Fasting is, without any doubt, the most effective biological method of treatment

The Significance of Ramadan and Fasting:

Allah says in the Quran: 'O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, even as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may attain God-consciousness. (2:183)

"In the month of Ramadan, the Quran, a book of guidance with proofs of guidance distinguishing right from wrong, was revealed. Therefore, whoever of you is present in that month let him fast. But who is ill or on a journey shall fast a similar number of days later on. Allah desires your well-being, not your discomfort. He desires you to fast the whole month so that you may magnify Him and render thanks to Him for giving you His guidance." 2:185

Accordingly, the month of Ramadan is called the month of the Quran; therefore, Muslims have tradition of reciting Quran frequently in this month.

Sawm or Fasting:

Sawm means a fast that begins with dawn and ends with sunset. Muslims rise before dawn, eat Suhur (pre-dawn meal) and drink liquids for the preparation of Sawm (fasting). Eating and drinking stops at dawn. During the day no eating, drinking or sexual activity is allowed. In addition, a Muslim must adhere to the moral code of Islam very strictly as failure violates the requirements of fasting.

Fasting in the month of Ramadan is one of the deeds of worship required of all Muslims who have attained puberty. Women who are having their menstrual period or who have not fully recovered from childbirth, postpone the fast until they are completely out of their special conditions. In addition, those who are ill or in travel may choose to postpone their fast.

Muslims fast because Allah has commanded them to do so. However, they may also think about the benefits of fasting which may include developing control over hunger, thirst and sexual urges, training to be a good moral person and, testing sincerity to the Creator. During the fast, Muslims may conduct their business as usual. However, in the Muslim countries working hours are shortened by a couple of hours a day and the hours are changed to make the work comfortable.

The fast is broken immediately after sunset, usually by eating dates and drinking water or juice. However, any lawful food or drink may be used to break the fast. This is followed by the Maghrib salah (after sunset prayer) which is followed by a complete meal. After a brief rest, Muslims go to the mosque to offer the Isha salah (night prayer) and then a special night prayer, called Taraweeh.

fasting and health

after long experiments and research, fasting has been proved as a cure to many of the body diseases or at least improved the body health, in these two studies we focus on the importance of fasting and in the same time a patient must consult his doctor before fasting .

Every patient carries her or his own doctor inside."--Albert Schweitzer, M.D., 1875-1965, Alsatian medical missionary, theologian and musician

"Everyone has a doctor in him or her; we just have to help it in its work. The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well. Our food should be our medicine. Our medicine should be our food. But to eat when you are sick, is to feed your sickness."--Hippocrates, M.D., 460-377 B.C., Father of Western Medicine

"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest her or his patients in the care of the human frame, in a proper diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease."--Thomas Edison, 1847-1931, America's greatest inventive mind (patented 1093: light bulb, phonograph, microphone, carbon telephone transmitter, motion-picture camera, et. al.)



As Michael Rosenbaum, M.D., Director of the California-based Orthomolecular Health Medicine Medical Society, notes: "The hidden cause of many chronic pains, diseases and illnesses may be invisible toxins, chemicals, heavy metals and parasites that invade our bodies. . . .Chances are slim that your doctor will tell you that toxins may be the root cause of your health problems. He or she may not even know about how these toxins are affecting your body. . . .As your cells go, so goes your health. If your cells have been invaded by toxins and dangerous chemicals, your resistance to disease is diminished. Clean and nourish your cells, and you're on the road to better health."

Fasting - an "operation without surgery"

"Fasting is, without any doubt, the most effective biological method of treatment... it is the 'operation without surgery'... it is a cure involving exudation, reattunement, redirection, loosening up and purified relaxation. While fasting, the patient improves her or his physical health and gains much. But he or she will have neglected the most important thing if the hunger for spiritual nourishment that manifests itself during fasting is not satisfied." said Otto Buchinger, Sr., M.D., Germany's great, self-described "fasting therapist," who founded the most famous of several renowned, European Buchinger Kliniks in 1952.

Prolonged, scientific fasting has proven itself, over several thousand years, as humanity's oldest, fastest and most effective weight-loss, detoxification, healing and longevity-enhancing modality known to mankind - both curative, as well as preventive - and here are the reasons why:

Just as hibernating bears and migrating whales, as well as much smaller beings, including caterpillars, salmon,hedgehogs, snakes, salamanders, spiders, turtles, tadpoles and woodchucks, do live for many months each year without eating, your body is brilliantly designed to live on its own stored substances. Similarly, during skillful, therapeutic and prolonged juice-fasts (and every reputable fasting book today begins with a warning that noone should ever undertake a prolonged fast without professional supervision, initially), your body will brilliantly live on its own stored substance via "autolysis", or autodigestion. Marvelously, the body decomposes and burns all the cells and tissue which are aged, damaged, diseased, weakened or dead.


Autodigestion during fasting

During fasting, your body will "autolyze", or self-digest, its most inferior and impure materials and metabolic wastes, including: fat deposits, abcesses, dead and dying cells, bumps and protuberances, damaged tissue, calluses, furuncles (small skin abscesses, or boils), morbid accumulations, growths, and amazingly, various kinds of neoplasms (abnormal growths of tissue, or tumors). In "Fasting and eating for health", Joel Fuhrman, M.D., notes, p. 10: "The fast does not merely detoxify; it also breaks down superfluous tissue - fat, abnormal cells, atheromatous plaque, and tumors--and releases diseased tissues and their cellular products into the circulation for elimination. Toxic or unwanted materials circulate in our bloodstream and lymphatic tissues, and are deposited in and released from our fat stores and other tissues. An important element of fasting detoxification is mobilizing the toxins from their storage areas."
Fasting gives your digestive system a rest

For perhaps the first time in your entire life, fasting affords a physiological rest to the digestive, assimilative and protective organs of your body. Fresh fruit and vegetable juices require little digestion, and are quickly assimilated from the upper digestive tract. Therefore, most of the 10% of bodily energy normally involved in your mastication, assimilation, digestion, and elimination is freed up. This is another reason you'll feel more - not less - energy throughout properly-done juice-fasting - unlike the physically debilitating weakness water-fasters experience.

Additionally, these many fruit and vegetable juices all supply excellent energy, minerals, vitamins, live enzymes, and other nutrients necessary to enhance health during the fast. By providing much of the body's daily caloric needs with easily-digested juices, the release of toxins from the fat cells is much more gentle and gradual.

Scientific fasting enhances longevity, as Doctor Fuhrman notes in "Fasting and eating for health", p. 27: "If we restrict the calories an animal can eat, by underfeeding it or periodically fasting it, we can significantly prolong its life. In fact, periodically fasting animals can double their natural life span.(1,2)

Today, every intelligent Cybernaut understands that a greater degree of health, clarity of consciousness, restored vitality, enhanced spirituality, and freedom from premature aging and dis-ease are well worth the effort required to achieve them.

As Michael Rosenbaum, M.D., Director of the California-based Orthomolecular Health Medicine Medical Society, notes: "The hidden cause of many chronic pains, diseases and illnesses may be invisible toxins, chemicals, heavy metals and parasites that invade our bodies. . . .Chances are slim that your doctor will tell you that toxins may be the root cause of your health problems. He or she may not even know about how these toxins are affecting your body. . . .As your cells go, so goes your health. If your cells have been invaded by toxins and dangerous chemicals, your resistance to disease is diminished. Clean and nourish your cells, and you're on the road to better health."

Wonderfully, scientific fasting is both therapeutic or curative, as well as prophylactic or preventive. Therapeutically, according to Otto Buchinger, Sr., M.D., one of my greatest, unmet mentors of therapeutic fasting supervision, it's advisable for many of our modern illnesses, including the following: allergies, cardiovascular disease, chronic diseases of the digestive system, degenerative and painfully inflammatory illnesses of the joints, myriad disturbances in one's eating behavior, glaucoma, initial malfunction of the kidneys, tension and migraine headaches, as well as the skin diseases. Preventively, it's designed to cleanse, and to regenerate, rejuvenate and restore a person's sense of well-being, in body, mind and soul. As Doctor Buchinger would conclude: "When the body fasts, the soul is hungry; when the body becomes lighter, the soul also craves relief." Prophylacticly, fasting also actively guards against physical and mental fatigue or exhaustion.

"Fasting is, without any doubt, the most effective biological method of treatment. . .it is the 'operation without surgery'. . .it is a cure involving exudation, reattunement, redirection, loosening up and purified relaxation. While fasting, the patient improves her or his physical health and gains much. But he or she will have neglected the most important thing if the hunger for spiritual nourishment that manifests itself during fasting is not satisfied."--Otto Buchinger, Sr., M.D., Germany's great, self-described "fasting therapist," who founded the most famous of several renowned, European Buchinger Kliniks in 1952, serenely overlooking Lake Constance, in his eighth decade. His grandson, Andreas Buchinger, M.D., now directs the Buchinger Klinik in Bad Pyrmont, Germany. (Those requiring a residential facility may contact FCI for information regarding this renowned juice-fasting clinic.)

Author, journalist Dominick Dunne dead at 83

August 26, 2009 By JOHN ANDERSON. Special to Newsday

Author and journalist Dominick Dunne, gadfly of the celebrity courtroom and diarist of celebrity excess, died Wednesday in Manhattan after a battle with bladder cancer, according to his son, actor-producer Griffin Dunne. He was 83.

During his decades-long career covering high-profile murders, profiling the famous and mingling with high society, Dunne became something of a journalistic-literary enigma, whose persona bristled with righteous indignation, while wielding the kind of lofty connections, aerial perspective and undiluted opinions that made him a combination Walter Winchell and Marcel Proust.

As fate would have it, Dunne's death fell on the same day as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's. Dunne had crossed paths with the Kennedy family several times during his career, and with dramatic repercussions. A onetime intimate of Kennedy in-law Peter Lawford, Dunne had revived interest in the 1975 Martha Moxley murder through his novel "A Season in Purgatory" and was instrumental in helping make the case against another Kennedy relative, Michael Skakel, who was eventually convicted of the crime. Dunne also covered the William Kennedy Smith rape case in 1991 for Vanity Fair, the magazine with which he was associated for many years.

Dunne, brother of author John Gregory Dunne and brother-in-law of Joan Didion, was born in 1925 in Hartford, Conn., to a wealthy Irish Catholic family. He served in the Army during World War II, winning the Bronze Star for heroism in 1944 after carrying two wounded men to safety at the Battle of Merz, in Feisberg, Germany. He later wrote, "Winning a medal was the only thing I can ever remember doing that won any admiration from my father." He graduated from Williams College in 1949.Dunne was a novelist, a film producer, a TV executive and amateur prosecutor - Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Skakel's cousin, told New York magazine in 1993 that Dunne was a "pathetic creature" and had persecuted Skakel for his own aggrandizement. For his part, Dunne's motivation in pursuing the Moxley murder stemmed in part from the fact that Martha Moxley was killed Oct. 30 - seven years to the date before his own daughter, the actress Dominique Dunne, would be killed by an ex-boyfriend on her porch in West Hollywood.

Dunne's account of the trial of the man accused of Dominique's murder was his first article for Vanity Fair, which he joined in 1984 as a contributing editor and where he was named special correspondent in 1993. His coverage of the trials of O.J. Simpson, Phil Spector, Erik and Lyle Menendez, Skakel, Kennedy Smith, and the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, were unorthodox and decidedly unobjective. In 2005, Gary Condit won an undisclosed amount of money from Dunne, who had to apologize, after having implicated Condit in the disappearance of intern Chandra Levy, with whom he had been having an affair. In November 2006, he was sued again by Condit for comments made on CNN, but the suit was tossed.

Dunne profiled numerous personalities, among them Imelda Marcos, Robert Mapplethorpe and Elizabeth Taylor. His credits as a producer include TV's "Adventures in Paradise" and the movie, "The Boys in the Band," the pioneering drama about gay life. Two of his films, "The Panic in Needle Park" and "Play It As It Lays," were written or co-written by his brother John and Didion. But it is for his work covering the intersection of culture and crime he will likely be best remembered.

He is survived by two sons, Griffin and Alexander. Their mother, Ellen, who was divorced from Dunne, died in 1997.

LIers speak out on Miley Cyrus

August 10, 2009

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Lisa Mladinich, of Huntington is a writer and mother of a girl, 10.

"What we're seeing is not role models - we're seeing the media machine that destroys the innocence of young girls. It takes these talented girls who they portray as supposed role models and presents a distorted, even perverted, view of femininity. These images are shown under the pretense of giving young women power, when in fact it's exploitation."

Theresa Mladinich, 10, of Huntington.

"I like her songs, but not necessarily her. It's not just singing good that makes a good person. She's gotten a bit far-fetched. The only thing about her that I want to copy is her voice."

Veronica Farias, of Bellmore, is the mother of two boys, ages 7 and 12.

"I don't judge anybody on how they raise their children, as long as they don't touch my children, but still I don't like this stuff. I want my children to live the way they should at their ages, enjoy what they're supposed to enjoy while they are still young. I've lived here for 17 years. I'm from Chile, and this kind of thing that Miley did - it isn't done there.

Jim Schimmenti of Franklin Square, a landscaping contractor, is the father of three girls, ages 6, 9 and 11.

"It's something you get scared of. Girls look up to Miley; they want to mimic her. They grow up too fast as it is. You want to keep their innocence - let kids be kids as long as they can. I do realize that it's not going to effect how younger kids look at Miley - her 'Hannah Montana' show appeals to a much different audience. Now she must be trying to win over a broader, older audience."

Adrienne Mack of North Babylon is an administrative assistant and mother of two grown children as well as grandmother of two girls.

"Miley is so popular - I saw her on a morning show giving a concert in Manhattan and the crowd was huge. What she did on this Teen Choice Awards show was inappropriate; that's not the way to be a role model for girls, or boys, for that matter. Kids will see this on the Internet, even if they don't catch it on TV. You're trying to bring your children up in a wholesome way, but this society is messed up."

Kenneth Kaufman, a psychologist, director of the Institute of Behavioral Health in Commack.

"I saw the video, and I did feel there was some mild aggressiveness in the dancing and some screaming. When I went to Disney World with my grandchildren in April, I felt there was a lot of hitting and aggressiveness in a show there. This video is not as terrible as some things children are exposed to. I didn't think the way they were dressed was so inappropriate - it's no different than the way they dress on the beach."

Janet Olesen of Huntington is a music teacher and the mother of a boy, 12, and a girl, 10.

"I'm very disappointed because so many girls look up to Miley. I'm horrified that they're portraying a girl in that light. There aren't enough good role models, especially for girls. I don't know if Miley is being manipulated in order to reach a whole new audience or if she's initiating it, but either way it's wrong."

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Helicopters crashed in new jersey

Nine believed dead in Hudson River crash

August 8, 2009

Two bodies have been recovered in a midair helicopter-plane collision over the Hudson River that New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg called "not survivable" on Saturday afternoon.

Bloomberg said there were five Italian tourists and a pilot aboard the sightseeing helicopter and three people, including a child, aboard the small plane. He said other bodies have been spotted in the debris.

"This is not going to have a happy ending," Bloomberg said. He added that "this has changed from a rescue to a recovery mission." The crash sent debris from both aircraft into the water between Manhattan and New Jersey.

Divers are searching the water at the crash site, which is near West 14th Street in Manhattan, said Paul Browne, the New York Police Department's chief spokesman.

The helicopter belongs to Liberty Helicopter Sightseeing Tours, Browne said.

"It had taken off from West 30th Street heliport just prior to collision," said Jim Peters, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman.

The plane, a Piper PA-32, was flying south, bound for Ocean City, N.J., Peters said.

The plane had taken off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey heading south along the Hudson, Peters said, adding that the plane was owned by LCA Partnerships of Fort Washington, Pa. The chopper is a Eurocopter AS 350, the AP reported.

Deena Glanzberg, who is visiting from Miami and was having lunch with her son at a sidewalk cafe near Chelsea Market with a straight-shot view of the Hudson, said she saw the collision.

"The helicopter - it just stopped in midair. It was just a drop. It was not a big crash," Glanzberg said.

Referring to the chopper, she added: "It was just quiet - it was in the air, and then it went down very quietly."

Another witness who told the AP that he saw the crash from the shore in Hoboken, N.J., said the helicopter "dropped like a rock" and that the plane lost its wing. He said he heard a loud pop that sounded like a car backfire.

Browne, the police spokesman, said authorities have received reports of debris found on the New Jersey side of the river including a "tire that appears to have come from one of the aircraft."

A jogger told Newsday that she saw a body covered with a sheet lying on the pier near a staging area being used by rescuers.

Along the esplanade on the Manhattan side, dozens of bicyclists, runners and skaters stopped to watch the rescue efforts.

The Hudson River was the site of a miraculous emergency landing in January of this year in which a jetliner safely splash-landed on the water, and all 155 people aboard were rescued, after birds struck the plane.

And Saturday's crash wasn't the first time a chopper belonging to Liberty - whose Web site promises "a once in a lifetime experience" - has gone into the Hudson.

In July 2007, a sightseeing chopper crashed into the river between midtown and Weehawken, N.J. None of the eight people on board - the pilot and seven passengers - were injured.

Weeks later, smoke from a broken lightbulb forced a Liberty helicopter to make an emergency landing in Manhattan's Riverside Park.

Man shoots daughter, wife in murder-suicide

August 7, 2009

A man whose wife and daughter were moving away from the Roslyn Heights home where they had been living apart from him for the past year shot them and his mother-in-law Friday before turning the gun on himself, Nassau police said, in a bloodbath that rocked a quiet neighborhood.

The man's estranged wife was the sole survivor of the shotgun blasts that took her daughter and mother, and then her husband, police said.

A neighbor, her hands still trembling in shock hours later, described hearing terrifying sounds as she walked by the street.

"I heard three shots," said Ambreen Saleen, who was on her way to a cafe shortly after noon. "I tried to go home and get my cell phone and dial 911. I'm shaking. It's terrible."

Mohamed Shojaeifard, 49, who lived elsewhere in Roslyn Heights, apparently shot his mother in-law, Batool Biraman, 66, of Greenvale, his daughter, Mandana Shojaeifard, 17, and his estranged wife, Haleh Mohseni, 40, who both lived in the same Elm Street house, police said.

Mohamed Shojaeifard then turned the shotgun on himself, they said.

He and Biraman were found dead at the scene. Mandana Shojaeifard was taken to Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, where she later died.

Haleh Mohseni was in serious but stable condition Friday night. Det. Lt. Richard Laursen said her wounds were not life-threatening.

The couple had been estranged for about a year, Laursen said, adding that witnesses reported an argument at the home earlier in the day. He said the husband returned later carrying a case that may have contained the shotgun.

The couple were divorcing, Laursen said. Neighbor Leon Malinoski said he saw a moving truck in front of the house about 10 a.m. Friday.

Soon after the shooting, a relative of the victims ran past the police tape and screamed, "Oh, Jesus!" as police tried to comfort her.

Police blocked off the narrow street off Mineola Avenue as passersby looked at the home beyond the yellow tape.

Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey personally responded to the shootings. "It's very unusual that we have three, possibly four people shot dead," he said as he walked onto the crime scene.

Neighbors stood nearby in disbelief.

"I'm shocked that it would happen around here because we're pretty close around here," said Emanuel Elias, who said he lives on a nearby street. "Everybody's like family."

Saleen said she has lived in the area for 15 years but has never heard of such extreme violence there.

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levittown teens reach for the stars

Two Levittown Teens Reach for the Stars

In Nassau County Talent Search Competition

Levittown teens Daniel Brenner and Samantha Jo Siclari will be singing their hearts out at the 2009 Reach for the Stars Teen Talent Search on Aug. 8 at Eisenhower Park.

The annual competition, presented by Nassau County, is for solo vocal talent only. Twenty-five finalists were chosen from over 65 applicants. Winners will receive trophies, gift certificates and cash prizes.
“We are proud to be celebrating the seventh year of the Reach for the Stars Teen Talent Search,” Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi. “This program showcases the best in young vocal talent in Nassau County.”

Daniel Brenner

Daniel Brenner, 15, and a sophomore at Division Avenue High School is self-taught.
“I go on the computer on YouTube.com and look at Michael Jackson, Josh Groban and Declan Galbraith and practice,” he said. “I change the tone in my voice to match how it is.”
Brenner has competed in two similar competitions – LIPA’s Energy Star Idol and Division Idol. He won Division Idol with the song he’s singing at Reach for the Stars – You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban.
“What really got me into singing was the movie Oliver Twist,” he said. “The first time I saw it, I mimicked what they did, their British accents and the way that they sang. I was 7 or 8 and after my mom gave me some more songs to memorize and sing.”
A few years ago, Brenner performed while on a family cruise on a Carnival ship.
“The feeling was great and right then I knew I wanted to perform in front of people,” he added. “This past April I went on another cruise and played Ricky Martin in a show on the cruise.”
His mother, Cristina said Daniel “just has it in him.”
“It comes naturally,” she added.
Too young for American Idol try-out this year, Daniel said, “next year I’m definitely going to do it.”
Daniel is also involved in the school’s Drama Club and plays baseball for Levittown Central’s Dodgers team.

Samantha Jo Siclari

Samantha Jo Siclari, 13, and a student at Salk Middle School has been training since she was a second-grader. Her then-piano teacher informed parents, Theresa and Joseph of Samantha’s vocal ability.
“It makes me want to cry because she’s only 5-feet tall and this big voice comes out of such a small person,” Theresa Siclari said.
A 90-average student and Tri-M Honor Society member, Samantha also crams in chorus, orchestra and chamber choir into her school routine.
“Her whole life is music,” her mother said. “Her goal is to be a Broadway star or a singer/songwriter.”
Samantha writes her own music now, in addition to playing the piano, guitar and violin.
“Last year she had the lead in Bye, Bye Birdie at Salk,” her mother said.
An avid performer in the BroadHollow Theatre Company, Samantha has chosen to perform Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid.
Her parents said they are “proud that she has the ability to do this and she wants to do this.” They have sent letters to Nickelodeon and Disney to get some national recognition, but are hoping the Reach for the Stars competition will help get her foot in the door.
“To love what you do is the best,” Theresa said.
The competition will begin at 7:15 p.m., with a rain date of Tuesday, Aug. 11.
“We are particularly delighted that Kevin Covais of American Idol fame (and a winner in the first Reach for the Stars) will be among our judges,” said Cindy Gillen of the Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation & Museums.
Other musical and entertainment professionals will serve on the panel as well. The finals show will be broadcast on Radio Disney.
The Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre is located near parking fields 6 and 6A in Eisenhower Park. Special accommodations are available for disabled patrons, including reserved parking, easily accessible restrooms, and a convenient reserved location on the hill. Assistive hearing devices are available for the hearing impaired. There is no formal seating at Lakeside Theatre, so concertgoers are urged to bring folding chairs. If weather conditions are doubtful, call 572-0355 after 6:30 p.m. for updated performance information.
Eisenhower Park, operated by the Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation and Museums, is located in East Meadow, with entrances on Hempstead Turnpike and Merrick Avenue. For further information, contact the Parks Public Information Office at 572-0200 or visit www.nassaucountyny.gov.

IT middle school in trouble...

IT Teacher Indicted on Child Porn Charges

Written by Jaime L. Tomeo Friday, 31 July 2009 00:00

The Island Trees Memorial Middle School teacher arrested in June on federal charges of downloading videos of child pornography was indicted July 14.

Handout photo of Richard Hartig.

U.S. District Court documents revealed that Richard Hartig, 43, using the computer screen name, “Skyper,” “intentionally received visual depictions…involving the use of one or more minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct” between October 2008 and June 2009. Hartig was caught after undercover FBI officials discovered him in an Internet chat room for child pornography.

At the indictment, he pleaded not guilty to six counts of distributing and possessing child pornography.

Hartig lived in a basement apartment in Lindenhurst and has been a science teacher at ITMMS for the last 15 years.

“As of now, he is considered on ‘unauthorized leave,’” explained Interim Superintendent of Island Trees Schools Jim Parla. “If he is released from jail prior to the final disposition of his case, my recommendation would be immediate suspension.”

According to Robert Nardoza of the United States Department of Justice, the case against Hartig is pending.

“We cannot comment on the specifics of the case,” he added. “He is currently being held without bail.”

Nardoza said Hartig’s next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 26.

Hartig is being represented by Anthony Colleluori of Anthony J. Colleluori & Associates in Woodbury.

“The case is a complicated one with a lot of issues,” Colleluori said. “At this point in time we are working very hard on behalf of Mr. Hartig.”

obama vs cops

Cop in Gates controversy: We agree to

disagree

President Barack Obama, Sgt. James Crowley, professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., and Vice President Joe Biden drink beers at the White House. / July 30, 2009/ MCT Photo

With mugs of beer and calming words, President Barack Obama and the professor and policeman engulfed in a national uproar over race pledged Thursday to move on and try to pull country with them.

There was no acrimony — nor apology — from any of the three: black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., white Cambridge, Mass., police Sgt. James Crowley who had arrested him for disorderly conduct, and Obama who declared on national TV that the police had “acted stupidly.” But neither Gates nor Crowley backtracked either, agreeing they still had differences.

Said Obama after the highly anticipated, 40-minute chat at a picnic table on the White House South Lawn: “I have always believed that what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart.” “I am confident that has happened here tonight, and I am hopeful that all of us are able to draw this positive lesson from this episode,” said the nation’s first black president.

Under the canopy of a magnolia tree in the early evening, Obama joined the other players in a story that had knocked the White House off stride. Vice President Joe Biden joined them for drinks and snacks.

The policeman and the professor both expressed respect for each other after their dispute had unleashed a furor over racial profiling in America.

It all began when Crowley was called to investigate a potential burglary at Gates’ house and ended up arresting the protesting professor for disorderly conduct. The matter mushroomed when Obama made his comment in a prime-time news conference. He later expressed regret.

“We agreed to move forward,” Crowley said Thursday night when asked if anything was solved in the meeting. “I think what you had today was two gentlemen agreeing to disagree on a particular issue. I don’t think that we spent too much time dwelling on the past. We spent a lot of time discussing the future.”

For his part, Gates said he and Crowley had been caught up as characters in a much larger narrative about race over which they had no control.

“It is incumbent upon Sgt. Crowley and me to utilize the great opportunity that fate has given us,” Gates said in a statement. He said their task must be to foster sympathy among Americans about “the daily perils of policing on the one hand, and for the genuine fears of racial profiling on the other hand.” Although Obama had invited Crowley and Gates as part of what he called a “teachable moment,” it wasn’t quite reachable for the masses. The coverage allowed the public to get the we’ve-come-together photos and video footage that the White House wanted, while keeping the discussion private among the men.

They were seen chatting with each other, each with a mug of beer — except Biden, who had a nonalcoholic drink. The media were stationed far away, out of earshot, and ushered away quickly.

In Massachusetts, meanwhile, a black sergeant who was with Crowley at Gates’ home said he’s been maligned as an “Uncle Tom” for supporting the actions of his white colleague, according to an e-mail that CNN said it received from the sergeant.

The officer, Leon Lashley, said he “spoke the truth” about the arrest, and he said Gates should consider whether he “may have caused grave and potentially irreparable harm to the struggle for racial harmony.”

Jordin Sparks talks about her new album 'Battlefield'

Jordin Sparks talks about her new album

'Battlefield'

Jordin Sparks is living a high-decibel life. She's traveling across the country as a special guest on the Jonas Brothers' tour, performing at arenas packed with girls who, as Sparks puts it, "scream way up here, and they just hold it for four hours straight." And even away from the stage, resting in her downtown Chicago hotel room on a weekend afternoon, the 2007 "American Idol" winner is met with the shrill yelps of yet another fan. This time, it's her dog, Maggie. These days, Maggie serves as Sparks' main companion on the road.

Now 19, Sparks has grown up a bit, and she says you can tell from listening to her sophomore CD, "Battlefield." She spoke recently with Melanie Sims of The Associated Press.

How do you compare "Battlefield" with your 2007 debut?

There's a lot more growth, so my voice sounds a little bit more mature. I wanted to pick songs that I related to on some sort of level and that I wouldn't mind singing for the rest of my life. . . . Then, there's four songs that I actually wrote and I'm really, really excited about.

If you could choose one song from the album for someone to listen to, which would it be?

One of the songs that is really, really important to me - and it's one that I wrote - it's called "Faith." We wrote that four days before the [presidential] inauguration, and it was one of those things. And we were thinking about everything going on in the world and our economy and how there's a sense of hopelessness around for a lot of people. And I was thinking about one of my best friends who passed away two years ago - thinking, [what] if I was the person to tell her, "It's going to be OK," and keep her head up, and that she's got people that love her - if she would still be here?

With everything going on around you in the music world, how do you stay connected with what's happening in the real world?

It's when you detach from the real world that your head starts to get bigger, and you're like, "Hey, the world revolves around me." So I definitely try to keep my inner circle really tight, and I keep my friends really close. I need people who are going to tell me exactly how it is - tell me if my outfit looks bad or . . . if my performance is horrible.

You're a big fan of Michael Jackson. How did you take the news of his death?

The crazy thing is, the day before - literally, the day before - I sang "P.Y.T." in my set. And I've been doing that a lot. I love singing his [songs]. So I did "P.Y.T." and "The Way You Make Me Feel" last year on tour and all these different things. Then, all of a sudden he passed away, and [I said], "I totally did his song yesterday." And we were doing "A-B-C, as easy as . . ." and doing the dance and everything, and all of a sudden he was gone. And we were just like, "This is insane."

Michael was always in the public eye. How do you deal with protecting yourself when it comes to the media?

I'm open to an extent. I give them just enough to where they're satisfied, but I don't go too in-depth. . . . Because of "American Idol," you get to know people a lot. There's a lot of people who think I'm like their best friend. And they'll come up and want to hug me . . . I don't think I'll ever get used to it. But it's still really cool I have that kind of relationship with my fans.

human killer in ocean

Watching Discovery Channel's annual "Shark Week" specials makes one wonder if the station is in cahoots with a swimming pool company.

The 22nd annual festival of dorsal-finned predators could keep the hardiest surfer on land. Stunning photography makes viewers feel as if they're there, which is terrifying, especially because this year's films are especially bloody. Yet for those who can't get enough of sharks, it's the place to be.

The week launches Sunday at 9 p.m. with an excellent docudrama, "Blood in the Water," which carries a viewer discretion warning. The first known shark attacks in the United States occurred off New Jersey during a heat wave and polio epidemic in the summer of 1916. Swimming in the ocean was still a relatively novel concept, and no one knew of sharks attacking humans.

It's against this backdrop that the film - hewing closely to period fashion, settings and language - unfolds. As the film repeats throughout, these attacks inspired the story of "Jaws." In 12 days, five people were attacked, four killed.

As a lifeguard watches, a man flails in the waters off Beach Haven. A lifeguard rescues him, and the victim is brought into a hotel, where his physician father couldn't save him. Most doctors were not yet trained in administering transfusions, and the 25-year-old man bled to death.

Soon others would be attacked. The film weaves facts into the narrative. For instance, an extremely strong swimmer can cover five miles per hour.

"Even Michael Phelps cannot outswim a shark," says Andy Dehart, a shark specialist with the National Aquarium in Washington, D.C., in an interview.

Dehart says questions linger over what type of sharks attacked in the summer of 1916. After the young man bled to death, an athlete was the next victim. The lifeguard who pulled him from the water says, "I remember thinking he was very light for a big man, then I saw his lower legs were completely gone."

Don't swim erratically . . .

Dehart, fascinated by sharks since he first saw one at 5, offers the following advice should anyone find himself close to a shark: "In most places in the world, if you are out swimming or snorkeling, you are extremely safe, in most cases," Dehart says. "If you are in the Keys or off the coast, they are most likely small, extremely nonaggressive species that have rarely been implicated in any attacks. If you are in water where you can see 30 feet away, these are great circumstances. You are pretty safe. My personal advice is observe sharks' behavior and consider yourself lucky and enjoy the experience just as you would viewing a mountain lion from a distance."

However, he and survivalist Les Stroud, who is in the Monday special "Deadly Waters," advise if a shark is circling, it's considering you as food. Maintain eye contact and head to shore, but not erratically.

Stroud took to the Bahamas, South Africa, South Australia, Fiji and Miami to discover why sharks attack most often in those locales. The common factor, he says, is "people in the water."

A 'taste test'

Some sharks, Stroud says, are accidental predators. "Even though they generally live on another form of prey, they are big and opportunists and have sharp teeth. If they are not sure about it, they do a taste test," he says. "Problem is, when a big shark does that, you lose an arm. When we are in those areas and a couple of the top sharks that are opportunistic like the great white and tigers, then we are in the line of fire same as when we encroach on polar-bear territory or tigers and black bears."

After much swimming with sharks, Stroud says he's learned "it still hurts when you get bit. Every year I seem to get a new scar. This year I took a bite on my right hand, and the shark had my whole hand in its mouth. I have been bitten three times by sharks. Being bitten by Caribbean reef sharks is like being bitten by a Rottweiler. They bite you, but it's not going to kill you. They're gentle unless you do what I did - feed them fish for a while, then jump in the middle."

Monday also has "Day of the Shark 2," in which a great white breaks through a shark cage, trapping the divers. Tuesday brings the gory "Sharkbite Summer," a clip show of ugly incidents from the summer of 2001 that chronicles accounts of people being bitten. News footage and interviews with survivors and victims' families fill out the show.

Wednesday's "Great White Appetite" features the shark everyone fears. Thursday's "Shark After Dark" focuses on what sharks do at night, which is pretty much what they do during the day.

"It's so darn true we know so little about them," Stroud says. "They live in a place we can't. They go to a place we can't. We will die in an hour and 10 minutes; we get in and get out. They're beautiful and benign and ferocious and terrifying. What's not to be fascinated about sharks?"

Red sox in trouble

Red Sox stars tested positive in 2003

It’s the news Red Sox fans have probably been dreading. And Yankees fans have probably been waiting for.

The New York Times reported on Thursday that David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are both among the 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in a 2003 survey test. The Times cited lawyers with knowledge of the names on the list.

Ramirez’s inclusion is not a huge surprise, since he recently finished serving a 50-game suspension for using a banned substance.

But Ortiz? There could hardly be a bigger blow to the Boston sports fan.

Boston’s beloved “Big Papi” led the Red Sox to their stunning 2004 ALCS defeat of the Yankees and the end of the 86-year-old “Curse of the Bambino.” Boston won World Series titles in 2004 and 2007 with Ortiz and Ramirez manning the middle of the batting order in one of the most fearsome duos since Ruth and Gehrig or Mantle and Maris.

More than any other Red Sox from 2004, Ortiz is the symbol of Yankee-slaying. As more and more big names have trickled out from the 2003 list –- Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa -– Yankees fans have long wondered “what about Oritz?” because of the huge explosion in his offensive numbers during the Red Sox’s ascendancy and his equally fast decline once baseball instituted a testing program with penalties.

Results from the 2003 tests were supposed to remain anonymous, but they later were seized by federal agents.

Ortiz told a Times reporter on Thursday that he had no comment on the report. The Red Sox were playing an afternoon game against the Oakland A’s.

mazda 6

Introduction

If there's a moral to the fully redesigned 2009 Mazda 6's story, it's that there's more to life than "zoom-zoom." The previous-generation Mazda 6 had plenty of it, yet Mazda had a devil of a time getting the buying public to notice. That's because American drivers typically don't care so much about how their family sedans behave on winding country roads. What they want is space, safety, reliability, power and style -- and while the old 6 looked nice enough, its tight dimensions and lackluster acceleration prevented it from succeeding in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

The new 6 demonstrates that Mazda wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. Want room to relax? It offers one of the most accommodating cabins of any midsize sedan, with Texas-sized front seats and a backseat fit for 6-footers. Got luggage, or perhaps four sets of golf clubs? The midsize Mazda now features an impressively large 16.6 cubic feet of trunk space. Need power? Mazda's got you covered with the largest and most powerful V6 in this price bracket, though its fuel economy is disappointing. Want to make a fashion statement? Then you shouldn't be buying a family sedan in the first place. But as such cars go, we think the new 6 manages to be tautly attractive, particularly from the front, despite its additional 6.1 inches of length and 2.3 inches of width. Unlike the previous model, the 2009 Mazda 6 was engineered specifically for the North American market -- and it shows.

It also means added weight, as the enlarged 6 is roughly 150 pounds heavier than its predecessor. Yet you'll still notice the sporty reflexes that consumers have come to expect from this performance-oriented brand. Body roll is minimal by family-sedan standards, and the steering is light but responsive. The 6 never lets you forget its considerable size, but its well-sorted chassis and light-on-its-feet character at speed puts it second only to the Nissan Altima in the fun-to-drive category.

Wait a minute, you're saying -- how could the "zoom-zoom" family sedan fail to be the sportiest car in its class? Three reasons: The Altima's considerably lighter, its body motions are better controlled and its steering is tighter and more communicative. But so what? As the previous 6 demonstrated (and the Toyota Camry continues to demonstrate), top-notch driving dynamics do not a best-selling family sedan make. What the new 6 offers is the coveted combination of American-style size and power, along with above-average handling for those who care about that sort of thing. True enthusiasts may not find the 6 to their liking -- but hey, that's what the Mazdaspeed 3 is for.

In short, the 2009 Mazda 6 is at or near the head of its class in most respects. As usual, though, we recommend test-driving as many rival models as possible before making your decision, including the Chevrolet Malibu, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Nissan Altima, Subaru Legacy and Toyota Camry. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, but few can match the 6's all-around competence and appeal.

.Body Styles, Trim Levels, and Options

The 2009 Mazda 6 is a front-wheel-drive midsize sedan. There are seven trim levels: i SV, i Sport, i Touring, i Grand Touring, s Sport, s Touring and s Grand Touring. Models with the i prefix come with the four-cylinder engine, while models with the s prefix come with the V6.

The value leader i SV comes standard with 16-inch steel wheels, a manually height-adjustable driver seat, full power accessories, a six-speaker CD stereo system with steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, air-conditioning and a tilt/telescoping steering column. The i Sport adds cruise control, an auxiliary input jack and keyless entry. The i Touring model steps up the feature content with 17-inch alloy wheels, foglights, a trip computer, a power driver seat, keyless ignition/entry, electroluminescent gauges, black patterned accent pieces and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob. The i Grand Touring model adds xenon headlights, heated leather seats with a memory function for the driver seat, Bluetooth connectivity, dual-zone automatic climate control, auto-dimming mirrors and an auditory blind-spot monitoring system.

The s models feature the corresponding i models' standard equipment along with a few enhancements -- the s Sport comes with 17-inch alloy wheels and dual exhaust outlets, and the s Touring and s Grand Touring add 18-inch alloy wheels.

A Convenience Package for Touring models tacks on most of the Grand Touring's standard luxuries, while the Moonroof and Bose Package adds a sunroof and an upgraded audio system to Touring and Grand Touring models. A navigation system is available only on the Grand Touring. Other options include remote start, an in-dash six-CD changer and satellite radio.

Powertrains and Performance

The front-wheel-drive 2009 Mazda 6 is powered by either a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine or a 3.7-liter V6. The four generates 170 horsepower and 167 pound-feet of torque, while the V6 pumps out 272 hp and 269 lb-ft. A six-speed manual transmission is standard on four-cylinder models, with a five-speed automatic optional on all but the i SV. A six-speed automatic is mandatory on V6-powered models.

Fuel-economy estimates stand at 20 mpg city/29 highway and 23 combined for four-cylinder models with the manual transmission, while the five-speed auto improves the four's numbers to 21 mpg city/30 highway and 24 combined. These are class-competitive numbers. However, if you opt for the V6, estimates drop to 17 mpg city/25 highway and 20 combined, which is about as bad as it gets in this segment.

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Safety

Antilock disc brakes, stability control, front-seat side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags are all standard on the 2009 Mazda 6..

Interior Design and Special Features

The 2009 Mazda 6's control layout is generally intuitive, with all major knobs and buttons clearly labeled and easily manipulated. It's attractive, too, with red backlighting for the gauges and a sleek center stack sweeping forward toward the windshield, although the odd black-and-silver patterned plastic trim in Touring models and above won't strike everyone's fancy. Materials quality is hit-or-miss, as the rich-feeling soft-touch material on the passenger side of the dashboard contrasts with cheap hard stuff on the driver side. The emergency brake also feels a bit chintzy for this price point. The generously proportioned seats are quite comfortable, however, with ample leg- and headroom all around. On the downside, power-adjustable lumbar support is unavailable, and the optional manually adjustable driver-side lumbar support operates via a labor-intensive knob.

In the audio department, the 6's standard stereo is just adequate, and while the optional Bose system sounds markedly better, it lacks the clarity and rich bass response of the best stereos in this class. There's better news on the cargo-carrying front, where the 16.6-cubic-foot trunk sets a new standard for family sedans. Moreover, it's enhanced by upscale strut supports that don't impinge on the cargo area, and the 60/40-split-folding rear seats add to the 6's impressive hauling capabilities.

.Driving Impressions

A notable amount of road noise filters into the 6's cabin at speed. Pavement imperfections barely ruffle the 6's composure, though, even when it's equipped with the optional 18-inch wheels. The base 2.5-liter engine produces wheezy noises and tepid acceleration, though the slick-shifting six-speed manual shifter livens things up a bit. The five-speed automatic is less engaging but provides remarkably refined shifts. The big 3.7-liter V6 feels and sounds muscular, yet it's a smooth operator, even at higher engine speeds. Sadly, the six-speed automatic isn't tuned for enthusiastic driving -- downshifts are delayed, even in manual mode. Handling is impressive for a big family sedan, but the 6 doesn't feel as tossable in corners as the Altima, and its steering is lighter and looser than the nimble Nissan's. There's probably enough zoom in this chassis to placate those who like to drive, while the average shopper will appreciate the 6's reasonably compliant ride.