing that we can do more good in greater numbers.
The Advertiser received a $5,000 grant from the Gannett Foundation for its Make a Difference Day project. A portion of that grant will go to House to House to purchase tools on its wish list so it can continue its work, said Sam Martin, publisher of the Advertiser. (The other portion will go to the Christmas Clearinghouse, to which the Advertiser has contributed previously.)
If your group or business would like to team up with us, log on to http://daytabank.handsonnetwork.org/, or call Peggy Pearson at 261-1545. No construction experience is required.
House to House, a Christian homeownership ministry, uses several programs to address the needs of the Washington Park neighborhood and develop relationships founded on service to others, all through the love of Christ.
Among the ministry?s programs are life skills classes and renovations of neighborhood homes, which are then rented to residents.
Mentoring is the priority of House to House, and the first step. A mature Christian mentor is matched with a participant, and performs a financial evaluation to make sure the participant understands how to budget, and how to manage a budget. When the participant is ready, the mentor then goes to House to House and vouches for him, and the path to having a clean, safe, renovated home begins.
House to House then asks the participant for his needs ? the number of bedrooms, for example ? and finds a suitable home. House to House then asks one of its investor partners to secure a loan, and provides the loan proceeds to the ministry, which uses the money to purchase a house and fix it up. (volunteers help with some of the labor and donations of appliances and materials). After a few months, the participant can move in.
House to House pledges to pay back the loan with rent money received from the families it helps; it also pays all the taxes and insurance. The investor partner does not make money from the arrangement, but does receive the satisfaction of investing in the life of a deserving person.
Unlike Habitat for Humanity, the participants are not required to actually work on the houses, because they?re renting them. But they do get help choose paint colors and the like. After they move in, the mentor continues to help them with their budget, and also to understand what would be required to purchase the home from House to House.
The ministry isn?t that far along in the program just yet. House to House will not provide financing, but will prepare the participants to secure their own bank loans, with the idea that their mortgage payments would be similar to their rent payments.
The ministry will sell the houses for what it has invested in them.
For more information on House to House, log on to www.h2hwp.org, or call 649-1534.
There?s a subtle change happening on Montgomery?s west side, even if some of us can?t see it.
Relationships are being built, slowly, between former outsiders who now call this place home and those who?ve watched this neighborhood decline over the years. Hopelessness is gradually beginning to lift. And, more tangibly, dilapidated houses are being fixed up and getting a new lease on life, a visual encouragement for an area that could use a little more of it.
This is the Washington Park neighborhood, the focus of a couple of intensive, hands-on ministries that are working to meet the needs of an area that is ?under-resourced.?
That?s the term used by House to House, the nonprofit Christian housing ministry that has put down roots here. It was originally a part of the older Common Ground Montgomery ministry, which is focused on youth development in the Washington Park area, but in 2011 became a separate, independent ministry, with its own board and its own goals.
Renovating homes is probably the most visible program of House to House, but mentoring is its most important. Mentors from the community work alongside the families in the neighborhood, helping the families learn needed life skills but also sharing the love of Christ.
?(Mentoring) is really the heart of the ministry,? said Mike Bunce, the executive director of House to House.
On a recent sunny day, volunteer crews were busy putting up drywall in a home on Lincoln Terrace, one of the current House to House renovations. The house is being fixed up and enlarged, and eventually will become home for Bunce and his wife, Susan, who have been approved to become foster parents. The Bunces currently live next door.
Bunce checks on the progress of the renovation with Don Hougham and Paul Sullivan, two of the dozen or so volunteers working here on this particular day. The group is from Crystal River, in central Florida, and is a part of the disaster relief ministry of Seven Rivers Presbyterian Church. They spent two years in Biloxi, Miss., and New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
Though their primary focus is disaster response, Hougham said that the lack of hurricanes in the last few years left them with skills that were going to waste, so they turned to inner-city ministries.
This is their ninth visit to Montgomery for House to House. The men, who are in their 70s and 80s, spend a week at a time, doing woodworking and drywall in the homes.
?When we?re out, we always say, ?we get more than we give,?? Hougham said.
But local groups also will find work to do in Washington Park. On the same day the Florida crew was on Lincoln Terrace, a group of seniors from Loveless Academic Magnet Program High School was working on interior demolition and cleanup of three homes on Hill Street as part of their day of service. More and more youth and church groups are volunteering, too, even for just a few hours on a weekend.
?We take very seriously the responsibility we have to make an authentic experience for them when they come to the neighborhood to try to help us,? Bunce said.
He knows that volunteers won?t develop relationships with the community in a three-hour, Saturday morning volunteer effort. But if they go home with the desire to do more, that?s OK, too. There?s plenty of work to do.
Common Ground Montgomery invests in the lives of urban youth, nurturing them with life skills and working to keep them away from the influences of the streets. It also works to connect the children with Christian mentors, who can be a part of their lives through and past high school.
After Bryan Kelly founded Common Ground in 2007, he asked for Bunce?s help in finding a house in Washington Park that was suitable for renovation. Bunce was the construction manager at The Waters development in Pike Road, but didn?t have much experience with older homes.
Even so, Bunce and his son, who was then 19, volunteered to help with the home when it was under construction. Through that experience, he got to know and admire Kelly and Kevin King, who also leads Common Ground.
?The first time I heard (Kelly?s) vision, I was struck by how different and how real it was, as compared to other people?s efforts to try to help,? Bunce said. ?It seemed like there would be only one way to help the poor, and he was doing it.?
At the core of Common Ground and House to House?s mission is becoming a part of the neighborhood ? that is, living in Washington Park, and developing deep relationships with the people who live there.
?We?ve just seen it be the most effective form of really helping the communities,? said Delta Kelly, the volunteer coordinator for House to House and Bryan Kelly?s wife. ?And ourselves.?
For Bunce, the seed was planted ? he wanted to do that kind of real-life, hands-on ministry work that King and Kelly were doing with Common Ground. But it took being laid off from The Waters for him to move forward.
Bunce went to Kelly and asked if he would want to do a housing ministry in Washington Park, to complement the work Common Ground already was doing. Kelly saw the need and was enthusiastic, but told Bunce he would have to raise his own support. He did so, and he and Susan eventually moved to the neighborhood and got to work. Now, House to House has a staff of dedicated, knowledgeable people.
?I have the peace of knowing that if I just keel over, they?re going to keep going,? he said. ?They understand this more than I do.?
Since its inception in 2009, House to House has enjoyed a largely low-tech, word-of-mouth, gradual kind of growth in the community.
?The fun part of it is when the whole community starts to catch the vision,? Bunce said.
As an example, Trailer World on Troy Highway just last week donated an enclosed trailer for hauling tools to the ministry.
?I love being caught off guard by that kind of generosity,? Bunce said.
That kind of support from the community will be crucial going forward.
?If we?re really going to try to reverse the chains of poverty, it takes a holistic, comprehensive effort,? he said.
When people ask, ?what do you need?,? Bunce can point to the need for economic development.
Can someone help with an urban garden, or with the coffee shop they?d like to open, or the bicycle shop? Those are all goals of the ministry.
?It?s hard to imagine how much unemployment is really the source of hopelessness that people have until you?ve been here and you get to know them,? he said. ?They?re not drug addicts and chronically homeless people. They?re people like you and me who cannot find a job.?
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WETUMPKA — Services were held Saturday in Wetumpka for a University of South Alabama freshman who was killed by a campus police officer.
The funeral for 18-year-old Gil Collar was held at Mulder Memorial United Methodist Church, which is a few miles from his Wetumpka home.
Collar was shot a week ago after going to the campus police station almost nude and pounding on the glass.
Police said Collar had taken LSD and acted aggressively when an officer came outside carrying a gun. The officer repeatedly backed away from the unarmed student before firing.
An attorney for the student?s family, Jere Beasley, said Collar never touched the officer and the fatal shooting never should have happened.
Cancer walk a success in Montgomery
Perfect weather, a huge crowd and record donations combined to make the third annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event a success from start to finish.
Held once again at Huntingdon College on Saturday morning, the fundraiser set new standards, but organizers were confident that next year?s event will be even more successful.
Attendance at this year?s event topped 2,000 walkers while donations reached $85,000. Both exceeded last year?s totals.
?We are very pleased with how well everything turned out,? event coordinator Laura Walter said Saturday afternoon. ?In fact, we?ve outgrown Huntingdon College and will probably hold this at a different location next year.?
Walter praised Huntingdon officials for allowing her organization to hold the first three on campus.
?Huntingdon has been just wonderful to work with,? Walter said. ?They handled the setup and the cleanup. We certainly appreciate their help.?
Pink once again was the color of the day. Participants showed up in ?Think Pink? T-shirts to tie in with pink shorts, hats and even pets wearing the same color.
Walker estimated that most of the 250 goodie bags were picked up by cancer survivors. She also said 140 teams took part, ranging from two people to 50 representing Regions Bank, one of the leading sponsors of the event. Baptist Health was the primary sponsor.
Several walkers arrived from long distances, including nine women who were members of the ?Benning Boobie Brigade? from Fort Benning in Georgia.
The group, made up of wives and children, left the sprawling Army base before sunup and arrived in time to take part in warm-up exercises in their unique T-shirts.
Watching from a swing on a hill were three other survivors, including one woman who has bounced back from not one, but two, bouts with cancer and a man happy to have survived World War II.
Anne Cartas, 67, said she has been free of breast cancer for 23 years and also has defeated ovarian cancer, detected eight years ago.
Next to her on the swing was breast cancer survivor Pat Hill. She sat next to her husband, Bob Hill, who spent part of the war in the Navy transporting Marines from ships to shore during some of the bloodiest fighting in the South Pacific.
Among the early arrivals at the event was breast cancer survivor Anita Poole, who has been to all three Making Strides walk-a-thons.
?I could feel the lump right away, and my doctor was suspicious, too,? said Poole. ?I go to the Carmichael Imaging Center, and my test showed I had breast cancer.?
Poole said survival depends, in part, on early detection, followed by quick treatment. She said that is one reason she enjoys taking part in the walk-a-thon each year.
She brought along her cocker spaniel, Maggie, who was decked out in a pink outfit of her own.
Walter said funds raised at the event are used for research, education and services to help drive home the point that awareness and early treatment are among the best ways to defeat breast cancer.
Blaze extinguished at vacant house
Montgomery firefighters responded to a three-alarm fire early Friday morning at Clay and Conecuh streets.
About 1:30 a.m., firefighters arrived to a well-involved fire, said Lt. Kenny Jones, a Montgomery Fire Department spokesman.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control and determined that the house was vacant, Jones said.
The house was not furnished, and there were signs that it possibly had been occupied by vagrants, he said.
No one was injured in the fire.
City of Montgomery works to finish demolitions on Maxwell Boulevard
The city of Montgomery continues to make way for new developments on Maxwell Boulevard by demolishing unoccupied, city-owned buildings.
Crews on Friday were demolishing a building that Deputy Mayor Jeff Downes said was a potential safety hazard.
?Any unoccupied building that is in poor shape like that, we plan to demolish,? Downes said.
Last week, the city demolished the old Land and Sea building and earlier tore down an old building at Maxwell Boulevard and Whitman Street.
The city is in negotiations to bring in a developer for those locations, and the city?s general strategy along Maxwell Boulevard is to try to meet the demand for residential housing, Downes said.
Friday?s demolition is the last of the unoccupied, city-owned buildings along Maxwell that were in ?deplorable? condition, Downes said.
Monday, 22 October 2012
ASU to hold public meeting on new stadium
Alabama State University will hold a community meeting to give updates on the progress of the new ASU Stadium.
The meeting will be at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Houston Markham Jr. Football Complex.
Topics will include construction progress, ticket information, parking, shuttle service, vendor information and tailgating.
There will be a second public meeting at 6 p.m. Nov. 8.
The Turkey Day Classic, the annual clash between Alabama State and Tuskegee University, is scheduled to be the Hornets? first football game at the new stadium.
The stadium?s debut will begin a new era for Alabama State while bringing a longtime tradition to an end. more than 40 years, the school has played its home games at Montgomery?s Cramton Bowl.
Alabama State?s 37-34 loss Saturday to Jackson State marked the Hornets? final game at the downtown facility.
-- Scott Johnson
Alliance aims to alter 'school-to-prison' path
Advocacy groups from across Alabama have joined to create a program to stop what the program?s coordinator calls the ?school-to-prison pipeline.?
Many students wind up incarcerated for behavior that could be dealt with in other ways, said Ebony Howard, a staff attorney with Southern Poverty Law Center and organizer of the Alabama Youth Justice Alliance.
The SPLC is one of 15 members of the alliance, the creation of which was announced Tuesday morning on the steps of the state Capitol.
Arresting a student for minor disciplinary issues can steer that juvenile onto a dangerous path, Howard said.
?When you arrest a kid, you train that kid to be arrested again,? she said.
Once a juvenile has been sent to a youth facility, they become more likely to eventually end up in jail with adults, where they are in danger of physical and sexual assault, Howard said.
Taking a more reasoned approach to behavioral issues in young people can keep that cycle from beginning, she said.
?Kids should be held accountable, but the way they are held accountable should not result in ruining their lives,? Howard said.
The alliance?s stated goal is for partners to work together and with the Legislature, government systems, youth, families and communities to develop appropriate reforms.
Children who are at low risk should not be sent to youth detention facilities, said Linda Tilly, executive director of Voices for Alabama?s Children.
?They are basically going to crime school,? when they are sent to those facilities, Tilly said.
Anger management and family counseling are two alternatives to incarceration, Tilly said, adding that the underlying causes of behavioral issues often are not addressed.
Issues such as undiagnosed mental conditions or abuse in the student?s home are among the potential causes of behavioral problems, she said.
Howard said one of the goals of the alliance is to hear from young people about the struggles they face in and out of school and decide what approach the alliance should take.
Anneshia Johnson with Birmingham Faith of Action said it is important to get youth involved.
?If the youth will lead, adults will follow,? Johnson said. ?But in order for the youth to lead, we have to truly pour into them ... and show them that we do hear them.?
Montgomery police investigate cause of fatal crash on Interstate 85
Montgomery police are investigating a fatal crash that happened shortly before midnight Thursday.
One person was killed and two were injured in the single-vehicle crash, which happened on Interstate 85 North at the Perry Hill Road exit.
The crash claimed the life of the front seat passenger, Latisha Henderson, 21, of Montgomery.
The driver and an infant were transported to Baptist Medical Center South and their conditions were listed as not life-threatening, said Sgt. Regina Duckett, a police spokeswoman.
Based on the investigation, the vehicle lost control and struck the concrete divider. Investigators continue to work to determine the cause of the crash, Duckett said.
There also was a second crash at the scene that led to the arrest of the driver of a pickup.
The pickup struck and totaled two police cars that were blocking the scene of the fatal crash, Duckett said.
Shana Hanrahan, 30, of Montgomery was charged with driving under the influence.
No one was injured in that crash.
The fatal crash marked the city?s 18th traffic fatality of the year.
Panel will investigate allegations of grade changing at Lee, JD, Lanier
The Alabama State Department of Education on Monday named the members of the three-person investigative team that will look into allegations of mass grade changes at three Montgomery public high schools.
Dr. Terry Jenkins, former Auburn City Schools superintendent, Larry Raines, a former high school principal and ACCESS Administrator at ALSDE, and A.J. Price, the former technology coordinator and INOW contract specialist for ALSDE, will investigate the charges reported in the Montgomery Advertiser two weeks ago. In the story, numerous teachers at Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis and Sidney Lanier high schools made allegations of grade changing at the schools. INOW is the state-mandated student records system that tracks changes in grades.
The investigative team held its first meeting Monday to review information and formulate a plan, according to ALSDE spokeswoman Malissa Valdes-Hubert. The next step will be a review of all student information within Montgomery?s high schools.
Montgomery Public Schools superintendent Barbara Thompson requested the investigation. It will operate in conjunction with a separate investigation that the Montgomery Board of Education approved last week when it voted unanimously to hire a former FBI investigator to also look into the allegations.
MPS board chairman Charlotte Meadows also has sent a letter to Attorney General Luther Strange asking him to conduct an investigation.
Maxwell Air Force Base shows off tech at its first Home Energy Expo
Maxwell Air Force Base on Friday held its first Home Energy Expo, showcasing products such as electric and hybrid cars, room occupancy sensors and a solar oven that was baking a pie.
David Macon, who organized the expo for Maxwell, said the inaugural event was specifically for military families, but added that he hoped for expanded events in future years.
?Hopefully, in the future (we can) open it up so we can be part of energy expos off base,? Macon said.
The goal is to help people learn the ways they can save money on utility and other energy bills, he said.
Among the cars on display at the expo was an orange Tesla Roadster, a sporty electric car that reportedly is capable of going from 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. Makers of the roadster said that it can go 245 miles on a single charge.
The room-occupancy sensors cause lights to turn on when someone enters a room and turn off when a person leaves a room.
Solar-energy vendor Craig McManus described how a solar water heater takes in cold water, heats it to 160 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit, then adds more cold water to regulate the temperature.
Nearby, what looked like an open, silver box reflected the sunlight. Inside, a pie was baking at 300 F.
October typically is considered Energy Awareness Month, but the Air Force decided that wasn?t strong enough, Macon said.
?The Air Force said, ?Hey, let?s take it a step further,? and this is now Energy Action Month,? he said.
Master Sgt. Stacy Powell tried out a stationary bicycle that was powering two light bulbs. The florescent bulb was glowing brightly while the incandescent bulb dimly flickered.
Powell said a bicycle that could provide electrical power would be a useful thing to have around.
?If you had that in your house, you could put it in your workout room,? Powell said.
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