NBA union seeks arbitration over Bird rights issue

By J. Michael Falgoust, USA TODAY

Updated

Now that the players union has requested arbitration with the NBA for four players who were waived this season, the futures of Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks and Chauncey Billups of the Los Angeles Clippers are uncertain.

  • New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin and three other NBA players were among those to switch teams through waivers, and the union is challenging it.

    Howard Smith, US Presswire

    New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin and three other NBA players were among those to switch teams through waivers, and the union is challenging it.

Howard Smith, US Presswire

New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin and three other NBA players were among those to switch teams through waivers, and the union is challenging it.

?

The NBA contends Bird rights don't apply when a player switches teams through waivers and the union is challenging it. A player with Bird rights means a team can re-sign him without regard to the salary cap.

"Bird and Early Bird rights are among the most valuable rights that players have under the Collective Bargaining Agreement," said NBPA Executive Director Billy Hunter said in a statement Tuesday night. "These rights simply cannot be extinguished in the absence of an affirmative decision by a player to select a team through free agency. We will ask the arbitrator to resolve this dispute on an expedited basis and prior to the commencement of free agency."

Lin and teammate Steve Novak, Billups and J.J. Hickson of the Portland Trail Blazers were among the players named and the decision will affect other waived players going forward. The matter must be resolved before July 1, when free agency opens.

In his second season, Lin was waived by the Golden State Warriors before the season, then the Houston Rockets and acquired by the Knicks.

He's a restricted free agent and is expected to receive offers from other teams, but if he loses his Bird rights it prolongs unrestricted free agency for Lin and limits the size of his raises based on years of service. Players with three or fewer years are restricted if their team makes a qualifying offer by June 30.

Hickson, in his fourth season, was waived by the Sacramento Kings. Novak, in his sixth, was waived by the San Antonio Spurs.

Billups' situation is more complex. In his 15th season, he was released by the Knicks via the one-time amnesty provision that was part of the collective bargaining agreement. He was acquired off waivers by the Clippers. When a player is waived via amnesty he is paid the balance of his contract but it will not count against that team's salary cap.

Before Billups was lost with an Achilles tear Feb. 6, the Clippers were hoping to re-sign him and checked with the union to assure they had Bird rights, people familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports, which also would allow them to do a sign-and-trade to get something in return. Billups earned $14.2 million this season, with the Clippers picking up $2 million and the Knicks paying the rest.

Then there's the issue of Billups' raises that are guaranteed by the CBA if he signs another deal. Will they be based on the salary he was paid by the Knicks or Clippers?

The Clippers are $1 million over the salary cap and would need for Billups to retain his Bird rights to help re-sign him. They don't have much flexibility under the cap or a first-round draft pick, which they sent to the New Orleans Hornets in the trade for Chris Paul.

Guard Mo Williams has a player option for next season. If he opts in, the team will be at $59 million. If he opts out, that number drops to $51 million.

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com. USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines.?

santorum new hampshire debate rupaul meet the press steelers vs broncos chris herren jay z

AP IMPACT: Evacs and drills pared near nuke plants

FILE - In a Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011 file photo, Walter Lee, right, manager of Nuclear Emergency Preparedness leads the evaluation as the Tennessee Valley Authority conducts an emergency preparedness drill in the Central Emergency Control Center in Chattanooga, Tenn. The drill involved a simulated explosion releasing a small amount of radiation at TVA's Watt's Bar Unit 1 power plant near Spring City, Tenn., between Chattanooga and Knoxville. In changes which went into effect on December 2011, the U.S. government is allowing communities within 50 miles of nuclear power plants to practice less often for major accidents and is recommending that far fewer people who live nearby be evacuated immediately. Under new emergency planning rules, federal regulators also are ending a requirement that emergency personnel always practice for a release of radiation. (AP Photo/Chattanooga Times Free Press, Dan Henry)

FILE - In a Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011 file photo, Walter Lee, right, manager of Nuclear Emergency Preparedness leads the evaluation as the Tennessee Valley Authority conducts an emergency preparedness drill in the Central Emergency Control Center in Chattanooga, Tenn. The drill involved a simulated explosion releasing a small amount of radiation at TVA's Watt's Bar Unit 1 power plant near Spring City, Tenn., between Chattanooga and Knoxville. In changes which went into effect on December 2011, the U.S. government is allowing communities within 50 miles of nuclear power plants to practice less often for major accidents and is recommending that far fewer people who live nearby be evacuated immediately. Under new emergency planning rules, federal regulators also are ending a requirement that emergency personnel always practice for a release of radiation. (AP Photo/Chattanooga Times Free Press, Dan Henry)

FILE - In this Friday, Nov. 4, 2011 file photo, disaster response team members Ben Olson, left, and Charles Benefield work inside a decontamination tent set up outside Banner Gateway Medical Center in Gilbert, Ariz., a suburb of Phoenix, during a state-wide drill for a nuclear disaster. The Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station is about 50 miles west of the center of Phoenix. In changes which went into effect on December 2011, the U.S. government is allowing communities within 50 miles of nuclear power plants to practice less often for major accidents and is recommending that far fewer people who live nearby be evacuated immediately. Under new emergency planning rules, federal regulators also are ending a requirement that emergency personnel always practice for a release of radiation. (AP Photo/East Valley Tribune, Tim Hacker)

FILE - In this Friday, Nov. 4, 2011 file photo, disaster response team members set up a decontamination tent outside Banner Gateway Medical Center in Gilbert, Ariz., a suburb of Phoenix, during a state-wide drill for a nuclear disaster. The Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station is about 50 miles west of the center of Phoenix. In changes which went into effect on December 2011, the U.S. government is allowing communities within 50 miles of nuclear power plants to practice less often for major accidents and is recommending that far fewer people who live nearby be evacuated immediately. Under new emergency planning rules, federal regulators also are ending a requirement that emergency personnel always practice for a release of radiation. (AP Photo/East Valley Tribune, Tim Hacker)

FILE - In this Tuesday, May 10, 2011 file photo, Gregory Jaczko, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commision, left, talks with protesters outside the gate of the Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan, N.Y. Jaczko took a tour of the nuclear power plant then stopped to talk with protesters concerned over the safety of the facility. In changes which went into effect on December 2011, the U.S. government is allowing communities within 50 miles of nuclear power plants to practice less often for major accidents and is recommending that far fewer people who live nearby be evacuated immediately. Under new emergency planning rules, federal regulators also are ending a requirement that emergency personnel always practice for a release of radiation. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

This Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009 picture shows reactor containment domes of the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Buchanan, N.Y. above the homes just north of the town of Verplanck, N.Y. as seen from the Stony Point Historic Site. In changes which went into effect on December 2011, the U.S. government is allowing communities within 50 miles of nuclear power plants to practice less often for major accidents and is recommending that far fewer people who live nearby be evacuated immediately. Under new emergency planning rules, federal regulators also are ending a requirement that emergency personnel always practice for a release of radiation. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Without fanfare, the nation's nuclear power regulators have overhauled community emergency planning for the first time in more than three decades, requiring fewer exercises for major accidents and recommending that fewer people be evacuated right away.

Nuclear watchdogs voiced surprise and dismay over the quietly adopted revamp ? the first since the program began after Three Mile Island in 1979. Several said they were unaware of the changes until now, though they took effect in December.

At least four years in the works, the changes appear to clash with more recent lessons of last year's reactor crisis in Japan. A mandate that local responders always run practice exercises for a radiation release has been eliminated ? a move viewed as downright bizarre by some emergency planners.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which run the program together, have added one new exercise: More than a decade after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, state and community police will now take part in exercises that prepare for a possible assault on their local plant.

Still, some emergency officials say this new exercise doesn't go far enough.

These changes, while documented in obscure federal publications, went into effect with hardly any notice by the general public.

Michael Mariotte, director of the anti-nuclear group Nuclear Information and Resource Service, normally tracks such rules very carefully. This time, he learned of them from an Associated Press reporter.

"Unless there are public interest groups out there pointing to the things these agencies are doing, they generally prefer to be operating in quiet, especially if it's likely to be controversial," he said. "A typical American does not read the Federal Register."

The Web archives of FEMA and the NRC show no news releases on the changes during December 2011 and January 2012. The revisions took effect Dec. 23, at the peak of the holiday season when Americans tend to focus on last-minute gift shopping and social gatherings.

An AP investigative series in June exposed weaknesses in the U.S. emergency planning program. The stories detailed how many nuclear reactors are now operating beyond their design life under rules that have been relaxed to account for deteriorating safety margins. The series also documented dramatic population growth around nuclear power plants and limitations in the scope of emergency exercises. For example, local authorities assemble at command centers where they test communications, but they do not deploy around the community, reroute traffic or evacuate anyone as in a real emergency.

The latest changes, especially relaxed exercise plans for 50-mile emergency zones, are being flayed by some local planners and activists who say the widespread contamination in Japan from last year's Fukushima nuclear accident screams out for stronger planning in the United States, not weaker rules.

FEMA officials say the revised standards introduce more variability into planning exercises and will help keep responders on their toes. The nuclear power industry has praised the changes on similar grounds.

Onsite security forces at nuclear power plants have practiced defending against make-believe assaults since 1991 and increased the frequency of these drills after the 2001 terrorist attacks. The new exercises for community responders took years to consider and adopt with prolonged industry and government consultations that led to repeated drafts. The NRC made many changes requested by the industry in copious comments.

Federal personnel will now evaluate if state and local authorities have enough resources to handle a simultaneous security threat and radiation release. Their ability to communicate with onsite security officials during an attack also will be evaluated during exercises.

But community planners wonder why local forces won't have to practice repelling an attack along with plant security guards ? something federal emergency planners acknowledge could be necessary in a real assault.

They said state and local police are more likely to be needed for tasks like escorting damage control teams than for confronting the attackers.

"We're assuming these guys don't want to escape, or else they wouldn't have showed up," said Randy Sullivan, a health physicist who works on emergency preparedness at the NRC. "A dragnet and security sweep is less important than saving equipment that is important to core damage."

None of the revisions has been questioned more than the new requirement that some planning exercises incorporate a reassuring premise: that little or no harmful radiation is released. Federal regulators say that conducting a wider variety of accident scenarios makes the exercises less predictable.

However, many state and local emergency officials say such exercises make no sense in a program designed to protect the population from radiation released by a nuclear accident.

"We have the real business of protecting public health to do if we're not needed at an exercise," Texas radiation-monitoring specialist Robert Free wrote bluntly to federal regulators when they broached the idea. "Not to mention the waste of public monies."

Environmental and anti-nuclear activists also scoffed. "You need to be practicing for a worst case, rather than a nonevent," said nuclear policy analyst Jim Riccio of the group Greenpeace.

In a statement, FEMA acknowledged that a simulated problem during a no-release exercise is handled on plant grounds. Federal planners say this exercise still requires community decision makers to mobilize and set up communication lines with officials on the site, practicing critical capabilities, even though they won't need to measure and respond to radiation.

While officials stress the importance of limiting radioactive releases, the revisions also favor limiting initial evacuations, even in a severe accident. Under the previous standard, people within two miles would be immediately evacuated, along with everyone five miles downwind. Now, in a large quick release of radioactivity, emergency personnel would concentrate first on evacuating people only within two miles. Others would be told to stay put and wait for a possible evacuation order later.

Timothy Greten, who administers the community readiness program at FEMA, said it wouldn't be necessary to tell people to stay put "if you could evacuate everybody within 10 or 15 minutes." But he said hunkering down can be safer in some locations and circumstances, "especially for a short-term solution."

Federal officials say people could risk worse exposure in an evacuation impeded by overcrowded roadways or bad weather.

This change, however, raises the likely severity of a panicked exodus outside the official evacuation area. Even a federal study used to shape the new program warns that up to 20 percent of people near official evacuation areas might also leave and potentially slow things down for everyone ? and that's assuming clear instructions.

"If it were me, I would evacuate" even without an official go-ahead, said Cheryl L. Chubb, a nuclear emergency planner with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, who is critical of the changes.

At Fukushima, more than 150,000 people evacuated, including about 50,000 who left on their own, according to Japan's Education Ministry. At Three Mile Island, 195,000 people are estimated to have fled, though officials urged evacuation only for pregnant women and young children within five miles. About 135,000 people lived within 10 miles of the site at the time.

In its series, the AP reported that populations within 10 miles of U.S. nuclear sites have ballooned by as much as 4 1/2 times since 1980. Nuclear sites were originally picked in less populated areas to minimize the impact of accidents. Now, about 120 million Americans ? almost 40 percent ? live within 50 miles of a nuclear power plant, according to the AP's analysis of 2010 Census data. The Indian Point plant in Buchanan, N.Y., is at the center of the largest such zone, with 17.3 million people, including almost all of New York City.

"They're saying, 'If there's no way to evacuate, then we won't,'" Phillip Musegaas, a lawyer with the environmental group Riverkeeper, said of the stronger emphasis on taking shelter at home. The group is challenging relicensing of Indian Point.

In February, a national coalition of environmental and anti-nuclear groups asked the NRC to expand evacuation planning from 10 miles to 25 miles and to broaden separate 50-mile readiness zones to 100 miles. The groups also pressed for some exercises that simulate a nuclear accident accompanied by a natural disaster like an earthquake or hurricane ? akin to the combination of tsunami, blackout and meltdowns at Fukushima.

The new U.S. program has kept the 10- and 50-mile planning zones in place, as well as the requirement for one full exercise for a 10-mile evacuation every two years. However, required 50-mile planning exercises will now be held less often: every eight years, instead of every six years.

Exercises are full-blown tests, with FEMA evaluation, of the entire range of community capabilities needed in an accident. Smaller drills of specific skills are run more frequently.

In the state-led 50-mile exercises, emergency personnel practice the logistics of dealing with contaminated food and milk over a large region. They also prepare the mechanisms to relocate people, clean up contamination and later return evacuees to their communities.

Gary Lima, who manages the nuclear readiness program at the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, said 50-mile exercises should be run more frequently than once every eight years. "Recovery is really your hardest work," he said.

Even when the program mandated a six-year timetable, federal authors of the 2002 program manual acknowledged that "many (first responders) have indicated a desire" for even more frequent exercises in the 50-mile zone.

The Japanese disaster reinforced such worries when officials told some towns beyond 12 miles from the disabled plant to evacuate. Soil and crops were contaminated for scores of miles around. At one point, health authorities in Tokyo, 140 miles away, advised families not to give children the local water, which was contaminated by fallout to twice the government limit for infants.

The U.S. government recommended that Americans stay at least 50 miles from the Japanese plant. Government officials said the same kind of action could be taken domestically in a similar accident, but advance planning for U.S. evacuations is, in fact, restricted to 10 miles.

Nuclear regulators advocate "one standard to protect Japanese people and one standard for the American people," said Richard Brodsky, a former New York state lawmaker who is fighting relicensing of Indian Point.

The Japanese government had budgeted $14 billion through March 2014 for the cleanup, but it's expected eventually to cost far more. And some evacuees may never return home.

Paul Blanch, a retired engineer who worked on safety in the U.S. nuclear industry, said the American government largely ignores the potential economic costs of nuclear accidents when it calculates risk. "How do you clean up trees and leaves and soil?" Branch asked referring to fallout. "How do you put a value on that?"

Officials for FEMA and the NRC said they are still studying whether Japan's experience points to the need for further changes in the United States.

Pressed on the reduced frequency of 50-mile exercises, federal planners said community personnel can practice skills as often as they like, without needing a full-blown federal evaluation each time.

The Nuclear Energy Institute, the industry's main advocate, strongly backed the eight-year timetable to reduce the burden of adding the attack exercises. Asked about the other changes, NEI spokesman Steven Kerekes said they bring more federal oversight, formalizing practices already begun at many sites.

However, no nuclear plant has ever been shut down for deficiencies in the emergency response plan of surrounding communities.

___

Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi contributed to this report from Tokyo.

___

The AP National Investigative Team can be reached at investigate(at)ap.org

Associated Press

chris paul gift card exchange tj holmes waste management two fat ladies

1958 Chevrolet Impala 2-Door Hardtop in Aegean Turquoise and ...

Some cool Home Improvement images:

1958 Chevrolet Impala 2-Door Hardtop in Aegean Turquoise and Artic White (10 of 13)
Home Improvement

Image by myoldpostcards
Photographed at the Lowe?s Home Improvement Warehouse "Toys for Tots" Car Cruise in Springfield, Illinois on October 10, 2009. This is an annual event held in association with the Cool Cruisers Car Club.

****************************************************************************************************

You are invited to stay and browse through my photostream. Here?s a quick index to my Flickr site:

Automobile Photographs: This is a very large collection of images whose primary, but not exclusive, focus is on American automotive classics. Images are organized by decade, by manufacturer, and by topics (such as convertibles, station wagons, muscle cars, etc.)

Central Illinois (except Springfield): Central Illinois (except Springfield): Photos relating to the middle section of the "Land of Lincoln" (except for the Capital City of Springfield) may be found in this collection. Every city and town I?ve photographed is contained within its own set, and rural (as in "counrtyside") photographs are grouped by county.

Springfield, Illinois: All of my photographs of Springfield and the Abraham Lincoln Sites are in this collection. For the City of Springfield, there are separate sets for the Capitol Complex, Downtown (including the Old State Capitol), Neighborhoods, Parks, Illinois State Fairgrounds (and past State Fairs), and more. Photographs of Lincoln sites include the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Lincoln Tomb, and so on. Also in the Lincoln "All About Abe" (Set) are a few Lincoln sites not located in Springfield.

The Illinois State Fair: My collection of photographs of the Illinois State Fair. The fair offers something for everyone. Grab a corn dog and lemon shake-up, and come take a look!

Beyond Central Illinois: Other locales in the United States and Canada including New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle.

In addition to my location-based sets, here are links to some "topical" collections and sets I?ve put together:

Barbers & Barber Shops: Traditional barbers and barber shops are on the endangered species list. But there are still plenty to be found if you go looking for them.

Almost Everything Else. Check It Out!!!: Included topics range from man?s first walk on the moon to small town schools and churches, and from Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers (our favorite breed) to things that are abandoned, neglected, weathered, or rusty.

Thank you for visiting my photostream ? myoldpostcards (Randy von Liski)

Tags: 1958, 2Door, Aegean, Artic, Chevrolet, Hardtop, Impala, Turquoise, White

This entry was posted on May 16, 2012, 9:03 am and is filed under Home Improvement. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

long beach state beasley trailblazers michael beasley jermaine jones hbo luck dwight howard

Advanced Prostate Cancer Drug May Help at Earlier Stage - iVillage

WEDNESDAY, May 16 (HealthDay News) -- A drug approved to treat advanced prostate cancer appears to help men who have localized high-risk prostate cancer if given before surgery.

Adding Zytiga (abiraterone) to conventional hormonal treatments eliminated or nearly eliminated the prostate cancer in one-third of men with this often-lethal form, according to new research to be presented at next month's annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago.

"This is one of the first -- if not the first -- study to show that you can make prostate cancer in the prostate gland itself disappear in a reproducible number of patients," ASCO official Dr. Nicholas Vogelzang said at a Wednesday press conference.

Commenting on the findings, Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, said, "This is exciting. It's a novel way to eliminate cancer before surgery."

However, Brooks, who was not involved in the study, cautioned that the findings were still preliminary and need further investigation.

Trying to shrink a tumor with chemotherapy and/or radiation before surgery is standard for other types of cancer, such as breast or colon, but hasn't to date shown a benefit in prostate cancer, study author Dr. Mary-Ellen Taplin, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, explained at the news conference.

Localized high-risk prostate cancer, which is defined as prostate cancer in men with a prostate-specific antigen level above 20, high-grade disease (a Gleason score of 8 or more), and stage T3 disease (indicating the tumor has spread through the prostate), carries with it a poor prognosis.

Standard hormonal therapy, which stops the production of male hormones (androgens), has not been shown to be effective in this type of cancer when given before surgery. Nor has the surgery, which removes the entire prostate.

Zytiga blocks production of testosterone, which can promote the growth of prostate cancer cells, but in a different way than established hormonal treatments.

This small, phase 2 trial involved 56 men with an average age of 58, all of whom had had at least three positive biopsies for prostate cancer.

For the first three months, 27 men received the standard hormonal therapy leuprolide alone, followed by leuprolide plus Zytiga for another three months.

The remaining 29 men received the two-drug combination for the whole six months, after which all men in both groups underwent prostate surgery.

One-third of the men who had received leuprolide plus Zytiga for the entire six months saw complete or nearly complete elimination of their cancer.

By comparison, only 15 percent of men in the other group experienced these results, the investigators found.

Those who received the combination for only 12 weeks had much lower response rates.

The participants also received low doses of the steroid prednisone to prevent side effects from Zytiga, although side effects overall were minimal, said Taplin.

It's not clear at this point why some men responded to the combination therapy while others did not, and that is an area that needs to be studied, the researchers said.

"In highly select people who have this aggressive type of prostate cancer, I think this is an important area to investigate," Brooks noted. "We need to figure out which patients would potentially benefit."

According to study author Taplin, the research received some funding from Johnson & Johnson, the maker of Zytiga. She said the drug is currently U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved for patients with advanced prostate cancer that does not respond to hormone therapy, and costs about $5,000 per month.

The data and conclusions of research presented at medical meetings should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more on treatments for prostate cancer.

rudolph the red nosed reindeer rudolph the red nosed reindeer adam carolla rick neuheisel rick neuheisel andrea bocelli john hughes

a_world_blog: RT @wweek: OK, we're calling it: It's Charlie Hales vs. Jefferson Smith in the Portland mayor's race http://t.co/mLKrv8wR #PDXvotes #ORe ...

  • Skip past navigation
  • On a mobile phone? Check out m.twitter.com!
  • Skip to navigation
  • Skip to sign in form
Loader Twitter.com
  • Login
OK, we're calling it: It's Charlie Hales vs. Jefferson Smith in the Portland mayor's race bit.ly/JK0zW7 #PDXvotes #ORelection wweek

Willamette Week

Footer

storm chasers david blaine derek jeter gotye bill cosby divine mercy cabin in the woods

TheHourNews: Deficit summit brings talk but no answers: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Government leaders past and present gathered in Wa... http://t.co/k8WQ0xcb

Loader Deficit summit brings talk but no answers: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Government leaders past and present gathered in Wa...

alistair overeem texas a m insight bowl russell brand files for divorce bowl game schedule julia child katy perry and russell brand

Maine's Saint Joseph's College picks new president

May 15, 2012 07:08 GMT

Today is Tuesday, May 15, the 136th day of 2012. There are 230 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On May 15, 1972, Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace was shot and left paralyzed by Arthur H. Bremer while campaigning in Laurel, Md., for the Democratic presidential nomination. (Wallace died in 1998; Bremer was released from prison in November 2007 after serving 35 years of a 53-year sentence for attempted murder.)

On this date:

In 1602, English navigator Bartholomew Gosnold and his ship, the Concord, arrived at present-day Cape Cod, which he's credited with naming.

In 1776, Virginia endorsed American independence from Britain.

In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed an act establishing the Department of Agriculture. Austrian author and playwright Arthur Schnitzler was born in Vienna.

In 1911, the Supreme Court ruled that Standard Oil Co. was a monopoly in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act, and ordered its breakup.

In 1930, registered nurse Ellen Church, the first airline stewardess, went on duty aboard an Oakland-to-Chicago flight operated by Boeing Air Transport (a forerunner of United Airlines).

In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a measure creating the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, whose members came to be known as WACs. Wartime gasoline rationing went into effect in 17 Eastern states, limiting sales to three gallons a week for non-essential vehicles.

In 1963, astronaut L. Gordon Cooper blasted off aboard Faith 7 on the final mission of the Project Mercury space program.

In 1970, just after midnight, Phillip Lafayette Gibbs and James Earl Green, two black students at Jackson State College in Mississippi, were killed as police opened fire during student protests.

In 1972, the United States returned the prefecture of Okinawa to Japanese administration.

In 1975, U.S. forces invaded the Cambodian island of Koh Tang and recaptured the American merchant ship Mayaguez. (All 40 crew members had already been released safely by Cambodia; some 40 U.S. servicemen were killed in the operation.)

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan told a gathering of out-of-town reporters at the White House he did not consider himself "mortally wounded" by the Iran-Contra affair. (The president got to relive his radio-announcer days when he complied with a reporter's request to read aloud a promo for Nashville station WSM.)

In 1991, Edith Cresson was appointed by French President Francois Mitterrand (frahn-SWAH' mee-teh-RAHN') to be France's first female prime minister.

Ten years ago: The White House acknowledged that in the weeks before the Sept. 11 attacks, President George W. Bush was told by U.S. intelligence that Osama bin Laden's terrorist network might hijack American airplanes, but that officials did not know suicide hijackers were plotting to use planes as missiles. Financier Martin Frankel pleaded guilty in New Haven, Conn., to 24 counts of securities fraud and racketeering, admitting that he'd looted insurance companies of more than $200 million. (Frankel was later sentenced to nearly 17 years in federal prison.)

Five years ago: The Rev. Jerry Falwell, who'd built the Christian right into a political force, died in Lynchburg, Va., at age 73. Yolanda King, the firstborn child of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, died in Santa Monica, Calif., at age 51. President George W. Bush chose Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute to oversee the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan as a war czar. Prime Minister Bertie Ahern became the first Irish leader to address the joint houses of the British Parliament. Kenny Chesney collected his third consecutive entertainer of the year trophy from the Academy of Country Music.

One year ago: Thousands of Arab protesters marched on Israel's borders with Syria, Lebanon and Gaza in an unprecedented wave of demonstrations, sparking clashes that left at least 15 dead. Finland scored five late goals to beat Sweden 6-1 and claim its second title at the ice hockey world championship played in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Today's Birthdays: Playwright Sir Peter Shaffer is 86. Actress-singer Anna Maria Alberghetti is 76. Counterculture icon Wavy Gravy is 76. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is 75. Singer Trini Lopez is 75. Singer Lenny Welch is 74. Actress-singer Lainie Kazan is 72. Actress Gunilla Hutton is 70. Country singer K.T. Oslin is 70. Singer-songwriter Brian Eno is 64. Actor Nicholas Hammond ("The Sound of Music") is 62. Actor Chazz Palminteri is 60. Baseball Hall-of-Famer George Brett is 59. Musician-composer Mike Oldfield ("Tubular Bells") is 59. Actor Lee Horsley is 57. TV personality Giselle Fernandez is 51. Football Hall-of-Famer Emmitt Smith is 43. Singer-rapper Prince Be (PM Dawn) is 42. Actor Brad Rowe is 42. Actor David Charvet (shahr-VAY') is 40. Actor Russell Hornsby is 38. Rock musician Ahmet Zappa is 38. Olympic gold-medal gymnast Amy Chow is 34. Actor David Krumholtz is 34. Actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler is 31. Rock musician Brad Shultz (Cage the Elephant) is 30. Rock musician Nick Perri is 28.

Thought for Today: "Martyrdom has always been a proof of the intensity, never of the correctness of a belief." -- Arthur Schnitzler (1862-1931).

wiz khalifa taylor allderdice eddie royal brandon marshall iditarod nfl free agents 2012 encyclopedia brittanica nfl free agency

MIAC Baseball Athletes-of-the-Week

MIAC Baseball Player-of-the-Week

?

Graves, Dylan Dylan Graves, Saint John's
Mora, Minn. / Mora

Saint John's claimed its first MIAC Baseball Playoff title over the weekend with sophomore Dylan Graves (Mora, Minn.) leaving his mark on the Johnnies' tournament championship. The centerfielder batted in the neighborhood of .400 over SJU's four tournament games (3-1 record), had a two-homer game to start the postseason run and played sparkling defense in centerfield without an error all weekend. For the tournament, Graves hit .389 (7-for-18) with four runs, four RBI, two home runs, a .722 slugging percentage and a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage on 10 chances.For his clutch Playoff performance, Graves has been named the final MIAC Baseball Player-of-the-Week for the 2012 season.

Graves was the driving force in SJU's tournament-opening win over Bethel, going 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in the 7-3 win. He followed with another tremendous performance in a narrow 4-2 win over Saint Mary's in the second round. Graves was 4-for-5 against the Cardinals with a run scored and a hit in the Johnnies' eighth-inning rally that won the game. He added a big hit and scored a run in SJU's seven-run inning that blew open Sunday's championship game, and he halted St. Thomas' comeback attempt with a big double play from centerfield later in the game, catching an apparent sacrifice fly for one out and cutting down a Tommie runner at third before the run crossed the plate to end the innings.

With the tournament title, Saint John's improved to 29-14 this season, and added the MIAC Playoff Championship to its second-place regular-season finish. The postseason crown also gave SJU the MIAC's automatic bid to the 2012 NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament. The Johnnies were assigned to a six-team regional in McMinniville, Ore., hosted by Linfield. SJU is the No. 6 seed, and will join No. 1 Concorida-Texas, No. 2 Trinity, No. 3 Whitworth, No. 4 La Verne and No. 5 Coe in the double-elimination regional.

MIAC Baseball Pitcher-of-the-Week

?

Long, Joey Joey Long, Saint John's
Belvidere, Ill. / Rockford Boylan

In the postseason, every successful team usually leans on a good bullpen and a reliable closer to come through in big spots. That was the case for Saint John's this weekend as it claimed the 2012 MIAC Baseball Playoff championship, with Joey Long (Belividere, Ill./Rockford Boylan) giving the Johnnies a near-perfect performance out of the pen. The SJU closer allowed just one hit and one walk in three appearances (4.0 innings) without allowing a run, striking out three and holding opposing hitters to a batting average of .077. For his postseason performance, Long has been named the final MIAC Baseball Pitcher-of-the-Week for the 2012 season.

In actuality, Long didn't really "come out of the bullpen" for SJU, as he is also the team's starting second baseman. It was from that spot that he moved to the mound for perhaps his biggest outing of the weekend. Long was summoned from second with two on and no outs in the eighth inning of the final game of the championship, and he proceeded to maneuver out of it brilliantly, working two scoreless innings, allowing just one walk and striking out one to preserve the Johnnies' championship win. He also threw a perfect inning against Bethel Friday and allowed his only hit of the weekend while striking out one as he earned the save in Saturday's 4-2 win over Saint Mary's. This season, Long is 1-0 with 10 saves in 19 appearances this spring. The SJU career saves leader has a 2.22 ERA.

With the tournament title, Saint John's improved to 29-14 this season, and added the MIAC Playoff Championship to its second-place regular-season finish. The postseason crown also gave SJU the MIAC's automatic bid to the 2012 NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament. The Johnnies were assigned to a six-team regional in McMinniville, Ore., hosted by Linfield. SJU is the No. 6 seed, and will join No. 1 Concorida-Texas, No. 2 Trinity, No. 3 Whitworth, No. 4 La Verne and No. 5 Coe in the double-elimination regional.
?

scotty mccreery megan fox pregnant metta world peace suspension apple earnings report john l smith roger clemens apple earnings

Georgetown University president 'disassociates' from Secretary Sebelius

Statement?by?John J. DeGoia concerning?the coming?appearance of?Health and Human?Services Secretary Kathleen?Sebelius?at Georgetown University on the occasion of the Washington DC-based?institution's graduation ceremonies.

DiGioia?is a graduate of?Georgetown, and holds a PhD?from the?institution.?He and his?wife, Theresa Miller DeGioia?- a alumna - have a son who?also graduated from?the premier university of?American Catholic?institutions.

Statement follows:

In recent days on the Georgetown University campus and in the larger American Catholic community, concerns have been expressed by some who object to an invitation to Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to participate in a Public Policy Institute awards ceremony during the University?s commencement weekend.
?
Last fall, public policy students expressed preferences for potential speakers who could participate in the program. Given her role in crafting the landmark legislation that will make health care more accessible to 34 million Americans who are currently uninsured, Secretary Sebelius was identified by students as a leading policy maker in our country who could contribute to this event. Secretary Sebelius has a long and distinguished record of public service, including two terms as governor of Kansas before beginning her service in April, 2009, as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. She is also the spouse and the mother of Georgetown graduates.?
?
In early January, an invitation was extended to Secretary Sebelius and she accepted.? In the weeks that followed, elements of the legislation, specifically terms covering contraception, dominated our public discourse and impacted our Georgetown community very directly.
?
In different contexts over the past three months, including a March 14 ?Statement on Religious Freedom and HHS Mandate,? the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops expressed strong opposition to the position put forward by the Obama Administration.? Some have interpreted the invitation of Secretary Sebelius as a challenge to the USCCB.? It was not. The invitation to Secretary Sebelius occurred prior to the January 20th announcement by the Obama Administration of the modified healthcare regulations.
?
The Secretary?s presence on our campus should not be viewed as an endorsement of her views.? As a Catholic and Jesuit University, Georgetown disassociates itself from any positions that are in conflict with traditional church teachings.
?
We are a university, committed to the free exchange of ideas. We are a community that draws inspiration from a religious tradition that provides us with an intellectual, moral, and spiritual foundation.? By engaging these values we become the University we are meant to be.
?
?
?

guy fieri ryan braun bryce harper may day paulina gretzky paulina gretzky stoudemire