Indiana Gazette from Indiana, Pennsylvania • 9

mnbxnxm (Bnztitt Elsewhere News from the nation, world Wednesday, June 29, 2005 Page 9 Briefs Korean nuclear defense ready U.S. commander says combined U.S. and S. Korean forces could repel even nuclear attacks young, political science professor at Ewha Womans University. "It's about time the North return, bargain and negotiate." Park said North Korea would be able to win large concessions in exchange for giving up its nuclear weapons.

"The United States will make no more concessions, but it may accept to a certain degree South Korea's assistance if that can dismantle North Korea's nuclear weapons program," he said. Chung's Washington visit is aimed in part at dispelling U.S. concerns over whether Kim will remain committed to his remarks hinting at a return to the nuclear negotiations, said Hong Seok-hyun, South Korea's ambassador to Washington. The United States has been skeptical of Kim's comments, urging North Korea to set a firm date to return to the arms talks. "I think it's possible the talks will resume in July or in August if a little later," said Park Jun- the combined American and South Korean forces on the peninsula could deter or defeat any attack from the North.

Meanwhile, South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young headed to Washington to meet with Vice President Dick Cheney and other U.S. officials. Chung planned to discuss his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong II, who told Chung that Pyongyang could return to the nuclear negotiations as early as July if Washington respects it as a partner. "We will continue diplomatic efforts, putting weight on the possibility of (North Korea's) return in July" as Kim has suggested, Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon told reporters Wednesday. "Through maximum diplomatic efforts, we will try to resume the talks in July." North Korea has stayed away from the arms talks which also involve South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States for more than a year.

God that their parents die three years apart so that they can attend the funerals. Carlos Lazo, Cuban-American National Guard member By BO-MI LIM Associated Press Writer SEOUL, South Korea A U.S. military commander on Wednesday said the United States and South Korea could repel any attack by North Korea, even if the secretive country has one or two nuclear bombs. Gen. Leon LaPorte, commander of the U.S.

military in South Korea, said he believes that North Korea has at least one or two nuclear weapons, but that Soldier can't see sick son By JIM ABRAMS Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON Cuban-American Carlos Lazo won a Bronze Star for caring for his wounded comrades in Iraq, but he can't get to Cuba to care for a sick son. Lawmakers from both parties are urging the Bush administration to give Lazo, a sergeant in the Washington state National Guard, an exemption from the sanctions imposed on the Castro government limiting family visits to once every three years. "Surely a hero of the Iraq war who wants to visit his ill teenage son in Cuba is deserving of special consideration," Sen. Byron Dorgan, wrote in a letter to White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card. "We trust him in Iraq, but we do not trust him to visit his own family in Cuba," echoed Rep.

Jeff Flake, R-Ariz. Dorgan's office said Lazo's case was being considered this week by senior officials at the State Department. Lazo, 40, first tried to escape Cuba in 1988 but was captured and jailed for a year. In 1992 he made it to Key West by raft, leaving behind his two sons, now ages 16 and 19. In 1998 he moved to Seattle, where he's a counselor for the state's social and health services department.

He joined the National Guard in 2001 and was trained as a medic because he wanted to help out after an earthquake. Lazo was sent to Iraq in April 2004. Last November, he was attached to the Marines during the battle of Fallujah, where he V. posed for a photo holding a picture of his two sons In Shorline, From our wire services Baby weighs in at 13 pounds MILWAUKEE (AP) Weighing in at 13 pounds, 12 ounces, Delaney Jessica Buzzell isn't your average newborn. Her parents have even dubbed her the "Big Enchilada." The baby headed home Tuesday after being delivered by Caesarean section on June 23 a surprising three weeks early.

Her family isn't quite sure what to make of her weight The father is 6-foot-2 and the mother is 5-foot-7, and nurse Judy Nadolski described them as "regular-sized." "We're pretty normal," 34-year-old Paul Buzzell said. Nadolski said carrying the baby in her arms was like holding a 4- or 5-month-old infant The diapers and baby T-shirts also were a little on the snug side. Article claims milk supply is at risk WASHINGTON The National Academy of Sciences published a paper Tuesday describing how terrorists could poison the nation's milk supply, despite a protest from federal health officials that the publication provides "a road map for terrorists." The article offers a study in an ongoing debate among scientists about the wisdom of publicizing the country's vulnerabilities. Some scientists believe only an open discussion of weaknesses in defenses will prompt the government and the private sector to take action. Others fear enemies exploiting the knowledge.

The paper, "Analyzing a Bioterror Attack on the Food Supply: The Case of Botulinum Toxin in Milk," was submitted to The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this spring and approved for publication the week of May 30. The authors, Lawrence M. Wein, a Stanford University business professor, andYifan Liu, a graduate student there, suggested that a small quantity of toxin added to a tanker truck loaded with milk could poison hundreds of thousands of Americans. New York Times News Service Senate approves energy legislation WASHINGTON The Senate overwhelmingly passed broad energy legislation on Tuesday. The bill's authors hope it strikes a balance between traditional and alternative sources of power that can break a four-year congressional stalemate over energy policy.

By a bipartisan vote of 85-12, the Senate approved a bill that includes $14 billion in tax incentives for oil and gas production as well as development of wind, solar and other emerging energy sources. It also rewards buyers of energy-efficient appliances and hybrid cars. New York Times News Service HealthSouth exec acquitted in case BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) By walking out of a courtroom a free man, Richard Scrushy became the first high-profile chief executive to escape conviction since a wave of corporate scandals followed Enron collapse nearly four years ago. The HealthSouth Corp.

founder was cleared of all federal charges Tuesday by jurors unconvinced by prosecutors' arguments that he played a leading role in a $2.7 billion accounting scheme. sy v- writing op-ed pieces and making several trips here to appeal personally to lawmakers. Among his supporters in Congress is Rep. Jim McDermott, who has urged the Office of Foreign Assets Control in the Treasury Department to find a way to grant Lazo a travel license. "The government has in place a policy which denies the basic liberties of an American hero, and we have not lifted one finger in this House to help Carlos Lazo," he said in a floor speech.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Cuban-American and staunch supporter of anti -Castro sanctions, said Lazo was a "great "CUBANS PRAY to Cuban-American Carlos Lazo earned the Bronze Star for braving sniper fire and mortar rounds while providing medical aid. Now an American citizen, he last saw his sons in April 2003. Last June, on leave from Iraq, he flew to Miami with the intent of flying on to Havana, only to learn that the State Department had put a hold on passengers going to Cuba. He tried again this spring upon hearing that his 16-year-old was suffering from a high fever.

The boy was hospitalized for 10 days, then sent home with doctors still uncertain why he was sick. But under rules administered by the Treasury Department, Lazo is not eligible to go until 2006. neither a sales clerk nor manager would let them in. Winfrey believes the store's staff had identified her, according to a spokeswoman from Harpo Production her company. Winfrey's friend, Gayle King, who was there, told Entertainment Tonight, "Oprah describes it as 'one of the most humiliating moments of her Harpo says Winfrey plans to discuss the incident in the context of race relations on her show.

Hermes said in a statement it "regrets not having been able to welcome" Winfrey to the store, but that "a private public relations event was being prepared inside." The store did not respond to calls seeking comment. "As retailers, we want to treat every customer well. So I tell retailers not to look at the customer for what they look like but to address the product they want and what service they're looking for," said Daniel Butler, vice president for merchandising and operations at the Washington-based National Retail Federation. Even if a store is closed, Butler said, the staff should be empowered to "do as much as they can to accommodate a customer and hopefully use common sense." Many other minorities boycott stores where they receive poor service, according to Harriette Cole, author of "How To Be," a book on black etiquette that rec- 7 -v. Oprah's experience in Paris triggers much discussion Health care costs hard on elderly Wash.

(AP photo) patriot" and she would be happy to help bring his boys to the United States. But she stressed that it's a two-way street, with the Castro government also preventing reunions. "Anyone who leaves their children in Cuba understands the difficulties" of reuniting, she said. Flake said he will try to amend a spending bill this week to reverse administration policy restricting travel to Cuba. The House has approved similar Flake amendments three times in recent years and every time, under threat of a presidential veto, the language was removed from the final version of the bill.

any retiree health coverage. Twenty-four percent of adults 50 to 64 said the high cost of health care has deterred them from filling a prescription, seeing a doctor when needed, or getting a medical test or follow-up treatment. Three out of five said they are "very" or "somewhat" worried that they will not be able to afford health care in the future. Collins said the phone survey, done last fall, captured concern about meeting medical expenses among older people at all income levels, ethnic background and political affiliation. Although the 7 percent of older Americans who bought private health coverage on their own tend to be healthier and more affluent than their peers, a quarter of those 50 to 64 were spending $6,000 or more a year for coverage, and two of five still had annual deductibles higher than $1,000.

John Rother, director of policy and strategy for AARP, noted that the report may actually be understating this problem for the most vulnerable seniors who are older than 70 and have the highest expenses. Dallas Salisbury, president of the Employee Benefit Research Institute in Washington, pointed to a study his organization did that showed a person retiring at 65 and living to 80 will need $108,000 in savings just to meet medical costs not covered through Medicare. The Bush administration last June imposed tough sanctions aimed at squeezing Fidel Castro's government. They included restrictions on the flow of dollars to Cuba, and limits on family visits. Cuban-Americans who previously were allowed one visit a year were told they could return only once every three years.

"Cubans pray to God that their parents die three years apart so they can attend the funerals," Lazo told The Associated Press in an interview. In making his own case, he has become a spokesman for those questioning the effectiveness of the 45-year embargo on Cuba, appearing on TV news programs, Television talk Oprah Winfrey. show host (AP photo) ommends this tactic to counter biased treatment. Cole also recommends dressing well and, if followed, asking for shopping assistance. "Unfortunately, this proves how deeply ingrained in global culture racism is," Cole said.

"There is the assumption that a black person will do you harm, andor the assumption that a black person has no place in a luxury establishment, cannot afford to buy the luxury item." Many companies fail to grasp that big-spending customers now come from every background imaginable, said Luke Visconti, co-founder of Diversi-tylnc, a New Jersey-based business that advises companies on diversity issues. By ERINTEXEIRA AP National Writer Whether Oprah Winfrey was turned away from a bit of after-hours shopping in Paris because of a racist employee or a special event, news of the confrontation outside a luxury store has evoked empathy and anger from many American minorities. In living rooms and Internet chat rooms, the Winfrey case has sparked discussion of what many see as a chronic problem for minorities: poor treatment and sometimes outright suspicion of minority shoppers no matter how well-educated or rich they are particularly in high-end stores. "The presumption in America is that if you have the wealth, you'll get equality but where's Oprah's equality?" asked Bruce D. Haynes, a sociologist at the University of California, Davis.

"It picks up on every inkling of discrimination that a black person might experience in daily life." He added: "Many people are saying, don't have the money, but Oprah represents what I could be She's like the black Donald Trump. And if it can happen to Oprah, it could happen to anyone." The incident occurred when Winfrey stopped by Hermes on June 14 to buy a watch minutes after the boutique closed. Though she and three friends said they saw shoppers inside, By LEE BOWMAN Scripps Howard News Service Older Americans are increasingly reaching their Medicare years already in the hole from medical costs, and many more are concerned that they won't be able to handle the widening gap between what Medicare pays and what's left to seniors. A new national survey of 2,000 Americans aged 50 to 70 done for The Commonwealth Fund found that they are "becoming much less protected from rapidly rising health costs," said Sara Collins, a program officer with the New York-based foundation that sponsors research on health. Among the findings from the survey released Tuesday: Thirty-five percent said they had problems paying their medical bills in the past year or were still paying off a medical debt up to three years old.

Some 12 million older adults are either uninsured or have a history of unstable coverage, and 24 percent of those who were on Medicare said they had been uninsured before entering federal insurance programs. Fifty-three percent of those who were still working or had a working spouse said they would have no job-based health benefits when they retire. Only about 10 percent of all employers and 20 percent of large employers still provide.