Newsbriefs

Bad Planning
            When everyone comes to the table to discuss substantive subjects at the upcoming Issues Conference on the Belleayre Resort DEIS starting May 25, don't expect anyone from the Town of Shandaken, where most of Dean Gitter's massive development is planned to land. That's because a series of snafus, ending in a recent Shandaken Planning Board Executive Session, has resulted in no one agreeing on final authorship for those comments it submitted for review to the state Department of Environmental Conservation in late April.
            Those comments, presented to the town by the Planning Board's hired consultants, Ferrandino & Associates, blasted the adequacy of the DEIS at addressing local traffic and socio-economic factors. At the April 19 meeting where it was presented, Belleayre Resort' project manager Gary Gailes distributed a two-page press release entitled "Shandaken Ill-Served By Quick, Biased Study" that attacked both Ferrandino and his report's conclusions, calling it  "disappointing, inaccurate, misleading, and incomplete."
            When Ferrandino was later asked to make changes to their document by Shandaken Supervisor Bob Cross, Jr. and newly-appointed Planning Board Chairman John Horn, a series of discussions ended up in what some have called a "botched" report being submitted that no one is willing to support at this point.
            According to Planning Board attorney Drayton Grant, this could end up with a number of issues within the town's purview, from traffic and socio-economics to community character, going un-discussed in the upcoming process. Yet she said that the raising of such subjects by New York City and other entities should make up the difference∑ unless new attempts to quash the City's comments prove successful.
            The difficulty with the comments submitted, those involved say, was that no one felt comfortable with their final "tone" - part negative, part positive.
            Grant said she's been surprised at some of the actions taken by her clients of late, and possible interference from the town board.
            "Fortunately, there will be a good record," she said in regards to the need for parties to use the upcoming judicial hearings to set precedent for later action. "We'll hopefully end up with plenty to review later."

Power Washed
 A severe localized thunderstorm hammered Pine Hill and Highmount last Thursday, dumping a reported four inches of rain in half an hour and causing significant flash flooding. Rainfall totals according to County Emergency Services Director Art Snyder, appeared to be between six and seven inches.
 In Pine Hill where the most serious damage occurred, Birch Creek crested two feet above the bridge at Main and Lake, and the Academy Street bridge remains closed due to  damage sustained. Town highway Superintendant Dick Merwin reports that crews worked late into thursday night removing debris and reopening a number of roads. Hardest hit were Upper and Lower Birch Creek roads and Kelly, Galla Curci and Barley roads with some damage to Bonnieview Avenue. On the other side of Belleayre Mountain in Hardenburgh, Dry Brook and Todd Mountain Roads were hardest hit though "nothing serious" according to Supervisor Jerry Fairburn, with Denning Supervisor Bill Bruning reporting only minor damage.
Given the localized nature of the storm and the modest financial damages sustained, the town does not appear to qualify for FEMA assistance, but the town is likely to have to pick up the tab for all repairs. According to Town Supervisor Bob Cross, preliminary damage estimates appear to be in the $500,000 range, with the majority of damage to town roads and bridges. Any residents who have suffered property damage during this storm are asked to contact the town flood plain administrator, Mike Malloy, at 688-5008.
 
Grievance Day
            Think you pay too much in taxes? One day each year folks have the chance to complain about it and perhaps get their taxes reduced. That day, called Grievance Day, is set for May 25th between 4pm and 8pm in the assessors office at town hall. The tentative assessment roll, in other words the value the town intends to use to calculate taxes on your property, can be looked at in the assessor's office until Grievance Day, and on May 20th the assessors will be on hand to talk about the assessment roll between the hours of 1 and 5 pm. If you think the assessment on your land is unfair, be sure to pick up the booklet called "how to challenge your assessment," also available at the office. For more information call (845) 688- 5003.

Water Tour
            Town Officials will meet with DEP staffers this Saturday, May 22nd, at 1pm to learn more about more about plans to improve the stream in Broadstreet Hollow.    Outlined during the session will be specifics on how to reduce damage, from floods and erosion, to private property and public infrastructure, protect and improve water quality and protect and enhance stream and floodplain ecosystem.
            Described as "a small watershed field tour" by project manager Sarah Miller of the DEP, the afternoon is an opportunity for DEP to give Supervisor Bob Cross and other board members some detail on some of the recommendations at specific sites and also discuss how some of the plans might be put to use watershed wide. The public is welcome to attend.
            All interested should meet at the Shandaken Town Hall parking lot for carpooling. This event, according to Miller, is designed to get Town Board members and the public out for an afternoon together to discuss the Broadstreet Hollow plan and its elements in detail, tour some specific sites highlighted in the plan, answer any questions and get additional feedback.
Last week 20 volunteers participated in cleanup of the stream, sponsored by the Catskill Watershed Corporation. And organized by the Broadstreet Hollow Watershed Landowners Association.

Suspended∑
An officer of the Shandaken police department has been suspended following his arrest last week for allegedly threatening someone with bodily harm. Members of the Ulster County Sheriff's department arrested Douglas Hoyt, age 26, of Orchard Street, Tillson, for Aggravated Harassment in the 2nd degree, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1000 fine. The arrest followed a complaint from a woman claiming that Hoyt made threatening comments to her during a heated telephone conversation. Police say that Hoyt surrendered himself to Sheriff's deputies at Sheriff's headquarters, and was issued an appearance ticket in Town of Shandaken Court.
Undersherrif George Wood said he was uncertain how the arrest would affect Hoyt's future in law enforcement.
"It may be a bar from future employment∑but at this time it remains only an allegation," he said, adding that Police officers are automatically barred from future employment if convicted of a felony but not if convicted for a misdemeanor. The nature of the offense would be the determining factor, he said.
James McGrath, the Officer in Charge for the Shandaken Department, said that Hoyt, who is a part time officer for the department, was suspended immediately following his arrest. He offered no further comment on the matter because the arrest was made by the Sherrif's department, not the Shandaken Police.
Wood did not elaborate on the charges, saying only that threatening comments were made. "I don't know what the extent of the threat was, but I believe the threat extended to other people as well," Wood said.
            Wood said that after the complaint was issued, Sheriff's department personnel "reached out to Hoyt by phone" and convinced the officer to turn himself in. Hoyt arrived at Sheriff's headquarters with an attorney, Wood said, and Hoyt was processed. He did not spend any time in prison, instead was issued an appearance ticket. He will be arraigned in Shandaken, but the local justice will determine whether the case would be heard in Shandaken court or if it gets sent to another court.
            All the tickets that Hoyt had outstanding, from traffic infractions up, appear to have been dismissed because he can not show up in court to prosecute them.

The King and I
            The Shandaken Theatrical Society is putting the finishing touches on their spring production of "The King and I," that famous Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that made Yul Brenner a star of immortal proportions for his portrayal of the king on both Broadway and the silver screen. Brenner won a Tony and an Oscar for his work, but word is the STS thespian ruling this production is working even harder to fine tune his performance as the legendary king that learns a thing or two about life and love from a young American girl named Anna, portrayed by Saugerties resident Dot Penz, who also directs the lavish production. Shows dates are Friday May 28 and Saturday, May 29 at 8pm with a 4pm matinee on Sunday. The show also runs June 4th, 5th, 11th and 12th at 8pm with two other matinees set for June 6th and 13th. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for seniors and students.
            Call (845) 688-2279 for details.

Higher & Higher
AAA, the American Automobile Association, has been conducting daily surveys of gasoline prices nationwide and has reported a statewide average of $2.05 per gallon for regular gas, a few cents cheaper than area prices, and $2.10 per gallon for mid-grade and $2.146 per gallon for premium, a few pennies more per gallon in both cases. State prices were higher than nationwide averages from the same time.
AAA has blamed the hike on unusually high crude oil prices that could shift back downwards depending on recent meetings of OPEC (the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries), which is trying to meet our nation's growing demand because of the rise in the number of SUVs.
It has also been recently reported that a deal was made between the Bush Administration and Saudi Arabia in the last year for prices to drop before Election Day. The White House categorically denies all such talk.

Dinner Dance!
The 10th Annual Memorial Day Weekend Auction and Dinner Dance to be held at Belleayre Mountain on Sunday, May 30th will benefit the 2004 Belleayre Music Festival. This annual fund raiser features a live auction of extraordinary items including antiques, artwork and one of-a-kind gift packages. Spearheaded this year by Faye Storms, proprietor of Blue Barn Antiques and Interiors on Route 28, this year's event will include numerous prizes, from an original pilot script for the "Sopranos" autographed by the entire cast to furs, furniture, food,  and furnishings.
The evening festivities begin with a 6-7 pm preview of the Auction items, and the start of bidding on the Silent Auction. Dinner by Main Course Caterers includes complimentary wine and dancing will be to the music of festival favorites, Special Delivery beginning at 7pm. Belleayre Superintendent Tony Lanza, the evening's auctioneer, will get the live auction bidding started by 8:30 pm and dessert and dancing will follow from 9:30 until 11 pm.
Tickets are available by calling the Belleayre Conservatory's office at 845-254-5600 ext. 344. For ticket information for the 2004 Belleayre Music Festival visit www.belleayremusic.org.

Security Costs
Security costs for the Republican National Convention this summer will hit $76 million, says police City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. Just last month, the estimate was $47 million to $65 million.
The city, just emerging from successive years of multibillion-dollar budget gaps, will likely have to pick up at least two-thirds of the convention's security cost - which is even more than the $64 million organizers are raising to bring the convention to the city. No host committee funds would be used for security. The federal government has committed about $25 million for security for the convention, at which President Bush will be nominated for a second term. The convention is scheduled to begin Aug. 30 at Madison Square Garden.
A few months ago, Mayor Michael Bloomberg predicted that $27 million would cover not only security at the convention but also sanitation and insurance.That estimate has escalated rapidly, as the police department, which has about 36,500 members, has budgeted a more intense regimen - of counterterrorism, crowd control and civil rights training - to more officers in recent months.
Kelly said recently that the police department will use 6,000 to 10,000 officers to handle the convention and the expected demonstrations around Madison Square Garden.
Those officers will receive overtime training to prepare for chemical, biological or radiological attacks. The current class in the Police Academy is receiving similar training in preparation for the convention.
In June, 10,000 officers will be trained in legal issues, including the rights of demonstrators, in addition to disorder control, subway track safety, hazardous materials and terrorism awareness. The police department also plans to buy a closed-circuit television system, special crowd control barriers to ring Madison Square Garden, nuclear, biological and chemical detection and monitoring devices, 300 motor scooters and 15 vans for the gathering.
Word in Albany is that the City's outlay of so much for the convention has quieted any concerns there may have been about its recent harsh comments against the Belleayre Resort project planned for the Catskills and currently undergoing adjudication by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Education Grants
Twenty-three grants totaling just over $98,000 were approved by the Catskill Watershed Corporation (CWC) Board of Directors last month. The grants, ranging from $1,000 to $12,000, will go to schools and non-profit organizations in New York City and its West-of-Hudson Watershed. They are intended to increase awareness, understanding and appreciation of clean water, the City's vast water delivery system, and the upstate Watershed which supplies 90 percent of the water consumed by nine million people.
A 13-member Public Education Advisory Group (PEAG) evaluated 37 proposals in this seventh round of funding. Amongst schools and not-for-profits that were funded for projects were: In Delaware County: South Kortright Central School (two grants); Delaware Academy and Central School, Delhi; Sidney Central School; Sidney Memorial Public Library; the Roxbury Arts Group, and the Catskill Forest Association. In Greene County: Hunter-Tannersville Central School. In Ulster County: Woodstock, Phoenicia and Bennett Elementary Schools. In Schoharie County: Gilboa-Conesville Central School.  In Sullivan County: Tri-Valley Central School, Grahamsville. In New York City: Friends of VanCortlandt Park, Friends of Crotona Park, PS 109, the Earth School, New York Restoration Project, Brooklyn New School, Ditmas Intermediate School #62, and Phipps Community Development Corp.
 In addition, the Council on the Environment of New York City was awarded a grant involving schools both in the watershed and in New York City, and Trout Unlimited will receive funds to assist several schools participating in the Trout in the Classroom Program.
For more information on past Watershed Education Grants and related programs, consult the Catskill-NYC Watershed Educators Network web site, www.WatershEducators.org To learn more about the CWC and its environmental protection, economic development and education programs, go to www.cwconline.org, or call toll-free, 1-877-WAT-SHED.

Cicada Time!
Billions of red-eyed Cicadas are currently taking their once-every-17 years-chance to emerge from the ground to mate. Scientists say this year's batch, known as Brood X, is the largest of the cicada groups that appear at various intervals. The first of the cicada nymphs emerged last week from their holes and crawled up nearby trees to molt in the Maryland area, shedding their hard skins and emerging with wings. Those that survive the birds, squirrels and other predators will mate, lay eggs and die over the next several weeks. Hatches are expected in the Hudson Valley within the coming weeks - as many as 1.5 million per acre in some places.
First there was the girl who fell off her bike fleeing a flying cicada. Then a boy trying to swat a cicada out of the air with a baseball bat instead hit his friend in the nose.
The thumb-sized insects are harmless, but they are large, noisy and clumsy. Already, health officials are warning those afraid of bugs, and especially children, not to panic.

Secret Miasma
America's high-tech military relies on an antiquated, Civil War-era command system that is dangerously slow and cumbersome and stifles direct, honest reporting, defense officials and other experts are now saying. The reporting system ˜ historically based on how far an officer could yell above the din of battlefield musketry and cannon ˜ helps explain how senior defense officials seemed sandbagged recently by the explosive appearance of photos of U.S. soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners even though the photos had been given to the Army five months earlier. Though efforts are under way to reform the prisons in Iraq, the Defense Department's reporting and command structure remains unchanged ˜ leaving the possibility that more bad news has yet to surface.
Within the Defense Department, it has been disclosed, information travels along a rigid chain of command, one that runs from sergeant to lieutenant to captain to major and on upward. Soldiers are taught from their first hour of basic training not to get out of line by violating this structure. Information coming out of Abu Ghraib went through two different reporting chains, the 800th Military Police Brigade and the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade. From there, it traveled up two separate channels ˜ the U.S. Central Command in Baghdad and the U.S. Army's Provost Marshal's Office ˜ investigators said. The route can be clogged by bureaucratic procedures and secrecy requirements.
Last year alone, the federal government classified 14.2 million national security secrets.

Pope vs. Bush
Pope John Paul II is expected to warn President George W. Bush when the two men meet on June 4 that his policy in Iraq is wrong and the actions of US troops are damaging efforts to bring religions closer together, a senior Vatican official revealed recently. Cardinal Pio Laghi said the US-led occupation force in Iraq should be replaced by "a multinational presence which is not dominated by those who wanted and fought the war." It was not enough for a military force in Iraq not to be under US command, "it must not even give the impression that it is," he said. Laghi was the pope's envoy to Washington last year in a fruitless attempt to persuade Bush not to invade Iraq against the wishes of the majority of the United Nations and its 15-member Security Council.
Referring to revelations this month of torture and humiliating mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners by US soldiers, the cardinal asked "how is it possible to remain in Iraq if these abuses continue?"
Bush is due to meet the pope on June 4 before traveling to France for ceremonies commemorating the 60th anniversary of the D-Day allied landings on the Atlantic coast on June 6, 1944. 
The cardinal said he also expected the pope to tell Bush that his policies in the Middle East in general were not helping the cause of peace. "We must above all build cultural understanding between peoples and I do not believe that our American friends are doing that," he said. "Bombing mosques, going into holy places, putting women soldiers in contact with naked men shows a lack of understanding of the Muslim world which I can only call surprising," he said. "We must build bridges with Islam, not dig trenches between us," he went on.
Bush and the pope have met twice before, but the June 4 audience will be their first since the start of the war in Iraq.

Arthritical∑
Approximately one-quarter of American adults have been diagnosed with arthritis and another 17 percent may be suffering from the crippling disease, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said recently. Arthritis, a musculoskeletal disease that causes painful inflammation in the joints, is the leading cause of disability in the United States and a major financial drain on the nation's health care system. The percentage of those diagnosed with a form of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus or fibromyalgia ranged from a low of 17.8 percent in Hawaii to a high of 35.8 percent in Alabama in 2002, according to a CDC survey of 30 states. The median rate was 27.6 percent.
The CDC also found that about 20 percent of respondents in a number of states in the survey had chronic joint pain, aching or stiffness indicating possible arthritis that had not been diagnosed.
The estimated direct and indirect costs of arthritis and other related rheumatic diseases was $86.2 billion in 1997, equivalent to about 1 percent of the nation's gross domestic product, the CDC said in a separate study. Americans spent $51.1 billion on medical treatment for arthritis and related diseases in 1997, while lost earnings due to hospitalization, illness and disability added up to $35.1 billion.
Health experts believe that a combination of proper diet, weight control, exercise and regular medical treatment are effective in controlling both the prevalence and severity of arthritis.

Ah, Ellenville∑
Ulster County lawmakers are on the verge of approving up to $600,000 in funds for Ellenville Regional Hospital. The Legislature's special committee on the situation, which has seen the hospital on the verge of closing down, already has approved a deal which would give the hospital $200,000, followed by a long-term contribution of up to $400,000 to help the 51-bed facility climb out of bankruptcy. The hospital, the only one in southern Ulster County, declared bankruptcy in November 2003 for the second time in four years.
Under the terms of the financial assistance deal, the county would contribute payments totaling $200,000 to the hospital through the beginning of July. But if, by July 9, Kingston Hospital has not signed on to operate the facility, the county's support would end and the hospital could close. Should Kingston Hospital agree to run the Ellenville facility, the county would continue to make payments - up to $400,000 more - and would own the hospital and the land on which it sits.
Kingston Hospital is in the process of conducting a feasibility study on taking over Ellenville Regional Hospital, a study that presumably will be completed before the July deadline. Ellenville Regional Hospital has been owned by the parent company of Westchester Medical Center since shortly after the first bankruptcy.
The facility employs 178 people and is the primary health-care facility for 298 people who receive public assistance.

Breaking Ranks
Republicans in Congress are so frustrated with the White House that when Speaker J. Dennis Hastert criticized the Bush Administration at a House GOP meeting recently, the caucus burst into applause. And according to The Hill, a weekly journal covering Washington matters, the meeting was only the latest sign in an accumulating body of evidence that lawmakers are unhappy with the way the administration treats them.
One GOP lawmaker at the caucus meeting said Hastert "expressed outright dismay with the White House staff for the way the transportation bill had been handled. They did not give the priority necessary to the issue in resolving it as the Speaker had wanted. It's in absolute limbo." A rank-and-file lawmaker added: "Hastert was frustrated and disappointed that he had not been dealt with openly and fairly and given accurate information. He was not so much speaking to the conference as he was speaking for the conference."
The catalog of GOP complaints against the executive branch is long. A senior Republican House member said his colleagues frequently disparage the White House communications team, particularly on articulating its policy in Iraq.
Behind the scenes, the White House is making it clear that it is less concerned about grumbling among members of Congress than with winning hearts and minds beyond the Beltway. It believes that by this measure, the president's support is solid.
Efforts have been made in the past several days to mend fences. Senior White House officials met in Hastert's office earlier this month, and Hastert and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) had dinner at the White House with Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. (The main dish was spaghetti with shrimp.)

Good For You!
 Giving support to advocates of breast-feeding, new research bolsters the theory that rapid growth in infancy, encouraged by enriched infant formulas, might increase the risk of heart disease and stroke later in life. The study, described recently in The Lancet medical journal, found the cholesterol profile was 14 percent better in adolescents who had been fed breast milk as babies, compared with those fed formula.
The conclusion is the latest to come out of 20 years of research indicating that conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes could be influenced by a baby's growth rate. All those conditions are linked to heart disease. The study provides Œ'very strong evidence'' that babies fed breast milk rather than formula will grow up to have significantly lower levels of bad cholesterol.
Cholesterol plays a central role in the clogging of arteries, which leads to heart attacks and strokes.

More Bad Press
The U.S. Army general under investigation for anti-Islamic remarks has been linked by U.S. officials to the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal, which experts warned could touch off new outrage overseas. A Senate hearing into the abuse of Iraqi prisoners was told recently that Lt. Gen. William Boykin, an evangelical Christian under review for saying his God was superior to that of the Muslims, briefed a top Pentagon civilian official last summer on recommendations on ways military interrogators could gain more intelligence from Iraqi prisoners. Critics have suggested those recommendations amounted to a senior-level go-ahead for the sexual and physical abuse of prisoners, possibly to "soften up" detainees before interrogation ˜ a charge the Pentagon denies. Congressional aides and Arab-American and Muslim groups said any involvement by Boykin could spark new concern among Arabs and Muslims overseas that the U.S. war on terrorism is in fact a war on Islam.
Boykin touched off a firestorm last October after giving speeches while in uniform in which he referred to the war on terrorism as a battle with "Satan" and said America had been targeted "because we're a Christian nation." He said later he was not anti-Islam or any other religion. President Bush distanced himself from Boykin's remarks, but the Pentagon said it would not fire the general, who played a role in the 1993 clash with Somali warlords and the ill-fated hostage rescue attempt in Iran in 1980.

New Disorders
In an era of diet fixation, chiseled underwear models and "a culture of muscularity," some researchers say eating problems among men are getting worse - even as sufferers face a lingering stigma about having a "women's disorder." Intentional starvation, cookie binges, vomiting, hospitalization. The details were typical for an eating disorder∑ except they are now occurring among men.
Women are more likely to have eating disorders than men. But men can also suffer from bulimia, binge eating and, to a lesser extent, anorexia, according to researchers.
Leigh Cohn, co-author of "Making Weight," believes such disorders afflict about 2 percent of men versus 4 percent to 5 percent of women, but he is convinced the rate for men is on the rise. Other researchers have differing estimates, but there are no definitive studies.
Athletes whose weight is crucial to their performance - jockeys, wrestlers, distance runners and gymnasts - have a higher incidence of eating disorders. Cohn said they can develop bad habits when weight loss is seen as a requirement of the sport. The root causes can be similar for men and women: genetics, low self-esteem, trauma and cultural influences.
Just as women feel pressured to look like stick-thin magazine models, men can be swayed by images of pumped-up hunks with broad shoulders, six-pack abs and narrow waists. Pictures of perfect bodies can reinforce the belief that "normal" bodies are not OK, researchers say.  And those perfect male images - think muscle-bound movie heroes, magazine cover boys and shirtless rappers - can be hard to ignore.
Researchers at the University of Central Florida released a study this month saying men who watched TV commercials of muscular actors felt unhappy about their own physiques. This "culture of muscularity" can be linked to eating disorders or steroid abuse, the researchers said.
Dr. Theodore Weltzin of Rogers Memorial Hospital in Oconomowoc, Wis., said one study showed 70 percent of high school males dieting. The hospital offers residential treatment for males, and Weltzin says he sees a fair number of dieting men who are "carbohydrate-phobic," as opposed to women sufferers who tend to be fat-phobic.

Revised Plans
The Bush administration, dogged by the growing abuse scandal in Iraq, is pressing ahead this week with a new appeal for democracy and political reform in the Middle East in the face of extreme skepticism in the region and in Europe. What the administration calls its Greater Middle East Initiative, a proposal that stirred an angry outcry from Arab officials when a version leaked out last winter, is an eight-page draft that began circulating among foreign ministers this week.
The administration has said President Bush plans to get some form of the document adopted at the summit meeting of leading industrial nations and Russia, the so-called Group of 8, in June at Sea Island, Ga. But European officials familiar with the contents said they expected that in light of widespread outrage over American soldiers' abuse of Iraq prisoners, even this new, toned-down document would have to be revised extensively to make it seem less high-handed and arrogant. Even some American officials wonder how effective such a call can be right now, especially because the administration is counting on support from Arab League nations.
The document that was leaked last year encompassed exhortations and pronouncements that offended many Arab leaders, both because they perceived it as imperialist in tone, and because it omitted discussion of the Arab-Israeli confrontation. The new document, "G-8 Plan of Support for Reform," calls for increased engagement by the West to promote democracy, women's rights, education, political reforms, free markets and investments, an independent judiciary and media, and greater efforts to crack down on corruption.
An administration official said the document was simply a list of ideas that would be refined as the Sea Island summit meeting approaches, and especially after the Arab League summit talks, on May 22. European and American officials emphasize that their plan is to get the Arab League to adopt a similar document; then they would issue a statement at Sea Island to support the Arab leaders, perhaps combining the two statements.
Arab officials have let the Bush administration know that it would not help for the United States to lead an effort at Sea Island on behalf of reform. Those views were conveyed well before the recent developments in Iraq provoked a torrent of criticism in the Arab world.

Concert Time!
            The newly formed Catsill Mountain Music Guild is pleased to announce its May 29th concert at the Pine Hill Community Center, 7:30pm, $5 admission, featuring an all women line-up of talented singers and songwriters. This special night will consist of performances by Laurie McIntosh, Charity Valk, Davida, and Lisa Dudley, accompanied by various members of the Panther Mountain Picking Circle ˜ known for their Thursday night gatherings in the Phoenicia/Woodland Valley area. In light of the popularity and talent of these four performers, you're advised to arrive early if you wish to ensure seating.  Last month's concert was standing room only.  The Pine Hill Community Center is located at 287 Main Street, Pine Hill, NY.
             
Dirty Genetics
Sooty air pollution can cause genetic damage that can be passed along to offspring, Canadian researchers reported this month in a study on mice. Follow-up work is needed to learn if people can inherit pollution-damaged DNA that harms their health. In the meantime, the discovery is sure to increase scientists' worry about particulates, the microscopic soot particles emitted by factories, power plants and diesel-burning vehicles. These airborne particles are linked to a growing list of health problems, including asthma and heart disease, in the people who breathe high levels of them∑ but there had been little evidence that any air pollutant might cause the kind of genetic damage that can be inherited - until Canadian scientists in 2002 housed mice downwind from steel mills and tested their offspring. The males passed on double the DNA mutations as mice living in the cleaner countryside.
Researchers are saying that the study's practical value may be in showing the effectiveness of air filtration.
The Environmental Protection Agency already has ordered tougher curbs on ultra-fine particulate pollution because of concern about effects on the elderly, children and people with respiratory illnesses. In December, it plans to reveal which parts of the country aren't in compliance.
Tiny enough to be inhaled deeply into the lungs, these particulates enter the bloodstream and move through the body.

Karl Rove!
President Bush's chief political adviser told graduates of the Rev. Jerry Falwell's Liberty University this month to judge leaders on the basis of character. America needs people who have "the moral clarity and courage to do what's right, regardless of consequence, fashion or fad," Karl Rove said. "You either have values ingrained in your heart and soul that will not change with the wind or you don't," he said.
Rove also reminded the 2,041 graduates to pay off their credit cards and to never act smarter than their bosses. "Even if you are," he added.
Liberty University is a private school affiliated with Falwell's Baptist ministry. Rove, who said he never earned a college degree, was presented an honorary doctorate of humanities by Falwell for his "commitment to conservative ideas."

Drafting Ladies?
A recently uncovered report by the U.S. Selective Service System to the Pentagon shows that plans to extend the draft to women have been underway for more than a year. According to a memo obtained by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer through the Freedom of Information Act, the Selective Service System has proposed revamping the draft to include the registration of women, expanding the age limits and requiring that young Americans keep the government informed about those critical skills most valuable to the military.
"In line with today's needs, the Selective Service System's structure, programs and activities should be re-engineered toward maintaining a national inventory of American men and, for the first time, women, ages 18 through 34, with an added focus on identifying individuals with critical skills," the agency said in a Feb. 11, 2003, proposal presented to senior Pentagon officials. The agency officials added they would have "to market the concept" of a female draft to Congress before it could be instituted.

Failure Vetted
For the first time in public, a somber Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld raised the possibility yesterday that the U.S. mission in Iraq could fail. Rumsfeld said the prison abuse scandal had delivered a "body blow" to the nation-building effort in Iraq that has cost the lives of more than 770 U.S. troops.
"Will it happen right on time? I think so. I hope so. Will it be perfect? No.... Is it possible it won't work? Yes," Rumsfeld said.
In the overall war on terror, Rumsfeld said the U.S. is making progress in Afghanistan, but "I look at Iraq and all I can say is, I hope it comes out well, and I believe it will. And we're going to keep at it."
Rumsfeld and Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, the Joint Chiefs chairman, said they would go ahead with the June 30 transfer of limited authority in Iraq and review the situation in the fall to decide whether U.S. troops could begin withdrawing.
The normally unflappable Rumsfeld at times appeared defensive and emotional at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the Pentagon's request for an additional $25 billion to fund the Iraq war - a figure he conceded was only a partial payment on what the war will cost next year.

Bad Catholics
The bishop of Colorado's second-largest Roman Catholic diocese has issued a pastoral letter saying Catholics cannot receive Communion if they vote for politicians who support abortion rights, stem-cell research, euthanasia or gay marriage. Only after citizens reverse their positions and repent for their sins in the confessional would access to the central ritual of the church be restored, Colorado Springs Bishop Michael Sheridan instructed 125,000 Catholics in his charge.
Sheridan's letter is the strongest statement yet from a U.S. bishop in a simmering debate over how Catholics apply their faith this election year. He is believed to be the first to raise the specter of withholding Holy Communion to people in the pews, a discussion previously limited to politicians.
Sheridan said he chose those issues because the church considers them "intrinsically evil." He said some Catholics have challenged him on why he did not highlight the church's positions against the death penalty or the war with Iraq, but he does not believe those matters carry the same weight. In the case of war, Catholic doctrine teaches it can be used as a last resort if certain conditions are met.

Diabetes What?
            Diabetes might significantly increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's, a study of 824 nuns, priests and Catholic brothers found, bolstering the evidence linking the two diseases. The participants in the study were 55 and older when the research began and were followed for an average of about six years. Alzheimer's developed in 151 participants, including 31 who had diabetes.
            The researchers calculated that diabetics faced a 65 percent increased risk of developing the mind-robbing disease.
            The link remained strong even when the researchers factored in the prevalence of strokes, which are a common complication of diabetes and are also believed to raise the risk of Alzheimer's.
            Previous research has linked diabetes with memory problems, and diabetes is known to damage blood vessels that supply the brain. But studies looking specifically at diabetes and Alzheimer's have had conflicting results.
            ''This is one of the first long-term studies to follow people who start out with no evidence of Alzheimer's disease and track how having diabetes affects their risk of developing it,'' said William Thies, vice president for medical and scientific affairs at the Alzheimer's Association. Œ'It's a powerful argument for doing everything you can to control your blood sugar.'
            Type 2 diabetes, the most common type of diabetes in older people, can often be controlled and even cured with exercise and diet.
            Dr. George King of the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston called the research Œ'quite important in light of the fact that diabetes is exploding,'' with some 18 million Americans affected and the numbers expected to double by 2050.
            He said if the link is real, there could be a corresponding surge in Alzheimer's cases.                                             The study was led by Drs. Zoe Arvanitakis and David Bennett and colleagues at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. It was published Monday in the May issue of Archives of Neurology.                 The next step for researchers is to find out exactly how diabetes might lead to Alzheimer's.                                                         Some scientists have theorized that diabetes might cause an overabundance of glucose in the brain, which could damage brain cells.                                                        One recent mouse study involving Joslin researchers suggests that insulin abnormalities in diabetes might affect a protein called tau, which in Alzheimer's forms tangles in brain cells.