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2 I Friday, April 29, 2005 | The Red & Black
THE WIRE
In Brief
Committee pushes
back vote on Pryor
WASHINGTON — It’ll be at
least two more weeks before
former Alabama Attorney
General Bill Pryor clears his
next hurdle to winning a
lifetime appointment on the
federal bench.
The Senate Judiciary
Committee had scheduled a
vote Thursday on Pryor’s nom
ination, but the panel got tied
up working on asbestos legis
lation and rescheduled the
vote.
Chairman Arlen Specter, R-
Pa., promised Alabama Sen.
Jeff Sessions that Pryor’s nom
ination would be first on the
agenda at the committee’s
next meeting, likely May 12.
“I’m glad Chairman Specter
agreed to do this,” said
Sessions, a Republican. “Judge
Pryor has been performing
admirably, and I believe we
need to move forward with
this.”
Writer says movie
plagiarized his book
NEW YORK — A week
before the much-anticipated
film “Kingdom of Heaven”
opens in theaters, the
Crusades-era epic starring
Orlando Bloom has sparked
another battle.
Acclaimed author and
scholar James Reston Jr.
claims the film swiped the
story line from his 2001 book,
“Warriors of God: Richard the
Lionheart and Saladin in the
Third Crusade.”
“The essence of it is that
this is a film that is derived
from the first 100 pages of my
book,” Reston told The
Associated Press.
Reston would not say
whether he planned to sue. “I
think that’s in the hands of the
attorneys,” he said.
A spokesman for the studio,
20th Century Fox, said
Reston’s claims were “baseless
and without merit.”
Reston, son of former New
York Times executive editor
James “Scotty” Reston, said
producer Mike Medavoy
optioned the rights to his book
in November 2001 and weeks
later sent a letter to Oscar-
nominated director Ridley
Scott.
The Dec. 12, 2001, letter
mentions Reston’s book by
name and asks Scott to con
sider a movie based on the
characters. “Think ‘Lawrence
of Arabia’ and ‘A Man For All
Seasons,”’ Medavoy writes in
the letter, which Reston pro
vided to the AP
'Simpsons’ reaches
another milestone
LOS ANGELES — When a
show reaches an impressive
350 episodes, it’s fair to reflect
on its mortality. So how long
can “The Simpsons,” which
hits the milestone Sunday,
keep going?
“I don’t see any end in
sight,” creator and executive
producer Matt Groening told
The Associated Press.
Those are reassuring words
for the millions of fans who
have remained loyal to the
Simpson family through 16
seasons, and counting. Writers
are already at work on
episodes for 2005-06, the 17th
season.
The key to its longevity is
simple, Groening said: “We try
to keep surprising the audi
ence. That’s what you’re look
ing for in television — sur
prise.”
Executive producer A1
Jean, who has been with the
animated comedy since it was
spun off Tracey Ullman’s vari
ety show in 1989, muses about
other aspects of the equation.
With the ensemble cast
signed through the next three
seasons, “I would consider it
highly likely we will do those
seasons,” Jean said. He added
that he hopes they find the
work rewarding enough to
continue.
— The Associated Press
CORRECTIONS
University alumnus
Robert Miller still is await
ing word from the state
Attorney General’s office
regarding a complaint
letter he wrote last year. A
story in Thursday’s edition
of The Red & Black about
an e-mail Miller sent to the
University Foundation
mischaracterised that
communication.
Contact us:
Editor in Chief:
Glenn Orman
433-3027
gorman@randb.com
Managing Editor:
Jennifer Burk
433-3026
jburk@Tandb.com
Iran resumes talk of enriching uranium
PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE | The Associated Press
A Visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin signs a
joint statement during his meeting with Israeli
President Moshe Katsav in Jerusalem Thursday.
THE HAGUE,
Netherlands — Iran threat
ened on Thursday to
resume its uranium enrich
ment program if talks with
European nations this week
fail.
The comments put pres
sure on European negotia
tors before Iran’s talks in
London on Friday with
political leaders from
France, German and
Britain.
Speaking after a meeting
with his Dutch counter
part, Iranian Foreign
Minister Kamal Kharrazi
said Friday’s talks were
critical.
“If talks with European
Union are not successful
tomorrow, negotiations will
collapse, and we will have
no choice but to restart the
uranium enrichment pro
gram,” Kharrazi said
Thursday.
France, Britain and
Germany have been negoti
ating with Iran, seeking-
guarantees that it won’t
use its nuclear program
to make weapons, as
Washington suspects.
Tehran insists the program
— kept secret for two
decades — is only for peace
ful energy purposes.
Iran agreed in November
to freeze uranium enrich
ment but insists the move is
temporary.
The European countries
have been trying to get
Iran to make it permanent.
But last week, a spokesman
for Iran’s Foreign Ministry
said the country plans to
resume uranium enrich
ment regardless of what
comes out of the negotia
tions. Hamid Reza Asefi
said then the freeze was not
WORLD NOTEBOOK
“a matter of a year, but
months.”
Kharrazi said Iran is not
willing to accept what he
called “delay tactics” by the
Europeans and that his
country has a right to nucle
ar technology.
Dutch Foreign Minister
Ben Bot said Europe want
ed “objective guarantees
that Iran’s uranium
program is exclusively for
peaceful purposes.”
Putin defends
planned sale of
missiles
JERUSALEM — Russian
President Vladimir Putin
faced down Israeli criticism
Thursday, saying Russia’s
planned sale of anti-aircraft
missiles to Syria and supply
of nuclear components to
Iran does not threaten
Israel’s security.
Putin spoke on the
second day of his historic
visit to Israel — the first trip
here by a Kremlin leader —
before going into a meeting
with Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon.
Addressing Israeli fears
that he’s affecting the
region’s balance of power,
Putin urged Iran to do more
to show the world that it’s
not trying to build a nuclear
weapon.
He also pledged to tackle
the growing problem
of anti-Semitism in his
country, saying “there can
be no place for xenophobia,
anti-Semitism or other
forms of racial or religious
intolerance” in the 21st
century.
Putin was greeted
Thursday morning by the
pomp of an official welcom
ing ceremony, complete
with a military honor guard
and Jewish, Muslim
and Christian religious lead
ers.
Sharon, whose parents
were born in Russia, greeted
Putin in Russian and told
the visitor he should “feel
among brothers,” Israel
Radio said.
The trip was intended to
cement Russia’s rapproche
ment with the Jewish state
and boost its profile in the
international arena.
But it was shadowed
by disagreements with
Israel over Russia’s aid to
Syria and Iran, two of
Israel’s staunchest enemies.
Russia has provided
assistance for Iran’s nuclear
program and has agreed
to sell anti-aircraft missiles
to Syria. Sharon repeatedly
has said the missiles pose
a danger to Israel and wants
Putin to halt the deal.
Police open fire on
protesters, kill five
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti
— Police opened fire on a
crowd of apparently peace
ful protesters demanding
the release of detainees
loyal to ousted President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and
at least five people were
killed, U.N. officials and wit
nesses said.
Wednesday’s shooting
came as the U.S. State
Department confirmed it
plans to waive an arms
embargo to allow sales of
thousands of arms for the
Haitian police, whom critics
accuse of brutality, summa
ry executions and persecu
tion of pro-Aristide loyalists.
U.S. officials and the
interim Haitian government
they helped install say the
police are outgunned and
outnumbered by politically
allied gangsters.
Witnesses said police
drove up behind demonstra
tors Wednesday and shot
into the crowd as
it approached the headquar
ters of the U.N.
peacekeeping mission in
Haiti’s capital, Port-au-
Prince.
“The police started to
fire,” said one witness, who
spoke on condition of
anonymity for fear of his
safety. “People started to
run and shout hostile
slogans at the police.”
Five people were
killed and an unknown num
ber wounded, witnesses
said.
— The Associated Press
Pentagon releases photos of soldiers’ coffins
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE | The Associated Press
A In this photo released by the Pentagon on
Thursday, the casket bearing the body of U.S. Navy
Machinist’s Mate Third Class Nathan Taylor goes
over the edge of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise
as Navy sailors conduct a Burial at Sea ceremony
on May 19, 2004.
WASHINGTON — The
Pentagon, under pressure
from open-government
advocates, released hun
dreds of images Thursday of
flag-draped coffins of
American soldiers.
The Pentagon had
previously refused to
release such images, which
were taken by military
photographers. Nor has
it allowed the news
media to photograph
ceremonies of soldiers’
coffins arriving in the
United States, saying it
is enforcing a policy
installed in 1991 to respect
the privacy of families of
dead soldiers.
Some critics have
contended the government
is trying to hide the human
cost of the war.
The Pentagon provided
the images without context,
so it was unclear where
and when most of them
were taken and whom
they portrayed. The military
also obscured the faces
and identifying badges of
many of the soldiers
pictured in the ceremonies.
A Pentagon spokesman
said the pictures were
edited out of privacy con
cerns.
Most of the photographs
showed soldiers carrying
or saluting flag-draped
coffins. Signs in the back
ground of a few pictures
identified their location as
Afghanistan.
The photographs
released Thursday were
in response to a Freedom
of Information request
and lawsuit by Ralph
Begleiter, a professor at the
University of Delaware and
a former correspondent for
CNN, who argued the
photographs were a public
record.
NATIONAL NOTEBOOK
Begleiter’s request
sought all military photos of
caskets containing the
remains of American sol
diers taken since the U.S.
launched its attack on
Afghanistan in October
2001.
Jim Turner, a Pentagon
spokesman, said the photos
released were taken for his
torical or training purposes.
He said military photogra
phers now are taking pic
tures at such ceremonies
less frequently.
Jackson’s ex-wife
testifies for defense
SANTA MARIA, Calif. —
Michael Jackson’s ex-wife
Deborah Rowe testified
Thursday at his child
molestation trial that
Jackson is a “great person
and a great father” and that
some of the pop star’s asso
ciates are “vultures” trying
to exploit him.
Rowe’s testimony
resumed for a second
day under a cloud as
Judge Rodney Melville
considered an unexplain
ed defense request to
strike her testimony.
But after a morning of more
testimony favorable to
Jackson, defense attorney
Thomas Mesereau Jr.
suddenly withdrew the
request.
Her testimony was
sometimes teary, sometimes
salty and sarcastic. At
one point she said, “Damn
you” to prosecutors in
an apparent misunder
standing about a question.
She also acknowledged
she has said she believes
Jackson is easily manipulat
ed.
Rowe, the mother of two
of Jackson’s children,
seemed to lament the state
of their relationship when
Mesereau asked if she still
considered Jackson a
friend.
“Yeah,” she said, adding,
“if he’d talk to me.”
She became tearful when
she described her feelings
about Jackson.
“There’s different
Michaels. There’s like my
Michael and the Michael
that everyone else sees,” she
said.
— The Associated Press
Search for missing woman now criminal investigation
RIC FELD | The Associated Press
▲ Harris Wilbanks, father of missing Jennifer
Wilbanks, brings pizzas into the home of her
fiance, John Mason, as the search continues for
Wilbanks in Duluth Thursday. Wilbanks was report
ed missing Tuesday night, five hours after Mason
said she had gone on her nightly jog through her
neighborhood in this northeastern Atlanta suburb.
DULUTH, Ga. — More
than a hundred volunteers
joined police on Thursday
in a search through
the wooded neighborhood
where a 32-year-old woman
allegedly disappeared just
days before she was to be
married.
On Thursday morning
authorities said they
were considering the
Tuesday night disappear
ance of Jennifer Wilbanks
a criminal investigation.
Wilbanks was reported
missing five hours after her
fiance, John Mason, said
she had gone on her nightly
jog in the northeastern
Atlanta suburb neighbor
hood, police said.
Saturday’s wedding was
expected to be a big
bash, with 600 invitations
sent out and 14 bridesmaids
and 14 groomsmen, accord
ing to Mason’s mother,
Vicki.
The ceremony was to
be held at Duluth First
United Methodist Church
followed by a reception
at the Atlanta Athletic
Club. The groom’s father,
Claude Mason, a former
Duluth mayor and munici
pal judge, was to be the
best man.
Gifts have poured in for
the wedding, according to
the couple’s bridal registry
at Macy’s, which listed
Lenox dinnerware and
Waterford crystal among the
items bought for the bride
and groom.
“She was so in love. The
wedding is huge. It’s the
talk of the town. Everybody
knows her and was
so excited,” said Killie
McCauley, of Gainesville,
who went to high school
with Wilbanks. McCauley
STATE NOTEBOOK
was at the police station
to find out how she could
help find her friend, she
said.
Like McCauley, Wilbanks’
other friends and relatives
have told police she seemed
happy and said she
was looking forward to the
wedding. Her keys, cash,
credit cards and identifica
tion also were found in
her home. Her fiance said
she left with only her
radio and the clothes she
had on.
Georgia erases last
vestiges of Jim
Crow laws
ATLANTA — Gov. Sonny
Perdue signed a set of bills
Thursday that erased the
last vestiges of Georgia’s
segregation-era “Jim Crow”
laws.
The move was largely
symbolic, since none of
the language designed
to skirt racial integration
has been enforced for
decades. But calling
segregation “a tragic era in
our past,” Perdue said it’s
important to show that
the state rejects such
notions.
“Any time there’s a stain
on the state of Georgia that
we can erase or cleanse, we
need to take the steps to do
that,” said Perdue, a
Republican.
Most Georgia laws
that enforced racial segre
gation already had been
deleted. The remaining
passages allowed the gover
nor to close any school or
college if there is a threat
of violence — such as the
mob scenes that sometimes
developed when Southern
institutions were integrat
ed.
Other sections allowed
the state to funnel money
to private schools, which
presumably would have
allowed funding of whites-
only schools after the feder
al government ordered pub
lic schools integration.
State Rep. Tyrone
Brooks, D-Atlanta, the
chairman of the Georgia
Association of Black
Elected Officials, began
pushing for the bills last
year after learning the
Jim Crow language still
existed.
“It’s a great day,” said
Brooks, who joined Perdue
for a bill-signing ceremony.
“This stain has been
removed, to some extent.”
— The Associated Press