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Blog and Media Roundup - Sunday, Feb 22, 2009; News Roundup
Topic Started: Feb 22 2009, 07:10 AM (446 Views)
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http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bal-sp.loyolalax22feb22,0,1146357.story

No. 16 Loyola beats No. 20 Towson, 11-8, in college lacrosse
Finnerty scores 4 goals against a rebuilding Tigers team

By Mike Preston

February 22, 2009
Click here to find out more!

The Towson-Loyola game lived up to expectations. The Greyhounds looked like a team that could make a run in the postseason, and the Tigers looked like a team trying to rebuild.

No.16 Loyola held on for an 11-8 victory before an announced 2,436 at Diane Geppi-Aikens Field in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicated. The Greyhounds (1-1) dominated for three quarters, and No.20 Towson (0-1) had no answer for Loyola junior attackman Collin Finnerty, or the Greyhounds' superior talent at midfield.

Finnerty finished with four goals, including one with 13 minutes, 10 seconds left in the game that halted a brief Towson comeback attempt as the Tigers had pulled within 9-5 only 16 seconds earlier. As for Loyola's midfield, the Greyhounds were bigger, stronger and faster and dominated play in the middle of the field.

"We told our guys that you can't give [Finnerty] his hands," Tigers coach Tony Seaman said. "He ran through us only once, but if you give him the ball at 10 to 12 yards and allow him to get his hands away from his body, then he will bury the shots. Well, he got his hands away from his body. We watched film, and our coaches told the players what would happen. We're young, so now our guys realize we know what we're talking about."

Towson either started or played seven players who were getting the first extensive playing time of their careers. It was also the season opener for the Tigers as opposed to Loyola, which was trying to rebound after a 10-9 loss to No. 14 Notre Dame in its opening game a week ago.

The difference showed early in the game as Towson committed 11 turnovers in the first half and only five in the second. But after two quarters, Loyola had a 6-2 lead.

"They have a lot of new faces," Loyola coach Charley Toomey said. "Before the game, we had to look over the roster to see who we were going to match our poles up against. I think we came out with a lot of energy, which was good, but we kind of slowed down at the end. Collin Finnerty buried his shots, and I thought [goalie] Jake Hagelin closed the door when he had to."

Loyola took a 4-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, but Towson scored two straight to pull within 4-2 with 7:30 left in the half. But with 5:25 left, Towson goalie Rob Wheeler made a save and threw a safe pass to sophomore defenseman Marc Ingerman about 15 yards away. Ingerman was uncovered but still threw a pass back to Wheeler who stayed in front of the goal. Wheeler never saw the pass, and the ball went in for a Loyola goal, which halted Towson's momentum.

"That was a major turning point in the game after battling back from 4-0," Seaman said.

When asked whether Ingerman had explained why he threw back to Wheeler, Seaman said: "No, I think he was afraid to."

Towson started to jell and become comfortable late in the third quarter, and that feeling carried over into the early minutes of the fourth. Tigers attackman Matt Lamon, a freshman from St.Mary's, scored back-to-back goals within a 30-second period to pull Towson within 9-5 with 13:16 remaining in the game.

But six seconds after the ensuing faceoff, Finnerty scored, and then 47 seconds later, Loyola attackman Mike Sawyer blew by Peter Mezzanotte for a goal to end any thoughts of a comeback.
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~J~ is in Wonderland
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~J~ is in Wonderland
http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/durham/4-1103620.cfm?


Durham pastor, Ghanan king set to be knighted



It's not all that common for a king to be knighted. It usually works the other way, with a king bestowing the honor on some deserving subject.

But on Tuesday, His Royal Majesty Drolor Bosso Adamtey I of Ghana, who is also known as Dr. Kingsley Fletcher, senior pastor of Life Community Church in Durham, is flying to the small island nation of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea where he will become the first African leader to join the historic Knights of Malta.

"I'm joining an organization that has made a profound impact on the world," Adamtey said.

The Knights of Malta is a Christian organization that dates back to Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire. It was founded in Jerusalem in 1080 to provide care for poor, sick or injured pilgrims to the Holy Land. It later became a religious/military order charged with the care and defense of the Holy Land.

Today, the Ecumenical Order is involved in numerous charitable activities throughout the world. It is active on nearly every continent and remains true to its founding charter, which mandates care for the sick and poor regardless of race, religion or language.

Because he is a traditional ruler in Ghana, Adamtey will enter the Knighthood as the third highest ranking knight in the order. He plans to use investiture in to the Order to further highlight the plight of Africans.

In Ghana, Adamtey is focused on technology development and job creation, two efforts he wants to expand to other parts of the continent. He said he will also work to increase humanitarian efforts to Africa's neediest nations.

"It is my desire to use my position to positively influence progress," Adamtey said. "So many people in my home country are marginalized. I feel very strongly that my mission is to give hope to Africa."

A citizen of the United States and Ghana, Adamtey lectures around the world several times a year on globalization, social justice, faith-based leadership and his broad vision for Africa.

Adamtey is a former special adviser to the assistant secretary general and director of the United Nations Development Program. He is also the founder of Life for Africa, a nonprofit humanitarian organization that seeks to address the ever-growing need for support of sub-Saharan African nations.

In 2008, Adamtey became the first African leader invited to serve as the keynote speaker at the World Public Forum in Rhodes, Greece. He is the author of 14 books, holds doctorates in philosophy and theology and is pursuing a doctorate in social justice education at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

Adamtey is also a member of the prestigious University of Oxford Round Table.
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~J~ is in Wonderland
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~J~ is in Wonderland
http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/opinion/columnists/mccann/

Local folks need local jobs



Feb 22, 2009

If this is how things are going to shake out for Durham's Martin Stinson when that economic stimulus plan kicks in, then he can do bad all by himself.

Construction workers on North Driver Street are turning the old Holton Middle School into a trade school-resource center combo offering a rec center for playing and a health clinic for convalescing.

Stinson lives right there in traditionally challenged North-East Central Durham where the construction's going on.

"I could throw a rock from my house and hit the project," Stinson said.

And talk about ideal working conditions: Stinson could walk to the Holton construction site and do his part to reduce the carbon footprint. That's keeping it green, right there.

But Stinson, unemployed since December, told me he got the runaround when he tried to find work at the Holton job site, where renovations began last summer. He said other guys from the community have similar stories. I asked Stinson to have those folks call me, but I haven't heard from them, people who supposedly daily watch foreigners wearing the hardhats that could have afforded them paychecks.

Appreciate Stinson's point, because it's the same one Durham activist Victoria Peterson makes all of the time: Stinson lives in the community where ground's been broken on a multimillion project that needed workers. But Stinson couldn't get any of the work -- no work on a project that, ironically, is supposed to serve as a job-training center.

Why, there ought to be a law!

Well, there actually are rules regulating hiring practices at that job site.

The Holton school conversion -- expected to be ready by July for an August opening -- is a financial partnership among both the city and county governments, Durham Public Schools and Duke University Health System. And while the city is picking up about $8.4 million of the project's $16.7 million tab, it was DPS bigwigs who hired Skanska USA Building to get the conversion done.

The county's contribution to the project is $6.7 million, DPS is chipping in $1.1 million, and $250,000 is coming from Duke.

Understand that Skanska people drive not one nail or dig nary hole. Their role is to assemble subcontractors to do all of that.

DPS requires 10 percent participation from traditionally underused businesses to complete the work on construction projects for the school system. What we're talking about here are minority-owned firms and businesses run by women.

Skanska has exceeded DPS' requirements at the Holton job site with 33.1 percent of the subcontractors working directly for Skanska comprising minority-owned businesses, DPS Assistant Superintendent of Operational Services Hugh Osteen said.

But Stinson doesn't have a job to go to tomorrow. And the gig he has lined up with another Durham business may dry up before his March start date.

Listen, I'm going to tell you the rest of this story on Wednesday, OK? But let me leave you with this:

Skanska is contractually bound to hire minority-owned businesses for the Holton project. But those businesses don't necessarily have to hire minorities. And the minorities hired don't have to be people living in North-East Central Durham where the work is being done.

While the project's numbers for minority participation may paint a picture of black empowerment, a firsthand look highlights the need for subtitles in Spanish. There were more "Holas" than "Hellos" at the Holton construction site on Friday.

Now, were those Spanish speakers legal?

And were they local?

See, this is about more than ethnicity and immigration. When Stinson tried to talk with an English-speaking black worker who was calling it quits for the day, the dude said he didn't have time to chat, because he had a long ride ahead of him, something about being from Fayetteville.

Wait, Fayetteville?

But Stinson lives right across the street!

Reach John McCann at jmccann@heraldsun.com or (919) 419-6601.
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Bill Anderson
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How to Bring Real Science Into the Courtroom
A disturbing new report says our criminal courts have been relying on bad evidence.


Radley Balko | February 20, 2009

A forthcoming study from the National Academy of Sciences on the poor quality of forensic science in America’s courtrooms is expected to send shockwaves through the criminal justice system. According to The New York Times:

People who have seen it say it is a sweeping critique of many forensic methods that the police and prosecutors rely on, including fingerprinting, firearms identification and analysis of bite marks, blood spatter, hair and handwriting. The report says such analyses are often handled by poorly trained technicians who then exaggerate the accuracy of their methods in court.

Law enforcement organizations have tried to derail the report nearly every step of the way, and with good reason. Police and prosecutors have been relying on bad science to get convictions for decades. It’s only recently, as the onset of DNA testing has begun uncovering a disturbing spate of wrongful convictions, that some of the criminal justice system’s cottage industry pseudo-sciences like "bite mark analysis" have been exposed for the quackery they are.

The power of DNA to exonerate the condemned has us quickly learning that our courts have for years been corrupted by charlatans and snake-oil salesmen, such as Mississippi’s dubious “bite mark expert” Dr. Michael West and impossibly industrious medical examiner Dr. Steven Hayne; Oklahoma City’s Dr. Joyce Gilchrist; or Maryland’s Joseph Kopera, to name just a few.

~snip~

http://www.reason.com/news/show/131711.html

:bill:
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chatham
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From my former home town in CT. One down and not many more to go



N(ew) H(aven) Reg(ister) parent company
files bankruptcy
Updated: Saturday, 21 Feb 2009, 10:36 PM EST
Published : Saturday, 21 Feb 2009, 8:37 PM EST

Philadelphia (AP) - The Journal Register Co. has filed for bankruptcy protection from its creditors and says slumping advertising revenue and circulation are to blame.

In documents filed Saturday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan, company Chairman and Chief Executive James W. Hall says the recession has placed an even greater burden on an already distressed industry.

The Yardley, Pa.-based publisher says it had assets of $596 million as of Nov. 30 and $692 million in debt, including unpaid interest.

Journal Register owns 22 daily newspapers, including the New Haven Register, and approximately 300 non-daily publications in Connecticut and other states.

Journal Register stock traded as high as $23.87 a decade ago, and now trades for less than half a penny per share and was removed from the listings of the New York Stock Exchange in April.
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chatham
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Democrat senator in trouble?//


Dodd's Senate seat up for grabs?
By ConnPolitics.tv Staff, on Feb 20, 2009

Hartford (WTNH) – Connecticut’s senior senator, Chris Dodd (D), is seen as being politically vulnerable right now and it looks like the Republicans are lining up for the opportunity to give him a run.

Dodd spent the part of the day talking about the economy with students at Hartford’s Weaver High School. He told Chief Capitol Correspondent Mark Davis that is he planning to run for re-election next year. But if you’ve been watching television lately, it looks like the campaign is already underway with commercials that are running throughout the state.

“They’re not my spots. I never heard about them before,” Dodd said.

The commercials are being paid for by the Pharmaceutical Industry, a labor union, the Cancer Society and a non-profit group lobbying for national health care. But why are they doing it?

“Because Chris Dodd’s in trouble. He has a credibility problem with the voters of Connecticut,” explained Chris Healy, Chairman of the CT Republicans.

Healy notes that Dodd’s approval ratings are at an all-time low.

“They don’t believe his explanation when he tried to explain how he got two sweetheart mortgage deals with Countrywide,” Healy said.

And just yesterday Dodd had to announce he was giving $30,000 to charity because that’s the amount accused financial scammer Allen Stanford and his employees gave to Dodd’s campaigns.

Healy now has two viable candidates who want to challenge Dodd - Greenwich businessman Tom Foley and former Congressman Rob Simmons.

Tom Foley isn’t that well known to the public, but the 56-year old has a lot of money and knows how to raise it. He raised so much for George W. Bush that he was awarded the ambassadorship to Ireland.

Former 2nd District Congressman Rob Simmons of Stonington does does have some public name recognition as well as an impressive public resume, plus he knows how to raise money.

Then there’s State Senator Sam Caligiuri of Waterbury who says he is seriously considering a run for Dodd’s seat as well.

Dodd realizes he may have quite a political fight ahead of him.

“Of course I’m going to have opponents and I know that people are going to want to come after (me). These are tough economic times, people are hurting Mark and when people are hurting, they’re angry,” Dodd said.

Some Republicans are urging former 4th District Congressman Chris Shays to run as well, but he has said he’s not interested.
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chatham
Feb 22 2009, 05:21 PM
Democrat senator in trouble?//


Dodd's Senate seat up for grabs?
By ConnPolitics.tv Staff, on Feb 20, 2009

Hartford (WTNH) – Connecticut’s senior senator, Chris Dodd (D), is seen as being politically vulnerable right now and it looks like the Republicans are lining up for the opportunity to give him a run.

Dodd spent the part of the day talking about the economy with students at Hartford’s Weaver High School. He told Chief Capitol Correspondent Mark Davis that is he planning to run for re-election next year. But if you’ve been watching television lately, it looks like the campaign is already underway with commercials that are running throughout the state.

“They’re not my spots. I never heard about them before,” Dodd said.

The commercials are being paid for by the Pharmaceutical Industry, a labor union, the Cancer Society and a non-profit group lobbying for national health care. But why are they doing it?

“Because Chris Dodd’s in trouble. He has a credibility problem with the voters of Connecticut,” explained Chris Healy, Chairman of the CT Republicans.

Healy notes that Dodd’s approval ratings are at an all-time low.

“They don’t believe his explanation when he tried to explain how he got two sweetheart mortgage deals with Countrywide,” Healy said.

And just yesterday Dodd had to announce he was giving $30,000 to charity because that’s the amount accused financial scammer Allen Stanford and his employees gave to Dodd’s campaigns.

Healy now has two viable candidates who want to challenge Dodd - Greenwich businessman Tom Foley and former Congressman Rob Simmons.

Tom Foley isn’t that well known to the public, but the 56-year old has a lot of money and knows how to raise it. He raised so much for George W. Bush that he was awarded the ambassadorship to Ireland.

Former 2nd District Congressman Rob Simmons of Stonington does does have some public name recognition as well as an impressive public resume, plus he knows how to raise money.

Then there’s State Senator Sam Caligiuri of Waterbury who says he is seriously considering a run for Dodd’s seat as well.

Dodd realizes he may have quite a political fight ahead of him.

“Of course I’m going to have opponents and I know that people are going to want to come after (me). These are tough economic times, people are hurting Mark and when people are hurting, they’re angry,” Dodd said.

Some Republicans are urging former 4th District Congressman Chris Shays to run as well, but he has said he’s not interested.
.
Dodd and Barney Frank caused real damage to this country.

Real damage to the banking system.

.
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chatham
Feb 22 2009, 05:21 PM
Democrat senator in trouble?//
http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/columnists/hc-rennie0222.artfeb22,0,5075301.column

Dodd's 'Cottage': A Cozy Purchase

Kevin Rennie

NOW YOU KNOW

February 22, 2009

Ireland does not easily give up its secrets. That may have been one attraction it held for Sen. Christopher Dodd in 1994 when he became an owner of a refuge on nearly 10 acres on the Irish west coast. The murky tale includes a felonious inside trader, a Kansas City businessman, a presidential pardon and what appears to be a financial bonanza to Dodd during the Irish property boom.

The saga of Dodd's lucrative Irish odyssey reveals that his two 2003 sweetheart loans from subprime mortgage titan Countrywide Financial were not the first time he enjoyed a financial advantage from a wealthy benefactor. The trail begins at one of New York's most desirable addresses.

In 1993, Dodd's close friend, New York bon vivant Edward R. Downe Jr., got a heaping helping of justice when his insider trader scheme caused him to plead guilty to violating tax and securities laws. Downe, who lived at exclusive 25 Sutton Place on the Upper East Side with his then wife, heiress Charlotte Ford, was nabbed setting up foreign accounts to make illegal insider stock trades for himself and some socialite friends. Dodd attended Downe's sentencing, where the schemer received three years' probation and 3,000 hours of community service. Downe agreed a year later to pay $11 million to the SEC.

While Downe fought the SEC in 1994 about paying the penalty, Dodd and William Kessinger of Kansas City, Mo., whom Dodd knew through Downe, purchased a house and nearly 10 acres (4 hectares in local parlance) on the island of Inishnee in the affluent Roundtree section of Connemara, in County Galway, Ireland, for $160,000.

Kessinger and Downe have a history as business partners in a Missouri real estate investment company.

Dodd, who says he contributed $12,000 to the purchase price, owned one-third of the house, Kessinger two-thirds. They purchased the property with a two-year mortgage from the seller of the property that was, according to Dodd's Senate financial disclosures for both 1994 and 1995, between $100,001 and $250,000.

The Irish land registry isn't open to the public in the manner of the American system. It probably appeared unlikely that anyone would discover the curious appearance of Downe's nearly illegible signature as the witness to Kessinger's signing the official transfer document. Downe, convicted, on probation and banned for life from the securities business, described himself as "private investor" on the document and included his New York address.

When Downe agreed to pay $11 million to the SEC in 1994, he claimed he was virtually bankrupt. Six months later, he made $2,000 in contributions to Dodd, again listing his occupation as "private investor." Must be a lot of loose change in the cushions at 25 Sutton Place, even in a "bankrupt" pauper's grand apartment.

In 1996, the Irish mortgage needed to be paid, and it was. A new mortgage was obtained, according to Dodd, for the same amount. He has reported collecting rent in ranges from $201 to $15,000 on his Senate ethics filings, though the names of the people who rented are not disclosed. Through 2001, Dodd declared his interest in the Irish property as worth between $50,001 and $100,000.

In 2001, Dodd did the favor of a lifetime for his pal, Downe. The veteran senator circumvented the normal Department of Justice vetting process and got Downe a full pardon from President Bill Clinton on his last day in office. Dodd initiated the pardon request and included in his two-page letter to Clinton the tidbit that he speaks to Downe nearly every day.

Buddies Downe and Dodd probably mentioned the Irish property now and then in their frequent surveys of the world's highs and lows. While they were speaking daily, real estate prices in Ireland were exploding.

Between 1994 and 2004, according to the Central Bank of Ireland, prices of existing homes (as opposed to new ones) nearly quadrupled. But not according to a 2002 bank appraisal that Dodd used in the purchase of Kessinger's interest.

That year, a year after Dodd obtained a pardon for Downe, Dodd purchased Kessinger's two-thirds interest in the Irish hideaway for only $127,000, according to Dodd. Irish property records obtained for this story show it as $122,351. That was slightly more than its value eight eventful years before, but much less than what might have been expected given the explosion of Irish real estate prices.

At the same time, Dodd financed the purchase of Kessinger's share with a 20-year variable rate mortgage from an Irish bank for approximately $159,000 at 3.85 percent.

In his 2002 Senate financial disclosure, Dodd, who berates bankers for failing to disclose the truth about their investments, reported the value of the "cottage" as between $100,001 and $250,000.

So it continues through Dodd's 2007 disclosure (his most recent). However, a vague and shifty note by the senator appears in his 2006 and 2007 disclosures when he declares "value based on appraisal at time of purchase."

Senate ethics rules require the valuation of an asset be from the close of the reporting period, which is Dec. 31. Dodd's spokesman says the rules require "a good faith estimate of the dollar value," not an annual reappraisal. To make a disclosure that reflected the effect of the Irish property boom risked unwelcome questions as Dodd began his quest for the presidency.

Someone might also have noticed that of all the affluent seaside towns in all the world, it's the one where Dodd has a home that Downe and current wife, Mary, have in the past few years have been sponsors of local events. Dodd and the Downes have even been sponsors of the same horsey Champion of Champions event in tony Roundstone. Dodd says the Downes have never stayed at or rented his house in Inishnee, nor had any financial role in it.

Now, as Dodd suffers public contempt for failing to offer a credible explanation for his dealings with Countrywide, he also faces questions about possible financial advantages gained in Ireland. U.S. Senate ethics investigators, now looking into Countrywide, should ask.

• Kevin Rennie is a lawyer and a former Republican state legislator. His column appears Sundays in the CTOpinion section. He can be reached at kfrennie @yahoo.com.
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sdsgo

Philly newspaper owner files for Chapter 11

Feb 22, 11:37 PM (ET)
By BOB LENTZ

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The owner of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Sunday in an effort to restructure its debt load.

Philadelphia Newspapers Inc., owned by Philadelphia Media Holdings LLC, is the second newspaper company in two days, and fourth in recent months, to seek bankruptcy protection.

"This restructuring is focused solely on our debt, not our operations," chief executive officer Brian P. Tierney said in a statement. "Our operations are sound and profitable."

The filing Sunday indicated the company has between $100 million and $500 million in assets and liabilities in the same range. The company said it will continue the normal operations of its newspapers, magazines and online businesses without interruption during the debt-restructuring process.

"In the last two years, we experienced the rare trifecta of a dramatic decline in revenue, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and a debt structure out of line with current economic realities," Tierney said.

<snip>

The filing is the latest blow to newspapers. The Journal Register Co. filed for Chapter 11 on Saturday. The Chicago-based Tribune Co. sought bankruptcy protection in December, and The Star Tribune of Minneapolis followed suit last month.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090223/D96H2G201.html

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