Xavier University of Louisiana

A total of sixty-nine (69) Xavier graduates were accepted into medical and dental schools during the 2008-2009 academic year. The University is off to a good start for the 2009-10 academic year, as evidenced by the more than a dozen seniors who have already been accepted into medical schools.

“The distinction of leading the nation in placing so many deserving and talented young people into medical school is a clear indication of our commitment to academic success,” said Dr. Norman C. Francis, Xavier’s president. “There’s something special about Xavier,” he said. “Our faculty and staff take great pride in working with all students from the moment they enter as freshmen until the day when they graduate and enter their chosen professions. I’m convinced that the nurturing and academically challenging environment that we offer is a key factor in our continued leadership in not only the health professions, but in the wide range of academic disciplines that we offer.”

Xavier, the nation’s only Black & Catholic University has long enjoyed a solid reputation for its excellence in the biological and physical sciences. XU Pre-Med advisor JW Carmichael was individually recognized by Meharry Medical College with an honorary degree in 2008 for his role in helping to make Xavier the leader in African American medical school acceptances.

Xavier University, founded in 1925 by St. Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, maintains the distinction of being the only college or University in the United States that was founded by an American born saint of the Catholic Church. High school students interested in receiving more information on Xavier University are encouraged to visit www.xula.edu/admissions or by calling 504-520-7388 or 1-877-XAVIERU.

The New Orleans Agenda.com newsletter is the leading local alternative for information on News, Arts, Culture & Entertainment in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast Region.

Hurricane Catrina from ISS, March 26, 2004 by Earth Observations Lab, Johsnon space Center

In a press briefing teleconference on Tuesday, Michelle Bernier-Toth, Director of American Citizens Services and Crisis Management, said June 1st is the first day of the Hurricane Season.  As part of hurricane preparedness, the U.S. Department of State wants all citizens to “Know before they go”.

“We want to make sure first and foremost, that US citizens have the information they need before they make travel plans so they can be better informed to make decisions and preparations, should they find themselves in an area affected by a hurricane,” said Ms. Bernier-Toth.

The 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season begins June 1 and ends November 30.  Among the highest priorities of the U.S. Department of State is the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas.  Every year, the possibility of hurricanes threatens the welfare of U.S. citizens living or vacationing in parts of Mexico, Central America, and in the Caribbean.

Know before you Go

Prior to departure, Americans should register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department’s travel registration website.  Registration will make your presence and whereabouts known and will make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact you in case of emergency.  While Consular Officers will do their utmost to assist Americans in a crisis, travelers should always be aware that when they are abroad, local authorities bear primary responsibility for the welfare of people living or traveling in their jurisdictions.  It is important to follow local authorities’ instructions concerning security and evacuation; failure to do so has cost people their lives.

Americans traveling during the hurricane season should monitor local radio and other sources of information, such as the National Hurricane Center, to stay aware of any weather developments in the area.  Minor tropical storms can develop into hurricanes very quickly, limiting the time available for a safe evacuation.  Travelers should maintain close contact with their tour operator, hotel staff, and local officials for evacuation instructions in the event of a weather emergency.

Preceding the press briefing teleconference, and in line with U.S. President Barack Obama’s direction that federal agencies prepare for the hurricane season, there was an annual workshop with the Department of State, other U.S. government, and foreign embassy officials responsible for responding to hurricanes overseas.  Consular officers from U.S. embassies and consulates in Grenada, Jamaica, Bermuda, Barbados, Belize, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas participated via video conferencing.

Participants discussed the 2010 hurricane forecast, past lessons learned, current response plans, and how to most effectively alert U.S. citizens abroad of any hurricane threat through social media and web 2.0 technologies.   More information regarding hurricane preparedness is available at www.travel.state.gov.

The famed intersection of 43rd Street and Degnan Boulevard of Leimert Park Village in Southwest Los Angeles was buzzing with activities on Saturday, June 26th, as the 4th annual Leimert Park Book Fair once again kicked off the summer season in the center of the African-American community arts scene in Los Angeles.

This annual event was free of charge to visitors who turned out in numbers.  More than 150 authors, poets, spoken word performers, artists, local newspapers, panel discussions and celebrities participated in the day’s activities.

“People are looking for the best kind of events that are FREE,” said Los Angeles 8th District Councilmember Bernard C. Parks.  “We are pleased to see everyone here.”  “The purpose of bringing these events is for you to walk into the stores, restaurants and the vendors that are on the parking lot, to ensure that they get an opportunity to stay in business.”

Author Walter Gordon said he wanted to be at the book fair.  “I grew up in this community and I wanted to bring my book out and expose it while meeting other Writers, as well as the people interaction,” he said.  Gordon is the author of “Nat Turner”, a non-fiction book about Nat Turner insurrection.

Another author Roland Jefferson whose most recent novel is “White Coat Fever” said, “I thought I would come out today and just relax and interface with the other authors and people who like to read good books.”  “I heard about the book fair through Facebook and My Space and articles from the local newspapers.

Jefferson further stated, “Having a book fair in Leimert Park is excellent for the community.”  “If you are going to have a fair that takes into account the cultural area, then you have to be in this neighborhood.”

Meanwhile another vendor, who requested anonymity said, “The organizers have done very well with creating a family-friendly event in Leimert Park.”

In addition to the festivities, US Postal Service Post Master of Los Angeles, Mark Anderson, unveiled a 44-cent stamp with Councilmember Bernard Parks, honoring Oscar Micheaux, who made over 40 films in the early 1900’s when it was difficult for people of color to make films.

The book fair was founded in 2007 by Cynthia E. Exum and Associates in partnership with Los Angeles Councilmember Bernard C. Parks, whose district includes the southwest Los Angeles neighborhood and in association with the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and Eso Won books.

Leimert Village is home to Eso Won Bookstore – Eso Won is African for “water over rocks”. The bookstore provides a reservoir of knowledge for both the African and African American experience, as well as any other topic you may wish to find.  It is also the location of Ackee Bamboo Jamaican Cuisine – A quaint establishment, friendly environment with authentic Jamaican food; As well as the famous Lucy Florence Coffee and Cultural Center hosting an array of talent, art and music.

Nominated by President Barack Obama, Birotte is the first black U.S. Attorney to the post, which makes him the top federal attorney in the Central District of the U.S. Department of Justice, an area that includes Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

Birotte, the 43-year-old – son of Haitian immigrants, had this to say after the swearing-in, “Becoming U.S. Attorney was the opportunity of a lifetime, an incredible gift that comes with awesome responsibility.”

In his remarks – the newly appointed U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte highlighted several priorities for the office, including white-collar crime, public corruption, violent crime and terrorism.  And above all, the office must focus on being “justice drive”.

“Justice driven means that we must maintain the highest standards of integrity, fairness and excellence that comes with working for the Department of Justice,” Birotte said.  “Justice driven is not negotiable, do the right thing, the right way all the time,” he added.

U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter, Jr. administered the oath of office to Birotte, and California Court of Appeal Justice Nora M. Manella, a former U.S. Attorney who hired Birotte as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 1995, spoke at the event.

Birotte, who worked for the Los Angeles Police Commission – five civilians who oversee the operations of the agency – had been inspector general since 2003 and served as assistant inspector general from 2001 to 2003.

From 1995 to 1999, he was a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office he now heads.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, which currently employs 275 attorneys, serves more than 18 million residents in Southern California. It is the nation’s largest federal prosecutors’ office after the District of Columbia, which handles both federal and non-federal crimes in Washington.

Birotte graduated from Tufts University in 1987 and the Pepperdine University School of Law 1991. He started his legal career as a deputy public defender for Los Angeles County, a job he held from 1991 to 1995.

Crews from Amtrak are taking over train operations Saturday in one of a series of moves the rail agency has made in the wake of a crash in 2008 that killed 25 people.

The Southern California Regional Rail Authority had previously contracted train operations with Connex Railroad, but that agreement expired Friday.

Metrolink picked Connex over Amtrak to provide operating services during a bid in 2004.

However, its relationship with the private firm soured after a deadly collision between a Metrolink train and freight train.

Investigators found that Metrolink engineer Robert Sanchez, who worked for Connex, was text messaging seconds before the crash in September 2008. He was among the 25 killed.

The board on Friday unanimously approved hiking rates 6 percent starting July 1 and cutting two trains on the San Bernardino Line and two on the Ventura County Line. Officials had suggested eliminating 12 trains, but scaled back the cuts earlier this year.

The agency estimates the cuts will save nearly $800,000 in the coming fiscal year, and the fare hikes are expected to raise $3.3 million.

On Saturday, crews from Amtrak will start operating Metrolink’s trains in one of several moves made in the wake of a crash in 2008 that killed 25 people. Engineers were previously hired and provided by a private company.

KB Home on Friday became the latest homebuilder to report a sharp drop in new home orders in the three months ended in May as federal tax incentives aimed at spurring home sales expired.

The builder’s orders plunged 23 percent versus the same quarter last year. On Thursday, rival Lennar Corp. reported a 10 percent drop in orders, with the slide taking place entirely in the weeks after the tax credits expired on April 30.

The weak orders highlight concerns over whether the housing market recovery, already hampered by high unemployment and foreclosures, could stall in the absence of government help.

In addition to disappointing orders, KB reported a smaller quarterly loss but it missed Wall Street expectations. KB Home shares fell $1.10, or 9 percent, to close at $11.12 after hitting a 52-week low of $11.05 earlier in the trading session.

Chief Executive Jeffrey Mezger said homebuyers who missed the tax credit deadline appear to have put their plans to buy a home on hold for awhile. He declined to say how orders are faring this month.

“It’s still too early in the third quarter to determine where demand will go from here,” Mezger said. “In the short term, the market is bouncing along the bottom, but it is only a matter of when _ not if _ things are going to improve.”

Lennar, based in Miami, said a day earlier that its orders in June are running as much as 25 percent below a year ago, but noted demand appears to be improving.

Low mortgage interest rates and homebuyer tax credits helped support sales and home orders for KB and other builders this spring. But the tax credits _ $8,000 for first-time home buyers and up to $6,500 for current homeowners _ ended in April, pulling sales that would normally have taken place in May or June ahead to March and April.

Nationally, sales of new homes collapsed in May, sinking 33 percent to the lowest level on record.

Because many homebuyers stepped up their plans to buy a home to qualify for the tax incentives, that’s made it harder to predict how sales might unfold this year.

As a result, Mezger said the company’s may have to extend its outlook for when it will turn a profit, possibly beyond this year.

Homebuyers who purchased a home by April 30 have until June 30 to close on their deals. That means KB will see a surge in delivered homes in its fiscal third quarter ended in August.

KB Home, based in Los Angeles, has operations in 10 states and is one of the nation’s largest builders.

The company said its net loss was $30.7 million, or 40 cents per share, for the three months ended May 31. That compares to a loss of $83.6 million, or $1.03 per share, in the prior-year period.

A year ago, the company recorded $49.5 million in asset impairment and land option contract abandonment charges. There were no such charges in the latest quarter.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters were expecting a smaller loss of 30 cents a share.

Revenue fell 3 percent to $374.1 million from $384.5 million a year ago. Analysts predicted revenue of $373 million.

The builder reported 2,244 net home orders, down from 2,910 a year earlier. Still, they rose 17 percent sequentially from the prior quarter.

Mezger said the sequential improvement in net orders bodes well for the company’s ability to generate revenue in the future.

Homes delivered edged up 1 percent to 1,782, the first rise in fourteen quarters. The average selling price fell 4 percent compared to a year ago, to $207,900.

The company expects its full-year home deliveries to range between 8,000 and 8,500 homes.

The CSU Board of Trustees voted 10-2 to increase tuition for in-state undergraduate and graduate students at a special meeting in Long Beach.

The increases mean a $204 jump to $4,230 a year for resident undergraduates. Teacher credential students will see their fees increase $234 to $4,908 annually, while graduate student fees will go up $252 to $5,214.

In a separate vote, trustees decided to raise fees on education doctorate students 10 percent, or $870, to $9,546 a year.

The board also voted to eliminate an annual cap on tuition that benefited a small number of out-of-state students who take a large number of classes each year.

State funding for the university system remained uncertain.

A proposal by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to restore more than $300 million in state support assumed there would be a fee increase of 10 percent _ twice as high as the hike passed Friday.

A similar state Senate proposal assumed a higher increase as well, said Robert Turnage, CSU’s assistant vice chancellor for budget.

An Assembly proposal also reflected a 5 percent increase and would provide more state revenue for the CSU budget.

“None of these three plans, I think, if they were put to a vote tomorrow in the Legislature, could secure the two-thirds vote that is necessary to pass a budget act,” Turnage said.

If funding is not restored, enrollment could decline by an estimated 9.5 percent. Even the larger 10 percent fee increase would not be enough to balance the budget, according to a report by senior CSU administrators.

About 433,000 students were enrolled in the CSU system in 2010.

The California State Student Association supported the 5 percent fee hike as a reasonable increase given the dismal budget situation. Still, some students were disappointed by the trustees’ decision.

“They really aren’t working hard enough to find a different solution,” said Claudia Ramirez, a 23-year-old Cal State Long Beach student. “What this means is that they’ll be doing more fee increases for the upcoming semester in January.”

Lillian Taiz, president of the California Faculty Association, said the trustees were unwilling to fight eroding state support of higher education.

“People seem to be pulling back from that commitment,” said Taiz, a history professor at Cal State Los Angeles.

Officials with the university system said they have been left no choice.

“We’re facing an unprecedented budget crisis,” CSU spokesman Michael Uhlenkamp said.

Last year, trustees increased fees by 32 percent from the prior year following cuts in state funding.

Those cuts contributed to reductions in enrollment and courses, and to furloughs for faculty members at CSU and the University of California, the state’s other university system.

The Interim Haiti Reconstruction Commission aims to oversee every rebuilding dollar that comes to Haiti through next year. The hope is that it will ensure transparency and encourage investment, helping transform a dysfunctional, cripplingly poor country crushed by the Jan. 12 earthquake into a self-sustaining nation with a prosperous middle class.

“The prime minister and I have made a commitment to the people of Haiti and the people of the world to make this process both transparent and accountable,” Clinton told reporters before the meeting.

Outside the cracked, upscale hotel where it met in a convention room, a better future seems a long way off. More than five months after Port-au-Prince shook, collapsed buildings line the streets and families live under leaky tarps at risk from floods, hunger and disease. Rebuilding has been hampered by organizational problems, government disfunction and the scale of the disaster itself.

Long-term money has also been slow to arrive. Some $3 billion has been committed for humanitarian aid such as immediate post-disaster rescue, medical care, emergency shelter and food, according to the United Nations.

But despite international pledges of some $5.3 billion over two years at the United Nations donors’ conference for Haiti in March, only a fraction has actually been delivered _ just $40 million from Brazil. Though other pledges are expected to be delivered soon, much of that to be held in a Multi-Donor Trust Fund administered by the World Bank, Haitians are growing restless.

Enter the commission. The 26-member body was empowered under an 18-month emergency declaration by Parliament passed shortly before most members’ terms expired and the body essentially dissolved last month.

Half its voting members are Haitian officials, the rest representatives of each donor pledging at least $100 million or $200 million of debt relief: the United States, Canada, Brazil, Spain, France, Norway, Venezuela, Japan, European Union, Inter-American Development Bank and World Bank. President Rene Preval has a veto.

The concept is that the commission will oversee the spending of every donation above $500,000 to Haiti. Organizations will present their projects to the fund, needing its approval to get government and other support to move forward. The process will be tracked on the commission’s website.

On Thursday, Clinton and Bellerive announced the commission’s first approved spending projects:

_ $45 million from Brazil and Norway in direct funds for the Haitian government, closing a quarter of its estimated $170 million budget shortfall.

_ $1 million from the Clinton Foundation for buildings that can be used as storm shelters in the quake-ravaged towns of Leogane and Jacmel, which are often in the path of Atlantic hurricanes.

_ A $20 million fund to provide loans to small- and medium-sized Haitian businesses, provided by Mexican communications magnate Carlos Slim and Canadian mining investor Frank Guistra.

Cataline Isand in the Immigration Storm

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher flew by helicopter here earlier this month to confront a Mexican official who was handing out identity cards that nationals use in the U.S. to open bank accounts and cash checks. The GOP congressman said the IDs only help illegal immigrants establish a foothold in the U.S.

Many island residents saw his visit as grandstanding, portraying their community as a haven for illegal immigrants and unnecessarily drawing them into a raging immigration debate that could harm their tourist-dependent economy.

“Are there illegals on Catalina? Yes, there are illegals everywhere in the country. I don’t think we’re different than any other community,” said Wayne Griffin, president of the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau.

“Don’t grandstand on our island and somehow make us part of the problem,” he said.

Business leaders say they’ve received e-mails since the visit from people upset about the IDs and threatening to take their business elsewhere because the Mexican consulate event was held on the island 22 miles from the mainland.

The controversy erupted as the island’s businesses hoped to draw attention to a $13 million facelift, with new attractions including a zip line that carries riders from 600 feet above sea level to the beach.

Rohrabacher acknowledged their concerns, agreeing that immigration was a federal responsibility, not theirs.

His visit was the latest episode in a long-running debate over the IDs. Mexico has issued more than 7.2 million cards in the U.S. since 2002 through a network of 50 consulates that includes outposts in Boise, Idaho, Juneau, Alaska and Little Rock, Ark.

Mexican officials say the IDs, valid for five years, are also used by Mexicans who are in the U.S. legally.

“The main objective is to provide our citizens with an ID card here, whatever they need it for,” said Ricardo Alday, spokesman for the Mexican Embassy in Washington. “It’s better for everyone to know who they are and where they live.”

The Orange County congressman, who is seeking a 12th term in a safely Republican district, said the IDs made it easier for illegal immigrants to live in the U.S. and the program contradicted long-term strategy to combat illegal immigration.

“The idea that we are making it more comfortable for illegals to be here … it’s wrong,” he said.

Rohrabacher said he learned about the Los Angeles consulate’s June 3 visit a day or two before from constituents.

Flyers posted in Avalon, a town of about 4,000 people, advertised the consular event scheduled to be held at the Catalina Visitors Country Club, where the consulate held the same event in 2008 without controversy.

Brad Wilson, chief marketing officer for Santa Catalina Island Co., owner of the country club, got a call from a Rohrabacher aide the day before the event asking if he knew he was aiding and abetting illegal immigrants.

The congressman then sent a letter that suggested Mexico needed State Department clearance and that the city and country club were “unwitting participants” in a program to help illegal immigrants.

Taken aback, Wilson withdrew the invitation just as consular officials were unloading computers and printers from a ferry boat. The city’s Catholic church offered a room to rescue the event.

Rohrabacher later conceded that State Department approval was unnecessary, saying his staff didn’t have time to research the question before the event.

After his helicopter landed, he expounded on illegal immigration over breakfast with city officials and then walked a few blocks to church to confront Juan Carlos Mendoza, Mexico’s deputy consul general in Los Angeles, face to face.

“We agreed that this would be decided between Mexico City and Washington,” Mendoza said.

Consular officials said they issued 44 ID cards and 60 passports before they left.

The episode has left a bitter aftertaste on the island, where some Mexican families trace their ancestors’ arrival to the era of William Wrigley Jr., the chewing gum magnate who bought the island in 1919 and brought his Chicago Cubs for spring training.

Today, Avalon is a sleepy town where there’s a large supermarket, post office and movie theater. On many mornings, about a dozen Mexican day laborers gather outside a market looking for work.

Locals say there was a big influx of illegal immigrants more than 20 years ago when cruise ships transformed the island from a summer to a year-round economy.

Mayor Bob Kennedy estimates about half the population is Latino _ up to 70 percent in the public school _ but there are few signs of division. Latinos and whites live on the same narrow streets.

“Really, this whole community acts as one,” said Kennedy, a scuba-shop owner who backed the consular visit. “That’s why we support this. They’re providing services to this city. Legal or not, they’re residing in our community.”

USA Healthcare

GRAND ISLE, La. (AP) _ The mind-boggling news that the oil leak at the bottom of the sea may be twice as big as previously thought could have major repercussions for both the environment and BP’s financial health, killing more marine life and dramatically increasing the amount the company must pay in fines and damages.

Scientists now say the blown-out well could have been spewing as much as 2 million gallons of crude before a cut-and-cap maneuver started capturing some of the flow, meaning more than 100 million gallons may have leaked into the Gulf of Mexico since the start of the disaster in April. That is more than nine times the size of the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster, previously the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

The larger estimates, while still preliminary and considered a worst-case scenario, could contribute to breathtaking liabilities against BP. Penalties can be levied against the company under a variety of environmental protection laws, including fines of up to $1,100 under the Clean Water Act for each barrel of oil spilled.

Based on the maximum amount of oil possibly spilled to date, that would translate to a potential civil fine for simple discharge alone of $2.8 billion. If BP were found to have committed gross negligence or willful misconduct, the civil fine could be up to $4,300 per barrel, or up to $11.1 billion.

“It’s going to blow the record books up,” said Eric Schaeffer, who led the Environmental Protection Agency’s enforcement office from 1997 to 2002.

___

Flash Floods Kill at Least 20 People in Arkansas, Many of Them Campers

CADDO GAP, Ark. (AP) _ Floodwaters that rose as swiftly as 8 feet an hour rushed into a remote Arkansas valley early Friday, killing at least 20 people, many of them campers who became trapped by a devastating wall of water. Dozens more were missing and feared dead.

Heavy rains caused the normally quiet Caddo and Little Missouri rivers to climb out of their banks during the night. Around dawn, floodwaters barreled through the Albert Pike Recreation Area, a 54-unit campground in the Ouachita National Forest that was packed with vacationing families who were probably still asleep when their tents began to fill with water.

The water poured through the valley with such force that it overturned RVs, peeled asphalt off roads, and swept away tents and their occupants.

Two dozen people were hospitalized. Authorities rescued 60 others.

Marc and Stacy McNeil of Marshall, Texas, survived by pulling their pickup truck between two trees and standing in the bed in waist-deep water.

___

Barraged With Cries of `Murderer,’ Van der Sloot Taken to Prison on First-Degree Murder Charge

LIMA, Peru (AP) _ Angry Peruvian onlookers shouted “Disgrace!” and “Murderer” at Joran van der Sloot on Friday after a judge ordered him jailed on first-degree murder and robbery charges in the violent killing of a 21-year-old Lima woman.

Prosecutors said the Dutchman, who was taken to a segregated block of an eastern Lima prison, acted with “ferocity and great cruelty” in killing business student Stephany Flores in his hotel room after they met playing poker.

Van der Sloot remains the lone suspect in the 2005 disappearance of U.S. teen Natalee Holloway on the Caribbean resort island of Aruba, and Peru’s criminal police chief says the defendant told interrogators he knows where her body is.

Aruba’s attorney general, Taco Stein, told The Associated Press on Friday he is skeptical Van der Sloot was telling the truth about Holloway’s body. He said Aruban officials will decide whether to sent investigators to Peru to question him once they learn exactly what he is offering.

Lima Superior Court Judge Juan Buendia issued a detention order before dawn for Van der Sloot on the murder charge. He was first taken with other prisoners in an armored truck to Lima’s judicial palace, then alone to the maximum-security Castro Castro prison.

___

Rescue Boats Heading to 16-year-old Sailor Drifting in Frigid Indian Ocean on Damaged Yacht

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) _ A 16-year-old sailor on a round-the-world journey alone was drifting in the frigid, rough southern Indian Ocean on Friday as rescue boats headed toward her yacht, damaged by 30-foot waves that knocked out her communications and prompted her to set off a distress signal.

After a tense 20 hours of silence, a search plane launched from Australia’s west coast made radio contact with Abby Sunderland on Friday.

Her boat’s mast was broken _ ruining satellite phone reception _ and was dragging with the sail in the ocean, said search coordinator Mick Kinley, acting chief of the Australia Maritime Safety Authority that chartered a commercial jet for the search.

But the keel was intact, the yacht was not taking on water and Sunderland was equipped for the conditions, he said.

“The aircraft (crew) spoke to her. They told her help was on the way and she sounds like she’s in good health,” Kinley told reporters in Canberra.

___

Pope Begs Forgiveness for Abuses by Priests, Vows to ‘Do Everything Possible’ to Protect Kids

VATICAN CITY (AP) _ Addressing the clerical abuse scandal from the heart of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI begged forgiveness Friday from victims and promised to “do everything possible” to protect children at a Mass celebrated by 15,000 priests from around the world.

While symbolic, Benedict’s pledge failed to satisfy victims groups who said promises were useless without a clear-cut action plan to root out pedophile priests, expose the bishops who protected them and change the Vatican policies and culture that allowed abuse to continue.

His comments came during a Mass at St. Peter’s Square marking the Vatican’s Year of the Priest _ a year marred by revelations of hundreds of new cases of clerical abuse in Europe, Latin America and elsewhere, as well as cover-ups by bishops and evidence of long-standing Vatican inaction.

It was the first time Benedict had spoken of the crisis from St. Peter’s Basilica, the center of the church.

Benedict implied the devil was behind the timing of the scandal, saying the Year of the Priest was supposed to have been a year in celebration of the priesthood and encouragement for new vocations.

___

Deafening Noise, Dazzling Color: Africa’s First World Cup Begins Amid National Euphoria

JOHANNESBURG (AP) _ Nelson Mandela would have loved it. The joy, the pulsating music and dazzling colors, the big party to celebrate the world’s embrace of South Africa _ even the scrappy 1-1 draw.

Dashing the hopes of many, the anti-apartheid hero and former president couldn’t make it to the opening of the World Cup Friday. Nearly 92, Mandela is frail, and his family was sent into shock when his 13-year-old great-granddaughter was killed in car crash on the way home from Thursday night’s gala pre-tournament concert.

But Mandela sent a message, via South African President Jacob Zuma, that the revelers should enjoy themselves. They took it to heart.

From the start of the ceremony to the final whistle of the first match, four hours later, Soccer City was abuzz with vuvuzelas _ the plastic horns favored by South African fans that collectively sound like the amplified interior of a beehive.

Most of the crowd of 84,000 wore the yellow jerseys of Bafana Bafana, the host country’s team, with a few pockets of green _ fans of Mexico, South Africa’s foe in the opener.

___

Despite Obama’s Assurances, New Health Care Law Will Force Changes in Employer Plans

USA Healthcare Update

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Over and over in the health care debate, President Barack Obama said people who like their current coverage would be able to keep it.

But an early draft of an administration regulation estimates that many employers will be forced to make changes to their health plans under the new law. In just three years, a majority of workers _ 51 percent _ will be in plans subject to new federal requirements, according to midrange projections in the draft.

Republicans said Obama broke his promise. Employer groups were divided.

It’s more evidence that the law will raise costs, said the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. But the Business Roundtable _ representing CEOs of major firms _ saw encouraging signs of flexibility, though it’s withholding final judgment. Some experts believe increased regulation will lead to improved benefits for consumers.

“On the face of it, having consumer protections apply to all insurance plans could be a good thing for employees,” said Alex Vachon, an independent health policy consultant. “Technically, it’s actually improved coverage.”

___

Kagan Played Role in Defending Clinton in Jones Sex Suit, But Many Memos to Be Kept Secret

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Bill Clinton’s presidential library won’t publicly release memos and notes Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan wrote about the sexual harassment lawsuit that triggered Clinton’s impeachment.

Kagan was involved in defending Clinton in the lawsuit brought by ex-Arkansas state worker Paula Jones, according to documents released Friday. Clinton’s testimony for the Jones lawsuit, denying a sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, led to his impeachment.

The library held back several of Kagan’s memos to Clinton’s top advisers in the case, saying that publicly releasing them would divulge confidential advice. They were turned over to the Senate Judiciary Committee that will hold hearings on Kagan’s nomination, however.

It’s clear from files that were made public that Kagan had a hand in the Jones case. In a September 1996 memo, Kagan writes that she’s been in touch with other lawyers on a brief in the Jones lawsuit and, “I am happy with the direction they seem to be taking.”

Earlier that year, she forwards to colleagues a brief written by then-Solicitor General Walter Dellinger supporting Clinton’s bid to postpone the civil trial until after he had left office.

___

Allergic Reaction: Feds May Ban Airlines from Serving Peanuts as Mile-High Grub

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) _ Federal regulators are considering a snack attack on the nation’s airlines that would restrict or even completely ban serving peanuts on commercial flights.

Advocates say the move would ease fears and potential harm to an estimated 1.8 million Americans who suffer from peanut allergies. Peanut farmers and food packagers, however, see it as overreaching and unfair to their legume.

“The peanut is such a great snack and such an American snack,” says Martin Kanan, CEO of the King Nut Companies, an Ohio company that packages the peanuts served by most U.S. airlines. “What’s next? Is it banning peanuts in ballparks?”

Twelve years after Congress ordered it to back off peanuts, the U.S. Transportation Department gave notice last week that it’s gathering feedback from allergy sufferers, medical experts, the food industry and the public on whether to ban or restrict in-flight peanuts.

The peanut proposals were listed in an 84-page document including several other proposed consumer protections for air travelers. Three options were given: banning serving of peanuts on all planes; prohibiting peanuts only when an allergic passenger requests it in advance; or requiring an undefined “peanut-free zone” flight when a passenger asks for one.

___

Nebraska asks Big Ten for Membership, Confident it Will Be Accepted in Another Blow to Big 12

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) _ Nebraska fans accustomed to making road trips to Columbia, Mo., better get ready to reset their GPS units for Columbus, Ohio.

Nebraska made it official Friday and applied for membership in the Big Ten Conference, a potentially crippling blow to the Big 12 and the biggest move yet in an offseason overhaul that will leave college sports looking much different by this time next year.

Chancellor Harvey Perlman disclosed the plan during a meeting of the university’s Board of Regents, proposing that play in the new conference begin in 2011 after one more year in the Big 12.

The move offers stability “that the Big 12 simply cannot offer,” Perlman said, and the regents unanimously approved a resolution supporting a move to the Big Ten.

Nebraska must be accepted by Big Ten presidents and Perlman said he expected that vote to come soon. The Big Ten confirmed it had Nebraska’s application but offered no timeline for a decision.

US Money to Step Up Security in the Caribbean Region

“We all know well that addressing transnational security challenges in the twenty-first century requires a comprehensive approach. CBSI means working together not only to strengthen national security forces and anti-trafficking efforts, but also focusing on broader citizen safety partnerships and social inclusion,” Secretary Clinton told leaders of Caribbean states at a CARICOM ministerial meeting today in Bridgetown, Barbados.

“For all of us, the safety of our people must be our highest priority. That’s why today we are committing ourselves to CBSI…. We’ve worked with Congress to identify over $45 million in funding for this effort this year. And we’ve asked for $79 million in next year’s budget – a $124 million commitment to CBSI over two years.”

This partnership continues to draw upon and help develop the capacity of the Caribbean to address common and related challenges.

Key objectives of the CBSI Partnership include: substantially reducing illicit trafficking, increasing public safety and security, and promoting social justice.

CBSI funds will:

• Combat the growing threat of transnational crime in the region, specifically the illicit trafficking in drugs and small arms
• Develop and strengthen the capacity of regional defense, law enforcement, and justice sector institutions to detect, interdict, and successfully prosecute criminal elements operating in the Caribbean
• Reduce the opportunity for crime and violence to thrive in the Caribbean Region by increasing the skills and educational opportunities for populations vulnerable to recruitment by criminal organizations and fostering community and law enforcement cooperation
• Provide alternatives to at-risk youth, such as formal and informal education initiatives, and through the establishment of effective training and employment opportunities

CBSI will also serve as a coordinating venue to attract and incorporate support from non-Caribbean allies in pursuit of its key objectives.

U.S. and Caribbean government representatives have met four times in recent months to jointly define and develop the goals and scope of the Initiative.

The Inaugural Caribbean-U.S. Security Cooperation Dialogue took place in Washington, D.C. on May 27, 2010 and was attended by all members of CARICOM, the Dominican Republic, and partner nation observers. Participants worked toward a declaration of principles, a framework for engagement, and a broad plan of action.

CBSI partnership activities complement other regional efforts, such as the Merida Initiative and the Central America Regional Security Initiative. They also will mitigate any “balloon effect” – criminal spillover resulting from successful reductions in drug trafficking and transnational crime elsewhere in the region.

USAID Cash Prizes To Haiti

The project is different from the foundation’s more common approach, which would be to ask for proposals, make grants and then hope for good results. This time the foundation _ and its partner, the U.S. Agency for International Development _ wants to see the results first and then hand out some cash.

USAID is adding another $5 million to the project for help with technical assistance.

In addition to death and destruction, the January earthquake devastated Haiti’s financial system, destroying automatic teller machines, preventing some people from getting cash and making a possession of cash unsafe when nearly everyone was sleeping on the street, said Priya Jaisinghani, senior adviser to USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah.

“If successful, this could be a transformative measure for Haiti,” she said.

In the past four years, the Gates Foundation has committed nearly $500 million toward helping the poor get mobile access to financial services, mostly in Africa. The foundation has also given $2 million toward relief efforts in Haiti, including shelter, food, sanitation and health.

In Kenya, for example, the M-PESA mobile money service allows 9 million people to pay for everything from clothing to school fees using their mobile phones, said Amolo Ngweno, deputy director of the foundation’s financial services for the poor program.

The transactions are easier and safer than carrying cash, save the cost of traveling to and from actual bank branches, and have allowed them to increase their savings and their earnings by between 5 and 30 percent, according to early results of a recent study by the University of Edinburgh.

In Haiti, the foundation hopes to encourage existing cell phone companies, banks or technology companies to give people easy access to financial aid and let them spend money for necessities now, and improve the ability of Haitians to save money for the future, Ngweno said.

“We saw this as an opportunity to intervene, not just for the short term but also for the longer term, to help people have a mobile financial existence,” she said.

Before the earthquake, fewer than 10 percent of Haitians had ever used a commercial bank, according to USAID.

The foundation is offering a prize of $2.5 million to the first company to launch a mobile money service in the next six months that meets certain criteria, which include being a broad service that has the potential for scaling up across the whole country.

“What we don’t want to encourage is short-term or small operators to get into the market just to earn the award,” Ngweno said.

The second successful operator within the first 12 months will get $1.5 million. Another $6 million will be distributed after the first 5 million transactions take place and will be divided among those companies that enabled the transactions.

“We set up this fund to harness the power of the market,” Ngweno said. “They should be actively seeking the right solutions for Haiti.”

Haiti has three cell phone companies and at least two were already looking into the possibility of mobile banking, Jaisinghani said.

iPad Users E-mails Hacked - AT&T Security Hole

The vulnerability affected only iPad users who signed up for AT&T’s “3G” wireless Internet service.

It involved an insecure way that AT&T’s website would prompt iPad users when they tried to log into their AT&T accounts through the devices. The site would supply users’ e-mail addresses, to make log-ins easier, based on unique codes contained in the SIM cards inside their iPads. SIM cards are used to tell cell phone networks which subscriber is trying to use the service.

The hacker group that claims to have discovered the weakness _ the group calls itself Goatse Security _ said it was able to trick AT&T’s site into coughing up more than 114,000 e-mail addresses, including those apparently of famous media personalities and important government officials.

A representative for the group told The Associated Press late Wednesday that the group contacted AT&T and waited until the vulnerability was fixed before going public with the information. AT&T said the problem was fixed Tuesday but that it was alerted to it by a business customer.

Gawker Media Inc.’s Valleywag website earlier reported on the breach.

AT&T said it will notify all iPad users whose e-mail addresses may have been accessed.

“We take customer privacy very seriously and while we have fixed this problem, we apologize to our customers who were impacted,” the company said in a statement.

AT&T noted that the only information hackers would have been able to steal using this attack were users’ e-mail addresses. But that can be enough to launch a highly effective attack, since the attacker also knows that the person receiving the e-mail is an iPad user and an AT&T customer and would expect to receive e-mail from Apple and AT&T about their accounts. Criminals could use that knowledge to trick them into opening e-mails that plant malicious software on their computers.

An Apple representative deferred requests for comment to AT&T.

Apple has sold more than 2 million iPads since they went on sale two months ago. The iPad comes in two different flavors _ one that only connects to the Internet via Wi-Fi, and another that also can connect through AT&T’s “3G” cellular network. The Wi-Fi-only models aren’t affected by the breach. Apple hasn’t specified how many of each model it has sold.

Online Dispensaries Delivery Service

Cooley, who is running for California attorney general, said Wednesday those who deal in either instance could face felony charges. Cooley has long maintained that the state’s law permitting medical pot does not allow for the sale of the drug.

Cooley’s statement is in response to recent revelations that medical marijuana providers in Los Angeles found a loophole by making house calls to those seeking pot. On Monday, hundreds of dispensaries were ordered to shut down or else face civil fines or possible criminal charges.

Voters will decide in November whether to legalize pot, which remains illegal under federal law.