четверг, 15 марта 2012 г.

South Africa's football future looks bright

South Africa's elimination from the Under-20 World Cup has done little to dampen the enthusiasm of coach Serame Letsoaka, who says his players have enough talent to form the core of the country's senior side for years to come.

South Africa was knocked out of the tournament after losing 2-1 in extra time to Ghana on Tuesday, despite being the better team for most of the match.

Letsoaka's team has grown together for four years, and he believes some are good enough to break into Bafana Bafana's squad in time for next year's World Cup at home.

"We have invested to make sure that these type of players will take us through to 2012, 2014, 2016, …

NATION BRIEFS

Police Seek Serial Killer in New Orleans A serial killer - possibly a police officer - has murdered 24 peoplein New Orleans, mostly prostitutes, since 1991 and dumped their nakedbodies near swamps, law enforcement officials said Friday.Authorities have suspected for about a year that a serial killer wasin the New Orleans area but didn't announce the investigation untilFriday, when they appealed to the public for help. Police ChiefRichard Pennington said one of his officers is a suspect, but herefused to identify the officer or discuss specifics. Clintons' Legal Bills at $2.1 Million President and Hillary Rodham Clinton have run up legal bills of $2.1million to respond to …

AP Interview: Gates urges patience with Pakistan

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the U.S. is disappointed and suspicious that militants in Pakistan apparently were tipped off that American intelligence officials had discovered two of their suspected bomb-making facilities.

Gates stopped short of concluding that Pakistani officials leaked the information to the insurgents. And he said such incidents must not derail U.S. relations with Islamabad.

A U.S. official said that …

среда, 14 марта 2012 г.

Search resumes for those missing after Ark. flood

The search has resumed in Arkansas for nearly two dozen people missing after flood waters swept through a campground.

The search had been suspended Saturday night because it was too dangerous to continue as darkness fell upon the rocky terrain.

At least 18 people have been killed by the floods. The victims were from Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas.

The last time someone was found alive was late Friday morning. Only two bodies were found Saturday as swollen rivers subsided and anguished relatives awaiting word of loved ones grew more frustrated, knowing that at some point the search mission would become one of recovery.

THIS IS A BREAKING …

Making his mark with police

Barry Trevaskis is now a Police Coxswain, employed by theMinistry of Defence and working out of Plymouth where he covers thesurrounding area.

He recently received a Chief Constable's Commendation for arescue of some American submariners - but admits he is unable todiscuss the details!

"We have five 15-metre police launches …

The Diary of a Soviet Schoolgirl, 1932-1937

Nina Lugovskaya. The Diary of a Soviet Schoolgirl, 1932-1937. Translated by Joanne Turnbull. Moscow: Glas New Russian Writing, 2003. 215 pp. Photographs. $17.95, paper.

Nina Lugovskaya's diary is one of a number that have emerged from the NKVD archives since 1991. It is a valuable and revealing document on a number of levels. The diary covers Lugovskaya's teenage years and contains much of the familiar angst that is associated with that period in a person's development. Lugovskaya agonizes over friendships, first crushes, and insecurities about her appearance. She envies her older sisters and seeks to find a special talent that will make her more noticeable in the eyes of her …

Morales: Bolivia to seize fuel smugglers' vehicles

Bolivian President Evo Morales says any vehicle caught smuggling fuel out of the country will be seized.

The South American country is rich in natural gas but suffers chronic fuel shortages. That's because Bolivia heavily subsidizes energy prices. So people illegally export the fuel and resell it for a profit across the border. Gas for heating and cooking is especially …

MAKING A SPLASH The new [...]

MAKING A SPLASH The new Ford Ranger is due in …

8 Hamas Militants Killed in Gaza Clashes

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israeli troops clashed with Hamas militants inside the Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing eight in fierce fighting that drew in Israeli aircraft, tanks and bulldozers.

It was the second-deadliest day of fighting between the two sides since the Islamic militant group wrested control of Gaza in mid-June. In all, more than 30 Palestinians - nearly all of them militants but including a 12-year-old boy - have been killed in at least five separate Israeli military operations in Gaza since the Hamas takeover.

Troops had ventured about a half-mile inside central Gaza on a routine foray against rocket squads when airmen backing their patrol identified a group …

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST-SELLERS

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. "Wicked Prey" by John Sandford (Putnam)

2. "Cemetery Dance" by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing)

3. "Dead and Gone" by Charlaine Harris (Ace)

4. "The 8th Confession" by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown)

5. "First Family" by David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing)

6. "Pygmy" by Chuck Palahniuk (Doubleday)

7. "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown)

8. "Tea Time for the Traditionally Built: The New No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Novel" by Alexander …

Malcolm X College Set For Adult Ed Experiment

A West Side facility of Malcolm X College has been chosen tocreate a model adult education program to move students smoothly frombasic literacy to college or the workplace.

Announcement of the three-year trial was made Tuesday by theCity Colleges and the Illinois Community College Board. Malcolm X,one of the City Colleges, will coordinate the project with an initial$100,000 state grant. The award is one of three the state board isgiving community colleges.

About 500 students per semester will be involved in the program,which is scheduled to start in late January at the West Side LearningCenter, 4624 W. Madison.

Entrance testing and evaluations to observe …

Nigeria gives telecoms bidder more time to pay

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — A consortium that won a bid to buy Nigeria's failed state-run telephone company has been given more time to pay a required $750 million down payment, the most recent of numerous setbacks to privatize the company since 2001.

Usman Gumi, managing director of local company and consortium member GiCell, said Thursday that the government gave the New Generation Telecommunications Consortium until Dec. 23 to put together the down payment.

The group has bid a total of $2.5 billion to purchase Nigerian Telecommunications Ltd., known locally as Nitel.

The consortium missed an earlier deadline on Nov. 5 fixed by Nigeria's Bureau of Public Enterprises, the …

Director Smith strikes back

These are fighting times for Kevin Smith, the director and star of"Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back." First the gay and lesbian anti-defamation organization GLAAD had a bone to pick with him. Then TimBurton got into the act.

After getting pummeled by the Catholic League for hiscontroversial "Dogma"--in which God not only was one of us, but aCanadian in the form of Alanis Morissette--Smith says he wanted tomake a light, no-brainer comedy.

"The last thing I wanted was to make anything even remotelycontroversial this time," says Smith, 31, phoning from his New Jerseyhome. "We got so close to the release date without anythinghappening, and then the GLADD thing kind of exploded."

Ah yes. That GLAAD thing. After screening the film, theorganization found it offensive and asked for--and received--a$10,000 donation from Smith to benefit the Matthew ShepardFoundation. Smith also agreed to make reference to GLADD's cause inthe end credits, but he offers no apology for his comedy.

"[GLAAD entertainment media director] Scott Seomin has said,'Kevin isn't homophobic but the movie is,' " says Smith. "I said,'Scott, the movie doesn't get any more personal than this. This issuch a huge part of who I am. How can I not be homophobic but themovie can?' There's more gay content in this movie than in most gay-themed movies. There are a lot of gay jokes, but not at the expenseof the gay community."

He stars in the film and his wife and daughter appear.

"I'm married now to one of you people," he says, referring to hiswife Jennifer, a former journalist for USA Today. "She plays one ofthe members of the girl gang in the movie. Our daughter Harley playsme as a kid. That baby looks exactly like I did as a youth. We havetwo sets of genetics at work. Part of Harley wants to go up, cause mywife is tall and thin. Part of her wants to go out like me, so she'sgot to be careful. Hopefully Jennifer's genetics will win out."

The movie centers around the exploits of Jay and Silent Bob, apair of pot-smoking, butt munches who also were featured in Smith'sprevious films, "Clerks," "Mallrats," "Chasing Amy" and "Dogma." Jay(Jason Mewes) is a pointy faced, foul-mouthed horn-dog whose missionin life is to smoke weed and make it with the ladies. Silent Bob--played by Smith--is, well, silent.

After learning on the Internet that a movie is being made aboutcartoon characters that are based on them and that kids are sayingnegative things about their alter egos, the bumbling duo decides thatthe only thing to stop this negative commentary is to halt productionof the film.

OK, this isn't exactly a plot that'll win an Oscar for bestscreenplay, but Smith doesn't care. He had fun writing and acting init and got to work with friends such as Ben Affleck, who recentlychecked himself into a rehab center for alcohol abuse.

"Affleck is absolutely OK," says Smith. "I just talked to him theother day. He lives for being a movie star and would never letanything derail his career. Ben has always been his own biggest fan,but not in an arrogant, egocentric way. Hes very charming. Mostactors don't like to go watch dailies of the scenes they shot theprevious day. But Affleck would always be there front row center witha big bowl of popcorn loudly appreciating his own performance. Ifyou're watching his dailies and hear someone going, "Mmmm. Genius!"you know it's Affleck. Its so cute."

Unlike his movie star buddy, Smith says his glass is always halfempty. Just turned 31, he's already worried about being nine yearsaway from turning 40--halfway to death in his eyes. And if 99 criticslove his work, he'll obsess about the one who thought it was so-so.

So when Tim Burton slammed him in the press, Smith was hurt. Smithhad jokingly pointed out to the New York Post's Lou Lum-enick thatBurton's surprise ending to "Planet of the Apes" was a rip-off of aplotline in his 1998 comic book miniseries "Chasing Dogma."

"When I saw his movie, I thought it was uncanny and I told Loufacetiously that I felt ripped off," says Smith. "Apparently Tim tookit very seriously. I spoke to Lou about it and he said that Tim'spublicist called to say more about it, including that Tim would neverread anything by me! I want to put that on a book jacket."

On his Web site (www.viewaskew.com), Smith asks that fans notboycott Burton's films over this misunderstanding.

Criticism on the anonymous Internet is another matter.

"Tim Burton can say something nasty about me and I don't reallycare, because I know who he is and what he's done," Smith says. "Idon't know what a guy named Whompa1 on the Internet is, how old he isor what he's all about. I would love to believe the Internet is madeof three 14-year-old boys with just a bunch of different names. Theanonymity is the thing that drives me ape s---."

No offense intended, Tim Burton.

вторник, 13 марта 2012 г.

Estimating prognosis

Wittenberg, S.M., & Cohen, L.M. (2009). Estimating prognosis in end-stage renal disease. Progress in Palliative Care, 17(4), 165-169.

The author's purpose for this review article was to explore estimating prognosis within the context of end stage renal disease (ESRD); to present factors that prevent physicians from discussing this issue; and to review existing methods used for formulating a prognosis. The authors of the paper are Dr. Stephen M. Wittenberg from the Department of Medicine and Dr. Lewis M. Cohen from the Department of Psychiatry - both are from Baystate Medical Centre, Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

The authors draw our attention to American statistics, which indicate that 85,000 patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) die every year, yet nephrologists commonly avoid discussions around prognosis. Research has found that dialysis patients want to know this pertinent information. In 2008, the National Kidney Foundation (Weiner, 2008) conducted an "online survey of 182 dialysis patients and found diat: a) 54% of patient respondents had never talked about end-of-life care with a dialysis team member; b) 76% wanted to have such a conversation; c) only 14% expressed discomfort at the thought of having such a conversation; and d) only 5% clearly did not want to speak about these matters" (p. 165). In another survey undertaken by Fine, Fontaine, Kraushar, and Rich (2005) of 100 patients with chronic kidney disease, die researchers found that 97% of respondents wanted prognostic information and more than 50% of the respondents stated they needed to know their prognosis on dialysis. Large percentages wanted this information so they were "better prepared to accept what happens in die future" (p. 165) and believed diat their nephrologists should volunteer that information and diat they should not have to be prompted for it. Additional studies are cited to support this point.

The Renal Physicians Association and American Society of Nephrology clinical practice guidelines (2000) on initiation and withdrawal of dialysis suggest the issue of prognosis be discussed with patients, yet it is an area nephrologists fail to articulate. Reinforcing the need to have these discussions is die statistic diat "one- and five-year mortality rates in ESRD are 25% and 60% respectively - considerably higher than that of most cancers" (p. 168). It has been recommended diat further research be performed on estimating the prognosis of renal patients.

Many factors hinder end-of-life discussions. The review article focuses on three that are largely responsible for nondisclosure: a) lack of staff education and training, b) concerns about extinguishing patient hopes, and c) clinical uncertainty about the accuracy of prognoses.

Ensuring patients have an appropriate understanding of their illness, including prognosis, will only help patients and their families make informed decisions about dieir care and future goals. With the lack of training in communication in end-of-life care within the nephrology fellowship programs, it is not shocking that these discussions do not take place between physicians, patients and their families. Giving bad news to patients and their families in a patient-centred and culturally sensitive approach is not common to physicians' practice. Discussions like these need time, a quiet, private and comfortable place for the patient and their loved ones. To address this issue, the nephrology community is starting to include the topic of communication in their curriculum.

A concern for nephrologists is that by having discussions around prognosis, it may demoralize patients and their loved ones, causing them psychological distress. This review article references several studies that support open, ongoing dialogue about poor prognosis as a key factor in strengthening the patient-physician relationship and also to enhance patients' hope by shaping future decisions that are in line with their goals and values.

Another reason why nephrologists forgo discussions about prognosis is the lack of prognostic tools available that are generalizable, precise and useful. The Surprise Question (SQ) is an instrument that has been tested in the end stage renal disease (ESRD) population. This tool was used in die Moss et al. study (2008), which asked health care professionals whether they would be surprised if the patient died within one year. The findings from the study showed tJiat "the unadjusted odds of dying within one year for the ESRD subject in the high-mortality group identified by the SQ were 3.5 times higher than for subjects in the lowmortality group" (p. 167). The authors of the study pointed out that having ESRD patients assess their own health condition might also be an independent predictor of death because these patients have insight into their quality of life, self-management behaviours and treatment compliance/non-compliance.

The method nephrologists use to formulate a prognosis includes: actuarial factors to estimate survival, taking into account age, albumin, activities of daily living (ADL) performance scales, hemoglobin variability, calcium, phosphorus, and parathyroid hormone (Mauri, Cleries, & Vela, 2008; Miskulin, Martin, & Brown, 2004). The modified Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) is a tool that predicts survival in both incident and prevalent dialysis patients - this tool factors in age and allocates a score to the various comorbid diseases (Fried, Bernardini, & Piraino, 2001; Fried, Bernardini, & Piraino, 2003). The Royal College of General Practitioners in the United Kingdom (2008) recommends both methods: the clinicians' prediction of survival, the SQ question, and actuarial estimation of survival, the CCI tool.

In addition, cardiovascular disease and, particularly, coronary artery disease (CAD) make up greater than 45% of deaths in ESRD patients (Johnston, Dargie, & Jardine, 2008). It is noted that CAD increases the odds of dying in an ESRD patient and die incidence of ESRD accelerates the onset and/or progression of CAD. It's also important to note the cardiac occurrences within the ESRD population - 50% of the cardiovascular deaths in ESRD patients are usually unexpected and assumed to be due to arrhythmic events. These deaths could easily be linked to the following three conditions: hypertension with consequent left ventricular hypertrophy, coronary artery disease, and electrolyte imbalances. It is also noted that myocardial infarctions are difficult to assess in ESRD patients because of the biomarkers they use to detect this cardiac event. Values such as troponin T, troponin I and creatine kinase may be higher in the ESRD population.

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is another predictor of death in the ESRD population on dialysis. Stack and Bloembergen (2001) in their study found diat 36% of ESRD patients on dialysis had CHF, and a Banerjee et al., 2007, study revealed an "8.7% mortality rate during the first hospitalization for CHF, and only 12.5% survival at five years in this population" (p. 168). Furthermore, the "biomarkers which may be predictive of cardiovascular mortality in dialysis patients have focused on the value of cardiac troponin T (cTNT) and cardiac troponin I (cTNI) (p. 168). Two studies are mentioned, Apple et al. (2002) and Khan et al. (2005), which indicate that these biomarkers are valuable, and evermore so when integrated into the clinical picture.

Open communication around prognosis among health care professionals, patients and dieir loved ones is vital for good palliative care and greatly influences the experience of dying. It is highlighted by the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA) (2002) that health care professionals need to work collaboratively to improve the quality of living, as well as the quality of end-of-life care for all Canadians. In addition, as part of the interprofessional team, nurses are in a position to influence physicians' communication skills and to provide support in communicating difficult issues more effectively. Adopting a team approach to communicating will not only ensure each member is supported, but also that nurses are better equipped in helping patients and their families understand, accept and adjust to the information, uncertainty and conflict that may arise when a prognosis is conveyed. Knowing what transpires during these discussions will also allow nurses to address patients' and their families' emotional reactions such as fear, anger and other ongoing concerns (CNA, 2008; Davis, Kristjanson, & Blight, 2003; McBride Robichaux & Clark, 2006).

The review article discussed prognosis, as it pertains specifically to the physician-patient relationship, excluding the nephrology nurse from this practice. Nephrologists continue to take on the primary role of communicating a prognosis to a patient and their loved ones when, in fact, nurses are capable of having such discussions. Yet, nurses do not take on that responsibility (Schulman-Green, McCorkle, Cherlin, Johnson-Hurzeler, & Bradley, 2005). The nurses' role is key to maximizing communication about prognosis so that relationships between health care providers, patients and families are strengthened. Many times after speaking with the physician, patients and their loved ones find themselves lost and unable to understand the information given to them. Nurses are in the forefront in the ongoing process that encourages patients and dieir families to discuss potential future treatment options, goals of care and end-of-life care, as it pertains to the patient's prognosis (CNA, 2008; McBride Robichaux & Clark, 2006).

In summary, the majority of patients and their loved ones would like to be informed of prognosis by their nephrologists. However, several barriers come into play when dealing with such difficult issues. Combining the clinician's prediction and the actuarial estimation of survival, including the cardiovascular indicators is promising for the ESRD population, so that it improves the process of decision-making and how it shapes their future.

[Sidebar]

Copyright 2010 Canadian Association of Nephrology Nurses and Technologists

[Reference]

References

Apple, F.S., Murakami, M.M. Pearce, LA., & Herzog, CA. (2002). Predictive value of cardiac troponin I and T for subsequent death in end-stage renal disease. Circulation, 106, 2941-2945.

Banerjee, D., Ma, J.Z., Collins, A.J., & Herzog, CA. (2007). Long-term survival of incident hemodialysis patients who are hospitalized for congestive heart failure, pulmonary edema, or fluid overload. Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 2, 1186-1190.

Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association. (2002). Health Canada. Canadian Strategy for Palliative and End-of-life Care. National Action Planning Workshop of End-of-Life Care-Workshop Report: Palliative and End-of-Life Care Overview. March 2-4, 2002, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Retrieved November 20, 2009, from http://www.chpca.net/ public_policy_advocacy/canadian_ strategy_for_palliative_and_eol_ care.html

Canadian Nurses Association. (2008, November). Position Statement. Providing nursing care at the end of life. Retrieved November 24, 2009, from http://wwww.cna-aiic.ca/ CNAdocuments/pdf/publications/ ps96_End_of_Life_e.pdf

Davis, S., Kristjanson, L.J., & Blight, J. (2003). Communicating with families of patients in an acute hospital with advance cancer. Cancer Nursing, 26, 337-345.

Fine, A., Fontaine, B., Kraushar, M.M., & Rich, B.R. (2005). Nephrologists should voluntarily divulge survival data to potential dialysis patients: a questionnaire study. Peritoneal Dialysis International, 25(3), 269-273.

Fried, L., Bernardini, J., & Piraino B. (2001). Charlson Comorbidity Index as a predictor of outcomes in incident peritoneal dialysis patients. American Journal of Kidney Diseases, 37, 337-342.

Fried, L., Bernardini, J., & Piraino, B. (2003). Comparison of the Charlson Comorbidity Index and the Davies score as a predictor of outcomes in PD Patients. Peritoneal Dialysis International, 23, 568-573.

Johnston, N., Dargie, H., & Jardine, A. (2008). Diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease in patients with chronic kidney disease. Heart, 94, 1080-1088.

Khan, NA, Hemmelgarn, B. R., Tonelli, M., Thompson, CR., & Levin, A. (2005). Prognostic value of troponin T and I among asymptomatic patients with end-stage renal disease: A meta-analysis. Circulation, 112, 3088-3096.

Mauri, J.M., Cleries, M., & Vela, F. (2008). Catalan Renal Registry. Design and validation of a model to predict early mortality in haemodialysis patients. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, 23, 1690-1696.

McBride Robichaux, C, & Clark, A.P. (2006). Practice of expert critical care nurses in situations of prognostic conflict at the end of life. American Journal of Critical Care, 15(5), 480-491.

Miskulin, D.C, Martin, AA., Brown, R., Fink, N.E., Coresh, J., Powe, N. R., et al., & The Medical Directors of Dialysis Clinic Inc. (2004). Predicting one-year mortality in an outpatient haemodialysis population: A comparison of comorbidity instruments. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, 19, 413-420.

Moss, A.H., Ganjoo, J., Sharma, S., Ganso r, J., Senft, S., Weaner, B., et al. (2008). Utility of the "Surprise" question to identify dialysis patients with high mortality. Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 3, 1379-1384.

Renal Physicians Association and American Society of Nephrology. (2000). Shared decision-making in me appropriate initiation of and withdrawal from dialysis, Clinical Practice Guideline Number 2. Washington, DC: Renal Physicians Association.

Schulman-Green, D., McCorkle, R., Cherlin, E., Johnson-Hurzeler, R., & Bradley, E.H. (2005). Nurses' communication of prognosis and implications for hospice referral: A study of nurses caring for terminally ill hospitalized patients. American Journal of Critical Care, 14, 64-70.

Stack, A.G., & Bloembergen, W.E. (2001). A cross-sectional study of the prevalence and clinical correlates of congestive heart failure among incident US dialysis patients. American of Kidney Diseases, 38, 992-1000.

Weiner, S. (2008). National Kidney Foundation. End-of-life care discussions: A survey of dialysis patients and professionals. Journal of Nephrology Social Work, 28, 52-58.

[Author Affiliation]

Reviewed by Kalli Stilos, RN, MScN,

CHPCN(C), Advanced Practice Nurse,

Palliative Care Consult Team,

Sunnybrook Health Science Centre,

Toronto, ON

Steve Williams' victory dance draws mixed reaction

JOHNS CREEK, Georgia (AP) — Tiger Woods' former caddie drew a mixed reaction to the way he gloated over his new boss' first victory with him on the bag.

Some understood Steve Williams' frustration after being dumped by Woods. Others thought the caddie went overboard in his comments to the media, taking attention away from the guy who actually won the World Golf Championship at Firestone, Adam Scott.

The crowd chanted Williams' name as he walked up to the 18th green with Scott, who pulled away for a four-stroke victory. Afterward, Williams gave an interview that was nearly twice as long as the Aussie's, calling it "the best win I've ever had" — remember, he caddied for 13 of Woods' major titles — and making it clear he felt his ex-boss had treated him unfairly.

Steve Stricker said Monday that Williams was clearly upset and eager to let his feelings out after the acrimonious split.

"I'm not going to say if he went overboard or not," Stricker said after a practice round for the final major of the year, the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club. "It's just too bad their relationship had to end like that."

A pair of English golfers, who weren't at Firestone but watched the tournament on television, both went on Twitter to take shots at Williams.

"Cannot believe they have interviewed Steve Williams. Nice of him to take away from Scotty's win. Says it all," Chris Wood wrote.

Oliver Wilson chimed in, "Steve Williams taken all the attention off Adam scotts fantastic win! Played great and nobody is talking about him this morning!!!" He added a hash tag to his tweet with the word "shameful."

Stricker was more diplomatic.

"This is all media driven. The media is looking for a story here," he said. "I don't know the whole situation. I've heard two different stories, and I don't know which one is the real story. But, obviously, he was upset to the point that he said what he did in front of everybody. That's his right."

Woods also played at Firestone, his first tournament in three months, and finished 18 shots behind Scott. That only added to Williams' glee.

"Stevie was obviously hurt. He gave his all to Tiger for 13 years," said Nick Faldo, who will be an analyst on CBS' broadcast of the PGA Championship. "I'm sure there was an element to that where he was saying, 'Hey, look what I've just done, mate.' I know Stevie is getting praise and criticism, both ways. That's kind of normal for him. That's Stevie."

___

PLAYING UP: Some players were griping about the length of the Highlands Course — listed at 7,467 yards for a par-70 layout — but the PGA of America could make things interesting at a couple of holes.

Start with the 13th, the shortest par 4 at 372 yards but also the tightest, with tall pines lining both sides of the fairway and a sharp dogleg to the right.

There were markers at both the front and back tee boxes during Monday's practice round, setting up two totally different tee shots. From the closer position, the players have a shot at going for the green, if they can frame a shot around the trees and avoid a bunker on the right.

The 425-yard sixth also sets up plenty of intrigue. The PGA could move the tee forward to play 295 yards, which brings a pond into play for anyone that tries to go for the green with his tee shots. There's also bunkers in front and behind the putting surface.

"It's always nice to have a bit of a change, especially on a course like this. It's so long," Scotland's Martin Laird said. "Giving the guys a little bit of a surprise never hurts."

___

TV COVERAGE: Golf fans won't have to be at the course to catch a glimpse of the practice range and putting green during the PGA Championship.

The 360-degree camera on PGA.com will be streaming a live feed from each spot at Atlanta Athletic Club, allowing users to rotate the view to any direction from where the camera is placed.

TNT says it's the first time the camera has been used at a professional golf tournament.

___(equals)

DIVOTS: Foreign-born players have won the past three PGA Championships: Padraig Harrington of Ireland in 2008, Y.E. Yang of South Korea in 2009, and Martin Kaymer of Germany last year. ... Atlanta Athletic Club is among 15 clubs that have hosted the year's final major more than once. This is the third PGA Championship in Atlanta, which also hosted in 1981 and 2001. ... If the PGA Championship produces a fourth first-time major winner this year, it will be the first time that's happened since 2003. ... The Highlands Course is 254 yards longer than it was when it hosted the PGA a decade ago.

FORECAST VERIFICATION: A PRACTITIONER'S GUIDE IN ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE

FORECAST VERIFICATION: A PRACTITIONER'S GUIDE IN ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE Ian T. Jolliffe and David B. Stephenson, Eds., 2003, 254 pp., $95.00, hardbound, John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 0-471-49759-2

Forecast Verification: A Practitioner's Guide in Atmospheric Science, edited by Ian T. Jolliffe and David B. Stephenson, is a fairly tightly coupled set of chapters written by generally well-known experts (in some cases, perhaps more so in Europe than in North America) in verification and, especially, in the subjects of their particular chapters. In a book in which sections or chapters are written by different authors, one asks the questions, 1) how well do the individual chapters read and present the material logically, accurately, and comprehensively?, and 2) how well do the chapters relate to one another and cover the full subject of the book? On the first question, the book gets high marks for most chapters. On the second, it is better than many, although in some instances the editors have not suppressed individuality enough for it to read like a fully cohesive book. This book is a voluminously referenced and well-indexed survey of what is known about, and a historical account of, verification, and the related topic of evaluation as it exists in the meteorological literature. The editors have put much emphasis on standardizing mathematical notation throughout, and were quite successful-an achievement in itself. While the methods presented can be applicable to most any forecasting problem, the discussion and examples are tied to weather and climate forecasting, as acknowledged in the book's preface, which hardly translates into the full scope of "atmospheric science."

In chapter 1, the editors reiterate Brier and Allen's (1951) reasons for verification; use their terms "economic," "administrative," and "scientific"; and note that a common theme of these is that any verification scheme be informative (p. 4). They note it is highly desirable that the verification system be objective, and examine various scores according to the attributes of reliability, resolution, discrimination, and sharpness [as suggested by Murphy and Winkler (1987)], and for "goodness," of which Murphy (1993) identified three types: consistency, quality (accuracy or skill), and value (utility). They also note that in order to quantify the value of a forecast, a baseline is needed, and that persistence, climatology, and randomization are common baselines.

While development of objective forecasting systems is not the subject of the book and gets little direct treatment (other than ensembles), the authors do note that artificial skill is a danger in developing a forecasting system, and emphasize cross-validation and separate training and test datasets.

Chapter 2, written by J. M. Potts, deals with basic concepts and covers topics such as types of predictands-continuous and categorical (ordinal and nominal), of which binary is the simplest type. Potts implies that all forecasts are made by "forecasting systems" (p. 13) and calls the variable for which the forecasts are formulated the "predictand." Strictly speaking, that may be correct, but the preponderance of forecasts, other than those made by NWP, are made subjectively by forecasters, and the variable they are forecasting is generally not thought of as a predictand. This term comes from statistical objective systems, dating back to 1949 or before. In the AMS Glossary of Meteorology, predictand is defined only in terms of regression (AMS 2000; pp. 594, 641).

Potts states a predictand (again, her use of the term) can be either deterministic or probabilistic. She says on page 14: "A deterministic forecast is really just a special case of a probabilistic forecast in which a probability of unity is assigned to one of the categories and zero to the others." However, the editors state in chapter 9 (p. 192): ". . . deterministic point forecasts are not perfectly sharp forecasts with probabilities equal to 1 and 0, but instead they should be assigned unknown sharpness." Contradiction? These statements are brought together, but only in the glossary.

Potts introduces statistical concepts such as distributions and the first four moments-mean, variance, skewness, and kurtosis. She also introduces the Murphy-Winkler framework, Bayes theorem, and verification as a regression problem. The definition of "equitable" is presented as requiring that all constant forecasts and random forecasts receive the same value of the score.

The next several chapters are nicely divided into verification of binary events, multicategorical events, continuous variables, and spatial fields-all specific cases of different "types" of predictands. One of my biggest disappointments with the book is its lumping the verification of probability forecasts with ensemble forecasts, but that is what was done (more about that later).

In chapter 3, Ian Mason goes into great detail in dealing with the two-category event, and continues a theme of the book in discussing this situation in terms of Finley's tornado forecasts. The terminology brought from the Relative Operating Characteristic (ROC) methodology-"base rate," "hit rate," and "false alarm rate"-is predominantly used, and most scores are in, or put into, those terms. If they prevail, it will be because of the ROC influence.

I find it curious that there are several places (pp. 50, 53, 55, 70, 73) that negative skill (a set of binary forecasts that do worse than the baseline) seems to be no problem to the authors-just reverse the labels, and the negative skill becomes positive. Well, so! But usually we don't have the luxury of changing the forecasts we are verifying. Evidently, this statement is from the perspective of developing an objective system and the influence of ROC, but the book is about verification, which involves determining the correspondence of the forecasts and the "observations," not about switching labels at the end. Belaboring this point is not useful to a "practitioner" of verification.

ROC is given good treatment, covering its relationship to Types 1 and 2 errors in hypothesis testing. The parametric (or modeled) area under the ROC curve is described, along with the associated discrimination distance.

Chapter 4, written by Robert Livezey, is devoted to categorical events-actually multicategory events, since the subject of two-category events is covered in chapter 3. Departing somewhat from previous chapters, in which methods are presented but no one is particularly recommended above others, Livezey makes recommendations. For instance, he states on page 78: "In this chapter, the exclusive use of sample probabilities (observed frequencies) of categories of the forecast/observation set being verified is recommended, rather than the use of historical data. The only exception to this is for the case where statistics are stationary and very well estimated." With most verifications, the purpose comes into play. If one is comparing a set of subjective temperature forecasts with the baseline available to the forecaster when the forecasts are being made, the baseline is the historical record, not the mean of the time series yet to be observed, regardless of the stationarity of the time series. (Extreme nonstationarity would indicate climatic forecasts were inappropriate as a baseline, but this is usually not known when the forecasts are being made, so that is the baseline available and used.) In any case, the usual "skill" scores computed on multidimensional tables do generally base skill on the sample.

Livezey reviews various scores, but soon mentions most scores are deficient when compared to the Gandin and Murphy "equitable" family of scores (basically a recommendation). Although the Heidke and Pierce skill scores are both equitable, they have the undesirable properties of depending on the forecast distribution, and not utilizing off-diagonal elements in the contingency table. The relatively new LEPSCAT score and sampling variability of the contingency table and skill scores are discussed, but a major thrust of the chapter leads to the family of Gandin and Murphy scores and how they can be constructed; the Gerrity score (GS), one of the family, is recommended as the preferred one.

Chapter 5, written by Michael Deque, deals with continuous variables, and the term "variable" is used instead of the statistical developer's term "predictand" preferred by Potts (p. 13).

Some (but minimal) treatment is given to the topics of sampling error, artificial skill, and significance testing. These are very important topics and deserve more discussion. "Prediction interval" is contrasted to "confidence interval" (p. 105), but no definitive explanation of the difference is given; verification as a regression problem is mentioned in chapter 2, and the discussion of the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient is here (p. 106) and provides an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the difference.

One can agree with Deque's statement, ". . . it is desirable that the overall distribution of forecasts is similar to that of the observations, irrespective of their case-to-case relationship with the observations" (p. 113). However, the statement, "Before the forecasts are delivered to unsuspecting users, it is important to rescale (inflate) them" (p. 114) can be questioned. A definition of "inflate" is not given, but has come to mean, in many instances, that defined for regression estimates by Klein et al. (1959), and may or may not be desirable. The Mean Square Error skill score (p. 104) for inflated, unbiased forecasts will be negative if the (Pearson product moment) correlation coefficient between noninflated forecasts and observations is < 0.5 (Glahn and Allen 1966). That is, in developing the regression equation, if the reduction of variance is < 0.25, inflated forecasts will have a larger mean square error than the sample mean. An unsuspecting user, having been given inflated forecasts, might expect them to be skillful!

Chapter 6, a relatively short chapter written by Wasyl Drosdowsky and Huqiang Zhang, deals with the difficult problem of verifying spatial fields. The mean square error introduced previously can be used averaged over a field. The different anomaly correlation coefficients in the literature and S1 score are defined, and principle component analysis is introduced as a method of reducing dimensionality. Spatial rainfall forecasts are singled out as being especially challenging to verify.

Chapter 7, by multiple authors, displays their bias toward ensembles and climate forecasts early on when they mention statistical techniques but give no reference to U.S. or Canadian work in the short range (0-10 days), both primary centers of postprocessing activity for many years. They nail it down with their statement (p. 155), "Ensemble forecasting is now one of the most commonly used methods for generating probability forecasts that can take account of uncertainty in initial and final conditions." While ensemble forecasting is in its ascendancy, and the statement is true in terms of the uncertainty of the initial conditions estimated by data assimilation, precious little overall work has been done operationally with ensembles in a postprocessing probabilistic sense, except for the occurrence of precipitation, which, being binary, lends itself well to direct relative frequency treatment. Ensembles are not the most commonly used method of making probability forecasts; rather, statistical postprocessing of single model runs have produced a plethora of probabilistic guidance forecasts for many weather elements for many years. In addition, probability of precipitation forecasts have been produced as official forecasts by the NWS since 1966. The book's editors should have forced a more balanced view.

With that said, there is good information in the chapter, and it generally reviews the literature on the subject. The authors state (p. 138) that ". . . the two most important attributes of probability forecasts (are) referred to as reliability and resolution," not news to the reader at this point. Later, they say resolution is the most important attribute of a forecast system (p. 142). While these two statements are not quite contradictory, editing could have provided a clearer picture of the authors' views and more clearly differentiated a set of probability forecasts from a system that could produce reliable forecasts by recalibrating. The idea seems to be that forecasts (or forecast systems) don't really have to be reliable, just calibrate so that they are. This is emphasized later (p. 163) and contributes to the perception that the book is oriented for a developer of systems, not for one who is going to verify or evaluate an actual, unchangeable, set of forecasts. Both purposes of verification are important, but the book never clearly makes the distinction.

Chapter 8, written by D. S. Richardson, discusses the third type of goodness identified by Murphy, value or utility. Other measures associated with the correspondence of forecasts and observations (e.g., skill and accuracy) are not directly measures of the usefulness of forecasts to a user, although they are certainly related. In keeping with a theme in the book, hit rate and false alarm rate are brought into play, and the usefulness of the Peirce skill score and the Clayton skill score in this context are discussed.

The ROC is again addressed and, in contrast to chapter 8 where only the modeled area under the curve Az is discussed, Richardson goes to some length to discuss the actual area A under the curve when points are plotted on the hit rate/false alarm rate axes. He also defines a ROC skill score ROCSS = 2A - 1, which ranges from 0 for no skill to 1 for perfect forecasts. In whatever chapter the ROC is described, both the actual (from plotted points) and the modeled area should be discussed (and in that order), not sequestered for the reader to attempt to coalesce. The chapter ends with a good summary.

Chapter 9, by the editors, is a review of some key concepts in the book, a look at forecast evaluation in disciplines other than atmospheric science (statistics, finance and economics, environmental and earth sciences, and medical and clinical studies), and directions where forecast verification could benefit from more attention.

This book will provide a good reference, and I recommend it especially for developers and evaluators of statistical forecast systems.

-BOB GLAHN

[Reference]

REFERENCES

AMS, 2000: Glossary of Meteorology. 2d ed. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 855 pp.

_____, 2002: Enhancing weather information with probability forecasts. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 83, 450-452.

Brier, G. W., and R. A. Allen, 1951: Verification of weather forecasts. Compendium of Meteorology, T. F. Malone, Ed., Amer. Meteor. Soc., 841-855.

Glahn, H. R., and R. A. Allen, 1966: A note concerning the "inflation" of regression forecasts. J. Appl. Meteor., 5, 124-126.

Klein, W. H., B. M. Lewis, and I. Enger, 1959: Objective prediction of five-day mean temperature during winter. J. Meteor., 16, 672-682.

Murphy, A. H., 1993: What is a good forecast? An essay on the nature of goodness in weather forecasting. Wea. Forecasting, 8, 281-293.

_____, and R. L. Winkler, 1987: A general framework for forecast verification. Mon. Wea. Rev., 115, 1330-1338.

[Author Affiliation]

Bob Glahn is director of The Meteorological Development Laboratory, Office of Science and Technology, National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.

O'Connell heads to China for his last student games ; Fencing [Edition 3]

ALEX O'Connell is hoping his third and final appearance at theWorld University Games will end in glory.

The 23-year-old jets out to Shenzhen, China on Sunday as the onlysabruer representing Great Britain in the competition. "With afollowing wind there's no reason why I can't go on and win a medal,"he said. "I will have to fence well though."

The law student at BPP University College will be up against itwith the world's best fencers set to feature in the competition.

Two years ago at the Games in Belgrade, Serbia the current sabreOlympic gold medallist finished runner-up.

"The standard is higher than you would have guessed," explainedO'Connell. "It's impossible to know how strong the draw will be, butI'm feeling healthy and confident and training has been going well."

Following a disappointing display at the European Championshipsin Sheffield last month, O'Connell had 10 days rest before gettingback into the training routine. The Games start on Thursday August11 and O'Connell competes shortly after on the Saturday, which he'spleased about. "I'll have been there for a week by the time theweekend comes so that's plenty of time to acclimatise," he said.

"By then I'll be itching to compete.

For me, there's nothing worse than seeing everyone else competingand doing well, while I'm just waiting and waiting.

"I'll be training a fair amount of the first week but hopefullywe'll be able to get out and see the city. I've a few days after theevent. They'll put on cultural displays and experiences foreveryone."

Phaneuf, Flames Power Past Avs 5-2

CALGARY, Alberta - The Calgary Flames cured their ailing power play by focusing on the basics.

Dion Phaneuf had a goal and an assist and the Flames scored three power-play goals in a 5-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night.

Jarome Iginla, Roman Hamrlik, and former Avalanche standout Alex Tanguay also scored for Calgary, which ranked 26th in the league in power-play percentage coming into the game. The Flames went 3-for-5 on the power play and also scored just 1 second after another man advantage expired.

"We were getting away from the things that we do well," said Matthew Lombardi, who scored one of the power-play goals. "Tonight, we got back to doing those little things like getting pucks through, having guys in front, picking up rebounds, and taking pucks to the net."

Paul Stastny and Wojtek Wolski had third-period goals for the Avalanche. Jose Theodore finished with 32 saves.

"When you're playing within your division, that's four points that we just lost," Stastny said. "Now we have to forget about that and look forward to Edmonton (Thursday night)."

Miikka Kiprusoff had 23 stops for the Flames.

Iginla's first-period goal put Calgary in front 1-0 and Stastny and Brett Clark were whistled for minor penalties early in the second to give the Flames a 5-on-3 power play. Phaneuf then beat Theodore with a drive from the blue line at 3:15, making it 2-0.

Lombardi knocked in Chuck Kobasew's rebound 1:25 later for another power-play tally for the Flames.

"It was a good night on the power play," Iginla said. "We were moving it better and creating more time and space for everybody. We knew this was a huge game for us."

Calgary led 4-0 in the third when Stastny scored 59 seconds into the period with the Avalanche enjoying a two-man advantage.

"They got the momentum on the power play then they scored those two goals in less than 2 minutes there and that's really hard," Wolski said.

Notes:@ Kiprusoff's 77th career victory with the Flames moves him past Phil Myre into fourth for most wins with the franchise. ... Calgary LW Jeff Friesen has gone 35 games without a goal. ... Former Flame Jordan Leopold, recovering from hernia surgery, is expected to make his Colorado debut Saturday night in Vancouver.

Forty Under 40: Dr. Jonathan Bayuk

Dr. Jonathan Bayuk

Age 35: Partner, Hampden County Physician Associates

A food allergy - to a morsel of rice, a dab of peanut butter - can kill within minutes. And that, says Dr. Jonathan Bayuk, has many parents "totally freaked out."

But as an allergist and immunologist, he sees his job as not just telling people what to avoid, but helping them live as normal a life as possible.

"There are a lot of myths out there, and also a need for teaching in the schools," he told BusinessWest, adding that he consults, pro bono, with many local schools regarding their food-allergy policies.

To help dispel those myths, and also assist parents with managing their anxieties over a dangerous but manageable condition, Bayuk is writing a resource book on food allergies, including information on how responsive area restaurants are to allergy sufferers.

"We're looking at restaurants and places where families go with kids, and rating them," he said. "Some places can tell you what's in everything, and the chef will carefully prepare your meal for you, and at others, there are no accommodations, and no guarantees."

With a busy practice to maintain - in addition to training allergy and immunology residents at Baystate Medical Center - writing the book has been slow going, but Bayuk intends to finish it and distribute it free of charge. It's a commitment to his field that also includes leadership of the Western Mass. Food Allergy Network, a nonprofit organization he founded in part to educate the public.

"Most schools are great about dealing with this issue, but sometimes - and I'm not sure why - they're not as interested," he said. But he suggested that finances often come into play. "The federal government subsidizes peanut butter, and schools are pretty strapped for cash, so they're stuck - they really need the peanut butter, but parents need a peanut-free school."

However, Bayuk said, most school officials are receptive to the issue when he talks with them face to face. "I haven't had any situations where superintendents are resistant to it. It's more, 'let's go ahead and make a policy if it makes sense for the kids.'

"I love my job," he added. "I can't think of a better one. I always feel good going to work because, most of the time, I can solve problems."

And give the family a stress-free dinner out, too.

Memorials set for Greg Kamm

COMMUNITY NOTICE

A Memorial Mass for Michigan native Greg Kamm will be held at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Manistee at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 19. A memorial gathering will take place at 847 Huntington Road in East Lansing from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 26. Kamm, a pioneering gay activist at Western Michigan and Michigan State Universities in the early 1970s, died at age 57 in Saudi Arabia on June 3.

George W. Lutz

Services for George W. Lutz, founder of Nationwide AcceptanceCorp. and Wix Auto Co., will be held at 11 a.m. today in TempleSholom, 3480 N. Lake Shore Dr. Burial will be in Memorial Park, 9900Gross Point Rd., Skokie.

Mr. Lutz, 76, died Friday in his Bal Harbour, Fla., winter home.

He was chairman of both businesses, while also serving as aboard member with the Illinois Founders Insurance Co.

Mr. Lutz founded Nationwide, 3435 N. Cicero, in 1950 to financecars, appliances and furniture and to make personal loans. In 1966,he formed Wix Auto Co., one of the city's largest used caroperations, at 3401 N. Cicero. In 1981 he acquired IllinoisFounders Insurance, 3425 N. Cicero, which insures real estate. Heserved on its board at the time of his death.

In the late 1980s, the North Side resident stepped down aspresident and became chairman of Nationwide and Wix. His two sons,Marshall and Michael, now hold executive posts with all threebusinesses.

"He was a great philanthropist and loved by everybody who knewhim," said Chuck Glick, president of Wix. `He was one heckuva guy."

Mr. Lutz grew up on the West Side, where he graduated fromMarshall High School. He attended night school at NorthwesternUniversity and married his wife, Lillian, in 1936. During theDepression, he moved to California to find work. There, he becameinvolved in the car business, only to return here in 1939. He workedfor Nelson Chevrolet, where he became a manager, before forming hisfinance company.

During World War II, he served in a U.S. Army Transportationunit.

Among the many charitable organizations he supported were theMultiple Sclerosis Society, Council for Physically ChallengedChildren, B'nai B'rith and Jewish United Fund. He also was on theboard of Sportsman's Park Race Track.

Survivors, besides his wife and two sons, include a brother,Fred; a sister, Muriel Levinson, and three grandchildren.

понедельник, 12 марта 2012 г.

Brecknock, John

Brecknock, John

Brecknock, John, English tenor; b. Long Eaton, Nov. 29, 1937. He studied with Frederic Sharp and Dennis Dowling at the Birmingham School of Music. In 1967 he made his debut as Alfred in Die Fledermaus at the Sadler's Wells Opera in London, and continued to sing with fine success; also appeared at the Glynde-bourne Festival (1971) and at London's Covent Garden (debut as Fenton, 1974). On March 23, 1977, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. as Tamino. He also appeared in various European operatic centers. Although best known for such roles as Mozart's Belmonte and Ottavio, Rossini's Count Almaviva and Comte Ory, and Verdi's Duke of Mantua, he also sang in contemporary roles.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

Germans injured in Slovenia bus accident

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenian authorities say at least 6 people were injured when a bus from Germany carrying mostly teenagers swerved off the road and overturned.

Police say the accident happened early Monday on the highway connecting the capital Ljubljana and the town of Kranj. They say it remains unclear why the bus slid off the road.

Doctors say that altogether 29 passengers were brought to the hospital in Ljubljana after the accident. They say three teenagers and three adults remain hospitalized, while others suffered minor injuries.

The bus was carrying 41 passengers — mostly teenagers — who were traveling from Germany to Croatia.

Christian Philipp Müller

BASEL

Christian Philipp M�ller

MUSEUM F�R GEGENWARTSKUNST

This first major retrospective of Swiss artist Christian Philipp M�ller brought together central works of the last twenty years of the artist's steadily context-specific practice, and also featured a new site-specific project, "Basics," 2007, produced specially for the exhibition. The representative selection of older works was presented in thematically arranged groupings and constituted a synopsis of M�ller's main topics and projects, Gr�tte Grenze (Green Border), 1993, his work for the Austrian pavilion at the Venice Biennale, for instance, is a rubric of its own: Disguised as a tourist, M�ller illegally crossed the borders of Austria eight times; be documented his journeys with photographs, historical engravings of the landscape he'd traversed, and a table made of varieties of wood common in Austria.

Under the category "Modernismus" (Modernism) were assembled works that exemplify M�ller's examinations of different modernist Utopias, their promises and failures. His investigations end up in complex dialectics, such as in the work Vergessenc Zukunft (Forgotten Future), 1992-a project originally undertaken for the Kunstvercin in Munich. The work, only partially reinstalled in Basel, uses documents and images to examine three examples of late-modernist utopianism: Le Corbusier's visionary Philips Pavilion for the World Exhibition in 1958, the Po�me �lectronique that Edgar Var�se composed for this pavilion, and Nicolas Sch�ffer's project Die kybernetische Stadt (Cybernetic City), 1979, with its urban concept of aesthetic and sexual hygiene. M�ller juxtaposed them with Veit Harlan's homophobic movie Anders ah du und ich (Different from You and Me, 1957)-represented by a cinema display case showing advertisements and film stills. He also produced a new trailer for the film, a video montage of scenes that had been censored in the '50s. With this juxtaposition. M�ller draws out the ambivalence of the Utopian ideologies of the time as they fluctuated between euphoria and repression.

The room-filling work Ein Ralanceakt (A Balancing Act), 1997, fell into the category "Performativit�t" (Performance). The installation iin.hides a twenty-foot-long balancing pole-part oak, part brass- and a video, which begins with amusing attempts by M�ller to walk across a tightrope, under the tutelage of a professional. The video ends witli his performance at Documenta 10 in 1997, on the square in front of the Museum Fridericiamnn, in which he walked between Joseph Beuys's tree relic from 7,000 Eichen (7,000 Oaks), 1982, created for Documenta 7, and Walter de Maria's Vcrtikaler Erdkilatneter (Vertical Earth Kilometer), 1977; M�ller sees these two works as representative of the two poles of twentieth-century art: social art and autonomous art. The video shows M�ller crossing the tightrope-but it's merely stretched out on the ground. Brilliantly, the artist created a spectacle that also serves as a criticism of the "media circus" of the art world.

With "Basics," M�ller makes reference to the museum building's history; in the nineteenth century, it was home to a paper factory. For the installation, he has arranged a waterwheel, a wicker laundry basket containing cotton rags, samples of local tap water in glasses and carafes, and handmade sheets of paper placed behind light boxes; further, the installation shows the original of his certification as a typesetter, acquired in 1977, before he went to art school. More broadly, the work alludes to Basel itself as a place where the craft of bookmaking has been practiced since the early Middle Ages. M�ller thus positions his site-specific research within the context of his own development, which began with the now-obsolete trade of typesetting. In this way, lie goes beyond autobiography to shed light on institutional and historical context in all its complexity.

-Val�rie Knoll

Translated from German by Wendy Gosselin.

English Football Results

LONDON (AP) — Results Tuesday in English football (home teams listed first):

Premier League

Blackburn 1, Bolton 2

Wolverhampton Wanderers 2, Norwich 2

Pathologist still has copy of lost Shepard autopsy

As Albany County officials investigate the possibility that the Matthew Shepard autopsy report may be missing, the pathologist who conducted the 1998 autopsy says he still has a copy of the original record.

Dr. Patrick Allen said he has kept records of all of his work, including the Shepard autopsy, which is among many that seem to be missing from the Albany County coroner's office.

Coroner Tom Furgeson has claimed records were missing when he took over in 2007. Julie Heggie, who served as coroner from 1990 to 2006, has said she handed over autopsy reports to the county attorney when she left office.

Albany County Sheriff James Pond said this week that he's working with Furgeson on a "fact-finding inquiry" to determine whether any records are missing. The inquiry includes a review of the types of records that should be maintained in the office, he said.

Shepard was a gay UW student whose beating death in Laramie garnered national attention. The two men convicted in the case are serving life sentences in prison for the murder.

Allen, the coroner and medical examiner for Larimer County, Colo., said he regularly performs autopsies for Wyoming agencies on a contract basis because Wyoming doesn't have any certified forensic pathologists.

"When we perform autopsies for other jurisdictions, I would keep copies of the autopsies that I do," Allen said. "And I did Matthew Shepard. And I have the records on that."

Heggie said she turned over the Shepard autopsy report to county prosecutors when the criminal case was being investigated. She said her office "meticulously" followed "the letter of the law."

"Per legal and accepted practice in the State of Wyoming, all materials gathered for investigation and cause of death pronouncement were secured by my office," Heggie said in a statement released by her attorney.

County Attorney Richard Bohling, who wasn't in office at the time of the Shepard case, has declined to comment on the possibility of missing records.

Furgeson said he received only a small box of records covering the previous 16 years when he became county coroner in January 2007. He said the office is required to keep documentation of its work. He said it would be unacceptable for another county office, such as the attorney or clerk, not to pass along records when a new administration takes over.

"The cases don't go away when the office changes hand," he said. "I've received dozens of requests for death investigation information for cases that preceded my taking office."

Furgeson said he has not requested another copy of the Shepard autopsy report from Allen, the pathologist in Colorado. Furgeson said he wants to determine whether records are missing before tracking down new copies.

"We're going have to probably deal with several different agencies to reconstruct our records," he said.

A REBIRTH on MEMORIAL DRIVE

Anyone who has taken a drive on Route 33 in Chicopee knows that the once-thriving Fairfield Mall is being reduced to piles of rubble.

Out of that wreckage, city planners hope, will rise a retail center to rival any in the region. But before the rebirth of the site can begin, tenants must sign on to join Home Depot in a development that will eventually feature about a half-dozen 'big-box' stores. And news on that front has been frustratingly slow.

Still, officials remain confident that Memorial Drive holds enough potential for major chains looking to expand that a wave of progress is right around the corner. And with those hopes rides the future of Route 33 as a retail destination.

"We've heard a lot of interesting rumors, like Wal-Mart and Target, but no one has called to actually make any inquiries, at least of the Planning Department," said Katherine Brown, Chicopee's planning director. City officials anxious to see Chicopee's retail sector get a major boost, not to mention residents now forced to leave town for every major retailer outside of Ames, are still waiting for those rumors to become reality. A stumbling economy last year might have thrown a wrench into some chains' expansion plans, but once Home Depot opens up and the property is cleared of unsightly demolition debris, that tide could begin to turn.

A Waiting Game

Only two things are known with some certainty about the makeup of the new development. The Home Depot, finalized as a tenant more than a year ago, is already being built on the site. And city officials anticipate an application to modify the building to accommodate a Subway sandwich shop.

That move will provide a link to the Fairfield Mall's past. After all other tenants had vacated the concourse, Subway and Luca's Pizza were the only two that remained for several months. When Luca's relocated, Subway was the lone tenant, chased out only by the advancing demolition. As for other major big-box tenants, only the site's property manager, PreitRubin Inc. in Philadelphia, knows of any commitments, and it isn't telling.

City planners had expected some idea last fall, but the fourth quarter of 2001 didn't exactly turn into the best time for retail expansion. In fact, with the Sept. 11 attacks coming on the heels of a protracted economic slowdown, retailers were more concentrated on staying alive through discounts and other promotions than on expansion into new markets, Brown said.

"With the economy the way it has been - very up and down - a lot of corporations haven't been expanding, and retailers that had been expanding kind of backed off sites they didn't already have a financial interest in," she said.

City officials still maintain that the old mall site can be a thriving retail center in the vein of a Holyoke Crossing, which boasts six major retailers, including Barnes and Noble, Circuit City, and Petco. While the Fairfield Mall had a sad ending, it thrived in its early years, officials said, and the site could flourish again.

Opened in 1974, the mall boasted two anchors - Caldor and Bradlee's - for most of its existence, not to mention a solid mix of smaller stores in its main concourse. It was still a thriving shopping destination a decade ago, but by the mid-'90s, the landscape began to change. Several stores left the property, and Caldor dealt a major blow when that chain shut down its operations.

The anchor site didn't draw much attention from other retailers, and the mall's struggles began to snowball, leading to declining interest among shoppers and, as a direct result, more defections.

"I think the Fairfield Mall as it existed was slowly dying," said Jeanne Kidwell. Chicopee's community development director. "Nationwide, these types of malls either die, or they're reinvented. I think the best thing that could happen is Home Depot coming in and giving it new life."

Small Steps

By September 2000, when plans were announced for the mall's reinvention, it had only a 50% occupancy rate. At the time, the plan was to transform the mall in the next 12 to 15 months into what retailers call a "power center" - not a mall, but a collection of high-profile retail outlets with one or more anchors, a role Home Depot will fill. However, 20 months after that announcement, the shell of a 100,000-square-foot Home Depot is indeed rising from the asphalt, but the rest of the property is still a landscape of debris from the half-completed demolition, and no further retail commitments have been announced.

"As far as I know - and the developer hasn't shared anything with us - we haven't had any nibbles for any of the other locations yet," Brown said. She added that once Home Depot opens in August, it could generate interest in the other sites. "I hope to see some movement on the rest of it in a year or so." Robin Piree, associate development director of Preit-Rubin, who has been working closely with city planners, declined to comment on the progress being made to draw tenants to the property. The reluctance to comment at this point doesn't surprise Brown, who said there may be some sensitivity due to the city's oft-stated concern over when the developer plans to complete the demolition work.

"We had hoped they would get going on the complete demolition," she said. "It's certainly not very appealing when you drive by. I feel, for the future marketing of the remainder of the property, once that building is down, and the rear of the property is more apparent from the street, it will be more attractive to tenants."

Just getting to this point has been a struggle, Kidwell said, because the mail property had three owners: American Real Estate Holding Corp. owned the Caldor site, with 83,000 square feet of building area on 9.7 acres of land; Fairfield Mall Limited Partnership owned the property occupied by Chicopee Savings Bank, East Coast Marketplace, and the mail connector, totaling 563,593 square feet of building space on 25.8 acres; and Chicopee Holding Corp. owned the property occupied by Bradlee's and Pizza Hut, totaling 118,000 square feet on 15.5 acres.

"I think that we were stuck for a long time because the mall had three different owners, and it was difficult to get something done to elevate it to the next level of retail development," Kidwell added. Since the mall closed, the Fairfield Mall Limited Partnership, whose properties are managed by Preit-Rubin, purchased the Caldor parcel and will sell it to Home Depot when the building is completed. But the Bradlee's site is still under different ownership from the rest of the property, lending even more uncertainty to plans, Brown said.

A Retail Rebirth?

Certainty is what city officials are lookg for. When they compare the retail environment on Memorial Drive with Holyoke Crossing, Riverdale Road in West Springfield, and Boston Road in Springfield, they see opportunities the city has not yet taken advantage of - but could, if the reborn Fairfield Mail site meets expectations.

"I know many people ran hardly wait for the Home Depot to open, and there are probably an equal number of people not so interested in home improvement but want to see some different types of retail available to them," Brown said. "We have a great business climate with a huge investment in industry over the past 10 years, and we're growing jobs, but on the retail side, we don't have a good variety of shopping available to us. Ames is the only place you can go to buy, say, a pot and a washcloth and a T-shirt. We'd like to see more stores available to the citizens here in town."

Kidwell said Memorial Drive could be on a verge of a renaissance, with the Fairfield Mall project coming on the heels of MassMutual's purchase and development of the old Charles River Hospital West, the Hampton Inn hotel project nearby, and the Arbors retirement community, which opened earlier this month. "We've been fortunate," she said. "There have been a number of key developments or, in the case of Home Depot, redevelopment projects that have breathed new life into the city."

Chicopee officials will be more happy, and more relieved, once they have a better idea who Home Depot's neighbors will be. For now, it's a waiting game - but one that holds tremendous potential for a city craving a true retail destination of its own.

среда, 7 марта 2012 г.

Muslim Cleric's Legal Strategy Is Uncertain; Lawyer Asks if Sheik Can Leave U.S., but One Adviser Says He Prefers to Fight Deportation

The lawyer for Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, the Egyptian cleric who islinked to several figures charged in New York terrorism cases and whohas been fighting off a U.S. deportation order, yesterday asked theJustice Department if it would allow the cleric to leave forAfghanistan.

The move is an abrupt about-face in Abdel Rahman's two-year-longattempt to stave off deportation. But the 55-year-old cleric, nowheld at the federal prison in Otisville, N.Y., thinks he is waging "afight that he may not win," said Barbara Nelson, his immigrationlawyer, who conveyed Abdel Rahman's request yesterday to the officeof Mary Jo White, U.S. attorney for the southern district of NewYork.

Nelson said she was communicating with the sheik through a closeassociate of his. But another adviser to the sheik, Mohammad T.Mehdi, general secretary of the National Council of Islamic Affairs,met with Abdel Rahman in prison yesterday and said the sheik prefersfurther legal appeals of the pending deportation order against him.

Whether Afghanistan would accept Abdel Rahman and under whatconditions were not clear. Last month, Afghan Prime MinisterGulbuddin Hekmatyar reportedly said he would allow Abdel Rahman intohis country if he were deported by the United States. Later, however,Hekmatyar said that he had no intention of offending Egypt, whichsupported the Afghan rebel war against Soviet occupation in the 1980sand is seeking Abdel Rahman's extradition to face charges of incitingviolence in 1989 anti-government riots.

But the Associated Press reported that Hekmatyar said yesterdaythat he would accept Abdel Rahman, whom he called the "leader of theIslamic nation," into Afghanistan.

Officials at the Egyptian Embassy here had no comment. Some ofAbdel Rahman's supporters have expressed fear that he would facedeath if extradited to Egypt, where he is spiritual leader of theIslamic Group, an extremist organization whose members are believedby some to have increased violence in that country.

This weekend, an Egyptian man demanding Abdel Rahman's freedomhijacked a KLM Airlines jet with 138 people on board and forced it toland in Dusseldorf, Germany, where police stormed aboard and arrestedthe hijacker.

A State Department official would not comment on the status of anyarrangements being made with another country to receive Abdel Rahman."The problem with this is it's getting a little ahead of the game,"the official said.

White said in a statement that "there are many questions that needto be resolved before we can consider this proposal" by the sheik.

Abdel Rahman, who was tried and acquitted on charges of givingspiritual sanction for the assassination of Egyptian President AnwarSadat in 1981, came to the United States for brief visits in the late1980s. He began living here after his July 1990 entry on a visaissued in Khartoum, Sudan.

In obtaining the visa, Abdel Rahman slipped through a "look-out"list of suspected terrorists. State Department officials have saidthe granting of the visa was a mistake.

The cleric faces deportation for allegedly lying when he wasissued a permanent resident "green card" in April 1991. On Monday, afederal justice denied his appeal of the deportation order but agreedto a stay of 10 business days before the order is carried out.

Abdel Rahman, who resided most recently in Jersey City, has notbeen been charged in the Feb. 26 World Trade Center bombing or thethwarted plot to blow up the United Nations, two tunnels and otherNew York City locations on July 4.

But Abdel Rahman's sermons denouncing the United States, Egypt andother "infidels" have made him popular among several of the Muslimextremists charged in the New York bomb cases.

Many of the suspects prayed with Abdel Rahman at mosques in NewYork and New Jersey. Some worked for Abdel Rahman as drivers ortranslators, and others were involved in his effort to recruitvolunteers to fight for the U.S.-backed Muslim rebels in Afghanistanin the 1980s.

Recently, leaked transcripts of conversations recorded by agovernment informer have raised questions about how much Abdel Rahmanknew about the New York bomb plot and when he knew it.

Nelson said the sheik has not decided if he wants to leave theUnited States, but he wants to know if he has the option. And ifAfghanistan is ruled out, Nelson said, Abdel Rahman may consideranother country.

"He's aware that U.S. public opinion is substantially againsthim," Nelson said. "He doesn't think that he's ever going to get afair shake through the court system in the U.S."

Muslim Cleric's Legal Strategy Is Uncertain; Lawyer Asks if Sheik Can Leave U.S., but One Adviser Says He Prefers to Fight Deportation

The lawyer for Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, the Egyptian cleric who islinked to several figures charged in New York terrorism cases and whohas been fighting off a U.S. deportation order, yesterday asked theJustice Department if it would allow the cleric to leave forAfghanistan.

The move is an abrupt about-face in Abdel Rahman's two-year-longattempt to stave off deportation. But the 55-year-old cleric, nowheld at the federal prison in Otisville, N.Y., thinks he is waging "afight that he may not win," said Barbara Nelson, his immigrationlawyer, who conveyed Abdel Rahman's request yesterday to the officeof Mary Jo White, U.S. attorney for the southern district of NewYork.

Nelson said she was communicating with the sheik through a closeassociate of his. But another adviser to the sheik, Mohammad T.Mehdi, general secretary of the National Council of Islamic Affairs,met with Abdel Rahman in prison yesterday and said the sheik prefersfurther legal appeals of the pending deportation order against him.

Whether Afghanistan would accept Abdel Rahman and under whatconditions were not clear. Last month, Afghan Prime MinisterGulbuddin Hekmatyar reportedly said he would allow Abdel Rahman intohis country if he were deported by the United States. Later, however,Hekmatyar said that he had no intention of offending Egypt, whichsupported the Afghan rebel war against Soviet occupation in the 1980sand is seeking Abdel Rahman's extradition to face charges of incitingviolence in 1989 anti-government riots.

But the Associated Press reported that Hekmatyar said yesterdaythat he would accept Abdel Rahman, whom he called the "leader of theIslamic nation," into Afghanistan.

Officials at the Egyptian Embassy here had no comment. Some ofAbdel Rahman's supporters have expressed fear that he would facedeath if extradited to Egypt, where he is spiritual leader of theIslamic Group, an extremist organization whose members are believedby some to have increased violence in that country.

This weekend, an Egyptian man demanding Abdel Rahman's freedomhijacked a KLM Airlines jet with 138 people on board and forced it toland in Dusseldorf, Germany, where police stormed aboard and arrestedthe hijacker.

A State Department official would not comment on the status of anyarrangements being made with another country to receive Abdel Rahman."The problem with this is it's getting a little ahead of the game,"the official said.

White said in a statement that "there are many questions that needto be resolved before we can consider this proposal" by the sheik.

Abdel Rahman, who was tried and acquitted on charges of givingspiritual sanction for the assassination of Egyptian President AnwarSadat in 1981, came to the United States for brief visits in the late1980s. He began living here after his July 1990 entry on a visaissued in Khartoum, Sudan.

In obtaining the visa, Abdel Rahman slipped through a "look-out"list of suspected terrorists. State Department officials have saidthe granting of the visa was a mistake.

The cleric faces deportation for allegedly lying when he wasissued a permanent resident "green card" in April 1991. On Monday, afederal justice denied his appeal of the deportation order but agreedto a stay of 10 business days before the order is carried out.

Abdel Rahman, who resided most recently in Jersey City, has notbeen been charged in the Feb. 26 World Trade Center bombing or thethwarted plot to blow up the United Nations, two tunnels and otherNew York City locations on July 4.

But Abdel Rahman's sermons denouncing the United States, Egypt andother "infidels" have made him popular among several of the Muslimextremists charged in the New York bomb cases.

Many of the suspects prayed with Abdel Rahman at mosques in NewYork and New Jersey. Some worked for Abdel Rahman as drivers ortranslators, and others were involved in his effort to recruitvolunteers to fight for the U.S.-backed Muslim rebels in Afghanistanin the 1980s.

Recently, leaked transcripts of conversations recorded by agovernment informer have raised questions about how much Abdel Rahmanknew about the New York bomb plot and when he knew it.

Nelson said the sheik has not decided if he wants to leave theUnited States, but he wants to know if he has the option. And ifAfghanistan is ruled out, Nelson said, Abdel Rahman may consideranother country.

"He's aware that U.S. public opinion is substantially againsthim," Nelson said. "He doesn't think that he's ever going to get afair shake through the court system in the U.S."

Muslim Cleric's Legal Strategy Is Uncertain; Lawyer Asks if Sheik Can Leave U.S., but One Adviser Says He Prefers to Fight Deportation

The lawyer for Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, the Egyptian cleric who islinked to several figures charged in New York terrorism cases and whohas been fighting off a U.S. deportation order, yesterday asked theJustice Department if it would allow the cleric to leave forAfghanistan.

The move is an abrupt about-face in Abdel Rahman's two-year-longattempt to stave off deportation. But the 55-year-old cleric, nowheld at the federal prison in Otisville, N.Y., thinks he is waging "afight that he may not win," said Barbara Nelson, his immigrationlawyer, who conveyed Abdel Rahman's request yesterday to the officeof Mary Jo White, U.S. attorney for the southern district of NewYork.

Nelson said she was communicating with the sheik through a closeassociate of his. But another adviser to the sheik, Mohammad T.Mehdi, general secretary of the National Council of Islamic Affairs,met with Abdel Rahman in prison yesterday and said the sheik prefersfurther legal appeals of the pending deportation order against him.

Whether Afghanistan would accept Abdel Rahman and under whatconditions were not clear. Last month, Afghan Prime MinisterGulbuddin Hekmatyar reportedly said he would allow Abdel Rahman intohis country if he were deported by the United States. Later, however,Hekmatyar said that he had no intention of offending Egypt, whichsupported the Afghan rebel war against Soviet occupation in the 1980sand is seeking Abdel Rahman's extradition to face charges of incitingviolence in 1989 anti-government riots.

But the Associated Press reported that Hekmatyar said yesterdaythat he would accept Abdel Rahman, whom he called the "leader of theIslamic nation," into Afghanistan.

Officials at the Egyptian Embassy here had no comment. Some ofAbdel Rahman's supporters have expressed fear that he would facedeath if extradited to Egypt, where he is spiritual leader of theIslamic Group, an extremist organization whose members are believedby some to have increased violence in that country.

This weekend, an Egyptian man demanding Abdel Rahman's freedomhijacked a KLM Airlines jet with 138 people on board and forced it toland in Dusseldorf, Germany, where police stormed aboard and arrestedthe hijacker.

A State Department official would not comment on the status of anyarrangements being made with another country to receive Abdel Rahman."The problem with this is it's getting a little ahead of the game,"the official said.

White said in a statement that "there are many questions that needto be resolved before we can consider this proposal" by the sheik.

Abdel Rahman, who was tried and acquitted on charges of givingspiritual sanction for the assassination of Egyptian President AnwarSadat in 1981, came to the United States for brief visits in the late1980s. He began living here after his July 1990 entry on a visaissued in Khartoum, Sudan.

In obtaining the visa, Abdel Rahman slipped through a "look-out"list of suspected terrorists. State Department officials have saidthe granting of the visa was a mistake.

The cleric faces deportation for allegedly lying when he wasissued a permanent resident "green card" in April 1991. On Monday, afederal justice denied his appeal of the deportation order but agreedto a stay of 10 business days before the order is carried out.

Abdel Rahman, who resided most recently in Jersey City, has notbeen been charged in the Feb. 26 World Trade Center bombing or thethwarted plot to blow up the United Nations, two tunnels and otherNew York City locations on July 4.

But Abdel Rahman's sermons denouncing the United States, Egypt andother "infidels" have made him popular among several of the Muslimextremists charged in the New York bomb cases.

Many of the suspects prayed with Abdel Rahman at mosques in NewYork and New Jersey. Some worked for Abdel Rahman as drivers ortranslators, and others were involved in his effort to recruitvolunteers to fight for the U.S.-backed Muslim rebels in Afghanistanin the 1980s.

Recently, leaked transcripts of conversations recorded by agovernment informer have raised questions about how much Abdel Rahmanknew about the New York bomb plot and when he knew it.

Nelson said the sheik has not decided if he wants to leave theUnited States, but he wants to know if he has the option. And ifAfghanistan is ruled out, Nelson said, Abdel Rahman may consideranother country.

"He's aware that U.S. public opinion is substantially againsthim," Nelson said. "He doesn't think that he's ever going to get afair shake through the court system in the U.S."

Muslim Cleric's Legal Strategy Is Uncertain; Lawyer Asks if Sheik Can Leave U.S., but One Adviser Says He Prefers to Fight Deportation

The lawyer for Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, the Egyptian cleric who islinked to several figures charged in New York terrorism cases and whohas been fighting off a U.S. deportation order, yesterday asked theJustice Department if it would allow the cleric to leave forAfghanistan.

The move is an abrupt about-face in Abdel Rahman's two-year-longattempt to stave off deportation. But the 55-year-old cleric, nowheld at the federal prison in Otisville, N.Y., thinks he is waging "afight that he may not win," said Barbara Nelson, his immigrationlawyer, who conveyed Abdel Rahman's request yesterday to the officeof Mary Jo White, U.S. attorney for the southern district of NewYork.

Nelson said she was communicating with the sheik through a closeassociate of his. But another adviser to the sheik, Mohammad T.Mehdi, general secretary of the National Council of Islamic Affairs,met with Abdel Rahman in prison yesterday and said the sheik prefersfurther legal appeals of the pending deportation order against him.

Whether Afghanistan would accept Abdel Rahman and under whatconditions were not clear. Last month, Afghan Prime MinisterGulbuddin Hekmatyar reportedly said he would allow Abdel Rahman intohis country if he were deported by the United States. Later, however,Hekmatyar said that he had no intention of offending Egypt, whichsupported the Afghan rebel war against Soviet occupation in the 1980sand is seeking Abdel Rahman's extradition to face charges of incitingviolence in 1989 anti-government riots.

But the Associated Press reported that Hekmatyar said yesterdaythat he would accept Abdel Rahman, whom he called the "leader of theIslamic nation," into Afghanistan.

Officials at the Egyptian Embassy here had no comment. Some ofAbdel Rahman's supporters have expressed fear that he would facedeath if extradited to Egypt, where he is spiritual leader of theIslamic Group, an extremist organization whose members are believedby some to have increased violence in that country.

This weekend, an Egyptian man demanding Abdel Rahman's freedomhijacked a KLM Airlines jet with 138 people on board and forced it toland in Dusseldorf, Germany, where police stormed aboard and arrestedthe hijacker.

A State Department official would not comment on the status of anyarrangements being made with another country to receive Abdel Rahman."The problem with this is it's getting a little ahead of the game,"the official said.

White said in a statement that "there are many questions that needto be resolved before we can consider this proposal" by the sheik.

Abdel Rahman, who was tried and acquitted on charges of givingspiritual sanction for the assassination of Egyptian President AnwarSadat in 1981, came to the United States for brief visits in the late1980s. He began living here after his July 1990 entry on a visaissued in Khartoum, Sudan.

In obtaining the visa, Abdel Rahman slipped through a "look-out"list of suspected terrorists. State Department officials have saidthe granting of the visa was a mistake.

The cleric faces deportation for allegedly lying when he wasissued a permanent resident "green card" in April 1991. On Monday, afederal justice denied his appeal of the deportation order but agreedto a stay of 10 business days before the order is carried out.

Abdel Rahman, who resided most recently in Jersey City, has notbeen been charged in the Feb. 26 World Trade Center bombing or thethwarted plot to blow up the United Nations, two tunnels and otherNew York City locations on July 4.

But Abdel Rahman's sermons denouncing the United States, Egypt andother "infidels" have made him popular among several of the Muslimextremists charged in the New York bomb cases.

Many of the suspects prayed with Abdel Rahman at mosques in NewYork and New Jersey. Some worked for Abdel Rahman as drivers ortranslators, and others were involved in his effort to recruitvolunteers to fight for the U.S.-backed Muslim rebels in Afghanistanin the 1980s.

Recently, leaked transcripts of conversations recorded by agovernment informer have raised questions about how much Abdel Rahmanknew about the New York bomb plot and when he knew it.

Nelson said the sheik has not decided if he wants to leave theUnited States, but he wants to know if he has the option. And ifAfghanistan is ruled out, Nelson said, Abdel Rahman may consideranother country.

"He's aware that U.S. public opinion is substantially againsthim," Nelson said. "He doesn't think that he's ever going to get afair shake through the court system in the U.S."

Muslim Cleric's Legal Strategy Is Uncertain; Lawyer Asks if Sheik Can Leave U.S., but One Adviser Says He Prefers to Fight Deportation

The lawyer for Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, the Egyptian cleric who islinked to several figures charged in New York terrorism cases and whohas been fighting off a U.S. deportation order, yesterday asked theJustice Department if it would allow the cleric to leave forAfghanistan.

The move is an abrupt about-face in Abdel Rahman's two-year-longattempt to stave off deportation. But the 55-year-old cleric, nowheld at the federal prison in Otisville, N.Y., thinks he is waging "afight that he may not win," said Barbara Nelson, his immigrationlawyer, who conveyed Abdel Rahman's request yesterday to the officeof Mary Jo White, U.S. attorney for the southern district of NewYork.

Nelson said she was communicating with the sheik through a closeassociate of his. But another adviser to the sheik, Mohammad T.Mehdi, general secretary of the National Council of Islamic Affairs,met with Abdel Rahman in prison yesterday and said the sheik prefersfurther legal appeals of the pending deportation order against him.

Whether Afghanistan would accept Abdel Rahman and under whatconditions were not clear. Last month, Afghan Prime MinisterGulbuddin Hekmatyar reportedly said he would allow Abdel Rahman intohis country if he were deported by the United States. Later, however,Hekmatyar said that he had no intention of offending Egypt, whichsupported the Afghan rebel war against Soviet occupation in the 1980sand is seeking Abdel Rahman's extradition to face charges of incitingviolence in 1989 anti-government riots.

But the Associated Press reported that Hekmatyar said yesterdaythat he would accept Abdel Rahman, whom he called the "leader of theIslamic nation," into Afghanistan.

Officials at the Egyptian Embassy here had no comment. Some ofAbdel Rahman's supporters have expressed fear that he would facedeath if extradited to Egypt, where he is spiritual leader of theIslamic Group, an extremist organization whose members are believedby some to have increased violence in that country.

This weekend, an Egyptian man demanding Abdel Rahman's freedomhijacked a KLM Airlines jet with 138 people on board and forced it toland in Dusseldorf, Germany, where police stormed aboard and arrestedthe hijacker.

A State Department official would not comment on the status of anyarrangements being made with another country to receive Abdel Rahman."The problem with this is it's getting a little ahead of the game,"the official said.

White said in a statement that "there are many questions that needto be resolved before we can consider this proposal" by the sheik.

Abdel Rahman, who was tried and acquitted on charges of givingspiritual sanction for the assassination of Egyptian President AnwarSadat in 1981, came to the United States for brief visits in the late1980s. He began living here after his July 1990 entry on a visaissued in Khartoum, Sudan.

In obtaining the visa, Abdel Rahman slipped through a "look-out"list of suspected terrorists. State Department officials have saidthe granting of the visa was a mistake.

The cleric faces deportation for allegedly lying when he wasissued a permanent resident "green card" in April 1991. On Monday, afederal justice denied his appeal of the deportation order but agreedto a stay of 10 business days before the order is carried out.

Abdel Rahman, who resided most recently in Jersey City, has notbeen been charged in the Feb. 26 World Trade Center bombing or thethwarted plot to blow up the United Nations, two tunnels and otherNew York City locations on July 4.

But Abdel Rahman's sermons denouncing the United States, Egypt andother "infidels" have made him popular among several of the Muslimextremists charged in the New York bomb cases.

Many of the suspects prayed with Abdel Rahman at mosques in NewYork and New Jersey. Some worked for Abdel Rahman as drivers ortranslators, and others were involved in his effort to recruitvolunteers to fight for the U.S.-backed Muslim rebels in Afghanistanin the 1980s.

Recently, leaked transcripts of conversations recorded by agovernment informer have raised questions about how much Abdel Rahmanknew about the New York bomb plot and when he knew it.

Nelson said the sheik has not decided if he wants to leave theUnited States, but he wants to know if he has the option. And ifAfghanistan is ruled out, Nelson said, Abdel Rahman may consideranother country.

"He's aware that U.S. public opinion is substantially againsthim," Nelson said. "He doesn't think that he's ever going to get afair shake through the court system in the U.S."