Celtic’s Can’t Get It Done on the Road May 17, 2008

CLEVELAND - The maddening trend continues. The Celtics were soft road-trippers again last night, and now they have only the Garden parquet floorboards to keep them alive in this way-too-difficult postseason.

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The Celtics were 31-10 away from home during the regular season. In the wake of last night’s 74-69 Ugly Betty Game 6 loss to the Cavaliers, the Green Team is 0-6 on the road in the playoffs.

The mighty Celtics have been exposed in the tournament, but still have the only thing that matters in the NBA this year: home court. Sooner or later, of course, the pattern will be interrupted; the Celtics sincerely hope it’s not tomorrow when they play Game 7 at home against LeBron James and friends.

If the Celtics advance/survive, they’ll face the Detroit Pistons in the conference finals. This will challenge the fraudulent formula that’s keeping the Celtics breathing. Neither Charles Barkley nor Tim Donaghy would bet on the Celtics to beat the Pistons four times at home in the next round.

Tomorrow’s joust marks the second elimination game in two weeks for a team that dominated the NBA with a 66-16 record this season. It’s risky business. It is not a championship prescription. The only reason the Celtics are still playing is because they crushed the competition November through March. Who knew they wouldn’t be able to win a road game in the first two rounds of the playoffs?

“I have never seen this before, home teams going 20-1 in this round,” Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said before the game. “I don’t think it’s a pattern, it’s just happening right now. We have not played well on the road and I would be concerned if it continues, but I have a hard time believing it’s a pattern.”

The NBA should be concerned about the home-road disparity. Why even bother to play the games when we all know ahead of time which team is going to win?

Last night at Quicken Loans Arena we saw a little something that explains the advantage. The Cavaliers benefited from some home cooking by the officials.

The Celtics were mounting a furious comeback in the final minute and had cut Cleveland’s lead from 13 to 5 when they were stopped by a brutal call. Paul Pierce was tagged with a charging violation after a collision with LeBron James with 49.9 seconds left. James did not have his feet set and was reaching in to slap the basketball when Pierce barreled into him. It was potentially a game-changing whistle and Doc Rivers had a hard time holding back when he met with the media after the game.

“I thought the charge call on Paul was . . . well, you guys can take it from there,” said the Celtics coach. “I mean, that’s a huge call in a game to make, but listen, we played hard. I’m just going to stop there.”

Pierce (5 for 15 from the floor) chalked it up as “part of the game,” but he was clearly disgusted.

“I got the ball clean,” said James. “I knew he was going to drive left. At the same time he went through me. I didn’t foul him. I thought it was just out of bounds on me, but he called a charge. So, that’s what it is.”

James will not be intimidated. After Game 5 in Boston he said, “A LeBron James team is never desperate.” He made only 9 of 23 shots last night but came through with 12 rebounds and went to the line 15 times (two more than the entire Celtics team).

Rivers had cause to be angry about the officiating, but Boston was outrebounded, 45-37, and the Celtics allowed Cleveland a whopping 16 offensive rebounds. In the category of second-chance scoring, Cleveland beat Boston, 17-2. That’s not officiating. That’s hard work and hustle. That’s how you lose to a team that shoots 33 percent.

The Celtics also have no excuse for getting outscored, 19-0, in one stretch and going more than nine minutes without a basket.

Fortunately for the Celtics, they should be on the receiving end of the close calls tomorrow.

“I think all the teams in the playoffs are really even,” explained Steve Pagliuca, one of the Celtics owners. “That’s why home court makes such a difference. There’s not much other difference between us.”

That said, is management’s confidence shaken by the Celtics’ road show in this postseason?

“No,” said Pagliuca. “We’re a good basketball team. Things will start to go our way. We’re looking forward to [tomorrow].”

“It’s going to be electrifying in that building,” said James. “It’s going to be a hostile environment. They’re a very, very, very good team at home.”

Not so good on the road anymore, but the Celtics and their fans are betting that it won’t matter in Game 7.

Woman Gets Jail Time for Fake Boy Scout Campaign May 17, 2008

EASTON, Pa.—A former Bethlehem woman will serve up to 23 months in prison for having her 7-year-old son dress as a Cub Scout to collect money for a nonexistent cause.

Sally Ann Gombocz, 51, told a Northampton County judge she wanted to apologize to anyone she hurt. She previously pleaded guilty to theft by deception and corruption of a minor.

Gombocz had her son dress as a scout in 2003 and tell people he was raising money for a camping trip. A prosecutor says the family collected $69.

Gombocz was sentenced Friday to six to 23 months in the county jail. She also was fined $2,000, ordered to perform community service, take parenting classes, have psychological counseling and submit to random urine screens. She also must pay restitution.

Desparate Housewives: Update on Next Season May 17, 2008

The following Associated Press story contains spoilers regarding “Desperate Housewives.” If you’d rather not know what happens, stop reading now.

It’s true: “Desperate Housewives” will flash-forward five years.

Marcia Cross, who plays domestic goddess Bree on the ABC comedy-drama, told AP Radio in a recent phone interview that a flash-forward narrative device will offer viewers a glimpse into the future lives of the Wisteria Lane gang.

Spoiler alert: Read no further if you don’t want to know what happens to some of the central characters.

Cross said her character makes “a big leap.”

“She’s gone out into the world and she’s become a bit of a success,” the 46-year-old actress said.

When asked if that success has anything to do with the catering business Bree started with her neighbor Katherine (Dana Delany), Cross replied, “It does have to do with the business. Bree definitely has made a name for herself.”

And Bree — the embodiment of preppy style — will change her look.

“Let’s put it this way, the (hair) flip has died and I’m so happy about that,” Cross said.

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She also revealed that Eva Longoria Parker’s character, Gabrielle, “has had some children.”

When asked what becomes of the troublesome Kayla (Rachel Fox), who is Tom’s (Doug Savant) daughter, Cross said, “She hightails it out of town or is hightailed out of town.”

The season finale of “Desperate Housewives” airs Sunday.

Myanmar Cyclone Death Toll at 78,000 and Climbing May 16, 2008

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — The official death toll from Cyclone Nargis has nearly doubled to almost 78,000 and another 56,000 people remain missing two weeks after the storm, Myanmar state television reported Friday.

 

The United Nations, meanwhile, said that severe restrictions by Myanmar’s military junta have left aid agencies largely in the dark about the extent of survivors’ suffering.

John Holmes, U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, will go to Myanmar on Sunday in an attempt to convince junta leaders to grant more access to U.N. relief workers and massively scale up aid efforts, said Amanda Pitt, a U.N. spokeswoman in Bangkok, Thailand.

With pressure mounting, the military regime has invited foreign diplomats to tour the hard-hit Irrawaddy delta on Saturday, providing their first opportunity to personally view the devastation.

U.S. Embassy charge d’affaires Shari Villarosa told The Associated Press Friday that the Foreign Ministry was arranging the trip, but no further details were available and it was unclear how much access the diplomats will have outside the controlled tour.

The handful of foreign experts who have been allowed into the country have been restricted to Yangon, the former capital. The government has set up police and military checkpoints on roads leading out of Yangon to Irrawaddy, where foreigners are being turned back.

The Red Cross fears the cyclone toll may be as high as 128,000; the U.N. estimates more than 100,000 died. The U.N. estimates 1.5 million to 2.5 million survivors are in desperate need of food, water, shelter and medical care. Aid groups have reached only 270,000 so far.

“The risk increases with each passing day,” Pitt said, referring to the vulnerability of survivors to outbreaks of disease and other problems.

Lack of clean water will be “the biggest killer” in Irrawaddy in the coming days, Thomas Gurtner, the head of operations for the international Red Cross, told The Associated Press in Geneva.

“To be able to provide clean water to hundreds of thousands of people stranded in the (Irrawaddy) delta requires a major operation, which we have neither the material, the logistical nor the staff capacity to do,” he said.

The U.N. health agency said Friday it was concerned about diarrhea, malaria and dengue fever spreading among the cyclone victims.

The junta insists Myanmar nationals and government agencies, including the military, can handle relief operations, particularly aid distribution.

“We still have obstacles to relief workers getting to the delta region, which doesn’t help,” Pitt said. “We are concerned about the effects on the people. It is clear, from what everyone is saying, the aid effort is far from over.”

The United Nations says the regime has issued 40 visas to its staffers and another 46 to nongovernment agencies but has confined the personnel to the immediate Yangon area.

Steve Marshall, a U.N. official who just came out of Myanmar, said the military has set up checkpoints on the two main roads to the delta to keep foreigners out of the disaster zone. Even local staff have to negotiate with the military to gain access to the camps.

“Things will still get done, but they will not be done as effectively, efficiently or as quickly, which means delays, which means increasing risk in terms of health, security and in terms of longer-term rehabilitation and getting back to a normal lifestyle,” he said.

The U.N. Children’s Fund, or UNICEF, said Friday the agency’s fourth flight into Myanmar, scheduled for Saturday, would deliver several tons of food for malnourished children. Radio broadcasts are trying to help lost children find their families, it said.

“At the moment, it is a difficult to know how many children have been separated or unaccompanied. We still have no indication of how many orphans there may be,” said Shantha Bloemen, a UNICEF spokeswoman.

Meanwhile the U.N.’s World Food Program said Friday it has applied for permission to operate a civilian helicopter to distribute aid across Myanmar.

In the absence of an organized relief effort by the government, ordinary people are stepping in, with shopkeepers handing out free rice porridge and medical students caring for the sick.

Daw Mya Win, a 49-year-old grocer in a Yangon suburb, cooks rice porridge every day to feed anyone who comes. She also sends pots of it to some of the thousands of homeless sheltering in Buddhist monasteries.

College students are going door-to-door, handing out a few pennies to families for rice.

“Whenever we distribute rice and clothing, I can see the faces of the cyclone victims light up. It is very rewarding to see them smile,” said Nyi Nyi, 21

Anne Heche Says She Can’t Afford Child Support May 16, 2008

Anne Heche says she can no longer afford to pay the nearly $15,000-a-month in child and spousal support because she’s unemployed after the cancellation of Men In Trees.

“I am continuing to look for work, but I have no offers pending and the impending strike by the Screen Actors Guild reduces my prospects for work even further,” Heche, 38, writes in court papers.

A judge Wednesday gave her a temporary break, saying she didn’t have to pay her next support payment to her ex Coley Laffoon, 34, covering the month of July. But Superior Court Judge Gail Ruderman Feuer ordered the actress to provide updated income and expense information.

In a court declaration, Heche indicated her financial straits were dire and that she can no longer afford to pay the $14,798 in monthly support, along with private school tuition for her 6-year-old son Homer, the mortgage on her house in Canada where Men In Trees filmed, rent on her Los Angeles home and car expenses.

“Since January 18, 2008, I have been unemployed and had no income from employment except for one very short-term contract for a movie role for which I received a total of $65,000, approximately the amount I received for one episode of Men In Trees, she writes.

She adds: “I do receive some residuals from previous acting work. However, the amounts are nominal and are offset by recurring business expenses that must be paid whether or not I am working.”

Kidnapped Girl Buys Captor’s Home May 16, 2008

VIENNA, Austria (AP)- The lawyer for former Austrian kidnap victim Natascha Kampusch says the young woman now owns the house where she was held captive for more than eight years.

 Lawyer Gerald Ganzger says Kampusch became the owner of the house and yard in the quiet Vienna suburb of Strasshof earlier this year. She is not thought to live there.

Ganzger said Friday Kampusch received two-thirds of the property as compensation and reached agreement with her captor’s mother for the remaining third. He declined to provide more details.

Kampusch was 10 when Wolfgang Priklopil abducted her on her way to school. He held the girl for the next eight and a half years, mainly in a dingy dungeon under his home. Kampusch escaped in August 2006, and Priklopil killed himself hours later.

Little Leaguer Benched for Mom’s No-Show May 16, 2008

BOSTON — A Freetown baseball player was benched for two games because his mom did not help out at the concession stand.

 

Jodie Hooper agreed to help when she signed a registration form, but she said that she had a very good excuse.

It’s my fault. I get it. I really, really do, but the rule has to change,” Hooper said.

 

“It’s a tough rule to have to enforce because everybody has things to do,” League President Dave Brouillette said.

 

Hooper’s son was benched for a second game Thursday, because she did not show up to work the stand.

 

“Being benched and being suspended means the child did something wrong. The child didn’t do anything wrong. That is where I am having the issue with it,” Hooper said.

 

“We are not here to have kids sit benches. We want kids to be playing, but we need people to help us out,” Brouillette said.

 

About 370 kids play at the field. The fields are run almost exclusively by volunteers. Each parent is expected to help out at least one night.

 

“Is it fair if you know about it in advance and you are told? It’s one of the rules, otherwise we wouldn’t have concession stands,” parent Rebecca Diaz said.

 

“It is 110 percent my fault, and it shouldn’t fall on the shoulders of the commissioner or anyone else like that, but it needs to get out there that the rule needs to be changed,” Hooper said.

 

“I am not here to bash Mrs. Hooper. She is a mother who is upset about her 7-year-old not being able to play baseball. I 100 percent agree with her that she is doing what she feels is right. Unfortunately as the president of the league, I have to enforce the rules,” Brouillette said.

 

Hooper said that she had things to do at work and that is why she could not work the stand. She said that she tried to tell one of the assistant managers that she would not be there.

8 Year Old Connecticut Girl Charged with Arson May 16, 2008

NORWICH, Conn. — Norwich police have arrested an 8-year-old girl, charging her with arson and accusing her of setting a fire that severely damaged a three-family home.

 

The fire on April 30 severely damaged the home on Central Avenue and left 14 people, including seven children, homeless.

 

The girl is charged with third-degree arson. Police said she lived in the home that burned.

 

Police said the girl’s role in the fire amounted to a “reckless action,” but they are not releasing any other information.

Third-degree arson is a felony and involves intentionally starting a fire.

Morehouse College Valedictorian Makes History May 16, 2008

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) — Joshua Packwood knows what it’s like to be a minority.

This weekend he’ll be the first white valedictorian to graduate from the historically black, all male Morehouse College in the school’s 141-year history.

Morehouse, in Atlanta, Georgia, is one the nation’s most prestigious universities of its kind. For more than a century, the school has prided itself on personifying the dream of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the school’s most notable alums, by producing “Morehouse Men” - intelligent and successful black leaders.

“Because I’m one of the only white students, it’s easy to call me ‘the white boy,’ I’m naturally going to stand out,” says Packwood.

But Packwood, 22, doesn’t stand out solely because he is white or has maintained a 4.0 grade point average. For those who don’t know him, what is surprising is that a Rhodes Scholar finalist turned down a full scholarship to Columbia University to attend the all-black men’s university.

This came naturally to Packwood, who attended a predominantly black high school.

“A large majority of my friends, like all my girlfriends have been minorities,” says Packwood. “So it was very, it was kind of strange that I always kind of gravitated to the black community.”

Packwood fit in immediately at Morehouse. His charm, movie-star good looks and chiseled physique made him popular among students. He was elected dorm president and to class council during freshmen year - and was a favorite at campus fashion shows.

He also gained worldly experience studying and traveling abroad.

Life hasn’t always been easy for Packwood. He grew up in a poor area of Kansas City, Missouri, where he says he found himself gravitating to the black community at a young age.

Adolescence was rough. His mother’s second marriage to a black man ended in divorce and family tension forced him to seek refuge with his best friend’s family - who were black and middle-class.

The experience of living with his best friend’s family had a profound effect on Packwood, who says he saw a “different side of black America.”

During his teens, Packwood says he got into his share of fights and even landed in jail a few times. Still, his grades were good and eventually earned him a full scholarships to Morehouse College and Columbia University.

Against the advice of some family members, Packwood gave up the scholarship to an Ivy League school. He felt the true college experience was at Morehouse - where he believed he would get more than an education.

“I gained this interest in African-American studies and I thought that Morehouse would probably be the best experience,” says Packwood. “I think of it in terms of ’study abroad.’ If I really want to learn it, if I really want to understand it - maybe it’s best if I immerse myself in the culture.”

“Mr. Packwood is deserving. He has earned this,” says Dr. Robert Franklin, the president of Morehouse. “We are committed to merit, to hard work - no matter who it might be.”

For the most part, Packwood says the experience among his Morehouse brethren has been overwhelmingly good - with the exception of a few negative comments.

“One guy came up to me and told me — he didn’t like the fact that I was here,” recalls Packwood. “He absolutely didn’t like the fact that I dated black women.”

“So I heard him out, and said, ‘I appreciate your opinion but don’t agree with what you have to say,’…and now we’ve become, not necessarily close, but very cool,” Packwood says.

That student, Vinson Muhammad, says he was curious about the reasons why someone like Packwood would choose to attend an all-black college.

“I don’t necessarily support him being here, but because he’s here and we can’t discriminate against other races, I support him and his mission to be successful in life,” says Muhammad, a junior. “I just kind of wish he had done it at a different institution.”

In this next installment of CNN’s Black in America series, Soledad O’Brien examines the successes, struggles and complex issues faced by black men, women and families — 40 years after the death of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Even though he received the support of school administrators, Packwood’s scholastic success did not come without some controversy. When word got out that he might become the next valedictorian, some of his classmates - even friends - were admittedly chafed.

“They approached me and said, ‘Yeah, I have a problem with you being valedictorian. I know you’ve earned it and even though I know you on a personal level - I like you a lot - but it disturbs me that out of roughly 3,000 black men - there’s not one that’s done as well as or better than you academically,’ ” says Packwood.

Still, the majority of students told CNN that he earned his accolades and they stand behind him. Some say, if anything, Packwood’s academic success should serve as a lesson to his fellow students.

“I think that it should be a wake-up call to an all black campus,” says Muhammad. “At Morehouse we’re supposed to be at the top as black men. We only have a few white students and to see a white student will rise to this - is something unsettling to me because it shows that we need to work harder.”

Campus administrators say that black or white, Packwood’s experience is consistent with the school’s mission: to produce future leaders.

“I think some of our alumni are a little nervous about a white student graduating from Morehouse with all of its rich history for producing African-American male leaders. But I don’t think it’s contradictory at all,” says Sterling Hudson, the dean of admissions.

Overall, Packwood says his experience is the best proof of Morehouse success, because the school was able to produce a white valedictorian - against the odds. He’s eager to quote the school’s most notable alums.

“What Morehouse stands for at the end of the day, and what Dr. King epitomized, it’s not about black or white, it’s about the content of [a person's] character,” says Packwood. “It’s about me, representing Morehouse in that light — not as a white man or a black man.”

His experience was so positive that Packwood’s younger brother, John, will follow in his footsteps when he enrolls as a freshman at the college next year.

Could this type of recruitment signal a new trend for Morehouse and other historically black colleges and universities?

“We’re not aggressively pursuing white students,” says Hudson. “But like every other college, we’re interested in diversity. So, if a white student becomes interested in Morehouse - of course we are going to treat him like any other student.”

For now, Packwood is enjoying his rise to the top. This week, he started his first job with the prestigious investment banking firm Goldman Sachs on Wall Street.

But he’ll be back at Morehouse Sunday wearing his cap and gown along with the 500 members of his graduating class. Not as a white man or a black man - but as a Morehouse Man.

“The interesting thing about Josh’s experience is that he had a full Morehouse experience,” says Hudson. “When he marches across the stage on May 18 and receives his diploma, he’s going to be a Morehouse Man in every way — except ethnicity.”

“I don’t think ethnicity makes the difference; it’s what’s in his heart.”

Amputee Runner Wins Right to Try for Olympic Spot May 16, 2008

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius won his appeal Friday and can compete for a place in the Beijing Olympics.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the 21-year-old South African is eligible to race against able-bodied athletes, overturning a ban imposed by the International Association of Athletics Federations.

CAS said the unanimous ruling goes into effect immediately.

Pistorius still must reach a qualifying time to run in the individual 400 meters at the Aug. 8-24 Beijing Games. However, he can be picked for the South African relay squad without qualifying.

Pistorius appealed to CAS, world sport’s highest tribunal, to overturn a Jan. 14 ruling by the IAAF that banned him from competing. The IAAF said his carbon fiber blades give him a mechanical advantage.

A two-day hearing was held before a panel of three arbitrators at CAS headquarters last month.

Pistorius holds the 400-meter Paralympic world record of 46.56 seconds, but that time is outside the Olympic qualifying standard of 45.55. His training has been disrupted by the appeal process.

Even if Pistorius fails to get the qualifying time, South African selectors could add the University of Pretoria student to the Olympic 1,600-meter relay squad.

Pistorius would not require a qualifying time and could be taken to Beijing as an alternate. Six runners can be picked for the relay squad. Pistorius also expects to compete in Beijing at the Sept. 6-17 Paralympic Games.

The verdict also clears Pistorius to dedicate himself to competing at the 2012 London Olympics.

The IAAF based its January decision on studies by German professor Gert-Peter Brueggemann, who said the J-shaped “Cheetah” blades were energy efficient.

Pistorius’ lawyers countered with independent tests conducted by a team led by MIT professor Hugh M. Herr that claimed to show he doesn’t gain any advantage over able-bodied runners.

CAS said the IAAF failed to prove that Pistorius’ running blades give him an advantage.

“The panel was not persuaded that there was sufficient evidence of any metabolic advantage in favor of a double-amputee using the Cheetah Flex-Foot,” CAS said. “Furthermore, the CAS panel has considered that the IAAF did not prove that the biomechanical effects of using this particular prosthetic device gives Oscar Pistorius an advantage over other athletes not using the device.”

Pistorius was born without fibulas — the long, thin outer bone between the knee and ankle — and was 11 months old when his legs were amputated below the knee.