Ariz. Senate committee to mull 2

immigration bills

No Daley on the ballot

as Chicago votes for mayor

Bahrain protesters

seek to over-throw royal

family Charles Carlsons Corner

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DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) A Christian legal advoca-cy group has sued Dearborn, several city officials and others over the treatment of Christian missionaries at an Arab cultural festival. Ann Arbor-based Thomas More Law Center announced Tuesday it had filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Detroit. It stems in part from the June arrests in the heavily Arab Detroit suburb of four members of the Christian group Acts 17 Apologetics, which maintains that Islam is a false religion and inher-ently violent. Dearborn spokeswoman Mary Laundroche says Wednesday the city couldnt comment because it hadnt yet been served with the lawsuit. A jury in Septem-ber acquitted the missionaries of disorderly conduct at the Dearborn Arab Festival. two missionaries were harassed by police for passing out religious literature.

Wikileaks: Gadhafi family a web of greed, nepotism

City sued over arrests of Christian missionaries

at an Arab festival.

CAIRO (AP) The children of Moammar Gadhafi were increasingly engaged in recent months in covering up scandals fit for a Libyan soap opera, including negative publicity from extravagant displays of wealth, such as a million-dollar private concert by pop diva Beyonce, accord-

ing to a new batch of secret diplomatic cables released Wednesday. Special Report on Page 8

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PHOENIX (AP) Arizona is considering making a Colt revolver that was popular in the West in the late 19th century the states official firearm. Almost half the states lawmakers are co-sponsors of the bill honoring the Colt single-action Army revolver. The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 9-4 early Wednesday to advance the measure. A Colt lobbyist said the revolver helped settle the Arizona Territory. Anti-gun activists want lawmakers to consider bills limiting guns in the wake of a deadly Tucson shooting that killed six and wounded Rep. Gabri-elle Giffords. But the Republican-led Legislature has a strong record of supporting gun rights. Utah lawmakers have passed a bill to designate the Browning M1911 a semiautomatic pistol as the states official gun. The bill awaits the governors signature.

Ariz. lawmakers may make Colt official state gun

Ethanol Subsidies: An Engineered Food Monopoly

3Opinions Feb 24 - Mar 10 , 2011

Part IV, Worth less for Fuel, Trigger for World Food Revolts By Charles E. Carlson- Almashreq

As riots for freedom spread across Middle East oil dictatorships, the issue of food shortage is for the first time world news. But the cause of the shortage is never heard in the big US media. Bloombergs News feature story on world famine World Feeding Itself Spurs Search Amid Global Feast and Famine speaks of famine but omits the one cause that will not naturally right itself - ethanol subsidies that re-sult in the destruction of billions of bushels of feed grains every year. It is as cause that can not be dis-

cussed without losing friends in the very powerful agricultural business lobby. This is no doubt why you do not hear about it from the media or your Congressman. Bloomberg and all of the mainstream media erroneously blame the impending famine on natural causes, like crop failures and floods. Until Americans recognize that this is a manmade famine with many beneficiaries and billions of victims, there will be no solution. Here are a few correct statements from the Bloomberg story:...The riots that ensued -- propelled in part by anger over high food prices -- drove Ben Ali from power and spread to Egypt, Jordan, Yemen and Algeria....Overall, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome says global food prices surged in January....There is not one crop you can point to that is without supply problems....rising global food prices have pushed 44 million more people into extreme poverty in developing countries since June, according to the World Bank.... the UN estimates that the poorest countries paid as much as 20 percent more for food in 2010 than in 2009. Unfortunately, Bloomberg also supports widely held myths I disagree with:...The hunger that has roiled the Middle East was not caused by the whims of autocrats and cops. -WRONG!...It began last year with crippling drought in Russia and later Argentina, and torrential rains in Australia and Canada. -WRONG AGAIN. Bloomberg does not mention that the 10 year old ethanol industry that consumes and wastes 15 billion bushels of corn each year, removes this low cost grain from the food chain and tilting the supply curb to force grain and meat prices higher. Ethanol is the active ingredient in all booze. The USA ethanol industry makes enough grain alcohol to keep the entire worlds population dead drunk around the clock for two months of every year ... enough to kill all the worlds children if fed to them. And the ethanol lobby says it plans to double and triple its production. The corn destroyed would feed millions. This is the 4th part in this series. We hope you will read all of them on our website and share them with your local media. The next News issue will feature the words of a com-petent Chemical Engineers scientific explanation of why ethanol is not and never can be a replacement for petrol.whtt.org

Investors snap up cheap homes, new buyers miss out

DEREK KRAVITZ, AP Real Estate WriterHome sales are starting to tick up after the worst year in more than a de-cade. But the momentum is coming from cash-rich investors who are scoop-ing up foreclosed prop-erties at bargain prices, not first-time home-buy-ers who are critical for a housing recovery. The number of first-time buy-ers fell last month to the lowest percentage in

nearly two years, while all-cash deals have doubled and now account for one-third of sales. A record number of foreclosures have forced home prices down in most markets. The median sales price for a home fell last month to its lowest level in nearly nine years, according to the National Association of Realtors. Lower prices would normally be good for first-time home-buyers. But tighter lending standards have kept many from taking advantage of them. With fewer new buyers shopping, potential repeat buyers are hesitant to put their homes on the market and upgrade. Cash-only investors are most interested in properties at risk of foreclosure. They can get those at bargain-basement prices. The cash-rich investors can come in and get foreclosed properties at incredibly favorable prices, said Paul Dales, senior U.S. economist for Capital Economics. The average Joe cant take advantage because they simply cannot get the credit to buy. Sales of previ-ously occupied homes rose slightly in January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.36 million, the Realtors group said Wednesday. Thats up 2.7 percent from 5.22 million in December. Still, the pace remains far below the 6 million homes a year that econo-mists say represents a healthy market. And the number of first-time home-buyers fell to 29 percent of the market the lowest percentage of the market in nearly two years. A more healthy level of first-time home-buyers is about 40 percent, according to the trade group. Foreclosures represented 37 percent of sales in January. All-cash transactions ac-counted for 32 percent of home sales twice the rate from two years ago, when the trade group began tracking these deals on a monthly basis. In places like Las Vegas and Miami, cash deals represent about half of sales. In the three states where foreclosures are highest, at-risk homes make up at least two-thirds of all sales. In Florida, 63 percent of sales in January involved homes that were at risk of foreclosure, according to a Camp-bell/Inside Mortgage Finance survey. And in Arizona and Nevada, a combined 72 per-cent of sales involved those homes at risk of foreclosure. A major barrier for first-time home-buyers is tighter lending standards adopted since the housing bubble burst. These have made mortgage loans tougher to acquire. Banks are also requiring buyers put down a larger down payment. During the housing boom, buyers could purchase a home with little or no money down. The median down payment rose to 22 percent last year in at least nine major U.S. cities, according to a survey by Zillow.com, a real estate data firm. Thats up from 4 percent in late 2006 as the housing bubble began to burst. The cities included some of the nations hardest hit markets Las Vegas, Phoenix and Tampa, Fla. as well as areas that are rebounding, including San Diego and San Francisco. That has prevented many from buying, even when the median price of a home fell in January to $158,800. Thats a decline of 3.7 percent from a year ago and the lowest point since April 2002. If you can get the financing, its a great time to buy a home with prices this low, said Patrick Newport, U.S. economist with IHS Global Insight. Many potential buyers who could qualify for loans are hesitant to enter the market, worried that prices will fall further. High unemployment is also deterring buyers. Job growth, while expected to pick up this year, will not likely raise home sales to healthier levels. With mortgage rates ris-ing, mortgage applications have been volatile. Theyre now near their lowest levels in 15 years. Economists say it could take years for home sales to return to healthy levels. Home prices continue to languish, said Steven Wood, chief economist for Insight Eco-nomics. Any recovery will be difficult to sustain given the still-large supplies of homes for sale and distressed properties. Last year, home sales fell to 4.9 million, the lowest level in 13 years. And even that number, some say, was overstated. CoreLogic, a real-estate data firm in Santa Ana, Calif., said its found that 3.3 million homes were sold last year, far fewer than the National Association of Realtors 4.9 million figure. CoreLogic

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has suggested that the Realtors figure is too high. Since 1968, the Realtors group has produced the monthly report on the number of previously occupied homes sold. The group serves as chief advocate and lobbying arm for real estate agents. It says its reviewing its 2010 yearly estimate. One obstacle to a housing recovery is the glut of unsold homes on the market. Those numbers fell to 3.38 million units in January. It would take 7.6 months to clear them off the market at the January sales pace. Most analysts say a six-month supply represents a healthy supply of homes. Analysts said the situation is much worse when the shadow inventory of homes is taken into account. These are homes that are in the early stages of the foreclosure process but have not been put on the market yet for resale. For January, sales were up in three of the four regions of the country led by an 7.9 percent rise in the West. Sales rose 3.6 percent in the South, 1.8 percent in the Midwest and down 4.6 percent in the Northeast. The January increase was driven by a 2.4 percent rise in sales of single-family homes. It pushed activity in this area to an annual rate of 4.69 million units. Sales of condominiums rose 4.7 percent to a rate of 670,000 units.

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BOULDER, Colo. (AP) The faithful stood shoulder to shoul-der for Friday prayers, wedged into a low-slung building that sits in the shadows of one of Boulders busiest commercial stretches.A handful of men prayed in an overflow room at the back of the 1,500-square-foot Islamic Cen-ter of Boulder, while close to 100 Muslims filled up the main room. At one point during the ceremony,

congregants were asked to move forward to make room for late ar-rivals. Women have to wait until the 1:10 p.m. prayer session on Fri-days because the prayers an hour earlier barely accommodate the men that come to worship. Parking at the center, which is located be-hind a strip mall, is at a premium.We have been here for the last 30 years, said Abu Hira, a member of the center for the past decade. Its time to move to a larger space.Abu Sarah, who has worshipped at the tiny mosque for five years, agreed. He said there are more than 300 Muslim families in Boulder County and the Islamic Center of Boulder can only accommodate 90 worshippers at a time.

PALATINE, Ill. (AP) Police in Palatine say a 49-year-old man shot and killed his daughters boyfriend before shooting himself to death.Investigators say Edward Kuemper killed 21-year-old Bradley Morri-son of Arlington Heights on Sun-

day night during an argument and then killed himself. Police said it happened after Morrison went to get a puppy from Kuemper and Kuemper wouldnt give up the dog. Police found Morrison dead on the front porch and Kuemper on the front lawn. Officials say they found a handgun at the scene. Deputy Po-lice Chief Al Stoeckel called the shootings a very unfortunate situ-ation. He says officers will con-tinue to investigate but believe it is a murder-suicide.

WASHINGTON (AP) Home prices in a majority of major U.S. cities tracked by a private trade group have fallen to their lowest levels since the housing bubble burst. The Standard & Poors/Case-Shiller index fell in December from November in all but one of the 20 cities it tracks. The 20-city index declined 1 percent. The only mar-ket to see a gain was Washington.Eleven of the markets hit their low-est point since the housing bust, in 2006 and 2007: Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, Miami, New York, Phoenix, Port-land, Ore., Seattle and Tampa, Fla.The damage from the real estate bubble now spreads well beyond the Sun Belt, where new homes cropped up at a frantic pace dur-ing the mid-2000s. In many places, prices are expected to keep falling for at least the next six months.Unlike the 2006 to 2009 period when all cities saw prices move together, we see some differing stories around the country, said David M. Blitzer, chairman of the Index Committee at Standard & Poors. Some of the worst declines are in cities hit hard by foreclosures and high unemployment, including

Detroit, Phoenix and Tampa. Many people are holding off buying or selling homes because they fear the market hasnt hit bottom yet.A large number of homes that arent selling are contributing to a second wave of price declines since the boom years. Many of them have been vacant for months.In December, prices fell for the sixth straight month and for the eighth time in the past 11 months. Foreclosures are also expected to increase as the year goes forward.Theres just way too many homes out there relative to demand and were not going to see that change anytime soon, said Joshua Shap-iro, chief U.S. economist for MFR Inc. The housing recovery is un-even across the United States, with coastal cities in California and the Northeast faring much better than the Midwest and Southeast. One exception is Dallas, which has avoided some of the big losses seen elsewhere. The Case-Shiller report measures home price increases and decreases relative to prices in January 2000 and gives an updated three-month average for the metro-politan areas it looks at.

WASHINGTON (AP) Two delegations of U.S. lawmakers, officials and business leaders who were in New Zealand at the time of a devastating earthquake suffered no casualties and are all safe, the State Department said Tuesday. The U.S., meanwhile, has dispatched a search-and-rescue team to New Zealand to help in the quakes af-termath. A U.S. delegation of 43 government, business and commu-nity leaders was in Christchurch on Tuesday for a U.S.-New Zealand Partnership Forum meeting. Also participating in the forum was Kurt Campbell, the State Departments assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Nine U.S. con-gressmen attending the meeting as part of a separate delegation led by

Rep. Don Manzullo, R-Ill., had left the city several hours before the quake struck and were in Welling-ton, U.S. officials and a spokesman for the House Foreign Affairs Com-mittee said Tuesday. All of those in the two delegations are safe, the department said. State Depart-ment spokesman P.J. Crowley says Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton phoned New Zealand For-eign Minister Murray McCully to express her sorrow over the earth-quake, which toppled buildings in Christchurch and killed dozens of people. The U.S.-New Zealand fo-rum brings together government and business leaders from both countries to discuss ways the U.S. and New Zealand can work on trade and other regional issues.

5Arizona & National News Feb 24 - Mar 10 , 2011Boulder Muslims raising funds to build mosque

Argument in Palatine results in murder-suicide

Home prices hit post-bust lows in most big cities

US sends rescue team to help in NZ earthquake

PHOENIX (AP) The states largest electricity provider has filed a preliminary notice with the state indicating it will seek a rate increase beginning in 2012.APS chief Don Brandt says the utility will file a for-mal request with the Arizona Corporation Commis-sion on June 1. KTVK-TV reports APS has not said how much of an increase it is requesting this time.The utility last received a rate increase in 2010 which added $6.32 to a typical monthly bill.

MESA, Ariz. (AP) Rising gas prices are hitting cities and school districts. The city of Mesa has re-corded a nearly $550,000 increase in fuel costs to keep its fleet of 1,500 city cars running. Mesas fleet director tells the East Valley Tribune the city budget-ed $4.1 million on fuel at the start of the budget year. The Tribune reports many school districts in Arizona participate in a state contract enabling them to find the best price. However, Gilbert Unified School District transportation officials say in the last few weeks, gas prices have shot up about 18 cents a gallon.AAA Arizona says the statewide price for a gallon of unleaded fuel was $3.18. Thats 10 cents from the pre-vious week and four cents above the national average.

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) Arizona State University students will soon have more courses that can be fin-

ished in half the time. The school says the change is expected to give students more scheduling flexibility while helping the schools finances. In January, the university says it plans to begin offering 7 -week courses that would allow students to finish a course, graduate faster and save on tuition costs. School of-ficials say the decision is being driven by the popular-ity of online courses. Classes online are built around 7 -week periods and appeal to non-traditional, older students.

PHOENIX (AP) The holidays delivered for the city of Phoenix. The city recorded its first positive growth in sales taxes since January 2006.Holiday sales-tax revenue in Phoenix was 12.5 per-cent higher than a year ago. Phoenix officials say the increased revenue shows a positive upturn in con-sumer spending with sales taxes a strong indicator of the citys economic activity. The Arizona Republic reports Phoenix collected nearly $35 million in sales taxes in January, compared with nearly $31 million in January 2010.

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) Biologists say the recent

hard freeze in southern Arizona was likely too much for some saguaro cactus. Experts say death would likely strike saguaros that are very old, very young or were already diseased. Saguaro National Park biolo-gist Don Swann tells the Arizona Daily Star they will be looking for signs the saguaros are rotting in the inside. However, it could take months or years before affected desert plants die off.Temperatures dipped into the teens in the Tucson area during the first week of February. Swann says that brought the kind of hard freeze that in the past has killed some park saguaros.

PHOENIX (AP) A committee of the Arizona Legislature is set to consider a proposal Tuesday that would challenge automatic U.S. citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants. The Senate appropria-tions committee also is scheduled to mull a bill that would require hospitals to confirm whether nonemer-gency patients are U.S. citizens or in the country le-gally. The bills havent yet had a committee vote.The proposed challenge to automatic citizenship was debated by a committee earlier this month. But a vote on the measure was called off because the sponsor believed it would have been defeated. It was then moved to another committee. The bills would widen Arizonas crackdown on illegal immigration.

PHOENIX (AP) An Arizona legislator is propos-ing that the state board that oversees the entire pub-lic university system be eliminated and replaced with separate boards of trustees for each state university.Legislation proposed by Republican Sen. Andy Biggs of Gilbert for consideration by a committee on Tues-day also would change funding formulas for universi-ties and community colleges. It also would make the Arizona State University East Campus in Mesa a sep-

arate university Arizona Polytechnic University.Arizona now has three state universities the Uni-versity of Arizona, Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University.A separate resolution also proposed by Biggs would submit the idea of eliminating the Board of Regents to voters at the next general election. Passage would have the Legislature then create separate university boards.

PHOENIX (AP) Fasten your seat belts if you want to keep up with the Arizona Legislature.With Gov. Jan Brewer and top Republican legisla-tive leaders behind the steering wheel, lawmakers went into special session Monday afternoon to con-sider a huge bill laden with business tax cuts and a re-vamp of the states economic development program. Two days later, the 214-page bill was approved by

both chambers of the Legislature and on its way to Brewers desk. If the Legislatures recent history is any guide, that process will likely be repeated within the next month. Thats when lawmakers likely will act on the even more complex and politically difficult task of approving legislation to eliminate the current budgets midyear shortfall to provide a red ink-free spending plan for the next fiscal year.

APS files paperwork seeking rate hike

Cities, schools feel pinch from high gas prices

ASU to begin offering 7 - weeks of classes

Phoenix reporting higher sales tax revenue

Recent hard freeze may be too much for saguaros

Ariz. Senate committee to mull 2 immigration bills

Lawmaker would abolish Arizona Board of Regents

Ariz. lawmakers make fast push in public at finish

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7California & Illinois News Feb 24 - Mar 10 , 2011

LOS ANGELES (AP) A friend and for-mer professor of a California man whose yacht was hijacked by Somali pirates said Sunday that Scott Adam wanted to combine his love of adventure with his faith by spreading Bibles around the world. Professor Robert K. Johnston of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena told The Associated Press that Adam who last year earned a master of theology degree from the school had sent friends e-mails detailing his international sailing trip. But Adam went si-lent Feb. 12 to avoid revealing the location of his yacht, the Quest, to pirates. He was sail-ing around the world and serving God, two of his passions, Johnston said. Organizers of the Blue Water Rally yacht race said passengers of the sailboat owned by Adam and his wife, Jean, carried them and two other Americans, Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle, both of Seattle. It was hijacked Friday off the coast of Oman. It is now

in the waters between Yemen and northern So-malia, two pirates and a Somali government of-ficial told The Associated Press.Johnston said that despite an adventurous spirit, the Adams were meticulous planners who knew the dangers they faced. The couple had sailed with a large flotilla to stay safe from pirates near Thailand earlier in the trip. They knew and we knew they still had to go by the Somalia coast, he said. Were asking people to pray for them.Adam, now in his mid-60s, had been an associ-ate producer in Hollywood when he turned in a spiritual direction and enrolled in the seminary a decade ago, Johnston said. He decided he could take his pension, and he wanted to serve God and humankind, he said. Johnston and Adam worked together to start a film and theol-ogy institute. Adam also taught a class on church and media at the school. Since 2004, the Adams lived on their yacht in Marina Del Rey for about half the year and the rest of the year they sailed around the world, often distributing Bibles in remote parts of the Fiji Islands, Alaska, New Zealand, Central America and French Polynesia, Johnston said. Craig Detweiler, a professor at Pepperdine University in Malibu, who attended Fuller with Adams in the 1990s and early 2000s, also recalled his friends adventurous spirit. It is safe to say all of his family and friends covet the prayers and concerns of the international community, Detweiler said.

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (AP) Officials say the 150 live roosters seized during a raid by Monterey County Sheriffs deputies on a cock-fight near Watsonville will likely all be eutha-

nized. The roosters were seized along with spurs and other equipment used in cockfights on Sun-day morning by deputies responding to a report of a cockfight at a residence in the community of Royal Oaks. Five roosters have already been eu-thanized. Another 38 were taken in by the Soci-ety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for Monterey County. The rest were impounded at the property. SPCA Director Beth Brookhouser says the remaining roosters will also likely be euthanized. Roosters bred to fight and kill are difficult to place. Sheriffs deputies arrested 41-year-old Francisco Tapia, during Sundays raid. They say seven other men among a crowd of spectators at the cockfight were cited and re-leased.

LOS ANGELES (AP) Investigators say a second body unearthed from the backyard of a Los Angeles County drug house is the wife of the homeowner whose body was dug up last week.Deputy Bill Brauberger says Gabriela Steins remains were found Saturday afternoon in the unincorporated Lennox area backyard where her 53-year-old husband Daniel Stein was dis-covered on a week ago. City News Service says

identification of Gabriela Stein was confirmed Sunday evening. Gabriela Stern went missing about a month after Steins mother reported him missing Dec. 17. The Sheriffs Department de-scribes 26-year-old Marcos Lomeli, who was ar-rested on Feb. 16, as a person of interest in the case. He is in custody on unrelated charges of robbery and carjacking.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) A parolee who was shot by an Anaheim police officer has been ar-

rested for investigation of stealing mail. Sgt. Bob Dunn says 27-year-old Travis Mock, who is hospitalized under guard with a gunshot wound, was arrested Friday for investigation of theft of U.S. mail and possession of stolen property. The Orange County Register says the Santa Ana man has also been placed on a parole hold. In-vestigators say the on-duty officer encountered the unarmed Mock in the residential area near Anaheim Hills early Thursday. Details about the shooting havent been released. Dunn said his department was helping the Orange County district attorneys office investigate the circum-stances that led to the shooting.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) The new San Jose police chief has broadened the definition of ra-

cial profiling in what the departments indepen-dent watchdog and minority leaders call a huge shift in dealing with perceived officer bias.A policy change makes it a violation for an offi-cer to show any biased behavior at any time dur-ing an encounter with the public. It was previ-ously a violation only if the officer first stopped an individual solely because of race, gender or other bias. Police Chief Chris Moore, who has vowed to try to repair the strained relationship between his officers and minorities, tells the San Jose Mercury News he is also demanding a clos-er look at bias complaints. In the past four years, police investigated 150 bias complaints. The de-partment did not sustain any of them.

SAN DIEGO (AP) A moderate earthquake south of the border shook parts of San Diego, but there were no reports of damage or injury.The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude

4.5 quake struck at 11:34 a.m. Sunday in Baja California just south of Mexicali.Tremors were felt in San Diego, about 120 miles west-northwest of the epicenter. A San Diego County Sheriffs dispatcher says there have been no calls reporting damage or injury. The quake was originally reported as a magnitude 5.0 but was later downgraded by the USGS. Last Sun-day, a magnitude 4.1 quake struck in the same area struck with several recorded aftershocks.

CHICAGO (AP) The campaign to re-place Mayor Richard Daley has unfolded unlike any in Chicagos history, and al-most certainly will end with a mayor un-like anyone whos run City Hall before.Voters in Tuesdays election are casting ballots that for the first time in more than two decades do not have Daleys name on the list. And they may select the citys first Jewish mayor, Rahm Emanuel. Or the first black woman, former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun. Or the first His-panic mayor either former Chicago public schools president Gery Chico or City Clerk Miguel del Valle.Emanuel has been the clear front-runner in both the polls and fundraising since he resigned as President Barack Obamas chief of staff last fall. But he or one of the other five candidates on the ballot must win 50 percent of the votes plus one vote to avoid a runoff on April 5. Voters started making their way to the polls ear-ly Tuesday. Mark Arnold, 23, an auditor voting at a downtown polling place, said he is excited at the prospect of change. I

think Daleys done a lot of good things, but at the same time I just feel like the city right now, its kind of like a good old boys club, Arnold said, saying the elec-tion would bring in someone with new ideas whos been in other places. The five-month campaign took all kinds of unusual turns, even for a city where vot-ing from six feet under is part of election lore. But after a race that included a chal-lenge of Emanuels right to call himself a Chicagoan going all the way to the Il-linois Supreme Court and Braun accusing another candidate of being strung out on crack cocaine, some voters complained they had not heard enough about where the candidates stood on the issues. Some said they were focused more on the can-didates resumes and influence. Daley had connections, said Terrence Trampi-ets, 66, a North Side resident intending to vote for Emanuel. You have to have that to get things done.The campaign began with Daleys stun-ning announcement last fall that he would not seek a seventh term. Suddenly a race that looked like it might be boring, with many Chicago residents certain that the incumbent Daley would easily outdis-tance whatever competitors stepped for-ward, as he had six times before.Nearly two dozen politicians, from the county sheriff to congressmen to state lawmakers to members of the City Coun-cil, made noises that they were at the very least considering a run.

CHICAGO (AP) Chicago mayoral candidate Gery Chico says he believes the momentum has been going his way in the race to replace retiring Mayor Richard Daley. Chico went to vote Tues-

day morning and says turnout in key wards his campaign is concentrating on has been average to high. The former Chicago public schools chief faces ma-jor candidates like former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun and city clerk Miguel del Valle in Tuesdays elec-tion. Chico says hes confident there will be a runoff election on April 5. Chico says anytime the voters can measure two candidates instead of six and put specific questions to them its good for the city. He says the more informed the voters are the better the system works.

CHICAGO (AP) Even with the first competitive mayoral race in nearly 22 years and a record number of aldermanic candidates Chicago elections officials ex-pect voter turnout to be just slightly over 50 percent. That is not an exceptionally high number compared to past election. There was a 68 percent turnout when Mayor Richard M. Daley first won office in 1989. Board of Elections Commission-ers Langdon Neal says Tuesdays expect-

ed turnout could be due to several factors including voter fatigue. Statewide elec-tions were just last November. Neal also notes what has been called the machine has changed since 1989. The legions of city workers and subcontractors once ac-tive in get-out-the-vote efforts are miss-ing this year. According to Neal, 73,200 early votes were cast and about 18,000 absentee ballots returned so far.

CHICAGO (AP) Several Chicago area communities will share about $1 million in federal assistance to address an infestation of the tree-killing emerald ash borer. Federal officials say 58 munici-

palities will receive the money through a competitive grant process. The emerald ash borer is a small metallic-green beetle native to Asia. Agriculture experts say its larvae feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the flow of water and nutrients.U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin says more than 20 percent of trees in the Chicago area are ash trees. He says it can cost about $500 per tree to remove an infested tree and even more to replant. The grant money announced Monday will help communi-ties offset the cost. More than a dozen Illinois counties have reported an infesta-tion of emerald ash borer.

CHICAGO (AP) The Academy Awards are Sunday and the Gene Siskel Film Center in downtown Chicago will host the citys Oscar night party sanc-tioned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Chicago event is called Oscar Night America and the Chicago gala is one of 50 official Oscar

parties held nationwide. There will be a red carpet, dinner and high-definition telecasts of the Academy Awards on two screens at the Gene Siskel Film Center.This is the 18th year Chicago has had an Oscar Night America event. The Gene Siskel Film Center is part of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Hijacked Ca. sailor sought to mix faith, adventure

150 roosters seized during raid on cockfight

2nd body unearthed in Calif backyard is wife

Man shot by officer arrested for mail theft

San Jose broadens definition of racial profiling

4.5 quake in Baja California shakes San Diego

No Daley on the ballot as Chicago votes for mayor

Chico confident there will be runoff in Chicago

50 percent turnout expected in Chicago election

Chicago area gets $1M in emerald ash borer fight

Chicago hosts sanctioned Oscar night party

6 Business & Education Feb 24 - Mar 10 , 2011

When teaching Math, it is important, of course, to make sure students understand how a basic operation works. What is the concrete meaning of addition or multiplication, and so on. How-ever, at some point, understanding an operation alone doesnt work efficiently any more and some memorization becomes required. Lets look at the concept of regrouping, often termed borrowing in subtraction. From Montes-sori early childhood classrooms to elementary classrooms, the concept of borrowing is taught

generally concretely, as a bundle of 10 sticks/pencils or a box of ten eggs, or a bag of ten candies -- being broken down into single objects and added onto the units column. Now you have enough units to sub-tract from. The remaining bundles/boxes/bags can now have a lesser number of bundles/boxes/bags to be taken away from. 7 14-2 8 5 6 The next step is to translate all this into numbers, and so the child is taught that to take away, say, 28 from 74, he needs to cross out the 7, change it to a 6, then add a little 1 next to the 4. Thus, he would sub-tract 8 from 14, and 2(0) from 6(0). And ta-da: the answer is 56! And all is well until the operations grow in width and variations and one

day, the child is faced with subtracting 875 from 1,000. Or even worse, 875 from 10,801 or some such number. Now the crossing out and add-ing little 1 business go crazy and one has to concentrate very hard so as to not make a mistake. The problem is, of course, that many little children have very short concentration spans. So, the wrong answers start appearing. Bs and Cs start appearing on report cards, and very soon, the most active children start hating math because they feel like a failure when the word math is mentioned. 7 14-21 8 5 6In France, little children are taught the regrouping process in a different way. When asked to take 28 away from 74, the student is taught to say, I borrow 10 from the 7, and immediately return it to the 2. 8 taken from 14 is 6, and 3 taken from 7 is 5. The student writes a little 1 on the left of the 4, thus making it a 14. Then in the Same stroke of the hand, immediately writes a little 1 to the right of the 2. You are Sup-posed to add that 1 to the 2(0), thus making it a 3(0). The main dif-ference is that in the US, the children have a 60-20 in the left column, while in France they have 70-30. The difference is the same: 50. One might ask, Why the fuss? The French way is harder to understand, anyway. Indeed, as a child, I remember raising my finger (we raise fingers, not hands, in France) and asking the teacher why the little 1 was borrowed from the neighbor upstairs but returned to the neighbor

downstairs. To which the teacher glared at me, and thundered, when you borrow, you must return, dont you? That scared me properly and I never dared ask again. For some time, my math grades suffered from my obstinacy in refusing to return things to the neighbor downstairs 9 10 1 0 1 10 1 0 11 10

* 8 7 5 - 81 71 5 1 3 5 1 3 5 But many years later, as a math tutor, I suddenly realized that the French way was perfect for hyperactive children who had a short atten-tion span. They dont really care which neighbor you return your 1 to, they just want to get the right answer fast! The French way is much superior to the American way once you get into a whole bunch of zeros upstairs, sprinkled in a calculated way to confuse the student. The student only needs to remember to put down those little 1 in one stroke, up, down. The result is clean no crossing out and rewrit-ingand the process is streamlined: one column at a time, top, down, top, down. No need to go across the top line back and forth, crossing and rewriting all over the place. Lets compare 1010 875 done both ways. How many pitfalls await the child along the way in the tradi-tional way? While in the French way, the child simply swings his hand, swish, swish, (1, 1), and says to himself, 10-5 is 5; 11-8 is 3; 10-9 is1. Answer is 135. Easy as pie. French pie.

Dr. Fawzias Corner Math Tips 2

LONDON (AP) A leading ratings agency downgraded Libyas credit rating Monday as the oil-rich North African country reels from days of violence that have reportedly left hundreds of people dead.Fitch Ratings said its rat-ing on Libya to BBB from BBB+ and warned that an-other downgrade may be in the offing if theres no clear political resolution or the violence escalates. If its downgraded another two notches, then Libyas credit rating would be considered junk surprising for a coun-try with no government debt.

Charles Seville, a director in Fitchs sovereign ratings department, said the down-grade reflects the eruption of political risk in the coun-try as protesters try to bring an end to the near 42-year rule of Moammar Gadhafi. Fitch said its particularly concerned over whether the disruption extends to Libyas oil production. Libya is one of the worlds biggest oil producers and has the larg-est proven oil reserves in the whole of Africa. Three lead-ing oil companies, Eni SpA, Statoil and BP PLC, have already said they are pulling some employees out of Libya or preparing to do so.The other main concern Fitch identified is that po-litical reforms or outright regime change is unlikely to be smooth, given the absence of a mechanism to guide any transition. Political risk relat-

ed to the lack of a constitution is already incorporated into Libyas rating, evidenced by the fact that Libya is the only Fitch-rated country that has no government debt. By the end of 2009, it had accumu-lated sovereign assets of up to $139 billion as it benefited from several years of high oil prices. In fact, Fitch said the strength of the governments balance sheet substantially exceeds that of Saudi Ara-bia. Fitch has had a rating on Libya for only a couple of years as part of the coun-trys efforts to open up its economy after it improved its relationship with Western governments. As well as not-ing the downside risks, Fitch said political reforms which successfully brought an end to the unrest would help sta-bilize the rating.

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) A survey says the average price of regular gasoline in the United States has jumped 5.31 cents per gallon in the last two weeks. The Lund-berg Survey of fuel prices re-leased Sunday says the aver-age national price of a gallon

of regular is $3.18. Analyst Trilby Lundberg found in the survey completed Friday that the average price for mid-grade was $3.32, and premi-um was at $3.43. Diesel was up nine cents, to $3.59 a gal-lon. Billings, Mont., had the lowest average price among

cities surveyed at $2.95 a gallon for regular. San Fran-cisco was the highest among surveyed areas at $3.54.Fresno had Californias low-est gas prices at $3.42 for a regular gallon.

LONDON (AP) BP PLC is paying Indias Reliance In-dustries $7.2 billion to take a stake in key oil and gas blocks, gaining a significant foothold in the Asian country as it continues to reposition global operations following the disastrous Gulf of Mex-ico spill. The tie-up, which could eventually amount to a $20 billion investment from BP, was announced Monday and includes an agreement between the two compa-nies to form a joint venture to source and market gas. London-based BP is mak-ing the initial payment for a 30 percent stake in 23 oil and gas blocks across India covering around 270,000

square kilometers, making the partnership the countrys largest private sector holder of exploration acreage The partnership will combine BPs world-class deepwater exploration and development capabilities with Reliances project management and op-erations expertise, the com-panies said in a statement after BP Chief Executive Robert Dudley and Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani signed the deal in London.BP said that potential fu-ture performance payments, based on exploration success that results in development of commercial discoveries, are worth $1.8 billion while overall investment could

eventually rise to $20 billion.India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, said Dudley. By allying ourselves with Reli-ance, we will access the most prolific gas basin in India and secure a place in the fast growing Indian gas markets, creating a genuinely distinc-tive BP position. The deal marks another major strate-gic step for BP in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill last year. The company earlier this month reported a $3.7 billion loss for 2010 its first loss in almost 20 years as a result of the Deepwater Horizon disas-ter. It also announced plans to rebound from the Gulf of Mexico by looking outside the United States, where it is selling almost half its U.S. refinery business. This partnership meets BPs strat-egy of forming alliances with strong national partners, tak-ing material positions in sig-nificant hydrocarbon basins and increasing our exposure to growing energy markets, BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg said of the Reli-ance deal. The Reliance deal comes a month after BP signed an $8 billion share swap deal with Russias OAO Rosneft to explore the Russian Arctic region.

Fitch downgrades Libyas rating

Survey: Average US gas price jumps 5.31 cents

BP signs $7.2 bln deal with Reliance in India

LONDON (AP) Oil con-suming nations have emer-gency reserves they can use to stabilize markets in case the violence in Libya and the wider Middle East es-calates and crimps produc-tion, officials said Monday. But international execu-tives and analysts meeting in London were nervously watching developments in the oil-rich region, worried about the sharp shock politi-cal unrest is giving to crude oil prices. Oil prices jumped on Monday because of the ongoing turmoil in Libya, where Moammar Gadhafis son, Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, warned protesters on Sun-day that they risked igniting a civil war in which Libyas oil wealth will be burned. By early afternoon in Eu-rope, benchmark crude for March delivery was up $3.10 to $89.30. Libya alone ex-ports at least 1 million bar-rels of crude a day. Even more worrying for markets is potential contagion, or the spreading of the political violence to other countries in the Organization of Petro-leum Exporting Countries key exporters Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are considered potential flashpoints.The IEA has used govern-ment stocks to steady the oil market only twice before, during the Gulf War in 1991 and after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf of Mexico in 2005. Its very much a last resort, but its worth pointing out that it exists and has been used before when supplies have been disrupted, he said. Its a sort of insurance policy for the market. Our view is that it isnt something that should be used for price management, he said. Fyfe said the situation in the Mid-dle East and North Africa was of real concern, not-

ing that the region accounts for 60 percent of global oil resources and 40 percent of global gas resources. Com-pared to Tunisia (a minor crude exporter) or Egypt (not an exporter but a transit country), instability in Libya is a major concern to the oil industry, said analysts at JBC Energy in Vienna. Da-vid Buik, markets analyst at BGC Partners in London, noted that Seif al-Islam Gad-hafis comments that there would be rivers of blood in Libya had also prompt-ed a surge in gold prices to just above $1,400 an ounce. There was a feeling by un-settled investors of a need to take yet another flight to quality, he said. BP has suspended operations and is evacuating around 40 expa-triate staff and their families amid the escalating violence halting operations in the North African country just four years after the British company returned from a 30-year hiatus. Events in the Middle East are of intense concern as they continue to evolve, Ian Smale, group head of strategy and policy at BP PLC, said at International Petroleum Week, a key event on the oil industrys calen-dar. With specific regard to Libya, our first concern is our people and the security and integrity of our operations, Smale said at the Energy In-stitute-sponsored conference in central London. Smale said Libya is not a major operating base for BP, but did not respond to questions about BPs partnerships with state-owned entities in the Middle East and North Af-rica. BP signed a deal worth at least $900 million in 2007 to explore in Libya. It said it would monitor the situation on a daily basis and could not confirm when work would

start again, but stressed that offshore operations in the re-gion were still open and the closure would not impact oil production.Italys Eni gas and oil com-pany said in a statment that it was evacuating nonessential personnel and family mem-bers of expatriate workers in Libya as already scheduled following the early closure of schools in the country.At the moment, no problems at plants and operational fa-cilities have been reported. The companys production continues as normal, with no effects on operations, Eni said, adding that it was re-inforcing security measures for remaining employees and plants. Royal Dutch Shell, whose operations in Libya are limited to exploration, said it has temporarily relo-cated dependents of expat staff out of the country.In the United States, Cono-coPhillips spokesman John McLemore said the company is monitoring the situation but had no comment on the security of its workers there. ConocoPhillips has a joint interest in an oil drilling op-eration in Libya along with Marathon Oil and Libyas state-run oil company,Exxon Mobil Corp., which has licenses for offshore drilling near Libya but no ac-tive drilling now, said it did not discuss security matters. Occidental Petroleum Corp., the first U.S. company to resume operations in Libya when the U.S. government lifted sanctions against the North African country in 2004, did not immediately return a call seeking com-ment. Last year, Occidental produced 13,000 barrels of oil, gas and liquids per day in Libya. Current unrest aside, Fyfe said that oil growth de-mand should slow this year to around 1.5 million barrels per day, down from 2.8 mil-lion barrels last year. He said there were a number of dif-ferences between now and the shortages and price rises that characterized 2008, in-cluding more spare capacity, more OPEC production and slowing oil growth after the post-recessionary bubble of that year.

Oil industry braces for fallout from Libya

Ike-damaged Galveston complex to be rebuilt GALVESTON, Texas (AP) Government funds will help pay to rebuild a Hur-ricane Ike-damaged 256-unit apartment complex in Galveston more than two years after the storm. The Galveston County Daily News reported for its Mon-day editions that the wa-terfront low-income rental

property is expected to get a $26.5 million overhaul.Dallas-based Odyssey Resi-dential Holdings plans to rebuild Marina Landing Re-sort, which was construct-ed in 1976. Company vice president Bill Fisher says construction should begin in March. Fisher says the company plans to use $16.5

million in disaster housing recovery tax credits and $10 million in community de-velopment block grants. The currently fenced, vacant com-plex previously was owned by Marina Landing LP, a real estate investment trust. Ike stormed ashore at Galveston in September 2008.

8 International News Feb 24 - Mar 10 , 2011

CAIRO (AP) Egypts top pros-ecutor requested on Monday the freezing of the foreign assets of ousted president Hosni Mubarak and his family, announced state TV. Security officials said that the prosecutor general asked the Foreign Ministry to contact coun-tries around the world so they can freeze his assets abroad. The pres-idents domestic assets were fro-zen soon after he stepped down, they added. The freeze applies to Mubarak, his wife, his two sons and two daughters-in-law, said the officials, who spoke on con-dition of anonymity because they werent authorized to talk to the press. The announcement came as British Prime Minister Da-vid Cameron arrived in Cairo to meet with top Egyptian officials, the first trip of a world leader

since Mubaraks fall. He said he would talk to those in charge to ensure this really is a genuine transition to civilian rule. Egyp-tian state media on Sunday had quoted Mubaraks legal represen-tative as saying the former presi-dent had submitted to authorities a declaration that he had no assets abroad. The former president is believed to currently be residing in his estate at the distant Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Egypt has so far asked for asset freezes of one top businessman and for-mer ruling party official, as well as four former Cabinet ministers and detained them pending inves-tigations. The Mubaraks familys wealth speculation has put it at anywhere from $1 billion to $70 billion has come under grow-ing scrutiny since Mubaraks Feb.

11 ouster opened the floodgates to three decades of pent-up anger at the regime. Watchdog groups allege that under Mubarak, top officials and tycoons were given preferential treatment in land contracts, allowed to buy state in-dustries at a fraction of their value during Egypts privatization pro-cess launched in the early 1990s, and got other perks that enabled them to increase their wealth ex-ponentially. The perks came at a price and the Mubaraks were major beneficiaries, the activ-ists say. Egyptian youth activists meeting with foreign diplomats in Cairo Monday, also singled out the search for Mubaraks assets as one of the ways other countries could help Egypt following the three week uprising that trans-fixed the world. When Egypt gets back that money, it wont need the foreign aid, and you will be relieved of that burden, said Islam Lutfi, who represent the Muslim Brotherhood on the ac-tivist coalition. In a meeting orga-nized to brief the diplomats from the United States, the EU and Australia, on their activities and future plans, the seven activists said they are deeply worried that the military-backed government is not making enough effort to involve them in the consultations over the post-Mubarak era.

LONDON (AP) The season-opening Formula One race in Bahrain was called off Monday because of anti-government pro-tests in the Gulf kingdom.The March 13 race had been in doubt for more a week amid the deadly protests, with demonstra-tors demanding the ruling mon-archy gives up its near-absolute

control. Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who owns the rights to the race, told F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone by telephone of the decision by orga-nizers. We felt it was important for the country to focus on im-mediate issues of national interest and leave the hosting of Bahrains Formula One race to a later date,

the prince said in a statement.After the events of the past week, our nations priority is on overcoming tragedy, healing divi-sions and rediscovering the fabric that draws this country together; reminding the world of the very best that Bahrain is capable of as a nation once again united.No new date for the race has been set. The Bahrain GP has been on the F1 calendar every year since 2004. It is sad that Bahrain has had to withdraw from the race. We wish the whole nation well as they begin to heal their country, Ecclestone said. The hospital-ity and warmth of the people of Bahrain is a hallmark of the race there, as anyone who has been at a Bahrain Grand Prix will testify. We look forward to being back in Bahrain soon. The next Formula One race is the Australian GP in Melbourne on March 27

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) A suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance to an Afghan government office Monday, kill-ing at least 30 people many who were waiting in line to obtain government identification cards, police said. The attack occurred around noon in Imam Sahib dis-trict of Kunduz province in north-ern Afghanistan where there has been a sharp slide in security in recent months, said district police chief Abdul Qayum Ebrahimi. At least 40 people were wounded in the blast, he said. We were in a meeting. It was a very powerful explosion, said Ebrahimi, who works in the district police office next door to the blast site. People had gathered in the front of the department to get identification cards. He said the explosion oc-curred in the district center on a day when people gather to shop.They become the target of the

terror today, he said. Violence has been on the rise in the north, where there are known hide-outs for the Taliban, al-Qaida and fighters from other militant fac-tions, including the Haqqani net-work, Hizb-i-Islami and the Is-lamic Movement of Uzbekistan. NATO has sent more troops to the north and has been pushing hard-er into militant-held areas.In October, a bomb killed Kun-duz Gov. Mohammad Omar and 19 others in a crowded mosque in neighboring Takhar province. Omar was killed just days after he warned of escalating threats from Taliban and foreign fight-ers in the north. Also on Monday, a NATO service member was killed in a roadside bombing in southern Afghanistan. The coali-tion did not provide the service members nationality or disclose details about his death, which brings to 55 the number of inter-

national troops killed in Afghani-stan so far this year. Separately, the NATO coalition said it was investigating the accidental death of Afghan civilians in Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan along the Pakistan border. NATO said it deeply regretted the acci-dent Sunday night in Khogyani district. Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, a spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar, said coalition forces fired at three insurgents planting a roadside mine near a NATO base. One weapon missed the target, hit a house and killed a couple and their four children, he said. My four grandsons, my daughter-in-law and my son were martyred here, Mehrab Khan, 55, said at their funeral Monday. The inci-dent came a day after Afghan offi-cials alleged that 64 civilians died in coalition operations in neigh-boring Kunar province, a hotbed of the insurgency. NATO said it had no evidence of civilian casu-alties, but is working with Afghan officials to investigate recent op-erations in Kunar. The evidence viewed to date has revealed no evidence of children present at all on the night of the Feb. 17 and the adults were assessed to be men, Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz, a NATO spokesman, told reporters in Ka-bul.

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) A group of young protesters camped out in Bahrains capital Monday called for the ouster of the entire ruling mon-archy as part of sweeping demands to call off a weeklong uprising in the tiny, but strategically important Gulf nation. The call stakes out the most uncompromising demands of protest-ers to date, most of whom have only called for weakening the powers of the monarchy and it was impossible to determine how much weight they have in the country as a whole. Tensions are still high in Bahrain after seesaw battles that saw riot police open fire on protesters trying to reclaim landmark Pearl Square last week. At least eight people have been killed and hundreds injured in the clashes since the unrest spilling across the Arab world reached

the Gulf last week. Abdul Redha Mo-hammed Hassan, 32, who was shot in the head by security forces while trying to march to the square Friday, died in a hospital Monday, his rela-tives said. Bahrain holds particular importance to Washington as the host of the U.S. Navys 5th Fleet, which is the main U.S. military counterweight to Iranian efforts to expand its military influence into the Gulf. A manifesto Monday from a group calling itself Youth of Feb. 14 after the day of the first marches apparently seeks to raise the stakes of demands ahead of possible talks between the opposi-tion and the monarchy. We demand the overthrow of the oppressive Al Khalifa regime, the manifesto said, referring to the ruling royal family. The people will choose the system they will be subjected to. To under-line their contempt for the monarchy, the protesters set up a chair resembling one belonging to a royal with a sign beneath it that says in Arabic And does the throne of the oppressor stay? It was not clear what their relation-ship is with the official Shiite opposi-tion that includes 18 members of the 40-member parliament who resigned in protest Thursday. But their manifes-to shows the range of demands among the opposition, from the all-or-nothing youth group to others who would let the monarchy survive but with many of its powers and privileges turned over to parliament.

Egypt freezes Mubaraks assets

Formula One race in Bahrain off because of unrest

At least 30 killed in suicide blast in AfghanistanBahrain protesters seek to

overthrow royal family

CAIRO (AP) The children of Moammar Gadhafi were increasingly engaged in recent months in cover-ing up scandals fit for a Libyan soap opera, including negative publicity from extravagant displays of wealth, such as a million-dollar private concert by pop diva Beyonce, according to a new batch of secret diplomatic cables released Wednesday. The assessments by U.S. diplomats were published by the secret-spilling web site WikiLeaks as Gadhafi vowed to fight to the last drop of blood to put down an uprising against his 42-year rule of the North African nation. At least 300 protesters are believed to have been killed by pro-government forces in the past week of clashes. Growing anger over crass be-havior by Gadhafis offspring, such as son Hannibals 2008 arrest for beating servants in a hotel in Switzerland, may have helped spark the current upris-ing. The family has been in a tailspin recently, a cable assessed a year ago. The diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in the Libyan capital of Tripoli describe how Gadhafis children have carved out spheres of influence, seemingly treating the country as their personal fiefdom. Muhammad, the oldest son, dominated telecommunications, an-other son, Muatassim, was National Security Adviser, Hannibal was influ-ential in maritime shipping, Khamis commanded a top military unit, while daughter Aisha ran a quasi-govern-mental organization. Another son, Saadi, was given the job of setting up an Export Free Trade Zone in western Libya. Seif al-Islam Gadhafi cultivat-ed a respectable image as Libyas face to the West, and had locals rallying for him to be heir-apparent, the 2010 cable said. However, that image may well have been destroyed in a single instant earlier this week when he went on TV to threaten anti-government protesters with civil war if they persisted.The familys unchecked control in Libya is highlighted in a July 2008 em-bassy report that Muatassim put pres-sure on the chairman of the National Oil Corp., Shukri Ghanem, to give him $1.2 billion in cash and oil shipments. Ghanem told a confidant at the time he was considering resigning because he feared Muatassim could seek revenge if he wasnt paid, a 2008 cable said.The confidant described Gadhafis children as thugs, saying that no one can cross or refuse such people without suffering consequences, par-ticularly when the matter is to do with

money, the cable said. Another 2008 dispatch noted that government fund-ing was used to capitalize Hannibals maritime transportation company. The close integration of private and pub-lic interests in many of Libyas key economic entities became apparent when Libya quickly halted oil ship-ments in response to his detention in Geneva over the alleged beating of the servants. Two years later, a cable cited reports that Hannibal physically abused his wife, Aline. In 2009, Aline had threatened to leave Hannibal and fled to London, the cable said. Hanni-bal pursued Aline in London, and the encounter ended in assault, the cable said. Hannibals mother, Safiya, and sister, Aisha, then persuaded Aline to report to police that she had been hurt in an accident and not mention abuse, according to the diplomats. Saadi was described as having a troubled past, in-cluding run-ins with police in Europe, drug and alcohol abuse, and excessive partying, a 2009 cable said. It was an important objective for the regime to create the appearance of useful em-ployment for Gadhafis children, the report said.Flaunting of wealth was starting the hurt the familys image, the diplo-mats said. They noted that Muatas-sim kicked off 2010 the same way he spent 2009 with a New Years Eve trip to St. Barts reportedly featuring copious amounts of alcohol and a million-dollar personal concert courtesy of Beyonce, Usher, and other musicians. The family has provided local observers with enough dirt for a Libyan soap opera, the 2010 cable concluded. The diplomats also noted acute discord among the Gadhafi siblings. The growing rivalries in the absence of a succession mecha-nism and amid rumors of Gadhafis health problems could play an important, if not determinative role, in whether the family is able to hold on to power after the author of the revolution exits the political scene, a 2009 dispatch said. Still, Gadhafi still remains very much in control, despite his carefully crafted image as an aloof philosopher-king, a cable said.The dictator is intimately involved in the most important work, such as vet-ting business deals involving public funds to ensure that opportunities to extract rents from those contracts are distributed to key regime allies, the diplomats observed.

Wikileaks: Gadhafi family a web of greed, nepotism