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IN CROWD A8JournalTHEOctober 10, 2004 ● www.jrnl.com Vol. 3, No. 40 FREE ● ● ● MD EditionHow to avoidanother flushot fiascoBy LEE BOWMANScripps HowardEven before the latest fiasco over flu vaccinesupply, companies were working to streamlinethe process of making vaccine, but experts saythe major obstacle remains: There’s too littledemand for the shots – and too little reward.At first thought, it seems nonsensical that themarket is weak for a product that 100 millionAmericans were expected to buy this year – beforecontamination worries cut the supply nearly inhalfẎet there are only three companies making fluvaccine for the United States – down from a halfdozen a decade ago – and as the Chiron Corp.experience shows, every year’s batch is full oftechnical and financial risks.In 2000-2001, several manufacturers haddifficulty getting the required strains of virus togrow in chicken eggs – the viruses kept killing thehosts – and there were shortages and delays.The next two years, vaccine-makers producedrecord numbers of doses – only to see millions ofdoses go unsold as the country had mild fluseasons. Last year, the flu was early and nasty, andvaccine was in short supply in some parts of thePlease see FLU, Page A2Virginia Shorts grimaces as she gets a flu shotfrom RN Laurie Turley on Thursday. Peoplereported waiting in line for more than twohours as shipments of the vaccine to the UnitedStates were cut in half by the shutdown of aBritish supplier.AP photoAnti-religionWeb sitetests freespeech lawsBy TONY HOLTSunday staff writerPretty in pinkPink ribbons have been a blessingfor Evelyn Lauder’s breastcancer-awareness initiativeIt is difficult to imagine anyone marveling at thesorrowful image of a church or temple beingreduced to a smoldering pile of ashes. But VijayProzak, a McLean-area Web designer, might seeit as a small victory.Prozak said his Web site(www.churcharson.com) uses church burning as ametaphor to illustrate his disdain for Christianityand Judaism. In his mind, if every temple andchurch is destroyed, many of society’sshortcomings would disappear, he added.“Burning a church or synagogue is a symbolicact,” Prozak said. “Our interest is not the act, butwhat the symbolism means: total rejection of thesesupposedly ‘peaceful’ religions, because they areneurotic and cause rot deep within our souls andsociety as a whole.”Prozak refused to provide information aboutthe whereabouts of his operation and onlyanswered questions via e-mail. An Internet sitelisted an address in Tysons Corner for the site’sheadquarters, but it was later learned to be thelocation of a local parcel service store. There wasno confirmation about whether Vijay Prozak wasthe Web site administrator’s actual name or analias, although he did admit to using thepseudonym S. R. Prozak. No phone number everwas listed or provided for Prozak. He also declinedto identify his co-designers and people whoassisted him with the technical aspects of the Website.“I realize this doesn’t give you much of whatyou need, but perhaps you can see why we’resomewhat cautious here,” Prozak said in responseto the numerous requests for more informationabout him and his location. “I don’t trust radicalPlease see BURN, Page A2By PAUL ALEXANDERAssociated PressMANILA, Philippines – Astride ahorse in the dense mountain jungle,the one-armed terror suspect cuts astriking figure that embellishes hisimage as a local Robin Hood.Radulan Sahiron is no stranger tovillagers on Jolo island, a hotbed ofthe Philippines’ Muslim separatistinsurgency, where people tell talesabout his handouts to the needy – andhis skill eluding the U.S.-backedtroops sent to “neutralize” him.Despite some high-profilesuccesses in hunting down terrorists,men like Sahiron – and much higherprofile targets on Washington’s mostwantedlist like Osama bin Laden andAbu Musab al-Zarqawi – remain freeby sticking to familiar terrain wherethey can quickly blend in or slip awaywith support from sympathizers.Porous borders, disguises and fakepassports make travel possible.Militaries in poor countries –terrorism’s traditional breedingground – often lack the training andequipment to track and engage welldefendedtargets. In some cases,By BRIAN TRUITTSunday staff writerOh, how people can change overnine years.When the American publicfirst met Jacinda Barrett in 1995,she was a blonde hellion runningnaked through London andalienating housemates withLegend, a urinating Shih Tzu, on“The Real World: London,” thefourth season of the reality showthat started it all.Seeing her all prim, properand back to being a brunette willwash away some of those oldmemories. If not, then watchingher on screen in the firefighterdrama “Ladder 49” definitelywillṪhe 32-year-old Australianative plays Linda, who falls forBaltimore fireman Jack Morrison(Joaquin Phoenix) after he putsBMW of Sterling • 21826 Pacific Blvd., Sterling, VA 20166 • 571-434-1944 • www.bmwofsterling.combest way to tour ThailandSCENE A5SUNDAYcorrupt officials take bribes foradvance warning of raids orattacks.It’s also one thing for the UnitedStates, Australia and Russia to talkabout pre-emptive strikes againstterror plotters anywhere – quiteanother if the target is in a friendlycountry. Even whispers of possibleU.S. or Australian anti-terror strikesor combat missions spark anger inthe Philippines, Indonesia andMalaysia.The result is a cat-and-mousegame often reliant on local troopsusing American training,surveillance and high-tech gearwhile trying to avoid civiliancasualties.“It’s a tedious and complicatedprocess,” Philippine militaryspokesman Lt. Col. Daniel Lucerotold The Associated Press. “It’s notsimply killing or annihilating theterrorists because we know thatwhen you kill a terrorist, he mayhave a family and you’ll have threeor more potential terrorists.“It’s also a battle for hearts andmind. It’s a battle of making ourthe moves on her in the producesection of a grocery store. Theymarry, but soon it becomesapparent that Jack sometimes putshis job before his family. Hisheroic efforts particularly gnaw atLinda, who respects her husband’sfield but at the same time wantstheir children to have a dad whocomes home at night.Barrett herself is the daughterof a firefighter. The elder Barrettrecently retired and has more timethan ever to watch her blossom onthe big screen. A former modeland member of People’s “50 MostPlease see JACINDA, Page A10BMW of SterlingSpecial Lease ProgramBMW X3.5 Liter• #1 Volume BMW Dealer in VA• #1 Dealer in Customer Satisfaction• Only QMS Certified Dealer in Metro AreaBOOB TUBE A10A Filipino soldier practices as U.S. soldiers look on during training for close quarter battle dry fire at Fort Magsaysay armycamp, Nueva Ecija province, northern Philippines. Despite some successes in hunting down terrorists, high-profile targets remainfree by sticking to familiar terrain where they can quickly blend in or slip away with support from sympathizers.AP photoOn the huntTerrorist hunts hampered by local sympathies, knowledge of tough terrainPlease see HUNT, Page A3■ Update on the search for Osama A3Elephant walkTraveling by pachyderm is theLove can be ‘shallow’TV columnist waxes on lovelessons learned from romanticfluff like ‘Shallow Hal’AP graphicBarrett climbs the ‘Ladder’ of successJournalQ&AJacinda Barrett (left) co-stars with Joaquin Phoenix in “Ladder 49.”Photo by Ron Phillips$279Per Month24 MonthsCheneyCOMMENTARYA changinggoal andtimetable inIraq warBy JOHN HALLMedia General NewsVice President Dick Cheneycomplained during lastweek’s debate that Iraq’sforces were not getting asmuch credit as Americantroops for casualties in theIraq war. He grew irritated,almost indignant, when hisopponent, Sen. JohnEdwards, said U.S. forceswere bearing 90 percent ofcoalition fatalities.Iraqi security forces “havesuffered casualties, as well asthe allies,” and when youinclude them, “the 90 percentfigure is just dead wrong,”said Cheney. “... So your factsare just wrong, senator.”Cheney said the realfigure is that Iraqis “havetaken almost 50 percent of thecasualties in operations inIraq.” That, he said, “leavesthe U.S. with 50 percent, not90 percent.”Edwards did not challengethese numbers. Who could?There is no accurate Iraqibody count. A private grouphas estimated there may be15,000 civilian dead in Iraqbut that is little more than aguess.The Pentagon keepsdetailed U.S. casualty figures.The combat death toll soaredabove 1,060 last week. Butthat’s only a partialdescription of the cost of thiswar on American families andlives. The DefenseDepartment said 4,194 havebeen wounded so seriouslythey could not be returned toduty.These are heavy losses toachieve freedom for anothernation. But President Bushlast week, in his Wilkes-Barre, Pa., speech, escalatedthe mission another notch bydeclaring that Iraq shouldbecome not only a “freesociety at the heart of theMiddle East,” but an ally inthe war on terror and “amodel of hopeful reform in aregion that needs hopefulreform.” If Iraq can be free,he said, “every free nationwill be more secure.”Those were not the goalshe originally set. Going intothe invasion, the objectivewas more limited andspecific: to disarm Iraq andrid it of weapons of massdestruction. But last week, afinal report from Bush’s owndisarmament inspectorsconfirmed that there were nosuch weapons.Nonetheless, Bush andCheney said that finding noweapons made no difference.Saddam Hussein was a statesponsor of terror whoPlease see IRAQ, Page A2The UltimateDriving Machine ®©2003 BMW of North America, LLC. The BMW name and logo are registered trademarks. Price excludes license, registration, taxes and options. 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A2 The Journal Sunday • October 10, 2004theCOVERAnti-Defamation League does notconsider site illegal, dangerousAsylum hearing for African devolvesinto absurdity, advocates claimBURN, from Page A1religious groups.”Kent Willis, the Director ofthe American Civil LibertiesUnion of Virginia, believednothing on the site would bedeemed illegal, even if itexplicitly suggested burningdown a place of worship.“The constitution forbidsthe government fromforbidding anyone fromadvocating violations of thelaw, unless it incites animminent lawless action,”Willis said. “You almost haveto be there leading the lawlessaction.“If you can write a bookthat advocates taking up armsagainst the United States, thenyou ought to have a Web sitethat advocates burning downchurches,” Willis continued.“[It’s illegal when] the nexusbetween what you’re sayingand what happens becomesvery close – like if you’restanding before a church witha torch and telling people toburn over there – but societyunderstands the difference.”The Anti-DefamationLeague, a New York-basedgroup that describes itself asan organization that combatsanti-Semitism and other formsof bigotry, has been aware ofthe Web site for more than ayear. Representatives do notconsider it illegal ordangerous, but they recentlyraised their alert level afterrecent additions to the site –namely links to other sites thatprovoke religious hatred.“It was created by a personwho is anti-religion in general,[but] it’s not illegal material,”said Brian Marcus, Director ofInternet Monitoring for ADL.“For it to be illegal, it wouldhave to be a true incrediblethreat. This sight is verygeneral ... We don’t feel it’spart of an organized hategroup, but we’re looking at itagain and we might reassess.”The most the ADL can do,typically, is alert thosecompanies that provide themakers of the Web site withthe tools to create their sight,Marcus said. Much like theway those who protestoffensive music can turn tothe record company andencourage them to pull thoserecords off the shelves, ADLmay do the same to Internetservice providers.“The ADL seems to maketheir living from defamingpeople,” Prozak said. “I’veseen their smear jobs and wantno part of it.”Two Radical TechnologiesInc., based out of Chantilly, isthe Internet provider forchurcharson.com, Marcussaid.When contacted over thephone, a Two Radicalrepresentative denied anyknowledge of the site, but didnot rule out the possibility itcould be a descendant or anoffshoot of another Web sitethey support.“They could be a client ofa client of ours – or a client ofa client of a client of ours,” hesaid. He declined to commentfurther and did not give hisname.Prozak said approximately3,600 Internet users visit thesite daily and that has been theaverage for the last two years.Prozak first created the site in1997, but it did not resembleits current design until 2001.Four others have helpedProzak design the site andthere are three more whoassist him on “technicalissues,” he said.Not every one who visitsthe Church Arson siteendorses its message.Christians and Jews have beenintroduced to the site throughInternet message board FreeRepublic and many of themhave reacted harshly to whatthey have discovered onProzak's site.“Note to the arsonists ... Alot of people that attendchurch own guns,” one personwrote. Another reacted inironic fashion when he stated,“Wouldn’t THAT besomething if [their office] gotburned down itself?”Prozak claimed he hasoften been accused ofblasphemy and has evenreceived numerous deaththreats.“Christians routinely writein and tell us that our souls aredamned, which seems aridiculous thing to say, sincewe don’t believe in theirmystical orthodoxy,” he said.“Jews tend to call us ‘anti-Semites’ and suggest thatanyone who criticizes Judaismbe banned or punished.”Prozak insisted he was notopposed to all organizedreligion and said he did notinclude Islam on the sitebecause he does not want tobe confused with groups whocommit hate crimes againstArabs.“By agreement, wedecided not to address Islamon this Web site, as there’s somuch negative press aboutthem that it’s redundant,” hesaid.“Since the U.S. is at warwith a Muslim nation and hatecrimes have been committedagainst people for simplylooking like Arabs, we wantno part of that bandwagon.Islam, if it stays in the MiddleEast, doesn’t concern us. Intheir countries, their rulesapply.”Studies question ranking of best hospitalsBy MARK SHERMAN,Associated PressWASHINGTON – Olderpatients with similar chronicconditions receive treatmentthat varies widely, evenamong the top-rankedhospitals, according to studiesreleased Thursday thatsuggest more expensive andfrequent intervention doesnot make for better care.“No matter how preeminentthe institution, the carevaries all over the ballpark,”said Dr. John Wennberg of theDartmouth Medical School. Hewas lead author of one of thestudies, available at the onlineedition of the journal HealthAffairs, about variations inmedical practices.Wennberg looked atMedicare claims duringpatients’ last six months of lifefrom hospitals ranked by U.S.News & World Report as theAmong the findings of the report:■ Medicare patients at NewYork’s Mount Sinai MedicareCenter were in the hospital almosttwice as long as those treated atthe Mayo Clinic's St. Mary’sHospital in Rochester, Minn.■ At the University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles MedicalCenter patients spent three timesas many days in the intensivebest for geriatric care.A study by Elliott Fisher ofthe VA Medical Center inWhite River Junction, Vt., saidthere is evidence that the mostintense care for terminally illpatients actually could hastendeath.Taken together, the reportssuggest that, despite publishedrankings, the best hospitals arethe ones that deliver care moreefficiently, typically throughcare unit as those atMassachusetts General Hospitalin Boston.■ Patients at both MountSinai and UCLA had twice asmany visits from doctors as thoseat Duke University Hospital inDurham, N.C.– U.S. News & World Reportfewer hospitalizations anddoctor visits.Wennberg said one remedywould be to tie Medicarereimbursement to performance.Last year’s Medicareprescription drug law took asmall step in that direction bylinking a small portion ofpayments to hospitals to theirwillingness to providemeasures of the quality of theircare.By MATTHEWBARAKATAssociated PressARLINGTON, Va. – Aftera two-month asylumhearing that delved intosome of the most arcanedetails of his life, MalikJarno said he is relievedthe hearing is finally over.“I was nervous when Itestified, because thequestions they asked makeno sense,” the young Africansaid.Among the questionsdirected at Jarno and otherwitnesses: “How did Malikknow when to go school inGuinea if he didn’t own aclock?” and “Did he sit infirst class on the plane tripto America?” and “Whatcolor was the Peugeot heused to ride in back inGuinea?”It is up to ImmigrationJudge Joan Churchill todecide whether Jarno – anasylum applicant fromGuinea whose case hasdrawn high-profile supportfrom members of Congressand advocacy groups – willbe allowed to stay inAmerica.Before issuing a ruling,she will have to reviewhearing transcripts from ahearing that stretched almosttwo months – albeit with asizable break in the middle –and hundreds of exhibits,some of which were nevertranslated into English.Churchill said it was thelargest body of evidence shehas ever seen in an asylumcase.It is unclear whetherChurchill will place muchweight on some of thetangential issues thatemerged during the hearing;often it was Churchillherself who delved into suchissues.Advocates who observedthe hearing say it spiraledbadly out of control andrarely touched on the coreissue: Does Jarno have awell-founded fear ofpersecution if he is returnedto his homeland?“One has the impressionthat the judge is looking fora needle in a haystack,” saidBill Frelick, director ofrefugee services forAmnesty International.“This has just gotten to alevel of detail that justdistorts and subverts theinterest of an impartialhearing into an asylumclaim.”The government andJarno’s team of pro bonolawyers agree on almostnothing about the case,including Jarno’s name andage.Jarno says he grew up inthe west African nation ofGuinea but had to flee afterhis father, a religious andpolitical leader, was killedMalik Jarno, right, talks with his attorney, Benoit Jacqmotte, at the Rappahanock CorrectionalFacility, Thursday,April 4, 2002, in Stafford,Va., where the West African native has beenawaiting a hearing on his petition for asylum. Despite pressure from members of Congress, theWest African asylum seeker faces deportation if an Immigration judge decides against Jarno,who came to the United States in January 2001 on a fake passport.AP Photoby the government, as werehis uncle and brother.He fled Guinea, andfriends and familyeventually put him on aplane and sent him to theUnited States in January2001 on a fake passport.Airport officials atWashington DullesInternational Airport quicklydiscovered the passport wasa fake, and Jarno spent thebetter part of the next 2 1/2years in adult prisons whilehis case plodded through theimmigration court process.Since Christmas 2003, hehas been free and living in agroup home in York, Pa.Jarno’s team of pro bonodefense lawyers, who havecontributed millions ofdollars in legal work to hiscase, say Jarno was 16 whenhe arrived in America and ismildly mentally retarded.Jarno testified that he wouldbe killed if returned toGuinea.But the Department ofHomeland Security doubtsJarno’s claims in theirentirety. They dispute theauthenticity of his birthcertificate, as well as theresults of IQ testsadministered to him. Theysay he lied when he enteredthe country, and havesuggested that Malik Jarnomay be an assumed name.Bill Strassberger, aspokesman for theDepartment of HomelandSecurity, which opposesJarno’s asylum application,said it is not uncommon foran asylum applicant toengage in identity theft toput forward a compellingasylum claim.Strassberger said Jarno’sclaims are marred by thefact that he lied when hefirst entered the country.“The most importantthing an applicant takes intothe asylum process iscredibility,” he said. “Whenthat credibility is damaged,it makes it that muchharder.”Often in an asylum case,questions that seemirrelevant at first glance areimportant to establish anapplicant’s credibility,Strassberger said.One of Jarno’s lawyers,Christopher Nugent, saidJarno’s credibility held upextraordinarily well in thehearing. For instance, at onepoint Jarno testified that hechatted with the wife of thepresident of the Ivory Coaston his January 2001 flight toDulles – something Jarnohad never previouslymentioned to his lawyers.When lawyers checkedthe passenger list, it turnedout that the president’s wifewas indeed on the flight.Immigration reformadvocates have ralliedaround Jarno, saying hiscase is emblematic of thedifficulties faced by anestimated 5,000 childrenwho enter the countryunaccompanied each year.Their advocacy efforts haveresulted in support fromroughly 70 members ofCongress who have askedthe Department ofHomeland Security to allowJarno to stay in the UnitedStates.Rep. Chris Van Hollen,D-Md., sponsored a billtailored to Jarno’s case alonethat would give him legalresidency status in theUnited States. The bill isawaiting a committee vote inthe House ofRepresentatives.Frelick said thegovernment has dug in itsheels to such an extent thatno other asylum seekercould possibly be able toprove the facts for which thegovernment is seekingproof.“If this case were tobecome precedent, it wouldbe absurd,” he said. “Noother asylum applicant isgoing to have $3 millionworth of legal service” tohelp him substantiate hisclaim.Greg Gagne, aspokesman for the JusticeDepartment’s ExecutiveOffice for ImmigrationReview, said Jarno’s case “issuch an atypical case, itbegins to approach unique.”“For whatever reason, it’sdeveloped into quite aprotracted undertaking toensure the process isadministered in anevenhanded way.”The asylum hearing,which began Aug. 7, isactually the second hearingof Jarno’s case. Churchillinitially denied Jarno’sasylum case, but the Boardof Immigration Appealsoverruled her and sent thecase back for anotherhearing.Arguments and testimonyconcluded Oct. 1, andChurchill is expected to rulesometime next month.Read The Journal on the Web atwww.jrnl.comU.S. military service model looking like ‘falling domino’ theoryIRAQ, from Page A1eventually would have acquired unconventionalweapons, they predicted.With an active terrorist insurgency and rockets fallingon a Baghdad hotel last week, it is hard to see howIraq will become a model to the Arab and Muslimworld in the near future.And for U.S. military services, the model isbeginning to look a lot like the “falling domino”theory of the Vietnam War, in which some Americanofficials felt U.S. forces needed to make a stand tostop the spread of communism throughout SoutheastAsia and into the Pacific. Freedom modeling soundsbottomless.FLU, from Page A1country, although in the end,there were still several milliondoses left over.“A company can make adrug like (the cholesterol drug)Lipitor that a patient takesevery day at an annual cost ofsomething like $1,600, or they“The Iraqi people need to know that America willnot cut and run when their freedom is at stake,” saidBush, charging that Kerry would do just that. Kerrydenied vociferously that he would leave Iraq in thelurch.The debate is just high-stakes politics. But onanother level, there is some real confusion about thegoal and timetable in Iraq. None of it seems to squarewith recent hints that U.S. troops can leave in a year orso, even if the security situation remains problematic.A decade or more of hard slogging by coalitionforces could be needed to achieve the kind of peaceand quiet for Iraq to be a true model democracy.From the beginning, well before 9/11, Cheney andhis neo-conservatives seemed eager to risk Americancan make a flu shot that retailsfor $7 to $10 that people getmaybe once a year. So you cansee that the incentives are slim,”said Dr. Anthony Fauci, directorof the National Institute ofAllergy and InfectiousDiseases.This year – with the federalgovernment encouraging asmany as 180 million people toget vaccinated, and the federalCenters for Disease Control andPrevention holding $40 millionto stockpile vaccines –manufacturers were set to crankout another record number ofdoses, until Chiron’s entire 48million-dose stock from aBritish plant with sterility issueswere frozen earlier this week.“What we need is robustsurge capacity so that whendemand exceeds supply, wehave something to fall back on,and right now we do not havethat,” CDC Director JulieGerberding told lawmakersFriday. “Right now, we arevulnerable to these failures.”Vaccine makers needsteadier demand, includingmore reliable governmentfunding for stockpiling, andmore assurances of liabilityprotection to remain in or enterthe market, said Christineforces to topple Saddam in pursuit of “regimechange.” But the Iraqis inside and out who were saidto be ready to fight to get their country back neverseemed to materialize.American troops who were killed in Iraq and thosewho came back broken and maimed gave a lot and areheroes. This country has suffered from this war.Iraq has suffered, too. And large numbers of itssecurity forces have died, some of them heroically andsome while standing in line to sign up as soldiers.Their blood is the same color. Their families grievejust as mightily. But it is, after all, their country.(John Hall is the senior Washington correspondent ofMedia General News Service. E-mailjhall@mediageneral.com.)CDC director urges backup plan for vaccine shortageGrant, vice president forgovernment affairs at Aventis-Pasteur, the nation’s other majorvaccine supplier.Even so, she said Aventis ismoving ahead with plans tomodernize its vaccineproduction line at itsSwiftwater, Pa., plant. So too isMedImmune in Rockville, Md.,which makes the new nasalspray vaccine FluMist.Dr. James Young, thecompany’s president forresearch and development, saidthe firm tossed 4 million dosesof its vaccine last year, afterlaunching it “in a climate ofoverwhelming complacency.”This year, although it hasthe capacity to make 20 milliondoses of the vaccine, itpackaged only 1.1 million, butstill has about a million doses inbulk storage that it hopes to getout by the end of this year.Unlike the injections, thevaccine uses a weakened livevirus, and its use is limited tohealthy 5 to 49-year-olds,although it could help protectpeople who care for those athigher risk.Young said the companyexpects to have to spendanother $200 million todemonstrate that the vaccine issafe and effective for youngerand older people. He arguesthat the government needs to bemore responsive in regulatingthe industry while alsoencouraging more people to getthe shots.Despite the difficult start, headded that MedImmune plansto spend another $75 million toexpand its FluMist capacity to40 million or 50 million doses.And even Chiron officialsstressed this week that theirpresent difficulties wouldn’tstop a planned $100 millionupgrade of their productionlineḞauci noted that his agencyhas several lines of researchunder way that should make fluvaccine production faster andmore reliable, but has beenhampered by getting only abouthalf the $100 million neededfor the effort from Congress.One innovation would growthe flu virus in cell culturesrather than in eggs. “This is lesssubject to failure and potentiallyeasier to scale-up once you getthe right viruses, but I’m notsure it will make serumproduction all that much faster,”said Dr. John Treanor, a vaccineresearcher at the University ofRochester in New York.

The Journal Sunday • October 10, 2004A3theCOVER‘I don’t know where he is. I wish I did.’HUNT, from Page A1idea more convincing thanwhat they’re espousing,” headded.He cited the military’ssuccessful campaign to crippleand displace the brutal al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyafgroup on Basilan Island, whererelative peace has reigned fortwo years as governmentprograms address poverty andother social needs with U.S.help.“It’s not impossible, we’vedone it in Basilan,” he said.Not impossible, butextremely difficult, especiallywithout local support.Pakistan has become a keyU.S. ally in the war on terrorsince the Sept. 11, 2001,attacks on the United States.Its security forces, workingclosely with U.S. intelligenceagents, have captured morethan 600 al-Qaida suspects,including Khalid SheikMohammed, believed to be themost senior al-Qaida leaderafter bin Laden and his deputy,Ayman al-Zawahri.It also has deployed about70,000 troops in its ruggedtribal regions near Afghanistanto capture al-Qaida suspects,but authorities aren’t certainbin Laden’s even there. Theresult has been a series ofclashes that have killedhundreds of suspectedinsurgents and dozens ofsoldiers.President Gen. PervezMusharraf said Pakistan iscompiling intelligence againstal-Qaida operatives throughthe interrogation of captives,aerial surveillance andtechnical monitoring, but hedeclined to be specific aboutindividuals for fear ofcompromising ongoingoperations.However, when askedabout his recent comment thathe knew bin Laden was alive,Musharraf replied in lateSeptember, “Oh no, I don’tknow where he is. I wish Idid.”The situation is similar inthe hunt for al-Zarqawi –believed to be the mastermindbehind numerous attacks oncivilians and U.S. forces inIraq – and other terror suspectsaround the world. The U.S.military has been repeatedlybombing alleged al-Zarqawisafehouses in Fallujah as partof its got-to-get-him strategy.While searches go on,Washington worries that theterrorist training campsdismantled in Afghanistanhave shifted elsewhere.Southeast Asia is aparticular concern. JemaahIslamiyah, considered al-Qaida’s arm in the region, hasbeen linked to numerous terrorattacks, including the 2002Bali nightclub bombings,which killed 202 people,mostly foreign tourists.Intelligence officials pointto the southern Philippines,home to a decades-old Muslimseparatist insurgency thatincludes the Abu Sayyaf,notorious for bombings,kidnapping for ransom andSTILL AT LARGE:OSAMA BIN LADEN,AYMAN AL-ZAWAHARI:Al-Qaida’s top two leaderswent into hiding during theU.S.-led invasion ofAfghanistan in late 2001.They are believed to beamong sympathizers inPakistan’s rugged tribalareas along the Afghanborder, where Pakistan hasdeployed 70,000 troops topursue them and theirfollowers.ABU MUSAB AL-ZARQAWI: The suspectedmastermind of numerousattacks on U.S. troops andtheir allies in Iraq is believedto be hiding amongsympathizers inside theembattled country.SHAMIL BASAYEV:The Chechen warlordpurportedly has takenresponsibility for a string ofterror attacks in Russia inAugust and September,including the schoolhostage-taking in Beslan thatkilled more than 430 people.He is suspected to be hidingin Chechnya’s mountains.AZAHARI BIN HUSIN,NOORDIN MOHAMEDTOP: The two Malaysiansare the alleged mastermindsof the Sept. 9 Australianembassy bombing in Jakartathat killed nine, and areaccused of playing key rolesin the 2002 Bali nightclubbombings in which 202people died. Believed to beon Indonesia’s Java island,where police say they havenarrowly missed capturingTop: A U.S. Marine soldier looks out as Filipino soldiers ride inside a U.S. Light Armor Vehicle during live fire exercises aspart of “Talon Vision” a joint U.S.-Philippines combat drill in Capas town, Tarlac province, northern Philippines. Below: ACanadian serviceman from the Lord Strathcona’s Horse squadron surveys Kabul and the surrounding area from anobservation point on Friday.beheading hostages.Government officials say theyhave broken up training campsthat graduated a class of 19would-be terrorists as recentlyas January, but others say thetraining has just splintered intosmaller groups.U.S.-backed offensivesagainst the Abu Sayyaf havelargely worked on Basilanisland and are credited withdecimating the group.The group’s mainspokesman, Abu Sabaya,responsible for a 2001 masskidnapping that left twoAmericans dead, was killed inan operation that reportedlythem three times.KHADDAFYJANJALANI, RADULANSAHIRON: Two top leadersof the brutal al-Qaida-linkedAbu Sayyaf group are thetargets of a years-longmilitary pursuit in thesouthern Philippines fortheir roles in masskidnappings, bombings andmurders. The most recenteffort to nab Sahiron, by agroup of U.S.-backedPhilippine troops, failed inlate September in a densejungle.OUT OF ACTION:KHALID SHEIKMOHAMMED: Believed tobe the No. 3 al-Qaida leader,he was captured in Pakistanlast year.ABU BAKAR BASHIR:The alleged spiritual leaderof Jemaah Islamiyah wasdetained in April inIndonesia, where he isexpected to be charged laterthis month.RIDUAN ISAMUDDIN,also known as HAMBALI:Suspected of being JemaahIslamiyah’s main link to al-Qaida until his arrest inThailand last year, he isaccused of masterminding astring of deadly bombattacks in Indonesia,including the Bali attacks.ZELIMKHANYANDARBIYEV: TwoRussian intelligence officerswere sentenced to 25 yearsfor the February carbombing in Qatar that killedused U.S. tracking deviceshidden inside a backpack anda boat and relied on live videofrom a U.S. spy planeoverhead.But the group’s remainingfactions have slipped away toother islands, most notablyJolo, where the militarylaunched a major effort in lateSeptember to get Sahiron, hisson and other guerrillas. TheU.S.-trained marines andtroops used American nightvisiongoggles.Sporadic clashes over threedays in dense mountain junglekilled one marine, woundedsix others and left bloodstainsthis former Chechenpresident and rebel leader,who had been linked toterrorism by Russia.RABEI OSMANAHMED: Spain has soughtextradition from Italy of thisEgyptian, arrested afterbeing caught by a phone tapboasting, “The Madridattack is my target,”referring to the March 11train bombings that killed191 people in the Spanishcapital.AHMED KHALFANGHAILANI: A Tanzanianwith a $5 million bounty onhis head for suspectedinvolvement in the 1998bombings of U.S. embassiesin east Africa, he wasarrested in Pakistan in July.ALI GHUFRON, alsoknown as MUKHLAS: Aleader of Jemaah Islamiyah,this former teacher at anIslamic boarding schoolfounded by Bashir is ondeath row for the Balibombings.RAMZI BINALSHIBH:An alleged would-be Sept.11 hijacker who couldn’t getinto the United States andserved as a key money manfor the attacks, he wasarrested two years ago aftera fierce shootout in Pakistan,and reportedly is being heldat Guantanamo.NOOR KHAN: Thisalleged al-Qaida computerexpert was captured during araid in Pakistan in July.DHIREN BAROT:from an unknown number ofrebel casualties.But once again, Sahironand his men escaped.Army Brig. Gen. AgustinDemaala, who helpedsupervise the operation, cited anumber of factors: Theguerrillas avoidedconfrontation, knew the terrainand used a small “blockingforce” when cornered to allowthe main body to sneak away –a strategy they have usedbefore, especially whileholding large numbers ofhostages.“He’s really slippery,”Demaala said of Sahiron,Arrested in Britain during apolice sweep linked to a U.S.terror alert in August, he ischarged with possessingreconnaissance plans for theNew York Stock Exchange,the International MonetaryFund in Washington andother U.S. financial targets,as well as information onexplosives, poisons andchemicals.ABU ZUBAYDAH:Believed to be a linkbetween bin Laden andmany of al-Qaida’soperational cells, he wascaptured in March 2002 in araid in Pakistan.HABIB AKDAS: Thesuspected leader of a Turkishal-Qaida cell blamed for fourtruck bombings lastNovember in Istanbul, wasreportedly killed in U.S.airstrikes in Iraq, where hepurportedly fled to join theanti-U.S. resistance.ISMAIL MOHAMMEDAL-KHATIB: Said to be thetop al-Qaida operative inLebanon, he died in lateSeptember in police custody,reportedly of a heart attack.ABU SABAYA: The AbuSayyaf spokesman, thedriving force behind a masskidnapping in 2001 that leftseveral hostages dead,including two Americans,was killed in a shootout atsea with U.S.-supportedPhilippine forces.ABDULAZIZ ISSAABDUL-MOHSIN AL-MOQRIN: The top al-Qaidafigure in Saudi Arabia wasAP photoswho’s in his 60s andincreasingly needs the horse.“But there will come a timewhen he’ll commit a mistake,and I’m waiting for that time.”Indonesia has arresteddozens of Jemaah Islamiyahmembers. But police say theyhave narrowly missed twoMalaysian militants threetimes because of their abilityto blend in – once finding sixbombs in a house where theystayed and arresting dozens ofpeople with links to themilitants.The Malaysians – Azaharibin Husin, a British-trainedengineer and top bombmakerdubbed “the demolition man,”and Noordin Mohamed Top –are the alleged masterminds ofthe Sept. 9 Australian embassybombing in Jakarta that leftnine dead. They are alsoaccused of playing key roles inlast year’s bombing of the J.W.Marriott hotel in Jakarta andthe 2002 Bali nightclubbombings.Noordin and Azahari,known for recruiting thesuicide bombers, were lastseen in Jakarta before theembassy blast and are stillbelieved to be on Java island.Police have plastered wantedposters across the island,dropped fliers from helicoptersand set up roadblocks.Police say the men haveused various aliases whiledisguising themselves aseverything from scholars tobeggars. They also have takenadvantage of a network ofA look at the status of searches for someof the world’s top terror suspectsshot dead in June by securityofficials as part ofcrackdown in the kingdomon extremist militants.A U.S. Marine instructs Filipino soldiers before conductinglive fire exercises as part of “Talon Vision,” a joint U.S.-Philippines combat drill in Capas town, Tarlac province,northern Philippines.hard-line mosques, Islamicboarding schools andcharitable foundations whosemembers consider the pair“heroes.”Indonesia has been loath tocrack down on some of theseIslamic institutions, for fear ofangering the country’s Muslimmajority. But it recentlydetained Muslim cleric AbuBakar Bashir, who is popularin conservative circles but hasbeen accused of headingJemaah Islamiyah.The 67-year-old cleric isexpected to be charged laterthis month with being thegroup’s leader and inspiringmilitants to commit theMarriott hotel bombing whichkilled 12 people. He couldalso face charges resultingfrom a cache of explosivesrecovered by police.His arrest in April sparkeda street fight betweensupporters and police but sincethen has attracted littleattention. Previously, Bashirwas jailed for 18 months onimmigration violations butwas found not guilty ofterrorist charges.While the spotlightremains on nailing bin Laden,al-Zarqawi and other topterrorists, some officials saythe nature of al-Qaida – withits strategy of training “windup”terrorists, then turningthem loose to wreak havocaround the globe – raisesquestions about how muchvalue, other than symbolic,would be gained from nabbingits leaders.“All these people who afew years ago were in trainingcamps are now back in theirhome countries and candispense their knowledge togroups that can act quasiautonomously,”said StephaneBerthomet, who spent morethan seven years as an antiterrorisminvestigator for theFrench Interior Ministry.People can take action“without ever having hadcontact with the organization,”he said in a telephoneinterview. “The problem withal-Qaida isn’t the celebrities.The important people are nolonger as important from anoperational viewpoint.”Associated Press writers JimGomez in Manila, MunirAhmed in Islamabad, MikeCasey in Jakarta and ElaineGanley in Paris contributed tothis report.

A4 The Journal Sunday • October 10, 2004theISSUES“It’s ironic that Republicans have no problem with allowing assault weapons out on ourstreets, yet they don’t want to put clean underwear in the hands of our slacker youth.” –Michael Moore, who shot back at Republicans after the Michigan GOP requested that the “Fahrenheit 9/11”filmmaker be prosecuted for offering underwear and food to college students in exchange for their promise to vote.Earnhardt Jr. fined for swearingIn Their OpinionBy Dale McFeattersLet us stipulate that somemeasurable percentage – wewould guess about 98 or 99percent, maybe higher – of thestock-car-racing fans who heardDale Earnhardt Jr. use a naughtyword after winning a 500 atTalladega were not offended andmaybe didn’t even notice. It wouldbe fair to say that many, maybemost, of those fans use similarlanguage themselves, or if theydon’t, could produce on a fewseconds’ notice someone who does.But Earnhardt became the latestvictim of the self-censorship thatwas unleashed by Janet Jackson’sfamous wardrobe malfunction.NASCAR fined its young star$25,000 and docked him 25 pointsin the season championship race,dropping him into second place.There is a certain irony herebecause Earnhardt’s father, thelegendary Dale Sr., was one of thedrivers who helped make NASCARthe wildly popular national sport ithas become and, as his nickname,the Intimidator, suggests, was noHashing it out with your kidsstranger to hard driving and hardlanguage. The elder Earnhardt waskilled at Daytona in 2001.Just seconds after he climbedout of his car, TV asked Dale Jr.what it meant to have now won fiveraces at Talladega. His exuberantresponse, “It don’t mean (popularexpletive) right now. Daddy’s wonhere 10 times.”The fine is one thing.NASCAR is anincontestable successand justly concernedabout its image.Docking points isanother because,with seven racesleft to go, ifEarnhardtloses thechampionshipby 25points orless, theNextel Cup,named afterthe newsponsor ofwhichNASCAR isso proud, will betainted.That wasnot lost onKurt Busch,the driver nowin first becauseof Earnhardt’spenalty: “Hopefully,these 25 pointswon’tcome into the final factor becausewe want to beat him on theracetrack.”There is much talk thatNASCAR is leaving behind, mayeven want to forget, itshardscrabble, blue-collar roots inthe Appalachian South. Indeed, twoof the remaining races are in Kansasand Arizona, and there is talk ofbuilding a track in New York City.But NASCAR isn’t that far fromits roots and it’s hard not to agreewith Dale Jr.’s take on thecontroversy: “If anybody wasoffended by the four-letter word Isaid ... I can’t imagine why theywould have tuned into the racein the first place.”Earnhardt will just haveto get used to being a bigtimesports figure and learnto talk like one: “We cameto drive. We stayedfocused. We tried to staywithin ourselves.Everybody went out thereand did their jobs. Thankfully,in the end it all came togetherfor us.”Contact Dale McFeatters atMcFeattersD@SHNS.com.Daily Telegraph, London,on U.S. presidential debates:... It is always difficult to know what to make of theBBC’s analysis of American politics, so egregious is itspro-Democrat bias. ... On this occasion, however, the BBCseems to have got it about right. John Kerry did notmanage to skewer his opponent, even on Iraq: his ownvoting record on the subject is so convoluted andopportunistic that he finds it difficult to play what mightotherwise have been his trump card. But, crucially, hefailed to conform to the Republican stereotype of thelong-winded flip-flopper. He even appeared fleetinglypresidential.George W. Bush, for his part, looked tired and edgy,pulling faces as Mr. Kerry criticized him. ... His bodylanguage ... occasionally suggested that he was worn outby his responsibilities.But Middle America is not very interested in bodylanguage; and it is swing voters in rural and rust-beltstates who will decide the outcom of this election. ...Although they may have been impressed by Mr. Kerry’spolite eloquence, they will also have appreciated thesimple clarity of his opponent’s message.... Even so, Democrats have every reason to feel moreconfident than they have for several weeks. ... (But) aftersuch a lacklustre campaign, Mr. Kerry’s last hope is apresidential gaffe. Mr. Bush is unlikely to oblige him.By MALCOLM FLESCHNERAs parents, we want our kidsto be curious. That’s whywe’re constantly ferryingthe youngsters to museums, zoosand historical landmarks, oftenover the kids’ own screamingobjections. We do it because weknow that such learning-basedattractions offer children valuableinsights about the world, such asjust how much whining isnecessary to get parents topurchase the overpriced learningbasedtoys sold in the gift shop.And the encouragement keeps upback at home, too. “Instead ofkilling your brain cells watching TVall day, why don’t you go read abook?” parents are often heard toadmonish their children, particularlyif there happens to be a playoffgame or a new episode of ExtremeMakeover on another channel.At some point, however, parentschange their tune and decide thatthey’d be better off if their kids werea little less curious. That point mayarrive when Dad’s box of Playboysin the attic is discovered, or perhapswhen the household’s buddingscientist performs a controlledexperiment involving a can of Raid,Suburbanites: Get on the bus!By MICHAEL NEIBAUERIt was July some 15 years ago. I was a youngdriver behind the wheel of a beat-upHonda, working the checkout line at asupermarket to cover my fun bill. Severalweeks into the exciting summer, my car brokedown – something about the axle coming looseand the tires almost falling off. I fought to keepdriving, but the vehicle was finally put to restat my parents demand.I remember asking: How am I to get to work?The suburbs demand an automobile. No car isakin to no legs, at least that’s what I believed as ateenager living in Philadelphia’s hoity-toity MainLine suburbs.Of course there was SEPTA – the SoutheasternPennsylvania Transit Authority. Take the bus. It’spractical transportation for someone in a crunch.But like so many suburbanites, I shunned thebus. It’s for poor people, I thought, poor schlubswho can’t afford their own transportation.I was young, arrogant and vain – the definitionof a teen. Nearly two decades later, though, I’venoticed there seems to be negligible differencebetween my high school attitude and thesophisticated mind-set of the Washington region.There’s no shame in the bus, though that’swhat the studies seem to indicate. A mere 18percent of all bus and rail riders in metropolitanareas of more than 1 million people earn morethan $50,000 annually, according to the AmericanPublic Transportation Association. That’svirtually the average Fairfax County resident’sSigh of relief accompanies loss of the ExposThere’sbeen a lot of talk aboutthe region getting a newbaseball team in the last yearand now that it’s done and theMontreal Expos are moving intoWashington I think everybody inNorthern Virginia should breathe asigh of relief. Your commutes home,regardless of the route won’t begetting worse.Simply look at the impact along I-66 and Route 29 when there’s anevent at the Nissan Pavilion or at theroads around George MasonUniversity when there’s an event atthe Patriot Center. Then magnify thatby twice the seating capacity and 81games a year. Yikes. Our Interstatesand secondary roads are already onoverload and any additional demandswould cripple them.I must say that I’m surprised thatWashington is going to build itsstadium near South Capitol Streetand the Douglas Bridge. That limitsthe number of viable routes to get tothe stadium. Imagine game-daytraffic on Maine Avenue; M Street,S.W.; the Southeast/SouthwestFreeway; the Suitland Parkway anda cigarette lighter and the familyschnauzer.I remember the first time mymother decided my curiosity mightbe getting out ofhand. I was about 7and I asked about theunusual lookingplastic cylindricalobject she kept on thetop shelf in her closet.She brusquely told meit was “a, um, lamp,” returned it tothe closet, closed the door andshooed me out of her bedroom. Nothaving any reason to doubt her, Iaccepted that answer, although I dorecall thinking it was the mustiestsmellinglamp I’d ever encountered.I forgot about this experienceuntil I got to college, where Idiscovered among my classmates alarge number of students whocollected the very same type oflamp. I soon learned that this kindof lamp, while of very little use incasting light, can be very helpfulwhen your plans call for sittingaround in the dark listening to PinkFloyd and then placing an extremelyinvolved and disjointed order forpizza delivery. If you know what Imean.I mention this not to embarrassmy mother about her long pastInterstate 295.Now picturenothingmovingbecause that’swhat it’s goingto look like.The cityshould havefigured out a way tomake Robert F. Kennedy Stadiumwork. After all, there are dozens ofroads that lead to it through the cityand many of those who used to watchthe Redskins play there know severalmore. In addition, there’s a Metrostop just a very short walk away thatwould make it easy and reduce thenumber of people driving there.Instead the city will spend $13-million to fix up a facility that willbe torn down in a few short years. Itjust doesn’t make sense.We’ve talked about theproblems of red-lightcameras increasing wrecks inintersections where they’ve beenplaced and now there’s empiricalevidence. The type of wrecks that areincreasing are of the rear-end varietyCultureShlockexperimentation with marijuana(that’s just a side benefit) but tounderscore the difficulty manyparents face when trying todiscourage their ownchildren from takingdrugs.Take my example.When I returned homefrom that firstsemester of collegewith dreadlocks, cladhead to toe in tie-dye, reeking ofpatchouli and talking about mynewfound dream of a career on theprofessional hacky-sack tour, whatcould my mother say to criticize mynew lifestyle choices withoutexposing her own hypocrisy?Besides perhaps noting that,technically speaking, there was nosuch thing as a professional hackysacktour?Because the truth is thataccording to some estimates, asmany as 80 million Americans haveused marijuana and, despite pot’swidely reported effect on spermcounts, a lot of those 80 millionhave gone on to have kids.To assist with this dilemma, thefolks at the Partnership for a Drug-Free America are running TV adsencouraging parents to open up adialogue with their kids about theincome.At some point, the D.C. area will experiencean epiphany, that we are an expansive, relativelyurban metropolitan region, and must act as such.But we’re still living in this dream world ofsuburban bliss, and that’s how we’ve grown intothe fourth worst region for traffic congestion inthe nation.It’s time to get on the bus.There’s much blame to go around. It’s partvanity, the need to be seen in aMercedes. It’s part sprawl, thatthe suburbs are too massive forpublic transportation. It’s theregion’s leaders who’ve failedto provide enough transit nodesand modes to serve thoseinside the Capital Beltway andthose 50 miles away.But most importantly, it’s youthful ignorance.This region is adolescent, at least compared to aNew York. We’ve yet to recognize ourselves asurban despite some 3 million residents living inrelatively close quarters.Maybe traffic isn’t bad enough. Just wait.Every weekday in central and northern NewJersey, tens of thousands of men and women wakeup early in the morning, drink their coffee, eattheir grapefruit, put on their business suits andmake their way to the park and ride lot. These aredoctors and lawyers and construction workers andhousekeepers. They are the essence ofmetropolitan, and they ride the bus into work.They wouldn’t think of navigating the New JerseyTurnpike, those antiquated and dangerous tunnelsChewing onSuburbiaSprawl&Crawlwith Steve Eldridgeand are caused because somebodywho doesn’t want to get a ticketslams on their brakes when the lightturns amber and the vehicle behindthem doesn’t have time to react.In San Diego, where there havebeen real problems with red-lightcameras involving officials changingthe timing of the signals to catchmore violators, the number of rearendcollisions has gone up 37-percentsince the cameras were installed. InCharlotte, North Carolina rear-endcrashes are up 16 percent over athree-year period.The rationale is spelled out in acomment from Maury Hannigan, avice president of Affiliated ComputerServices of Dallas, Texas. Hiscompany is making millions offevils of marijuana. When the topicof the parents’ own past drug useinevitably comes up, they’reinstructed to respond, “This isn’tabout my past – it’s about yourfuture.” This line of reasoning willundoubtedly work, seeing as howteenagers accept everything theirparents say at face value and neversee through blatant attempts atevading a subject. Teenagers onplanet Neptune, that is.Here on earth, a differentapproach is clearly in order. That’swhy I say, instead of avoiding thesubject, go ahead and share withyour kids all the depraved details ofyour illustrious drug history. Makeup some particularly sordid stuff upif you have to. Then encourage yourkids to go out and experiment forthemselves. Tell them you’d beproud to see them follow in yourfootsteps. Because, you add, a widegrin coming across your face, you’dlike nothing better than to see yourbeloved children wind up just likeyouṪhat prospect alone ought to beenough to kill any teenager’scuriosity about drugs.Malcolm Fleschner is too busystaring at his lava lamp to respondto emails at CultureShlock@hotmail.com.and bridges, for their daily commute.Of course, New Jersey and its transit providershave installed dedicated bus lanes, comfortablebus stops and thousands of routes from which tochoose.In the Washington region, buses are fallingapart, bus stops are graffiti-ridden and generallyunprotected from the elements, and the routes arespotty at best.To their credit, Metro and regionaljurisdictions have plans toupdate bus service image withnew routes, new technology andnew stops. A handful of routesare gaining popularity amongwhite-collar workers. AndFairfax and Arlington eachprovide buses on major roads –Route 1 and Columbia Pike – with installedtransmitters to hold traffic signals at green.That’s a start. Speed is good.But a meaningful upswing in ridership willrequire more than route shifts, fresh paint,refurbished seats and plexi-glass shelters.That kind of change demands a new attitude.One that puts convenience before vanity, sensebefore gridlocked insanity.The bus is not for poor people, though thoseblue-collar earners are laughing all the way to thejobṪhey’re laughing at you, in the Mercedes,going nowhere.Michael Neibauer is an editor with the JournalNewspapers. He can be reached atmneibauer@jrnl.com.selling these cameras and,in some cases, partneringwith the communities for ashare of the take.Hannigan tells theAssociated Press, “Wouldyou rather somebody bumpyou in the rear, or would yourather somebody enters yourdriver’s compartment at 40 miles perhour? That’s a no-brainer.”The National MotoristsAssociation says these studies areevidence enough to force the removalof the cameras. They state that thecameras force drivers to adoptabnormal driving behavior.While I agree that the trade off ofhaving fewer t-bone crashes whereone vehicle slams into the side ofanother in exchange for an increasein another type of collision soundsgood I don’t believe that’s what thelocal highway departments should bedeciding. Isn’t it their jobs to ensurethe safety of every driver and, if theiractions increase the danger level,shouldn’t they be made to stop untilsafety is the norm?Steve Eldridge can be reached atsteve@sprawlandcrawl.comThe Egyptian Gazette, Cairo,on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict:... The Palestinian uprising shows no signs of abating,despite being the target of an all-out Israeli war. Over3,000 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed inIsrael’s ruthless clampdown. Thousands of others havebeen injured. Israeli bulldozers ... have pulled downscores of Palestinians’ houses. ...A key casualty of this open war is the hope for peace.which has been relentlessly crushed. ... The Palestinians’dream of an independent state is far from attainable. ...... Regional and international circumstances arestacked up against the Palestinians. ... Washington’swoolly “war on terrorism” has proved a windfall toincumbent Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. ... He triesto portray his atrocious crackdown on the Palestinians andtheir leaders as part of the global war on terrorism. ...The Palestinians are not blameless, however. They haveabysmally failed to forge a uniform agenda in fightingtheir battle. ... Palestinian authorities have not beenimmune to petty wrangles, occasionally developing intoopen struggles over power. ... Militarizing the Intifada hasbeen a contentious issue, with some believing taking uparms against Israeli civilians has done the Palestinianquestion more harm. ...La Nacion, Buenos Aires, on smoking bans:Upholding its commitment to the fight againstsmoking, in September the National Ministry of Healthestablished a National Registry of Tobacco Smoke-FreeBusinesses. The move brought a highly favorableresponse: in just three days, 100 companies signed theregistry.The ministry will bear the burden of certifying andaccrediting the condition of every business, and thecomplete list will be available on the Internet. Thecertification could lower the cost of work-hazardinsurance and deter lawsuits from people sickened by theeffects of smoke in the workplace. ...Tobacco smoke in enclosed spaces, such as bars orrestaurants, contains up to 50 times more cancerousparticles than come from vehicles in rush-hour traffic. ...Let us hope, then, that our social conscience grows withrespect to the grave consequences caused by cigarettesand that the number of smoke-free businesses continues torise.The Buffalo (N.Y.) News, on elections in Iraq:There is absolutely no reason to believe the promisedJanuary election in Iraq will be free of violence, fullynationwide and deeply embraced by all Iraqis. It is likelyto be deeply flawed, and that poses a huge risk forAmerica.But there is an even greater risk in not holding thiselection. Calling off the vote would bolster the cause ofinsurgency, cast coalition forces even more convincinglyto Iraqis and the Arab world as long-term occupiers andpolitical hypocrites and condemn the interim governmentand its citizenry to chaos. ...In much of the Arab world, including Iraq, there iswidespread belief that the United States will not acceptany election that is not favorable to it. Conspiracy theoriesabound, and whether they involve Iraqi oil or permanentAmerican military bases they are founded on that fear.The only answer is the development of an Iraqigovernment that most Iraqis see as legitimate andreasonably independent, and that depends upondeveloping good elections.Whether this first election is flawed or not, andwhether or not it installs a leader favorable to Washington,only an internationally recognized breakdown in theelectoral process should keep America from accepting it.That is the risk of elections, but it is a risk that democracydemands and America has promised.SUNDAYJournalPublisher and President:James McDonaldEditor: John WilpersSunday Editor:Mike Rupertmrupert@jrnl.comTo contact the Journal:News: 703-846-8320Advertising: 703-846-8375Circulation: 703-846-8500

The Journal Sunday • October 10, 2004A5theSCENE“I’d like to have coffee every day with my friends. So I’m stopping. I’m notreally considering anything until this time next year.”– Renee Zellweger, who is taking a break from acting to spend more time with friends.Trekkingin ThailandElephants are the best wayto venture into the pastBy ED JOHNSONAssociated PressCHIANG MAI, Thailand –Hand-feeding a hungryelephant is an unnervingexperience. At the first whiffof a banana, its leatherygray trunk snakes out,probes the air and sucks itfrom your hand with asquelch. It is like shovingfruit into a wet vacuumcleaner nozzle.It may be unpleasant, butif you’re about to plunge intothe jungles of northernThailand perched on anelephant’s neck, you have toget your vehicle on your side.Just half a day’s jeep ridefrom the city of Chiang Maiexists a world far removedfrom the hustle and bustle ofBangkok or the touristysouthern beaches. It is aworld belonging to the hilltribes – semi-nomadic peopleliving in bamboo huts,without electricity or runningwater. And for as little as $45,you can trek by elephant andon foot to their jungle homesand experience a lifestyle thathas hardly changed incenturies.“Hold onto its foreheadand dig your heels into theside of its neck,” said Chan,my enthusiastic guide. “Kickleft to go left and right to goright. And if he stops to eatbamboo, just give him a goodslap.”Steering an elephantsounded easy enough. But 10minutes into the trek, mythighs were chafing onDumbo’s course hide. Anddespite his frequent snackstops, I was wary of slappinga beast strong enough toA Thai mahout rides his elephant along a jungle trail nearLampang, Thailand on Sept. 23. Elephant treks are apopular way to see northern Thailand.AP photoknock over a tree. It wasn’tluxury travel, but as wesearched in the tropical heatfor a Lahu village – one ofthe largest hill tribes inThailand – I was happy to letDumbo do the work.It is estimated that someThai mahouts bathe their elephant in a stream near Lampang, Thailand.550,000 hill tribe people livein the mountainous regions ofThailand’s far north and west.For hundreds of years theyhave crisscrossed the bordersbetween Tibet, Myanmar,China and Laos, avoidingborder controls and passportchecks.Most of these chao khao(mountain people) have nonationality, and instead liveaccording to tribal law in theirjungle clearings, with theirown language, dress, customsand religious beliefs. Mosthave no electricity, runningwater or sanitation, and resistassimilation into mainstreamIf You Go...ELEPHANT TREK FROM CHIANG MAI: A typical threeday,two-night trek from Chiang Mai, including an elephantride and a trip down the river on a bamboo raft, costs around$45, including food in the villages where you stay. Rates anditineraries vary, so shop around before booking. Six to 12people is a good maximum range for the number of peoplein any group; make sure the guide can speak triballanguages. The best time to go is in the dry season, frommid-November to March.FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact the TourismAuthority of Thailand, www.tourismthailand.org/home.phpor (212) 269-2597. Consult “Chiang Mai & NorthernThailand,” by Joe Cummings (Lonely Planet, $17.99), orvisit one of the many Web sites that offer advice on takingelephant treks from Chiang Mai, such aswww.frommers.com/destinations/chiangmai/0074027841.html.Thai society and the practicesof the 21st century.Although you can strikeout alone in search of the hilltribes, armed with a map anda phrase book, it isinadvisable. Clashes betweenthe Thai army and drugrunners from Myanmar’s vastopium poppy fields arefrequent enough in thenorthwest to makeindependent expeditions risky.Trekking in a group with aguide who speaks the triballanguage and understands itscustoms is safer and offersPlease see TREK, Page A7AP photosCubans find theirvoice through musicBy VANESSA ARRINGTONAssociated PressHABANA DEL ESTE, Cuba – On broilingsummer days more than a decade ago,teenagers here spent hours watchingbreakdancing on “Soul Train” and listeningto American rap floating across the radiowaves from Florida.Then they gathered on street corners,surrounded by rows of apartment buildingswith chipped paint and laundry hanging outthe windows, and copied what they’d seen andheard.Now in their 20s, these men and womenhave moved beyond imitation to become thebackbone of Cuban hip-hop, a distinct,explosive movement of socially conscious rap.And with success has come a crossroads:continue developing edgy, socialist lyrics, oraim to make money with party and gangsterrap?“The biggest issue hip-hop cubano isfacing is not to become a replica of whathappened back home,” said Nehanda Abiodun,an American exile in Cuba who was given thehonorary title “hip-hop godmother” by localrappers.“Hip-hop in the United States started outas a voice of protest, an alternative voice forurban, inner-city youth to voice theirgrievances, to talk about their livingconditions, their hopes and aspirations,” saidAbiodun, a member of the Black LiberationParty before fleeing to Cuba 14 years ago as aU.S. fugitive facing racketeering charges. “Butnow what we see in terms of rap in the UnitedStates, for the most part, it’s really not talkingabout anything.”Cuban rappers have tackled global issuessuch as racism, war and environmentalpollution. They have even pushed theboundaries of limited freedom of speech incommunist Cuba to criticize policeharassment and economic hardship –sometimes paying for their rebellion withsanctions.VIOXX WARNINGVioxx usage has been associated with serious and potentially fatalconditions including:• Heart Attack• Stroke• Blood Clots • Kidney Failure• Liver Problems • And other serious conditionsMerck & Co., Inc., the manufacturer of Vioxx has withdrawn Vioxx from themarket and is advising, “…patients who are currently taking Vioxx shouldcontact their health care providers to discuss discontinuing use of Vioxx andpossible alternative treatments.” (Merck & Co. recording at 1-888-368-4699).YOUR LEGAL RIGHTSIf you or a close family member have suffered from any of these conditions after useof Vioxx, please promptly contact us for a free initial personal legal consultation.Serving The Entire Washington D.C. Metro AreaMoody, Strople, Kloeppel, ORBasilone & Higginbotham500 Crawford Street, Suite 300Portsmouth, Virginia 23704(757) 393-6020(800) 793-4816Contact: Willard J. Moody, Jr. (Will)Both of whom are responsible for the content of this ad.Please see CUBA, Page A7Glasser and Glasser, P.L.C.Crown Center580 East Main Street, Suite 600Norfolk, Virginia 23510(757) 640-9394(800) 874-5890Contact: H. Seward Lawlor (Seward)Please call immediately because there are statutes of limitations(time limits) on filing lawsuits.WWW.VIOXXLAWSITE.COM

A6 The Journal Sunday • October 10, 2004IntheKITCHENFOOD&STUFFCountry cooking at its bestMildren Council smiles from the cover of her 1999cookbook, “Mama Dip’s Kitchen,” a collection of more than250 traditional Southern recipes, including favorite friedfoods. Council, aka Mama Dip, says the fried chicken madefrom her recipe is what draws many people to herrestaurant, also called Mama Dip’s Kitchen. AP photoFrickles■ 1 cup flour■ 1 cup yellow cornmeal■ 2 tablespoons yourfavorite barbecue rub■ 1/4 cup preparedyellow mustard■ 2 tablespoons beer■ Medium jar (8 to 12ounces) Dill pickle slices■ Oil for fryingHeat the oil in a deepfryer to 350 F.In a wide flat pan,combine the flour andcornmeal and season themixture with the barbecuerub. In a small bowl make aslurry of mustard and beer.Using your fingers, dipthe pickle slices in themustard mixture and then inthe flour-cornmeal. Then,using tongs, slip individualpickle slices into the hot oil.Deep-fry until the batter isbrowned. The pickles willfloat to the top of the oilwhen done.Remove them from thehot oil with tongs and drainthem on paper towels on ashallow plate.Makes 6 to 8 servings.Fried Okra■ 1 pound fresh okra■ 1 cup self-risingcornmeal■ 1/2 cup self-risingflour■ 1/2 teaspoon salt■ 1 cup vegetable oilRinse the okra and drywith a paper towel. Cut thepods into 1/2-inch pieces,removing the tops. In abowl, mix together thecornmeal, flour and salt.Add the okra pieces to thebowl, stirring to coat withthe cornmeal mixture, andthen let sit for a fewminutes. Stir again.When the breadingclings to the okra, shake thebowl – the excess breadingwill go to the bottom. Heatthe oil over medium-highheat in a frying pan largeenough to allow the okraroom to cook evenly. Spoonthe okra out of the bowland fry in the hot oil untilbrowned all over, about 10to 15 minutes. Drain theokra on paper towels beforeserving.Makes 6 servings.By DEBRA HALE-SHELTONAssociated PressCONWAY,Ark. – The mostpopular dish at Mama Dip’sKitchen in Chapel Hill, N.C.,is the Southern fried chicken.At Dixie Restaurants inArkansas, Tennessee andOklahoma, the most popularmain course rotates betweenchicken-fried steak andhand-battered chickentenders.So, if it’s Southern, it mustbe fried, right?Not exactly, says restaurantowner and cookbook authorMama Dip, whose real name isMildred Edna Cotton Council.She points out that Southernfood is about vegetables, too,including the greens, sweetpotatoes and beans that aren’tusually fried.Still, at her restaurant andmany other Southern eateries,the menus are much morelikely to feature the likes offried okra and fried catfishthan steamed asparagus andgrilled salmon.Indeed, Council says thefried chicken, battered innothing more than flour, saltand pepper and cooked inshortening, is what draws manypeople to her restaurant, knownfor its Southern countrycooking.The secret to good friedchicken, the 75-year-oldCouncil believes, is simple:freshness and no extra spices tohide the poultry’s taste. “Wedon’t freeze our chicken. Itnever gets a chance to get old,”says Council, interviewed bytelephone recently. “You can’tfry a chicken that someonekilled in Georgia and thenbring it to North Carolina andthen let it sit in yourrefrigerator three or four days.”At Dixie Cafe in Conway incentral Arkansas, diners enjoya veritable smorgasbord ofbattered fried foods, from cornon-the-cobto dill pickles, fromchicken tenders to mushroomsand mozzarella sticks.Rick Browne, author of“The Frequent FryersCookbook” (ReganBooks,2003, $19.95), recalls laughingat the thought of fried pickles –“frickles,” he calls them –“until I tried them.”“I put them in a little beerand mustard and then a littlecornmeal and flour,” he says.“A whole jar disappears in onehalfof a football game.”Frank Battisto, president ofthe Little Rock-based DixieRestaurants, says the chain’s 23Dixie and Delta cafes are “verypopular with folks who bringtheir families in from theNorth.”“Most of them have neverheard of fried okra,” he says.The menu at Mama Dip’sKitchen (the name of therestaurant and of her 1999cookbook) offers diners suchtraditional Southern fare asfried catfish, fried pork chops,hushpuppies and fried greentomatoes.Diners who aren’tsqueamish can even try plainor pan-fried chitlins, the smallintestines of freshlyslaughtered pigs, otherwiseknown as Kentucky oysters orwrinkled steak. Lessadventuresome diners at MamaDip’s can opt for barbecuedchicken, grilled beef liver orbroiled fish.Council’s book (Universityof North Carolina Press,$24.95), while offering plentyof non-fried dishes, is full ofsuch down-home recipes asfried chicken livers, friedsquash and fried dog bread –savory patties that are a poorman’s dream, for they requireonly cornmeal, water and oil orbacon grease.The bread, also calledhoecake, is great buttered andserved alongside a pot of pintobeans, a “mess” of turnipgreens and some raw onion.Our ancestors supposedlycooked their hoecake on agarden hoe, rubbed down withlard, in a roaring fire. Southerncooks have since replaced thefire and hoe with a stovetopiron skillet and spatula.Council notes that peopleall over the country eat friedfoods. Certainly there’s a wholehost of fried fair foods thatyou’re just as likely to find at afood festival in Chicago as inthe Deep South: onionblossoms, corn dogs, funnelcakes and fried ice creamamong them.However, the fried foodsmost Southerners eat orremember from their childhoodare less glamorous.There are the fried pies –half-moon shapes of dough ourgrandmothers stuffed withdried peaches, apples orchocolate. The fried catfish,battered and accompanied by alemon wedge, hushpuppies andfrench fries. The fried greentomatoes, eaten for breakfast insome households. And thereprobably aren’t manySoutherners over 50 whohaven’t at least secretly enjoyeda fried bologna sandwich.Rick Browne brandishes a forkful of deep-fried chickens in the cover photo of his 2003 “TheFrequent Fryers Cookbook.” Browne offers his own take on a favorite method of Southerncooking, with recipes that range from fried pickles to Grand Marnier beignets.AP photo■ 1 cup plain cornmeal■ 1 tablespoon vegetable oilFried Dog Breador Patties■ 1 cup waterStir the water into the cornmeal until well mixed. Heat the oil in a 6- to 8-inch skillet overmedium heat just until hot. Pour in the cornmeal mixture and let cook until it appears to be brown.Lay a plate on top of the skillet and turn the bread out onto the plate. Slide the bread back intothe skillet and turn the heat to low. Let cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Break into pieces and serve.For patties, add a little water to the cornmeal mixture if necessary and spoon 2 tablespoonfulsof the mixture into the hot skillet for each patty. Let brown on both sides.Makes about six 2-inch patties.■ 1/2 stick butter or margarine■ 1 teaspoon black pepper■ 1 cup self-rising flour■ 4 green tomatoes, slicedOven-Fried Green Tomatoes■ 1 teaspoon saltPreheat oven to 400 F. Melt the butter in a baking pan. Stir in the salt and pepper. Coat thesliced tomatoes with flour and place them in the pan. Bake on the lower rack of the oven for 8minutes. Then turn the oven up to a broil to brown the tomato slices.Makes about 6 servings.An odyssey from the Big Bang to the rise of civilizationA Short History of NearlyEverythingBy Bill BrysonPaperback: 477 pagesBroadway Books, NewYork$15.95By DREW BUSHSunday staff writerAs a child, a few books infused me with sheerpleasure. I can count them on the fingers ofone hand – or maybe two.They were the books I didn’t want to putdown even after the house had filled with poolsof darkness outside the dim light of my bedsidelamp. Even after my black Labrador retrieverBart had been snoring for many hours in hisnearby bed, I read on, only occasionally realizingthe school bus would be arriving in a couplehours.The worlds those authors created was just tooreal. But only occasionally has a book about thereal – or natural – world captivated me in such away. Bill Bryson’s latest effort, “A Short Historyof Nearly Everything,” is just such a book.This book by the bestselling author of “AWalk in The Woods” hit stores weeks ago, but issurely still worth the space of this column.To begin, Bryson writes:By SCOTT GREENBERG“I was on a long flight acrossthe Pacific, staring idly out thewindow at a moonlit ocean,when it occurred to me with acertain uncomfortableforcefulness that I didn’t knowthe first thing about the only planet I was evergoing to live on. I had no idea, for example, whythe oceans were salty but the Great Lakesweren’t. Didn’t have the faintest idea. I didn’tknow if the oceans were growing more salty withtime or less, and whether ocean salinity levelswas something I should be concerned about ornot.”Excuse the length of that quote, but it catchesthe essence of Bryson’s intellect. His humor,insight and inquisitiveness keep this tale rollingand the reader learning.It starts with the beginning of the cosmos,asking questions such as “how did we get here?”and “where is here?” And he doesn’t cheat you.He goes to the great minds of science, Sir IsaacNewton and Albert Einstein. But he also hits upother lesser-knowns such as Arno Penzias and“Rooooxanne, you don’t have toput on the red light. Those daysare over. You don’t need to sellyour body to the night.Rooooxanne!” Strange that a songfrom the eighties would be theinspiration for a wine column, but,hey, I’ll take inspiration anywhereI can find it. And this popular tunereminded me of how wonderfuland seductive (just ask my wifeabout Sting) Roussanne can be.Roussanne is a white grapevarietal that is very popular in theRhone region of France. It is oftenblended with Marsanne, anotherwhite wine varietal found in Rhone,or Chardonnay. And probably likethe inspiration for the Police hitreferenced above, this varietal isfickle, difficult and temperamentalyet it is enticing, alluring andcompelling. For all practicalpurposes, this varietal should beextinct. Roussanne is tricky to grow.It produces unpredictable grapeclusters. It is difficult to harvestsince it gives irregular yields, tendsto ripen late and has little resistanceto powdery mildew and rot. Theslightest wind or change in waterconditions can ruin an entire harvest.So, why bother? Because Roussannecan produce some of the moststunningly rich and heady whitewines around! It typically possessesa unique bouquet of flowers andhoneyed fruits delivered with finesseand delicacy.Roussanne gets its name from theJournalBook Clublight-brownish russet cast of its ripeberries. It is only one of two whitewine varietals that are grown inFrance’s mostly-red-wine-producingnorthern Rhône appellations(Marsanne is the other white wine).It is also grownwith some successin the Châteauneufdu-Papeappellationto the south. It canalso be found in small quantities in afew other countries including Italy(in Liguria and Tuscany), Australiaand the United States(predominantly in California whereit is produced both as a singlevarietal and as a component ofRhône-style blends).In addition to being a wine youcan drink young, Roussanne is oneof the few white wines that can beput away and cellared for severalyears. I have had the privilege todrink a few older vintages, someeven up to 20 years old, and havebeen remarkably impressed with thewine’s development. It also has a“weight” about it that lends itself tofall and winter dishes like roastedbutternut squash or potatoes gratin.2002 Rosenblum CellarsRoussanne, Fess Parker Vineyard,Santa Barbara County, California($18) I really like this wine. Thefascinating aromas of orangeblossoms, tropical fruits and hibiscusare followed by flavors of honey,mango and papaya. There is aninteresting note of allspice on thepleasant, medium finish. This winewould pair well with roast veal.2002 Consilience Roussanne,Robert Wilson.He appoints himself as thesetter of things right, creditingscientists with discoveries theymade before someone elserediscovered the concept andmade it known worldwide. And he digs.He digs into the lives of quirky figures. Hedigs into the surreal world of scientificcooperation in the 18th and 19th centuries, and hedigs into huge discoveries that were made butforgotten when their discoverers thought theminconsequential. And he finds out the mostinteresting facts.“In the early 1800s there arose in England afashion for inhaling nitrous oxide, or laughinggas, after it was discovered that its use ‘wasattended by a highly pleasurable thrilling,’” hewrites. “For the next half century it would be thedrug of choice for young people.”Then:“It wasn’t until 1846 that anyone got aroundto finding a practical use for nitrous oxide, as ananesthetic. Goodness knows how many tens ofCentral Coast, California ($22)This wine is a little hard to find, butask your local wine merchant toscare up a bottle or two for you.Scents of rose petals, honey andcitrus make up an exotic bouquetwhile hints oflemon, more honeyand toasty oakswirl around on thepalate. The long,deep finish has hints of smoke onthe back end and enough acidity togive it great structure. The Web site(www.consiliencewines.com)suggests pairing it with lobster anddrawn butter.2002 Tablas Creek Roussanne,Central Coast, California ($25)According to the Web site(www.tablascreek.com) this winewas “whole cluster pressed, andfermented using native yeasts half instainless steel and half in smallFrench oak barrels.” It has an exoticnose of honeysuckle, peaches andorange rind. It covers the palate withflavors of honey, ripe pear andbuttered toast. Its long, lusciousfinish is remarkable given the pricefor this wine. It would pair nicelywith grilled swordfish.2002 Alban VineyardsRoussanne Estate Central Coast,California ($30) Just a lovely winewith fabulous aromas of tropicalfruit and floral scents. In the mouth,the wine has a wonderful complexityof sweet white fruit, pears andhoneydew melon. The finish is niceand long with hints of cinnamon. Iwould serve this wine with roastedbutternut squash prepared withthousands of people suffered unnecessary agoniesunder the surgeon’s knife because no one thoughtof the gas’s most obvious practical application.”But these facts are more than just funny. Theyhelp readers who might not be scientists tounderstand concepts, historical background andsignificance. And he uses his sense for parable –something he’s done well in his travel books – tomake the concepts easily accessible.On occasion, this story-teller method doesconvolute complicated concepts, and I foundmyself flipping back a couple pages to line upideas. But that is perhaps my only criticism.Actually, I felt like kissing Bryson forspending the last four years interviewing expertsof their fields to get answers to those questionsthat had always plagued me.I should mention in the interest of fulldisclosure that I haven’t finished the last chapters.I just don’t want to be forced to put the book downin the way all good books eventually make me.So don’t ruin it for me.drewfbush@jrnl.comRoussanne: The unsung hero of white wineTheVine Guycinnamon.2002 Chateau Beaucastel Blanc,Chateauneuf du Pape, France($70). This Chateau is the epitome ofRoussanne in Southern Rhone.Scents of vanilla and gardeniaspermeate the nose of this wine.Honey, pears and toasted nuts fightfor time on the tongue. The finish issmooth and elegant with just theslightest hint of coffee at the end. Aclassic example of this wine’spedigree. Great with roasted halibut.2001 Sine Qua Non Albino($90+) I hesitate to even write aboutthis wine for several reasons, the leastof which is the price this blockbusterwine is commanding. Even worse, it’snearly impossible to find. But man,what a wine! While it is not 100percent Roussanne (40 percentRoussanne, 46 percent Chardonnayand 14 percent Viognier), this winecertainly takes it’s cues from it by thenose of honey and gardenia blossoms.The wine is full and luscious in themouth and has an explosion of flavorsincluding creamy butter, honeyedorange rind and toasted almonds. Anda finish that lasted at least a minuteand a half (but I could still recall itthree days later). Wish they mademore of this stuff.So next time you’re thinking ofhaving a white wine, think of whatSting would say; “Roooousanne, youdon’t have to drink Chardonnaytonight. Give this wine a try andeverything will be all right.” OK, soI’ll stick to the wine writing gig.If you have a wine varietal of adifferent flavor, email me atscott@vineguy.com

theSCENEThe Journal Sunday • October 10, 2004A7Party or protest? Cuban hip-hop at a crossroadsFrom CUBA, Page A5But as pressure forcommercial success increases,some Cuban rappers aretempted to produce lighter, lesspolitical music, particularly inthe form of reggaeton, a mix ofrap and reggae with lyricsabout girls, cars and partying.“There is an element ofcommercialism that’s creepingin,” Abiodun said. “Youcannot blame these youngpeople for wanting to see thefruits of their labor, but willthey be able to maintain thatresponsible, intellectual rapand still get paid?”There is optimism amonga collective of 18 hip-hopartists called The Cartel, anew movement dedicated toissues-oriented rap and“keeping it real.”“We started when thereRandeee Akosta, left, welcomes other members of El Cartel,a new rap movement bringing several Hip Hop artiststogether, to his home in Havana, Cuba.existed nothing, when peoplethought we were crazy,” saidCartel member MagyoriMartinez, 26. “Now, we arestill struggling, but no onelooks at us like we’re crazy.”“Our mission is to try andmaintain the essence ofunderground hip-hop,” addedRandeee Akosta, 21, of theduo Los Paisanos, or TheCountrymen. “It is our way oflife, our reason for being.”On a recent afternoon,members of The Cartelspilled out of Akosta’s smallHavana home as theyprepared to rehearse forCuba’s 10th annual hip-hopfestival in November.The group’s talent has beenrecognized by Pablo Herrera,the island’s most noted hip-hopproducer. Herrera, 37, isproducing The Cartel’s firstalbum, set for release by the endof the year. He began his careerwith the rap group Amenazas,whose members later moved toEurope and became Orishas,Cuba’s most famous hip-hopgroup. The group won a LatinGrammy for Best Rap/Hip-HopAlbum last year.Sekou Messiah, left and Adeyem Umoja, members of the rap group Anonimo Consejo,rehearse a new song in Umojas home in East Havana, Cuba.AP photosExploring the hill tribes of ThailandFrom TREK, Page A5more cultural interaction – not tomention the chance to pit your witsagainst an elephant.Just as I thought my thighs couldtake no more chafing, we broke throughthe lush forest into a jungle clearingcontaining around 20 bamboo huts,raised six feet off the dirt floor on poles.A dozen small children, dressed in thetraditional black, blue and greenhomespun clothes of the Lahu people,raced toward our group of 12 sweatyand tired Westerners. As we dismounted,they gathered round, pulling the hairs onour arms and legs playfully, beforegrowing shy and running away.Beyond the huts, men and womentoiled under the tropical sun, harvestingrice from tiny, tiered fields on themountain slopes. Nearby, a man tilledthe soil with an ox yoked to a woodenplow. These were the Lahu people, a59,000-strong ethnic group originallyfrom Tibet, who first crossed intoThailand some 200 years ago.Like the other main ethnic groupsin northern Thailand – the Lisu, Mien,Hmong, Akha and Karen tribes – theLahu primarily live off the land, eatinga diet of rice, corn, chicken, pork, andwhatever food can be found in thejungle. With no phones, computers,radios or televisions, their world isBy PATRICK WALTERSAssociated PressPHILADELPHIA – Two ofthe biggest forces in rockmusic over the last 20years are plugging in theiramplifiers Monday nightat the MCI Center in ahigh-volume effort to oustPresident Bush on Nov. 2.Bruce Springsteen andR.E.M. will bring a dose ofmusic and politics to theMCI Center, one in a 10-dayseries of “Vote For Change”shows in battlegroundstates. With a long list ofhigh-profile artists fromacross the generationaldivide, the concerts willraise money for efforts todefeat Bush and otherRepublicans in next month’selections.“Vote for Change”kicked off in PhiladelphiaOct. 1 and was one of six“Vote For Change” concertsacross Pennsylvania thatnight. On the other end ofthe state, the Dixie Chicksand James Taylor performedin Pittsburgh, with otherconcerts in Erie, StateCollege, Reading andWilkes-Barre.The tour also stops inOhio, Michigan, NorthCarolina, Florida,Minnesota, Wisconsin,Iowa, Missouri, Washington,Arizona and Washington,D.C.R.E.M. frontmanMichael Stipe told TheAssociated Press that thegoal is to push for an overallchange in the country’sleadership, including theelection of Democratic Sen.John Kerry as president.Stipe said he believes theBush administration and thenation's other leadersmissed an opportunity tobring the world togetherafter the Sept. 11 attacks.“America representssomething that is maybeunattainable,” he said. “Thatidea has become confusedand squandered by thecurrent administration.”Springsteen hasdescribed the election asone of the most critical inhis lifetime.Eli Pariser, executivedirector of political actioncommittee and tour sponsorMoveOn PAC, said thelimited to the affairs of their village,population 150, and their neighbors inother jungle settlements.After a simple but tasty meal of riceand vegetables, the village elders told us– through Chan, our interpreter – of theLahu’s tribal laws. With no regard forthe regulations that govern mainstreamThai society, the Lahu marry anddivorce with a minimum of fuss. Atour’s political messageshouldn’t surprise mostconcertgoers.“There is no distinctionbetween what the artists aredoing on this tour and whatthey’ve done all their lives,”Pariser said. “These arepeople who are the towncriers. Sometimes they'resinging about relationshipsand sometimes about theenvironment.”The tour, also featuringPearl Jam, Jackson Browne,Bonnie Raitt, JohnMellencamp and others,includes 37 shows in 30cities through Oct. 11.Proceeds will go to Americaprospective groom merely pays hisbride’s family around $15 and throws afeast to formalize the marriage.Unless he has a few hundreddollars saved up, which is unlikely ina subsistence economy, the husbandmust then live with and work for hisnew in-laws for a year, before he isfree to set up home with his wife. Andif he chooses to divorce, he merelyRocking for change at MCI CenterMusiciansband togetherin effort tooust BushComing Together, or ACT, agroup raising money forDemocratic candidates.“I think that they reallyhave a unique voice with alot of people who havefollowed their careers overthe years and know thatOpen HouseSunday, October 10, 1-5 PMFair Oaks $610,00012313 Ox Hill Road5 Bedroom, 3 finished level, Colonial, 2 cargarage. Hardwood & ceramic floors, ingroundpool, deck & patios, upgrades throughout.Directions: Rte 66, 50W, R on West Ox Rd., L onOx Hill Rd to 12313.Joyce Talley703-451-8823703-569-9700Please see MCI, Page A11A member of the Thailand’s ethnichill tribe, the Akha, watches shoppersat the morning market, in this March16, 2002, file photo, in Mae Salong,Thailand. Travel to remote hill tribevillages is a popular way to visitnorthern Thailand.AP photoseeks permission from the villagechief and pays another $15 – half tothe family and half to a village fund.After a sleepless night on the hardfloor of a bamboo hut, we left theLahu people, and trekked on throughthe jungle, heading for other villagesand tribes.The paths that wind through theforest, past waterfalls, over streams andup the steep slopes of the mountainscan be demanding. Would-be trekkersneed to be reasonably fit, especially asyou are expected to carry a backpackwith enough clothes for three days.But the pace is leisurely and thereare frequent stops to bathe in rock pools,talk with people you encounter, and eatsnacks of rice and noodles in villages.A trek also offers a chance to walkthrough beautiful forests and jungle. Itgives you a window into an ancient wayof life that still manages to flourish andretain its uniqueness in a modern world.On top of that, you learn how to steer anelephant, and you never know when thatmay come in useful.

A8 The Journal Sunday • October 10, 2004theIN CROWD“I’m still here. Didn’t have to go to rehab and I’m notbroke.” – Jimmy Buffett, known for his laid-back, toes-in-the-sandpersona, who is enjoying new success in country music.Lauder wraps her interests,talents in pink ribbonLeft: A model presents a swimsuit with a sleeveless coat by British fashion designer JohnGalliano for Dior’s spring-summer 2005 ready-to-wear fashion collection in Paris. A modelpresents a white jacket with feathers and denim with a printed skirt by British fashiondesigner John Galliano for Dior.AP photo‘Dior Not War’ sends powerfulmessage from the catwalkBy JOCELYN GECKERAssociated PressPARIS – John Gallianotransformed his catwalk intoa political platform and themessage – like the clothingthat carried it – waspowerful: “Dior, Not War.”Models wore Janis Joplinhair and colorful cotton topsemblazoned with anti-warslogans while “Imagine,” JohnLennon’s ode to peace,provided the musical backdrop.Designers tend to avoidpolitical statements, butGalliano said he couldn’t holdback.“It’s the way I’m feeling. Ithink we’re all feeling that,aren’t we?” the designer saidbackstage. “That John Lennonsong could have been writtenyesterday. I mean – imagine.”If politics was thebackstage buzz, it was only onesegment of a stunninglysuccessful Christian Diorready-to-wear line for springsummer2005 that wasotherwise focused onfemininity, colors and fun.Unlike many of Galliano’spresentations of the past, whichwere more about spectacle thanclothes, this one was extremelyaccessible: No privateinvestigator required to finditems that were truly ready towear.The collection flashed backto looks from the sophisticated40s, the playful 50s, thepolitically charged 60s and theglitzy 80s – always infusingyesteryear with modern daysassiness.The silhouette was naturaland feminine, with chiffonsundresses and lacy or ribbontrim used to hem skirts that felleither above or directly belowthe knee. Other skirts werecute, short and tutu-like.Among the celebritieswatching from the front rowwere actresses Milla Jovovich,Jane Seymour, Isabelle Adjaniand Julie Delpy.Dresses were silky, prettyand airy, with floral prints inchiffon layered tiers and lightlyruffled open necklines.Flower power echoedelsewhere – embroidered in flatsequins on denim, crochetedonto knit dresses, or boldlyprinted on colorful T-shirts.Denim was used liberally,but always spruced up withcouture touches, like in a slimfitting skirt suit of light denimand a cream colored boucle.Girly fun with colors – hotpink, turquoise, lavender – wasthe message of an almostcartoony collection of summertops, paired at times withdenim or pleated skirts overknee-high striped stockings.The theme carried over intoshoes, which camemulticolored like a pair ofpink and red stiletto bootswith pompoms.Bags and sunglasseswere the other bigaccessories to note.Dior’s wildly popularasymmetrical saddlebag was nearlynonexistent infavor of a morelow key andclassical clutch,almost recallingthe Kelly bag.And, theshades soonto beubiquitousare biggerand widerbeetleeyedwrapsthanbefore,with mirrored lenses insunny colors like hotpink, silver, turquoise,red.Jean-Paul Gaultiermixed flamenco styles withbohemian flair in acollection that was rich with adon’t-tell-me-what-to-doattitude – best expressed by themodels smoking thin cigarswhile parading the clothes.A black pinstriped skirt andhalter top was transformed intoa flamenco dress with a burstof purple ruffles at the bottomand along the arms – a sightfor the eyes though not terriblyeasy to wear.Sassy denim jackets tiedabove the midriff paired withsilky brown trousers. Anothersilk separate was a pretty navyblazer, bunched at the waist,with white trousers.Naoki Takizawa won midshowapplause in his designsfor Issey Miyake with a dressthat resembled a finely wovenstraw hat. Creative and utterlyflattering, it hugged the bodywith a corseted open backbefore delicately flaring at theknees – or in a longer versionbelow the calf.Flowers were also big inthis collection – notably in onehalter that took the form of agiant peony. Paired with afeathery flapper-like whiteskirt the outfit was the essenceof a summer garden.Takizawa showed signaturesimple jersey separates andsatiny dresses sprucedup with chiffondraping. Moreaccustomed toloose forms, hesaid he was“thinking aboutthe body” thisseason andincluded aline offlatteringbodyhuggingpantsuits.AtVivienneWestwood,thethemewasA model presents adenim jacket with browntrousers for Frenchfashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier.AP Photo“ultra femininity.” Theeccentric British designer drewinspiration from the 18thcentury, showing FrancoisBoucher’s sensuous pastoralpainting “Summer” on herinvitation.The collection includedpretty cotton floral prints onasymmetrical bustiers andsundresses. Cotton pastel skirtscame with eyelet trim.Evening wear sparkledeither in gold and silver lameor in elegant classical pastelsilk gowns with voluminousskirts and trains.But, the past wasn’t theonly inspiration. Dresses alsocame with bold pixelatedprints and geometric designscreated by extra flaps andfolds.Shoes, designed byWestwood’s husband, AndreasKronthaler, were most fun instilettos with so muchstrapping they became airysummer boots.Left: A model presents a multicoloured printed swimsuit with an off-white shawl for Frenchfashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier’s spring/summer 2005 collection. Right: A modelpresents a white top with half-cut sleeves and beige trousers by Irish fashion designerSharon Wauchob for her spring/summer collection.AP photoBy SAMANTHA CRITCHELLAssociated PressNEW YORK – Evelyn Lauder istickled pink with the success of thebreast cancer-awareness initiativeshe launched 12 years ago thatbegan with the distribution ofbreast exam instruction cards andlittle pink ribbons at cosmeticcounters at department stores.prevention of breast cancer.So far, it has raised $85million and theultimate goal is $100million, accordingto Lauder.Productscontributing tothe cause thisOctober,recognized byCongress asNationalBreast CancerAwarenessMonth, includeWolford pinkribbontights, hotpink open-toemules with abow detailfrom JimmyChoo, apink-strapwatchfromCoachand atennisracquetfromWilson called“Hope.” A babypinklip gloss fromBobbi Brown, a pinklip palette fromClinique, a lip colorcompact from Stila andMake a Difference Skin RejuvenatingTreatment from Origins and the “PinkRibbon Compact” from the Estee Lauderline are among the Lauder companies’own products for the campaign.She’s not worried that the idea ofawareness ribbons – which extend to redones for AIDS awareness and yellow tohonor the armed forces – have becometoo popular to be effective. “The ribbonis much like a skull and crossbones. It’s asymbol of alarm.”While her intentions are noble,Lauder acknowledges her involvementwith breast cancer charities isn’t exactlyan accident. In 1988, the Cosmetics,Toiletry and FragranceAssociationlaunched itsMore than 45 million pink ribbonsand even more educational brochureshave since been handed out around theglobe, and Lauder smiles as she declaresthe symbol ubiquitous and says theeducational brochures are now in thehands of women who need them.“There’s been an explosion ofinformation (about breast health)and we’re eliminating the fearfactor for women,” she says.She ticks off the tangibleresults:■ More women aregetting mammograms.■ More insurancecompanies are paying forEvelyn Lauder, now the matriarch ofbreast-cancer screening.The Estee Lauder Cos., is passionate■ Improvedabout her breast-cancer awareness andequipment has increasedfund-raising projects.AP photosthe clarity of images frommammograms and theTo date, U.S. cosmetics companiesaccuracy of the readings byhave raised an estimated $400 million inradiologists. A newthe fight against breast cancer, accordingtechnique, called stereotacticto the CTFA.biopsy, performed with a slim,Lauder’s personal story rivals herhollow needle is an important toolcharitable accomplishments.in early detection – and it doesn’t evenShe was born in Vienna, Austria, andleave a scar, says Lauder.was a survivor of the London Blitz of“Screening has been turned into a1940, and later immigrated to the Unitednonevent,” she says.States with her parents. She marriedHer upbeat assessment, however,Leonard and became a teacher – anddoesn’t mean she’s satisfied. She says thethat’s when her mother-in-law tapped hertreatment can still be too draining andfor the family business: Her first job atpainful, both emotionally and physically,Estee Lauder was to create the syllabusand that too many women – almostfor the training programs. She also40,000 in the United States last year –traveled from store to store as astill die.“traveling demonstrator,” teaching theLauder has become the matriarch ofsaleswomen about appropriate customercosmetic giant, Estee Lauder Cos. As therecommendations.wife of company chairman Leonard and“This $6 billion business is built onmother of chief executive officertrust. You don’t get to be such a bigWilliam, Lauder became the female faceplayer by fooling the customer,” Lauderof the company when her mother-in-lawsays. “We are passionate about ourEstee dropped out of the public eye aboutquality.”a decade ago. (Estee Lauder died inHer own beauty routine is builtApril of this year.)around night repair cream and “I’d neverEvelyn Lauder’s official title atbe caught dead without my mascara.”the company is senior corporateEstee Lauder, she says, was the firstvice president, overseeingcompany to rank the level of suntrend analysis andprotection in its sunscreens and thefragrance development,company made the suggestion to thebut it’s the breast cancerfederal Food and Drug Administrationwork that she’s trulythat SPFs be standardized.passionate about.Lauder also is an avid photographerIn addition to her companyrelatedefforts, including“The Seasons Observed”and Abrams has published two booksdevelopment of fund-raising productsProceeds from sales of Estee Lauder’s and “An Eye for Beauty,”and recruiting fashion-world friends toPink Ribbon Compact benefit The Breast both featuring her picturesdo the same, Lauder initiated a funddrivethat raised more than $18 million to Good, Feel Better”been exhibited at galleries“LookCancer Research Foundation. of nature. Her photos havebuild the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center campaign and the industry got behind it in New York, Los Angeles, San Franciscoat Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer with the understanding that it was an and London and the proceeds from theseCenter in Manhattan, the first-ever breast initiative that could really affect – and shows, in addition to her royalties fromdiagnostic center.help – their customers, recalls Lauder. the books, benefit The Breast CancerIn 1993 she established the Breast “We (cosmetics companies) succeed Research Foundation.Cancer Research Foundation, which has or fail based on women. There are more “One of the things that keeps mebecome the largest national organization breast cancer deaths each year than AIDS youthful is that I’m involved indedicated to funding of research relating (in the United States), and no one else everything and in new things,” Lauderto the causes, treatment and possible was doing anything about it,” she says. says.Beauty products with a causeNEW YORK (AP) – Pink products – already popular withwomen and the fashion and beauty companies that cater tothem – are everywhere this month.October is designated as National Breast Cancer AwarenessMonth and pink – and especially pink ribbons – is the designatedawareness color. Several products are donating a portion of theirproceeds to related charities, including:■ Target has an entire pink collection – T-shirts, baseballshirts, cashmere hats and gloves, flip-flops and more, all with thetagline “Share beauty, spread hope.” The full line is available instores, online and in a special pink-only store in Manhattan’sTimes Square, and 100 percent of the profits benefit The BreastCancer Research Foundation.■ Lilly Pulitzer’s silk scarf, with a pink, aqua,green and white floral and paisley pattern, wasdeveloped with Ford Motor Company to benefitthe Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.The scarf is part of the “Tied to the Cause”campaign, which includes ads featuring JenniferConnelly, Mary J. Blige, Demi Moore andClaire Danes wearing the scarf, which isavailable at Bloomingdale’s stores and Website.■ Queen Latifah created a“signature series” of intimateapparel for Curvation, a divisionof VF Intimates, that features apink-ribbon feature on each bra.“It’s not everyday that I get to signmy name to something that I knowcan make a difference,” saysQueen Latifah. Donations will goto Susan G. Komen.■ New Balance’s Lace Up forthe Cure collection features 12styles of athletic shoes – eachwith an embroidered pink ribbonon the tongue – and performanceapparel, including T-shirts andtank tops, fitness shorts, afleece jacket and workout pants, alsoadorned with the embroidered pink ribbon. For every $25purchase of the merchandise, the consumer can send in a formthat will result in a $5 donation from New Balance.■ Burberry put a trench coat, tote and scarf in a heraldicprint design from the company archives and recolored it inpassion pink. Thirty percent of the retail sales will be donated tothe Breast Cancer Research Foundation.■ Jimmy Choo’s Pink Ribbon Shoe is an open-toe mule inhot pink with a bow detail. The company is giving 15 percent ofthe retail sale of the shoe to The Breast Cancer ResearchFoundation.■ L’Occitane’s 100 Percent Pure Shea Butter LimitedEdition is the purest form of this emollient that protects,nourishes and moisturizes dry skin. Donations will go to SusanG. Komen.■ Tumi offers three styles from its women’s handbag linethat will give 20 percent of proceeds to Susan G. Komen; the toteis gray wool with pink leather trim, and a small makeup pouchand a computer sleeve are in pink nylon with pink leather trim.■ Mischa Barton, one of Hollywood’s young fashionistas, isthis year’s ambassador for “FFANY Shoes on Sale,” which willbe broadcast live Oct. 20 on QVC at 7 p.m. EDT. The FFANYsale, which raises money for The Fashion Footwear CharitableFoundation, features more than 100,000 pairs of shoes offered athalf the suggested retail value.■ Nanette Lepore donates 100 percent of the proceeds ofher pink rabbit fur shrug to the Young Survival Coalition.■ Alex and Ani gives 50 percent of the proceeds of itsexpandable wire bangle bracelet with a pink Swarovski crystalheart charm to the American Cancer Society.■ Bare Escentuals Healthy Breast Cream, with emollientsand firming agents, is a moisturizer that can also be used onhands and other parts of the body. Each package comes withinstructions on how to do a self breast exam.■ Karen Neuburger’s cotton Pink Ribbon PJs are decoratedwith a print of ribbons and flowers, and a pair of lounge socksalso feature the ribbon design. Donations will be made to TheTumi’s pink totes raise money Breast Cancer Research Foundation.■ Coach Watch introduces its Lexingtonfor the Susan G. Komen Breast design in pink, featuring a pink mother-ofpearldial and a fuschia alligator strap. ForCancer Foundation. AP photoeach $398 watch sold, $100 will go to TheBreast Cancer Research Foundation.■ Aveda’s Shampure Shampooand Conditioner get a pink capand band with a ribbon. Avedadonates $1 from the sale ofeach limited-edition productand matches an additional $1 tobenefit The Breast CancerResearch Foundation.■ The Web siteFlipFlopStyle.com has aspecial section for pink ribbonthemedjewelry that benefitvarious charities, including alittle pendant called “Susan, thePink Ribbon Charm Chick” andthe Pink Ribbon Angel Pin.■ Bliss’ Go Bust, a new firming, toning cream designed topromote breast self exams, gives 100 percent of proceeds toRethink Breast Cancer.■ Charmed Life’s Pink Awareness Affirmation Necklacecomes with a sterling silver disc that says either “believe,”“courage,” “faith,” “hope,” “life,” “love,” miracles,” “spirit” or“strength.” They dangle from a pink satin cord, and sales benefitthe National Breast Cancer Foundation.■ Maiden America Style, a shopping Web site, features hairaccessories, jewelry, and bath and body products that support theSusan G. Komen Foundation.■ Grace Holden’s Breast Cancer Awareness Clutch purse ismade with pink fabric and Swarovski rose crystals. All proceedsgo to the Marcia Israel Mammography Center at Cedars-SinaiMedical Center in Los Angeles.■ Bella Beauty is donating 100 percent of profits from itsWalnut Sugar Scrub in Peppermint to Susan G. Komen.

theSCREENThe Journal Sunday • October 10, 2004A9‘Dance’ feverJ.Lo compares ‘ShallWe Dance?’ role topost-Bennifer nuttinessBy JOHN BLACKJournal movie reviewerUp until a few months ago, itseemed you couldn’t pick upa newspaper, turn on atelevision or sign on to theInternet without seeing aphoto of Jennifer Lopez andsome story about herpersonal life.Whether it was who shewas dating, where she wasstaying or what kind of dietand exerciseregime Lopezneeded tokeep herfamousbackside inshape, thesefactoidsflooded intoour liveswhether wewanted themto or not.And then,of course,there was“Gigli,” thefilm she didwith thenboyfriendBen Affleckthat got suchscathingreviews italmost sankboth theirfilm careers.People stilltalk about thebomb today.Lately,things havebeen much quieter for the popsinger/movie star. In fact, withthe exception of the mediaflurry caused by her June 5marriage to crooner MarcAnthony, Lopez has prettymuch stayed out of thespotlight.It’s not that she doesn’thave a lot to talk about,including a new movie –“Shall We Dance” – and twonew CDs due early next year.She’s more than willing to talkabout her work. It’s just that asfar as her personal life isconcerned, J.Lo wants to laylow for a while.“It’s not really a strategy.It’s not a thing where I’mtrying to control how thingsare going to happen. It’s aboutmy life and the quality of my“There was allthis energyfocused on meand I tried todo what Icould to keepit out of mypersonal life,but it’s almostimpossible.”Jennifer Lopezlife,” Lopez explains during apromotional tour for “ShallWe Dance.” “There was allthis energy focused on me andI tried to do what I could tokeep it out of my personal life,but it’s almost impossible.That stuff still sneaks underthe door and through thecracks. It’s an energy and it’sdestructive.“It’s hard for people tounderstand it and I get that,”she continues. “I realizepeople are interested and it’snot about mesaying they haveno right to knowabout my life.But the reason Iam in the publiceye is because ofwhat I do. Noneof these peoplethought I was aninterestingperson orwanted to knowabout my lifebefore. It’sbecause I’m in amovie orbecause I do analbum. And Ijust want to getthe focus backon that, on mycareer and noton my life.”Having beenin show businessfor almost 20years, Lopez,35, knows it willtake time forpeople to notonly realize howserious she is about separatingher work form her private life,but for them to adjust to it,tooḞor example, in “Shall WeDance?” she plays Paulina, adancer whose dreams ofwinning a ballroomchampionship are crushedwhen she falls during a bigcompetition. She not onlyloses the championship, butthe lover who was her partner,too. Now, Paulina spends hertime teaching dance lessons ata rundown Chicago dancestudio, her dreams of beingthe best in her art form adistant but still painfulmemory.Given the fact that shefilmed “Shall We Dance?”Please see LOPEZ, Page A10Jason (Kane Hodder) hits the Big Apple with a vengeance in “Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan.”Reflections from Crystal LakeWading through the carnage in the ‘Friday the13th’ DVD collection is a bloody good challengeBy BRIAN TRUITTSunday staff writerThere are certain filmfranchises where, if youhaven’t seen one of themovies – say, “Star Wars” or“The Godfather” – you’reliable to be mocked byfriends.“Friday the 13th” isprobably not one of them,unless you were raised on ’80sslasher flicks. Then you’ll geta deer-in-headlights stare froma pal.For some reason – call itfate, call it destiny – I’d neverseen one of the many “Fridaythe 13th” installmentschronicling the arm-slicing,eyeball-dicing, skull-cleavingadventures of one JasonVoorhees, the sadistic residentof Crystal Lake, N.J., clad in agoalie-style hockey mask withevil to spare. (No“Godfathers” for me, either.But that’s a travesty foranother column.)Then the day came:“Friday the 13th: FromCrystal Lake to Manhattan– The Ultimate Edition DVDCollection” (ParamountHome Video, $79.99) found itsway into my mailbox, wrappedin DHL packaging to protectinnocent passers-by from thecarnage within. And the onlyway for a newbie to reviewON THESHELFNew to DVD this weekthese slices of pop-culturebloodlust? Watch them all inone fell swoop. (Not in onesitting, though. That’s justinsane.)There’s a few things onequickly gathersfrom watchingthese eightmovies (thereare 10 total inthe series, butthe ninth –1993’s “JasonGoes to Hell:The FinalFriday” – and10th – 2001’s“Jason X” –chapters aswell as lastyear’s “FreddyVs. Jason”were releasedby New Line). First, you canrapidly become desensitized toHollywood special-effectsviolence – not even a shudderwhen a virile young girl isthrown off a roof and bouncesoff a car rather nastily in thefourth episode, “Friday the13th : The Final Chapter.”Second, Jason is the kind ofguy every PTA associationshouldlove: Heloves hismom (to adeadlyfault,actually)and hepunishespromiscuousteensengagingin premaritalsex, albeitto anJeannine Taylor (left) and Kevin Bacon – beforethe killing starts – in “Friday the 13th.”extreme.Andfinally,there are two things most ofthe characters/victims usuallynever have: bras and commonsense.With these in mind, here’s abreakdown of the perfect-for-Halloween five-disccollection, the eightfilms and an extraDVD chockablockfull of specialfeatures:“Fridaythe 13th”(1980)The gravedetails: CampCrystal Lake isnicknamed “CampBlood” by itsneighbors after the jinx it’s hadsince young Jason Voorheesdrowned in the lake in 1957while the two counselors onlifeguard duty were having sexnearby, and a pair of teenswere hacked to death a yearlater. The camp is back up andrunning, but the female cooknever makes it to the place andthe other counselor traineesare taken out one by one. Yetthe last teen standing, Alice(Adrienne King), discovers it’snot Jason running loose;instead it’s his mother, PamelaVoorhees (Betsy Palmer),who’s decided she’s out toslaughter every horny teencounselor in order to avengeher boy’s untimely passing.Alice wins the catfight finalewhen she decapitates mommydearest, but learns that Jason isstill alive and kicking in theend. Directed by SeanCunningham, the original“Friday” – “Psycho” in thewoods – is by far the best ofthe bunch, with excellenttwists and an eerie, BernardHerrmann-esque score byHarry Manfredini.Notable victims: A pre-“Footloose” Kevin Baconmeets a gruesome end 42minutes into the film; andPalmer was a reporter onNBC’s “The Today Show” inthe 1950s.Body count: 11, 10courtesy of Mama Voorhees.Best death: Marcie(Jeannine Taylor) gets acleaver upside the head.Gore score (out of fivemasks):“Friday the13th Part II”(1981)The grave details: Fiveyears have passed, and a newcounselor training camp hasset up shop next to the remainsof Camp Crystal Lake. Thisgroup of youngsters is moresexually charged than the first,but soon realize that Jason,who’s ignored as a myth, ain’tdead. Some of the teens gointo town to party, some stay athome to make sweet love, andall but young Ginny (AmySteel) and her boytoy never seedaylight again. Ginny fools aParamount photospre-masked Jason (WarringtonGillette, who wears a hood thewhole time) when she happensupon Jason’s shrine to hisdeceased mother – completewith her head – puts on hersweater and “kills” him. (Shedoes end up in a mentalinstitution, however.)Notable victims: Nobody,really, although King endedher acting career with this film– it consisted of only two“Friday the 13th” movies.Please see FRIDAY, Page A10A post-Ben Affleck Jennifer Lopez (left) and Richard Geretango till they drop in “Shall We Dance?” Miramax photo

A10 The Journal Sunday • October 10, 2004theSCREENLopez isqueen ofthe ‘Dance’LOPEZ, from Page A9right after “Gigli” wasreleased to almost universaldisdain – and the fact thatshe lost her lover soon afterit famously tanked – will ofcourse leave fans and criticsto ponder if life wasimitating art in some waywhen she was making thefilm.“Pauline is veryintroverted and has kind ofgiven up on everything,” shesays. “I wasn’t at that pointin my life but I canunderstand it. I canunderstand her passion forher art and what happenswhen thingsdon’t workout andyou’re facedwithfiguring outwere do yougo fromthere.“But Iwon’t blameit on ‘Gigli.’I don’t lookat ‘Gigli’ theway the restof the worldlooks at‘Gigli.’ Igauge mysuccess onwhether ornot I havedone my joband howwell I did it.And I canconsider thatmovie asuccess inthat sense. Iwent in therewith acertainamount ofmaterial thatI could workwith and Idid the bestI could.”Lopez also maintainedthat taking the part ofPaulina in the film – a muchsmaller role than that of costarsRichard Gere andSusan Sarandon – is not partof any overall strategy tokeep out of the spotlight, atleast in terms of not beingthe star of the movie.“It’s a really good scriptand a really good role. That’swhy I took it,” she says.“You know what I like aboutthis movie? It’s realistic inthe fact that all marriagesand relationships end upfalling into routines andthings get boring sometimes.And you have to find theanswer to whatever is wrongin yourself. It’s not yourpartner’s job to do that. It’smore personal and intimate.You have to be happy withinyourself to be good in a loverelationship. And I like thataspect of the movie.”Lopez feels Gere’scharacter, a quiet lawyerwho finds a renewed passionfor life through ballroomdancing, is a great exampleof what people are searchingfor in their own lives. “Onthe surface, he has a greatlife, but he’s not happy.There no reason anyone canpoint to for him not beinghappy, but he isn’t becausethere is something missingin him,” she says. “He has tofind a passion and a reasonto get upevery daybeyond allthe things heneeds to doto keep hislife afloat.And that’sveryromantic,finding thelove inyourself.”Stoppingto reflect alittle onwhat she justsaid, Lopezadmits thatno matterhow crazyher life gotin terms ofbeing in thespotlight24/7, shewas always apretty happypersonbecause shehad love inher privatelife from herfamily andfriends andpassion inherprofessionallife through music, dancingand acting.She also admits it’s takenher a little while to standback and not only appreciatethe things she has, but torealize she has to protectthem.“I felt like there was atime there – and not just lastyear but building up over theyears – where it was out ofcontrol. What was this thing,this thing that had becomeme? I didn’t like it,” she says.“I’m at a different point inmy life right now. I’m a littlebit older and I like to think alittle bit wiser and moremature. I’ve learned fromthose experiences. And that’swhere I’m at. I think that’sgoing to be reflected in thechoices that I make.”Even when her personal lifebecame very public, JenniferLopez says she remained ahappy person. Photo by David JamesContest compliments of&There’s something about JasonFRIDAY, from Page A9Body count: Nine; thankfully,Jason let the hot naked girl scamperabout a bit before doing his thing.Best death: In a two-for-one deal,Jason spears a post-coital couplecaught in a loving embrace.Gore score:“Friday the 13th:Part III” (1982)The grave details: This film wasoriginally presented in theaters in 3-D,and the parlor tricks – like the eyeballthat’s “popping” out of the screen – areobvious. But 3-D means higher-qualitykilling for Jason (Richard Broaoker) ashe stalks a group who’s traveled to afarm in the country for the weekendand has angered the local motorcyclegang. The more the merrier for theserial-killing madman, who gets hisfamous hockey mask after murderingthe chubby, romantically deficientjokester (Larry Zerner). One of thegirls, Chris (Dana Kimmell), has facedJason before, and does so again in thethrilling barn climax where she “kills”him. (See a pattern here?)Notable victims: Kimmell starredin the short-lived 1979 sitcom “DeltaHouse,” based on “Animal House.”Body count: 12, and all of themthanks to Jason’s top-notch work.Kudos, big guy.Best death: Tie – a Hispanic girlreceives a flying harpoon to the eye,and a dude doing a handstand gets acleaver to the crotch.Gore score:“Friday the 13th: TheFinal Chapter” (1984)The grave details: More angsty‘80s film than slasher pic, this talebegins with Jason waking up in thecounty hospital – and none too pleased.This time he has two different groupsof victims from which to choose: afamily – mom, daughter and son (aseriously young Corey Feldman asnerdy Tommy Jarvis) – and theubiquitous horny co-eds and wannabeplayers with no game whatsoever. Thewhole latter part of the cast is offed inentertaining ways – as are twoattractive twins they meet while on abike path – until it’s finally Tommy vs.Jason for all the marbles. The kid’ssmart, shaving his head and generallylooking as unkempt as ol’ Jason didback in the day to save his big sis, andgoes postal when putting the finaltouches on ending Jason’s years-longmurder streak.Notable victims: Where to begin?Crispin Glover, who plays a trulypathetic college kid in this, went on toplay George McFly a year later in1985’s top-grossing film, “Back to theFuture”; Peter Barton became a regularon “The Young and the Restless” in1987; and we all know aboutFeldman’s stint as an ’80s movie icon.Body count: A new record of 13.Best death: Before breaking out ofthe hospital, Jason filets a nurse for hisfirst kill of thefilm.Gore score:Nothing stops Jason (far right), not even this doomed dude with a gas canin “Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives.”Paramount photo“Friday the 13th: ANew Beginning” (1985)The grave details: I know, you’rethinking, “Hold up. Wasn’t the last one‘The Final Chapter’?” Well, you justcan’t have Corey Feldman kill apopular movie franchise. This fifthmovie finds Tommy (John Shepherd), afew years later, being shipped from amental facility to an outdoorsy localewith other patients. The place’s residentpsycho (Mark Venturini) brutally axesan annoying peer to death, whichignites a series of killings involving thepatients and some local hillbillies thatseems to point to Jason – even thoughhe’s six feet under. But no, anotherperson is responsible for this bloodyround, and he’s dispatched by Tommywith the help of his adviser (MelanieKinnaman).Notable victims: Miguel A. NunezJr. is a popular character actor inHollywood now, and starred in thebasketball flop “Juwanna Mann.”Body count: A whopping 23.(None of them by the real Jason,though, so it’s a hollow 23.)Best death: “Jason” squeezes aboy’s head in using only a leather strapand a tree.Gore score:“Friday the 13th PartVI: Jason Lives” (1986)The grave details: Of all eightfilms, the sixth chapter is the only oneto inject a dose of humor in with all theblood splattering about, beginning witha nifty spoof of the trademark JamesBond opening. Tommy Jarvis (thistime, played by Thom Matthews) isagain the focus of the tale, as heventures to the cemetery to take Jason’sbody and destroy it for all eternity. AJACINDA, from Page A1Beautiful People” of 1997,Barrett co-starred oppositeAnthony Hopkins and NicoleKidman in “The HumanStain,” and in her next film,“Bridget Jones: The Edge ofReason,” Barrett insertsherself in a love triangle withMark Darcy (Colin Firth) andBridget (Renee Zellweger).Barrett’s traded her Aussiehometown of Brisbane fordigs in Hollywood – she stillhas the “Real World” dog, bythe way – and like hercharacter, one unlucky soulhas tried to pick her up in asupermarket.“One of my first years inL.A., I was having a bad dayand I was out at one of thesupermarkets there,” she says,grinning at the memory. “Iwas really upset, and this guyjust didn’t get that I was reallyupset and was following mearound the cereal section.That’s all I remember. But Ididn’t go for it, though.”JRNL: The kids in themovie are worried about theirdad being a firefighter. Didyou have those same concernsabout your father when youwere younger?JB: You know, what’sweird is I wasn’t. I went backto my parents and tried to seeif maybe there was a point thatI can’t remember where I wasand then ease my fears. Butmy parents did a really goodjob of keeping any situationmy dad was in from us. I hadthis faint memory of my dadbeing quiet one day and wewere just told, “Give your dadsome space today.” That neverhappened in my house so Ididn’t know what was up withmy dad. It wasn’t till manyyears later that I found outhe’d been in a really serioussituation and he was in airportcrash and rescue, and twolight aircraft had collided withall fatalities. Those things thathappened, I didn’t know till Iwas an adult. So maybe if Ihad known I would have hadmore fear than I had.JRNL: He didn’t take hisfear home with him?JB: Never. And you nowwhat, I think a lot offirefighters don’t. They don’tbring it home, they don’t feelcomfortable talking about it.My dad still doesn’t want totalk about it. I got him to talkabout stuff for the movie whenI was doing the research, andhe didn’t like it. It brings backbad memories and he likes toleave it at work.JRNL: During thatresearch period, did you chatwith some of the Baltimorefirefighters’ wives?JB: I did. I was surprisedby the male bonding that wenton that the women weren’tinvited to, because I didn’t seethat in Australia. Maybe thatwent on, but my dad didn’t doit. I saw that there were a lotof women, Friday nights, theylightning bolt thinks otherwise, givinglife to Jason (C.J. Graham) againFrankenstein-style. He stalks Tommythrough Crystal Lake – which theresidents have renamed Forest GreenCounty, due mainly to the town’s badpress – and the youngster tries to gethelp from the sheriff (David Kagen),who’s not the nicest of guys. Hisdaughter (Jennifer Cooke) takes a shineto Tommy, though, and helps him trackJason down to Crystal Lake mid-killingspree. Jason gets the business end of anoutboard motor to the face, has a metalchain tied to his neck that’s connectedto a huge rock, and is drowned.Notable victims: The first personto get whacked is Ron Palillo, whogained fame as the geeky Horshack onTV’s “Welcome Back, Kotter,” andTony Goldwyn, son of famed producerSamuel Goldwyn Jr., starred oppositeTom Cruise in last year’s “The LastSamurai.”Body count: 17; watching Palilloget cleavered is almost as entertainingas watching him get pounded by Dustin“Screech” Diamond on “CelebrityBoxing.”Best death: One swipe of Jason’sweapon takes off the heads of threepaintball warriors.Gore score:“Friday the 13thPart VII: The NewBlood” (1988)The grave details: It’s too bad thedebut of Kane Hodder, the best Jasonof them all, and the introduction ofJason’s most powerful foil to date –Tina, a young girl (Lar Park Lincoln)with some useful telekinetic powers –are wasted in this boring mess. As achild, Tina unleashes a psychic blastthat unearths Jason from his wateryknew there husbands weregoing out drinking. And it wasjust the firefighters, not thewives. I think a lot of the otherstuff I saw with the wiveswere things I had alreadystarted to understand anywaybecause of talking to mymom. It definitely wasn’t aforeign world to me, althoughI grew up in Australia, veryworking class, in a townprobably close to thepopulation of Baltimore.JRNL: What are thedifferences between Americanfirefighters and theirAustralian counterparts?JB: Not a lot. They dealwith different problems. Wehave serious bush fires. Imean, California firefightersdeal with the things thatAustralian firefighters dealwith, [like] serious wild bushfire problems. But overall, itfelt like the guys were reallysimilar. I know there’s a senseof brotherhood with afirefighter no matter wheretomb and gets him back on the deathtrack. By the time Tina and her loveinterest (Kevin Spirtas) blow Jason upand he burns to “death,” you’re justtrying to stay awake long enough tokeep up with the body count.Notable victims: Terry Kiser is bestknown for dying in another moviefranchise, as the title character in the“Weekend at Bernie’s” comedies.Body count: 14.Best death: Jason wraps a womanin a yellow tarp and bashes her againsta telephone pole. No blood, however,so..Ġore score:“Friday the 13th PartVIII: Jason TakesManhattan” (1989)The grave details: Jason (KaneHodder) stows away on a cruise ship toruin a trip to New York City for a groupof recent high school graduates. One ofthe students, Rennie (Jensen Daggett),is having her own issues, with the trip’schaperone being her uptight UncleCharles (Peter Mark Richman) – who’salso her legal guardian – and herfrequent visions of Jason as a deformedchild. After Jason slices his waythrough a bunch of kids on the boar, hetracks Rennie and the other survivorsto Times Square, where he encountersstreet hugs, has a shocking experiencewith electrically powered subwaytracks, and bathes in toxic waste whenthe sewers receive their daily clean-up.Notable victims: Richman was aregular on “Dynasty” in the early ‘80s;Daggett has appeared in several madefor-TVmovies including “Dead BeforeDawn” and “Asteroid”; and Kelly Hu,who made her big-screen debut in “PartVIII,” played the mutant assassin LadyDeathstrike in “X2: X-Men United.”Body count: 18.Best death: Jason tosses Rennie’suncle into a vat of oozy greenhazardous material.Gore score:“Killer Extras”The special features disc ishighlighted by an eight-part “TheFriday the 13th Chronicles,” with eachmovie getting its own featurette withcast and creator interviews andinteresting tidbits – for example, BetsyPalmer was cast against type as Mrs.Voorhees, since she had a reputation inthe theater for playing goody-twoshoesroles; and Harry Manfredinidevised the omnipresent sonic echoesforeshadowing Jason’s rampages byfiddling with his synthesizer.There’s also the entertaining“Crystal Lake Victims Tell All,” whichlets the actors who played murderedcharacters sound off about gettinggutted by Jason; a special documentingthe making of the original theatricaltrailers; a collection of deleted scenesand alternate sequences, which areneatly matched up in split-screenformat with the final cuts; and afeaturette on the makeup and specialeffects used for all the violence Jasoninflicts.But that’s only if you can stand thesight of more blood after making yourway through the films. Me? I need aromantic comedy ASAP.Actress escapes reality-TV worldJacinda Barrett (far right) turned to her father, a retiredfirefighter in Australia, while doing research for her role asa fireman’s wife in “Ladder 49.”Photo by Ron Phillipsthey are with these guys. Theycould meet a firefighter fromIndia or England and feel likethere’s some kind of kinship.JRNL: When you wereyounger, did you ever want tofollow in your father’sfootsteps and work in therescue field? A nurse maybe?JB: No, because bloodfreaks me out. I didn’t. I had asense that what he did wasmore extraordinary than whatI saw other people’s dadsdoing, even though they didreally great things. One time,someone had a seizure in frontof us, and everyone’s freakingout and my dad’s the onlyperson who knows how todeal with it in this very calm,controlled, safe way that allthese guys have. And I justalways had that sense of pridein him. I never felt like it waswhat I wanted to do.JRNL: Do you still getrecognized from being on“The Real World”? Onewould think people rememberthe more recent seasons thanway back to 1995.JB: I wish! No, peoplestill do. And in interviews,everyone says, “Was that yourbreak?” or “Is that how yougot this?” Not only was it nineyears ago, but it’s nothing likemaking a movie and acting.It’s a documentary; it’s just acamera following you around.Sometimes I still [getrecognized], but not in L.A.because people don’t reallycare in L.A.JRNL: They probably justthink they’ve seen you fromsomewhere.JB: Sometimes I get that:“Didn’t we go to schooltogether? What’s your name?See, I knew that was yourname! I knew that! I know wewent to school together, Iknow you!” I get that becauseit’s a different kind ofknowing than when you seean actor. It seems morefamiliar, the documentarynature.

theSCENEThe Journal Sunday • October 10, 2004A11She loves me not; she loves me notCourtesy photos‘Shadow’ emergesas best RPG of yearBy SCOTT ROSENBERGSunday staff writer“Shadow Hearts: Covenant”starts off with a painfullylong animated movie. Iturned on the game, watchedit for a minute, went to thebathroom, made a sandwich,got a drink, solved theworld’s economic problems,ended world hunger,privately debated Cheneyand Edwards on the war inIraq, taught my cat to readand still got back in time tosee how the movie ended.After enduring the movie, Iwas pretty down on the game. Iwas bored. It wasn’t so much avideo game as it was a reallybad movie. And the voice talent– ugh, the voice talent – ham itup a little why don’t you.The voices are bad andoften stray from what is beingwritten in the subtitles. Can weget some consistency, please?But, three hours later, Irealized that all those thingsdon’t matter – this is anengrossing, excellent game.“Covenant,” the sequel to a2001 game (“Shadow Heart”),is a one player role-playinggame set during WorldWar I. That just feelsstrange to write. MostRPGs are set inmythical worlds,but this game,while stillhaving theclassic monsters andmagic, is set in Europeand Asia. I started thegame in Germany. Ispent some time inCannes and foughtmonsters in Wales.Again, that feels weirdto write.But it works. Itreally does. The gameglosses over any realworld issues in lieu ofa fantastical storywhere you andyour rag-tag bunch ofadventurers are out on a questto stop a secret society. Thestory is rather provocative;despite being riddled with toomany of those extended cutscenes.And, this is a story that isquite long and rathercomplicated. This is not goingto be like the Xbox release,“Fable,” which was said bymany to be too short. Eventhough the game is onlymoderately difficult, it is still along, long game spread overtwo discs. You won’t beat this isa day.The characters are verylikable and really unique. Someof the characters include Yuri,the young brooding type ofJapanese and Russian origin;Karin, a young German girl;Geppetto, an old Frenchman;Blanca, a wolf, Joachim, aTransylvanian wrestler; andLucia, an Italian exotic dancer.While Karin and Yuri useyour typical edged-weaponattacks, Geppetto, implied tobe the same character from“Pinocchio,” uses a marionettedoll with different strings andJoachim swings a huge item,like a log, a mailbox, a giantpipe – whatever he finds.The characters are fleshedout, with each having their ownstrange quirks. Midway did afantastic job of making thesecharacters different from whatyou’ll find in the standardRPG.The combat system isturned based, not unlike mostRPGs. But it has a battleengine that integrates a thingcalled the Judgment Ring,which has a spinning arm andhighlighted areas, where if youare able to click at the righttimes, your character succeedswith attacks, which becomemore powerful if you hitcertain highlighted areas on thering. It adds a bit of challengeto combat and makes theengine for hits and misses a bitmore realistic. Well, as realisticas a game with a wrestlerswinging a mailbox can be.The Judgment Ring is alsoavailable when shopping,giving you a chance to try andget a discount on the goods youbuy or a marked up pay out onthe things you sell.On top of the regularattacks, each person has aspecial set of movies. Forexample, Yuri can morph intocreatures, Karin has an abilitycalled Sword Art, which is anadvanced sword attack based onchapters of Wagner’s “DerRings des Nibelungens.”Geppetto gets different dressesfor the marionette doll to wear,each with different powers,Joachim learns special wrestlingmoves called Muscle Arts andBlanca has different howls.Above and beyond thecharacter’s special moves, thereis a magic-based system thathas the typical elemental, lightand dark and curative magic.A combo feature bolstersthe entire combat system,allowing characters to formjoint attacks for huge damage,especially helpful when takingon the boss-type bad guys.The villains in “ShadowHearts: Covenant” range fromknife-wielding members of thesecret society, to strangemonsters, like a large, pink cat,and the final bad guy, a certainmad monk from Russian history.It is important to note thatthis game is rated teen and thatis a legitimate rating. Thestory is raunchy, rife withoff-color jokes, likehaving to bring “StudCards” to theobviously gaydressmakerwho designs thedresses forGeppetto’smarionette doll. Lucia isfirst debuted in anexotic dance for thecharacters. I wasn’toffended by anything,but sometimes I reallyfelt that the designerswere catering to thelowest commondenominator.“Shadow Hearts:Covenant” playsmuch like yourtypical RPG, butseparates itselffrom the pack by not beingafraid to be quirky. The story isin depth, interesting and uniqueenough to keep your interest,even with those long, boringcut scenes. Midway has a greatfranchise on its hand, one thatgoes toe-to-toe with the giantslike Square Enix’s “FinalFantasy.”It’s nice to see the big guysfinally get some real, truecompetition, because right now,“Shadow Hearts: Covenant” ismy No. 1 contender for bestRPG of the year.they’re not your old-boypoliticians,” said EllenMalcolm, president of theWashington, D.C.-basedgroup.Pearl Jam guitarist StoneGossard said he wants tomake it clear to voters thatthe Bush administration hasbeen reckless in its foreignpolicy since Sept. 11.“For me personally, I verymuch want John Kerry to win,”Gossard said in an interview. “Ithink that he’s expressed aninterest in re-engaging theworld community and sayingthe last administration is notrepresentative of the wayAmerica wants to do businesswith the world."Bands on the tour crossover many musical categoriesand a generational gap. JohnFogerty, the former leader ofCredence Clearwater Revivalin the 1960s and 1970s, andJames Taylor, whose folk starstatus began in the 1960s, willbe on the same bill as R&Bsinger/songwriter/producerKenny “Babyface" Edmonds,whose fame didn't come untilthe 1980s and 1990s.Voter registrationinformation will be availableduring the concerts."It's not just waging warover a very narrow group ofundecided voters," Parisersaid. "It's bringing inhundreds of thousands andmillions of new people tothe process."SUNDAY EVENING OCTOBER 10, 20044:30 5:00 5:30 6:00 6:30 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30BROADCAST CHANNELSWRCWTTGWJLAWUSAWDCAWMPTWETAWHUTWBDCBASIC CABLE CHANNELSA&EBETCNBCCNNCOMDSCESPNFAMFXHISTLIFENICKSCIFITBSTLCTNNTNTTOONTVLNDUSAWGNWPXWMOVIES/SPORTSAMCBRAVODISNHBOHBOFIFCMAXSHOWSPTNTTMCPAY-PER-VIEW CHANNELSiN 1The roses were red, but you’refeeling blue.She told you scram; yep it’s over –you’re through.Have you ever whiffed at love’s 90-mile-per-hour fastball? Have yousparred with someone in the ring ofromance only to have them deliver akiller cross right into your gut? Haveyou courageously handed in passion’sexam, only to have Professor CupidValentino return it with a big, fat, red“F’’ scrawled across it? Yeah, man, metoo. But I’ve got a new thought.To hell with it.With each failed fling comes therealization that love is, at best,random. It’s like solving a Rubik’sCube: Even if you figure it out, it’sprobably because you stumbled into it,you lucky schmuck. You might as wellhave rearranged the stickers.They say that when you fall off thehorse, you should get right back on.No, sir! Not this time. Ain’t no way.I’m gonna enjoy the view from flat onmy back, thank you very much, happyas a pig in feces.Upon finally learning that true loveand soul mates are imaginary things,like Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy andthose perfectly juicy cheeseburgersyou see on fast-food commercials, it’stime to make changes. No more badR&B love songs. No more whiteweddings. No more Valentine’s Day.No more flowers, candy hearts orsweet nothings. And no moreHollywood romances for cripe’s sake,TV or otherwise.“But Scott, you love ‘TheBachelor’!’’ No, I don’t. “ ‘BlindDate’ is your favorite!’’ Nope. Dumb.“Even ‘Newlyweds’?’’Are youkidding me? Stinks.It’s cold-turkey time – for today, atleast. Keeping to a romance-free dietwill not be easy, what with all thelovey-dovey dung across the dial. Buthere’s a guide of things to stay awayfrom:DIRTY DANCINGAwful. Patrick Swayze stars as acountry-club flunkie who has a thingwith one of the rich member’sdaughters in “Dirty Dancing’’ (Bravo,6 p.m.). No. 1: Good luck winningyour girl over with a part-time job andtrips to McDonald’s. No. 2: If she’smore into how unhappy she’s makingher dad than into how happy she’smaking you, you’re on the train toDumped City. No. 3: If you sashayaround with no shirt and tight blackpants, women won’t think you’re hot.They’ll think you’re gay.REVENGEOF THE NERDSRotten. Do you know whathappens in the end of “Revenge of theNerds’’ (Comedy Central, 6 p.m.)?No? Well, I’m going to ruin it for you.The beautiful, popular girl falls in lovewith the nerd. Yeah, right – and I’mstill waiting for Ed McMahon to sendme the money he owes me. (Justkidding, nerds do get good-lookingwomen – when they’re billionaires.)SHALLOW HALPutrid. Jack Black plays asuperficial, insensitive pig-of-a-manwho finally realizes that beauty is onlyskin deep in “Shallow Hal’’ (FX, 7:30p.m.). Of course, the woman he fallsfor happens to look an awful lot likeblond beauty Gwyneth Paltrow.Does this premise even make anysense?In sickness and in health: Jim andMichelle get hitched in “AmericanWedding” on HBO. Universal StudiosAMERICANWEDDINGRepugnant. Jim (Jason Biggs)and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan)are going to tie the knot in“American Wedding’’ (HBO, 11p.m.), the third installment of the“American Pie’’ series. Howsweet! Let’s recap: Jim askedMichelle to the prom justbecause he was desperate.Michelle said yes justbecause she wanted someaction. Boy, it’s a tendermoment seeing twolovebirds settling forwhatever they can get.Aw, who am I kidding?I’ll probably have “PrettyWoman’’ in my VCR by theend of the weekend ...Asha et al: Ex-flame apologies and readermarriage proposals should be directed toscottfullertv@hotmail.com.(Editor’s Note: ScottFuller’s Boob Tubewill now run Jack Black falls for an overweight, unattractive womanMonday through in “Shallow Hal,” who bears a striking resemblance toThursday.) the striking Gwyneth Paltrow. 20th Century Fox photoSpringsteen, Stipe rock for changeFrom MCI, Page A7Michael Stipe, left, of R.E.M. and Bruce Springsteen perform at the “Vote For Change” concert Friday, Oct. 1 inPhiladelphia. “Vote For Change” comes to the MCI Center on Monday.(2:00) NASCAR Racing (Live) $ % News NBC News Dateline NBC $% American Dreams (N) $ Law Order CI Crossing Jordan (N) $ News Sports Access Hollywood %(4:00) NFL Football: Carolina Panthers at Denver Broncos. % NFL MLB Baseball: Division Series -- Teams TBA. 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Movie: (( “Fallen” (1998, Suspense) Denzel Washington.Turtles “Hercules & Xena -- The Battle for Mount Olympus” Foster Mucha Totally Atomic Cartoon’s Greatest Hits Teen Titans Megas XLR Family Guy Birdman Hungerforce VentureGunsmoke Gunsmoke Gunsmoke Gunsmoke Top 10 GreenAcre Andy Griffith Leave Sanford All in Family 3’s Co. 3’s Co. Cheers CheersMovie: “The Scorpion King” (2002) % Movie: (( “Kiss the Girls” (1997) Morgan Freeman. Premiere. Movie: “Frankenstein” (2004) Premiere. % Law & Order: SVU “Frankenstein”“Long Cosby Show Cosby Show Home Imp. Will & Grace Funniest Home Videos Movie: “Beverly Hills Cop” (1984) $ % WGN News Replay Maximum Exposure The Twilight Zone %Paid Prog. Paid Prog. Paid Prog. Miracle Pets % Most Talented Kids Doc (N) $ % Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye (N) Cold Turkey (N) $ Joel Osteen Directory Paid Prog. Paid Prog.“Escape Al” Movie: ((( “Carlito’s Way” (1993, Drama) Al Pacino. Movie: ((( “Sea of Love” (1989, Drama) Al Pacino. Premiere. 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