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The Salvation ArmyUnion County FamilyStore and Service Centercelebrated recent propertyrenovations and ServiceCenter relocation with aribbon cutting ceremony.

The event was heldThursday, March 10, 2011at 215 S. Mountain St. inUnion. This has long beenthe location of TheSalvation Army FamilyStore and is now also hometo The Salvation ArmySocial Service Center. Bybringing both departmentsof The Salvation Armytogether under one roof,service to those in the com-munity will become moreaccessible. Clients will be

able to walk across thestreet for referrals to thelocal office of theDepartment of SocialServices and walk right

By CASSIE J. FOWLERHello everyone, Happy

St. Patrick’s Day! Lots oflocal news on the way,after we send out our birth-day wishes from GottrocksThe Birthday Fairy.

Happy Birthday toRonnie Garner, SadieErwin, my brother TerrellE. Fowler III, VirgilTaylor, Nancy Brock,Anita Silvers, George“Smokey” Alverson, Eddie“Moates” Bledsoe. Specialwishes to Youth BaseballNumber 5 — Lomas TyrekDavis, and your AuntKathy “Belle” Davis fromyour Mom and SisterSharon. To our former res-idents and childhoodfriends and classmatesSam Lake, JonathanBoyce, Kathy BraggFricks, Anne Brock Smithand Charlene Ramsey

Christie.

AnniversaryHappy Anniversary to

Rachel and CharlesWallen. The family andfriends of Taylor Chapmanask for special prayers.

SympathyOn a sad note, we send

our sympathy and bestwishes to the families ofCassie Mae Boyd. She issurvived by her 10 chil-dren, grandchildren andgreat-grandchildren andone brother. Her daughterin Whitmire is SylviaWhitener, owner ofSylvia’s S&A in Whitmire.

The families ofClarence Hunter. Survivorsinclude his sisters, VirginiaBoyd, Bessie Crosby andbrother Bud Hunter ofWhitmire, Union County.

The families of ShirleyGilliam Dickert. Shirley issurvived her childrenJenny, Kelsey and Scott.Her brother, formerWhitmire resident DannyGilliam. She was prede-ceased by her husbandEdgar Dickert.

Juanita Bledsoe, 83,wife of George Bledsoe.Both George and Juanitawere often seen enjoyingtheir yard work, maintain-ing plants and flowers atGray Funeral Home.

Sympathy to the fami-lies of Mrs. Frances LouiseSetzler.

In UpcomingChurch And

Community NewsThe VFW Post # 70

Chicken Stew sale thisSaturday, March 19.

Contact CommanderThomas Crisp at 940–2793for pick up information.

The 11 a.m. Lentenservices for March 30 willbe held at Whitmire UnitedMethodist Church. April 6services will be held atFirst Baptist Church.

Congratulations toWCS student, and RoyalRegiment Marching BandMember ChristopherWilliams. Christopher wona spot by audition in theSouth Carolina Region IIISenior Concert Band.Christopher is a senior, heplays trombone and eupho-nium in the marching andconcert band.

We wish Newberry HairDiva, simply known as“Marcia,” the best of luckin the opening of her newsalon location. Marciarecent showed her talents

and shared floor space,with Whitmire Hair Diva— Sherry Epps. Sherryand Marcia are alwayslending the helping andgrowing hands to eachother. Especially duringthe Up-Dos of prom sea-son.

College Back To SchoolList includes a big congrat-ulations to Whitmire areahonor students. PiedmontTechnical CollegePresident’s List requires a4.0 GPA and full-timecourse load. The followingstudents on the Fall 2010Presidents’ List listinclude: George “Smokey”Alverson, Jessica N.Crumpton, Micheal E.Gibson.

The Dean’s Listrequires a 3.75 GPA, andfull-time attendance.Those students are: Albert

G. Caudill, Tammy R.Drew, Tiffany foster,Emma B. Jeter, Daniel A.Lindler, and Micheal K.Shealy.

The Merit List requiresa 3.75 GPA and part-timeattendance. Those studentsare: Chrystal K. Wallace,Kaley B. Pressley, JoshuaK. Pressley, and Helen R.Arnold.

The search is over forthe town’s PRTCoordinator and citizensand youth alike are excitedabout the return of a formerresident. We say Welcome

GrapevineThe Weekly Union

GrapevineWEEK OF MARCH 14, 2011

UNIONʼS GOOD NEWS SOURCE!

Pea Ridge News

Sis carries out 911 instructions to the letterBy HOYT HANEY

Sis and two of hercousins, Faye and MyrtleQuinn, went deer huntingjust below our house on PeaRidge. Suddenly Faye fellto the ground and stoppedbreathing. Desparatetly, Sisfelt for a pulse but couldn’tfind one. She whipped outher cell phone, dialed 911and blurted, “My cousinFaye just dropped dead,what should I do?” The nicedispatcher said; Okay, okay,just relax, I can help you.First, let’s make sure she isdead.” After about aminute, the dispatcherheard a shot ring out. ThenSis came back on the lineand said nervously, “Okay,what we do next?”

Area PrayerConcerns

Betty Scales, R.E.Gallman, Jr., Ken Horne,Caroline Gallman, S. J.Harris,Ada Adams, MickeyCrayne, Ross Arthur,Vernon Wilson, MorrisBrady, Joyce Bishop, MikeGregory, Jack Webber,Buddy Allen, AudreaDouglas, Dot Morris, andLouise Kirby.

Wonderful VisitThe Fosters Chapel

UMC came to visit with Sisand me on Monday night.We had a devotion and theladies came bearing gifts,cakes and pies. We enjoyedthe food, but most of all weenjoyed their fellowship.

Thanks, ladies.

Good QuestionSome folks have been

asking why people wouldpay for subscription to anewspaper when they readit off the computer for free.Dang if I know.

Another ReminderRev. Allan West at Mt.

Joy Baptist Church is seek-ing the names of the 23chartered members of thechurch. If you can help outRev. West, call him at 674-5408 or myself. ThePreacher wants to thank allwho have helped out withthis project.

Fashion StatementMr. J.D. Bright passes

this on: Among retirees,what is considered formalattire is untied shoes.

FactDid you know that on

Monday, March 14, 1794,Eli Whitney patented thecotton gin? Now you know.

ReminderFosters Chapel UMC

Revival will be Sunday,March 20-23. Rev. EdMcDowell will bring themessages, you bring afriend.

Special Person OfThe Week

Our Special Person ofThe Week is Mr. R.E.

Photo by Hoyt Haney

Itʼs that time of yearThese Azalea blooms in the yard of Sis Haney. Azaleas are any of the various Rhododendrons with funnel shapedblossoms and deciduous leaves. — Merriam-WebsterSee Hoyt, Page 2

See Cassie, Page 2

See Ceremony, Page 3

Who What When & Where of WhitmireBirthdays, an anniversary andcommunity and church events

Renovation and relocation

Timken plant manager Howard Trotter, Capt. Ray Morton of the Salvation Army, UnionMayor Harold Thompson and Carlisle Mayor Mary Ferguson-Glenn participated in a rib-bon cutting ceremony at the Salvation Army Union County Family Store and ServiceCenter. Photo submitted

Salvation Army consolidates storeand service center

UGR 3-14-11 Monday.qxp:22 inch FINAL Quark 3/14/11 7:31 AM

WEEK OF MONDAY, MAY 9, 2O11

2 The Weekly Union Grapevine/Union, S.C., Week of Monday, May 9, 2011

Robert Redford is much better known as an actor, but he directs rather than stars in “The Conspirator,” a grip-ping dramatization of an event that happened just as the bloody Civil War was drawing to a close.

Robin Wright Penn gives a powerful performance as Mary Surratt, a boarding-house operator charged with conspiracy after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. The shooter, John Wilkes Booth, had been known to hold clandestine meetings, attended by her son, in Mary’s inn.

Mary’s son, John, fled and evaded the dragnet of Booth’s associates after Lincoln’s murder. But Mary was rounded up along with the other men, imprisoned and charged with treason.

Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy) is a Union army hero fresh off the battlefield and anxious to resume his law practice. He’s none too pleased with being assigned Mary’s public defender, but soon sees she’s being railroaded.

He wants her to have a fair trial, not a government-sanctioned lynching.

Kevin Kline plays the Lincoln’s hawkish Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, who ominously intones that “some-one must be held accountable” for the Chief of State’s murder, even if it means bending judicial rules. Evan

Rachel Wood is Mary’s distraught daughter, Anna, called to account for her own connec-tions to Booth.

Tom Wilkinson, who memorably por-trayed Ben Franklin in the HBO series “John Adams,” is Sen. Reverdy Johnson, a former Secretary of State who thinks the military trial of Mary, a civilian, is a perver-sion of the U.S. Constitution.

Stephen Root, a chameleon of a character actor with more than 150 movie and TV

roles to his credit, has one brief but solid scene as a former employee of Mary’s. His unease on the witness stand con-vinces Aiken his damaging testimony is tainted.

“The Conspirator” conveys the heaviness of its story and its setting---a torn nation desperate to heal the linger-ing wounds on both sides of its Mason-Dixon line.

At times it seems a bit heavy-handed and overly portentous, as if Redford is trying too hard to drive

Civil War drama spotlightsaftermath of Lincoln assassination

MOVIE REVIEWBy NEIL POND

With American Profile

The ConspiratorRated PG-13122 minutes

Starring Robin Penn Wright, James McAvoy, Kevin Kline and Evan

Rachel WoodDirected by Robert Redford

See Movie, Page 3

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The public auction of delinquent units at Miniwarehouses of Newberry has been re-scheduled for Saturday, February 26, 2011 at 9:00am at

3279 College Street, Newberry, SC.

The public auction of delinquent units at Heritage Ministorage has been re-scheduled for Saturday, February 26, 2011 at 9:30am at

3433 Riley road, Newberry, SC. #317 Jim & Bernice Matuszak – bird cage, tackle, misc. boxes#621 Ben Basnight – misc. boxes, furniture#811 Kelvin Brown – sofa & chairs

#3 Tonya Sanders – misc. boxes, hh items#12 Robert Dawson – sofa, table & chairs#24 Natasha Wilson – stove, misc. items#40 Shaina Baxter – child toys#90 Kim Bartelle – recliner, misc. bags#141 Robert Cooper – misc. bags#148 Debra Gary – tv, misc. boxes, toy cars#5B Teri Pugh – sofa, misc. bagsB units located at 2061 Bear Village Court, Newberry

Production Workers

Kraft Foods, the leader in the food industry with brands like Oscar Mayer and Louis Rich, has opportunities at its Newberry Plant for full time Production Workers.

If you are looking for an employer that will work with you to enhance your knowledge, skill and experience, then Kraft Foods is the place for you. We start our Production Workers at $11.10 per hour and

advance to $11.40 - $12.20 after 90 days.

We o�er a bene�t package that includes:Medical, Dental, Optical, Prescription Drug Coverage

Company matching 401-kEducational Assistance

Bonus Program, Company Store and much moreAs a company that cares about its employees, we do require that all candidates complete an

assessment process including a pre-employment drug test and background veri�cation.High School Diploma or GED is preferred as well as 1-2 years of continuous work experience are

desired. Candidates must be available to do shift work and week-end work as needed, including 8hour and 12 hour shifts (Overtime required at times). Interested individuals must be able to work in a

fast paced, multifaceted environment and meet de�ned physical activities. Successfully completingthe 3 day Work Core Certi�cation is highly preferred.

This certi�cation is o�ered through the Adult Education in Newberry. Please call 803-321-2112 to be schedule in the next available class.

Please complete your application for Kraft Foods on www.kraftfoodscompany.com/careers

Kraft is an equal opportunity/a�rmative action employer m/f/d/v.

White Oak of NewberryFull-time LPN 1st Shift

ALWAYS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONSApply in person

2555 Kinard Street, Newberry.EOE

NOW HIRINGEstee Lauder Beauty Advisor

(full-time)

Peebles offers competitivewages and great benefits.

Visit our store to apply Cynthia Williams, Store Manager

2821 Main StreetNewberry, SC 29108-4133

www.peebles.comE.O.E./Promotes a drug-free workplace.

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�� ©2011 International Paper Company. All rights reserved.

What if you had more than just a job?International Paper is where you’ll learn skills that can take you far beyond the job description in this ad. You can take them just about anywhere you want to. That’s because we’re a Fortune 100 company that offers training, benefi ts, support and a little something we call Infi nite Possibilities.

CHIP MILL TECHNICIANSilverstreet, SC

Requirements include:

• High school diploma/GED

• Ability to operate /maintain equipment, including crane, chipper control station, knuckle-boom loader, tractor, haul back equipment, dump truck and other log handling equipment

• Ability to safely and professionally perform mechanical repairs on mill line components, including conveyor drives, bearings and processing equipment

• Profi ciency with hand and power tools

• Valid driver’s license

Please apply online at: www.ipaper.com/careers

International Paper is an equal opportunity employer M/F/D/V

Notices

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NBO 2-25-11 Friday.qxp:22 inch FINAL Quark 2/25/11 11:31 AM Page 11

The Weekly Union Grapevine/Union, S.C., Week of Monday, May 9, 2011 3

Your favorite Grapevine col-umnists are now in The Union Daily Times.

Since last week, Pea Ridge News by Hoyt Haney; Who, What, Where & When Of Whitmire by Cassie J. Fowler; Buffalo News For You by

Aubrey Parks; News Around Lockhart by Connie Porter; and West Springs News by Gloria Gowan are published in The Union Daily Times.

Pea Ridge News is pub-lished on Tuesday; Who, What, Where & When Of Whitmire on

Wednesday; Buffalo News For You on Thursday; News Around Lockhart on Friday and West Springs on Saturday.

With this move, your favorite columnists have gained an even larger reading audience, both in print and on-line. More people

now know what’s going on in West Springs, Lockhart, Buffalo, Whitmire and what Hoyt’s wife Sis has been up to in Pea Ridge.

The Union Daily Times is Union County’s has been Union County’s newspaper for more than 160 years and we’ve

achieved that status by giving generations of readers an infor-mative and entertaining read-ing experience. That experience is even more pleasurable with Hoyt, Cassie, Aubrey, Connie and Gloria in the pages of The Union Daily Times.

Grapevine columnists moving to The Union Daily Times

DON’T FORGET: The Weekly Union Grapevine can now also be found online! Just visit

www.uniondailytimes.com

MovieContinued from Page 2

home the parallels to mod-ern-day concerns about the differences between justice and revenge, especially in times of anxiety about war, tyrants, terrorism and rampant fear about enemies who strike from within.

But the movie avoids depicting Mary Surratt as a martyr, and it leaves the mat-ter of her guilt or innocence deliberately murky. “Have you ever cared for anything greater than yourself?” she asks her young attorney, and it’s unclear whether she’s referring to the son her maternal instincts won’t let her betray, or the Southern cause she may still support in her heart.

How this incident ends is a matter of record. But most viewers probably won’t be familiar with Serratt’s tale, making “The Conspirator” a riveting review of a fas-cinating historical footnote. Photos courtesy of American Profile

WHAT’S FOR SUPPER?Why not try out this recipe,

courtesy of Hometown Content?Fiery Chili Dip for Seafood

1 cup mayonnaise2 tablespoons hot red

chili pepper relish1 garlic clove, chopped2 tablespoons brown

sugar2 packages (10 ounces

each) Sea Best® Breaded Clam Strips, Breaded Jumbo Butterfly Shrimp, Breaded Calamari, Breaded Popcorn Shrimp and/or Breaded Scallops

COMBINE the mayon-naise, chili pepper relish, garlic and brown sugar. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to one day to allow flavors to blend. Cook your favorite selection of breaded Sea Best® seafood according to package direc-tions, until crispy and golden brown. Serve the seafood with chilled dip and enjoy! Serves 6.

INFLUENCE GAME:

Defending aid to Pakistan not easyRICHARD LARDNERAssociated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Within hours of the stunning announcement that Osama bin Laden had been killed by U.S. com-mandos, a lobbying firm representing Pakistan’s government began contacting members of Congress and their staffs to counter claims Islamabad protected the al-Qaida chief for nearly six years.

The push by Locke Lord Strategies to turn the tide against criticism of Pakistan — and preserve the country’s billions of dollars in U.S. aid — illustrates one of Washington’s enduring realities: No matter the issue or the crisis, lobbyists are working behind the scenes to shape opinions on Capitol Hill.

At stake is the continued flow of U.S. economic aid and military support to Pakistan, America’s iffy partner in the fight against terrorism and religious extremism. Congress is not expected to shut off the nearly $3 billion in assistance planned for 2012. Despite deep misgiv-ings, the U.S. does not want to allow Pakistan to become unstable and risk hav-ing its nuclear arsenal fall into the hands of Islamic radicals.

But bin Laden’s nearly six-year stay at a compound in a military garrison town outside Pakistan’s capital has left Locke Lord’s lobbying team with plenty of explaining to do.

The relationship between the two coun-tries was badly strained even before a team of Navy SEALs stormed bin Laden’s home Monday, local time. His body was buried at sea just hours later. Republicans and Democrats are angry that bin Laden found a safe harbor in Pakistan and want a painstaking review of how the money that goes there is spent.

CIA Director Leon Panetta stoked emotions on Capitol Hill earlier this week, telling lawmakers during a closed-door briefing: “Pakistan was involved or incompetent.”

Since 2002, Pakistan has received more than $20 billion from the U.S., mak-ing the country one of the largest U.S. aid recipients, according to the Congressional Research Service. Nearly $9 billion of that has been in the form of reimbursements for Pakistan’s costs to support the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan.

Mark Siegel, a Locke Lord partner, would not identify which congressional offices he and the other five lobbyists working the Pakistan account are calling and visiting. Records filed with Congress and the Justice Department show Locke Lord has represented Pakistan since May 2008 and has been paid just over $2.7 mil-lion. Pakistan is the firm’s biggest client.

Siegel is a former assistant to the presi-dent in the Carter White House and was chief of staff to Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., from 2001 to 2004. Other Locke Lord lob-byists working the Pakistan account also have congressional experience. Phil Rivers is a former chief of staff to Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., a Senate Appropriations Committee member. Brian Heindl was a top aide to Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., also a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

In an interview, Siegel said there is no evidence that President Asif Ali Zardari’s civilian government knew of bin Laden’s whereabouts. Cutting aid and military support to Pakistan would only weaken the relationship between Washington and Islamabad, leaving Pakistan less able to combat terrorism, he said.

Siegel acknowledged there were “secu-

rity lapses” within Pakistan’s military and intelligence service that allowed bin Laden to go undetected for so long in the town of Abbottabad, just a few dozen miles from Islamabad.

Those failures are being investigated at “the very, very highest level” of Zardari’s government, Siegel said. “Hopefully, if there were procedural gaps, errors of judg-ment, errors of process, that’s going to be taken care of in these investigations.”

President Barack Obama’s nation-al security adviser, Tom Donilon, said bin Laden had a support network in Abbottabad. But the U.S. has not seen evi-dence that the Zardari government knew about that, he said.

Donilon, echoing comments by other administration officials, said the Pakistanis need to demonstrate persua-sively their commitment to cooperating with the U.S. “We need to work with them to investigate what’s happened, and how Osama bin Laden came to this place as his home for the last — for the last six years,” Donilon told CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Skeptical lawmakers in key posts will have to be convinced as well.

Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, chair-woman of the House Appropriations sub-committee that controls the foreign opera-tions budget, has proposed suspending direct government-to-government assis-tance to Pakistan.

“My opposition to the program has only been heightened by the discovery of the most notorious terrorist in the world living hundreds of yards from a Pakistani military installation for more than five years,” Granger wrote in a let-ter to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. “This reinforces my greater con-cern that the government may be inca-

pable of distributing U.S. funds in a transparent manner that allows proper oversight of taxpayer dollars.”

Granger’s spokesman, Matt Leffingwell, said Locke Lord representa-tives have not met with the congress-woman or her staff.

Rep. Howard Berman of California, the senior Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a letter to Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates that he has “deep and ongoing con-cerns regarding the impact of U.S. securi-ty assistance to Pakistan — concerns that have been exacerbated by the discovery of Osama bin Laden’s lair in Abbottabad.”

Berman’s spokeswoman, Gabby Adler, said it “is our policy to not discuss the pri-vate meetings Mr. Berman and members of our staff take.”

Pakistan has supporters, however. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, underscored the complexity of the rela-tionship during a committee hearing. More senior al-Qaida operatives have been caught or killed in Pakistan than in any other country, Kerry said, and keeping thousands of U.S. troops in Afghanistan “depends on an enormous supply train that requires the daily cooperation of the Pakistani state.”

But Kerry also expressed the views of many in Washington seeking answers, saying: “What did Pakistani’s military and intelligence services know and when did they know it? Who did they think was liv-ing behind those 15-foot walls?”

Frederick Jones, Kerry’s spokesman, said a member of the committee staff met Thursday with a Locke Lord representa-tive, but said the meeting had no bearing on Kerry’s statements.

4 The Weekly Union Grapevine/Union, S.C., Week of Monday, May 9, 2011

THE COOL DOWN LAP

By ALAN ROSS

Homesabandoned as Mississippi River keeps risingADRIAN SAINZAssociated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Getting the word out through TV and online isn’t enough for Memphis officials who were going door-to-door warning a couple hundred people that they should abandon their homes before they are swamped by waters from the rising Mississippi River.

Memphis residents have been abandoning low-lying homes for days as the dangerously surging river threatened to crest at 48 feet (14.63 meters) on Tuesday, just shy of the 48.7-foot (14.84-meter) record, set by a devastating 1937 flood.

Still others like Shirley Woods are watching the river just feet from her single-story home but still con-tinuing her life as nor-mal, including a back-yard barbecue Sunday.

When she woke up at first light, she was prepared to leave if the Mississippi had gotten high enough, but she decided she had time to at least celebrate Mother’s Day with rela-tives.

“I’ll give it another day, and if it comes up much higher, we’re get-ting out of here,” Woods said.

The swollen river has swamped houses in Memphis and threatens to consume many more, but its rise has been slow enough that some people were clinging to their normal lives just a bit longer.

In all, residents in more than 1,300 homes have been told to go, and some 370 people were staying in shelters.

But while some evacuated, others came as spectators. At Beale Street, the famous thor-oughfare known for blues music, dozens gawked and snapped photos as water pooled at the end of the road. Traffic was heavy down-town on a day the streets would normally be quiet.

The river is “prob-ably the biggest tourist attraction in Memphis,” said Scott Umstead, who made the half-hour drive from Collierville with his wife and their three children.

Col. Vernie Reichling, Army Corps of Engineers commander for the Memphis dis-trict, said the homes in most danger of flood-ing are in areas not protected by levees or floodwalls, includ-ing near Nonconnah Creek and the Wolf and Loosahatchie rivers.

About 150 Corps workers were walk-ing along levees and monitoring perfor-mance of pump stations along what Reichling called the “wicked” Mississippi. “There should be no concern for any levees to fail,” he said in a downtown park on a bluff overlooking the river.

For Cedric Blue, the flooding in his south Memphis neighborhood near the overflowing Nonconnah Creek is a source of frustration and anger.

Blue, 39, has watched as the water engulfed three homes on his street, including that of an older woman who had to be rescued in a boat because she had refused to leave. Blue fears the rising water will ruin his house and his belongings while washing away a lifetime of memories that were created there.

Sunday afternoon, a garbage can floated in the high water near his house. Some feet away, the water had reached more than halfway up a yellow “No Outlet” street sign.

Smith gains first-ever Cup win at Darlington; Vettel rules Turkey

The winning car parad-ed an unfamiliar sponsor name on both of its sides: Denver Mattress. If that causes you to scratch your head, perhaps the name Regan Smith doesn’t ring with much more familiar-ity either. But Saturday night at famed Darlington Raceway, a perennial backmarker finally had his day in the sun (rather, his night in the moon), when Smith, best known previ-ously for helping create the traffic jams that tradition-ally mark the back of the pack, won his first Sprint Cup race in 105 career starts.

The surprise victory enabled Smith to add his name alongside such pres-tigious previous Southern 500 winners as 10-time victor David Pearson, nine-time winner Dale Earnhardt, and seven-timer Jeff Gordon.

But Smith wouldn’t

have had a shot at Victory Lane had it not been for two cautions in the final 10 laps that induced an array of different strategies from surrounding com-petitors. To that point, the show had been the domain of three drivers—Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, and Carl Edwards, with Busch and Kahne combining to lead for 202 of the 367 laps around the legendary 1.366-mile circuit known as the Lady in Black, infa-mous for its vicious and unselective attacks on all who dare to circumnavigate it. The first of the final two yellows involved the strat-egy ploy that won the race for Smith: simply staying out on track while all but two others pitted for fresh tires. That jumped Smith to No. 1 for the restart with just four laps to go. Half a lap after the green flag fell, the seed for some post-race mayhem was

planted, as a trio of cars—Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Clint Bowyer—went three wide entering the back-stretch. Bowyer, on the inside, took the worst of it, forced down hard into the inside retaining wall. That left Harvick and Busch to

continue beating on each other, with Harvick’s 29 car ultimately hooked by Busch and spun into the outside wall. The animos-ity between Busch and Harvick would smolder, reigniting on pit row after the race.

The on-track carnage and resultant cleanup from the three-wide debacle dictated a green-white-checkered finish, with Smith’s old balding tires somehow withstanding Carl Edwards’ challenge on fresh right-side tires for the win. But while Smith did gleeful donuts on the front straight, the action on pit row was about to com-bust: Harvick, looking for redemption, jumped out of his car and took a swing at Busch through the 18 car’s driver-side window. Busch retaliated by push-ing Harvick’s driver-less 29 car immediately in front of him straight into the

inside concrete wall lining pit row.

Meanwhile, out in Colorado, Denver Mattress never had so many on-line hits.

GRAND PRIX OF TURKEY: Sebastian Vettel made it three Formula One wins in four races, as the defend-ing F1 champion and cur-rent standings leader took the measure of Turkey’s Istanbul Park and comfort-ably beat Red Bull Racing teammate Mark Webber. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso took third. The Turkish cir-cuit, possessing one of the severest elevation changes in F1, provided excel-lent passing opportunities throughout, with the tens-est duel an early-race nail-biter between McLaren teammates Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

Alan Ross is the author of 32 books and a contributing editor at American Profile. E-mail: [email protected] ©

Sportland 2011

The healthiness of soy and a community talks about culling deer population

DEAR EARTH TALK: How healthy is soy? I heard that, despite its healthy image, most soy is grown using chemicals like other crops and is even being genetically modified. -- D. Frinka, Syracuse, NY

Food products made with soy have enjoyed great popularity in the U.S. and elsewhere in recent years. Two decades ago, Americans spent $300 million a year on soy food prod-ucts; today we spend over $4 billion. More and more adults are substituting soy—a great source of protein—for meat, while a quarter of all baby formula contains soy instead of milk. Many school lunch programs nationwide have added soy-based veggie burgers to their menus, as have countless restaurants, including diners and fast food chains.

And there are hundreds of other edible uses of the legume, which now vies with corn for the title of America’s most popular agricultural crop. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration promotes the inclusion of soy into other foods to cut down on heart attack risk. Clinical stud-ies have shown that soy can also lower the risk for certain types of breast and prostate cancer.

But there may be a dark side to soy’s popu-larity and abundance. “Many of soy’s health benefits have been linked to isoflavones—plant compounds that mimic estrogen,” reports Lindsey Konkel in Environmental Health News. “But animal studies suggest that eating large amounts of those estrogenic compounds might reduce fertility in women, trigger prema-ture puberty and disrupt development of fetuses and children.” But before you dump out all your soy foods, note that the operative phrase here is “large amounts” which, in laboratory science, can mean amounts substantially above what one would consume in real life.

Also at issue is that upwards of 90 percent of the U.S. soybean crop is grown using geneti-cally modified (GM) seeds sold by Monsanto. These have been engineered to withstand repeated dousing with the herbicide, glypho-sate (also sold by Monsanto and marketed as RoundUp). According to the nonprofit Non GMO Project, this allows soybean farmers to repeatedly spray their fields with RoundUp to kill all weeds (and other nearby plant life) except for the soybean plants they are growing.

The U.S. government permits the sale and consumption of GM foods, but many consum-ers aren’t so sure it’s OK to eat them—given not only the genetic tinkering but also the exposure to so much glyphosate. Due to these concerns, the European Union has had a mora-torium on GM crops of all kinds since 1998.

The fact that genetically modified soy may be present in as much as 70 percent of all food products found in U.S. supermarkets means that a vast majority of Americans may be put-ting a lot of GM soy into their systems every

day. And not just directly via cereals, breads and pasta: Some 98 percent of the U.S. soybean crop is fed to livestock, so consumers of meat, eggs and dairy are indirectly ingesting the products of scientific tinkering with unknown implications for human health.

Since GM soy has only been around and abundant for less than a decade, no one yet knows for sure what the long term health effects, if any, will be on the populations of countries such as the U.S. that swear by it. Natural foods stores like WholeFoods are your best bet for finding non-GM foods of all sorts.

CONTACTS: Environmental Health News, HYPERLINK “http://www.environmental-healthnews.org/” www.environmentalhealth-news.org; Non GMO Project, HYPERLINK “http://www.nongmoproject.org” www.nong-moproject.org.

DEAR EARTHTALK: Our community is talking of culling local deer herd numbers. Frankly I think it’s the people who are over-populated, crowding out every last inch of habitat. What happens when we finally do develop everything? Pow! There goes the last doe? -- Anne Williamson, State College, PA

It’s hard to believe that deer, those innocu-ous enough vegetarian browsers that occa-sionally tromp through our backyards, are considered the scourge of many a suburban neighborhood across the continent. Prior to white settlement of the “New World,” tens of millions of deer blanketed the continent, but their population density was kept in check by free-roaming natural predators such as bears, wolves and mountain lions.

The white man’s rifle took out the deer’s chief predators and did a number on deer popu-lations as well; venison was a staple meat on the ever expanding frontier. Biologists estimate that there were only a half million white-tailed deer left in the U.S. in the early 1900s due to unregulated hunting. At that point many states jumped in and began to regulate hunting to try to conserve fast dwindling resources. The new rules set limits on when hunters could kill deer and banned hunting females altogether.

In the meantime, many of the one-time farms in the eastern U.S. began reverting back to forests, creating a habitat patchwork that in some areas was ideal for deer. The ensuing rebound of white-tailed deer populations—over 20 million roam the U.S. today—is viewed as one of the nation’s greatest conservation suc-cess stories, especially since it occurred long before the dawn of the modern environmental movement.

But there is a dark side to all this “suc-cess.” Too many deer can cause problems for humans, other wildlife, and even for the deer themselves, who must compete for dwindling forage sources. “Complaints from residents are often that the deer are eating things that they have planted,” reports the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). “Well fertilized and watered landscapes and gardens can be much more desirable to the deer than surround-ing common ground areas that are likely not watered or fertilized.”

Other concerns beyond tearing up sub-urban backyards include damage to agricul-tural crops, deer/car collisions, transmission of Lyme disease, and the over browsing of habitat which deer and other wildlife need. “Increasing deer densities through time can lead residents to a feeling that they have to share too much with the deer as the damage they do becomes less tolerated,” reports MDC. It’s at this point that wildlife managers begin considering cull-ing local herds, usually by tweaking local hunt-ing regulations.

Many animal advocates oppose such prac-tices. In Defense of Animals (IDA) reports that even permitted sport hunting, under current wildlife management guidelines and outdated land management policies, contributes to deer overpopulation problems. “Currently, there are approximately eight does for every buck in the wild,” the group explains. “Laws restrict the number of does that hunters may kill.” Since bucks will often mate with more than one doe, the ratio of does to bucks “sets the stage for a population explosion.” And open season on both sexes won’t solve the problem, as too many does would die, stranding needy fawns and depleting the reproductive pool—as happened in the early 20th century when deer numbers fell precipitously low. IDA and many other animal protection organizations believe that sport hunting should be banned and that deer populations should be allowed to regulate naturally.

CONTACTS: MDC, www.mdc.mo.gov; IDA, www.idausa.org.

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US, China to talk trade, currency, human rightsMARTIN CRUTSINGERAP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s massive trade deficit with China, currency rates and human rights concerns will all be on the agenda when top officials from the United States and China sit down for high-level talks this week.

The annual meetings will bring together top officials from both countries representing dozens of government agencies in the areas of trade and finance, and foreign policy.

While no major breakthroughs are expected, both sides hope to build on the progress made during a state visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao to Washington in January.

That visit helped smooth rela-tions that had been strained in 2010 over such issues as U.S. military sales to Taiwan.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will lead the U.S. team.

Both countries will, for the first

time, bring top military leaders to the discussions in an effort to defuse military tensions that were heightened last year by the U.S. arms sales.

The Chinese team will be led by Vice Premier Wang Qishan, China’s top economic policy-maker, and State Counselor Dai Bingguo, a veteran diplomat.

The talks will begin with an opening session and then break into separate discussions on the economy and foreign policy. The U.S. and Chinese leaders are also scheduled to meet Monday with President Barack Obama. The talks wrap up on Tuesday.

China is facing threats of U.S. economic sanctions on goods shipped here to its largest foreign market unless it does more to end what U.S. manufacturers say are unfair trade practices, including currency manipulation, that have cost American jobs.

At the same time, China, America’s biggest foreign credi-tor, wants assurances that its $1.2 trillion in U.S. Treasury holdings are safe despite the impending congressional debate over raising

the government’s $14.3 trillion borrowing limit.

“The Chinese are astounded that the U.S. government would let the debate get to the stage where there is even a remote pos-sibility of a default,” said Eswar Prasad, a China expert at Cornell University.

The higher debt limit is needed to make sure America can keep paying the interest bill on the debt to China and other investors.

While Geithner said last week that the U.S. would press China to accelerate efforts to revalue its currency, the yuan, he also sound-ed a conciliatory tone. He noted that the yuan has risen in value by 5 percent since last June, and even faster once inflation was taken into account.

A softer approach on China’s currency will not please American manufacturers. They contend that China’s currency is undervalued by as much as 40 percent and they want Congress to approve eco-nomic penalties if Beijing doesn’t move faster.

The U.S. trade deficit with China last year was a record $273

billion, one-fifth more than in 2009. The administration is con-sidering filing new trade cases against Chinese practices that U.S. companies contend are unfair.

U.S. officials say they want to see more progress on economic commitments made in January.

Those include closer monitor-ing of Chinese government pur-chases of software, a move intend-ed to boost Beijing’s buying of legal U.S. software and reduce its use of pirated software. American companies say such theft is cost-ing them billions in lost sales.

The Chinese also pledged to revamp a policy that limits the ability of U.S. companies to compete for Chinese government projects unless the products are designed in China. American busi-nesses regard this as an effort to force them to turn over their tech-nology to China or be locked out of its government market.

On foreign policy, officials said Clinton will renew efforts to gain China’s support in confronting nuclear threats from North Korea and Iran, and she will raise the issue of human rights.

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