News 2008-07-27 Andanh.com

Toledo Municipal Court judges file petition in fund fight
The months-long battle between Toledo Municipal Court judges and Toledo city officials over the court's budget is now in the hands of another set of judges.
The seven municipal court judges filed a petition in Ohio's 6th District Court of Appeals Thursday against the city, Mayor Carty Finkbeiner, and the 12 members of city council.
The Municipal Court judges asked the appellate court to require the city to fund the programs and contracts the judges say are necessary to adequately protect the public while in the courthouse.
"We have to be able to administer the courthouse, and it takes a certain amount of funding to do that," said Judge Timothy Kuhlman, the Municipal Court's presiding judge.
Specifically, the 26-page petition asks that the city:
•Be ordered to provide funds for a sufficient number of Lucas County sheriff's deputies for security for the remainder of 2008.
•Be required to contract again with the sheriff's office instead of hiring part-time se-curity officers in 2009.
•Be ordered to reinstate the $45,000 necessary to fund pretrial drug testing.
"The judges took this action because they had no other option if they wanted to do what they thought was necessary to protect public safety," said attorney Keith Wilkowski, who filed the petition on the judges' behalf.
"It is a matter that literally involves the safety and security of tens of thousands of people who are victims and witness and visitors to the Toledo Municipal Court. This was the only option they had to protect those people," Mr. Wilkowski said.
City officials first announced possible cuts to the court's funding during the 2008 budget process late last year.
Early in 2008, the city informed the sheriff's office that Municipal Court would be staffed by part-time employees starting in 2009.
The city also reduced the court's budget this year, leading to fewer deputies in the courthouse and the loss of the drug-screening program for those awaiting trial.
In response, the Municipal Court judges issued a series of directives ordering the city to reinstate the cut funds and to continue to contract with the sheriff's office for security services.
Judge Kuhlman pointed out that the judges did not request additional funding and, in some cases, were able to reduce spending.
Instead, he said the judges only want to keep running the courthouse the way it has been done for the last few decades.
"You can talk about the overall city budget going down and the population decrease, but none of those decreases affect what we're doing in Toledo Municipal Court," he said, adding that the workload in the courthouse has increased in past years.
The city appealed the judge's orders, dated May 30, June 9, and July 11, to the appellate court, but Mr. Wilkowski and the city's acting law director, Adam Loukx, said the recently filed petition is a more effective way of getting an answer.
The city will file a response soon, Mr. Loukx said.
"I think we are in agreement that this is the best way to get this before the court," he said, adding that he could not comment on pending litigation but that the city's next step would be to "respond as appropriate and we'll take it from there."
The mayor's office and members of council referred comment about the petition to the law director.
Whatever decision is reached by the appellate court can be appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court, Mr. Wilkowski said.
Contact Erica Blake at:
eblake@theblade.com or 419-213-2134.

Professor gained world fame in months before death
PITTSBURGH - In a recent e-mail exchange with his friend and co-author, Jeffrey Zaslow, Randy Pausch said he still was amazed at how he had been transformed from boyish computer science professor to a "worldwide media-based inspirer."
Such fame for Mr. Pausch, who died yesterday at age 47, began with his final lecture in September at Carnegie Mellon University on how to live a grateful, fulfilling life. It has now been viewed more than 10 million times on the Internet. A follow-up book with Mr. Zaslow has 2.8 million copies in print, in 30 languages.
Mr. Pausch died at his home in Chesapeake, Va. from the pancreatic cancer he had been fighting for nearly two years.
Steve Seabolt, a vice president at video game maker Electronic Arts and one of Mr. Pausch's best friends, was with him when he died about 4 a.m.
Mr. Pausch remained lucid until near the end, Mr. Seabolt said, and had even made a couple trips up and down the stairs of his home the day before he died, although "his energy was minimal."
After his Sept. 18 lecture, Mr. Pausch had taken chemo-therapy to extend his life, but had stopped that treatment in the last few weeks. Even so, he and his wife, Jai, still were considering an experimental cancer vaccine treatment until he became very ill in recent days, Mr. Seabolt said.
Besides his wife, Mr. Pausch leaves his mother, Virginia, of Columbia, Md.; a sister, Tamara Mason, of Lynchburg, Va., and his three children - Dylan, 7; Logan, 3; and Chloe, 2.
It is to the children that he dedicated his lecture and the book, and it is for them that he created videos and other mementos to help them recall him years from now.
In the lecture and book and his appearances on television programs such as The Oprah Winfrey Show and ABC's Primetime he earned the admiration of millions with his focus on pursuing childhood dreams, learning how to be humble, working hard, and seeing brick walls as challenges rather than obstacles.
This is the full 1 hour and 16 minute lecture

When Mr. Pausch stepped into McConomy Auditorium at Carnegie Mellon in September, he had been fighting pancreatic cancer - the deadliest of all malignancies - for nearly a year, with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
The initial round of intensive therapy put him into remission, but just as he began feeling healthy again in the summer of 2007, doctors found several new tumors in his liver and spleen. "The doctors say it is one of the most aggressive recurrences they have ever seen," he reported in his online diary.
He told the audience at Carnegie Mellon that his doctors had given him about five more months to live, but that he wasn't going to talk about his cancer or his family.
Instead, he would concentrate on the valuable lessons he had learned during his life and the joy he had experienced.
"If I don't seem as morose or depressed as I should be - sorry to disappoint you," he said, and then wowed the crowd by dropping to the floor and doing several push-ups to show how strong he felt.
A dynamic, well-liked computer science professor, Mr. Pausch was a pioneer in the field of virtual reality, in which people can experience alternative worlds, often by donning headsets that immerse them in a video environment.
He helped found the university's Entertainment Technology Center, often cited as the nation's leading academic training center for video game designers, and was the guiding force behind Alice, a curriculum that teaches computer programming to students through animated storytelling.
After graduating with a computer science degree from Brown University in 1982, he went on to get his PhD at Carnegie Mellon in 1988, and then taught at the University of Virginia before joining Carnegie Mellon's faculty in 1997.
As Mr. Pausch's reputation following the September lecture spread through the Web and his book, thousands of people
e-mailed him with expressions of gratitude. High school students memorized his lecture and performed it in front of audiences. Scores of people set up Web sites dedicated to him.
Mr. Pausch's family plans private funeral services in Virginia; Carnegie Mellon said it would schedule a memorial service at a date to be announced later.
The family suggests tributes to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 2141 Rosecrans Ave., Suite 7000, El Segundo, Calif. 90245, or Carnegie Mellon's Randy Pausch Memorial Fund, which primarily supports the university's continued work on the Alice project.
The Block News Alliance consists of The Blade and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Mark Roth is a staff writer at the Post-Gazette.
Mark Roth can be reached at mroth@post-gazette.com.

17 charged in alleged drug ring
For nearly a decade, an intricate system of suppliers, couriers, and sellers of drugs has been operating between Mexico and Toledo - a supply line that federal authorities claim was created and carried out by at least 17 men.
Indictments were unsealed in U.S. District Court in Toledo yesterday that charged 15 men with various conspiracy and drug-related charges.
The indictment contends that, starting in 2000, the men conspired to distribute significant amounts of marijuana, cocaine, and heroin.
Two other men are being charged in state court.
The Toledo Metro Drug Task Force served search warrants at nine Toledo residences early yesterday, leading to the arrest of 11 of the suspects.
Arrested on the federal charges were Reynaldo Ruiz, 51, of 916 Vinton St.; Rudy Franco, Jr., 41, of 917 Vinton; Gerald Pfaff, 38, of 1150 Utah St.; Norman Wise, 32, of 1118 Peck St.; Phillip Martinez, 43, of Phoenix; Darrell Millhoan, 40, of 1312 Ellis Ave.; Louie Perry, 29, of 2950 Shoreland Ave.; William Morrow, 35, of 1019 Shadowlawn Drive, and William Tubbs, 37, of Bucyrus, Ohio.
A federal arrest warrant was issued for Edmundo Ruiz, Jr., 30, of 725 Orchard St., charging him with narcotics conspiracy.
Mr. Ruiz, Jr., is accused of obtaining more than 5,000 pounds of marijuana, more than 110 pounds of cocaine, and more than 6.6 pounds of heroin from sources in Mexico.
"The cocaine, marijuana, and heroin was transported to the Toledo, Ohio, area via couriers for distribution," the indictment states.
The indictment further states that some of the defendants then transported money and vehicles for payment of the drugs to other members of the conspiracy located in Arizona.
Also charged in the federal indictment were Raudell Rodriguez-Gonzales, Adalberto Labadore-Gonzales, Juan Mondragon-Machado, Jr., Michael Dickerson, and Richard Monroe.
Their ages and residences were unavailable, and they were not among those arrested when the search warrants were served.
Among the items confiscated by police from the residences searched were various amounts of marijuana, cocaine, and Ecstasy pills as well as $4,649 in cash, six handguns, and various vehicles.
The 29-page indictment outlines an extensive investigation and included portions of telephone conversations between some of the defendants.
The conversations led to several counts of unlawful use of a communication facility to be filed against Reynaldo Ruiz, Mr. Franco, Jr., Mr. Dickerson, and Mr. Mondragon-Machado, Jr.
The conversations quoted in the indictment took place between June 25, 2007, and Feb. 8.
In addition to the conspiracy and communication charges, Reynaldo Ruiz is charged with four counts of possession with intent to distribute heroin.
Mr. Morrow also is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
Mr. Perry also is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
The cases were assigned to Judge James Carr.
The Toledo Metro Drug Task Force said in a news release that the two-year investigation was a joint effort of federal and local law enforcement agencies.
Not listed in the federal indictment, but arrested in the case were Jose Martinez, 52, of 757 Redwood Ave. and Hector Alvarado, 35, of 417 Hiett Ave.
They are being charged in state court with drug-related crimes.
Contact Erica Blake at:
eblake@theblade.com or 419-213-2134.

Jesuit educates Sudanese priests
In Sudan, a country that has been torn by decades of civil war, the Rev. Paul Besanceney has been teaching about God, love, and peace for the last 28 years.
His efforts have produced some impressive results.
"When I got to Sudan, there were 60 Sudanese priests. Now there are 450. I am delighted that I had something to do with that," Father Besanceney said in an interview this week.
The 84-year-old Catholic priest - a Toledo native who belongs to the Detroit province of the Society of Jesuits - stopped in Toledo recently to visit cousins, grandnieces, and friends from Central Catholic High School's Class of 1942.
Father Besanceney is in the United States for a three-month visit before heading back to Khartoum, Sudan's capital city of 2 million, where he will resume teaching sociology next month at St. Paul's Major Seminary.
He said he decided to join the Jesuits after high school because he believed the religious order's leaders would find a way to put his abilities to good use - although he wasn't sure what those abilities were at the time.
The Jesuits chose to utilize Father Besanceney's gift for learning. He earned degrees from Xavier University, Loyala University, and St. Louis University before receiving a doctorate in sociology and anthropology from Michigan State University in 1964.
Father Besanceney taught high school and college classes in English, geometry, Latin, and sociology, then served as the provincial - a leadership position similar to that of bishop - of the Jesuits' Detroit province from 1971 to 1977.
In 1980, Father Besanceney joined the faculty at St. Paul's Major Seminary in Bussere and Muniki, Sudan.
Why did he go to the eastern African nation?
"Because my provincial sent me," he said matter-of-factly.
The seminary and its buildings were not exactly up to U.S. standards, he said.
"There were leaky ceilings, snakes would fall from the roof, you had to check your shoes for scorpions," he said. "But I was happy to be there. I looked around and saw the work that needed to be done."
Father Besanceney said only about 10 percent of Sudan's 40 million people are Christians, most of whom are Roman Catholic. About 70 percent of Sudanese are Muslims, and 20 percent practice an indigenous religion, which Father Besanceney said is monotheistic and combines animist beliefs with a reverence for ancestors.
"Catholic Christian citizens have a tough time. If you're a Muslim, you can get a job or get relief. But there's no support for Christians there," he said.
Although some Christians are persecuted and some have even been killed for their beliefs, there are signs of a growing religious tolerance, Father Besanceney said.
"We have one seminarian from a Muslim family and the father did not disagree with his becoming a priest," he said.
Father Besanceney served as provincial of the Jesuits' five-nation Eastern Africa Province from 1988 to 1995.
The Rev. Robert Scullin, provincial of the Jesuits' Detroit province, said African Catholics must have had great respect for Father Besanceney.
"It is quite an honor for an outsider, particularly an American, to become a provincial in a foreign environment," Father Scullin said. "Father Besanceney must have won their minds and hearts in every sense of the word."
He said he knew Father Besanceney since the late 1960s when he was a seminarian.
"He is a very traditional leader, in the very best sense of the word," Father Scullin said. "He helped me a lot in my early formation."
Father Scullin said Father Besanceney has played an important role in teaching Sudanese to become priests.
"Detroit has 20 to 25 men in formation, people from the novitiate first year to ordination and post-ordination," he said. "In eastern Africa, there are 120 to 125 men in formation now. It's very vibrant. There's a real enthusiasm despite all kinds of problems."
Father Besanceney said that even after 28 years in Africa, he does not consider Sudan to be "home."
"No, but I am familiar with the seminary and the culture. And the people are friendly," he said.
He drives around Khartoum in a 1986 Suzuki that at one time had four-wheel drive but is now a two-wheel drive vehicle. The city's streets are jammed with cars, scooters, bicycles, pedestrians, and animals, he said.
"It's quite an experience to drive in Khartoum," Father Besanceney said with a laugh.
Temperatures in the city can hit 115 degrees in the summer and they rarely drop below 50.
The area does not receive much rain, and when it rains there are often flash floods.
With Khartoum being at the juncture of the Blue and White Nile rivers, the Sudanese depend on irrigation more than rainfall to provide their water.
Life in Khartoum is a lot less challenging than when Father Besanceney first arrived in Sudan and was assigned to the rural south, where electricity was mostly provided by generators.
"Our generator broke down one time and it took six months to get parts," he said.
During Sudan's two lengthy civil wars, the first starting after independence from the United Kingdom in 1956 and lasting until 1972, and the second raging from 1983 to 2005, Father Besanceney said the Jesuits were expelled from the south in 1964 and had to move their seminary seven times because of "disturbances."
He said he has not been to Darfur, the western region now wracked by violence, but he has encountered refugees who fled the region for safety in Khartoum.
He described the current situation in Sudan as a "fragile peace."
The priest, who said seminarians call him "grandfather," is retired now but there is much work to be done so he continues to teach at the seminary, although he carries has a lighter teaching load.
In his spare time, Father Besanceney enjoys writing and receiving e-mail now that the seminary has Internet access from a satellite. And he likes to watch CNN and BBC television networks.
He has traveled throughout the five-nation province, especially when he served as provincial, visiting Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Sudan.
"Nature is beautiful and the wild animals are stimulating to see," Father Besanceney said.
Contact David Yonke at:
dyonke@theblade.com or 419-724-6154.

$100,000 lotto ticket bought in Maumee
A Maumee woman won $100,000 in an Ohio Lottery instant game.
Loretta Stuyvaert filed a claim yesterday at the lottery's regional office in Toledo, the Ohio Lottery announced.
She purchased an Emerald 7
ticket for $5 at the Timbers Bowling Lanes, 1246 Conant St., Maumee.

Curiosity can kill more than the cat
Jack Lessenberry's recent column on the push for an end to Michigan's embryonic stem-cell research ban serves to confuse the issues for the reader.
First, he mischaracterized those who support the ban as "anti-stem cell." While those who support the ban may be against embryonic stem-cell research, they are not against stem cells that come from nonembryonic sources, such as umbilical cord blood and cells from one's own body.
Second, Michigan will not miss the scientific or economic progress train if the ban is continued. In addition to continued research in nonembryonic stem cells, a world of opportunities has opened with the discovery last fall of cell reprogramming. In fact, Ian Wilmut, cloner of Dolly the sheep, has forsaken embryonic stem-cell research for what he views as the more promising field of cell reprogramming.
Furthermore, great economic opportunities exist in working in nonembryonic stem-cell research; maybe more than $8 billion within a decade.
Finally, a ban-free Michigan will not automatically translate into cures. According to the FDA, embryonic stem cells are presently not safe to use in clinical trials in humans. However, adult stem cells and stem cells from cord blood are being used in human clinical trials. There are over 70 research treatments that have shown success in treating conditions such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.
If there are other avenues for finding cures for debilitating diseases, and embryonic stem-cells are presently unsafe to use in humans, why are so many still pushing for it? Is it about cures or curiosity? We need to proceed cautiously and not allow curiosity to trump careful analysis of the scientific data or careful attention to moral concerns. Too much curiosity can kill more than the cat.
Lora J. Brake
Swanton
Political games are a real abuse of power Rep. Dennis Kucinich was able to get Democratic congressmen to send articles of impeachment to the Judiciary Committee to examine President Bush's abuse of power. Is this a joke? We need serious people for serious problems facing this nation. This is why the approval rate for Congress is 9 percent. What a waste of taxpayer dollars.
Democrats: Start working for the people. Get busy lifting the ban on drilling for our own oil, support nuclear energy, allow refineries to be built, and explore all alternative sources for energy. Instead of developing solutions, Congress spends time conducting election year political games trying to blame Mr. Bush. That is the true abuse of power.
Chris Bruning
Carlingfort Drive
What goes up, doesnt come down Ever notice that when the price of a barrel of oil rises, the price at the pump goes up as soon as the next day? But when the price of a barrel drops, it seldom is refl ected at the pump, or takes several days or weeks before an adjustment is made.
Sure it wouldnt be big oil gouging? They wouldnt do that, would they? What am I missing? FRED COHEN Sylvania

Norwalk's pain
WITH an unemployment rate above 8 percent, the last thing Huron County needed was the economic body blow that came with suspension of operations at Norwalk Furniture Corp.
The company, headquartered in Norwalk since 1919, is too important to the economic vitality of the city to shut its doors for good. We hope the shutdown turns out to be temporary, as the owner maintains.
The 106-year-old manufacturer appears to be the latest casualty of the subprime mortgage and housing crises. Nationally, the furniture industry has suffered the ripple effect of plunging home sales and slowdown in home-lending by financial institutions.
The bottom line: People aren't looking to buy new furniture for homes they're not buying with mortgages and home-equity loans they're not getting. As Jim Gerken, the company's chairman and fourth-generation owner, put it, "We haven't seen a housing slump this severe in our lifetime."
Norwalk Furniture's sales dropped $8 million from 2006 to 2007, a problem not helped by an influx of cheap imported furniture. The firm suspended most operations last Monday, throwing more than 500 workers at the Huron County facility out of work.
The company also suspended its wood mill and other operations at a plant in Cookeville, Tenn. Mr. Gerken noted that the only other time business had to be suspended was during the Great Depression, but his grandfather got the company making furniture again for the next 75 years or so.
It is hoped that the idle factory, Norwalk's second biggest employer, can be restarted soon. There are plenty of public and private sector partners working aggressively at all government levels to keep the shutdown temporary although, as Norwalk Mayor Sue Lesch said, "It's tough times in Ohio."
Any lengthy hiatus would have "a very significant impact on our local economy," adds Bethany Dentler, economic development director for the Norwalk Economic Development Corp. The goal is to get back to full production as quickly as possible, said Mr. Gerken, who stressed that Norwalk Furniture is committed to having only a temporary suspension and staying in business.
With the generally downward slide the state's economy is taking, the task of maintaining good jobs will not be an easy one, in northwest Ohio or elsewhere.

Needed: federal shield law
NOBODY likes to hear from a messenger bringing bad news, any more than we want to hear a doctor tell us we have serious, though curable, cancer. But just as we would be foolish not to listen to the doctor, our society would be in trouble indeed if it weren't for the ability of journalists to expose corruption and misconduct, especially in government at all levels.
In some cases, that is seldom possible without the careful use of confidential sources. Richard Nixon, for example, might never have had to resign had it not been for the source, who turned out to be a high government official, known as "Deep Throat."
For years, the confidentiality of sources was generally understood and respected, with a few exceptions. But in the last few years, the climate has dramatically changed. Two reporters, including the New York Times' Judith Miller, were sentenced to jail; another faced large fines if she refused to reveal her sources. More than 40 other reporters have been threatened with contempt of court if they didn't reveal their confidential sources. All this strongly indicates the need for the U.S. Senate to pass a bill establishing a federal "shield law" that would protect reporters from having to reveal their sources.
Forty-nine states already have some form of shield legislation, but a national law is also needed. The bill now before the Senate, the Free Flow of Information Act, has broad support from both conservatives and liberals, and passed the House last fall by an overwhelming and veto-proof 398-21 vote. That's important, because the Bush Administration bitterly opposes it. But those who support it include both Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama, one of whom is all but certain to be the next president of the United States. Forty-two state attorneys general are also backing this act.
Reporters are not and should not be above the law, and the Free Flow of Information Act has safeguards. It allows judges to ask for the identity of a source in cases where that would help prevent a terrorist act or where failing to disclose a source would significantly threaten national security.
In a section of the bill that is certain to worry reporters, judges are also authorized to compel disclosure if concealing the name of a confidential source could significantly harm a prosecutor's case.
We hope prosecutors and judges will attempt to use that provision in a bare minimum of cases. We also hope this bill won't encourage the news media to use anonymous sources more than absolutely necessary.
Wherever possible, news sources should be identified so readers can judge their reliability for themselves. But there are lots of exceptions, from the Pulitzer-prize winning work The Blade has done to the stories revealing steroid use in major league sports. Ohio and Michigan's senators should join the House in passing this bill by a veto-proof margin.

No time to dwell on former glory of downtown Toledo
THE members of our boards and I read with great interest the recent series by Blade staff writer Gary Pakulski, which identified a number of issues relating to the decline of the central business districts in several Ohio cities. When one analyzes these articles, it becomes clear that this situation can be likened to a "bad news, good news story."
The bad news is that it is true Toledo has experienced a significant reduction in the number of Fortune 500 firms, businesses in general and their employees who call downtown "home." This has lead to a relatively high commercial and office vacancy rate in our city center with the result that the "critical mass" which makes any downtown vibrant and appealing to visitors, customers, business owners, and prospective investors is adversely affected.
Nevertheless, while it is true that downtown Toledo lost 11 percent of its work force during the last five years, an analysis of the data provided by The Blade shows that this is exactly the same average percentage which vacated the other six downtowns cited in these articles.
If there is good news, it is that we are not alone in dealing with this problem. To a greater or lesser extent, each of the cities cited in Mr. Pakulski's articles is faced with most of the same challenges. Further, these problems are not caused solely by recent events. This situation has been occurring since the 1970s.
The "move to the suburbs" by downtown businesses has been aided by policies put in place by suburban communities to create just this result and one can't fault them for doing so.
With historically cheap gasoline, excellent roadways, and the spurious offer of "free parking," business parks, shopping malls, and other commercial developments have been built in suburbia and prospered for many years.
While this has created a significant reduction in the number of businesses located in downtown Toledo, fortunately many of these workers are still employed by firms located throughout our region.
The facts surrounding these issues are irrefutable. The real question is, "What are we going to do about it?" Saying, "I remember downtown Toledo when . . ." and throwing up our hands in abject surrender should no longer be an option.
The Greater Downtown Business Partnership (GDBP) and its member organizations, Downtown Toledo Improvement District (DTID), Downtown Toledo Parking Authority (DTPA), and the Toledo Design Center (TDC) are committed to working closely with other economic and community development organizations to undertake the challenge of revitalizing greater downtown Toledo.
This decision is a natural outgrowth of GDBP's mission "to promote good communication among, coordinate the common interests of, and serve as a unified voice for the private business community in matters which affect greater downtown." While achieving this goal over time will be difficult, it is essential to pursue it now if downtown Toledo is again to become a center for commerce, entertainment and cultural activities.
This transformation must be accomplished on two levels. GDBP will attempt to energize the downtown business community to create, adopt, and implement a "grand vision" for the future of our downtown. At the same time, GDBP's member organizations will endeavor to ensure that downtown is perceived as being accessible, clean, safe, and welcoming.
For example, DTID will continue to help secure, clean up, and market its 38-block central business district by picking up litter and debris, removing displays of graffiti, further reducing panhandling, and marketing downtown as a more wholesome and secure neighborhood.
DTPA working closely with our private parking operators will continue to offer convenient, affordable short-term and long-term parking opportunities so that businesses, government offices, and public attractions are accessible to all.
TDC will continue to work effectively with local architectural firms to update the Downtown Toledo Master Plan, lobby for the even-handed enforcement of design standards and, perhaps most importantly, take the point for GDBP in creating the "grand vision."
The timing for our undertaking this redevelopment effort couldn't be better. We now have a wonderful opportunity presented to us with the construction of the new Lucas County Multipurpose Arena. It is our belief that the "urban trifecta" created by the confluence of the new arena, Fifth Third Field, and SeaGate Convention Centre will allow us to begin to create a year-round destination for entertainment, cultural, and leisure activities in downtown Toledo. Unlike in Columbus, our entertainment district will be located directly in our city center rather than one mile away.
In close collaboration with the Lucas County commissioners and other stakeholders, GDBP will soon announce a formal process to initiate this civic endeavor. You may rest assured that you, the stakeholders who will ultimately cause this revitalization to occur, will be informed of our progress through the media. After all, it is the residents and resident businesses in northwest Ohio who will truly revitalize downtown Toledo.
It is commonly accepted that "you get what you expect." For far too long we in northwest Ohio have been satisfied to accept "second-class status." It is time for us all to unite behind a common vision which promotes our greatest local asset.
We all know and accept the fact that "northwest Ohio is a great place to live, work, and raise a family."
Let's seize this moment in time to unite so that together we can begin to re-energize our entire community.
Tom Crothers is executive director of the Downtown Toledo Improvement District and president of the Greater Downtown Business Partnership.

It's cruel to sentence teens ages 13, 14 to die in prison
IF YOU cup your ear, you won't hear many objections from the public to the sentencing of teens ages 13 and 14 to die behind bars - sometimes for crimes in which no one was killed, in which they were also victims in some manner, and on charges that lawyers should have challenged.
And no. We're not talking about a Third World nation where the military or a dictator rules. It happens in this country.
Though it's a result of America's zeal to deal with high crime rates and wayward youth, what kind of country incarcerates for life such young offenders with other juveniles or with adults who get starry eyed about showing them the prison ropes?
Let's be clear: Teens who commit offenses deserve to be punished. Toledo has had its share. But sending such young ones to prison for life is barbaric. Animal rights activists work to recoup the life of abused, neglected, and abandoned animals. Why not the same for teen offenders?
In steps the Equal Justice Initiative of Montgomery, Ala., and New York City. The nonprofit agency objects to the policy of sending teens 13 and 14 to die in prison. No other country does that.
Bryan Stevenson, distinguished in his own right, is the founder and executive director of the agency, which provides legal counsel for poor defendants and prisoners denied fair and just legal treatment. He is a Harvard Law School graduate who could easily command a salary at any major law firm. But the nationally known professor and lecturer prefers to wage these battles, and passionately works to get the youths resentenced with a chance for parole.
About 2,300 juveniles currently serve sentences for life in prison without parole. EJI has taken up the cause in 73 of the most egregious cases where the offenders got life sentences when they were 13 or 14.
The haunting images of some of the incarcerated teens in an EJI publication should help convince even the deeply cynical that the policy is misguided and in need of change. Immigrants flock to America because it offers hope. This policy removes every glimmer of hope from these juveniles.
One of the youths featured in "Cruel and Unusual: Sentencing 13- and 14-year-old Children to Die in Prison," is Kuntrell Jackson. At 14, he was charged in a store robbery and shooting that prosecutors conceded was carried out by another teen. But Arkansas sentenced him to die in prison.
In California, police chased a car that Antonio Nunez of South Central Los Angeles was in with two older men. When one man said he was kidnapped, Antonio, who was 14, and the other man, 27, were charged with kidnapping. No one was injured, but Antonio was sentenced to prison for life. EJI says he is the only child sent to prison for life in a case in which no one died.
Florida sentenced Ian Manuel in a robbery in which a woman received a nonfatal gunshot wound. He was 13. His attorney said he would get 15 years, so he pled guilty. He got life. The victim has petitioned for his release. Florida demands life in prison.
The Eighth Amendment says, "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted." Though these penalties are handed to 13 and 14-year-olds, the issue gets little attention.
The Nevada Supreme Court struck down a life without parole sentence that was imposed on a 13-year-old. The court said it was a "denial of hope."
If there is no reason for these teens to behave, then there is no reason for them to act humanely. We expect better from our pets.
Earlier this year, though, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said torture may be appropriate when there is an immediate terrorist threat. He also said it was "extraordinary" to assume that the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment also applied to "so-called" torture.
Something else he said brought these teens to mind: "To begin with the Constitution is referring to punishment for crime. And, for example, incarcerating someone indefinitely would certainly be cruel and unusual punishment for crime."
Rose Russell is a Blade associate editor.
E-mail rrussell@theblade.com

Bucks expect expectations; Ohio State favored once again
CHICAGO - The specter is everywhere.
You are reminded of it by the girl from Circleville who sits behind you in sociology class, then by the guy in the produce aisle at Krogers, and again at the family reunion, and when you meet with a couple former players who stopped by campus to visit.
And even here, surrounded by the swirl of humanity in the heart of downtown in the Windy City, just beyond the shadow of the Sears Tower and a short walk from Navy Pier or the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, you can't elude the aura of Ohio State football.
"It is all around you, and it is everywhere," Buckeyes linebacker James Laurinaitis said yesterday morning as the Big Ten wrapped up its two days of preseason meetings that signal the informal start of the 2008 college football season.
"Ohio State football has such a position of prominence in the minds of so many people. But with all of that history and tradition come the constant expectations, and you quickly learn to accept it and really embrace it. You gotta love a place where every year, you are expected to be great."
Laurinaitis, the All-American who is one of 20 starters returning for the Buckeyes, said being the preseason choice to win a fourth straight conference championship in this upcoming season does not really intensify the burden on his team's shoulders.
"The pressure, the expectations are so much a part of everything we do that you more or less don't feel it after a while," he said. "It is there, all the time, and it just becomes another part of your life."
Laurinaitis, quarterback Todd Boeckman and defensive back Malcolm Jenkins accompanied Ohio State coach Jim Tressel to the Big Ten event here. Boeckman said most of the Buckeyes deal with the weight of the expectations by focusing on preparation.
"That gets brought up and talked about a lot, but coming to Ohio State you expect that," Boeckman said. "Nobody is surprised that the fans are everywhere we go, and that they expect us to win. But if you are thinking about that too much, then you are probably not doing your job in terms of concentrating on the things you have to do to be successful. I think my teammates understand that."
Boeckman, a fifth-year senior who played behind Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith for two seasons before assuming the starting role for 2007, was first-team All-Big Ten last year, when he threw for 2,379 yards and 35 touchdowns. Boeckman said he won't ignore the Buckeyes being ranked in the top five nationally in all the preseason magazines, and Ohio State being the overwhelming choice of the media to win the Big Ten.
"When things get hyped up, you can't let yourself get distracted by that kind of thing, but you also can't deny it exists," he said. "I think the best approach is for us to just make sure we are ready to face what comes with all of those expectations. At Ohio State, we feel like we always get everyone's best game, and that should definitely be the case again this season."
Jenkins has twice been named first-team All-Big Ten, and was a second team All-American last year when he helped Ohio State lead the nation in pass defense. He said the Buckeyes, who have played in the last two national championship games, have the depth and talent to challenge for another conference crown and make a case for returning to a third title game. Jenkins said the expectations of the fans and the media won't be higher than those the team will set for itself.
"We do have a lot of guys back - a lot of very good players - and on paper this could be a championship team," he said. "We have that potential, but until you turn potential into product, it doesn't mean anything."
Tressel, who starts an eighth season as coach at Ohio State, said he was comfortable that the leadership on his team would handle any issues with keeping the hype and expectations in perspective.
"The Buckeye Nation is out there and we see it everywhere we go. Our fans are very loyal and very passionate, and they don't make it a secret that they want us to succeed," Tressel said. "Our players know that and they understand that. It goes with the territory, and I'm comfortable they won't let it affect their preparation or performance."
Laurinaitis, who was chosen as the Big Ten's preseason defensive player of the year for the second straight year, said the sense of obligation to honor the winning heritage at Ohio State is likely on his mind more than any stress over living up to what appears in polls or what fans expect of the team.
"There's a saying we have at Ohio State that says 'with tradition comes responsibility,' and we've got great tradition at Ohio State, so we've got a responsibility to keep it up," Laurinaitis said. "That's something I think about every day."
Contact Matt Markey at:
mmarkey@theblade.com or 419-724-6510.

Hens unable to deliver with runners on base
The Mud Hens just finished an eight-game road trip following the All-Star break, and the team's 3-5 record on that trip was the result of an inconsistent offense.
In Toledo's three wins - the final two games in Pawtucket, then the first contest in Rochester - the Hens scored 27 times, never fewer than six. In the five losses the Hens gathered just 14 runs, and 12 of those came in just two games.
Manager Larry Parrish said the team's biggest offensive shortcoming recently is scoring runners from second and third. Last night that trend continued as Toledo was hitless in eight at-bats with runners in scoring position, striking out three times and hitting into a double play.
"That's what we've been struggling with lately - coming up with that big hit with runners in scoring position," he said. "In the eighth and ninth [last night] we had a few chances to snatch a win out of this, and we just couldn't get a hit."
In the eighth inning Derek Wathan was on third base after hitting an RBI triple with one out. Pawtucket played its infield back, conceding the run to get an out, but the Hens failed to take advantage as Freddy Guzman popped out and Timo Perez flied out.
"A lot of times, that's a mental approach," Parrish said about having success with runners in scoring position.
"You can talk about it, but it has to come from the guys themselves wanting to be in that situation.
"At the same time, you can't think too much. You have to keep it simple. It's just you and the pitcher. If you can win that battle, the RBIs will be the result."
In the previous three games Toledo went 3-for-27 (.111) with runners in scoring position.
COMINGS AND GOINGS: Since the Hens left town July 9 the team has added several
familiar faces. Jeff Larish was promoted to Detroit that day but already has returned to the Hens. Dane Sardinha, Clete Thomas and Eddie Bonine also have come back to Toledo since that road trip began.
One newcomer is Kody Kirkland, who joined the Hens July 17 when Max Leon went on the disabled list with a left shoulder subluxation.
Among those who have departed since July 9 are Nick
Trzesniak and Fernando Seguignol, both of whom were granted unconditional releases. Zach Miner was promoted to Detroit and catcher Adrian Casanova was sent to Single-A West Michigan. THREE-DOT DATA: Timo Perez singled in the sixth to extend his hit streak to seven straight games. Lefty Ian Ostlund threw two scoreless innings, marking his seventh straight scoreless outing.

Pauley puzzles Hens
The Mud Hens were anything but pretty in pink last night.
Of course, recently the Hens' offense has been generally dreadful no matter what color uniform the team has been wearing.
So don't think the pink jerseys, which were auctioned off to raise funds for breast cancer research, were the cause of the Hens' 3-2 loss to Pawtucket at Fifth Third Field.
"We've been struggling the last few games. The pink uniforms have nothing to do with that," said Clete Thomas, who had two of the Hens' seven hits. "We're just chasing pitches. We just have to pick up our concentration and get after them [today]."
Pawtucket starter David Pauley retired the first 10 Mud Hens he faced last night and kept Toledo hitless until the fifth, when Mike Hessman beat out a slow roller down the third-base line for an infield single.
Thomas followed with his first hit, a liner to center, that gave the Hens runners on first and second with none out. But Pauley retired the next three hitters, striking out two, and wasn't challenged again until Derek Wathan's one-out triple in the eighth scored Max St-Pierre.
"I was much better getting ahead early, and I didn't get away from my sinker as much as I did last time," said Pauley, who struggled in a start against the Hens five days ago, surrendering eight hits and five runs in just 31/3 innings. "I tried my best to keep my pitches in the strike zone and make them hit my pitch. The defense behind me did a great job, too."
Pauley, who saw a personal nine-game winning streak snapped when he lost to Toledo July 20, gave up just five hits and one walk last night while tying his season high with nine strikeouts in 72/3 innings.
"Early in the game we had the Toledo shadows - everyone was swinging and missing except for one ball," Mud Hens manager Larry Parrish said. "There weren't even many loud outs made by either team. "But our guy [Yorman Bazardo] mixed it up and threw pretty well, too." In that inning Bazardo got a double play before walking Brandon Moss on four pitches. He then gave up a two-run homer to right by Chris Carter that proved to be the difference in the game. That "one ball" was a home run Bazardo gave up to Pawtucket's Joe Thurston in the first. Other than that mistake Bazardo sailed through the Red Sox lineup, not allowing a runner past second base until encountering trouble in the sixth. "I worked on first-pitch strikes," said Bazardo, who threw first-pitch strikes to 19 of the 28 batters he faced. "I was mixing my pitches well, and they were uncomfortable out there. They were hitting my pitches."
Bazardo finished with just six hits and four walks allowed in seven innings, striking out six in one of his better starts this season.
Toledo avoided the shutout with Wathan's hit. But with Wathan on third, only one out and the infield back, the Hens still were unable to score. That proved especially painful when they got a run in the ninth off Pawtucket closer Chris Smith.
Contact John Wagner at:
jwagner@theblade.com or 419-724-6481.

Dye home run seals comeback for Chisox
DETROIT - Jermaine Dye downplayed the importance of the Chicago White Sox-Detroit Tigers series before it started, saying it was too early.
Dye changed his tune a bit after hitting a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth inning to lift Chicago to a 6-5 win over Detroit last night.
"A big game for them getting back into the race and we stole one," Dye said.
The White Sox have won three straight and 16 of 24. They lead the Minnesota Twins by 3 1/2 games and Detroit by 6 1/2 in the AL Central with two-plus months left in the season.
Chicago leads the season series against Detroit 6-4 with eight games left.
The White Sox entered 0-38 when trailing after eight innings but rallied in the ninth after Carlos Guillen put Detroit ahead with a tie-breaking homer in the seventh.
D.J. Carrasco (1-0) picked up the win by getting two outs in the eighth and Bobby Jenks pitched a perfect ninth for his 20th save in 23 chances.
Todd Jones (4-1) was an out away from ending the game bebefore blowing his third save in 22 chances and hearing boos as he walked to the dugout.
Carlos Quentin hit a two-out, two-strike single and Dye sent a 2-0 pitch into the right-field seats to turn cheers into jeers.
Detroit has been the hottest team in baseball since early June - after starting 0-7 and sinking to 24-36 - and had a chance to make its deficit in the division the smallest it's been since mid-May.
"We're in a little bit of a pickle because of the way we started the season," Jones said. "We win and lose as a team, but tonight, I cost us the game."
The White Sox tied it with three runs in the seventh, but Guillen put Detroit back ahead in the home half with a towering home run off reliever Nick Masset that sailed an estimated 399 feet.
Detroit starter Nate Robertson gave up three runs, five hits and a season-high five walks over six-plus innings and 44,393 fans gave him a standing ovation.
"This was as close to a playoff atmosphere as you can get," Robertson said.
Joel Zumaya replaced Robertson with two on and none out in the seventh and his first pitch was hit by Orlando Cabrera for an RBI single and A.J. Pierzynski followed with a sacrifice fly, cutting Detroit's lead to a run.
Then after getting Dye to pop out, Zumaya's pitch got away from Ivan Rodriguez and he threw wildly to third to let
Cabrera score a tying run. "Gold Glove catcher, you never thought would've made a play at third like that," Dye said.
Gavin Floyd gave up four runs, three earned, and a season-high nine hits in six innings for Chicago.
"The only good thing we can say about this game was we won," manager Ozzie Guillen said.
Curtis Granderson scored Detroit's first run - thanks to Guillen's slide at second that took out shortstop Cabrera's legs to break up a likely double play - and had a tie-breaking run in a three-run third.
Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera each had an RBI and combined for five hits for the Tigers.
Robertson got off to a fantastic start, retiring the side in order with just 11 pitches over the first two innings.
NOTE: Detroit's Dontrelle Willis is expected to pitch for Single-A Lakeland today.

University of Toledo graduate wins first event as a pro
CONCORD, Ohio - University of Toledo graduate Tyler Riley began his professional career with a bang when he won his first tournament with a playoff victory at the 85th annual Ohio Open on Wednesday at Quail Hollow Country Club.
With the victory, Riley received a check for $8,000.
Riley graduated from UT in 2007. He is from Findlay and currently lives in Orlando, Fla. His senior year, in spring 2007, he finished fourth in the Mid-American Conference championship. He led the Rockets with a 75.3 stroke average that year.
Riley entered the final round one stroke out of the lead in second place, but was six shots back of leader Kevin Hall midway through the final 18 holes. He drained a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to tie Tony Mollica at 205 and proceeded to win a three-hole playoff. Riley finished 66-70-69-205.
Riley joined an impressive list of former Ohio Open champions that includes Jack Nicklaus and Byron Nelson.
Riley decided to turn pro prior to last week's Ohio Amateur Championship. He finished tied for sixth in that event, despite shooting a 75 in the third round and finishing with a 287 (70-72-75-70).
"I thought I played well in the Amateur, but I just had one bad round," said Riley, who said his next tournament will be the Habitec Toledo Open at Sylvania Country Club. "My goal was always to play pro golf and I worked very hard to achieve this goal."

Small Toledo-area firms yielding big job growth
The Toledo metro area has the second-highest rate of rapidly growing firms statewide, an important factor for economic development, a recent U.S. Small Business Administration study found.
And among all medium-sized metro areas nationwide, Toledo ranks No. 9 in the percentage of so-called high-impact firms firms that doubled sales in a four-year period and increase their employment. Locally, there were 719 high-impact firms in 2006, or 2.56 percent of all 28,054 firms, according to the study. There has been an employment shift locally in the last quarter century as large, publicly traded firms have reduced their ranks but smaller companies have expanded, said Jack Hollister, president of the Employers Association in Sylvania. There are a lot of solid, healthy, small and medium-sized businesses in this area, he said. AboutGolf Ltd. in Maumee, for example, has about 30 employees and expects $12 million in sales this year, up from 18 employees and $9.1 million in sales just a couple of years ago, said Bill Bales, co-founder of the company that makes golf simulator technology. The company, which is in the process of introducing new products and forming alliances, expects to have $15 million in sales next year and reach $50 million in annual sales within five years, Mr. Bales said. It is a subsidiary of Friendly Software Corp. of Springfield Township, founded in 1988.
Theres a pretty good market for what weve got, and weve got really superior technology, Mr. Bales said. Thats really the key. Nationwide, there were 376,605 high-impact firms from 2002 to 2006, up from 299,973 in the previous four years. There were 352,114 high-impact firms nationwide between 1994 and 1998, according to the SBA study. Nearly 94 percent of the high-impact firms nationwide during that dozen-year stretch had fewer than 20 employees, and the average firm was not a startup but had been in business for 25 years, the SBA said. Only 3 percent of high-impact firms die in the four years after their rapid-growth phase, it said. Besides at least doubling sales in a four-year period, high-impact firms must have an employment growth quantifier of at least two, the SBA said. That means that a firm with 13 to 17 employees could add five jobs. Local economic development officials should cultivate high-growth firms instead of increasing entrepreneurship overall or attracting relocating companies, the SBA said.
That fits in with the core strategy of Toledos Regional Growth Partnership, which has long maintained that up to 90 percent of local job growth comes from existing businesses, said John Gibney, agency spokesman. Local projects provide critical job stability, but the partnership tries to attract new or relocating businesses as well, Mr. Gibney said. Those things are fantastic, but theyre few and far between, he added. In Ohio, only the Dayton-Springfield metro area did better than Toledo on the rate of high-impact firms. Among northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan counties, however, both Wood and Erie did better than Lucas, based on the percentage of high-impact firms among the total number of businesses, according to the SBA study. Overall, Ohio ranked No. 12 among states for its percentage of high-impact firms. The state had 12,878 such firms in 2006 for a rate of 2.38 percent, the study found. Michigan ranked No. 44 with 11,006 high-impact firms, or 2.07 percent of all firms in 2006, the study said. Alaska had the highest rate of high-impact firms at 2.76 percent, or 1,117 in 2006, it said. Contact Julie M. McKinnon at:jmckinnon@theblade.comor 419-724-6087.

Chrysler will stop leasing vehicles
DETROIT - Chrysler LLC said its financing arm would stop offering vehicle leases to U.S. consumers, a sharp break in strategy in response to tighter credit and the plunging resale prices for gas-guzzling trucks.
The abrupt announcement yesterday was the latest sign of the stress on Chrysler from an industry downturn that has hit all automakers. Earlier this week, Chrysler said it would cut 1,000 white-collar jobs by the end of September.
"We are shifting our strategy to focus on retail products," spokesman Bill Porter said yesterday. "Effective Aug. 1, we will no longer offer lease products in the United States."
"It's pretty crazy news," said Ralph Mahalak, Jr., owner of Monroe Dodge Superstore. "It's going to change the landscape of the auto industry, certainly in the Toledo and Detroit area because of how many cars we lease."
Mr. Porter said the move by the unit of the No. 3 U.S. automaker, which is controlled by private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, was prompted by the tough market.
U.S. auto sales have dropped to their lowest level in 15 years, and the sudden premium on fuel efficiency in the face of record gasoline prices has led consumers to abandon SUVs and other light trucks.
The result has been a sharp decline in the resale prices for light trucks that has forced automakers and related lenders to take large losses to write down the value of leases on those once-popular vehicles.
"You have got the dropping of the used car vehicle prices. You have got people that are struggling with the credit crunch," Mr. Porter said. "It is very difficult right now to offer competitive lease products. So we are switching our strategy."
Because banks lend money based on the risk, and the risk of leases sold as securities has increased, interest rates to
borrow money for leases are higher than those for retail sales, said Tom Gilman, executive vice chairman of Chrysler Financial. Chrysler's larger rival Ford Motor Co this week took a $2.1 billion charge for its finance company when it reported second-quarter results, in large part because of the hit it took on the declining value of SUV and truck leases.
Cerberus also owns a 51 percent stake in GMAC, the former captive finance company for General Motors Corp.
GMAC spokesman Gina Proia declined to comment on Chrysler's announcement or on whether the lender would follow Ford in writing off vehicle loans on its books.
While the move by Chrysler Financial could protect its balance sheet from a further drop in used-car values, it also risked becoming a further drag on already sluggish vehicle sales by its automotive partner Chrysler.
Chrysler, which has seen its sales drop 22 percent in the first half, relies more heavily on sales of light trucks than its rivals and it has been the most aggressive in discounting.
Chrysler said its dealers would be given incentives but would have to find independent finance companies for lease financing.

Archbold maker of scaffolding has new owner
ARCHBOLD - One of Archbold's best-known companies was purchased yesterday by the U.S. subsidiary of a European firm, and company officials here said the deal is likely to mean more jobs in Fulton County.
Bil-Jax Inc., the privately held 61-year-old maker of scaffolding and lift equipment, announced that it has been purchased by the U.S. subsidiary of the French company Haulotte Group SA. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
"We have approximately 300 workers here in Archbold, and we're expecting nothing but additional growth opportunities," said Brent Hagedorn, Bil-Jax's director of marketing and national accounts. "Our intent will be to hire."
Haulotte is an industry leader in Europe in powered lifting equipment for both people and materials, but has a limited customer base in the United States. Bil-Jax is an industry leader in North America in frame scaffolding, and more recently, aerial work platforms.
The company also manufactures prefab performance stages, such as those that are used in graduation ceremonies and other small events.
The two companies dominate their local markets, but don't necessarily compete with each other a great deal on the world market, Mr. Hagedorn explained.
As such, the sale is expected to mean Haulotte products will be made in Archbold and Bil-Jax products in France, for sale in their respective new continents.
"They are really complementary lines of access," Mr. Hagedorn said. "This allows us to become a much larger player in our industry."
Bil-Jax has been owned since 2003 by a group of five company executives who purchased it from a private equity group. Previously, it had been owned by a financially troubled German firm, Plettac AG, which sold the company earlier that year to concentrate on its own core businesses.
Prior to that, it had been privately owned.
Local house plasterers Bill and Jack Ashenfelter started the company in Archbold in 1947. The two had developed improved scaffolding for plastering walls.
The company grew quickly in the postwar building boom of the 1950s and 1960s.
Mr. Hagedorn said the company has room to expand its current operations within its 350,000-square-foot plant here "with some reorganization," and could build additional space if needed on 18 adjacent vacant acres that the company owns. More details on those plans are expected within 60 days, he said.
"With the soft economy, we'd certainly take any additional jobs we can get," said Archbold Mayor Jim Wyse, who said he had offered his services to help gain any state assistance that may be required.
Contact Larry P. Vellequette at:
lvellequette@theblade.com or 419-724-6091.

Chrysler to stop leasing cars
DETROIT Chrysler LLC has told dealers that the automakers financial arm plans to get out of the auto leasing business before the end of the year.
One dealer who asked not to be identified said it would stop leasing as soon as Aug. 1. Another dealer said the change is because that the company has experienced losses on leased sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks because their residual values have dropped. Leasing has been a popular method for auto workers especially to support their employers by purchasing a new vehicle more affordably every few years. Leasing is especially popular in southeast Michigan and northwest Ohio, one local auto dealer said. Chrysler spokesman Stuart Schorr declined to comment on the issue but said Chrysler executives will hold a conference call today. A person briefed on the announcement said the automakers financial arm will stop leasing vehicles because of the bath Chrysler is taking on leased trucks and SUVs that are being turned in. Theyre giving away rebates on the front end of a couple thousand dollars, and then theyre taking a $4,000 or $5,000 hit on these vehicles when theyre being turned in, the dealer said. Dealers did not want to be identified because the company had not made an announcement. Read more in later editions of The Blade and toledoblade.com

Shedding light on lithophanes
When faced with the prospect of writing the first-ever book encompassing the entire 180-year history of lithophanes, Margaret Carney knew precisely where to start.
Victorian humor. Those were the parts I wrote first; the fun chapters, said Carney, curator of the Blair Museum of Lithophanes at Toledo Botanical Garden. In a 19th-century French lithophane, well-dressed monkeys trim a cats whiskers. In others, mostly German, a pair of young women dump a concoction on the head of a peeping Tom; a sooty chimney sweep causes havoc when he tries to enter a butchers shop, and a politician sets his tri-cornered hat on fire while reading by candlelight. Not only is Toledo home to the sole museum and largest collection of lithophanes in the world, a Toledoan has produced a book devoted to these porcelain objects that were popular decorations in 19th-century European homes. Hardbound and weighing in at 224-glossy pages, the newly published Lithophanes (Schiffer Publishing Ltd.) is packed with 370 crisp photographs and information ranging from how theyre made, their various forms, patents dating to 1827, and contemporary artists, and the genesis of Toledos lithophane museum. There are even notes on where to find lithophanes made of chocolate. Its a very scholarly book but its very readable, too, said Posy Huebner, a member of the Blair Museums board of directors. I think the photography is wonderful.
Lithophanes are three-dimensional porcelain plaques that reveal their images when backlit by candles, oil lamps, sunlight, or electric bulbs. Popular from 1830 to 1870, they have a subdued, night light-quality about them and the look of old engravings. Their themes are often sweet and romantic, religious and literary, and occasionally erotic. They were fashioned into lamp shades and sconces, tea pot warmers, beer steins, and table plaques set on lovely cast-iron stands (a decorative art in themselves). They could be surrounded by panels of stained or painted glass and installed into doors and windows. In the late 20th century, five men, all passionate collectors, were working on lithophane books, including Laurel Blair (see sidebar). None succeeded. In the books introduction, Carney notes, ...writing the book is far more complicated than a simple porcelain plaque might lead one to believe.
Producing a lithophane starts with a sheet of beeswax on a backlit glass panel, on which an artist uses precision tools to carve an image. Where the wax is carved thinnest, more light will shine through. Artisans (who were fairly well paid, Carney discovered) spent weeks, even months, refining a wax carving. Some are especially complex, such as those including landscapes, detailed backgrounds, or many characters, such as a 1`replication of Leonardo da Vincis The Last Supper or William Penns Treaty with the Indians (based on an engraving which in turn, was based on a Benjamin West painting). From the wax model, a plaster cast or mold is made, and into the mold, liquid porcelain is poured or pressed. Porcelain, like its earthenware and stoneware siblings, is made of clay but its recipe calls for ingredients such as kaolin, feldspar, and glassy materials. Its fired at hotter temperatures than its siblings up to 2,300 degrees. Lean and quick-witted, Carney, 59 spent most of 2007 writing the book. She energizes her day by race-walking a half-marathon, which takes almost three hours each morning (she clocks in at just less than five miles per hour). With a doctoral-degree in Chinese ceramics, she was founding director from 1991 to 2003 of the Museum of Ceramics at New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, where she also taught ceramic world history. She arrived in Toledo in early 2003 with her husband, Bill Walker, when he became head of ceramic research at Federal-Mogul Corp., which owns Champion Ignition. Walker proof-read Lithophanes and took most of its photographs. Carney and Walker spotted the Blair Museum in May, 2003, when they attended a plant sale at TBG. My immediate reaction was Ive got to work there! She became its first director in early 2004, her part-time salary paid by George Banana George Blair, brother of Laurel Blair who had amassed the lithophane collection and donated it to the city of Toledo. George Blair also paid for the book. Carney started a newsletter and a membership program, unwrapped lithophanes from boxes and organized them, and combed Alfred Universitys archives on the topic. Much information and lithophanes themselves were destroyed during wars, said Carney. Lithophanes had already begun to wane in popularity by 1879 when Edison developed his incandescent light bulb. Carney contacted collectors and museums around the world, went to England to peruse a dozen collections, and translated German documents with the assistance of Heide Klein, a Blair board member. Limited by time and budget, Carney came up with a dozen chapters and a bibliography of hundreds of citations. The tome is winning high praise from the handful of lithophaniacs who have seen it. Curtis Benzle, a Huntsville, Ala. artist who makes translucent porcelain objects, says it fills a need. Prior to Margarets book there was very little about lithophanes that even the experts understood, wrote Benzle in an e-mail to The Blade. The books strengths are Margarets thorough research and her ability to connect lithophanes to a larger cultural context. Its hundreds of photographs are an asset that makes it possible for even a novice to understand the visual appeal of this art form. Jim Sapp, of Colorado, manages a group and newsletter for collectors of Victorian candle holders called Fairy Lamps. It is and will continue to be a valued reference for many decades to come, wrote Sapp last week in an e-mail to The Blade. Just today, I purchased a lithophane fairy lamp. I immediately turned to Margarets book for information that could be found no where else. While the photographic documentation is indeed impressive, I appreciate and value the in-depth research Margaret did to identify the companies, source of the artistic scenes, production methods, and company records and advertisements. To conduct this in-depth research and make it available to others is indeed a gift of love. Those who collect lithophanes or porcelain art in general are forever in her debt. Barbara Britsch, one of a dozen Blair Museum docents and a retired Lourdes College English professor, appreciates the books scholarship and its visual presentation. For the layman, its a beautiful book to look at, said Ms. Britsch. As a docent, it is giving me a lot of new information. Lithophanes can be purchased for $55 at the Blair Museum at Toledo Botanical Garden, 5403 Elmer Dr. It can also be purchased and shipped for $64.95 at www.lithophanemuseum.org. The museum is open 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, May through September, and by appointment. There is no admission fee. Information: 419-245-1356. Contact Tahree Lane at: tlane@theblade.com or 419-724-6075.

Guitarist greats like Nils Lofgren offer instruction via computer
Nils Lofgren doesnt have to do this: sit in front of a video camera trained on his face and hands as he talks guitar neophytes through the rudiments of playing a simple G chord.
Hes the guitarist in the E Street Band, for heavens sakes, a man Bruce Springsteen turns to when he wants a searing solo at a pivotal point in one of his epic concerts. Lofgrens a true master of rock guitar, and here he is on your computer monitor showing you how to play guitar. And not just lecturing from on-high, but encouraging you over the course of about an hour, telling you to hang in there when your fingers get sore and you get frustrated. Its a refreshingly intimate setting, with Lofgren alone in a hotel room somewhere on the road, and it feels like hes speaking directly to you. Lofgrens lessons are part labor of love and partly a way to make money. They represent the high-end of the thousands of music instructional videos available on the Internet. They range from dudes in sloppy shorts fumbling their way through Oasis songs on Youtube to Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson personally explaining the core riff of Spirit of the Radio on a pay-per-lesson site. BLADE YOUTUBE CHANNEL - RIFFS

HEAR: E Street Band guitarist Nils Lofgren talks to The Blade about how he keeps guitar playing fun. Google online music lessons and you get more than 2.6 million hits that go on forever. Theres jamplay.com, guitarmethod.com, cheapguitarzine.com, nextlevelguitar.com ... the list goes on, each promising to unlock the secrets that will reveal your inner Hendrix.
Youtube overflows with instructional clips on how to play the electric bass, the sitar, the 12-string guitar, piano, jazz guitar, harmonica, Hawaiian black key guitar, cello, slide guitar, and just about any instrument that can be blown, plucked, or strummed. For musicians especially guitarists its a great way to make money by giving lessons, something most of them have done for years. And for the students its an in-house instructional tool that done right can motivate them to learn new songs and techniques. Desi Serna, a Toledo-area guitar instructor who makes his living producing an online lessons program and selling DVDs of his work, said theres a natural inclination for would-be musicians to skip all the technical stuff, which makes the online approach perfect. Most students just want to learn how to play guitar, he says. They dont even care about understanding the traditional terminology. They would much rather be able to sit down and play Stairway to Heaven, Smoke on the Water, or Sweet Home Alabama than pass a written test. So Ive always focused on teaching what people play in the real world. Encouraging words For most of us now, the real world involves sitting down in front of a computer for everything from sharing pictures with family members to shopping for cars. And for artists like Lofgren its a chance to spread the word about music.
Commerce drives it, of course. Lofgren said changes in the music business mean hell never get another large-scale recording contract for his solo work, despite a long, stellar career making his own music. So the Internet provides a way to make money by taking his music directly to his fans. But its also a way for him to give something back and preach about the joy of being able to play an instrument, even if youre not that good. So many people through the years have come up and said to me, Id love to play music for fun, but I have no talent, I have no rhythm, and thus, Im not allowed to. Ive tried to correct them and say, No, no, you dont need any talent. You just need a little practice and a great teacher and you can have an incredible lifelong therapeutic ball learning an instrument. He charges $20 for lessons that last about an hour. Five beginners lessons and four intermediate lessons are available at www.nilslofgren.com for download. Lofgren has a gentle, conversational nature, and given his track record playing with Springsteen, Neil Young, Willie Nelson and any number of great artists, his lessons have a certain cachet to them. But he also provides an enthusiastic vibe that is realistic. You know youll never be as good as he is, but so what? I really mostly want to encourage people. When you get frustrated, stop practicing the hard stuff and go to the one finger, three-note fun things we learned today and do that for five minutes, do it for 20 minutes, do it until you feel a little joy that, Hey Im playing music, he said. Filling the orders Serna is an example of the raft of lesser-known musicians online who offer instructional advice, videos, and tips online for a fee. Hes been successful thanks to his clear explanations of complex concepts, carving out a living teaching his self-developed guitar theory online, recently attracting the attention of Rolling Stone magazine.
In its Site Specific feature looking at online music instruction, the magazine praised Sernas www.guitar-music-theory.com site. Listening to a lecture with no visual help can be tricky, but Sernas lessons are clear and accessible, the magazine writes. In his latest podcast, he explains the theory of modal scales a series of notes that can be used to improve solos. Overwhelmed? Thats why the first lesson is called What Is Guitar Theory. Serna taught lessons in the area for years, supplementing his income by playing gigs at night. As he started settling down with his family he and his wife have one young child the idea of playing in bars until 1 a.m. four nights a week lost its luster. He also had become frustrated with the way guitar is taught, preferring his own method that focuses on the various shapes the left hand makes on the neck of the guitar to create chord patterns. He became convinced that there would be a demand for his method, so he started writing books and that evolved into making instructional videos. He now has 17,000 subscribers to his mailing list and he continues to self-produce his DVDs. After teaching for years and using the other method books that are available and experimenting with stuff and finding stuff that would work with students, I just knew I could sell it, Serna said. I just fill the orders and be thankful that I dont have to go out and play gigs anymore. All about access Tim Huffmans story is an amalgam of Lofgrens and Sernas. He was an in-demand studio musician and side man in the Atlanta area for years, playing with Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Atlanta Rhythm Section, Kansas, and numerous other bands. But he got burned out with the traveling and wanted to make money off music without the constant upheaval to his personal life.
In the mid 90s he made an instructional video and that morphed into teaching lessons. With access to a number of high-powered musicians he had befriended over the years like Chuck Leavell, who plays piano in the Rolling Stones, drummer Russ Kunkel, and Graham Nash, he hit upon an idea. OK, I have this fantastic music education as a young man working side by side with amazing talent. How can we take that access to great talent and take it to anyone anywhere? Thats how he came up with www.ivideosongs.com, a fast-growing Web site in which musicians demonstrate how to play entire songs. Not snippets or styles like generic blues guitar or country finger-picking but entire songs from beginning to end. The trick is that to do entire songs you have pay royalties to the publishers, artists and record companies, which is why most of what you see on Youtube is just a part of a song or a musical style and not the entire thing. Its a fine line you tread. If you say, heres an example of an Eric Clapton-style lick youre cool. But if you say heres how to play Layla, then you get into jeopardy with the legal folks. Huffmans company has, as he says, fed a lot of lawyers, to buy the rights to the songs so that they can have Leavell, Nash, Lifeson, or any number of lesser-known artists show viewers how to play entire songs like A Hard Days Night, Limelight or Losing My Religion. The cost is between $5 and $10 depending on the song and lessons are available in guitar, drums, and keyboards. In some of the cases youre learning directly from the artists who played the original tunes and Huffman said ivideosongs is continuing to build both its library of songs and artists so listeners can dial up the original artists whenever they want to practice. If you were sitting in a bar with Alex Lifeson would you buy him a pint to have him tell you all this stuff? he asked. Then youd have to remember everything he tells you. Getting to work All this advice and instruction means nothing unless the student is willing to work hard to accomplish her goals, something that doesnt escape Lofgren. The lessons are shortcuts, but the real work comes when the computer is off and the musician is alone working. Lofgren offers almost constant encouragement during his lessons, telling his viewers that it took him months of constant playing to learn how to play difficult barre chords. His mantra is to practice, practice, practice, and when its not fun, stop and relax. Dude, even Jimi Hendrix had to practice. Michael Jordan and Larry Bird showed up three hours early to practice and shoot free throws, he said. Its not an accident and you cant skip the work of practicing in any profession. But you can mix it with enjoyment to keep the whole adventure fun if you have a good teacher and Im just trying to be that guy. Contact Rod Lockwood at rlockwood@theblade.com or 419-724-6159.

New works expand readers horizons
Several new books offer a glimpse into lives that differ from our own. Others offer unique insights into the creative process. Happy exploring!
FOUR FEET, TWO SANDALS. Written by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed. Illustrated by Doug Chayka. Eerdmans. $17. Ages 7-10. Lina and Feroza meet in a refugee camp in Peshawar in Pakistan, a city on the Afghanistan border. Each of the girls finds one yellow and one blue sandal four feet, two shoes. They decide to share the sandals and soon become friends. When Linas family leaves for America she takes one sandal to remind her of the friend she left behind. Both story and illustrations capture the uncertainties of life in a refugee camp as well as the courage and sense of hope demonstrated by even the youngest refugees. TWO BOBBIES: A TRUE STORY OF HURRICANE KATRINA, FRIENDSHIP, AND SURVIVAL. Written by Kirby Lawson and Mary Nethery. Illustrated by Jean Cassels. Walker. $16.99. Ages 4-8. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Bobbi, the dog, and his feline companion, Bob Cat, were left to fend for themselves. Eventually they came to a job site and a construction worker who fed them. He took them to a shelter, where the two refused to be separated. Volunteers observing them realized that Bob Cat was blind. The two needed a new home together, and that, too, was an adventure. Children will admire these survivors and the humans who cared for them.
BATS AT THE LIBRARY. Written and illustrated by Brian Lies. Houghton Mifflin. $16. Ages 4-8. As they swoop through the evening skies, the bats are delighted to find an open window at the library. They try out the copy machine and the water fountain. But the highlight of their visit is a story hour! As they listen they are transported to other times and other lives. Children will recognize characters from many familiar stories. Too soon the skies brighten and the bats must leave. The illustrations capture the joy of this adventure. Dragon Flight. Written by Jessica Day George. Bloomsbury. $16.95. Ages 10-14. Creel is a seamstress who counts among her friends a prince and several dragons. When Creel learns a neighboring kingdom is planning an invasion and a dragon war, she contacts Shardas and Velika, king and queen of the dragons. Creel and her friends outwit the invaders and bring peace to the kingdom. Lots of action and intrigue! (A sequel to Dragon Slippers.) The Fortunes of Indigo Skye. Written by Deb Caletti. Simon & Schuster. $15.99. Ages 12 and up. How would you react if someone gave you $2.5 million? Would it change your life or goals? Meet Indigo Skye, high school senior, waitress, and recipient of a $2.5 million tip. Indigo is determined not to let the money change her values. However, others in her life have big plans for the money. Readers will be impressed with Indigos strength and maturity. Oodles of Animals. Written and illustrated by Lois Ehlert. Harcourt. $17. Ages 3-7. Ehlert introduces sixty-four of her favorite animals with playful rhymes. The illustrations are colorful collage using only nine shapes. This book provides an excellent stepping stone for children to create their own rhymes and illustrations using the same shapes Ehlert selected. Youll need scissors, glue and lots of colored paper.

Sounds: John Mayer's live disc showcases his range
WHERE THE LIGHT IS: JOHN MAYER LIVE IN LOS ANGELES John Mayer (Columbia) Live albums can be many things, from career-defining to a dreary repetition of hit songs minus the saving grace of studio production. And occasionally they shed new light on an artist, exposing manifold facets of their talent, bringing a fresh appreciation for their songs and performance.
The latter is the case with Mayer's 2-CD set.
The first disc comprises a five-song acoustic set and an eight-song set with the John Mayer Trio. Disc Two is nine tracks featuring several from his Grammy-winning "Continuum" album as Mayer fronts a full band.
The acoustic set establishes his bona fides as a versatile and fluid guitarist as well as a singer with a nicely emotional, sometimes raspy quality to his voice. That's a feeling reinforced in his trio set that includes blues workouts such as the standard "Everyday I Have The Blues'' and also a version of Hendrix's "Bold As Love."
The full-band set allows Mayer to stretch out on guitar, mixing up fluid solos, chunky riffs, and both blues and rock stylings. It also permits a focus to be put on his chops as a singer on songs that have melody and musical punch in about equal measure.
"Where The Light Is" is a fine live CD - and a good overview of Mayer's musical range. But more than anything, it sets an exclamation point on his trifecta of abilities as guitarist, songwriter, and singer.
- RICHARD PATON
SKIN DEEP Buddy Guy (Zomba) Chicago-style blues guitar giant Buddy Guy comes out firing so fast and hard on his latest release that he puts the rest of the 11 songs on "Skin Deep" in jeopardy of being let-downs.
Not to worry, though. Despite the scorched-earth assault of "Best Damn Fool," which features a series of down and dirty solos and a smoking blues funk drive, Guy maintains his grip and produces another stellar album.
Working with guest artists Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Eric Clapton, and Robert Randolph, Guy never cedes his alpha guitarist status despite their star power. In fact, with the exception of Tedeschi and Clapton, who take some vocal turns, it's hard to recognize the contributions of anyone but Guy.
He might be 62 years old, but there's no stutter in his step, and songs like "Show Me the Money," "Lyin' Like A Dog," and the ode to all the blues greats who've come before him, "Who's Gonna Fill Those Shoes" are a testament to experience over youth.
- ROD LOCKWOOD
WHISKEY THOUGHTS Greta Gaines (Justice Records) Gaines brings an unusual list of accomplishments to her career as singer/songwriter/television host. She became a world-champion snowboarder and well-known fly fisherman by day while she honed her singing skills in the evenings in bars in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Later, she was the host of shows on MTV and ESPN2, using her own musical creations as theme songs.
Now she's placing the emphasis on her singing career, dipping deep into an extensive repertoire of her own songs. Gaines describes her music as hippie country, Southern rock, and that pretty much covers it. Her voice moves from smooth and sultry to a smoky growl, mixing rootsy blues with the country and the rock.
The dozen numbers here don't fall neatly in any sort of traditional category. They're quintessential Gaines, which means unique and completely non-establishment. It's those qualities that make it worth a listen. You can pour a shot of "Whiskey Thoughts" in stores this week.
- KEN ROSENBAUM
BLUE CRESCENT Dr. Michael White (Basin Street Records) Whatever happened to great Dixieland? It's in fine hands with Dr. Michael White, a clarinetist born and raised in New Orleans, whose near-perfect tone is so soothing and soul-nourishing that it gets deep inside your bones.
White teaches African-American music with an emphasis on jazz at Xavier University. A musicologist who collects books and antique musical instruments, he was among those devastated by Hurricane Katrina, not only financially but also in terms of the irreplaceable art and research archives he lost.
This is his comeback recording. Rather than being maudlin, he wanted to celebrate the survival and timelessness of New Orleans jazz with a bit of a modern tempo. The album has verve and passion that go beyond the ordinary.
Among the most memorable songs are a pair of hymns, "Sunday Morning" and "He Leads Me On This Journey," as well as more traditional-sounding dirges. The disc features a dozen well-done original compositions, plus two standards, "St. Louis Blues" and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?"
Those joining him include trumpeters Nicholas Payton and Gregory Stafford, as well as drummer Jason Marsalis.
- TOM HENRY

'The Recruiter' focuses on sergeant, 4 students
The time immediately following high school can be a challenging one for young adults. There are plenty of decisions to be made by these 17 and 18-year-olds, and those decisions can affect the rest of their lives.
They can enter the workforce, if they're fortunate enough to find a job.
They can enroll in college, if they're fortunate enough to have the grades, and the money.
Or they can join the military, and if they're fortunate, they won't get maimed - or killed - in the line of duty.
After five years of a bloody war in Iraq that's stretched the military's manpower levels almost to the breaking point, a career in uniform might not seem like the best choice to many young people. It's no great surprise, then, that the U.S. Army is faced with a recruiting crisis the likes of which it's never seen. A compelling new documentary on HBO follows a top Army recruiter as he tries to persuade high school students that enlisting in the service is not only their patriotic duty, but in many cases the ticket to a better life.
The Recruiter, which debuts Monday at 9 p.m., focuses on Sgt. Clay Usie, a tough combat veteran and one of the most successful Army recruiters in the country. Usie is stationed in his hometown of Houma, La., a rundown coastal area of shrimpers and oil riggers outside of New Orleans. Jobs are few and prospects for young people are bleak in Houma, which helps explain why the area has long been a fertile recruiting ground for the military.
It's Usie's job to connect with high school students in Houma, and he excels at the task, serving as mentor, father figure, role model, and friend to many of them. And while there's no doubt that the charismatic career soldier has mastered the art of subtle manipulation, there doesn't seem to be a trace of cynicism or insincerity in the man. Instead, you get the feeling that this gung-ho guy is genuinely bursting with patriotic pride, and honestly believes in what he's doing.
"I don't have quotas," he explains at one point. "I have a mission to defend my nation. I recruit your Army, and whether you support me or not, I defend you."
The documentary spotlights Usie's relationships with four high school seniors that he's identified as likely recruits. Three of them - Matt, Chris, and Lauren - hope to use the Army as a way out of Houma, while Bobby is an honor student whose father is distressed at his choice of the military over college.
"He sees the military as an adventure," says the dad, a veteran himself. "I don't know if any 18-year-old realizes the end of his life could be around the corner in Iraq."
As if to illustrate that naivet, Chris easily shrugs off the dangers that he'll likely be facing a few months down the road. "Iraq ain't no big deal," he says without a hint of bravado. "There's only two things that's guaranteed in your lifetime: You're gonna be born and you're gonna die, and when you die is not your decision."
Usie's job is made tougher at one point by the deaths of six National Guardsmen from the Houma area in a roadside bombing in Baghdad, at the time the most devastating single incident involving a National Guard unit in Iraq. Soon after that, he's at a high school career night, and when it's his turn to speak, the assembly room quickly empties before he can utter a word.
Usie shows up at the Guardsmen's funerals to assure the families that their loved ones didn't die in vain, and that "we're not going to quit." Later, he even makes a gentle recruiting pitch to one of the victims' younger brothers.
The recruiter gets deeply involved with his would-be soldiers, working out with them in preparation for basic training, and even serving as best man at Matt's wedding. All four of Usie's targets eventually enlist and head off to boot camp, and the film follows them there, where they come to realize that all of Usie's lofty talk of pride, brotherhood, and love of country hasn't prepared them for the intense physical and emotional demands that they are forced to face as soldiers.
Each of the four responds differently, and a postscript to the documentary updates the status of the four recruits since filming ended. One was wounded twice in Iraq, another is on a second tour there, one is a Green Beret operating in "an undisclosed location," and one went AWOL and is now back in Houma, working in a fast-food restaurant.
Given its subject matter, The Recruiter is as evenhanded as one could imagine. It doesn't judge the war, or the people who fight it, or even the man whose job it is to convince impressionable young people that their best bet in life is a "career" that could bring them face to face with sudden death a world away.
Viewers are left to make those judgments themselves.

Game Review: Clash of the Titans
Have you ever wanted to smash something?
Like when your body has been bombarded with some radioactive chemicals, leaving you with a mild skin condition and an anger management problem. Or maybe youre a demon having to deal with the stress of saving the world from apocalyptic destruction again after having just saved it a few weeks ago! You know, its times like these that get a guy angry. So why dont we just relax and play some games. Lets take a closer look at Hellboy: The Science of Evil, with his big fist of hellfire, and The Incredible Hulk, with his green guns of radioactive muscle. Both games were released in conjunction with movies, and The Hulk does a fair job of following the movie plot with a little extra thrown in for filler. Hellboy has a title and plot completely different from the movie. The plot wasnt terrible, but if youre looking for a companion to the film you might want to pray for a miracle. Both games come from companies with a history of top-quality games. Hellboy: The Science of Evil was spawned by Konami and The Incredible Hulk owes its rage to Sega.
Both are giants in the industry. Game play The playing structure and camera angles are similar in both. Like many games in the genre you get your hero in the middle of the screen. The Hulk wins out here, however, because the camera stays close behind him at all times. Hellboy gets a lot smaller when in the distance which can make fighting a bit trying. While the pan camera effect in The Hulk takes a little getting used to at first, it far surpasses the panning in Hellboy, which is barely a head-turn. Character control The controls for the heroes are similar, and it is easy in either to figure them out without reading the instructions. But easy doesnt always equate to good The Hulk is just way more fun to play. He can charge a super jump and soar skyward, clinging to the sides of buildings to make his way, like a gorilla, across the concrete jungle. Free-falling from the tops of the tallest buildings is a huge blast, as you anticipate the inevitable smash that follows. Hellboy has two speeds: slow and slower. You do a lot of walking in the game, in contrast to the action-packed movie. Jumping is rather boring, but you get a firearm. Not a real smasher, but effective. Theres no real difference in pulling off powerful combo moves because they are well designed in both games, with equally satisfactory results. The same can be said for the enemies. Well done in both. Both characters are extremely powerful, sweeping through the smaller foes so easily its a sin. But when it really comes to stress relief, The Hulk delivers a much more powerful punch. The ground shakes when he jumps and brings down the green thunder, and he can bring down buildings with a few good punches. And I dont mean small buildings, I mean any building in New York. Want to smash the Empire State Building? By all means, pound away. In fact, theres not much he cant destroy. Hellboy smashes a lot of stuff with his Hell-fi st, but it takes about as many hits for him to open a door as it does the Hulk to take down a whole building. Smashing was mostly pointless in both games, but as The Hulk you really do it with flair. Theres a certain skill in slinging a two-ton car or piece of rubble around like a baseball bat. And nobody does it better than The Hulk. Both characters can pick up enemies and either punish them or hurl them into the foggy distance. This might be the most fun skill for both characters, serving as a reminder of their comic books roots, where heroes are depicted knee-deep in bad guys, with one fi st cocked and loaded while the other hand clutches the enemys neck. Graphics, sound, animation The graphics in both games are impressive for the characters but dull in the background images. They are not horrible, just not what you would expect from two movie games that feature so much computer-generated graphics. The cut-scene animations are also adequate and feature the voice-over of their actor counterparts, Ron Perlman for Hellboy and Edward Norton for The Hulk. But both games fell a little short here because the dialogue in The Hulk felt much too scripted, and the chatter in Hellboy just wasnt witty enough, compared with the film version. The background music for both was rather dull and seemed out of place with the movies. Overall The Hulk towers over Hellboy, with its superior smashing power and game play. So if you want to save the world again, Hellboy is a devil of a game. But if you really want to get your smash on, grab a controller and release that green rage, because just like you Hulk like to SMASH!

KATIE HOLMES IS BROADWAY BOUND
From left, Diane Wiest, John Lithgow, Katie Holmes, and Patrick Wilson pose for a cast photo to promote their upcoming Broadway production of Arthur Millers All My Sons.
The show opens for previews Sept. 18 and has an official opening for its limited run Oct. 16, closing Jan. 11. The play concerns businessman Joe Keller (Lithgow) whose factory supplied defective cylinder parts to the military, resulting in the deaths of 21 pilots during World War II. Yet it was his business partner who went to jail for the mistake. Wiest will play Kellers wife; Wilson, his idealistic son; and native Toledoan Holmes, the sons fiancee and daughter of Kellers disgraced partner. The director is Simon McBurney.

Baked goods at the fair lead to a sweet experience
Judging baked goods at the Lucas County Fair was a very sweet experience last Monday, the day before the fair opened.
Once the entry deadline of 6 p.m. passed, the Green Arts & Crafts Building was closed to the public so the judging could begin.
Pam Weirauch, owner of Pam's Corner restaurant at 116 10th St. in downtown Toledo, and I set about tasting and judging cookies, cakes, quick breads, muffins, pies, candy, and decorated cakes, as well as the special contests for Decorated Party Cupcakes, Best Ever Apple Crisp, and 150th Lucas County Fair Anniversary Cake.
Other judges did the Canned Goods and the Table Setting for Two categories, which were displayed adjacent to the baked goods. The latter contest is a great addition to the displays.
We started with cookies, which included snickerdoodles and chocolate chip, molasses, oatmeal, peanut butter, and undecorated sugar cookies. Each entry was numbered; we had no idea who made the items. One of the sugar cookies and the lovely, delicious lemon bar entry were among our favorites. But a couple of the molasses cookies are embedded in my memory as well.
After that we tackled brownies, chocolate cake, pound cake, pumpkin bread, and muffins, which included blueberry and cranberry. There also was a sweet yeast bread. We judged fudge, which included chocolate and peanut butter. Then it was on to the peanut brittle (which was an excellent product), rock candy, chocolate-covered, and other candy, which included a white chocolate bark.
Based on appearance, texture, taste, and originality of the baked goods, we awarded first place, second place, and third place when deserved. We looked for doneness and color, and flavors that were true to the product. Some items had little surprises, like the banana bread that had pineapple in it, and the pound cake that had a lovely hint of lemon.
Then it was on to the pies, which included pecan and a pretty banana cream with blackberries. The special contest for Best Ever Apple Crisp had adult and youth divisions. The youth winner was just as good as the adult division winner. "I thought [that entry] had more flavor and the topping was excellent," says Ms. Weirauch, who noted there were more entries this year than in the past.
Entries for the Decorated Party Cupcakes and the 150th Lucas County Fair Anniversary Cake were ambitious and creative.
When Ms. Weirauch and I left the building fully sugared, we did not learn the winners' names, but by opening day each item was identified with the maker's name and is placed in a display case. Entries are on display at the fair until 7 p.m. today.
"I liked the variety this year," says Ms. Weirauch. "Consider entering next year if you have recipes that your friends and family rave about."
Dennis Lange, member of the Lucas County Fair Board, says there was also more interest in canned goods, antiques, collections, produce, and photos this year. He and Kathy Long, director, were in charge of the Arts & Crafts Building.
Three food products were selected winners in the Celebrate Toledo's Specialty Foods Product Development Competition.
Pause for Chocolate, owned by Shirley Pollman of Sylvania, makes a chocolate pizza that is sold at farmers' markets.
Ski's Polish-American Restaurant owner Jack Sparagowski of Sylvania hopes to market his signature sauerkraut balls to grocery stores, specialty food shops, other restaurants, and on the Internet.
Magic Wok, represented by Annie Pipatjarasgit of Toledo, hopes to market the Sweet and Sour Sauce which is one of the top three menu items at the eight-unit restaurant chain.
There were 18 applicants and 17 formal presentations with a "very good diverse group of products," said Rebecca Singer of the Center for Innovative Food Technology which promoted the competition with the Northwest Ohio Restaurant Association. The contest involved a written application and a presentation to a panel of judges who were experienced in the food industry.
The winners are awarded free direct business and technical assistance to make their products in larger quantities; product and process development; shelf stability testing; labeling assistance; regulatory assistance, and batch product preparation for sampling.
"We would love to see them on the market yet this year, but it's hard to predict," said Ms. Singer. "It's exiting. I was thrilled to see the ideas that came in."
The Epicurean Classic will be Sept. 11-13 at Northwest Michigan College's Great Lakes Culinary Institute in Traverse City. Guest artisans and authors include Kim Sunee, author of Trail of Crumbs; cookbook author Joyce Goldstein; cheese expert Laura Werlin; former International Association of Culinary Professionals' Cooking Teacher of the Year Raghavan Iyer, and and cookbook author Martha Foose. Also participating is Don Yamauchi, formerly executive chef of the Detroit MGM Grand Michael Mina restaurants and now executive chef at Forte in Birmingham, Mich.
There are expanded onsite demonstration and tasting venues, and a new day pass for $129 or $229 for both days. For event details and to register, visit www.epicureanclassic.com.
Kathie Smith is The Blade's food editor.
Contact her at:
food@theblade.com or 419-724-6155.

Possum with no name will be missed
I had never given it a name, which is unusual for me. I name everything from boats and cars to houses, but just as I was thinking up something appropriate, it was over.
The possum died.
Now I hate referring to the animal as an "it" instead of having a name. I don't even know if it was male or female. For several months the animal, so ugly it was cute, came up on my front porch at dusk or a little later. It was suppertime, and I rarely disappointed it.
Our friendship, made through the window, became special to me, which probably only proves how exciting life at Posey Lake is. More than once I saw the possum walking slowly from the field across the road and down the length of my two-acre yard. Then there would be considerable hesitation before it sensed it was the right moment to ascend the porch steps.
I don't know if it ever really saw me through those tiny slanted eyes, but I am sure that he knew there was a friend with food. That is one reason I felt sad when I found the possum dead next to the front porch. That afternoon I was surprised to see it on the porch nosing around as if for something to eat. Then it went down the steps and I believe under the porch. I quickly got two pieces of bread and tossed it where I thought he would see the food. The bread had disappeared the next time I checked.
A few hours later, when I went out on the porch to take it some food, there it was, on its side. Could the possum be playing possum? They do lie on their sides to feign death and hang their tongues out. No, it was not.
Of course my first thought, or hope, was that he didn't die of hunger or thirst. That afternoon it had acted strangely, as if disoriented. If it ate on other porches in the neighborhood it could have been poisoned.
I will never know, but Dr. Nancy, our vet, said that if a possum is out wandering in the afternoon it probably is sick. It could have had rabies, although information from the Missouri Department of Conservation states that possums rarely get rabies. Our vet added that of all the animals in the kingdom, a possum would not be her favorite, or her choice for a pet.
It wasn't a pet. It was just an animal I enjoyed helping, knowing it could go back wherever it lived with food in its belly. Don't bother to e-mail me that possums can be mean. I know that, but they also get hungry, and they are interesting.
There is no doubt in my mind that it came to my door that afternoon for help. No, I am not crazy enough about wild animals that I would have picked it up or even touched it, but I could have given it some water or milk.
Now a large stray gray cat has taken over the possum's dish, and it too comes on the porch at dusk. The cat is not nearly as charming as the blonde possum, but if it is hungry, my porch is always open.

Ridding cat of fleas can be long process
DEAR DR. THOMPSON: My cat had fleas last year and I am starting to see them again. I have seen a treatment which is applied to the back of the neck. How does this work? Is it absorbed into the blood or does it gradually disperse along the skin? Any inform ANSWER: For anyone who has battled a flea problem, the old adage about an ounce of prevention rings very true. Once fleas become established they are very difficult to eliminate from the house or environment. Each flea you see on your cat only represents less than 5 percent of the various life stages living on or around your cat. The treatments you describe are absorbed into your pet's skin and typically diffuse along through the oil glands. There are also very effective oral flea preventives.
Fleas can cause terribly itchy skin conditions, and the secondary infections that can develop are difficult to clear. Many of the animals I see are literally chewing or biting themselves raw from the allergic reaction to the flea bites. In cats it can also spread a serious blood parasite that leads to a life-threatening anemia.
You have to be very careful about what treatments you use for fleas. Cats are extremely sensitive to a family of chemicals called permethrins, which are the main component of flea collars and dips. Many over-the-counter topical flea treatments also may have this ingredient. It can cause depression, tremors, or even full-blown seizures that require days in the hospital to control until the chemical is out of your cat's system.
The other common mistake is not treating the pet long enough to eliminate infestation. The eggs the fleas lay in the environment can lie dormant for an extended period of time, depending on environmental conditions. March through November is the bare minimum pets should be on flea prevention in our area. The key word is prevention.
Ask your veterinarian for recommendations on how to clear the flea infestation and have your cat examined if he is intensely itchy and has scabs or hair loss. These may require treatment, and she may prescribe something to help with the itching or infection. The newer generation of flea prevention and treatment is light years ahead of what was available previously.
DEAR DR. THOMPSON: My dog has gone through several blood tests, an ultrasound, and one urine test and the vet determined last week that she has Cushing's disease. Medication has been prescribed, Lysodren. Should I get a second opinion before starting her ANSWER: The process you are describing is typical of what often is involved in accurately diagnosing Cushing's disease, and it sounds like you are in good hands. However, the important point is that if you ever are concerned about the process or disease your pet has been diagnosed with, ask your veterinarian.
If needed, ask for some referrals for a second opinion. Not every veterinarian may have a comfort level with a specific disease, but he or she will gladly give you names of veterinarians who are. If you encounter a veterinarian who is not willing to send you to anyone for a second opinion, that should be cause for alarm. However, in my experience in our area, that is highly unlikely.
Questions for Dr. Thompson can be e-mailed to askthevet@theblade.com or mailed to The Blade, Attn. Ask the Vet, 541 North Superior St., Toledo, OH 43660. Dr. Thompson regrets that he cannot answer individual letters.

Young star fights to get it right
When you see him up on stage, Blaine Larsen looks really young.
And he really IS young.
He's 22 years old, yet he's been around country music radio for four years, ever since he released "How Do You Get That Lonely," a song addressing the subject of teen suicide.
Whispers started immediately that the traditionalist from Tacoma, Wash., could be the next George Strait. Then his second album tanked.
"I think I made a good record. It was miserable to make, and somehow it comes across in the music," Larsen says from aboard his bus recently at the Country Concert in Fort Loramie.
He brushes his hand through his blond hair, trying to delicately explain what happened.
"It was just frustrating. I had all kinds of problems with the guy producing it," he says without naming names. Two men had producing credits on the album: Tim Johnson and Rory Lee Feek.
Yeah, he's been bumped and bruised by the music business already in his young life, but the George Strait comparisons are legitimate. At Country Concert last month, he sang "Baby You Get Me," a track that will likely be on his upcoming album. It was Strait-like, delivered in a smooth, powerful voice. He even has a similar stage presence to his hero. He doesn't dance around. He just sings.
Larsen grins upon hearing the comparisons.
"When I saw [Strait's] Pure Country when I was 9 or 10, I didn't even know I could make a living in music. But I said, 'I could probably do that.' When I finally got to meet him, I was more nervous than anyone else I've met."
And despite the problems with his last album, Larsen isn't straying from his belief that a traditional sound is where he needs to be.
"It's what I would call real, straight-up country music, and it's hard to find. That's the record I'm trying to make. Sonically and musically, it's where I want to be. Sometimes," he says with a shrug, "you've got to fight for it."
And sometimes that means making sacrifices. Except for a few shows, he's been staying off the road, locking himself in the studio. He's finished six tracks, will probably cut six more, and is hoping to have an album in stores by the first quarter of next year. A single could be on the radio by later this year.
"I'm young, I've got time on my side. I had to find the right guy to produce the record."
And he thinks he did in Jimmy Ritchey, who produced Jake Owen's successful debut album.
"He's from Seattle, so we have a lot in common. He just has this love for country music. We've been rocking right along," Larsen says. "This time around it's taking longer to make, but I'm making the record I want to make. So far I'm really proud of it."
And maybe he's being overly dramatic for a 22-year-old, but he believes this might be one of his last shots to get it right.
"I've got a songwriter buddy who says, 'This is plan A, B, and C.' That's me too. This is the only thing I can do. I've got to work hard to make it happen."

Al Gore's hypocrisy
FORMER Vice President Al Gore and his entourage arrived at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., on July 17 for his speech on global warming in a caravan consisting of two Lincoln Town Cars and a Chevrolet Suburban - not the most fuel-efficient vehicles Detroit ever made. "The driver of the Town Car that eventually whisked away Gore's wife and daughter left the engine idling and the AC cranking for 20 minutes before they finally left," noted Mark Block of Americans for Prosperity.
Mr. Gore wants you to do as he says, not as he does. The Tennessee Center for Policy Research reported last month that Mr. Gore used as much electricity last year at his mansion in Nashville - one of four homes he owns - as 19 average American homes do. Mr. Gore frequently travels between his homes and to speaking engagements by private jet - which, on a per passenger basis, emits four times the greenhouse gases of a commercial jet.
In his speech at Constitution Hall, Mr. Gore called for a crash program to convert the entire U.S. electric grid to carbon-free sources of energy within 10 years. That's "ridiculous," said Sen. George Voinovich (R., Ohio).
To get an idea of how ridiculous, consider this data from the Energy Information Administration. In 2006 (the last year for which complete data is available), 49 percent of our electricity was generated by coal-fired plants; 20 percent from natural gas, and 1.5 percent from oil. That is, more than 70 percent of all the electricity we have now is generated by the fossil fuels Mr. Gore wants to get rid of.
Of the remainder, two thirds is generated by nuclear plants (19 percent). They do not emit greenhouse gases, but Mr. Gore doesn't want to increase our reliance on nuclear power. He wants to re